Canobie Coaster

I definitely don't miss the VR one bit. I'm glad that fad seems to be dying. I'll still say VR is awesome for a haunt/dark ride experience though.

I think the Flying Dutchmen have superior layouts to the Superman clones, but they're definitely jerkier which is an issue in that riding position. That's why I prefer Superman overall. Manta, Tatsu, and Flying Dinosaur are no contest.

Luna Park (Coney Island) Opening day is usually a quiet day at most parks. Not Luna Park. When a park that usually charges $65 offers a “free wristband” (it technically requires a $5 donation), it’s understandable why it gets mobbed. This time, I visited on a summer Sunday. Yes the wristband is pricey, but it keeps the ride lines reasonable. The boardwalks were packed, but the longest ride line I waited in was 15 minutes. Think of the wristband as a skip-the-line pass and it becomes a whole lot more palatable. I parked by the Thunderbolt, so naturally I made Zamperla’s take on the Eurofighter my first stop. I know this ride gets a lot of hate, but I actually enjoy it. I’ve realized that’s how I feel about most rides people hate…except SLCs with the old restraints. Those rides deserve all the hate they get. Maybe people hate the restraints? The restraints are very tight and the ops will staple you with all their might. No ifs, ands, or buts. However, I’ll take a tight lap bar over an OSTR any day of the week. Maybe people find it rough? Sure it shuffles a bit atop the inversions, but without OSTRs I find the ride perfectly comfortable. Think what you want since it keeps the line shorter for me. I enjoy the mix of hangtime on the inversions and great ejector airtime on the drop and bunny hills. 7.5 out of 10 I know this isn't the most popular coaster, but I really like it. Even haters of the ride have to admit Zamperla packed a lot into a tight footprint. Admittedly the three across cars are odd and it leads to a lot of empty seats. Speaking of coasters everyone hates but I enjoy, I wanted to ride Soarin’ Eagle. Yes it is possible for someone to actually like a Zamperla volare. The crowds thought the same as it boasted a full queue. I decided to come back later, but the ride went down for the night shortly thereafter. Some would call it mercy. I deemed it unfortunate. At least I’ve ridden it before. What a shame this ride was down. I'm not even being sarcastic. I was able to ride Steeplechase. Since I had limited time at Darien Lake and Knott’s Pony Express always breaks down for me, Steeplechase is the only motorbike coaster I’ve ridden in quite some time. For a smaller coaster, this thing has a really sold launch. And then the compact layout has several tiny pops of air as it weaves around itself. Plus this is a rare Zamperla coaster people seem to universally agree is smooth. 6.5 out of 10 I guess ponies in New York work harder than they do in California. My wristband actually included the Slingshot, but there was no chance in hell I was waiting in that line. I counted at least 50-60 people in the queue. So instead I rode another ride that typically isn’t on a wristband, the Zenobio (aka Zamperla’s take on the Skyscraper ride). I rode right before sunset so the view was stunning. But I don’t ride Zenobio for the views. No, I ride it for the thrills. And it halfway delivered. On the backwards bit, we were flipping with each rotation. But on the forwards bit, our vehicle flipped as much as SFMM’s Green Lantern (aka 0 times). 7 out of 10 I love how this is included with the wristband. When you think of the most intense coasters in the US, what comes to mind? Intimidator 305, Skyrush, El Toro, Steel Vengeance, trimless Voyage? I’d also throw in the back row on the Cyclone. However, it was challenging to get the back row. On the day I visited, they wouldn’t allow anyone to sit in the back car until all seats were filled in the front two cars. I’ve never come across this policy in the past, but it was disappointing since crowds were minimal. But I did get a few back row rides and it separates the men from the boys. Getting ejector airtime on almost every hill with just a buzz bar is glorious. Now mix in powerful laterals. Keep in mind, there are no seat dividers. There’s one hill in particular on the last lap that I want to highlight. After the turnaround slams you to the left, there’s a bunny hill that twists to the left. You will be ejected upwards and simultaneously throw to the right side of the seat. Even the front row rides were wild, just in a different way. The airtime was still numerous, but it was a weaker mix of ejector pops and floater pops. The front compensated with stronger laterals. The one flaw with the ride is that it’s bumpy. For me, it’s not a ride killer since you’re basically riding on a couch. But it’s the price I’m willing to pay for such an intense classic. 