palmerleeberry

Hey Ya!!! I've just seen your photo trip reports and I must say that you did an outstanding job. I was at Carowinds on Saturday, May 6 using my CEDAR FAIR PLATINUM PASS and went on my first ride of the day, THE INTIMIDATOR. That ride is almost like King Island's DIAMONDBACK, but I loved it just the same. And kudos to the ride attendants for running three trains and keeping the riders moving along (I wish they could have done that to all the coasters). That coaster was also my last ride of the day as I rode it at night. As for Six Flags over Georgia, I'm planning to to visit there in late June, and I'll be bring a friend with me who's never been there before. Boy, is he in for a treat! "You are getting sleepy . . ."

On an earlier post, I made an error about the name of the waterpark in Kings Dominion that I thought was called "Typhoon Lagoon" when it debuted in 1992. KDcoasterfan corrected me by saying First, here's my ! Now here's my as I will state, "If the park would stop changing the names of their waterparks, then I wouldn't have made a mistake like that! Gee Whiz, how many names am I suppose to remember anyway?" Now that is over, let's continue onward and outward as I wait ever so patiently for Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular. Anyone else got their special glasses? "To me, when it's starlight, then that means it's nighty night. Take the hint."

"What the (your favorite expression here)!!!" No, no, H, E, double hockey sticks no!!! Riding a coaster is suppose to bring life, not take it. To me, you haven't lived unless you rode a ton of roller coasters of all brands and types. Whoever thought this up should be shot and sent to 's place. "I don't enforce euthanasia. I do happy dreams instead."

from coasterfreak101: In 1990, construction began on the Anaconda and halted as the 1990 season was underway, thus giving its visitors a first-hand glimpse of the upcoming coaster that was being built over Lake Charles. After the season was over, construction resumed. In 1991, as visitors flocked to the park to ride the brand new Anaconda, they also saw half of Lake Charles gone as construction was underway to build Typhoon Lagoon, Kings Dominion's premier water park. In 1992, Typhoon Lagoon opens to the public. The expansion (and name change) would occur years later. I hope that help answers your questions (I should know; I was there when it happened). As for parks removing their lakes to secure more space, Kings Dominion isn't the only one to have done that (does anyone remember the lake at Kings Island that was shrunk down so they could add the Diamondback? Or how about the island and surrounding water at Carowinds where Nighthawk stands today?), but it was the first park to have done so. It's a pity that the Lake Charles is no more; I miss watching the water skiing shows. "And I miss you in bed. Come on and make me happy!"

This year is the year that I will be visiting Knoebels (in August) and I hope that by the time I get there both Black Diamond and Flying Turns will be up and running. Of course, even if those two rides aren't open I can still ride Phoenix and Twister, plus there other rides (but, in the end, I would leave feeling less satisfied). Come on, Knoebels, don't let me down again. "I don't have that problem with down times. You just lie down on me and I'll take care of everything. Am I good or what?"

Yessireebob I agree that parks need to add more indoor rides regardless if it's a coaster, flat ride, or your traditional dark ride. Having an indoor ride has a few advantages: rain won't shut the ride down, Air conditioning will be running on those hot, humid days, and special effects can be added in an indoor environment that wouldn't work outdoors. My home park of Kings Dominion has three such rides that are indoors: Flight of Fear, Boo Hill, and Treasure Cave. And come to think of it, between 1979 to 1995, the Lost World had three more rides that were indoors. When it comes down to it, Walt Disney Parks are the kings of the indoor rides. One last note: One year, at the now-gone Pavillion at Myrtle Beach, they once had two flat rides that were indoors: A Scrambler ride and a Trambant Ride. I must confess, riding those rides with the flashing lights and dance music playing made those ride more enjoyable. "You know, I'm also enjoyable; plus, I'm also indoors as well. So is the bed I'm on."

