Geauga Dog

Zamperla has a newsletter you can download on their site and the most recent issue mentioned these E-Land additions.

When the ride was Superman Ultimate Escape/Steel Venom back here in Ohio the back seat was the only place I would ride. Loved the feeling of pure freefall from the top of the straight spike. I miss this ride a lot. Does Talon still have the sayings as you go up the lift hill? Thought that was a cool feature as you sat in the front seat. When I visited the park during my big trip in 2005 I felt the same as most do - it did feel very CF sterile with way too much concrete and I do remember the lines being pretty much non-existent during the day when WWK was open.

These are probably the most general views I've seen of Lakemont (I've never been there) so thank you for them. I didn't realize how depressing it is until now.

What was the sensation like? I can see that the capacity is why the Free Fly never really took off even though they still offer the ride on their website.

Definitely!! I think the only company that could possibly do it before anyone else is Vekoma since they used to have a swinging suspended model in their catalog and, as stated, are already producing suspended family coasters which seem to be popping up a little more frequently.

Thanks for understanding guys. I think you hit two very valid points, prozach626. There is too much going on at one time and while you don't see too many parks have the variety of flats and coasters CP has, and from a broader perspective, it does seem a bit overwhelming. Is the park too big for its own good? I'll leave that up to the opinions of others, but CP is one of the rarer parks that a two day visit is pretty much mandatory if you want to do it all. Will CP need to downsize a bit in the future? They already removed Wildcat and I can eventually see Corkscrew and maybe some of the older flats being on the chopping block (I'm kind of surprised they kept and moved Calypso/Tiki Twirl). Your second point, having outgrown the park, was something I never really took into consideration and may be spot on to my situation. Cedar Point was our annual family trip (with an occasional trip to Kings Island every so many years) and it may have lost its luster in my eyes.

They can't get rid of the shootout - that's been a Fantasy Island tradition. They definitely would have a lot of disappointed people if they did that.

Like? Those who did not grow up with the park, like I did, wouldn't understand and I don't want this to become some sort of argument for those who love it. The park began to change after 2000 and Millennium Force; you could definitely feel it. It was more focused on building the biggest, tallest, fastest rides possible all the while losing its soul and becoming more and more sterile with each new addition. When I walked through the gate back in May I just didn't feel the magic the park once had. It didn't feel inviting. It could be that I'm much older now and have experienced plenty of other parks and rides but for me, when I go to other parks, I look back at how I felt as I visited that park. That is why I like Kings Island so much more. There is a great vibe there when I walk through it and the total experience is much better IMO.

Fantasy Island is in an unusual circumstance - they don't have much room for growth with the townhomes bordering the parking lot/wave pool and the campground behind Silver Comet. I do realize there is a big forested area behind the Ferris Wheel (if its still there) and antique cars. I don't see FI getting to be the same size as Darien Lake but they have made quite a few additions the past few years, much more than what DL has done that wasn't water park related. Does DL even consider FI a threat given they have the larger and better water park and bigger ride/coaster selection? If Apex is serious about their plans for Fantasy Island then Darien has no choice but to do something to draw attention.

I'll get rebuked for this but I say Cedar Point. Granted it has excellent operations and they know how to get people through the queues (except Maverick) but I don't see how people can rave about it since it has lost a lot of what made the park great many, many years ago (though I give kudos to Matt Ouimet for what he has done to the park after his predecessor nearly killed it). I used to love the park when I was younger but now I cringe at the thought of even going there (yes I did do a half day just to get the Rougarou credit I didn't get last year and, of course, Valravn).

I was actually surprised to see a Holiday Inn Express on the causeway when I went this year. Didn't even know it existed. I have always found it odd that the immediate area around the causeway doesn't have more big name hotels. The Route 250?Sandusky Mall corridor is such a pain to drive through.

Thanks for the clarification grsupercity, A.J. and viking86. So I guess the square tracks are solely for the tire driven lifts only or does anyone think this will be something unique - LSMs since this appears to be some sort of prototype?

Thank you for the report and photos. I haven't been to Kennywood in about three years despite it being a short 2.5 hour drive for me but your photos are making me want to possibly plan a trip soon. While the park has a lot of solid attractions the only reason to go is for Bayern Kurve. What a wonderful ride that is! I have never done night rides on Phantom as I never do a full day there but I've heard it is even more fantastic at night (plus the whole park supposedly looks great overall). You did not mention Ghostwood Estate, which is my favorite interactive shooting dark ride.

^Would love to see a return of the suspended swinging coasters. That track looks interesting in its shaping, i.e. no spine like the old Vekoma track had.

You're not crazy - I think a Star Flyer/Windseeker would be a great addition for the park. I wish they would add a second tower to Blast Off to help with capacity but the ops I've encountered there in the past have been good at getting the ride loaded and launched as quick as they could.

Over The Falls was removed from Martin's Fantasy island. It only lasted one season.

The rumor of WWK closing has been around since they closed the ride side (10 years already next year!). We'll know for sure if season passes are not offered for 2017. On a side note, with the increase of Hollywood filming in Northeast Ohio, there is talk of building movie soundstages somewhere in Northeast Ohio and the Geauga Lake property is one of a few potential locations being considered.

I actually like the purple line as well. I'm the kind of guy who likes to have the ride exit close to the ride entrance for easy re-rides (I'm not lazy that I won't walk around). There really isn't much in the area where Viper's current entrance is except Rolling Thunder but you have more foot traffic in Rowdy's Ridge which could slightly increase ridership. The green line would only work if the ride exit was relocated to go towards the Galaxy Theater, which would not be a bad idea as it would help liven a relatively dead part of the park (i.e. where there is a void in attractions. There isn't anything between Pirate and Bear Valley Bumper Buggies). The one year I went, back when it was still Six Flags, it was towards the end of the season and they had the Mind Eraser side closed off, making everyone exit towards the theater's entrance plaza. As cool as it is to walk under the second corkscrew you also pass a very ugly eyesore in the process.

I don't see this as being for '17 but for '18. If Mean Streak is torn down I don't expect to see anything immediately built there and open by next summer. Kings Island did leave Son of Beast's site empty before they started teasing Banshee and I could see CP doing something similar by teasing a new attraction next summer. What hasn't been mentioned is what will happen to the haunt they built in the middle of the ride? Will that be demolished after the season is over?

I'm going to join the drop track bandwagon - the fact that the final shed is rather high and the structure is shown being enclosed could make for an interesting Vebolten-esque ending.

Well, the name is a bit underwhelming but I thought everyone's favorite, Splintercat, was just as bad. Splinterhawk, that would have been the ideal Cedar Fair name. Am I the only one who thought that adding another wood coaster to Kings Island was a somewhat odd decision? Granted a fast paced, curvy GCI would be something a bit different from what is already there.

I could definitely see the newer vest restraints for stand-ups, that is if anyone is brave enough to build one. The restraints like what Mantis used to have were always the big negative to me. There was no way to avoid getting your head bashed.

IIRC from my 2012 visit, FP+ on Volcano is through the exit and you were only limited to two rides on it. There was no waiting for a particular seat as you were placed in a specific row. Has that changed?

What if Valleyfair was next in line for a main gate makeover akin to what was done at Carowinds, minus the coaster? Could those markings be for that?

I agree wholeheartedly. I thought after Brain Drain they would be set for a few years so in a sense I was surprised that they would install the racing slide so soon. Last year was ideal as at least both sides got something new, even if it was a Larson Super Loop. With the water park basically right by the main gate I wonder how many people actually stay after the water park closes for rides rather then just go ahead and leave. That seems to be the biggest draw back of having the water park up towards the front.