Canobie Coaster

That hairtime!

That's a bummer about Lights Out. It was the icon of the water park and the main reason to go to the wet side. However, it had a putrid capacity so I rarely rode it. Did you happen to hear why it was closed? I'm surprised Phobia still hasn't opened this year since it's the main ride in all their marketing campaigns and has run reliably the past few years. At least Boulder Dash is running great!

Kentucky Flyer was the only thing running two trains so that was by far the fastest moving coaster line.

Where is it going? Hopefully they are not replacing rockstar I'm hoping it doesn't come at the expense of another ride since aI thought they had space by those random flat rides in back, but I'd take it over the Rockstar Coaster personally.

Canada’s Wonderland Admittedly I made a boo boo with this one. With the ominous weather forecast for Saturday, I rearranged my travel plans like the rest of Canada. Those brave enough to stick it out at Canada’s Wonderland like Bill and Brit were rewarded with empty stations. Sunday was a madhouse. We arrived just after opening and it was clear, FastLane was a must. We purchased them at guest relations and were in for a treat; FastLane even lets you skip the line to enter the park. I’ve never seen that before! If only FastLane worked on the food lines… Oh Canada, that's a lot of people. Most of the crowd flocked towards Yukon Striker or Leviathan. A few others zombie-walked over to Tim Horton’s for their morning fix. We had a different plan, we want to knock out Guardian since it wasn’t on FastLane, but we were too late. The hybrid shooter/coaster’s line was already backed up onto the midway. The attendant estimated that the queue was at least 1-1.5 hours in length. Now I like Guardian, but not enough to wait that long. It was an unfortunate casualty for us. Skipping this one stung. So instead we entered the park’s Canadian area. I guess planting the country flag and lining International Street with Pizza Pizza and Tim Horton’s wasn’t enough, so they made a land themed to lumberjacks, Mounties, and every other stereotype that us Americans have about Canada. The only way to make this more Canadian would be to slap a Tim Horton's wrap on the side. Enthusiasts are cruel bullies towards dive coasters. I guess we’re too cool for a 200 foot vertical drop into a wee little tunnel. But they’re absolute crowd magnets. Yukon Striker’s entire queue was filled and the line stretched back to the gift shop. I’d say Canada’s Wonderland made a good investment. FastLane had us boarding the back row in less than 5 minutes. Like Valravn two days prior, this was the lone coaster at Canada’s Wonderland that didn’t allow choice seating. I guess it’s a dive coaster thing. But it was no bother, the drop was still incredible. I know it’s the largest dive coaster anyway, but it feels way taller than Valravn. Maybe it’s the tunnel. Maybe it’s the fact you dwarf Wonder Mountain. Either way, that drop was pure bliss. It was long and loaded with floater the whole way down. The vests were a complete non-issue for me. The following Immelmann was ho-hum, but the zero-G winder was incredible. One second you get nice hangtime and the next you dive towards the ground. You then haul through a forceful vertical loop and charge into another Immelmann. I never thought a dive coaster could be paced so relentlessly. The finale lets up, but it’s still enjoyable. The drop off the MCBR has some floater air and the final bunny hill does give a hint of air. Plus that final helix is an excellent photo opportunity. I can confidently say Yukon Striker is the best dive coaster I’ve ridden. The drop alone makes it a winner, but it does some things so uncharacteristic for a dive coaster and I love it. I’ll take the park’s other two B&Ms, but this is an excellent third option. 8.5 out of 10 As for the bin system, it’s mesmerizing. My girlfriend loved it too…until someone forgot to empty their soda. As we sat idle in the station, my girlfriend got a sugary shower as the bin passed overhead. Look it's Ziz...err I mean Yukon Striker. Pictures do not do this ride justice. The drop looks even more colossal in person. Here's the obligatory dive coaster immelmann. Canada's Wonderland needed a good coaster with inversions. And they finally have it. Up next was Behemoth. For a few years, this was my uncontested number one coaster. It was everything I could want- tall, smooth, comfortable, and loaded with airtime. After my coaster count increased eight fold, Behemoth fell down my ranks, but it’s still one of the best B&M hypers. The ridiculously long train gives a violent yank and some awesome air on the first drop. Every other hill offers great floater air, particularly the series of large camelbacks over the water. I did find the valleys rattled a bit, but the airtime was so good that I’m willing to look past that. 9 out of 10 Favorite coaster circa 2010-2012. We then passed by Time Warp, Flight Deck, and Dragon Fyre. My girlfriend still has PTSD from our 2016 visit, so we made a healthy decision to bypass them en route to Leviathan. And we rode Leviathan a lot. Flight Deck simulates Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. I find it funny how the entry into the land may still be taller than Disneyland's castle. B&M giga drops are heavenly. I’m torn whether I’ll take those drops over the insane yonk of Iron Rattler or Expedition GeForce. Either way, we’re talking about one of the world’s best drops. You get a solid 3-4 seconds of uninterrupted airtime as you plummet towards the ground. While most B&M hypers feel formulaic, Leviathan hauls. The first turn had me seeing grey; the speed hill is a delightful mix of airtime and laterals; and the big camelback on the outward leg has some Mako-level airtime. Even the far turnaround has some strong whip to it. By comparison, the return leg is a bit more relaxed. You’re still moving at a solid clip, but the second speed hill is a dud and the next hill is your typical B&M camelback. After one last turn, you rocket into one of the world’s tallest brake runs, but not before one last pop of air. I know a lot of Kings Island locals are whining about their giga. Some have even called it Leviathan 2.0. Well news flash, that isn’t a bad thing! Leviathan is a seriously awesome coaster. Yes it’s over pretty quickly, but it’s a speed demon, inherently reridable, and a capacity monster. 