RAWKIN_coaster38

I'll bet if you asked most of the people who voted in the Golden Tickets they wouldn't even know what Flight of Passage is. They probably would think it's some B&M Wing Rider at a Happy Valley park. We really need a new "Mitch Hawker" style poll so we don't have to rely on a "best of" list that is a complete fucking joke. I rode both this summer and Mystic Timbers is a much better ride. Seriously? I rode both this year as well. Flight of Passage was amazing! Definitely deserved best new ride over a GCI wooden coaster that is similar to several others. I mean, Mystic Timbers is great, but nothing special and not best new ride of the year. I think it's as someone already said, how are they evaluating what should be considered for best ride? As AJ said, they gave priority to coasters. Flight of Passage is mind-blowing new technology and thrill but by no means a roller coaster. Mystic Timbers was a great classic-style wooden coaster but nothing groundbreaking. For roller coasters (at least in the States), MT was a highlight this year. The two just can't be compared. I liked Robb's breakdown of this. It would honestly be a no contest if Disney parks were truly considered for every award. No one else would have a chance. I don't know anyone who would honestly argue that Kings Island is a better place to bring their young kids than Disney World and Fantasyland, but when you compare Kings Island to Six Flags parks or even others in the chain, their kids area does stand out. Disney is no place for crazy thrilling coasters and airtime machines. When you look at places that have crazy roller coasters and have the award in question, it makes sense that Dollywood got best shows (where else can you ride an RMC and see a great show in the same day?) and Knoebel's got best food (Epcot is great but it doesn't have a Phoenix).

Definitely Cedar Point Kings Island Probably Holiday World Kentucky Kingdom Silver Dollar City Kings Dominion Six Flags St. Louis Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Possibly/goals California's Great America, as part of a visit to CA, so it might be fairly likely Six Flags Over Texas & Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Texas trip goals Knoebel's & Hersheypark trip, wanted to go this year but I went a bunch of other places instead! West Coast Bash (I think unlikely for me, but I can still put it as a hope!) Other surprise parks that might be in the vicinity/ on the way to whatever road trips I might plan! Especially Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks.

It's hard to explain to GP why seeing a bunch of "#1 coaster" Golden Tickets in front of Millennium Force doesn't necessarily mean it really was the best coaster in the world all those years. I was happy for Mystic Timbers getting "best new ride" until I realized it won over Flight of Passage. Now I have mixed emotions. Anyway, some rankings I agree with and some I don't and some I'm not travelled enough to really weigh in on. It's still interesting to see but personally, I don't take these too seriously.

Yes yes yes!! Do you frequently wake up in the night to use the bathroom?

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I am curious as to this as well, I have rode a number of these whenever I get the chance, never have experienced a bad ride on them. I did ride the one at Stricker's, although it was a couple of years ago, and I don't remember it being a bad ride. I am a little disappointed in myself that I didn't ride the Kiddie-Whip, guess I assumed that they wouldn't let me ride due to height requirements. Maybe, that will help convince me to make a trip again next year. Thanks for sharing. I've never been a huge fan of those types of rides. The extreme centrifugal G-forces are just uncomfortable to me and hurt my head. They also sort of freak me out, especially after I recently watched a video where one of them collapsed (probably a Chinese knock-off, but still enough to be unnerving). I'm sure the ride itself was fine, just not my cuppa tea. The kiddie whip was fun! The lap bars came down real low and we had to turn our legs to even get them to latch. I'm sure for a person with really long legs it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Tornado at Stricker's Grove on Labor Day.