Hey Ya! I've just got back from Kings Dominion from a Saturday 4-22-11 visit and I have a few things to report on. When I arrived there at 10 a.m., the sky had an overcast, the park wasn't crowded, and it was breezy and cold; by 2 p.m., the sky opened up to let the sunshine through, the temperatures warmed up, and the park got CROWDED! But the first two attractions I visited weren't good. First, I decided to go up in the Eiffle Tower to see the entire park. Mind you, it was windy and cold up there, plus you had to watch your step as the floors were still wet from the rain this morning. After I had enough and wanted to go down, the elevator doors wouldn't close shut. I had to wait at least 15 more minutes until they got the elevators working again. Oh well, at least on this attraction you weren't pinned to a seat via restraints. After I finally exited the Eiffle Tower, I was on my way to the Rebel Yell when I decided to ride the Dodge 'Em bumper cars instead (why not, there were on line). I get on the bumper cars, the attendant starts the attraction, and my car moves too slowly (mind you, I've been riding Dodge 'Em for 33 seasons, so I know how fast they go), in fact, it felt like the car was traveling on sticky glue and sounded like it was going to conk out any second. And it wasn't just my car; all the bumper cars were moving too slowly. At the end my day, I would be reporting this incident to Guest Relations. Looking back, I think that the morning rain way had an effect on the attraction's electricity output (like how an electric toy would slow down when the battery is running low) and I did check Dodge 'Em one last time before leaving the park and some of the cars did look like they were moving at normal speed (I didn't get in line for a test ride; there was a long line and I had to get home). I'm sure that maintenance will check over this ride and (hopefully) Dodge 'Em will be running normally once again. As for the rest of the day, everything went smoothly as possible. I did see the new roof put over the venue that will have the "Saddle Up" show, I'm delighted that the Kidzville Stage is being used once more for the "Charlie Brown Pirate Adventure" (the stage was not used last season), I saw that the old Haunt that was inside the Flight of Fear has been moved and now I wonder what will they use all that open space for. Intimidator 305 was awesome, Dominator was running three trains, and I finally rode Shockwave in celebration of its 25th anniversity (love the new paint job). Speaking of new paint jobs, I saw the queueing lines fences for both the Anaconda and the Rebel Yell got fresh paint. I had a great day despite the rocky start, but a return trip is planned. I definately cannot wait until June 18 when the "Snoopy Starlight Spectacular" debuts. Anyone has their special glass to see the lights as stars, snowflakes, or hearts? "Are you done yet? I miss you in bed."

Let's see. I've copy your list and cut out the ones I've known I haven't ridden. Boomerang - Knott's Berry Farm (Operating 4/6/1990) Boomerang - Wild Adventures (Operating 1998) Boomerang - Six Flags Fiesta Texas (Operating 3/13/1999) Boomerang - Worlds of Fun (Operating 4/8/2000) Carolina Cobra - Carowinds (Operating 3/28/2009) Flashback - Six Flags Over Texas (Operating 1989) Flashback - Six Flags New England (Operating 5/5/2000) Head Spin - Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom (- 1996) Sea Serpent - Morey's Piers (Operating 1984) Sidewinder - Hersheypark (Operating 5/11/1991) Zydeco Scream - Six Flags New Orleans (SBNO 6/10/2000) Holy Moly, compared with your list, I only rode a fraction of all the Boomerangs out there. I must say that this coaster has to have the record as the most duplicated coaster in the world. One last note: My first ride on a Boomerang coaster was at Hersheypark in 1992. After riding it, I was thinking that this coaster was much better than King Dominion's old King Kobra coaster. "Are you done yet? I miss you in bed."

Oh boy oh boy oh boy, here we go again with the waiting game. In my travels to many amusment parks, there are a total of six parks that I've visited in the past that are closed. And while a few of those will never open again, there are three that holds a bit of promise that "this one dead park will rise from the ashes like a Phoenix and run once more" (And those three parks are the ones formerly known as Six Flags New Orleans, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, and Hard Rock Music Park). As for Hard Rock Music Park, this park has become the third park in Myrtle Beach History to close down (does anyone remember another park called "The Pavillian"? Or how about a little park called "Magic Harbor"?). But should Hard Rock reopens (hopefully with a better name), then it'll become the second park to have been open, closed down, and reopened oncemore (and what was the first park to do that? It's the park now known as Family Kingdom - the home of the legendary Swamp Fox!). As for me, I hope this park reopens - with tons of new improvements. "And if they don't, then you could always lay your head on me and dream about it!"

