Canobie Coaster

For those who have ridden Zeus recently, is it running smoother than usual? I did notice a lot of fresh wood on the turnaround. I found it quite smooth. So either they really did a lot of work on it or I'm immune to rough rides.

Aw darn. Good to know.

Thanks! That definitely makes more sense. Does Cupfusion still have the single rider line?

According to Queue Times, the Mini Scrambler has a 90 minute wait. Why do I feel like that's off?

I think the airtime may be a bit more abrupt in the second half towards the back, but I'll still take the rush of wind over that.

Awesome report! That actually sounds like a slow dispatch for Knoebels from my experience.

It has always run great in the heat, but the news wheels has had it running great all year (albeit loudly). I have ridden Superman in row two. While the airtime and the forces are the same, I miss the rush of wind making my eyes water.

Six Flags New England- Redemption If you read my previous installment from SFNE, then you’ll know I only rode Goliath. I still can’t believe it myself. My short visit coincided perfectly with temporary breakdowns for all the park’s signature attractions. It was an unfortunate series of events (like that live action Jim Carrey movie) on the way to Lake George. So I needed to redeem myself on the way home. I figured an hour and a half would be plenty of time to ride both Wicked Cyclone and Superman. But I quickly learned I lost an hour. Originally the park had 10 pm closings on Sundays this summer. I learned they were cut back to 9 pm. Ranking coasters is something I enjoy doing. Others dread it. But in this scenario it was important. Superman or Wicked Cyclone? I only had time to ride one. Put a gun to my head (or in this case the clock), I’ll answer Superman. I’ll take Wicked Cyclone in any seat over Superman in every seat but the front. But Superman’s front row reigns supreme. As I made my way towards DC Superhero Adventures, I saw a sight for sore eyes. Superman operating! There were four trains ahead of me, so I figured I could comfortably get my front row ride and maybe even a bonus ride. Almost nothing was going to stop me from a front row ride. But I was counting my eggs before they hatched. Superman went down. You could say I was experiencing a case of deja vu. Except this time, there was no way I was going to ride that green abomination. The cause for the delay was a twisted seatbelt. It took maintenance 15 minutes to unravel the knot, but eventually Superman reopened right before closing. My odds of a front row ride looked bleak until I found a fellow single rider and paired up with them. Score! It ended up being the second to last train of the night. I felt triumphant as the train ascended the lift to the Superman theme. This wouldn’t have been possible had I not blown past every rest stop on the way home. Superman was fantastic. The rush of wind mixed with powerful airtime was the perfect way to end the weekend. 9.5 out of 10 I felt like I had won the Super Bowl. To the Patriots, that's called February. I did get a bonus ride though…just not on Superman. You see, Six Flags New England has been doing something really cool and unexpected this year. They have been keeping the Carousel open past closing. And it’s not because it has had an hour wait. That’s what goes on at Harley Quinn. Rather out of the goodness of their heart, SFNE keeps the Carousel open since its located right next to the park exit. Two thumbs up for Six Flags keeping this open past closing. My next visit to Six Flags New England should be longer. And it will hopefully include a few rides on Superman and Wicked Cyclone. But it will undoubtedly not include a ride on Goliath.

^ If you fly to Logan, Canobie is way easier to get to than SFNE. Basically all the big New England parks outside of SFNE have a good wooden coaster and charm.

Nice report! Great America really is one of the nicest Six Flags parks. -2 Gs on Whizzer?

^ I agree with Guardian at opening since it's unique and has putrid capacity. I've never understood the hate for Volares. I've always enjoyed them. The real coaster that tries to kill you at Canada's Wonderland is Flight Deck.

Thanks! I'll stick with the plan to hit it on Saturday afternoon/night to maximize my chances of Renegade night rides.

Great report! I've felt rattles on a few Macks like Capitol Bullet Train, Velociraptor, and Alpina Blitz, but the super comfortable trains make it a non-factor for me. I don't remember one on Copperhead, but I rode it the second weekend.

Great report! I haven't found much difference between Steel Vengeance on a hot and cool day because for me, the mid-course trim was off on the cooler days.

How is the river doing behind the park in terms of flooding? I was planning on going to the park on Saturday, but see a heavy thunderstorm possibly in the forecast tomorrow night. I could stop in tomorrow if the waters are getting high.

Great video! The voting is a very cool concept.

If your options are Waldameer or Darien Lake, pick Waldameer and don't look back. Waldameer is a charming park and Ravine Flyer II is better than anything at Darien Lake. Plus you have a great flume, a terrifying drop tower, and two classic dark rides. I would say the major coasters could be done in 3 hours though at Darien Lake if you get there at opening.

Great report! I thought Voyage was running fantastic during Holiwood Nights. Most people seemed to think it was running the best it has in years. I've never found it to be too rough, but I can certainly see how people could find it rough. Then again I ride Boulder Dash a ton and apparently that ride is rough too.

^ I've been riding it since 2000 and the red train rides were the only lackluster ones I've ever had.

I agree it's an enjoyable ride. I'm so thankful it has the two across seating as opposed to the inline style on the one at Over Texas. I'd be curious to know if the one in Texas has as many problems.

I think she got cotton candy and something banana flavored? But I'm no ice cream expert. I'm also no beer expert, but I know he got that drink down fast. Thanks! I think the bobsled seems better than it really is since the rest of the park's steel coaster offerings are putrid.

^ Thanks! So I'm guessing you went to Story Land or Coney Island afterwards? I'm glad the red train was running fine for you. I'm just glad the supervisor thought the same on the blue train at least for my visit so I know I'm not going crazy.

They could try something with those saucer turns like Thunder Rapids. I agree this is likely the water park based on the theme.

The Coney Island Cyclone. It may be 90+ years old, but it just as wild as any coaster out there.

