The Yeti

Fury is quite a bit smoother as well. I305 jerks you into each element. Doesn't Fury 325 have a nasty rattle though? His post was about riding in the rain, I don't understand how yours relates.

Yeah, if you're going within the next few days, and want to do the waterparks too, I'd get Fast Lane & Flash Pass. If you're skipping the waterparks, you don't need it, but do plan for a full day at each park. At WoF, do Spinning Dragons first, then Patriot, then go around to Prowler and proceed from there clockwise: Boomerang, Mamba, Cosmic Coaster (if you REALLY want to ride a Wacky Worm), and finish with Timber Wolf. I think Spinning Dragons and Patriot first is a good idea if you're getting there when the park opens, but at 1 or 2 PM I'm not sure it really matters. I would say save Spinning Dragons for later in the day, like at or after dusk (if the park is open that late) - but then again I don't visit that often. That line is slow moving and brutal, whereas the other coasters' lines will at least move at a better pace. In addition to the coasters, ride Cyclone Sam's if you can tolerate spinning flat rides. It is probably the best, if not most unique flat in the park.

I can't get over how much that zero-g roll reminds me of Kumba's. That is a very, very good thing, plus everything else so far on this ride looks awesome.

I have to disagree with you on that one. As a child, I always assumed Intamins were crappy because of the look of their track design used on Millennium Force, Wicked Twister, etc. I know Intamin has also used similar styles to B&M in the past, and I do think the style used on Skyrush and I-305 is a visual improvement, but B&M's track looks the more polished and aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. However, now that I've ridden more Intamins than just Millennium Force, I must say that seeing Intamin track gets me more excited than seeing B&M track! And no, there's no innuendo implied there. That argument aside, Dive Machines are one of B&M's best and most thrilling products. A Sheikra or Griffon clone would have gotten job done for Cedar Point, but it looks like they're building something better. I for one do not think the second half of the leaked layout looks all that great unless it is taken at a decent speed, which I do not think is likely, but it still beat's Sheikra's or Griffon's.

^I think we can all be happy that they didn't go with two Immelmans like on Griffon.

^Fantastic puns! The only problem with Leviathan vs Fury 325 is that probably every single person would choose Fury. I haven't ridden either one, but I think every review I've read from someone who rode both says Fury 325 is a large improvement. With Maverick vs Millennium Force, you get more of a debate. I myself choose Maverick. Stengel Dives. Enough said? Just throw in the rest of the layout and Millennium Force is dead. I've only ridden the two a few times each, and I'd love to get more rides on both! Are long straightaways more your thing? I'll take Maverick's trimmed hill after the launch over Millennium Force's dud of a finale.

I can see the story now: "You're a 50 something dentist from Minnesota traveling in Zimbabwe, and Cecil the lion is vulnerable..." In all seriousness, loosing Zulu would make me sad. Sadder than losing a lion named Cecil. I just hope that if/when Zulu is removed (it's coming some day), another flat of higher caliber is added.

With how boring Worlds of Fun's news and additions have been over the last few years (for me at least), I would say this thread is as exciting as it has been since Prowler opened. I've been trying to figure out if InsiderMan and PhantomPoster are the same person.

So there is one really awesome thing to do that is near Lagoon besides the Alpine Coasters. The Olympic Sports Park has the Bobsled track from the 2002 Winter Olympics and you can go down it if you have the cash. In the summer they take you down in a wheeled bobsled and in the winter in an actual bobsled. It is a lot cheaper in the summer but I believe it is still around $75. My dad and I did this a couple of years ago. You get to push the bobsled of the people in line in front of you and then get into your own. They provide the driver and the people behind you in line push your sled to get it started. This was the wildest and craziest "coaster" I have ever ridden! I highly recommend it if you are in the area. It is well worth it and I even count it as a coaster credit, since I have ridden the other bobsled coasters in the U.S. this one should easily count as well. I believe this one trumps those and pretty much every other coaster I have ridden across the country. My dad was fortunate enough to ride the same Bobsled track before the Olympics, but I had no idea it was open to the public. I think that is now my selling point for a Lagoon trip!

I want to point out amidst this argument that if a ride pulls a high amount of g's in one spot, it does not make it a forceful ride. After Millennium Force's first drop and pull out, the ride is not all that intense or forceful from what I remember...maybe I'm wrong, too. Either way, I'd say at least 3-4 high g-force moments are necessary for me to consider a particular ride forceful.

