[Playland/PNE (Vancouver) Discussion Thread]

I'm in the same boat.  I'm in the northwest for work for the next 3 weeks.  I was going to go tomorrow, but I'll postpone my trip if Coaster will be open one of the following 2 weekends.

[Playland/PNE (Vancouver) Discussion Thread]

Does anyone know if Coaster is expected to open this year?  It's listed on Playland's website as closed for refurbishment again.

The only other mention I can find of the ride's closure is in an article on the Langley Advance Times.  That article is worded in a way suggesting it may be another extended closure:

"Again this year, Playland’s famous Wooden Roller Coaster is still not operating due to refurbishment work."

Wasn't a lot of work done over the ride the past 1-2 years?  I'm hoping this is just some minor trackwork.

[Lake Compounce Discussion Thread]

Just a warning to anyone going to Lake Compounce the rest of the year, they have had a major issue with ride closures lately.

Last weekend, Wildcat was the only coaster open.  Phobia, Zoomerang, and Boulder Dash were down for maintenance.

Flash forward to this weekend.  3 coasters are currently listed as temporarily closed.  Boulder Dash has a lift issue.  The ride had to be evacuated and it sounds like it's unlikely to be fixed this weekend.  Wildcat valleyed.  And Zoomerang still hasn't been fixed.  Phobia started off listed as closed, but it did reopen.

[Parque Warner]

I really liked this park a few years and just thought they needed a signature coaster.  This should be it.  The ride looks great!

[California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread]

6 hours ago, coasterbill said:

Grizzly is getting scrapped, but I want it to go to Dorney because I'm an asshole like that.

You should have said Michigan's Adventure then.

[Lost Island Waterpark planning Theme Park]

The park has posted two opening updates on Facebook.

First, they announced a few days ago that Matugani (former Kanonen) will not be ready to open with the park.

Second, they announced they will be delaying the theme park's opening until 6/18 due to construction delays.

[Advice needed: Knott's Scary Farm or HHN Hollywood?]

Of the two last year, I much preferred Scary Farm.  For HHN, not all the rides are open and many that are open close early. 

[Nickelodeon Universe / American Dream Discussion Thread]

Does anyone know if Sandy's Blasting Bronco is open?  On one hand, not a single ride is listed as closed right not at Nickelodeon Universe.  On the other hand, that seems like a borderline miracle that not a single ride is closed given the park.

Edit- The ride closures are no longer listed under Park Alerts on the home page.  When you go to buy tickets, it states Sandy's is still closed for annual maintenance and Skyline Scream is closed because it's Skyline Scream.

[Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread]

Queue-Times shows Orion as open unless that's an error.  Then again, didn't Cedar Point reopen Steel Vengeance on the same day the ride bumped by running one train?

[Six Flags New England (SFNE) Discussion Thread]

Considering how strong this park's top 2 is, a coaster like Dr. D or basically any launch coaster would fit in perfectly.

[Six Flags New England (SFNE) Discussion Thread]

Today is such a weird day for crowds.  The shortest wait for a coaster all-day has been Superman since that crew is absolutely killing it.

[Dollywood Discussion Thread]

I'm surprised we got the off-peak rate given how swamped Dollywood and Pigeon Forge was for spring break.

[Dollywood Discussion Thread]

This was the actual view of the better of our cabins.  You could see Lightning Rod in the distance if you knew where to look.  The shots were taken from the parking lots where there were less trees in the way.

[Dollywood Discussion Thread]

I'm pretty sure most people book cabins in Pigeon Forge for the view of the Smokies.  I picked cabins with views of Dollywood's coasters.  I was able to get some unique shots of Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle the past few days.

Speaking of Lightning Rod, the coaster only opened for the final 8 minutes of the day on Sunday due to the prior day's snowstorm and then it ran like it's usual self on Monday with a delayed opening and multiple breakdowns.

[Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) Discussion Thread]

I'm excited to see more single rider lines.  I wonder where they'll be routed.

[Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread]

My biggest disappointment with Maverick and Steel Vengeance being pulled off early entry is that more people will probably head to Millennium Force.  That has always been my go-to ride during early entry because the line for the front is easily the shortest.

[Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread]

Top Thrill Dragster will remain closed for 2022.

Link to Sandusky Register

Quote

SANDUSKY — Cedar Point's iconic Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster won't reopen this year, the park announced today.

It "will remain closed for the 2022 season," park spokesman Tony Clark told the Register shortly after the state released a report about an Aug. 15, 2021, accident that severely injured a park guest in line for the ride.

Here is the rest of the statement Clark provided:

"Today we received the results of the investigation by the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs, which determined that 'after examining the documentation provided and conducting interviews of Cedar Point staff, ODA found no evidence that Cedar Point had knowledge of or reason to believe that the Top Thrill Dragster was in an unsafe condition that could cause a hazard to riders, employees, or the public on Aug. 15, 2021.'

"Cedar Point has cooperated fully with ODA throughout its investigation into the incident and we will closely review the substance of ODA’s report."

Update, today, 3:40 p.m

State finds no fault in Top Thrill Dragster accident

SANDUSKY — The first paragraph of a report from the state on its investigation of an Aug. 15, 2021, accident involving the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster at Cedar Point indicates there was no fault found.

"After a thorough review of the evidence collected and documented in the Investigative Summary attached
hereto, it is the opinion of the Amusement Ride Safety (ARS) Division that there is insufficient evidence
to find the actions or inactions of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (Cedar Point) violated any of the
laws found in Chapter 993 of the Ohio Revised Code or any rules adopted by ODA pursuant to ORC
993.04. Therefore, ODA ARS is not recommending any administrative action against Cedar Point."

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has been investigating the accident for six months. A woman standing in line was struck in the head by a metal object that became dislodged from a train on the ride.

Get the Weekender Register at a newsstand near you on Saturday or Sunday for the full story.

Original story, today at 3:25 p.m.

Top Thrill Dragster report due

SANDUSKY — The Ohio Department of Agriculture has finished its investigation of the August 2021 accident involving the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster at Cedar Point, according to the agency. A report about its findings is expected to be released shortly.

A woman in line for the coaster was severely injured when a metal part from a coaster train dislodged and struck her in the head. Check back here for updates about the report.

 

[Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's World Adventures]

Bellewaerde

This hybrid animal and amusement park surprised me.  I wasn't expecting the park to look as nice as it did going into my visit.  The park was very green and shady.  Plus several rides were themed and incorporated animals into the experience.

The park was also much busier than I anticipated.  Many attractions had hour long waits just 2 hours after opening.  I was fortunate I arrived at opening to knock out the major rides.  I had to skip two credits for this reason.  But it wasn't just the coasters that got busy, several of the water rides and safari rides did too.

 

From a ride perspective, I was most surprised to see the park still had an operating Huss topple tower in El Volador.  And it was the prototype no less!  The ride did have a delayed opening due to mechanical issues (surprise surprise), but I was glad to get back on one even if the ride experience isn't too great.  This ride really is a lot more impressive to watch than it is to ride.  And Bellewaerde placed this ride perfectly on this elevated structure and added fountains.

Wakala was my favorite coaster there.  This Gerstlauer creation offers a dynamic ride experience with some fun twists and turns plus a short backwards bit at the end.  It rides like Firechaser Express if you take away the little pops of airtime, which still makes it an above average family coaster.

Huracan was a hybrid dark ride and roller coaster.  The indoor sets in the main dark ride bit were larger than expected and pretty cool.  The coaster bit had a few moderately forceful drops and helixes, but there wasn't too much theming during this part.

The park has one of the older Boomerangs and it was riding pretty smoothly all things considered.  That allowed me to appreciate the forceful ride without getting my neck chopped.

The most puzzling coaster is Dawson Duel.  Take your average mountain coaster.  Now remove the mountain and make guests walk to the top instead of riding up.  The descent also removes the levers, so everyone goes the same speed.  This ride was a big disappointment.  Not only does it have a dreadful throughput, but the downhill course was quite weak between the lack of good elements and odd placement.

Bellewaerde  is an excellent family park combining a unique mix of rides and animals.

[Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's World Adventures]

I love when park owners are walking around like that.

