coastersrule85

I went on June 28th and it wasn't bad at all. There were no waits at all until noon. After that we had maybe ten minute waits tops for Talon and Steel Force, but that was because we were being picky about our seats riding either front or back, otherwise it would have been less. If it's a warm day, the wet rides will probably have wait times around a 20 to 30 minutes at the most. The waterpark is another animal. Even though it was FREEZING that day, (Okay, it was around 73, which is freezing by Texas standards especially if you're going to be getting into water) there were lines for everything, even the lazy river. The water was so painfully cold that we didn't stay long anyway. To make a short story long, lol, you'll be fine on a Sunday. ...notice I didn't say "walk on"

Do yourself a favor and even if you've ridden everything, make sure you stay after dark when the park lights up. It takes on a whole new persona. It's like something out of some old movie. If you enjoy Skycoasters, theirs is one of the best I've been on. The workers are friendly and very conscious of their job duties, so I always feel safe. Also, it's one of the taller ones at 180 ft. Getting a sandwich at Primanti Brothers on 18th Street is also not a bad idea. Of course, when I'm at Kennywood I generally live off of cotton candy, fried oreos, and a few orders of bacon cheddar potatoes The Potato Patch.

...aaaaand I'm spent, thank you It might make "The Talk" a bit less uncomfortable. "Well, junior, when a boy coaster and a girl coaster like each other very, very much...here just watch this and you'll understand."

Butt cheeks...man boobs...butt cheeks...man boobs... Gosh, I think I have to go with butt cheeks. Photo number 10 is my new vote. ...that is unless photo 8 wins, in which case at that exact moment I change my vote back to 8

I just got back from a trip and had asked this exact question before I left. I absolutely feel your pain. I'm pretty big; I'm 6'2" and around a 44-46 inch waist and 48 to 50 inch chest and I'm just as proportioned in the hips. I really had no real problem at any of the parks. At Kings Island the tightest rides are what you would expect. I was worried on Diamondback, but I was able to squeeze into it just fine. They say that all of the seats are the same, but I'm not sure that is the case. Rows 2, 4, and 6 I was able to get into without any problem. We decided to try the back and sat in row 14. I couldn't get the lap restraint down to where they wanted it on my own, and a ride-op had to give the bar a push to get it there. Firehawk was also definitely a bit more snug than the Superman rides I've ridden, but I got myself buckled just fine. The other two rides that seemed a little tight were Flight of Fear and Invertigo. Everything else was no problem that I can remember. You will absolutely LOVE Diamondback, btw. I knew when we visited Cedar Point that Millennium and Top Thrill would be a no go for me, and I was right. After working up quite a sweat, I was able to get the test seatbelt buckled on Top Thrill, and the guy working the end of the line said that I should be able to make it, but when I got to the ride, I found the seat belt much tighter and had to take the walk of shame. Like I said though, I carry weight in the hip area which really hurts me on those rides; it seems like it's a proportion thing on both of them, so try out the test seats for sure. I also have to give five stars to two ride-ops who worked some serious magic by getting me into Wicked Twister. I had no problem with any of the flats like MaxAir, Sky Hawk, nor Power Tower. At great Adventure I had no problem on Nitro, which is the greatest ride in the park. When we were getting on Bizarro my niece did give my restraint a shove so I could get it buckled, but I made it just fine. Batman was actually the tightest Batman ride I've ever ridden. The ride-op had to use some muscle to get me buckled, but again, I made it. As I expected, I did have trouble on El Toro. Again, I don't really have a protruding belly, so I'm sure it was the damn hips again...with my mouth getting some of the blame. I was able to get the seatbelt buckled but couldn't get the light for the lap bar to turn green. I probably could have made it with more ride-op magic, but the line was horrendous because in true Great Adventure fashion they were running it intermittently with only one train. I've never been to Busch Gardens, so I can't help you there. I hope this helps. If you have any questions about any specific rides, please post them. I'll keep checking back to help you out as much as I can. I honestly don't think you'll have a problem. The main thing is just go and enjoy yourself!!

I must say that I have to vote for #8. Who can resist man boobs?

Looks like you are all having a great time! I absolutely can not wait until next year when I get to go on a TPR trip! Dollywood was the last park on my own little coaster expedition, so I can't wait to see your report from there. It's such a nice family park; it'll be interesting to see how ya'll defiled its sanctity. LOL

Gosh, I wish I was on this or any other TPR trip! My summer coaster extravaganza was pretty dang awesome, but I still can't wait until next summer. Yep, I've already created the budget for a trip with ya'll in 2010. Be careful when you get to Texas; it is damn hot!

Everyone just needs to sit back, relax, and enjoy some frips and a cold BLUE birch beer while we wait for FT to be completed...however long it takes.

10.Magnum XL-200 - Cedar Point 9. Hades - Mt. Olympus 8. Thunderhead - Dollywood 7. Titan - Six Flags Over Texas 6. Maverick - Cedar Point 5. Phoenix - Knoebels 4. Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood (tie)2. Nitro - SFGAdv (tie)2. Voyage - Holiday World 1. Diamondback - Kings Island

I have to agree with others that Voyage in the back seat is amazing on the first hill...and everything from then on as well. My second favorite is probably Hades.

