Canobie Coaster

Nice write up! I think what makes Behemoth so good is the lack of a brake run in the middle of the ride or a million trim brakes. The other Cedar Fair B&M hypers have this issue and it kills the pacing. I actually don't mind Wilde Beast, but Emily hated every second of it. Of the two big woodies, I find Minebuster worse to be honest.

Palace Playland It always feels like a gamble when I go to Palace Playland. They're one of those seaside parks with no set closing time. If they're busy, they'll happily stay open until midnight. But if they're a ghost town, you're SOL. For that reason, I wasn't even sure if Palace Playland would still be open. After a weeknight evening at Funtown, I decided to take a chance. The weather was beautiful, but it was definitely cooler than your prototypical beach day. Palace Playland is one of the few beachfront parks remaining in New England. So imagine my shock to find no street parking available and the midway shoulder to shoulder with people. It's not even like that on weekend nights! Turns out it was fireworks night. On one hand, that explained the crowd. People love their fireworks like enthusiasts love their wacky worms. But I was sort of surprised they were taking place on a Thursday. Credit whores come out for the coasters. The sensible people come out for fireworks. I originally wanted to watch them from atop the Ferris Wheel, but everyone else had the same idea. So instead, I decided to watch them from the park's Power Surge. Sure I missed out on the perfect photo, but it sure was neat to be flipping uncontrollably towards the ground one second and then shooting towards fireworks the next. It is worth noting that the base wasn't rotating. I know that is an issue on a lot of other power surges, but this is the first time I've ever had an issue with it at this one. Hopefully it was just a short term issue since it's my favorite ride in the park. 9 out of 10 Riding this during the fireworks was quite the experience. But I think the crowd favorite ride is undoubtedly Sea Viper, their new-for-2018 coaster. I have been visiting Palace Playland for almost two decades. And never once did I have to wait for anything. That all changed with Sea Viper. It has full queues even on weeknights. Granted, that's only 15-20 minutes but that's like Flight of Passage for this park. In many ways, this coaster looks wrong. The trains are comically oversized (long and bulky) compared to the track gauge. And the transition heavy layout seems like a bad idea for a manufacturer like Preston. But somehow it works. Outside of the final helix, it tracks pretty smoothly. There's no airtime, but this coaster does boast some nice laterals. The third and fourth drops in particular standout, especially towards the park due to the train length. It's not a world-class ride, but it's a perfect fit for the park and clearly quite popular among the clientele. 6 out of 10 Is it just me or does it look weird to see a train that long and beefy on a track that small? After reriding Power Surge and Sea Viper a few times, I was able to squeeze in rides on Adrenalin and Drop Zone before they closed. Adrenalin has a ridiculously short cycle, but this is one of the more powerful frisbees out there. Most frisbees offer floater airtime. Adrenalin launches your shoulders into the OSTR. 8 out of 10 Adrenalin is so intense that it drops the "e" at the end. Drop Zone is more of a family drop tower, albeit one with an oddly high height requirement. Its meager height doesn't offer much in terms of views, but it is bigger than your usual tower with a multi-drop sequence. You won't get any airtime, but you do get this odd ball-tingling sensation since it's not a true freefall. There really is no other way to describe the feeling. I do prefer the airtime and stomach drop sensation of a larger tower, but I do enjoy Drop Zone for what it is. 6 out of 10 Drop Zone doesn't exactly tower over the rest of the park. Even if Palace Playland closed early, the evening wouldn't have been a total bust. Since the park is adjacent to Old Orchard Beach, there's all sorts of greasy, buttery goodness waiting for you. With my 20 years of experience, I've identified two places that rise above the rest. If you read my report from last year, none of this will be new information. For lobster rolls, you must visit the Shack. It's one of the few places in Maine that will serve you a Connecticut lobster roll (aka one drowned in butter rather than mayo). For fries, you must visit Pier French Fries. Those crinkle-cut fries are always piping hot and oh so good. Connecticut style is the way to go. Lobster + butter. So much salt and grease. I love it. Palace Playland essentially is a permanent carnival. And because of its location next to the beach, it does quite well for itself. If you find yourself at Funtown, it's well worth the 15 minute sidetrip for two credits, some nice flats, and delicious food.

Tivoli Gardens Jule Expressen, Karavenen, and Odin Expressen closed. I have an indirect photo of the under construction Maelkevejen. It looks like JordyC gave you the FataMorgana photos you were looking for, but I have a night one if you want that. Here are a few other missing rides. Kamelen Kamelen Tik Tak Tik Tak Astronomen Astronomen Ballongyngen Ballongyngen Linie 8 Musikkarrusellen

I agree it makes sense. In my visit last year, the parking lot was full. All the dry rides were walk ons but the (small) water park was packed.

