cal1br3tto

Considering the entire ride, not just the launch, my favorites are: 01. Maverick 02. Top Thrill Dragster 03. Flight of Fear 04. Mr. Freeze, SFOT 05. California Screamin' 06. Powder Keg 07. Mr. Freeze, SFStL 08. Storm Runner 09. Poltergeist 10. Kingda Ka These are all in my top 30...yes, even Kingda Ka. As you can see, I love a good forceful launch, but I also appreciate layouts that incorporate airtime, top hats, disorientation, overwhelming speed, and wicked headchoppers.

I usually wouldn't make such a bold statement about a ride I've never seen in person, but I honestly think this is the most beautiful coaster out there. I think I now know what my true favorite colors are. Major thanks to everyone who's been documenting this for us!

^Yeah, such a shame she couldn't take care of herself. Even on the off-chance her lifestyle wasn't a factor in her death, it's still sad to have so much and still bring yourself down.

^^Does the park actually think of Twister II as a bad ride, or is that sentiment mostly limited to the enthusiast community? I've seen very few positive reviews of it, so it would be great if they decide to improve it someday.

Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - Wurlitzer 165 Band Organ (Seabreeze Park) What's worse is...I've also been listening to real Christmas music all night.

^I barely even pay attention to that on TTD. I prefer to be quasi-surprised.

^Although I'm guilty of it as well, I am a bit perplexed that a lot of people seem so 'set' in the idea of it being one kind of ride or another. I just don't feel like the evidence is that strong, although a fair amount of the speculation I've seen does sound logical. I feel like a lot of people are expecting an enthusiast-pleaser, but as others have said, it's likely a highly marketable record is going to take priority over airtime or heavy terrain use.

My favorite part of V2 used to be the back spike, especially in the back seat. Now it's the launch, especially in the front seat. I know launches are more mundane than vertical spikes, and I do love vertical drops, but on Twisted Impulses they just don't thrill me that much anymore. On my first few rides I could've sworn the holding brake was still working, though I was actually just noticing the inherent pause before the drop. I strongly prefer use of the brakes, as it adds an extra element of surprise. With so many small-to-moderate differences between the various installations, it's hard for me to choose a favorite. Wicked Twister, V2, and Steel Venom are a very close top 3 for me.

Ah, so Chance Morgan also makes double-decker carousels. For some reason I'd assumed Bertazzon (and Felimana) owned that market. Just another one of those generic ride styles, I guess. Sounds like a decent ride collection. I'm particularly interested in the Larson Fireball, as it doesn't seem too many parks have that style of ride. I'm also glad to see some rides will swing out over the water for great views and added thrills.

I agree; that's a really appealing color scheme and somehow seems well-suited to the ride. Hopefully it looks as dramatic in person. This seems to be a great paint-job year for coasters!

^/^^Yes! I am so, so tempted to just go ahead and interpret that as "Intamin".

Well, it would be nice if they could incorporate some airtime and at least make it a side note. I have a hard time gauging what non-enthusiasts know, especially because there are clearly a lot of park and coaster fans out there who I assume don't consider themselves enthusiasts but know some of the same information. But Chris is right, it seems airtime is typically described as "flying out of my seat". I just smile to myself.

Don't parks occasionally market airtime to the public? Or at least make a note of it in promotional material?

The Petronas Towers kinda freak me out. So damn high! I'm not completely sure I could handle the skybridge. The views look priceless, though.

That wasn't the case when I rode; the infamous airtime hill delivered for me perfectly well. In fact, I was surprised so many people say the ride lacks airtime, as I felt some further on in the course as well. I agree with your main point, however. It's clear a giga could work even though we have Goliath. But I'm still hoping for an intense, creatively designed, airtime-filled launcher.

I have to say, I'm looking forward to the announcement. Hopefully at least one ride will be in the "thrill" category. Perhaps we can assume so since they're promoting them so enthusiastically, but you never know...

^That reminds me, I need to throw my poppers! I still have boxes from forever ago. I'll be sure to avoid your bus stop, though. (Agreed: that sounds really obnoxious, and the response, even worse.)

I'm not quite sure why I'm not especially excited about LL; maybe because I think of SFMM as a "coaster park" and I'm mainly just worried about getting the rest of my credits in! I don't feel like I'll be scared of it, but there's a fair chance I will be once I'm actually on the ride. These days, I'm either scared before a ride but hardly at all upon boarding, or not at all scared before a ride but slightly nervous upon boarding. And that's when I'm scared at all. Hmm...

^Nice! I like how it really is, well, an iron shark. I mean, I suppose it could've just been a shark shark. The simple lettering actually reminds me a bit of the Morey's Great White logo, albeit not as clean and classic.

At least it's taller than most other hypers! I'm not going to bother speculating much on the ride experience, seeing as how I love the less popular B&M hypers (Raging Bull, Diamondback) and don't really care for the better-liked ones (Nitro, Goliath at La Ronde). But generally I still have a favorable attitude toward them, even though they're common and relatively tame.

I have always liked their emphasis on highly twisted designs, although I see no reason for them not to branch out. I do have trouble remembering Prowler is an out-and-back, probably because it also has twister and terrain elements.

I am completely fascinated by these two parks. As a dedicated Morgan fan, I'm glad to hear Superman is so enjoyable. Too bad Medusa supposedly doesn't live up to its beautiful structure. La Feria Chapultepec sounds like it has some great classic rides for such a modest park. I see there is some stunning architecture in the city as well. Thanks for the reviews and travel information! I'll definitely be keeping these parks on my radar.

^Yeah, I think a lot of us are concerned about that! I'm wondering if there would be an "ideal" park in which to place another one of these...one that would benefit from it, but where the lines wouldn't be overwhelming too frequently. Interesting. At one extreme, I've ridden all the Twisted Impulse coasters in the US, and, surprisingly, all the Gerstlauer spinners as well. At the other, I've only ridden one of the Intamin hypers.

^Except for people who don't like spinning. Though I guess enough people do like it since the rides are so popular. Random: I totally thought Giant Dipper was a triple out-and-back, not a double.

The place looks gorgeous. Hopefully it will manage to be successful this time around. Do you think they'll reopen Cliff Hanger? I was surprised to see it had lap bar-only trains until I recalled that's not unusual for Hopkins loopers.