I first stumbled across this park by accident when I became horribly lost and distraught heading home after a fender bender. Suddenly, I rounded a corner in the Ohio countryside and BAM, a wooden roller coaster popped into view. I didn't have time to investigate, but later that night I looked up Stricker's Grove and discovered that the park was only open to the public a handful of times a year, making the two wooden coasters not only geographically isolated, but difficult to obtain credits. I missed my chance on July 4th, the July 4H fair, and August 13th, leaving only Labor Day and October 8th as possible visiting dates. We arrived at the park at 4pm after driving 4 hours from Sandusky (bet you can't guess where we visited on Sunday), just in time for the 1 hour "dinner break" ride closure. To kill time, we ordered a beer and hit up the arcade. I am a HUGE fan of DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and found that the arcade had my favorite version of the game, so I played two rounds before we settled down to rest and wait for 5:00. Finally, 5:00 hit and we were ready to check out the rides portion of Stricker's Grove! The carousel, which we never rode, is the first ride at the "entrance" to the rides section. Of course, we headed straight for Tornado, the biggest of the two wooden coasters. Tornado We had to ride in the back row first! Tornado is an interesting coaster and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it. Built in the early 90's, the coaster features PTC trains with seatbelts and buzz-bars. In general, the coaster seems to be in good condition besides the bottom of the first drop, which delivered a crazy "dent" that jack-hammered pretty badly on any wheel seat and toward the back of the ride. In the front, there was some slight airtime coming up the next hill, but then nothing to write home about after that. In the back, just after a somewhat double up mid-ride, you are THROWN into the buzz-bars in a moment that's jarring and slightly painful. Even when you knew what to expect, it somehow still caught us off-guard. After riding the coaster 7 times, I decided this was my favorite part of the ride, but I could easily see it being too sudden and painful for many people. The drop After hitting up Tornado, we took a ride on Teddy Bear, a much shorter, smoother, and calmer wooden coaster. This type of ride would be perfect as an "intro" wooden coaster for smaller kids, but we didn't feel the need to ride it again. After riding the two coasters, we turned our attention to the flats. Pirate ship, adjacent to Tornado I spot some flyers! We decided to ride the flyers next. Now, I am a huge fan of these rides and a beginning "snapper," but something about these flyers made me a little cautious to go ham with the snapping. That, and the fact we were surrounded by young kids and a ride op who looked like he wouldn't care if one of the boats flew off and hit someone in the face, we decided not to try too hard to snap the things. Later, we rode it again and I decided they were just too slow to snap even if we wanted to. Probably the worst flyers I have ever been on, sorry Stricker's. Worst flyers Next, we tried this death trap. No one seemed to enjoy this ride, especially the adults. One and done We spotted this weird tilting, teacup spinning ride, and decided to try it out. D was not thrilled to be on a spinny ride. Not enthused These ended up being the sleeper hit of the evening! Seriously, I don't know what these are called but I've never been on a ride like them. You could manually spin the teacups, and at some point in the ride cycle, the floor would tilt and "jump" up and down. It was very fun and disorienting! Seriously, WTF are these? After getting super dizzy, we took a short break and decided to hit up the small train. It wound around the 4H pavilion, past the river, around a field, through a tunnel, and past Tornado. I was able to get some great photos! Proof that Stricker's really is out in the fields of Ohio YEYYY THE TRENNN!!! TAKE THE TUNNEL! Pretty at sunset Next, we decided to ride the ferris wheel, which also offered some nice views. Ferris wheels still scare me a bit A few shots of the small rides we didn't ride. Elephants Boats Cars Rockets The whip Adults? We spotted some adults on The Whip, so we decided to give it a shot. Next, we tried this. Fun, but short cycle. Too short Did not ride The Scrambler. Scrambler Tilt-A-Whirl! D decided to sit this one out I couldn't get mine to spin very much Pirate ship was fun! We ended out our night with 6 rides on Tornado. The ride ops were very nice and accommodating! When they realized a little boy had jumped in front of us for the front row, they reserved the next front-row ride for us. Overall, Stricker's Grove was a very charming, small, independent park with some nice rides. Would definitely return! Thank you for reading!