It's great to be reading the reviews and seeing the videos about my favorite park and I definately cannot wait to ride the brand new INTIMIDATOR 305 and feel how the ride feels without the trim brakes (for the record - I''ve ridden the ride last year before and after the trim brakes were put on, so I should know). Since I have the Platinum Pass, I'll have many opportunities to ride (or not to ride - it's a free country). Moving onward to the other rides inside the park, my two favorite flat rides are the Scrambler and the Triple Spin. I saw that the Shockwave has been given a fresh coat of paint to match what it looked like back in 1986. By the way, Shockwave turns 25 this season (maybe they should have painted it SILVER for the occasion. I will try to ride it at least once for celebration sakes (althought I hate riding stand-up coasters). Speaking of celebrations, the Anaconda turns 20 this season! That coaster I will ride many times for celebration sake. I'm planning to be there on Saturday, April 9 where it's calling for sunny 70 degree weather, not to mention a special event called The Cheer and Dance Championship. I'll have to leave my Snoopy Star Glasses at home for this trip; Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular won't begin until June 18. Here's to another great season! "Are you done yet? Good, I miss you in bed."

That is a very good question, but in all my years of riding rides, there was only one time I was the only rider on a roller coaster, and that was the SWAMP FOX at Family Kingdom in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The coaster was just opening up and I was the only one in line. Later that night, the lines would be so long I wonder why they don't run another train. "Err . . . maybe that train wasn't in proper order to run that night. Still, one train is better than none at all" For water rafting rides, I did ride alone on Bluto's Rat Barges at Island of Adventures. I guess I was the only one crazy enough to ride in the rain. "Say 'Good-bye to dry'!" Now as for flat rides, my favorite ride at Six Flags America is the Pirate's Flight and I've ridden that ride a few times as the only rider. "What can I say? That ride spins me round and round and round!" Then there are other rides like the Wild Mouse, the Log Flume, and various dark rides in which I'm the only rider in the car. "And don't forget about me, or maybe I'll let other people ride me too."

Ah yes, there was another surprise soaking and it happened at Six Flags Mid America (St Louis). So what ride was it that I got soaked on? Would you believe it was The Excaliber? "Baa-Humbug! How could anyone get a surprise soaking on Excaliber? It isn't a water ride. No, Excaliber isn't a water ride, but as I got on it and the ride started moving, a freak rainstorm came out of nowhere and soaked me pretty good. That was a surprise soaking. "How about giving me a surprise and come to bed right now?"

Okay, here's what my friend and I did while we stood in line to ride El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventrue (it was the year it opened and they only ran one train). Everytime the train would leave the station, we would yell out "Ole`!" We were trying to get everybody waiting in line to yell out "Ole'!" and a few more people joined in. I was hoping that we would have started a trend that would have lasted for the next hundred years, but it didn't even last two hours (that's how long we waited to get on. After we got off and the next train departed, no one shouted "Ole'!" anymore). "I've never been to a park before, but I did dream that the person who is typing this would stop and lay his head upon me and would stay there!"

^that goes ditto for me because I've been hearing the horror stories of how that coaster keeps breaking down and how a few people got stuck and had to be rescued and even how at Six Flags America a few unlucky riders got sprayed with hydraulic fluids when some hoses came loose, causing them to dismantle the ride and leave an eyesore in that area. But Dorney has been doing well with its hand-me-down rides and I hope that they make sure the new Invertigo runs well with little downtime as possible. As for me, I love to ride any Boomerange ride regardless if it's a sitdown or inverted. "Are you done yet? I'm getting lonely here."

During my first visit to Six Flags Great Adventure (up in New Jersey), I decided to ride one of the tube rides because it was getting late in the evening and there was no lines. Their tubing rides were named after rivers in China (I got on Yellow River) and was determined to have a great ride without getting wet. So I slide down the tube and hit one corner - a little water splashes in, but that's okay. I slide down more and hit another curve and a little more water splashes in, but I can handle that as well. As I reach the end of the slide, all of the sudden it felt like I hit a wall of water and I was soaked to the bone. "I'm wet! I'm all wet!!! As I exited the ride all dripping wet, two ladies that were about to enter the line saw me, saw what has happened to me, and decided not to go on that ride. That was in 1994. Six Flags Great Adventure no longer has that attraction (maybe it got moved to Hurricane Harbor. I wouldn't know; I've never been there), but that ride gave me the biggest soaking of my life. "You can always ride me. I won't get you wet."

I saw the new pictures and got very excited, especially how this ride is going to look when it's up and running. In one of the photos, I saw the track going through a tunnel that I believe will be rotating, creating the illusion of the platform itself is revolving while it's actually standing still. I love those types of illusions (especially if you visit plenty of Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museums), but I've never seen this done on a ride before (and I think that is too cool). Regardless if the other coaster is running (you know the one that rhymes with "Lying Turds"), I will be visiting Knoebles to ride its Black Diamond, the Phoenix, the Twister, and their other flat rides. "Here's a ride I want you to ride: it's called 'Lay Your Head on Me and Dream Away'!"

