coolhandluke

^ It isn't just time, though, it's speed attained. I can accelerate from 0-3 mph in 1.2 seconds, but the forces aren't that powerful. But Stealth is on the present-day list. It has a kick of 42.1mphps, good enough for third on the above list. I don't know where other accelerators built since weigh in, though a quick check of stats on rcdb indicate Stealth is the quickest of the accelerators.

I believe I already offered my input, but I'll just add that if everyone is viewing Six Flags and Cedar Fair moving in opposite directions, then I'd definitely go to Cedar Point now. If the two parks are seen as equal now (I'm biased, so I won't verify either way), then I'd certainly go to the park that is "on the decline" now, to cut your losses, so to speak. Go while it is still a lot of fun and is still seen as an elite park. Then a couple years later Six Flags will have improved even more so (in theory), so you'd be going to both (or all three) parks at the best time for each.

First time I went to CP I felt a little dizzy after back to back ides on Raptor, and then my second time MaXair went one swing too many and made me enter "Ok, that was fun, I'm ready to queue another ride now..." mode. Not really sick, but "that was borderline uncomfortable". Won't prevent me from riding anything multiple times, though.

Close, but try this from Millennium Force on: 2000: Millennium Force 2001: Lighthouse Point 2002: Wicked Twister 2003: TTD 2004: Castaway Bay 2005: MaXair 2006: Skyhawk 2007: Maverick 2008: Planet Snoopy and Skyscraper EDIT: And 1995 saw the addition of the Breakers East wing of Hotel Breakers. Unfortunately, I can't answer your question regarding ERT waits yet (ask me again in one month...), but I can tell you that Top Thrill is NOT open for ERT. If Maverick lines are indeed that long when I'm there, I'll plan to spend the full hour doing MF and Raptor, heading to TTD as the park opens for a nice short wait (I can't justify waiting more than 30 minutes for a 20 second ride, regardless of the thrill), then going from there. People think CP is overrated, but few of them actually think it's a bad park. Don't misinterpret the comments--you'll have fun. We're talking the best of the best. It's like choosing a flavor of pie--different opinions will lead to different personal favorites (with an occasional person not liking a flavor), but it's really tough to make a flat-out bad decision. Have fun!

^Acute observation. I had learned that at one point, but obviously didn't remember it. It makes sense then. Though I think the people were saying the launch wouldn't be as good as an LIM would've been. Or I could just be making this all up in my fantasy world. Wouldn't be the first time... Woo-hoo, 200th post used as an illustration of how people on this site help others and clarify and know what they are talking about!

1) What will the crowds be like in June - early July? As stated, typical CP crowds. Expect 45-65 on MF, Raptor, TTD, and a little more on Maverick. Dunno about Maggie, as both times I was there it was a walk-on, and that was including a Saturday in July... Smaller rides will have much shorter lines, though Wildcat has pitiful capacity. 2) If I visit the park for 2 days, will I have enough time to do everything? Yep. On my Saturday in late July, my friend and I hit all adult coasters except Wildcat, Disaster Transport, and Blue Streak (which we sacrificed for Skyhawk, 2 MaxAirs, reride on MF, and 2 rerides on Raptor). No ERT either. 3) Is the Hotel Breakers worth it for the 1 hour morning ERT? I'm going in a couple weeks, and I'm staying at the cheaper Breakers Express. Still get the ERT, with the ticket package you get a parking voucher, and it's only about a 5 min drive max to the parking lot. But I would say either one is worth the extra hour. 4) What kind of lines should I expect, assuming I visit on weekdays (Mon. - Thur.) for the major attractions. See #1 5) What is the chance of rain in Ohio during these months? CP weather never seems consistent with Ohio weather, in that CP is always overcast or raining at some point every day. Even if you get stuck in rain for a while, though, I still think 2 days will be enough. 6) And finally, as more of a subjective question, do you think that Cedar Point has a better collection of coasters than say SFMM or Six Flags Great Adventure? I couldn't tell you. I'm partial to CP, though I must admit I'm an inversion junkie, so SFMM makes me drool. GAdv looks sweet as well, and offers mostly different ride experiences (El Toro...mmmm...).

