bill_s

^^-- Steel Phantom had inversions and they took them out. But those were tacked on at the end. I'd like to see an inversion over 200' OR a zero-G corkscrew at high speed instead of as a low-speed element (think I305's second hill except going upside down, or even lower, faster and more stretched-out than that). I'd also like to see a post-RMC approach to element design and use of simulation to craft new shapes and sensations. I also think KD could use some kind of "extreme family coaster", while not my first choice overall it could include some good things. I'd like to see a coaster with interesting interaction with complex terrain with tunnels and ravines. As KD is basically flat, this would have to be a manufactured terrain, but could be worth it. (Thinking about it, it would have been cooler to use the mountain to have a coaster wrapping around its surface as if it were a real mountain, but as it's not a real mountain it would have been too much for too little to support it.)

I'm a relatively poor person and find amusement parks, or at least the closest one(s), one of the best entertainment values. It's true a poorer person might not do $60+25 but most parks have discount days, seasons passes, and one can car pool or even take the bus, but even at full price, almost anything else vacation-like costs more. It's very important that parks make a lot of their money on optional purchases rather than admissions, and this is the main justification for Fast Pass. It sounds like some parks are selling too many. The comparison with restaurant reservations is apt, especially that on busy days, it should have to be done in advance so those who really care about it and plan ahead get it. I think it would be even fairer if they were only sold to people coming at least a certain distance, but that's complicated. They do make sense for those making an expensive trip to a park. I didn't get one on my only major park trip in recent years because I couldn't really afford it, waiting would have put the trip into another year, which doesn't help.

I find all videos are completely lacking compared to the experience of riding, so if you're there, enjoy!

I didn't find it rough. It was a little disappointing. You see the casino from all its ugliest angles. The drop is OK. The funky TOGO inversion section is on the building roof and slow and small due to lost momentum. The ride through part of the casino is good but over quick. Decent coaster if it were in a group of coasters, but it's not. Speed The Ride was more fun.

To take inversions to the next level requires a new level of speed and power. This hasn't even reached the hyper level of height yet though, and is only touching that speed in a few launchers. A giga size coaster would require large inversions even towards the end, due to a massive train. Also more complex inversions limit train length. This is one reason launch coasters are more likely to get inversions and spikes. High speed inversions are definitely possible. I'd like to see a massive, long floaty zero-gee roll, just like I305 uses its raw speed to get ejector air on a low, shallow hill that is almost equal in every seat (usually rolls and screws are put near the end since they can function at low speeds). Still have some good curves. A massive loop couldn't be faulted either though, or even a Drachen Fire-style elevated dive loop that isn't part of the first drop.

Morey's is at least 10x better at night, open 'til midnight or later.

I'd say that upside down can be airtime, but it has to be perfect. It doesn't get the pass that ejector air does, where you're firmly contacting the restraint, but since you're right side up that's all the more impressive in a way. With sideways curves, it's more a matter of clear intent. Haven't tried it yet (although I proposed a similar element before any existed) but I expect that's pretty obvious .. and awesome.

Loved Hypersonic, except for the lines. Capacity was a little better than Skyflyer .

At my home park, the first thing I do during the last 60-90 minutes is arrive at the park. Once there is evidence a lot of people are leaving, I head deeper into the park. If fireworks, prefer to ride through them. Then once they're closed, I look around and go, I'd buy some food if they hadn't just closed everything 5 minutes ago except for near the front of the park.

^^-- Looks like everything's downhill from here, haha.

4. I like SFA but seems unneeded in this list. Especially with going to Hershey, ROAR == Wildcat, Skyrush >> RoS except maybe if dark (fright Fest). Also FoF >> JJinx (unless a comparison interests you). Batwing is very odd and worth a ride, but I never want 2 rides. Wild One is great but again you'll have plenty comparable. And speaking of SLCs, the reference one is at Morey's Piers, which I might put above SFA just because of the locale, even with only 3 major coasters.

