Zand

Before today it had been about 15 months since I've ridden Superman or Wicked Cyclone. Last time I rode either one was last April during April vacation week when there was still snow on the ground and it was 35 degrees (and Blizzard River was still running and people were riding it...) so I figured I was long overdue. I've been to the park twice since then, once last July for Food and Brew (only rode Harley Quinn that day) and once during HITP. Last time I rode WC, it was still the only RMC I had ridden. Since then, I've been to Cedar Point twice, Hershey, Knoebels, BGW, KD, GADV, and Dollywood so I almost forgot they existed. Had the day off and with temps in the upper 90s and everyone flocking to the waterpark, figured it'd be a great time to stop by the Thrill Capital of New England / Ride Operations Capital of the World. #stackemup On the ride down the Mass Pike to the park I passed by about 7 coach busses in a row that said "Leprechaun". Normally I get nervous that they're all going to the same place I am, but they were from New York so I figured no problem, they're just going home from Boston or something. Arrived at 11:30 to maybe 8 rows of the lot full, not bad at all. Could see Cyclone running trains with 6 people in them on the way in. Hopped onto a waiting one-car tram and was off to the M&M steps. As we pulled up, I see 7 Leprechaun busses unloading in the drop off area. Woohoo. After entering the park through the Member "Express" Lanes that had a longer line than the regular lines, I figured I'd take advantage of an empty Cyclone as everyone else took a right to go the waterpark. On the way over, I saw the Giant Green POS Lawn Ornament testing (and could literally see the cars jackhammering their way through...eff that). Also saw Flashback running with a full train and a small line, but sure enough up came Cyclone with 8 people on the train. Enjoy your boomerang ride folks. Walked into the station and onto a waiting train in row 5-2. Sure enough, it was what I expected after riding a lot of other things in the past year. It felt and looked COMICALLY slow. The barrel rolls literally left you hanging as it meandered through. The last outward banked turn felt like riding over a speedbump on a bicycle. Don't get me wrong, I still love it and the airtime spots were still producing, but wow, after riding Steel Vengeance and even Twisted Timbers it is a like a kiddie coaster in comparison. Rerode in the back seat next (it took 19 years, but THANK YOU Six Flags for finally allowing rerides). I didn't end up riding in the blue train, but to be honest it didn't LOOK any faster. Would've stayed and rerode for hours, but that ol' red Intamin that I hadn't ridden in a while was beckoning. Made my way past a closed Skyscreamer back to the North End. Checked the Pandemonium line but at 96 degrees out I didn't even want to wait 5 minutes for it. Saw the Giant Green POS Lawn Ornament running with people. It's been probably 5 years since I've ridden it, and it was tempting to see if it was as bad as I remember, but I knew better and kept walking. Made my way past a closed Thunderbolt (the Ride Operations Capital of the World is having it's usual standup day of having everything open for...noon) and into an empty DC Plaza. Surprisingly Superman had a line slightly out of the station as a large group of Leprechauns had just entered the line. But 10 minutes later I was in the back seat and off we went. I was pumped as I'd heard how great it was running this year. Sure enough, it was running terrific like its old self. Yet, after 13 years of no one being able to beat the Big 3 Intamins from 2000, I've ridden the new coasters from the last 4 years that finally have beaten it. SV, Skyrush, Intimidator, Lightning Rod, etc almost make it feel like a B&M in comparison. With all the 85-90 degree drops out there now, suddenly that 72 degree drop isn't what it once was. The rest of the ride feels like the least intense hyper ever now. Yet, the ejector airtime is still there and still amazing. I was 8 when it opened and I graduated from college still believing it was the greatest coaster ever built, so it feels weird now that SV quite frankly blows it away (as do some others). That said, it is still a masterpiece of a roller coaster and the new wheels have it absolutely flying (and squeaking a lot). Walked around and now the line was totally empty and the station had maybe 20 people in it, so got right back on in the back. Once again, could've kept going for a while but I didn't prepare myself to be out in the heat like I normally do so started making my way to the front. Did peek at the Cyborg line as I wanted to check it out but it was infiltrated by Leprechauns and the line is out in the sun. Walked by Scream which had 3 people in line so decided to get combo'd on the way out. Of course this turned into a 15 minute ordeal as the Ride Operations Capital of the World managed to create 7 minute loading cycles but always a fun ride. By now it was 99 degrees and the humidity was kicking my ass so I headed home. I'll be riding everything else plenty when it's 30 degrees out, but felt great to get back to the other stuff for the first time in a while. BTW, shout out to both the Superman and Wicked Cyclone crews who were moving trains better than I've ever seen, especially when it's hot as hell out there.

Ironically, the one time I ever had Famous Dave's I regretted it for way more than a few hours lol. But I love Melt and actually it sat well the rest of the day (which is rare for me). My guilty pleasure at CP is Chickie's and Pete's. Last time I was there my wife and I had some crab fries and a few Cedar Point Shores Shandys and then for whatever reason had a stupid fun time lapping freaking Blue Streak for a half hour. Who needs Raptor and Valravn right next door when you can get a buzz on and lap Blue Streak?