^I've actually heard the opposite, that LIMs have a little more kick than LSMs (I think a few people were a little perplexed as to why Maverick was LSM when an LIM could've been just as feasible). And Xcelerator is hydraulic, not LIM. My favorite LIM/LSM would be Rn'R at MGM--er, Hollywood Studios...FoF was fun, but didn't seem quite as strong. Maverick depends on whether you near-stop or just slow down (personally, I enjoy the near-stops more). I really had to pee in the queue for Wicked Twister, so my mind was focused on not peeing during the ride, so I don't remember much about that launch (or the ride in general for that matter).

Ah, my apologies.

I had heard about Great White being a more intense ride than the typical Batman clones, so you are not the only one. RCDB confirmed it with simple stats: Length of Batman clones: 2,693-2,700 ft (depending on which one you look at). Length of Great White: 2,562 ft Max forces of Batman clones: 4 Gs Max forces of Great White: 4.6 Gs Because of a lack of room, Sea World crammed the same elements and layout of a Batman clone into a slightly smaller space by taking out excess track, reducing its length. Thus, you go through the elements at a faster pace, resulting in a more intense ride. So it's not just you! And awesome reports, by the way!

I had to make the same decision for my trip east in September, so I started comparing coasters... I ended my list there because as I wrote that I realized El Toro was all I needed. There was no reason for me to continue. That single coaster made the decision for me. If that isn't enough, GAdv also has the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, a flyer, a themed spinner, a second dark coaster, a top 5 steel hyper, an older-school woodie, and a classic looper. Nothing against Dorney at all, it's just that it isn't fair for me to compare a smaller park like it to "the largest Six Flags in the country".

One thing Magic Mountain has that CP could really use more of is inversions. Scream, Viper, Riddler, Batman, Tatsu, X2, Deja Vu, and Revolution. Raptor, Mantis, Corkscrew, and Maverick. Hell, Scream, Viper, and Revolution have as many inversions as all of CP. I think this goes to show how the parks have different styles of coasters, as MM has tons of inverting coaster styles and CP has tons of non-inverting styles (except the ever-important pre-fab...). I think CP could help their case by getting a multi-looper or two over the years (in addition to the pre-fab... ). Maverick was certainly a hit, but inversion counts of 6, 4, 3, and 2 for a 17-coaster park just seems a little disproportional to me.

The only thing I see similar with Wicked Twister and Deja Vu is that they both go forwards...then backwards...and are vertical 2 points...hmm...yeah, that's it. I can't imagine the ride experiences being similar. Someone else compared Maverick to Superman? How? And then listed Maverick as one of CP's many "mediocre" rides...? Huh? And Tatsu must be as good as which "Superman"? The Escape? That makes no sense to me. Ultimate Flight, maybe? I'm so lost on people's logic. I tried to compare the parks one-to-one a while back. I had just been to CP and wanted to see how it and MM stacked up. There is no way to do it. You'll end up needing to compare X2 to Disaster Transport or Magnum to Tatsu. It just doesn't work. Now, as a disclaimer, I consider myself a "Critical Fanboy" of Cedar Point. I love the park, and it will always have a soft spot in my heart. I love their rides (mostly), and I typically look for the good in the park. But I'm anything but oblivious (and typically not sympathetic either) to their problems. Mean Streak sucks. Kiddy Kingdom is the epitome of non-carnival ghetto. Disaster Transport is a joke. Their "acceptable amount of wetness" threshold is lower than a certain TPR member's. That almost brings me to tears (which is bad, because those tears would close the park for wetness). CP is like a first car to me--nowhere near perfect, but I love 'em anyway. So, never being to MM, and my "critical fanboy"ism gives me grounds to not compare the two. Though MM does look more intense overall, and I love intense rides (X2 is actually #1 on my "want to ride" list, just ahead of EGF and El Toro). Oh, I guess the utter lack of similarities between the rides might play a part in it too...[end ventilation]

And cost. UM students face the 4th highest debt of public schools in the nation. Sorry, I had to... As much as it pains me to say anything positive about a bitter rival, I don't want to start a battle on here, so I know they are a nice school with a nice campus (yes, I've been there). They may be better, but that doesn't mean I like them. Disney, though is better, and I do like them.

