Canobie Coaster

T3 still didn't track well despite the new trains when I rode it last year. It was still lightyears better than most SLCs solely because of there not being headbanging, but it still wasn't popular with most people. We saw Morey's completely fix the Great Nor'Easter, but that was a $5 million renovation. Six Flags has added topper track to some of their woodies only to give them the I-box conversion a few years later, so it's not unprecedented for a park to invest money in fixing a ride only to go an entirely different route a few years later.

Tickets at Work or AAA seem to be good options if you have either of those.

You forgot the trash bucket.

I think a full day at SeaWorld is the way to go. I figured a little time at SeaWorld was better than skipping it entirely. Thought with Brit's love of Shamu, I know skipping Fiesta Texas is more likely to happen.

Both the Six Flags parks can definitely be done in a weekend as well. Next time I think I'd rather spend more time at Fiesta Texas rather than Over Texas, but for first timers I think Over Texas takes longer to get through since they have more coasters and it's a more spread out park.

1- Rudy's Rapid Transit Coaster 50- Dragon Coaster (Playland) 69- Loch Ness Monster 100- Ride of Steel 150- Flight of Fear (Kings Dominion) 200- Kong 300- Flight of Fear (Kings Island) 400- Wild Mouse (Idlewild)

Maybe they want to keep it that way so the park retains it's charm. And when I say charm I mean none at all.

Great report! Valleyfair is a park that I'll likely visit someday since the Mall of America is on my bucket list of places to visit. Not a big fan of Corkscrew's new paint job. I remember it looking quite pretty with the royal blue paint job they used to have in my coaster books.

Wicked Cyclone also had to start quickly before the blizzards of the 2014-15 winter slowed progress. I can't see that being an issue down in Georgia.

I've never been to a Legoland since they're always near parks like Disneyland or Disney World, but I'd definitely try this one. I mean I make an annual trip to Story Land after all. Have the Legoland parks have the Chuck E Cheese's rule (aka if you're over 18 you must enter with someone under 18)? Boston got a Legoland Discovery Center a few years back but added thaf rule from the start.

Yes I do, but I went when I was 7 so it was socially acceptable. Not saying I'd be above going back if they got a new coaster though...

Especially since it would fill their coaster quota for the next 10 years.

I've always just done the single rider line on Pandemonium and get on in less than 5 minutes. It's poorly marked (if it's even marked at all) but you go up the Flash Pass ramp and just tell the grouper you're a single rider. Not sure what the main wait would be immediately after rope drop but I can't see that being the first ride for too many people. The line will build up quickly though and be over an hour for sure.

I was shocked Iron Rattler passed Fury as well. The biggest reason I loved Fury was the first drop. Iron Rattler one upped Fury there and had a better setting. All the parks I visited in Texas were really nice so I'd definitely recommend a trip there if you can make it. I stayed at a Hilton in Live Oak about 20 min away that was super nice for about $90. It was only $10 more than the local Motel 6 so I splurged. I think it was near a convention hall which is why I got it for so cheap on a Saturday night.

I always though the belt on Skyrush seemed short so that doesn't surprise me.

In past years I've noticed the shuffling in the rows outside of the front, but the ride has been running extremely smooth in the back this year along with running faster.