I disagree on Renegade Rapids -- seemed to me it's one of the more unique rides in the park. I don't ride the normal soak-roulette rapids rides. Plus it actually has a lot of little rapids (waves) which I don't recall on those other rides. Probably could have a bit more to it, but still liked it. It's more realistic to an actual white-water raft ride (I don't recall seeing rivers that barely move yet have lots of places with water pouring on you). Also, I don't mind how Gotham City looks as much as just feeling, when it's hot, like it's hiking across the desert, or that they're trying to force me to buy a drink. Could use some kind of sprayer or mister somewhere.

I left Apocalypse out of my mini-review ... first ride took front row right, no headbanging. Rerode back left, banged a bit. Last ride 2nd row right, came out of that corkscrew and bam! Dizzy and headachy for 15 minutes. Don't know if I'll try and figure it out or just avoid it. Nice floorless layout but unfortunately has standup trains stuck on it. Doesn't have a proper standup-specific layout like Shockwave. but I'm serious ...

I'm now a SF "member" and have been to SFA twice in the last 2 months. Like it a lot -- it wouldn't stand up to as many repeat visits like KD does, but it's a nice enough park with a some good rides. I don't know it has any "small park charm" but they've kept some small park funkiness. Was surprised to find my favorites coasters there are now the woodies. Roar I always loved from the first ride, is now a bit washboarded and found the back didn't give the extra airtime that normally does on woodies. Rode 4 times last visit. Found the front row ride, towards the end, somehow reminded me of the first time I drove go-carts on a track. The Wild One is also a nice change of pace over the KD woodies. The mazes at Fright Fest I found good. Mainly, they did a better job of sending you through in small groups than KD (especially this year). The park not being too busy is essential to that, no maze is so much greater that it's worth waiting for an hour or more. The mazes (not the shows) do cost $12 extra, which may also help cut the crowd. I used to really like SLCs, didn't seem that bothered by a bit of headbanging, although SFA's wasn't the best. First visit I felt like my ears were burning after 2 rides. A hat helped the second visit, but the shoulder cup restraint started hurting on the 2nd ride. I still think this could be a very good coaster with better restraints (or getting back my youth). Batwing I'm not crazy for, but was laughing my head off by the end. One thing I noticed, trying to support yourself by the handles makes you feel less secure, not more.... Superman isn't I305 but is still a lot of fun and one of the darkest coasters at night. Ragin Cajun I still haven't ridden due to lack of time. Did ride the Penguin's River which spins about 100 MPH , won't do that again. I was sorry to see Renegade Rapids was closed already for the season, I find that one of their more unusual rides. Looks like your regular water roulette ride but instead more like real white water rafting. So, so far I'm satisfied with my pass purchase. Hopefully I'll be able to get fuller use of it and get to more than one SF park.

I wouldn't expect this to be rough, if anything it may end up a very mild ride. Standups should be less intense except for the standing up part. Fortunately it needed trims as a standup. As to the subject of the heartline being lower on a floorless, they could have made floorless trains with elevated seats. Though a moot question, I wonder if that would be intense hanging way above the track, or it's better when it looks like your feet could touch the track. The main exciting thing about this, to me, is Cedar Fair getting more into the ride improvements game. Improved coaster (hopefully) on an "off-year" budget.

My tip: utilize the late night operating hours, to me what the place is all about. Especially on the Noreaster. (This comment may be moot for this year, don't know the schedule.)

Most parks have times they aren't crowded and other times they're a madhouse. It's all about figuring out what others do, and doing the opposite. It would be shorter to list the parks that tend to be crowded (the ones everyone wants to go to most). It would be interesting to know if even these have their slack times. There are some factors other than basic crowd draw. Hershey has some twilight and last 2 hours +next day deals so there is less tapering off late. SFA closes early-ish so there is less tapering too, plus running one train often means little wait but few rerides.

You say "all day" and yet call for 5 hours driving afterwords. 3 AM? I personally think the closing hours are the best. I haven't done any marathon trips but seems to me it would be good to stay at some parks that night, so you can also take a rest in the same room that afternoon... even a single park trip can make for complex decisions. The mid-America part of the trip seems like a week in itself, I wouldn't drive it for single park trip from the East Coast (therefore I probably won't ever go to any of those places). If you have previous marathon trip experience, maybe you know your limits, but otherwise might want to start a little smaller.