9 out of 10 If you're wondering where I took this photo from, you'll find out on the next update. The airtime on this ride is terrifying. I love it. Often imitated. Rarely duplicated. And RMCed when they get rough. The original plan was not for me to stay until closing (midnight). But I ended up doing that. What came back to bite me was ride inspections. At several points throughout the night, I saw the park close off a queue, cycle through the riders, and then take a ride down for 30-60 minutes. I don’t have an issue with Luna Park closing rides for inspections. However, if they were scheduled for pre-determined times, I just wish the park shared that information with guests so they could plan ahead. Unfortunately the Zamperla drop tower was down all day. The most notable flat for me was the one-of-a-kind Clockworkz. Offride, the contraption is mesmerizing. It looks like something straight out of a cartoon. I’d argue it’s more fun to watch than ride. I was optimistic it would be a fast, airtime-filled ride. It was not. It was smooth, but it was that awkward speed where it’s not fast enough to be thrilling but too slow to be an observation ride. 5 out of 10 Beautiful to watch. Just ok to ride. The Atlantic Aviator next door was undoubtedly a thrill ride. Luna Park replaced their old Air Race with the next-generation tower version. Was it any better? Marginally. The ride sensations were identical; however, the new visuals were a nice surprise. The versions on the ground feel pretty contained within themselves. This one was a dizzying display of the park’s lights. I definitely recommend this one at night. 7 out of 10 Air Race has evolved. Speaking of visuals, that’s exactly why I rode the Brooklyn Flyer. By star flyer standards, this one is a dwarf. However, this one has an awesome setting. Luna Park looks incredible at night all lit up. Then when you mix in the distant New York skyline and the beach, you have a real winner. Plus it has some decent force too. 8 out of 10 It's a cute little star flyer, but the views are still awesome. The last flat I hit was Luna 360. This is one of those inverting frisbees and I sort of assumed it would produce some airtime on the swings leading up to the inversions like the Technical Park versions. It did not. The swings leading up to the inversions didn’t do much for me. But the inversions sure did. They were loaded with hangtime and the downswings were really heavy on the Gs. 7 out of 10 This is how you properly counterweight a frisbee. After knocking out the flats, it was 11 pm. At this point, I was already so far down the rabbit hole that I decided to reach for the coffee, pull an all-nighter, and finish the night with some coaster rides. But first I wanted to try the flume. On one hand, I appreciate how Wild River had a different layout than your usual carnival flume. On the other hand, it wasn't particularly good. The drops weren't very steep and both the turns and splashdowns were pretty bumpy. 3 out of 10 Unless you count jackhammering turns and splashdowns as wild, this river wasn't very wild. Next was a longer than expected ride on the Thunderbolt. As we approached the lift, we stopped. After about 5 minutes, a choir of “Are we going to die?” started. A supervisor notified us we had been dispatched a hair too early, so the ride triggered a fault. After about 15 minutes and countless reassurances from the supervisor we were perfectly safe, maintenance reset the ride and I got another good ride on this often maligned coaster. Coney Island simply comes alive at night. But the night ended with the Cyclone. Thankfully there was a family that kept riding over and over to perfect their on-ride photo, so I was able to get the back car a few times. I probably got another 7-8 rides in a row. By the time midnight rolled around, I felt like I had stepped out of the boxing ring. Not even 3 hours of the Voyage at Holiwood Nights did that to me. Oddly, the coaster was still accepting riders even after midnight. When I drove past it at 12:15, it was still cycling. While it was a bit painful to leave some rides on the table, I needed to hit the road or else the sun would rise before I made it home. In case your forgot the ride's name. I'm a sucker for neon signs. Luna Park is the highlight of Coney Island. The legendary Cyclone alone is worth the trip, but the park has some decent steel coasters and an awesome lineup of flats. And it also helps that you have an another amusement park next door, several other smaller attractions, and an electric vibe that few places can match. I may have needed a lot of coffee the next day, but it was worth it.