9.5 out of 10 Leviathan dominates the front of the park. Heck it's brake run is taller than the Arrow underneath it. So much speed with a pinch of airtime. I love it! What an awesome looking plaza! In a park with all sorts of screwed up flats, it feels sacrilegious to say Drop Tower is my favorite, but Drop Tower is my favorite. I don’t care if it’s your tried and true Intamin drop tower, but they’re a rush. There’s no warning before the drop and they consistently leave my stomach at the top. 8 out of 10 It's rare to see all sides of an Intamin drop tower working so kudos to the park. I’m also a big fan of Shockwave. The world needs more top scans. Now I know US parks won’t run these things with the bat-out-of-hell program of Oktoberfest, but this one was in Canada. And this one probably falls in between the disappointment of Lagoon’s and the crazy one in Germany. Top scans are one of the most disorienting and forceful flats out there, particularly if you’re lucky enough to score an outside seat. After missing the ones at Knott’s and Carowinds, I was happy to get back on Shockwave. 9 out of 10 Soaring Timbers was a royal pain to ride. The first time I passed it, the ride was down. The second time, I boarded the ride and then it broke down. The third time was the charm for this one-of-a-kind flat. I got excited when the restraints actually lowered for my third ride, but boy did they suck. The tight restraints and super narrow seats jam you in tighter than a can of sardines. You can only move the front half of your arms like a t-rex. This makes it nearly impossible to buckle and unbuckle your seatbelt unless you’re a contortionist. I didn’t think I was claustrophobic until I rode this. The ride itself looked way better than it actually was. In many ways, it was like a next-generation Chance Inverter. You had slow inversions (albeit with good hangtime) and crappy restraints. 6 out of 10 First Shivering Timbers, then Mystic Timbers, now Soaring Timbers. What's next? It may give an underwhelming ride, but it sure looks great. Due to time constraints, I regrettably had to omit some of the park’s other flats like Windseeker, Skyhawk, and Sledge Hammer. The latter was particularly hard to skip. While I’ve had amazing luck with the ride on my visits, it sounds like the ride only runs once in a blue moon. Both these flats should give fantastic views of Yukon Striker. Still one of a kind. I only visited Canada’s Wonderland after Behemoth was added, but it must have been dark days back when Vortex was the park’s star coaster. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Vortex. It’s arguably the best suspended, but it’s scary that it was the best ride at a major park. Vortex’s strength is how well it sustains its speed. This leads to swinging that gets wilder as the ride progresses. And now, the added interaction with Yukon Striker is just gravy. I just hope Vortex doesn’t go the way of the dinosaurs like many suspended coasters have. 7 out of 10 If I waited long enough I'm sure I could have gotten a shot of Yukon Striker coming by, but I had coasters to ride. My girlfriend was starving, so she decided to queue up for a beaver tail. Meanwhile, she encouraged me to ride Wilde Beast and Mighty Canadian Minebuster. She would love nothing more than to see both rides burn to the ground, but I find them ok…if you ride in the very front. Remember how I said the park was crowded? There was no better proof than the lines for Wilde Beast and Mighty Canadian Minebuster. Both coasters are considered garbage by most. But on this day, both coasters had full queues spilling onto the midway. Of the two, I prefer Wilde Beast since the airtime is a bit better. But both coasters get quite bumpy any time they try changing direction. As is, they’re ridable in the front row. Long term, I’d love to see these sacrificed to Alan Schilke. 5 out of 10 Good god, even Wilde Beast had a full queue. I returned to the beaver tails stand expecting my girlfriend to be enjoying her sweet, Canadian treat. Keep in mind, I just rode two coasters on opposite sides of the park. Admittedly I had Fast Lane, but this still took at least a half hour. But she was only through half the queue! Scary thing is that this wasn’t even the longest wait of the day for food, but more on that in the next installment… We then made an executive decision to get some last rerides on Leviathan and head back towards Niagara. I personally have no problem with the food offerings at Wonderland, but the queue for beaver tails was the norm, not the exception. Ultimately I really like Canada’s Wonderland. The park has an excellent top three coasters, arguably the best flat ride collection in North America, and like all Cedar Fair parks, it’s clean and well-run. I’ll just try to visit on a day when the park isn’t as slammed next time. I can't decide if I prefer the Eiffel Tower or Wonder Mountain at the end of the midway.