I just want a ride themed to the running of the Bulls somewhere in the area.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas When you think of Six Flags, what do you think of? I think of crazy roller coasters, piss poor operations (though the chain admittedly has improved across the board here in 2017), advertising that's forced down my throat like a pill, and a rowdy clientele. What if I told you there was a Six Flags with a picturesque setting, efficient operations, beautiful midways, and a family-friendly crowd all while keeping the same thrill rides you have come to expect from Six Flags. Such a please sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But it does exist and it's called Six Flags Fiesta Texas. I had a Six Flags day that wasn't your prototypical Six Flags day. The first thing I noticed driving up to the park was just how beautiful the park's setting is next to the rock quarry. Pictures don't do the park justice. You are surrounded by a golden brown rock quarry in every direction. Few parks have a better setting and even those that do, don't have a setting as unique as Fiesta Texas's setting. Despite nature's beauty, my eyes were drawn to the blood red RMC track standing above the quarry. Just look at that rock quarry. Fiesta Texas has an absolutely breathtaking setting. The other thing I noticed was the park's new for 2017 attraction, Thunder Rapids. Six Flags has perfected the art of the parking lot roller coaster. Fiesta Texas bucks this trend. Instead they have a parking lot water slide. Thunder Rapids is plopped smack dab in the middle of the parking lot, so congrats to Six Flags for furthering their skills. I didn't enter into the water park, so my praise for the park's appearance is entirely based off of the ride park. Thunder Rapids looked like a really cool slide and I would have loved to try it if I had more time, but I figured it would have a massive line with the triple digit temperatures. My hypothesis was confirmed when there was a sign saying the water park was at capacity and couldn't accept more guests. Parking lot coasters are so yesterday. Parking lot water slides are next-gen. I remember thinking the saucer turns looked pointless when they were announced. Seeing them in person, the rafts really flew through them. Thunder Rapids looks like a major win for the park. With only 4.5 hours at the park thanks to my GPS crapping itself on the Texas highway (are most of the highways or on-ramps in Texas relatively new?) and taking me a very roundabout way, I knew a Flash Pass was a necessity in order to get multiple Iron Rattler rerides and hit all the coasters. I remember when I used to think these devices were the dark side. Now I embrace it. There's really no other way to tour a park you don't often visit. I immediately reserved Iron Rattler and saw I would have to wait a half hour. What better way to kill that time than to ride the Boomerang? It was about a 20 minute wait in the weirdest queue house I've ever seen. Most parks either shade the queue line or don't give a rat's booty to do so. Fiesta Texas somehow met halfway. They erected a queue house, but instead of closing the roof like every other park, Fiesta Texas kept gaps between wood beams. So instead of being protected from the hot Texas sun, slivers of sunlight still got through all while still obstructing your view. As for the coaster itself, it was a Boomerang. Honestly, this one was one of the smoother ones. No major headbanging and gave the usual intense ride. Ok I'm praised the boomerang enough. 6 out of 10 Intentional photo filter, budget cuts, too lazy to close the roof? The world will never know. It was a smoother than average boomerang, but still the most noteworthy thing is that odd queue house. After missing out on Lightning Rod the weekend before, I went into Iron Rattler expecting it to be like make-up sex. Fun but not as good as the primary option. I intentionally hadn't watched a POV of the ride in quite some time, but I remember the layout seeming to be on the shorter side and have a slower, dull portion above the quarry wall. The regular queue appeared to be a 45-60 minute wait, so I was definitely ecstatic to skip that. 10-15 minutes later, I was boarding the back seat. Let me say that Iron Rattler's trains are a thing of beauty. The rattler head on the front of the train looks fantastic and the tail on the back of the train is a very nice touch. The restraints are also more comfortable than your standard RMC restraints. The latter are still comfortable, but I preferred the contouring of the lapbar and less restrictive shin guard. Iron Rattler's sexy trains. All the RMCs I've been on have had spectacular drops, but I wasn't prepared for what Iron Rattler would throw at me. The train slowed to a crawl as it crested the lift and then, it happened, the best drop I've ever experienced on a coaster. I was completely ejected from my seat and then forced left with the train as the track veered left. The epic air continues the whole way down and then you're forced right as the track yet again changes direction. It happens all so fast and left me wondering what just happened, but I knew I had experienced the best and most extreme first drop of the 400+ coasters I have been on. The train shoots back up the quarry ejecting everyone from the train before going through a 90 degree overbank, which somehow gives some