I skipped the zoo in favor of the coasters during my visit, so it's nice to see what I missed. Great report!

^ I've always found Superman's crew to be fantastic. Whenever it gets a long queue, it's usually not their fault (VR dabocale of 2016, last year's one train ops, heavy weekend crowds, etc).

Out of curiosity, does "it" often breakdown? I remember it breaking down a few times the one time I went to Morey's. But that's crazy to hear they made an already awesome frisbee even better.

Glad to hear Cyclone sporting a good crew! Yeah the Cyborg wait is a bit unfortunate how most of it takes place in the unshaded midway rather than the indoor queue.

^ If they got a launch coaster, I'd argue that it wouldn't be an air-launcher since they already have Kingda Ka for the acceleration. Then again this is the chain that added West Coast Racers to the park that already had the two rides it's a mash-up of in Full Throttle and Twisted Colossus.

Busch Gardens didn't need to add anything for me to return and this has a great chance of being the park's best ride (I do love Apollo more than most).

Fahrenheit at Hersheypark.

What a trip! I've only been to Philly once, but it was during the Pope visit. My friend who was local said I saw a nicer side of Philly than usual since they cleaned it up for that weekend. However, I'm sad to report he took us to his favorite two cheesesteaks places, Pat and Gino's. It sucks to buy Flash Pass when you don't need it, but I'd rather have the piece of mind I can ride everything I want to in a park I don't often make it to than miss out.

^ I noticed that too last week. It looked like the station once held a 7 car train.

^ For La Feria, try to visit on the day that you think is busiest. It will be your best chance to ride everything.

^ I went about a week after HITP ended this year. There was no rehab schedule, but it was definitely a slower time since the coasters only ran one train. The only things closed were the free spin, the rapids, and the kids area (the latter due to construction). In both visits, the park has been packed so definitely get a Flash Pass since it's like $15 to skip 10 rides. Driving in Mexico City is like the traffic of NYC with nonsensical roadways so I strongly recommend Uber since it's so cheap. La Feria is nearby. They do have some rare rides, but that place has some of the worst ops I've ever seen. They have staggered openings and could close every major thrill ride with no warning.

Nice report! I couldn't make the pre-trip but I made it out to Yomiuriland later and agree it had some surprising airtime. But what really made it for me was the setting and use of terrain.

Adventurer’s Park Family Entertainment Center On the way to Coney Island, I decided to make a pit stop. RCDB informed me there was a wacky worm with my name on it just one mile away. That brought me to Adventurer’s Park Family Entertainment Center. Let’s just say appearances were not the park’s strong point. Here's the parking lot. Which also doubles as the park's graveyard. You can either go through the modest main entrance. I really like how the park used blue tarps to decorate their fences. Unfortunately, the two dark rides and rare Huss flipper in the Park Index are no longer at the park. I’d say at least two thirds of the park now consists of kiddie rides. I took a courtesy lap around the park to fill in gaps on the park index. That probably took all of two minutes since the park is very compact. Carousel I'm torn whether they're building something in that area or if it's just a graveyard. Oh look I found the Coney Island Cyclone...Racer. This was by far the park's tallest ride. They're having fun. It's called the Fun Slide after all. This sounds like the name of a go kart place, not the ride itself. The Train was probably the nicest looking ride in the park. And then it was time for the TL*3 Coaster. I have no clue what that name is supposed to mean. Is it the New York slang term for a wacky worm? Honestly that name was the most notable thing about the coaster. 2 out of 10 What does this name even mean? If you’re already going to Coney Island, this place is a quick stop. It looks a bit rough around the edges, but if you’re a credit whore, it’s an easy stop. Both parking and admission are free. And you can be in and out in less than 5-10 minutes.

^ I don't think the restraints are the issue with T3. In fact, I'm thankful the restraints eliminate headbanging. But the ride tracks so poorly that it felt like I was being repeatedly punched in the back.

Does Hershey ever close queues early if a ride has a long wait? If Cupfusion's queue doesn't drop down, I'm hoping I can hop in right at closing.

Great report! Tokyo DisneySea is gorgeous and has so many top tier Disney rides.

Great report! Unfortunately Cyclone tends to have one of the slower staffs in the park, but I agree the ops at Superman are consistently great. While I'm in the camp that I'd love to see more Intamin hypers, I do understand why parks build B&M ones since they're also 200 foot tall, incredibly reridable rides with better reliability.

^ Glad someone else appreciated it. Face Off is so bizarre that it's wonderful.

^ To the park's credit, the other pierogis are still quite good. They just aren't the world-changers of *the* stand. I also love the fry place by Oasis too. There's just so much good food at Knoebels.

I've never done Halloween Horror Nights. But I think I may try to make it this year for the Ghostbusters haunt I saw listed on their site. That IP has a ton of potential for a haunt.

Funtown U.S.A. Astrosphere got a new permanent, concrete dome for 2019. This replaces the old air-filled one. Palace Playland Cantina and Crazy Dance have closed. The entry for Wave Swinger shows the defunct Yo-Yo. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the new Wave Swinger but they're two different rides. Below is a photo of Riptide, the replacement for the old Moby Dick ride.

I stopped by Funtown for a few hours today after work. Funtown's twilight ticket is an absolute steal. They will sell the last three hours for just $11! There have been two changes for 2019. The first was the new concrete dome for the Astrosphere. Unfortunately, the loading is still glacial, but it allows the park to now use crisper projections. The sheer number of creepy faces they projected during the ride gets an A+ from me. The other change is that lap belts were added to Dragon's Descent. This is a change that has been hitting most S&S towers this year. It does slow loading slightly, but the ride experience is unchanged. And I noticed it does have a benefit for the smaller riders. It used to have a 52" height requirement. I noticed they amended the height to 48".