Heading to Nashville next week for a weekend trip and then sneaking up to Dollywood on Monday the 22nd before flying home. Despite all the awesome things I hear about this park I know pretty much nothing specific about it. Are there any admission specials available anywhere or is the $74 on the website the cheapest way in? Was in VA a couple weeks ago and hit KD and BGW for half price, but not seeing anything like that for Dollywood. Is it worth purchasing TimeSaver? $40 for unlimited rides seems like a steal to me but not sure how well it works in comparison to, say, Cedar Point's Fast Pass. Checked QueueTimes today and everything is less than a 30 minute wait. Is that typical or is that quieter than normal? Is it one of those things I should go to the park and see how the lines are or will it sell out quickly? Should I start getting my hopes up for Lightning Rod or do I have a better chance of it being down than open? Will also take recommendations for must-ride flats, must-see shows, or must-eat food. Also, I should have a few hours Sunday afternoon so if anyone has recommendations for Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge it would be appreciated.

Cedar Point: (1) Steel Vengeance + (6) Maverick = 7 Great Adventure: (5) El Toro + (8) Nitro = 13 Hersheypark: (2) Skyrush + (14) Storm Runner = 16 Kings Dominion: (4) Intimidator + (12) Twisted Timbers = 16 SFNE: (3) Superman + (15) Wicked Cyclone = 18 Cedar Point Deux: (7) Millennium Force + (11) Raptor = 18

Took an extra day off from work on the end of my VA vacation to stop at GAdv on the way home and it is absolutely dead today. Arrived at noon and within the first hour rode Cyborg, Justice League twice, Batman in back, Nitro in back, and Skull Mountain in back. Glad I stopped by.

Went to Kings Dominion today for the first time since 2008. Safe to say I have two new additions to my top 10 steel, although it looks empty without a certain mountain and yellow track towering over the back of the park. 1. Steel Vengeance 2. Skyrush 3. Superman (SFNE) 4. Intimidator 305 5. Maverick 6. Millennium Force 7. Nitro 8. Apollo's Chariot 9. Raptor 10. Twisted Timbers

2 train op Sunday and Tuesday...I'm sure it was Monday as well. Not sure if they've gone back up to 3 since then. For the record on Tuesday I stood in line for an hour and made it through the last section of switchbacks to the very beginning of the tunnel. Probably would've been close to 2 hours if I didn't hop out.

I guess in addition to googling "Florida man" and getting crazy stories, we can now Google "Florida Roller Coaster" and it will be just as weird.

On Monday (8pm closing) they started testing Raptor at 7:30 and had a small lineup of people when I walked by at 7:50. I asked the attendant if they were really opening it for 5-10 minutes and he said "That's the plan!" Pretty cool that they open things when they can no matter how long it'll last.

Much less busy day today and everything was open other than regular breakdowns. Even Windseeker was testing, never even seen it run before. Skyride was also open. Unfortunately SV was down until 11, so got the morning started with Maverick and MF laps. Moved down to Rougarou and then Gatekeeper and Maxair. Didn't wait in a single line all morning. Rougarou was riding like an arrow looper this morning after I had a better ride yesterday. Count me in to the group who doesn't quite understand the Gatekeeper love. I understand the marketability of it, but just seems to shuffle a lot and for some reason I just find it a little uncomfortable. Headed to Raptor which was actually riding smoother than Gatekeeper and is still one of my favorite coasters (and favorite invert). Blasted through Power Tower, TTD, and Magnum in about 20 minutes, then with about an hour and a half till I had to leave for the airport, headed back for a now running SV. Sign on the way in said 90 minutes and when I got in line only the first 4 switchbacks were filled so figured that wouldn't be an issue. For whatever reason, even with dispatch times looking normal, the line moved incredibly slow. After an hour I was only at the very beginning of the tunnel. Knowing I wasn't going to get on in the next 30 mins, I dejectedly got out of line. At least got a fun ride on Gemini on the way out but a bummer to have to get out of line. Next trip, I plan on spending more than 2 days...don't want to rush around as much. Love just hanging around that park, especially Frontiertown. Just seems so peaceful compared to most parks.

Arrived last night for a 2.5 day trip. Was pouring when I rolled in so didn't head into the park until 6, but in the 2 hours I had I got in 4 rides on MF, 2 on SV, and 1 on Maverick. Waited 3 trains for a front row ride on MF, won't ever see that again. Today I got a total of 10 rides in 11 hours. Park was packed with school groups and with a lot of coasters down at various points of the day, lots of long lines. Gatekeeper and Raptor never opened. TTD opened around 5:00. SV opened after 11. Got rides on Magnum, Wicked Twister, Gemini, Mine Ride, Skyhawk, Rougarou, Iron Dragon, Blue Streak, Valravn, and TTD. Wish I bought FL+ today, but started the day thinking no one would be there, then once it was crowded I figured the school groups would be gone by 3, then when they didn't, it just got too late to justify buying one. SV and Valravn were consistently showing lines over 2 hours when they were open. MF, Maverick, and Blue Streak were 60+ mins all day and everything else was 30+ until after 6:00 so didn't get the dead Monday in May I was hoping for. Pet the Goats: The Ride had no wait though so that was nice. Will be in the park 9-4 tomorrow, hoping for a better day line wise. Hopefully Raptor and Gatekeeper will be open (Raptor started testing at the end of the day today) and some of the other stuff has more uptime.