It's interesting to see an amusement park in the off season, as the disassembled rides all await patiently towards opening day when the weather will turn warmer, all the snow will be gone, and tons of screaming riders will once again take a ride on them. Nice pictures. "I also love the off season; you'll be in bed longer during that time."

I had many dreams about me riding roller coasters, but two of them stand out in my mind: 1)"I was riding a wooden coaster that was colored green, the tracks and rails were colored red, and the coaster cars resemble apple carts. Thus this coaster was called the "Apple Coaster". As the coaster lefted the station, it turned right and headed up the lift to a hundred feet, then it turned left 240 degrees and had its first drop that went under the lift hill, Besides this unique feature, the rest of the ride was like your basic up and down, out and back coaster. 2)"In another dream, I was inside a potato sack riding a metal slide that had a hundred foot steep drop (I actually felt my stomach fill light), and after that drop it went around a curve and into a bed of sand. And I rode that ride at night. "You see, even with me, you can still ride those coasters."

Upon reading the discussion thread to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, I noticed this little statement from netdvn: Is Busch Gardens Willamsburg taking out the scrambler ride (called "Da Katapult) so the Mach Tower can take it's place? Will the Scrambler be moved to a new area of the park, or is it gone for good? "Hey, I'm not gone for good here, so lay your head on me!

Well, as I'm glad that Dorney park is getting Planet Snoopy, I'm still a little disappointed that all Kings Dominion (my home park) is getting is just another Snoopy Starlight Experience. Now keep this in mind that I do love Cedar Fair's Starlight Experiences, especially with the special glasses that allows you to see the lights as stars (two other forms of glasses can have you see them as hearts or snowflakes), but no other expansions to their Planet Snoopy? Perhaps the Starlight Experience and the Intimidator 305 first-turn-widing project, not to mention last season's major overhaul, was enough for the park to handle. Still, I can see some room in the park to add a few more rides for Planet Snoopy, but maybe that'll be in the works for the 2012 season. As a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass Holder, this park is in my plans for a revisit and it'll be interesting to see the new Planet Snoopy. "There is one thing I'll like to see: you resting your head upon me!"

Well, well, and very well: this post is getting more and more interesting. Besides the sexy photos of Knobels, you also added photos to my home park of KINGS DOMINION!!! It's the park I first visited in the year of 1978 and I'm still going there. Okay, more comments. -So sorry that parade in Knoebels was such a let down, but I do know for a fact that they have a parade at Silver Dollar City that they run twice daily. The best part, you can be in the parade as part of their puppet patrol (the only restriction is that you must be in good health and good shape - no problems if you can handle riding roller coasters and walking all day inside the park). That's what I did last time I was there (in 2005) and that was a highlight for me. -Don't mind my pillow; she's always this jealous whenever I'm online. Why, last weekend, we both did nothing but . . . "WILL YOU SHUT UP? Don't talk about it what we did last weekend, cos IT AIN'T NONE OF HIS BUSINESS! But I do appreciate that one of my comments was finally quoted, and I should get the respect I so deserve." -Moving on, I don't think I ever saw the Flying Tiger ride at Knoebels last time I was there. Is this a kiddie ride or could this six footer, 245 pounder ride it? -Last time I was there, I was in line to ride the Knoebels bumper cars. I got to the front (meaning - I get to choose the first car) and was waiting for the ride cycle to end. Two dummies did what you should never do in bumper cars: hit each other head on. Suddenly, the power went out and I ended up leaving the line in disgust because the ride was closed due to the power outage (I mean, I've seen people hit each other head on and never have the power go out like that. Maybe it was a coincidence?) I have another reason to visit Knoebles. -Power Surge is one wicked ride, but it's better if you ride with a partner (trust me on this). Well, that's all. Keep up the good work on your Photo Trips and I'll make sure my pillow is always satisfied. "Wow, you really mean that? Take good care of your pillows: trust me on that."

