cal1br3tto

"Chemical Warfare" - Dead Kennedys Woke up thinking about them last night (not the point at which I ran out of my room yelling and screaming...that came a few hours later). Can't believe I forgot about them for so long!

^Same, except with coffee. Though I have been known to use my Six Flags cup to start off my night.

^I agree with quite a few of your reviews. Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force are two of my favorite coasters, and I might finally move up Maverick one spot to #1 over X2. Raptor is a solid invert, and Blue Streak was a bit more lively for me this year. I really like the visual impact GateKeeper has made despite being a lackluster ride.

Grizzly still retains the spot of shame as my least favorite full-sized wooden coaster. Only the Compounce 'Cat and the Hurlers might be more deserving, for adding roughness to the mix of undesirable traits. The handful of coasters right above that are either more charming or have some marginal redeeming value. Overall, Grizzly did nothing for me, despite the slightest hints of negative G's in a couple spots. The one at Kings Dominion dominates it by far.

I like Outlaw Run best in the front seat, too, especially since it has the right kind of trains to help maximize the view. Silver Dollar City is easily a top-10 park for me, and I'll now say they win in the customer service and friendliness realm. The uniqueness, creativity and attention to detail of the place is hard to beat as well.

It hurt to read this. That was one of the greatest sets around, even among Lusses. Quality bumper cars are dying out at an alarming rate these days. I'm calling the rockin' Rock-O-Plane their star attraction as of now. Glad to see confirmation that something will replace the quirky dark ride; hoping it's more of the same with a better theme.

^I've seen that at SFDK. I remember getting a couple small ads last time, at least one for a local business.

Same, just didn't want to be the first to mention that. I hope it'll be in the "family ride" category, because credits.

^I was thinking the "coasters" tease could be about something that isn't a roller coaster or credit, such as a water coaster. Or they could just be playing around with us enthusiasts. I do think a water ride is the most likely possibility.

^^Kinda sounds like Hades 360 to me. A design with known potential that in practice turns out to be horrible for most enthusiasts. I'll find out soon.

^True story. I've always heard mixed reports as to whether or not THE drop is the only good part, but it was definitely delivering on those inital drops as well.

Same feeling, except this coaster sounds so promising that I'd be happy to go back. I think it actually helps a little that I was just there, since the sporadic good memories are fresh in my mind. I always like this park better in hindsight. Of course, anything that reminds you of Texas.

Good thing I didn't ride Mantis this year (even though I kind of liked it before).

This last time I went to Cedar Point, pretty much everything was about as good as before. Even rides I enjoyed more, like Mean Streak, were probably running about the same. Blue Streak was running better, though, and Gemini was marginally better, but I'm not sure either deserves to leapfrog surrounding coasters in my rankings. 01. Maverick 02. Top Thrill Dragster 03. Millennium Force 04. Raptor 05. Magnum XL-200 06. GateKeeper (while the restraints are almost unforgivable, I've never found these to be completely forceless) 07. Mantis 08. Blue Streak 09. Wicked Twister 10. Disaster Transport (RIP) 11. Gemini 12. Iron Dragon 13. Mean Streak 14. Corkscrew 15. Cedar Creek Mine Ride 16. Wildcat (RIP) 17. Woodstock Express 18. Jr. Gemini

Was just thinking about Toboggans before I clicked on this (surprisingly without cringing or shuddering, probably because Hades 360 was way worse). For all their simplicity, they are oddly photogenic.

Funplex looks pretty spiffy. I'm still not sure if I'll ever bother with Sesame Place, even if it isn't too out-of-the way. I've never noticed that ring collection box at Knoebels and am intrigued by how that system works at different parks. I finally cleaned out all my Knoebels tickets the other day and only needed to buy $3 to finish off the night. Fun report!

I used to strongly feel the ride should "open when it's ready," as the park has always seemed so fond of implying. But I'm warming to the idea of holding off on opening it until next season, to maximize the marketing hype. We'll see if the Labor Day weekend rumor turns out to be true, but there've been a couple of rumors for earlier in the summer that obviously didn't pan out. No matter what, some people will end up barely missing its opening, but that's life.

^^^Sadly, I have to agree with you. I've never come away with a stellar impression of Kennywood. I'm grateful that we still have this larger traditional park, and the ride collection is exceptional. But I've never been impressed with the operations, and I've always found something "off" about the atmosphere, despite the charm the park still retains. It's a shame, because in the past, I've seen passionate, neck-and-neck debates over whether Kennywood or Knoebels was the better park. Now, this doesn't even come up. I know the terrible operations on Black Widow are partly a ride design issue, but is that really an excuse? Why didn't the park make efficiency a higher priority when selecting the ride? While it's better than a chain park that feels like one through and through, it seems like the mix of corporate and traditional at Kennywood doesn't meld well.

Wow, wouldn't have guessed something like that. Hope it's true! Not really a fan of this park, but there are still a few things they do right, and I'd be glad to go back for a project like this. I like when parks with multiple wooden coasters keep on adding 'em (you could call this their fifth if so inclined). I wouldn't have expected a GCI, as Viper, though more intense than many of them, is basically in the same vein. Just be glad we're in an age where we can expect a 165' woodie to be by RMC or Intamin, rather than, say, TGG or Dinn.

I keep telling people I actually thought the Big Bad John ride sign was for an exceedingly well-themed restroom facility. In fact, I was just trying to think of what the hell that ride was called and it took me a while, even though I've now ridden it.

You guys were definitely the best by far of the three Six flags I just visited. And I would be quick to call them the best of the four I just attended. (However, it was surprising to note a high number of rides requiring paid storage compartments, when in the last couple years I've visited multiple SF parks that had few or no rides enforcing such policies. To be fair, this may be part of a focus on efficiency.)

^^^Silverwood is excellent in a number of ways, but I have read multiple reports of lackluster operations.

^Yeah, I had room to enjoy the satisfying amounts of airtime on Thunderhead. I heard one of us randomly got a lot of space on it once last year, but I wasn't able to replicate that myself. It seems like a couple of the worse ones are Roar West (the roughness not helping one bit) and Prowler (making stacking very un-fun). Voyage was a fairly early wooden coaster for me when I rode it in 2010, and while I'd already ridden a number of smooth woodies, I didn't find it to be that much rougher than some others that people don't usually complain about. Plenty of woodies have knocked me around or left me with a headache, so Voyage didn't stand out too much for that.

I like the MFs way better on American Thunder than on any other GCI. Most MF lap bars auto-staple either in the station or during the ride, which is often uncomfortable. While the bars on AT work the same way, I almost always have a little more room for comfort. It's only stapled me painfully once or twice. Plus, it has the perfect airtime-filled layout to take advantage of this anomaly--same mildness as most other GCIs, but with more and better pops of air. What a shame about the Timberliners. I've always been a proponent, though my hellish rides on Hades 360 did reveal some shortcomings that I wouldn't have guessed after riding Wooden Warrior.

^Funny you should mention that. I was just at Palermo's and will second the recommendation! Would it be too much to say I even miss it a little? Maybe I am just missing Hersheypark and the whole trip. This is not your typical pizza if you're used to chains!