The dueling aspect makes the 2 lifts design worthwhile. Otherwise still interesting but not quite as good as their single lift designs. If your train gets to the second lift, and the next train hasn't dispatched, will you stop on the lift and wait? Maybe it will "skip" and let you go on through, but then make the next train wait to try so it has a chance to get a duel. In other words, there will never be 2 trains on the track running out of sync, they will be in sync (or close) or only one train on the track. And typically when a "skip" occurs it will still duel for the first or second half, just not both.

If that thing's a coaster, KD had 16 coasters in 2010, including the working I305 model in the gift shop.

Noticed the underground tunnel is halfway through the layout -- therefore the drop is not 325' unless the full height is even more or the ground is not as flat as it looks. I also think every other height spec in the facts are relative to this low point. (Actually I would support the idea of a giga with a first drop <<300', but in that case it would be more obvious and for different pacing). Watching the video though, I was thinking B&M is out for revenge! As to the entrance plaza, impressive, but looks like a lot of walking. Um, Dominator has a shorter line the majority of the time (not at open and close) and lower capacity in practice than 305 (since the ride takes about twice as long and 4x as long on the lift). I've even seen Volcano's line shorter, everyone knows now how awesome I305 is at night... It did appear that many were intimidated in I305's first year, but have adjusted. It also seemed to me that park attendance jumped up as soon as it was announced.

I think the biggest problem with most flat rides is they go around in circles in some way or another. It's not just that they're "lesser" rides, circular motion is less exciting and more sickening. I ride the bumper cars though.

I like SLCs; back in the day I really liked them. Evaluating them fairly requires some context of when they were designed. B&M did come out with their first inverts first, but they were not well known yet. To myself and others I knew, we wanted to see bigger, badder, meaner coasters. The word was not yet out that an intense ride did not have to be rough, and that making it smoother allowed you to enjoy the intensity that remained. Vekoma just was giving parks what they asked for, back when B&M was still trying to convince most of them to do something different. They are also impressive designs, even if you don't care for the results. 5 inversions crammed into a small space for a somewhat reasonable amount of money. There's even a nice little airtime hump after the pretzel. The 2-wide format is superior to B&M's 4 wide, although the capacity makes it more suited to less ambitious, lower priced designs. The length of the trains also results in a large variation of ride depending on seat, with the front row feeling like driven by demons at times, although those apt to complain of roughness should not choose the end seats. Boomerangs are also pretty cool, but I strongly prefer the SLC. I rode Batwing twice, unfortunately back-to-back. Must have liked the first time around enough, but felt really sick afterwords. More a novelty coaster I think. The best SLC is probably Fly! the Great Nor'easter at Morey's Piers in NJ. I haven't ridden it for about 12 years so haven't tried the new vest restraints; this is the only SLC with them. It is also the top ride there, so it is well maintained. The setting is amazing -- all 5 inversions face out over the ocean. As one of the most ambitious rides ever to be constructed on a beach, it is without compare.

That this ride produces "different ride every time" puts in a different category than most coasters. This affects the predictability of stresses, makes the reliability record of the restraints in other applications nonapplicable, and reduces the chance of any kind of gradual failure producing warning signs.

I think most line jumpers don't do it again after experiencing it once, unless very callous. You don't need to stop them but if everyone in the entire line is slightly annoying or annoyed it should have an effect. I did see 3 extremely beautiful young women that might have considered themselves "entitled" that when I tried to stop them, their excuse was that they'd been doing it all day. !!!. There usually isn't any way to report someone without getting out of line. One good comment could be "who's doing WHO a favor here?" -- in the case of a girl who's boyfriend is "saving" them a place in line it has more to with him not wanting to wait than doing her any favors. They could have a fight and break up over something like that! In the case of friends, same thing, although my comment might not provoke as much drama. I have seen more people "get it" that it works just as well to reunify your party by letting others go first, rather than trying to move the stragglers up. Of course the best solution for me is ... don't go when there's any substantial lines!