Hey ya, it's me once more to comment on you recent photographs you have posted online for our viewing enjoyment. -Upon seeing that side of the building that will soon be the Black Diamond ride, I went like this - - About that metal pole inside the campground, I think that two sets of see-saws used to be placed on the pole before they all rotted and had to taken away. Now its "Pole of Death -the ride"! - The opening tunnel of the Phoniex can be intimidating (because it's so dark you cannot see the hand in front of your face). - Knoebels has a pool??? I wonder why I didn't notice that the last time I was there? - And finally, people who posts skulls and demons in their campground sites do it for a reason and it's not to attract visitors either. "Yes, Knoebels has a pool just as you also have a very lonely pillow on a bed you hardly use. If you use me more often than you do, then you wouldn't keep forgetting me!

Dear Shane's Amusement Attic: I just loooove that brochere you posted on Mack and their ride offerings. I must tell you, seeing these rides makes me wanna go out and buy a few of them myself, but I don't own an amusement park, so I'll just have to keeping dreaming. One more thing, if Knoebels decided to use a Mack bobsled coaster instead of trying to bring back a style of coaster that might never be up and running, Flying Turns would've been running for several years now. From all the years that I have rode Avalanche at Kings Dominion, it's a wonder why there aren't more park that offer this style of coaster (Okay, I remember that there is a another bobsled coaster called "La Vibora " at Six Flags over Texas, but this is a different kind of bobsled coaster). I hate to admit this, but those pictures of Mack's water coaster looked very sexy! "Hey, you wanna dream about running Mack rides in your own amusement park? Then lie your head upon me and I'll take you to dreamland!"

I have to agree that being an early bird to a theme park means that you can hit several attractions (even ride a ride twice in a row) in no time flat. Plus, there was two times when showing up at a park very early I didn't have to to pay for parking (that's right, the parking attendant waved me through). But there is also a flip side to this: staying up late inside a park usually means the queing lines to rides are short. Of course, that isn't always the case to the newer rides, but many of the older rides would see their lines drop to nearly non-existent in the late afternoon to evening. Trust me on this; I've seen it happened more than once, and it feels like you've stepped into another world. One coaster (I cannot remember which one) had a one and a half hour wait time when I first entered the park. By six o'clock, I come back and found that the long line had disappeared and the riders were walking up to the station, getting on the trains, and riding. Finally, you cannot beat ERT whenever the park holds special events. When Six Flags Great Adventure held its Coaster Event, Skull Mountain was one of the coasters running during it's nighttime ERT. While riders were getting ride after ride on its newest coaster "El Toro", my friend and I ended up riding Skull Mountain Twice: Once with the lights on and the other with the lights turned off (the attendants did that because we were the only two riders at that time - we didn't mind; it made us feel like VIP's). "Hey, I don't have any lines forming for those who want to lie their heads upon me and head to dreamland, so why don't you ride me?"

To all you riders and amusement park flyers, I've found another post that has spent ages within the back of the old, dusty vaults of themeparkreview that has spent five and a half years unread, until I happened upon it and decided that this old post is worth a revisit. I should begin with a fresh new title that will read in big black letters: CONTROVERSIAL COASTERS 2.0 "Okay, now we're back in business! Do you care to begin this new version?" Two coasters do comes to mind: "Flying Turns" at Knoebels and the defunct coaster at Kings Dominion called "Hypersonic XLC". With the old Hypersonic, that poor coaster suffered many breakdowns, many repairs, and many, many other things during its short lifespan. When Cedar Fair came on board, one of the first things they did was to give Hypersonic the axe due to its low capacity. Today, a structure used for their annual Halloween Hauntss stands where the queing lines once where and the old station is still there - rotting away. One more thing about this station - it had two sets of queing lines: one for regular riders and the other for "fass pass" riders (Back in 2001, Kings Dominion was experimenting with the fass pass lines in which two coaster cars would serve the regular riders and a third would serve the fass pass riders. Hypersonic and Volcano were the only two coasters that offer this program. But the program was a bust, so the idea was abandoned and the second set of queing lines inside the Hypersonic station was never used). As for Flying Turns, it has been nearly three years since Knoebels made its announcement and the coaster has been plagued with problems after problems. I feel that, sooner of later, that Knoebles may give up on the Flying Turns and just turn that whole thing into one big bonfire. If you all want to ride a bobsled coaster, then just head over to Avalanche. At least nothing's controversial about that ride (except for one to wonder why the queing line isn't long enought. Well, I asked that same question about the Shockwave). All right, dear readers; I gave you mine, now how about yours? "I think it is controversial that I don't get used very much nowadays. All I ever asked for was just your head to lie upon me in bed, is that so hard?"