nice sideways air. The speed picks right back up with a twisted dive down the quarry and then you rocket into the zero-G roll. Rather than the graceful and slow zero-G rolls on most coasters with lap bars, this one instead hauls through it and throws you about like a ragdoll. The exit from the zero-G roll also gave a surprise pop of air in the back. Now this "slow" section from the POVs did feel noticeably slower than the rest of the coaster, but the intensity never let up. There are two small airtime hills with great ejector air and two banked 90 degree turns that also somehow provide airtime. That seems like a recurring theme with Iron Rattler. Hills that look like they have no business providing air somehow provide airtime. Afterwards comes the ride's well-known quarry drop. It's a very steep and tall drop that regains all of the ride's speed and abruptly launched me into orbit. The only drop I can think of that provides airtime this intense this late in a coaster is El Toro's famous Rolling Thunder hill. The pitch black tunnel through the quarry is a rush and the exit onto the brake run provides another crazy moment of ejector air mixed with some laterals. I knew I had just ridden a truly amazing coaster. At this point, it was definitely top 5 but probably a notch below Fury 325. I immediately got back in line, this time waiting for the front since I had to burn a half hour waiting for my reservation on the log flume. Like my back seat ride, I received another fast and furious ride with insane ejector air on every hill, even if it was severely banked and looked like it couldn't possibly give air. My ride in front was outstanding, but the back was the only place to ride Iron Rattler because of that first drop. 10 out of 10 I saw God on this drop. I was in heaven and the airtime was so intense, it could have very well sent me to heaven. Usually these zero-G rolls are graceful. Iron Rattler's whips you through it all while still providing crazy airtime. In POVs this section looked slow. It was slower, but still had bonkers airtime. Then there's this drop. Think of El Toro's Rolling Thunder hill with a better setting. Even the hill into the brake run is totally out-of-control like the rest of the coaster. Because of how quickly the park dispatched trains on Iron Rattler (usually they sent the trains out before the last one hit the brakes), I still had a few minutes to kill before riding the flume. Thankfully there was an intriguing looking Arrow mine train next door with absolutely no wait. Every coaster enthusiast knows that anything Alan Schilke touches turns to gold (unless it's Hell Cat at Clementon since that ride exists in hell), so I was intrigued to see how awesome he could make a mine train that hugged the quarry wall. I grabbed the back seat for my ride. The first lift went above the quarry wall and was immediately followed by a massive drop for a mine train coaster. We know Alan Schilke pushes the envelope on his coaster layouts and he appears to have done the same on what would otherwise have been a basic mine train. The following hill gave a surprising pop of air. After a quick turn, a second lift brought me back above the quarry wall. The second half had another pretty substantial drop, but focused more on turns. The layout was definitely more ambitious that your average mine train, but it still succumbed to the rough transitions of most Arrow coasters. I'm just glad a light bulb went off before they built Tennessee Tornado the following year. 6.5 out of 10 This seems like a good way to kill a few minutes. Our good friend Alan Schilke designed this mine train and it shows through the ambitious layout. It even has some airtime! Gully Washer had a 1 hour wait with the Q-bot. I can't imagine what the regular queue must have been like. Now dry from ZDT's water coaster and SeaWorld, I was eager to hop on Bugs' White Water Rapids the park's log flume to cool off. But this was no ordinary log flume, it was a super flume. The queue actually looked incredibly well themed for a Six Flags, but I didn't spend anytime in the queue. Instead I went right through the exit thanks to my good friend the Q-bot. Outside of the fact the boats were identical to Splash Mountain and Daredevil Falls, I didn't know anything else about the flume. While the ride itself didn't have much in terms of theming, the layout was still pretty solid. The first drop was really messed up and unlike anything I've ever seen on a flume. It was a double down with a tiny hump afterwards like the one on Dudley Do Right. I've been on flumes that do one or the other, but never flumes that combine both into one segment. I felt like I was coasting over waves. The section to the main drop was elevated for the most part and the final drop didn't disappoint. It was reasonably tall and gave a surprising pop of air. The resulting splash provided the perfect amount of wetness as well. It's going to be overshadowed in a Six Flags park, but the flume is one of the park's stronger rides. The drops were fantastic, but it's not quite a perfect ride since it squandered an opportunity to be themed better and truly stand out. 9 out of 10 The ride's station is really well done and blends in well with a little medieval area. Right this way to the totally awesome but WTF first drop. The final plunge is more straightforward, but it gives a nice pop of air. I had planned to