I can't believe the horror of it all! For goodness sake, please open SoB within the next couple of days for the sake of all humanity...aaaand I'll be at KI on Monday and want at least one ride to get the credit. After that everyone can argue whether or not to make s'mores with the damn thing or caress it and whisper "sweet nothings" into its cross beams, just as long as I get my credit.

Thank you to everyone for all the information on coasters; it really helps. However, I forgot to ask about flat rides. I've heard that MaxAir is pretty slim. I know some drop towers can be a little tight sometimes. So, does anyone have advice on flats? Thanks!

^ That brings up a good point. If anyone out there knows of a "magic" seat on a ride (train color/row/ side) please share that information. I'm pretty excited about going with all of the great info from everyone. Thanks! I'm going to have to watch what I eat both the rest fo this week and when the trip starts. That means no massive pig-outs at White Castle. (I'll just eat the White Castle boxes. They have more flavor and are virtually calorie free!) LOL

Oh yeah, sorry, I'm 6'2", and a 44 inch waist. I'm pretty well proportioned, big chest, 50", and hips, 48". After reading about Superman rides usually being pretty tight, I was surprised at how much room I actually had on that ride. On Raging Bull, Batman, and Iron Wolf I was able to secure myself, which was a first in quite a while. I hope you're right about Diamondback. That's the one ride I really want to get on. Maybe I should try to find some Spanx for men and take myself down a few sizes just for the rides.

I've lost 53 pounds since January 1st because of a two-week coaster trip I'm taking. Well the trip begins Friday! Part of my problem is that I'm very proportioned from top to bottom. Last week I visited SFGAm and was able to ride everything except Vertical Velocity. It was close, and if I hadn't panicked a ride-op might have been able to get it buckled. I was able to ride Raging Bull(barely), Batman and Superman. The rides I'm worried about are Firehawk and Diamondback at Kings Island; Raptor and Wicked Twister at Cedar Point; Hydra, Talon, and Possessed at Dorney; and Bizarro and Kingda Ka at SFGAdv. I figure Millennium, Top Thrill, and El Toro are out of the question. I'm also heading to Beech Bend, SFKK, Holiday World, Kennywood, Knoebels, and Dollywood. I haven't heard of any of their rides being too small, but any information would be helpful.

My 100th coaster was Demon at Six Flags Great America. Well, my goal was to hit 100 coasters before I take that great chainlift to the sky...but I hit 100 last week and I'm still a young(ish) whipper-snapper, so I'm going to put the chain lift on hold for now. I figure that since I've reached that goal I should do something productive with my life, something profound, something that will enrich the rest of humanity. I'm going to ride 200 coasters!! But this time I will be doing it all for the sake of humanity, not just myself which would be selfish.

Wow, I was there last Thursday and rode Hades for the first time, and it was awesome! I'm so glad it didn't get stuck. Of course, right before we rode it some kid had his ear bloodied pretty badly and they had to clean the seat, then the friend I rode with seriously bruised his ribs at that little slam to the left it takes before going back under the parking lot. Hey, no pain, no gain, right? That was some seriously hilarious commentary on the first video!

I'm waiting patiently for them to capitalize on the greatest television personality of all time, ALF! They could even open Alf's Cafe - oh wait, they already have Panda Express...

Yay! They're on their way!! I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!

Okay, the trip is getting closer, so I have a question about tickets. We'll have season passes for the Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks and at Knoebels we'll be buying ride tickets, so those I'm not worried about. As for the other parks, does anyone know if there will be grocery or any other stores in the area of the parks that will be selling discounted tickets? The main parks I'm wondering about are: Beech Bend (they're cheap already, so probably not) Holiday World Kennywood Hersheypark Dollywood Any help is greatly appreciated!

Go to both! lol Gosh, CP is truthfully a much better overall park experience with amazing coasters and flats with Lake Erie as the backdrop. (I just don't know if there is a better view from a lift hill as the one on Magnum.) SFGAdv is also a super park with the added benefit of being in Jersey with the shore, NYC, Philly all nearby. It really depends on what you want to do with the rest of your trip. If you're just going for the amusement park, then by all means Cedar Point wins.

Awesome photos! Gosh, I can't wait to get back up to Knoebels. I'll be there the end of June, so with some Divine intervention, hopefully Flying Turns will be operating by then.

I'm going to Great America June 11. Between June 19 and July 3 I'm heading to Beech Bend, Kentucky Kingdom, Holiday World, Kings Island, Cedar Point, Kennywood, Hersheypark, Knoebels, Dorney, Great Adventure, and Dollywood. I can't wait! Along with the above I'll throw in a couple of trips to SFOT and SFFT, my "local" parks.

Great pics, thanks for sharing! I can't wait to ride Diamondback this June; it sounds amazing.