Doing Dorney and Hershey in that order is backtracking some (IN to east PA to central PA to east coast...unless I can't get your itinerary right). Not saying I have a better suggestion (as I have yet to visit those parks), but just so you know. I was looking at a similar trip myself this summer. Then my friend canceled as he got a study abroad trip for most of the summer...to Beijing...during the Olympics...I'm jealous of him and you. Hope this all works out for you!

^ Yep, kids only get cranky after a day in Disney parks. Otherwise, they're angels. Except for a couple witty remarks to which I chuckled, and a decent point or two, it didn't seem like he gave it a shot. It'd be like me going to to Ann Arbor, MI, and attending a week of classes at their local university. My mind is already made up on my experience before I go... Luke "Go Disney and Bucks" Dickman

ANYTHING posted on Youtube coaster videos. "OMGZ DIS IS DA FASTEST IN DA WURLD!!!1! i ROAD IT LYK 20 TIMES INA ROW ADN i WUZNT EVEN SCARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT ROX!!!!!!1!!! TH ELOOPS R CRAAAAAZZY ADN IF FLUPS U LYK 13 TYMZ!!@!!!!!!!" Then a sane person tries to correct them. "Dude, that's a wild mouse coaster..."

Hey, I know there's another GAdv help thread started recently, but I didn't want to threadjack, and this is focusing on a very different aspect of the trip... In September, my friend and will be heading to New Jersey. He attends Princeton, so we planned this to correspond with his move-in week. His parents said they can drive the 4 of us up to NJ (2 parents, him, and me), thus saving us significant gas money (which will most likely be spent on gold Flash Passes). However, they will be heading back to Ohio shortly after dropping everything off, while I plan to stay for a couple days to hang out and be a geeky tourist. We WILL be going to SF GAdv (which must be on a Sunday, as they are weekends-only by that time). We know NJ public transportation has buses that go to GAdv. My question pertains to finding the easiest way to get there from Princeton. Any indication on costs and...safety (I know not all public transportation systems are quite like Disney buses...) would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

My worst was a little over 2 hours for Maverick 2 weeks after it opened, when it broke down twice. But, that wait was for front row, and we got in line AS the park closed, so all the wait was basically after hours anyway. If I had the choice to do it over again, I wouldn't. I'd wait 2 hrs for BACK row instead!

Ok, I have officially decided that Stephen Curry is the best player in the tournament. Davidson to the Final 4! (Honestly, it won't hurt me, so why not?)

Nah. Instead of fire shooting up and guests flipping through water and getting wet, it will shoot up columns of water and flip guests through small flames. They're trying something new... Now THAT'D be a crazy, intense, scary ride!

Ironic you get to go from hilly, charming, antique Kennywood to...well...Kings Island...a little depressing? Awesome photos. Awesome commentary. Awesome TR!

As stated, definitely raft in West Virginia. When are you planning to go? If it's in September, try to do the Upper Gauley River. I did it last year, and it is absolutely insane. 5 class V rapids, more III and IV...heaven for those who like to raft.

^Or, based on the athletic shorts he's wearing, SPANDEX. Wow, you know how amazing the quality of these pictures must be when people talk about individual rider's underwear and facial features. Fantastic!

^^Both. It's a real chess board where the pieces are glued down. ^I was thinking Risk myself. Either way...

^ & ^^ I've played team chess before. Or two of them could be spectating. But yeah, for all intents and purposes, it's a two person game. Funny pics, not sure about the legality, but they are still amusing. Certainly more unique than any on-ride I've been in...