hit Superman next, but my Q-bot said Superman was down. So I reserved the other DC Superhero. I had a few minutes to kill while waiting for my Batman reservation (still weird that the Batman clone isn't called Batman and the free fly isn't called Joker, but anyway) so this was the perfect time to be a credit whore and wait for the Kiddie Koaster. A rare Vekoma kiddie coaster, this ride was shamefully my longest wait of the day at 15-20 minutes. By the time I realized the wait was longer than I had anticipated, I was committed and finished the deed. The coaster had great placement over some water and was glass smooth, but that's about all the compliments I can give it. 2 out of 10 I also noted during my wait that Superman was in fact open despite what the Q-bot said. This was a recurring theme over the next two days where the Q-bot never listed a ride as re-opened after it went down temporarily. I also learned from the op at the Kiddie Koaster that Superman was closing at 8:30 due to the nightly fireworks show. I'm glad I heard that since I only had an hour to get on it. Shamefully my longest wait of the day. Though it did let me realize my Q-bot lied about Superman being closed and I learned it would close 1.5 hours early. As tempting as it was to immediately run to Superman, I figured I shouldn't waste my reservation. Batman was noteworthy since it was the first free spin...I have encountered that was open in my first visit to the park. After having my Q-bot scanned, my Q-bot died. I had always wondered what would happen if that unlikely scenario occurred and of course it would happen on a day where I was extremely limited on time. I figured I would have to go back to the Flash Pass building on the other side of the park to get a new one, but when I asked the op checking the Flash Passes what I should do, he said to give him the Q-bot, go ride Batman, and an employee would be waiting for me in the gift shop to give me a replacement. Really it was that easy? Cool. Batman was my third free spin and it absolutely blew me away. I know they're often maligned, but I really do like the two Jokers that I've been on at SFNE and SFGAdv. Yes those ones only give 2-3 flips, but the rocking combined with that layout still gives a chaotic and intense ride. So I was shocked when Batman gave me 6 flips and constantly rocked the whole way, which took my breath away. Now this is how a free fly should be run. 9 out of 10 Where's the B&M invert? Batman eats all the other free fly coasters for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I got 6 flips on this thing! I didn't get to ride Batman at night, but it sure did look nice. After I got off the ride and made my way to the gift shop, I was pleasantly greeted by an employee. That was quick and painless. I'm glad I didn't lose any time other than the 10 minutes I could have reserved something while riding Batman. But the employee went above and beyond also giving me an exit pass. I was tempted to use it on Superman, but since that only had a 6-7 minute wait with the Q-bot, I picked Iron Rattler without thinking twice. Now that's fantastic customer service! I didn't lose anytime and the park went above and beyond to fix the situation. A+ customer service! I wasn't expecting a bonus Flash Pass ticket after they replaced my Q-bot, but happily took it. I quickly reserved Superman and got in line with a half hour to spare. Phew, that was a little close for comfort. I noticed they were assigning seats, but figured it was worth asking for the front. Unlike SFNE, who will scoff at that request, the grouper happily granted my request and 5 minutes later I was climbing the quarry wall. The first drop was outstanding. It didn't have any airtime, but the visual of diving off the quarry combined with the drop's snappiness were quite memorable. The following vertical loop was simply massive and surprisingly forceful. That was followed by a weird elevated helix above the quarry wall. This helix was slow, but the large dive back towards the ground was basically like experiencing the first drop again which was fine by me. The following zero-G roll was the ride's best inversion. Snappy like the zero-G rolls on the inverts, Superman really hauls through this inversion. It's then followed by a surprisingly smooth yet snappy cobra roll. If an element on a B&M is going to be rough, I've found it's most likely a cobra roll (unless it's a stand-up, then everything is rough). The MCBR barely took away any of the ride's speed and the next two corkscrews were very snappy as well. I know there are quite a few people who deem this the best floorless coaster out there and I too will jump on that bandwagon. The interaction with the quarry on the two huge drops are unique and really make this ride stand-out. Then the inversions were your pretty typical B&M fare, but they were snappier than on the other floorless coasters. I immediately got back in line for a ride in the back. I do prefer the front, but the drops were definitely cool to experience in the back by comparison. 