Just drove an hour and a half to the park to find out they closed 15 minutes ago. No warning on social media or their website. Can't wait till this company goes bankrupt. For the record, in the time I stopped and wrote this post from a parking spot, 25 cars pulled in and turned around. It's 52 degrees and cloudy...

Any news on the Skydiver? Is it making the 2 hour trip east on I-80 like it should?

Actually a very good weekend to go to the park with the Big E in town. You should have it to yourself. Just be warned that traffic will be absolutely horrendous all around the area.

Eating pierogies right next to an operating power surge at the Big E in Springfield MA right now. Feel like that fits in a coasterbill TR thread. Beer selection is excellent too.

Looks like the queue-times.com page got redesigned for SFNE. Sorted by section now so easier to navigate and all the water park and Halloween stuff is weeded out. Still prefer Cedar Points page where the coasters are all together but this looks nice too. On a queue times note, Batman, Wicked Cyclone, Skyscreamer, Harley Quinn, both mice, and FLASHBACK (!?!) are all posting waits at or just short of an hour. Superman at 130 minutes. Looks like one of the busiest days of the year with the perfect weather (finally) and school starting this week.

I haven't made a list like this in 10 years and it was tough because it's been a while since I've ridden some of these. For whatever reason I kept going until I got to 20 on the steel list, but wood was a much tougher list to even get to 10. Steel 1. Steel Vengeance 2. Skyrush 3. Superman (SFNE) 4. Maverick 5. Millennium Force 6. Nitro 7. Raptor 8. Apollo's Chariot 9. Storm Runner 10. Phantom's Revenge 11. Wicked Cyclone 12. Batman The Ride 13. Top Thrill Dragster 14. Alpengeist 15. Volcano 16. Hulk 17. Fahrenheit 18. Talon 19. Ride Of Steel 20. Manta Wood 1. El Toro 2. Voyage 3. Boulder Dash 4. Phoenix 5. Legend 6. Twister (Knoebels) 7. Wooden Warrior (don't knock it til you try it) 8. Thunderbolt (Kennywood) 9. Villain (RIP) 10. The Beast

I read the Great Adventure line at lunch today and let's just say I drew quite a bit of attention to myself.

Hit the park for preview tonight. Quick shower around 9 emptied the park for the last 2 hours. Not sure why but Skyrush didn't blow me away today the way it did in the past. The first time I rode it 5 years ago it literally almost ripped my shirt off with all the airtime and positive G's. Airtime was still good tonight but barely felt the positive G's and that was in the back left seat. Also my legs didn't feel like mincemeat from the lapbar like before. I'd hate to think Steel Vengeance has literally spoiled me so badly that Skyrush feels forceless...hopefully it was just running slow or something. Since the last time I've been Fahrenheit and Storm Runner have changed to vest OTSRs which is a nice change. Was nice to get a couple rides on Fahrenheit with a 10 minute ride..usually has a long line when I go so I've barely ever ridden it. Fun ride but that and Storm Runner combined can't hold a candle to Maverick. Back at it tomorrow for the last day of this coaster trip

Where is this magic gate you all speak of? Didn't even notice it yesterday...sounds like I could've saved some steps.

TTD because I was walking out and noticed it was a walk on. Wish 2003 me would've known that 15 years later I could wait 0 minutes instead of 4 hours.

Also running 4 trains on Maverick, which meant the 2 on course both had to be completely onto the brake run before the 2 in the station could be sent. Results in 1-2 minutes of trains just sitting there after each load.

Great day to be at the park. Forecast looked terrible but other than a couple quick and light showers, it was cloudy and a bit breezy. MF hasn't had a line past the ramp all day (caught a couple rides that had a line out to the exit station), walked right onto TTD about 30 mins ago. SV and Maverick both 45 minute waits. Everything else I came across was a complete walk on but never got down to the front gate area so don't know if Raptor, Valvavn, or Gatekeeper had anything much.

Today ended up being a FL Plus day with rain on the way tomorrow. Wanted to get everything in that I could just in case stuff closes tomorrow. 7 rides on SV...doesn't get any less insane even after that many rides. Almost started to feel sick after marathoning it 5 times (and twice on Maverick thrown in there). Speaking of Maverick, that thing at night might actually be more insane than SV. Especially the 2nd half...complete darkness in the tunnel so that turn comes out of nowhere. Then the camera flash to blind you right before the Stengel Dives. It was hauling tonight too. Hoping to get some rides in between thunderstorms tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

MF is overrated but definitely a more comfortable ride now so it has staying power in rankings while Superman has slipped. Superman won most head to heads between about 2003 and when it got bizarro'd. MF is probably the 3rd or 4th best coaster at CP now which is amazing because it is a great coaster.