DBru

I always close the season with a night ride on The Beast...except for this year, because I'm going to Dollywood on Monday!

I think it's interesting how Valley Fair is marketing their new ride as a "family coaster" whereas Cedar Point is getting the exact same ride and the word "coaster" hasn't been used to describe it at all.

I could literally ride Runaway Mountain at SFOT and/or Skull Mountain at SFGAdv all day, every day. I have a huge appreciation and love for those underrated, little-known indoor coasters with absolutely fantastic layouts.

While you may experience shorter lines and wait times at other parks, I can pretty much guarantee you will not encounter another non-Disney park that moves lines like Cedar Point does. While I may be a bit biased as a ride op at Millennium Force, we basically have two things on our mind here--safety and capacity. Granted, merging in Fast Lane users does add an unfortunate amount of time to the waits on the major coasters, but we do our absolute best to get as many people on our rides as possible--every train, every hour, every day.

I'm basically still in absolute shock that a coaster that looks as good as Lightning Run does is coming to my home park. This is basically the year I've been waiting for my entire life. Bring it on, 2014! And I literally cannot wait for my jaw to drop to the floor when I see what Holiday World announces as their first major steel coaster. That'll probably be one of the best days of my life. (Stop judging me.)

That drop out of the zero-g looks nothing short of incredible. I just hope the park plants some trees back there in SOB's old plot. It would be a lot more fun--especially at night--to dive into a wooded area rather than just a wide-open field. Just 4 months to go!

John, do you happen to have a POV or any footage from the MGM Grand coaster? I was looking for some on YouTube the other day and was unsuccessful.

That looks fantastic! I can't wait to see some of these properties come to life. Based on the concept art, I could definitely see that Ice Age coaster being realized as an awesome Gerstlauer spinner. This will be fun construction progress to follow.

Did Six Flags really leave all that abruptly, though? I thought the removal of Chang and the announcement of a HUGE water park addition without a single detail or piece of concept art released was a pretty gigantic, in-your-face red flag. And there was the whole thing with a fourth of the park being closed since 2007...plus the removal of Hellevator, Rainbow, Chaos, and other rides with no replacements...

I feel safe saying that if we're hoping for underground tunnels or well-themed trenches or other features in the middle of the course, we're setting ourselves up for disappointment. At the absolute most, I don't expect to see anything more than what was in the concept art.

That procedure is standard for Arrow coasters, so it wouldn't surprise me if Vekomas are the same way.

Every single aspect of this water park looks awesome. I'm amazed at how many great-looking slides they've fit onto every structure.

And so is Vortex.

^While I've never really had a problem with them, it's arguable that getting chopped in the neck by a thin bar hurts worse than hitting the entire side of your head against a larger harness.

^Which, in my opinion, is life's greatest mystery.

Ugh. I just really hate the name SteelHawk for a Windseeker. Would it be acceptable for a coaster? Sure. But a Windseeker? Blah.

^Now that is one sexy looking spinning coaster. Just sayin'.

Yep, what Kyle said! While I'd love to work on Millennium again this year, I also applied for a leadership position. In the end, management puts us wherever they think we will be the best fit, and we all have a great time no matter where we are! (Well, for the most part. )

Am I the only one who thinks concrete trenches look cool on inverted coasters?

My same feelings. Seeing as how Cedar Fair doesn't really change the complete color scheme very much it will probably stay this color for its long life.. The brilliant, "shiny" magenta color probably won't last too long. Once the paint starts to dull a bit, I'm sure it'll resemble more of the basic, pinkish color of the renderings.

Well...um...job applications come out soon!

I've always thought spineless track looks kind of "cheap." But hey, if it rides well, who cares?

More likely, you just caught it on a very rare, good day.

To answer the original question, "Are POV videos good indicators of how a ride will be?" I would say yes. Of course there are a few exceptions, but in general, if you've ridden enough coasters, if you consider the layout and the time it takes to complete certain elements, you can get a good idea of what the ride will be like. I never used to listen to POV's with audio, but now I like listening for reactions during the ride. I've come to associate Robb's "Weee"'s with airtime, so that has been a nice and useful tool.

I can't get over how good this coaster looks. I especially love the crazy-low Stengel dive and roll into the brakes to finish off the ride. Intamin continues to impress me.