9 out of 10 I drank the Kool-Aid; Superman is my new favorite floorless. The ride's interaction with the quarry is what really makes the ride stand out. That and the snappy inversions. B&M's signature interlocking corkscrews. As sunset was approaching, I still had 3 coasters to hit and was running out of time since I wanted to end my night on Iron Rattler. Because of this, I had to start cutting out a few rides. The main casualty was the SkyScreamer. Compared to SFNE's and the one I'd ride the next day at SFOT, this one was a dwarf, but the placement adjacent to the quarry wall definitely looked interesting. It also didn't help that it was closing at 8:30 like Superman and I could no longer reserve it anyway. The ride's location next to the quarry looked interesting. Poltergeist was next. The ride's station was simple, but it still managed to give me the chills since I naturally kept thinking of the classic movie with the same name. Usually I prefer the front on these launched coasters, but in the interest of time I settled with the back row. I've been on the two Flight of Fears and Joker's Jinx. Flight of Fear has a faster launch and is indoors, but has a killer MCBR that brings the train to a halt. Joker's Jinx has no MCBR but the launch is noticeably weaker. Poltergeist was the best of both worlds. It had a launch as intense as Flight of Fear yet lacked the MCBR like Joker's Jinx. This resulted in a totally out-of-control ride. The first half had the three forceful inversions, but it was the second half that really amazed me. With the full speed launch and no brakes, we were flying through each twist and turn. Then the final corkscrew was one of the snappiest I've ever experienced. I would have loved to ride it again since it was superior to the other 3 spaghetti bowls, but I resisted the urge in the name of Iron Rattler. 9 out of 10 Both a nerd shot and overview shot, all rolled into one. As night approached, the lights went on across the park and I have to say, the park looks even better at night. The midways were full of life. I thought the Boardwalk area looked the best at night since it's filled with a lot of newer rides with fantastic lighting packages. Not sure if they look better than Story Land's spinner, but Hustler did look great. Love the theme! Boardwalk was the best looking area at night. It was full of life. As I entered the boardwalk, I saw something more tempting than a coaster, Air Conditioning the Ride, aka Scooby Doo Ghostblaster. A one minute wait with the Flash Pass? Sign me up! This is one of those attractions that didn't feel like it belonged at a Six Flags park and made Fiesta Texas stand out. The theming wasn't too crazy, but the small touches such as the Scooby Doo theme song and Mystery Machine ride vehicles were appreciated by a Scooby Doo fan such as myself. The ride itself was cool. It was probably 60 degrees inside that building. The targets were just simple 2D figures, but the ride was pretty darn long and all the targets reacted after being shot. Either I was having a good day or the targets were easier to hit on this one than the other Sally dark rides. Either way, this is a ride that should be hit on a visit to Fiesta Texas. I actually may have preferred this simpler shooter because of the practical sets over the higher-tech Justice League ride since I actually knew what I was shooting at a given scene. 9 out of 10 Scooby Doo and not Justice League or Looney Tunes? This is so unlike Six Flags but a breath of fresh air. The targets were pretty basic, but the AC was fantastic and the ride was fun. Up next was the spinner, Pandemonium. I'm a fan of SFNE's Pandemonium so I was looking forward to trying a different layout. Since SFNE's was shoehorned into a compact area, I thought it was a unique layout but it was actually the same as Fiesta Texas's version. That seems more like a Six Flags move. Fiesta Texas did have a moving station which I was envious of since SFNE's only loads one at a time and often stacks cars on the brake run. While the layout was the same as SFNE's, I got a ride crazier than any of the 50 or so I've gotten on SFNE's version over the years. I sat next to a larger gentleman and was across from his two young girls. My eyes lit up when I saw this and after the first drop, we were non-stop spinning the whole way through. I have never gotten a car that unbalanced before. 8 out of 10 There's the spinner hiding in the background. Since I missed out on SkyScreamer, I wanted to hop on Scream real quick to get some breathtaking views of the park and quarry. The station and area around the ride was themed to a drive-in movie theater, which makes absolutely no sense; however, it looked great so I didn't mind at all. I actually had to wait another 10 minutes after scanning my Flash Pass since VR was slowing the loading. I still have yet to try VR on a drop tower, but I find it hard to believe it could beat a view from 200ft up, especially in a park as photogenic as Fiesta Texas. I was also deathly afraid of the device overheating again like it did on Superman at SFNE last year. All the Larson/ARM towers I rode this summer have ruined S&S towers for me. Scream had solid launch and good floater air at the top. Then it ascended to the top since it was a combo tower. The views from the top were as great as I anticipated, especially in the evening. I wished I had timed the ride such that I could have been up there during sunset, but that thought was interrupted by the drop. While sudden, it lacked the punch of the other drop towers I've been on. 7 out of 10 Scream's drive-in station was random, but it looked great so I didn't care one bit. I still haven't used VR after having it freeze on me and overheat at SFNE last year on