I think every ride outside of The Grand Exposition is worth riding, except for Tom Sawyer's River Blast (whatever it's called). I usually skip American Plunge if there's a long line, but it is a good log flume. Don't be fooled by its line either, it will look short but it will take a looong time. If it's much farther back than under the first drop, I'd say don't ride it. The S&S tower in Fireman's Landing should actually be pretty good. I rode it at Celebration City, and for its height it was quite impressive and intense. The Giant Swing is also awesome. If you have not been on an S&S Screamin Swing, do it!

^I used to make coasters with that color scheme in my Jurassic-themed areas of parks in Rollercoaster Tycoon, and it looked great. That being said, this idea of a Jurassic Park Flyer is a dream come true. I'll trust that Universal will be pretty elaborate with theming, so now I'm just hoping that B&M builds a good coaster!

^Well if it's any consolation, I'm sure you'll visit a different park which has a Tempesto clone some day. We've got another opening in Connecticut next year!

By the time the rest of the ride has been re-profiled that section will be rough again. This is not the first time Timberwolf has had extensive work on its track. I'd rather see it standing but not operating, saving the park money for something bigger and better. As for a new entrance, I wouldn't mind seeing it moved near where Thunderhawk and Timberwolf stand right now as long as they finally add another large ride to Europe.

^They are building one in China with (I believe) the world's tallest loop.

I love the huge airtime hill near the beginning and the smaller hills near the end of Storm Chaser. Everything else in between I'm sure will not disappoint, and more likely it will turn out absolutely crazy.

I went to the park on Saturday and Thunderhawk was down the whole time, as was Boomerang. Timber Wolf was apparently open for a bit, according to the girl guarding the line, but didn't open before I left at 6:30. Some of the closures could have been due to rain earlier in the day, but Timber Wolf ran plenty of test runs. Mamba and Prowler also had some downtime. Overall it was a great visit to the park. The rain in the earlier hours must have kept a lot of guests away since the park wasn't too busy. Patriot in the front seat while it was sprinkling was surprisingly good. The back seat was fun but other than the drop it was nothing special. Patriot is definitely a front seat coaster. I got my first ride on Steelhawk and it was just as scary as I imagined, though I warmed up to it a bit on my second ride. This was my second visit since Prowler opened, and it was as out of control and awesome as I remembered. The first half was quite bumpy and rattly, and I didn't care much for that. I've gotta say, Detonator's crew was atrocious. I usually like to get a few rides in, but this trip I settled for one. On more than one occasion it took 10 minutes to load and unload a 22 passenger ride (2 seats were out of operation). Neither employee seemed capable of managing the lines or directing guests where to sit. They clearly needed some assistance, and unless they were understaffed I would blame the park management for that.

In China, a guy comes out and pushes the coaster with a long stick. It's actually a child that does that in China now.

Why can't B&M make their rolls go the same direction? It bothers me a bit, though I think rolling in different directions could help ease motion sickness for those that are affected.

I waited to ride the Shamu coaster with my nephews for probably 20-30 minutes, so you all do mako a good point. I would definitely like to see a larger family coaster added to SWO. That being said, I can't wait to ride Mako, so if there are no lines then that's fine with me!

The best airtime on Tower of Terror is when you go up to the top of the tower and then without stopping you go right back down to the bottom. It seems like you are floating for ages. It's much different than the sometimes ejector air you get at the top of an S&S Space Shot, but better than an S&S Turbo Drop. I would compare it a bit to a Falling Star ride without the laterals. I too think that Intamin drop towers have better, and certainly more intense airtime than Tower of Terror. I don't think people would be saying Tower of Terror's airtime was that amazing if stayed as it was when it opened with just a single drop from the top of the tower.

Weren't there plans to build a 600-800 foot drop tower on a new building going up in Miami? I haven't heard anything about it recently, but it definitely seems possible.

This could be pretty huge for Adventureland. Considering that they haven't added a coaster in 20 years, I think it will be a major draw for people to come back to the park. Plus there's nothing like Monster anywhere near Des Moines and this is going to be one of the tallest Euro-fighters. After adding a new looper, I think Adventureland ought to replace Dragon with a new log flume. Dragon is good for its two intense loops and the rest is plain awful. I think it needs to go.

Is this an edited photo or photographer humor? I see Maverick in there! Great photos by the way, especially the ones with fireworks!

I don't think the g's at the bottom of Sheikra's drops are sustained very long, and I don't recall any of the turns on Sheikra being intense by any means. The turnaround before the splashdown is slooow and the Immelman on Sheikra is also pretty weak. Either you're taking the term force-less too literally or you're not looking at the ride as a whole. Then again, Sheikra's drops are insane and essentially make the coaster land safely in my top 10. It beats any coaster's drop I've experienced at Cedar Point (haven't ridden Dragster). I don't care if it's super intense - any Dive Machine is something to get very excited about.