DBru

I really like this park but most of this “refreshening” feels like a cheap downgrade. All the well-crafted (if not unique) theming elements of the area have been replaced with gaudy carnival-like facades and paint jobs. But yes, I am happy Mindbender is getting some love and that its future is secure.

Welp. Guess I’m never riding one of these again.

^I was wondering the same thing!! Lol

^Of course the Lightning Rod crew is friendly—they only have to work twice a week!

^Right, that’s my biggest issue with the virtual queue. People don’t cancel their reservations which leads to mostly empty trains being sent out while the app still lists a 30+ minute wait.

It’s illogical to think they might scrap it and start over after 2 years of operation. ...but I sure hope they do.

On the other hand, my KK employee friend recently had a conversation with Mrs. Hart and she apparently heavily implied that the raptor plans are cancelled. So...maybe we should all take all things all employees say with a teeny tiny grain of salt. Lol

I know you record your wait times a little differently, but 50 minutes for The Bat?! Holy cow lol

After visiting 9 parks over the past 2 months, I’ve had to adjust my mask on maybe 3 rides. It’s truly not a big deal. And anyone here who’s ridden a coaster with me will tell you that I don’t ride...conservatively. Lol

Throw the trains on it right now and let me at it. I’ll die happy.

I think Disneyland Paris is gorgeous, it just lacks a few standout attractions that would make it a destination in the way the other Disney parks are. With that being said, DLP has my favorite coaster in the company (so far)—their Big Thunder Mountain is just in a league of its own. The huge revamp/expansion of Paris Studios should definitely help, too.

Thanks for the report! I’m taking 3 Dollywood virgins to the park next week and couldn’t be more excited! We’re just missing the Food & Flower Festival but I’m really hoping they leave those umbrellas. Lol We have 2 days planned, just in case Lightning Rod is being a little Lightning Rod-y. Fingers crossed. But we’re also hitting Splash Country (my first time), which should be a super...interesting...experience during Covid.

I also find it shocking how multiple people were totally cool with making the decision to ruin the aesthetic of one of the most beautiful coasters anywhere by slapping down the world’s ugliest boomerang in front of it. One of the more frustrating decisions Six Flags St Louis management has made—and there have been several!! Is Boomerang even operating this season?

^Yeah, as much as I still love it, Kings Island’s Flight of Fear is bizarrely rough. It’s super weird because basically every other Premier I’ve ridden is butter smooth. Then again, so are most B&M hypers and inverts...maybe KI needs a new maintenance team?

^What permits have you seen that link Kentucky Kingdom and Intamin? The only permit I’ve seen was for a “Raptor,” which is specifically the name for RMC’s single rail model.

I find most of the creative decisions involved with this addition to be puzzling, but it definitely looks like a fun ride!

While somewhat annoyingly misnamed, the Gigasplash looks fantastic! Perilous Plunge was totally insane. I can only imagine an updated version with Intamin’s new lap bars would be even more amazing—if it works.

Pre-Zadra, Energylandia had one solid reason to return... The Viking show. I laughed for 5 solid minutes recounting those half-naked, almost-talented non-vikings dancing to music that wasn’t rock. The most bizarre and unintentionally entertaining “performance” I’ve seen in my life. In all seriousness, Hyperion is currently in my #5 spot. That second hill has to be the best sustained-ejector airtime moment currently in existence, and the dive-drop-loop-thing right after it is totally insane. Hopefully an upcoming train refurb can help with the rattle (which I personally found much less distracting than whatever the heck was going on with Helix at Liseberg). Also, the drop tower sucks. Besides that, Zadra looks exactly like what I’d want from an RMC and I have no doubt the new Vekoma launched coaster will be amazing. I’m glad we ended up staying as long as we did and I would totally go back with this awesome group!

Thanks for the report, Zach! Looking forward to my visit to SDC next week. It’ll be my first since Outlaw Run was new, too! Temps at the time were in the 40’s and the thing was barely making it though that last barrel roll...so riding it with temps in the 90’s should definitely be interesting. Were ride ops allowing people to request certain rows?

Chickie & Pete’s bar is still open to buy mixed drinks! But they don’t have any bourbon or whiskey. So that’s lame.

Whoa! Great find! Other than the harsh pullout from the first drop, I think that layout looks really fantastic. Looks like quite the triple-down!

Seeing the “Chaos Labs” sign made me think that an indoor flat ride would be a super cool addition to Area 72. Like a cheaper replacement for Tomb Raider.

^Totally agree.

Can’t wait to follow construction on this thing! Intamin has really been outdoing themselves...if that’s even possible.

Glad to see the Jurassic Park IP is finally getting the usage it deserves with 2 great rides here and the Intamin coaster at Islands of Adventure! B&M vests, on the other hand, I am less excited to see...