Great Escape + Lake George Parks with great in the name are usually great- Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Great America, California’s Great America. And then there’s Great Escape. The park isn’t bad. It just has a distinctly different feel than every other Six Flags park. It’s more about the charm than the roller coasters. Welcome to the Good Escape. Lake George was the focus of the trip, not Great Escape. That being said, we decided to pop in for an hour solely to ride the Comet. But there was an interesting development at the ride closure board. Here's the ride closure board and...wait...is the Alpine Bobsled actually open QueueTimes had reported the Alpine Bobsled being down for the past month. The Six Flags app also listed the Alpine Bobsled as closed. Either the board out front or the app was wrong. I thought it would be odd for the app to wrongly list the Alpine Bobsled as closed for a month straight… But as we walked towards the back of the park, I heard the unmistakable rumble. Then I saw something rarer than a unicorn. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The Alpine Bobsled was open. I was excited to finally ride this after years of being teased. I say was because the queue was now closed for the day. Due to noise restrictions, the Alpine Bobsled closes at 6. It was an unfortunate miss since the ride is perpetually on the chopping block and it had been several visits since I had ridden it. Had I known the Alpine Bobsled were open, I would have gotten to the park earlier. I later learned from an employee that the park has decided to perpetually list the Alpine Bobsled as closed since it usually is. I can’t decide if that’s sad or funny. Well that's a buzzkill. At least I still had the Comet to console myself. It’s usually an airtime buffet. We started in the front of the red train. On the bright side, the ride was perfectly smooth. On the downside, it felt like I was riding Wolverine Wildcat. There was hardly any airtime. That was unthinkable for the Comet on all my past trips. I gave the Comet a chance to redeem itself and we boarded the back of the blue train. Thankfully, that was the Comet I remembered! Every hill had some sort of airtime and the turnarounds had strong laterals too. I guess the Comet is now a back row coaster? So we took another spin in the back of the red train. I could tell something was wrong. We got another ride with barely any airtime and it felt like the train was dragging a sack of bricks on the turnarounds. Maybe the blue train was considerably faster? We tested our hypothesis and boarded the front of the blue train. While waiting, I chatted with a ride supervisor, who was also a fellow enthusiast, and he confirmed the blue train runs faster than the red train. And he was right. My front row ride had airtime in droves. Maybe it’ll improve in the future, but as of late June, I can only recommend the Comet in the blue train. The two trains are night and day. 8 out of 10 This is why I come to the Great Escape. The blue train was flying. The red train felt like it was dragging a sack of bricks. I also want to note the operations. They were abysmal. Below is what the station looked like. Keep in mind, this was a Saturday around the 4th of July. However, we were only able to get four rides in an hour. And this was with the Comet running two trains. The root cause was an RMC style restraint check process. The attendants would check everyone’s seatbelt before lowering the restraints. They also wouldn’t perform height checks until riders were seated. But there was one delay even I had to chuckle at. The staff had just locked the train. After performing their visual scan, they found something. Op- “Whose beverage is this?” (Hint- it wasn’t water) Guest- “Mine.” Op- “You either need to get off or we’re throwing it out.” Guest- “Can I chug it?” Op- [Pauses] “Sure I don’t see why not.” So the operator unlocked the restraints and this proudly stands up in the middle of the train. The attendant handed him his drink and in unison the train started chanting “Chug, chug, chug!” I’ve never seen a station more fired up before. I'm speechless really. While our stay at Great Escape was short, we continued to have a Six Flags day at their hotel across the street. I know what you’re thinking, a Six Flags hotel sounds horrifying, but the Great Escape Lodge is actually really nice. It’s basically a Great Wolf Lodge. The decor is the same. And the amenities are the same too, including an indoor water park. None of the slides are anything special, but it sure beats your regular hotel pool. And the water park had some party lighting at night too. For all you diehard credit whores, there also may be another credit down the road. The park formerly known as Magic Forest used to have a Herschell kiddie coaster. For 2019, it has been rebranded as the Lake George Expedition Park. However, their website doesn’t list any of the park’s attractions. I had no intention of stopping, but we did drive by. I can confirm the park is operating. I saw the Ferris Wheel running. And they appeared to have a new kiddie drop tower. But RCDB now says the kiddie coaster is gone. Has anyone been here? We also took some time to appreciate the natural beauty of Lake George and the Adirondack Mountains. We decided to drive up prospect mountain highway and it gave one heck of a view. I highly recommend it. I think it was $10 per carload. What a view! But the highlight of every Lake George trip is the mini golfing. Lake George is home to three of my favorite courses anywhere- Goony Golf, Around the US, and Around the World. I admittedly suck at mini golf. But I’m a happy loser. Anything that can go wrong, does go wrong for me. I finished in second place on Around the US, but claimed last place on the other two courses. This sums up my day at mini golf. For example, I literally got my ball stuck on this turntable. That took some serious skill. Um...that's an interesting windmill design. Lastly, I have to highlight Martha’s Dandee Creme. If you know me, you know I hate ice cream. More specifically, I hate anything sweet (yes that includes Dollywood’s cinnamon bread). But for the other 99% of you with a sweet tooth, this is a can’t miss attraction. It’s literally right across the street from Great Escape and I have never seen a larger ice cream in my life. I’m not even exaggerating when I say this, but the ice cream was half Emily’s height. More importantly, she said it was delicious. Plus it only cost 4 dollars and change to find out if you’re lactose intolerant. This is the Kingda Ka of ice cream. Lake George is an annual weekend trip for us. It’s the northeast’s Pigeon Forge if you ask me. Except instead of Dollywood, you have Great Escape. While I’d be hard-pressed to spend a full day at Great Escape, I’ll always make a point to ride the Comet when I’m in the area.