Great report! I don't see too many reports on Energylandia, so I appreciated the detail.

Thanks! Screamin' Eagle has some intense moments and I do like the coaster, so it'll be nice to have it at the Kissimmee location I go to more often.

I noticed that RCDB now lists the old Viking Voyage coaster from Wild Adventures as being "In Storage" at Fun Spot Atlanta. Did I miss an announcement about this coaster or could it possibly just be a parts donor for their current Miler?

Great report! I'm guessing the app was confused by Vortex swinging? The B&M collection really is great.

Whoa that looks like a great event! Is Space in total silence too with the speakers around the ride turned off?

I'd take Waldameer over Darien Lake, Fantasy Island, or Seabreeze easily. As long as you have plans to make it there eventually! I wouldn't expect anything less.

Yeah I've ridden it on weekends in past years no problem.

Are you planning on doing the water park? If you cut that out, I think Kentukcy Kingdom can comfortably be done in a half day although I could have easily spent more. Get there at opening and ride Lightning Run a few times. This past Sunday, that was the longest line by far at a half hour. Storm Chaser, Thunder Run, and Kentucky Flyer never had more than a 5-10 minute wait. I rode T3 early, but I could see that one getting a bit of a queue with the single short train.

Thanks! Waldameer is a lovely park.

^ Watch TPR's video of Arashi if you want to see what happens if you run a S&S free fly full tilt. I think I got 15-20 flips on that monster.

^ That's still almost an hour of time savings. That sucks that people misuse the line.

The reaction of the front row rider in that first photo is priceless.

At Cedar Point, I didn't notice the pouches slowing down operations. It just seemed like it took a long time for the operators to check the seatbelts and lower the restraints on Steel Vengeance. As for the glasses strap, I have no issue with parks requiring them, especially on a ride as wild as Twisted Timbers. I'm shocked the park doesn't require it on I305 to be honest.

Yeah I love the night shots reflecting on the lake.

I just checked that thread out. Wow.

Even better, I'm seeing people post that they just rode it.

The one at Liseberg is amazing. That's without a doubt my favorite frisbee.