[Nickelodeon Universe / American Dream Discussion Thread]

The park does look better at night.

Walking around that mall at 2 am is going to be creepy.  Then again, there isn't much people there when I've gone anyway.

[Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's World Adventures]

Plopsaland de Panne

The flagship park in the Plopsa chain made major waves with their new-for-2021 addition.  Ride to Happiness is easily the best Mack coaster, but it seems like a weird fit for the park.

Plopsaland's main audience is families.  Studio 100 is analogous to Nickelodeon, so the IPs the park is based upon are targeted towards kids and tweens.

So this park is sort of a dream for coaster enthusiasts.  In general, the more extreme an attraction was, the shorter its wait would be.  I visited on a day when the park hit capacity (albeit covid capacity) and Ride to Happiness had a max wait of 20-30 minutes.  Meanwhile the water rides and Roller Skater had waits exceeding an hour most of the day.  There's a reason I do not have every credit from this park.  There was no way I could justify waiting 70 minutes for a junior coaster when I could ride one of the world's best coasters 3 times in the same time period.

Ride to Happiness is exceptional.  The spinning is faster than that of Time Traveler, especially at the end of the first launch.  The ride has the two of the world's best inversions.  The super-slow jojo roll is insane, getting 5-6 seconds of sustained hangtime while slowly spinning.  Then the flying snake dive has similarly crazy hangtime while navigating a super disorienting element in a spinning car.  The coaster also has some great airtime, particularly on the broken up top hat.  The lone dead spot on the ride is that turn before the second launch.  The rest of the ride is complete perfection between the elements and spinning.  And you also have some mesmerizing theming plus my favorite on-board audio of any coaster.

Anubis is a good Gerstlauer launch coaster.  It's basically Six Flags Over Georgia's Dare Devil Dive, except the beyond vertical drop is replaced with a very strong LSM launch and a great top hat.  The inversions are pretty good and I love the ride's wooded setting (except when it comes to getting photos).

Two rides you need to hit early are Heidi the Coaster and Viktor's Race.  If the park is open late (like it was for me), these two rides will close early due to noise.  Heidi also is the major coaster that gets the longest line.  Heidi is essentially a clone of White Lightning, but it didn't seem to ride as strong.  I only got one ride though towards the middle of the day, but it was smooth.  And it did have a neat little dark ride scene before the finale.

Draak was a Mack powered coaster.  I got lucky and rode it after a breakdown because this was another ride that had a sizable wait.  It was pretty tame, but that's what it's supposed to be.

Beyond the ride lineup, Plopsaland has great theming.  I wasn't familiar with the IPs, but the rides and midways looked great.  They were colorful with plenty of things to look at.

Belgium got an incredible boost to their coaster lineup in 2021.  Unfortunately, I missed Kondaa due to the flooding, but Ride to Happiness (while an odd fit) is a world-class coaster.  And the rest of the park is quite nice too.

 

[Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's World Adventures]

On 2/13/2022 at 2:35 PM, Nrthwnd said:

^ Those were three of my favourite parks, on past TPR Scandinavian tours ('09 + '14). Power Park I especially enjoyed, truth!

Not as busy there when we were there, with everything open and operating for us.

Thanks for your TRs and views of where you visited in Finland!

* Forgot to ask! Was the all-wooden 'village' still in back of Power Park? It was for a kids' fantasy movie and they kept the set there, afterwards.

* And the Take-Off I remember riding there in Sarkanniemi Park, was pretty intense. At least for my "tender age" lol.

Yup, the wooden village was still there!

23 hours ago, prozach626 said:

That twisted hill on Junker looks insane.

It's a good element, but there are several wilder ones on the ride!

[Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's World Adventures]

I wish it rode like one of those.

[Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)]

I'm guessing they're the same, but are the seatbelts and restraints identical to the other RMCs?

One of my friends is fine on Twisted Cyclone but struggled with Lightning Rod (mostly since the staff refused to push down on his restraint).

[Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's World Adventures]

^ I was planning a full day at Sarkanniemi originally, but my 7 hours at Linnanmaki 2 days prior wasn't enough time to get rerides there.

Tornado was a bit better than Batman clones for me.