Superman. I had one last coaster to hit and that was my second Batman clone of the day in Goliath. I am still baffled by the name. Why one of the park's shorter coasters is called Goliath baffles me but we know how much Six Flags loves the name. I also found it funny that I rode the only two Batman clones in the United States that aren't called Batman on the same day. Despite not being called Batman the Ride, the queue was just as long. It was an endless array of switchbacks until reaching the station. Like I did earlier in the day, I picked the back for timing purposes. I won't go into the layout since we've all been on or seen these Batman clones, but it was the standard forceful ride from start to finish. I add the last bit since the ride had the leg-numbing Gs in the second half that SeaWorld's Great White was missing for some reason. 9 out of 10 Two non-Batman Batman clones in the same day is an odd feat. I had a half hour left and it was time to finish with Iron Rattler. I had it queued up on my Q-bot as well as that Flash Pass ticket from earlier in the day. On my way over, I was able to catch parts of the fireworks show. The fireworks display looked quite good and on par with the ones I saw at Dollywood the weekend prior. I wasn't by the rock quarry though, so I didn't get to see any of the projection mapping in play. If I had a full day, I would have definitely checked the show out, but I couldn't pass up any of the coasters. I missed out on the projections on the quarry wall, but the fireworks display was impressive. Earlier in the day, Iron Rattler gave fantastic rides and slotted in as my number 2 steel coaster. Iron Rattler apparently didn't like that and was determined to supplant Fury for the top spot on my rankings. And it did just that with my night rides in the back seat. The layout was pitch black. That combined with the setting on the quarry made for a truly spectacular ride. The first drop was even crazier at night since I couldn't see when the course adjustments were coming and the rest of the ride felt even more intense with the sun gone for the day. After my first ride with the Q-bot, I still had 2 minutes before my reservation so I whipped out my Flash Pass ticket to get back on. Another breathtaking ride! Sorry Fury, you're number two now. The ejector air on every drop and the two epic drops (first and quarry) made Iron Rattler stand out more in my opinion. After my second night ride, I checked my phone and it was 9:56. I scampered down the exit ramp and tried to get one final ride, but they closed the queue. Drat. Iron Rattler at night knocked Fury from the top spot. You could barely see any of the ride. I was tempted to purchase a shirt of my new favorite coaster, but I decided to see if the other coaster nearby (Road Runner Express) had a closed off queue as well since it was technically still 9:59. Sure enough, Road Runner Express was still loading the last train of the night. I boarded the third row and received a better ride. The element of darkness definitely helped, but the atypical pop of air was stronger in the front of the train. When we returned to the station, the park was officially closed. I had an amazing half day (actually less than that) at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The park looks and feels different than your standard Six Flags. It has lightning fast operations (so I'm confident they'll do all they can with Wonder Woman next year), beautiful midways, and great customer service to go with the standard thrill rides found at the other Six Flags parks (except Great Escape). Of the parks I visited that weekend in Texas, Fiesta Texas was without a doubt my favorite. It's definitely my favorite Six Flags park and one of the best parks I've visited. The park does all the little things right and having Iron Rattler doesn't hurt either.

The rewards on that card seem amazing, but I can't bring myself to paying an annual credit card fee.

My girlfriend went to Holy Land and said it was a terrible experience. From your photos, I can see why she thought that.

Superman is very good in the back, but I think the front seat is the truly special seat. The air seems more intense up there.

Wow that's a much cooler train evacuation than the one I had at Magic Forest a while back. On that one the train had a slow speed derail moments into the ride.

This announcement looks fantastic. I was expecting either a mat racer or a water coaster to replace Tidal Force. I wasn't expecting Hershey to get both slides and keep Tidal Force. This is a major win for the park! The POV of Breakers Edge looks amazing. SFFT's Thunder Rapids looked intriguing with the saucer turns, but I was bummed to see that it didn't really have any of the standard water coaster drops that give fantastic air. Breakers Edge is the best of both worlds combining both. The two drops after the saucer turns should have incredible air with how fast you enter into them. Then the mat racer has a much more unique layout than the others I've seen. I've never actually made time to ride anything at Hershey's water park, but that's going to change the next time I'm there.

From what I've seen of Wicked Cyclone, it seems like people are more likely to get the walk of shame on a B&M invert/floorless.

That's a bummer about a poorly run Cedar Fair park. Usually minimal breakdowns and fast dispatches are the norm for them.