We went to the park on Sunday and felt completely screwed over by CP. This is what happened: Last Labor Day weekend I renewed my Platinum Pass and got free FL+ to be used any day except Saturday. I used it the Sunday of Labor Day weekend and it made for a great day! This year, we both planned our Labor Day trip around having that Fast Lane, and renewed our passes at CP despite living closer to KI. Got to the park and it was packed. But no worries, we get free FL+ for renewing our Platinums, right? Get into the park around 11:30 (took 30 minutes to get into the lot and we woke up late anyway) and happily went to the FL booth to find out... "Your free FL+ and bring-a-friend tickets don't work until September 10th." So our entire trip planned around getting this FL+ at CP (instead of renewing at our home park) left us waiting in 1-2 hour lines all day. I guess it did say "valid starting September 10" somewhere on the site and I just didn't notice, but this was changed policy that I felt wasn't made clear enough. My fault, but still frustrating! Dragster broke after waiting for 45 minutes, Rougarou went from 3 train op to 2 train back to 3 train back to 2 train, so it ended up being a 1.5 hour wait, 1 hour wait for Magnum, 2 hours for MF, then at the very end of the day, we were by Raptor when it finally went back online, and we rode it twice with a minimal wait. We also got the privilege of waiting in front of some meth-head (or whatever he was on) shouting "SEND IT!! SEND IT!! They're sending it!!!" the entire time. It was funny for like 2 seconds. Then, it was time for Maverick passholder ERT. We waited an hour for them to reopen for us, then got three night rides during ERT. Oh, and we finally rode Cedar Downs. So all in all, over 12 hours at the park and we racked up a total of...9 rides. Yup. We ate at a couple food trucks, SWAT, the Korean BBQ, and the empanadas. Stupid me didn't understand the SWAT menu and accidentally ordered a real beef burger despite being vegetarian for about 10 years, but I guess the one bite I had before I disgustedly gave it to Darien was good? The Korean BBQ was good, empanadas were just okay. Great shot of Dragster before it rolled back and didn't reopen for a long time (and by then, 2 hour wait). We did wait 2 hours for this, and then got pelted by bugs September 3, 2017 September 4th, 2016

OMG Kristen's responses are hilarious! Love this thread! Possibly not theme-park related question: what do you want to be when you grow up? What's your favorite animal?

Thankfully, it seems that SFDK has been able to fly under the radar for the most part in the wake of all the negative PR Seaworld has had to endure in regards to their animals. Better to tread lightly in this time when it comes to anything concerning the animals. They got rid of their orca just in time, it seems, although I will forever miss seeing Shouka (and before that, Yaka and Vigga). My longgg time goal for them has been to do some kind of upgrade to the dolphin pools, similar to the Blue World Project Seaworld proposed. However, at this time it would probably be very bad to market anything having to do with animals and specifically marine life, as that would set themselves up as a target for PETA and other activists. Part of me wonders if they may have had some animal-related proposals in their 5-year plan that they shelved in favor of these thrill rides because of everything that's happening with Seaworld. Just a personal musing.

Looking forward to that and your City Museum pics of us. I know announcement season has to be like the craziest time for you guys besides maybe IAPPA, so I've just been waiting patiently. I know it'll come eventually. (Compared to me who keeps putting off my early-July WDW/Carowinds/SFOG TR that I wanted to do and am now not sure if it'll ever happen. Off-season?)

Ridden Storm Chaser, Joker, Twisted Colossus, Goliath, Lightning Rod, and Wicked Cyclone. It's really tough for me to rank all of them. I tend to shuffle around my order of favorites, which just goes to show that they are all amazing in their own way and it's more a personal preference what you like better. SC is the only one I've ridden with the inverted drop, which is super awesome, but I think I prefer the airtime drop of Joker. However, the airtime hills toward the end of SC are just crazy and thigh-crushing as well, which some people don't like. I haven't been on Outlaw Run (yet!!) but Lightning Rod and Goliath as ground-up wooden coasters also give a different experience, IMO, from the Iron Horse coasters. Also, how does anyone rank Twisted Colossus? The experience on that ride varies drastically depending on whether you duel and how synced up the dueling is. Maybe this thread will help you see other's opinions and rankings of it.

Congo Rapids is one of my favorite rapids-style rides but it has the potential to get you absolutely soaked! I do recommend riding it at some point, maybe bring a poncho or plan for a change of clothes? Or if you're already soaked from a downpour, say "what the heck" and just ride it. You're absolutely right about Phoenix. One of the most uncomfortable rides I've ever been on for the chest pressure and the odd restraints. Too painful to enjoy. I don't recommend it. Bumper cars are fun! But I guess if bumper cars aren't your cup of tea, I get it.

^Very cool! If I wasn't strapped for cash right now, I'd consider bidding, but I'll leave it to the fanboys. Why are you getting rid of it all?