I agree. While the park had no notable coasters, it had some nice flats and was very well landscaped.

I was eagerly awaiting the Ghostbusters house and it looks amazing. Great report!

Looks like Six Flags America is doing a slightly different coffin challenge. Last year most people in the coffins on their phones. Six Flags America is placing a ban on technology, but you can be there with your significant other. I can't think of anything more romantic. Link

^ The hypocrisy is real. And apparently Mind Bender at SFOG gets better with age.

Has anyone tried using Early Entry at Universal Studios, taking the first Hogwarts Express train to Islands of Adventure, and then joining the Hagrid's line? Normally I'd have no problem getting there early for the new ride, but since there's a decent chance it's closed at opening, this seems like a way to do some rides in the morning and still get to Hagrid's somewhat early.

Dang I really thought West Coast Racers had a shot for the new-for-2019 awards.

Great report! I agree Neurogen was a very trippy experience. I went in expecting a bunch of jump scares, but it was more of a psychological WTF.

Bakken Fireball and Vandkanonen have closed. AfroKopperne is named Kaffekopperne. Kang-a-Bounce is named Kaenguru. Polyp is named Polyppen. Rutschebanen lost the brake man. Here's a photo of the new trains (and the famous tunnel). Here's a shot of Svanebanen on the course. The park also has a few simulators. 5D Cinema Flight Simulator SRV Not sure if these are too small, but they have this odd trackless train that goes around the park and a set of spinning tubs themed to ducks. Det Lille Tog Dizzy Ducks

Funtown U.S.A. Funtown U.S.A. is a park for which I’ve always considered getting a season pass. Technically, it’s the closest park to me that offers one and it does have a few nice rides. So why don’t I? The twilight ticket is simply too great a value to pass up! Funtown sells the last three hours of the day for the low price of $11. That’s a steal. And that’s plenty of time to ride their five best rides multiple times. At this point, I have a set routine at Funtown. I hit Dragon’s Descent, Bumper Cars, Astrosphere, Thunder Falls, and Excalibur in that order. If I’m feeling generous, I’ll hit another random flat or Wild Mouse on the way. I thought I was at Funtown, not Mount Olympus. Is there life after death? Jump this fence and find out! No seriously, that's what the sign says! So naturally, I started with Dragon’s Descent. It’s literally right next to the main entrance. And it’s apparent the park is very proud of their S&S drop tower. It has an entire oriental area themed to it and they make sure you know it’s New England’s tallest thrill ride. Dragon’s Descent is one of the rare S&S towers that can compete with the Larson and Intamin models. It has a fantastic view, some strong air on the drop, and even the bounce at the end gives a pop of air. I’ve never seen that on any other turbo drop. 9 out of 10 It’s also worth noting Dragon’s Descent added those seatbelts like many S&S towers. But they seemed to have a really big impact here. They enabled the park to lower the height requirement from 52” to 48”. If you ride on the side facing the dragon, you can see the Atlantic Ocean and Palace Playland in the distance. That dragon looks amazing. Up next was the Bumper Cars. The ones at Funtown have a ridiculously long cycle and a large, wide open arena. But the biggest reason why you need to ride these bumper cars is the policy on head-on collisions. They are allowed! I’ve never seen that at any other park. 8 out of 10 Road rage at its finest. It has been almost 10 years since Funtown added anything to the dry side. I’m pleased to announce in 2019 that they added (drumroll please) a concrete dome around the Astrosphere scrambler. While this isn’t a flashy addition, it drastically improved the Astrosphere experience. The music no longer bleeds out into the midway and the park can now project crisper projections on the ceiling. As far as scramblers go, this one isn’t very fast. But it’s all about the show. If listening to E.L.O. while watching projections of aliens and creepy faces sounds appealing to you, get yourself to Funtown. 10 out of 10 Also for anyone wanting to get an Excalibur T-shirt, you are out of luck. The only ride themed apparel I could find at the park this year was for the Astrosphere. Look at that beautiful concrete dome. Since Wild Mouse had a full queue, I bypassed it in favor of Thunder Falls Log Flume. I knew I was playing with fire on this one. This flume has 6 geysers adjacent to the splashdown. Someone tried to hit me, but they had worse timing than a carnival dark ride. I’m a sucker for Hopkins flumes and this one is quite good. It has a long, windy layout that’s well shaded and it’s the tallest flume in New England. 8 out of 10 That's a lot of water. I then finished the night with an Excalibur marathon. Excalibur is tucked deep in the woods and it’s one of the better night rides out there. Just make sure you pack bug spray or you’ll be in for a world of itch. Excalibur did have one unwanted addition this year- major stapling. I’m not sure if it was just the staff on duty, but they pulled the seatbelts tight with all their might before lowering the lap bars. Fortunately, Excalibur’s airtime in the first half is strong enough to overcome the restraints. The first drop is surprisingly steep and delivers some strong air in the back. And the turnarounds mix abrupt laterals with a quick pop of ejector air. Plus, you also have this speed hill loaded with floater air. I’ve long said this, but Excalibur could have been a top coaster if it had a better second half. There’s absolutely no air and while there are some sustained laterals, the ride simply isn’t traveling very fast. It just lacks that out-of-control feeling of the first half. 7.5 out of 10 I would caution you to avoid wheel seats at the moment. Excalibur has always had a bit of a shake to it, but the bottom of the second hill felt like a car wreck. That’s saying a lot coming from me. You start in a castle. Then you go out in the woods. And you get some airtime and laterals along the way. Excalibur at night is a must. Just look how dark it is. I know Funtown isn’t in an accessible location for most coaster enthusiasts, but it sure is convenient for me. The park isn’t very big, but the park’s premier rides compliment each other well and the twilight ticket gives me just enough time to ride them all. If you are coming from a distance, make sure you visit during the evening so you can experience Excalibur at night. It’s Raven-lite with a much slower finale.