Waldameer The last time I visited Waldameer, I visited in a monsoon. Ok technically it wasn’t a monsoon, but it was dang close. My hotel lost power. Drivers were nervously cruising down the highway 20 mph below the speed limit. And every other park in the area was quick to close except Waldameer. I figured that had to be a mistake. Surely this little park in PA wouldn’t dare open in such conditions, would they? Oh you bet they did! I was one of like only 10 people in the park all day and despite the fact I know they lost money, they stayed open for 8 hours. For this reason, I had zero trepidation visiting Waldameer on a day with a 100% chance of thunderstorms. The forecast kept pushing the storms later in the day, so it was no surprise to find the park more crowded than last time. Since it was just a pit stop on the way to Niagara, we decided to forego the wristband in favor of individual tickets. Usually this is a hard no for me, but Ravine Flyer II is a steal at $4.50 per ride. Clear skies...for now. I thought that was a pacifier until Emily pointed out it was a button. The heavens could open up at any moment, so we wasted no time getting our rides on Ravine Flyer II. I loved the coaster in 2017, but remembered it running out of steam towards the end. But there was a caveat there, I was literally the only person on the train for most of those rides. With a full train, Ravine Flyer II was flying. The first drop is one of the best out there. One minute you’re admiring Lake Erie and the next you’re getting standing airtime as you plunge into the ravine. I do prefer the front row, but this drop is the reason to get at least a few rides in the back. This is followed by an incredible moment of sustained airtime over the bridge. Next comes an aggressive turnaround with not one, but two pops of air and a crazy fast turn. After another sizable drop (with air in the back of course), there’s a basically a clone of that first hill as you cross back over the road. And the airtime doesn’t stop there. You pop into yet another tunnel, getting two more bursts of sustained airtime on the way. The coaster does lose some steam when it climbs out of the ravine, but the remaining 5-6 hills all give quick pops of air. Plus there’s a beautiful dive back into the ravine towards the end. Ravine Flyer II is a rush. Despite it’s incredibly aggressive layout, Ravine Flyer II navigates it without a hint of roughness. After Steel Vengeance and Millennium Force, this was probably my favorite coaster of the trip. It does everything I could possibly want in a wooden coaster. 10 out of 10 We had a full flight and minimal turbulence. The skies were darkening and the winds were picking up, so we tried to ride the last outdoor ride we cared about in Thunder River. But it was down. Fortunately it appeared to be unrelated to the weather as the drop tower was still cycling like a champ. So instead we took a consolation lap on Whacky Shack. The park is home to two classic Bill Tracy dark rides, but this is far and away the better of the two. Essentially it simulates an acid trip. Each element drives you closer and closer to insanity until you finally lose your mind in a strobe room. With your mind turned to putty, Whacky Shack has a deceptively fast downhill stretch littered with laterals and jump scares. Most haunts try and get you with skeletons and ghosts, but you’d never believe what you’ll come across on Whacky Shack. It’s a complete WTF in the best way possible. 8 out of 10 I'm a sucker for classic dark rides. Thunder River decided to reopen so we moseyed on over. I chivalrously granted my girlfriend’s request of the front seat and she served as a wonderful human shield. I came off comfortably wet, but she got soaked. I dodged a bullet there...until she went in for a hug after the ride. This is definitely one of the more underrated flumes out there. It has a long mist-filled tunnel and two drops, both giving pops of air. In many ways, this flume reminds me of the one at Knoebels that’s universally praised. 9 out of 10 Thunder River sounds more like the name of a river rapids, but this is a far superior flume. We capped our visit with a food item I’ve yet to find anywhere else, a deep fried pretzel. Screw cinnamon bread, this is what a true snack looks like. It tastes exactly how you’d think. The outside tastes like a fried dough and the inside still has that distinctive soft pretzel taste. One wasn’t enough for me, I went with two. It was an easy decision considering how cheap food is at this park. Each one was under $3. So good! While I didn’t ride it, the new-for-2019 frisbee was attracting quite the crowd. Waldameer purchased an inverting model, but Chaos was interestingly programmed to stop just short. It seems like the park is testing the waters a bit since it’d be the park’s first inverting ride if they set it to go over the top. Maybe one day it will invert. It pained me to leave Waldameer so early, but we had a country border to cross. Waldameer is the perfect family park. It’s clean, charming, friendly, and affordable with a balanced ride lineup. In many ways, it reminds me of Canobie Lake Park. Except there’s one major difference; Waldameer has a bonafide world-class coaster in Ravine Flyer II.

Great report! I also loved Boardwalk Bullet last year, but I remember seeing a lot of fresh wood. I can definitely see how a layout that aggressive could be brutal without TLC. I agree that Star Flyer at Galveston is fantastic. There's nothing quite like swinging out over the water. That's why I actually really like Cedar Point's Windseeker when it actually decides to operate.

Great report! I'm glad you got on Slinky. The ride is a work of art.