So much hating and complaining! If you look at what the other Six Flags parks got this year, everything except the Spinsanity/Cyborg flat that SFOT and SFNE are getting and debatably what TGE is getting either a) SFDK already has or b ) SFDK cannot get at this time (i.e. water slide). This is a first of its kind and totally unique ride, and all the rides mentioned that have "similar experiences" are totally different and fun in their own ways. No one complains when there are two B&Ms in a park that the ride experiences are too similar even if they have similar elements. (I know that might be a stretch comparing two B&Ms vs. this and a Larson Loop, but I'm just trying to make a point). At least the two rides in question are on opposite ends of the park. I really don't think any GP will draw conclusions between the two, and without riding this, we really don't know how similar or dissimilar the rides are. I'm pleased that yet again SFDK will debut a "first of its kind" ride, even if it gets cloned to death in the future. Also, there probably aren't too many rides that would fit in that location. I'm surprised anything could. I'm still very pleased that nothing has to be taken out to add this (except maybe the tiny gift shop?) isn't CGA getting Trex track with it's trail blazer coaster? Either way i'm happy RMC gets to make the track for this ride. Raptor track. Do you know anything about the history of the park? SFDK wasn't a Premier park until late 90s, and not Six Flags until early 2000s. They didn't get their first coaster until '98 (Boomerang and Kong), which is relatively new for theme park standards. So, Six Flags didn't design this park, and it was never originally designed for coasters. As far as we know, there is still a height restriction for rides that is a bit more relaxed at the front of the park (150') and more strict towards the back (<50'). At this point, what's the point of adding one flat toward the back of the park where most people who want to ride rides will forget/not notice it? Generally, the adult rides are sequestered to the two front areas, and that's where people who want to ride rides generally hang out. My main complaint is the difficulty getting from the now DC rides area to the Medusa area, but when you compare that walk to much more spread out parks like Magic Mountain, it's really nothing at all. My 5-year plan rides-wise would include a drop tower, family coaster, and maybe a transportation-type ride (sky buckets, anyone?), but I'm perfectly cool with the thrill rides they've been getting after we endured years of kids' additions.

V2 not going away is the best news about this addition. I think most GP won't draw the connections between this and the Super Loop, and will go, "OMG new ride that looks completely different than anything I've ever seen!" I was intrigued with this concept when I saw it showcased at IAPPA and I'm very pleased that they somehow managed to stuff another ride into that area seemingly without removing anything. Although I probably will not ride this too often (and I don't ride the Super Loops either), I am still pleased with this addition.

Yay! Finally a flat for SFMM! And it should be awesome. I'm a little fuzzy about how they're renovating that area to become the "Boardwalk." To me, it just looks like some new paint and slapping on a sign. SFMM definitely needs some renovation and making use of what was otherwise an abandoned area is a win-win. Not sure what "renovated bumper cars" entails but I'm intrigued!

I love the cobra roll! (Or whatever they're calling it). We're a bit spoiled this year after seeing Steel Vengeance and Twisted Timbers, but this should be a solid remake of what was otherwise a rough and uncomfortable ride. Yes, I wish it could be longer, but I'll still go to SFOG and ride the sh*t out of this whenever I get the chance! And yes, SFOG has a very solid lineup.

Yes! Do you watch Game of Thrones?

Forgot about the Larson Loop. And Hammerhead. I hate anything that holds me on my head for a long time.

-Probably the best show I've ever seen was on my recent trip to WDW. Happily Ever After absolutely blew us away. We LOVED it! Although I hate how early you have to go stake out a spot to get even a somewhat decent view of the thing. -I'm a HUGE fan of whales and dolphins, so I love any show where I get to see whales and dolphins. And yes, I will sit in the splash zone. -Pretty much any show at Disney is just great. Fantasmic was great, Worlds of Color, Illuminations, Paint the Night. -Halloween shows. I remember really liking the ice show at CGA a few years back, the Hanging at Knott's, the Jabbawockeez at Universal. Though not the best ever, we saw one at KI last year we enjoyed. -Dollywood's rendition of It's a Wonderful Life. That's by far the longest theme park show I've ever seen. It felt more like a full-length musical you'd buy a separate ticket for than a theme park show. We also enjoyed an African one on our recent visit. -Though really cheesy, I still enjoyed Iceplorations at BGT. Explore!