^ I was thinking the same thing about the flume, but it does look like the new path starts immediately after Dan McGraw's so I'm hopeful the flume isn't on the chopping block.

Credit or not, these zipline coasters are quite fun. Hopefully this one is relatively unbraked like the ones in Dubai. The one at Rowdy Bear Mountain was heavily trimmed.

1) OzIris 2) Nemesis 3) Montu 4) Katun 5) Pyrenees

I did some detective work and I think Condor may be safe. If you review the rendering, you can see a Western facade on the right and a red-sided food stand on the left. I believe that Western facade is the Bumper Cars and the red-sided food stand is Dan McGrew's. Therefore, I believe the rendering is looking down the midway towards Desperado Plunge. It seems like they are going to demolish part or all of Charley's Saloon based on the rendering. Photo courtesy of Google Maps Photo courtesy of Google Maps

Gardaland Mr. Ping's Noodle Surprise is actually Kaffetassen. I'm not sure if you want to merge the entries or list Kaffetassen as closed. Magic Mountain has been renamed Shaman. Here's the sign and repainted coaster. Sequoia Adventure has been reopened and renamed Sequoia Magic Loop. San Andreas 4-D Experience is another new ride. Mirabilandia Divertical should be listed as open. Family Adventure has closed. Here are some photos of Desmo Racer. It was closed with the cars off the track, so nothing of it running. Explorer has been renamed Rexplorer. Pakal has been renamed Gold Digger. 24 Ore di Mirabilandia is no longer at the park. I think they may have repurposed the slot track for Scrambler Run. Columbia and Discovery have been renamed Oil Towers. Crazy House should be renamed Casa Matta. Here's a picture of the sign. Dead Town should be renamed Legends of Dead Town. Delirium has been renamed Reptilium, but I don't have any photos of the new sign. Le Pentole Stregate has been renamed and rethemed as Raptotana. Niagara has been renamed El Dorado Falls. I think Phobia is where Legends of Dead Town currently is. Some other missing rides are below. Aquila Tonante Aquila Tonante Kiddy Monster Kiddy Monster Simulatori

I don't mind the new seat backs. The key is that there aren't any awkward lap bars.

Do you intend to hit the new for 2020 attractions? If so, summer may be a better option.

^ Same, but if it opens I'll find myself there not too long after.

^ Not just the Internet, I ran into someone at Silverwood who talked my ear off in line. Turns out he is an expert in nuclear engineering (the radiation from Fukushima will kill all the fish in the Pacific Ocean within 3 years) and roller coasters (steel coasters are less safe than wood coasters because they legally don't need to be inspected).

^ I agree. Even though I rarely ride Blizzard River, it's extremely popular. This park has gotten some great additions as of late. I still think they need to put something in the water park first before they get another coaster. I think it has been 7-8 years at this point since Hurricane Harbor got anything.

Yeah this park is a bit odd with photography. Earlier this year, they looked long and hard at my point and shoot camera since it had a zoom lens, but they did allow it into the park. And a few years ago I took a picture of the observatory from a main pathway and a security guard told me I had to delete the photo since the observatory was behind a fence.

Thanks! Some may call their collection rough but I had no issues. Thanks! Yeah I was bummed to miss Hellcat. I heard it was quite good.