And I try to convince you to ride Kong, and occasionally you do and admit, "That wasn't so bad." My current home park is KI, but it's still fairly "new" to me, so I'm willing to ride just about anything, although I generally avoid Vortex. I think the only non-upcharge, non-kiddie rides I haven't been on are Zephyr (the smaller swings), and the splash-down water ride. My long-time home park is/was SFDK. I've been on every non-upcharge ride multiple times in all my years visiting. Typically: -I ride the SLC but almost never the Boomerang (except on a recent trip with a first-timer). -I generally don't ride the splash-down water boat ride. If it's hot enough that I want to get wet, I don't feel like waiting in the long lines it usually gets. -I've only been on Tsunami Soaker, the splash-battle ride, once since it was added in 2014. -Never ride the Scrambler, and rarely ride Monkey Business (teacups-style) and Thrilla Gorilla (Himalayan-type) if they are even open. -Nothing up-charge. -Don't ride the two kiddie coasters, small train, or most other small kids rides. Although, I will occasionally hop on a smaller ride (like the hot-air balloons) if I'm by myself and a bit bored, or when I hung out with scooterdoug's kids. -I NEVER, ever ride Joker, our new-for-2016 RMC. Just kidding, that's like the only thing I ride now.

I think I have to agree. The sheer height and speed of Kingda Ka just blows me away. I fangirled so hard over that ride for so long and even planned a road trip just so I could ride it, just to find out it was closed, and had to wait a few more years. It ended up being my #100 coaster and did not disappoint! I completely agree. Kingda Ka in the front row kicks serious a$$. I don't think I've ever ridden a coaster where the front row makes all the difference, but it does. My first time riding it in the front row, it about made one of my contacts fall out. I can feel the wind in my eye sockets. It seriously melts my face. I always wish someone would build a taller, faster version, but it doesn't seem likely that will ever happen.

I'd definitely rather they replace Kong with a Free Spin. Still, I don't think that another coaster is coming to the park next year. It's only been two seasons since The Joker, and major coaster installations don't seem to happen more frequently than every 4 years. Also, if they do plan on removing V2, they probably would have had some sort of "get your last rides on V2" ad campaign already. Then again, I could be entirely wrong. I'm definitely curious as to what Thursday's announcement will be. I was thinking the same thing. The summer is over for most people, so it seems late to be like, "By the way, V2 is going away forever." I wonder if V2 will be getting some kind of overhaul or refurbishment (New trains? "Backwards?" VR? Return of the holding brake? Retheme?). It could also be plausible that whatever they have planned for it (if the announcement has anything to do with V2) warranted them closing it down for that extended period of time to do tests, mess with the trains, or whatever else. Captain Lee standing in front of V2 might have nothing to do with V2. Maybe they are somehow putting a ride in that little plaza area by V2, or in the back area where they usually have the Fright Fest maze. This is what happens when I drink Monster. I'm buzzing with ideas and the announcement can't come soon enough! Anyone know what time it will be tomorrow?

Shun the non-believer! Getting rid of V2 will dramatically change the front gate area. I think it's awesome to be waiting at the front and have screaming riders flying above you. It has been down for extended periods of time, but I'm hoping there were other reasons behind that than unfixable problems with the coaster. Also, I'd like to see them add rides rather than remove any. Crossing fingers. We shall see. I enjoy V2, but I simply had more fun on my 2 rides on Batman at SFFT than any of my rides on V2. It's a fun ride, but seeing as it feels like it's been closed more than it's been open the last couple of years, coupled with the fact that I've never seen it actually have a line, I suspect it could be on the chopping block. The front gate area will undoubtably change, but S&S Free Spins have a certain amount of overhang as well. While it wouldn't extend nearly as far as V2, there could conceivably still be screaming people (somewhat) overhead while one waits to buy a ticket. Yeah, I know you have a soft spot for V2. But, then again, you enjoy Kong as well. V2 is the 4th best coaster at the park as of now. Although, I suppose any replacement would still end up being the 4th best coaster at the park. Just hoping they would be able to somehow add a free-spin while also keeping V2. Or maybe there won't be a free-spin at all. I'm not sure where this rumor is coming from. My memory from previous ride announcements is hazy, how much teasing did they do prior to the other recent coaster and ride additions?