palmerleeberry

"What, no funny comment, yet you made a funny about abandon coolers - and you call that not a funny comment? Hey, that was a great Photo Travel Report you did - not bad at all on your first go around. One last thing, you said on your report concerning the Pinfari coaster: Now, I'm sure that coaster can't be that bad and painful. Err, just how painful is it?

Seeing a coaster like that always reminds me of the old Galaxy coaster that once ran in Kings Dominion before the Shockwave coaster came and knocked it out of the park. I always love to ride coasters like that: fun, short, simple, and fun again. I don't know if or whenever I'll ever head to Saginaw, Michigan just to try out the Serpent (since I live in Bridgewater, VA), not to mention the nearest Galaxy coaster to me is located in Adventureland, Frederick Maryland (the second nearest Galaxy is in Morey's Piers called "Rollie's Coaster). But to see an old type of family coaster getting a new life in Kokomo's Family Fun Center (which is just like Adventureland) always makes me happy, and although I may never get to ride that particular coaster (never say never though), at least those that live nearby and those that can travel can enjoy ridding THE SERPENT!!!

When I read that Holiday World was building the world's tallest "Shoot the Chutes" ride, I read the specifics, saw the pictures, and said this line with this expression: "Holy Moly!!! That is one wicked looking ride". After all the excitment had died down from this new attraction, I wonder what will Holiday World do next? "I've got an idea: how about a straight plunge right into H, E, (double hockey sticks)! I'm sure to get more riders into my park that way." "Sorry, devil, but you know the ride's rules: all riders must be returned to the station in the exact same condition when they first began. In other words, you must lift the riders out after they plunge in. What do you say to that?" "Aww, kiss my !!!

I got surprised during my last 2 visits at King Dominion. On a Friday in late July I was at the park and I waited about forty minutes to ride Volcano. When I head to my car to take a safety break, I decide to ride Dominator (their newest coaster this season). I entered the line and found myself walking straight to the station (where were the riders?). I ended up riding Dominator three times. Two weeks ago, I went back to the park on a Saturday and the park was crowded (bad for riders, but good for business). Both queueing lines for Volcano and Dominator were full, but it took me 30 minutes to get on Dominator, but 70 minutes to get on Volcano. So here's a question to ponder on: why is the wait time on the Volcano longer than on the Dominator? Here's my answer: it's the trains. Dominator can run up to three trains and each can hold up to 32 riders. But Volcano has only two trains and can only hold up to 16 riders. Dominator can dispatch more riders per hour than Volcano, thus the wait time for Volcano will be longer than Dominator's. Or could it be that after ten years in operation, the Volcano is still the one-of-a-kind coaster you cannot ride anyplace else? You decide.

Hey, I'm excited about queue lines as well. At Kings Dominion, they have a few coasters' queue line that are just straights (no switchbacks). Coasters such as the Rebel Yell, the Grizzly, the Ananconda, the Shockwave, and the Hurler all have staight lines that you must walk all the way the station regardless of how little or how many riders are present. Their two biggest coasters (Volcano and Dominator) have switchbacks (and they really do need them!!!). My biggest gripe is the situation of a ride that has many riders lining up before the entrance, and seeing tons of queueing lines not being used. Oh come on now: if you got queue lines, USE THEM!!! Don't force the riders to line up and cause a traffic jam on the midway. Another gripe I have is that some rides have straight lines that are way too long. I love riding the Dueling Dragon at Island of Adventures, but do they really need all that queueing? I counted the paces I had to travel from start until I reached the station and I counted 450 paces! Did the planners believe that ride to be so popular they felt they needed a line that would contain over 2000 waiting riders? Okay, my favorite queueing has to be the Led Zepplin. After passing through classic album covers and learning bits of trivia about the band, you see a show before getting on the ride.

Believe it or not, it's the Flying Scooters ride that scares me to death. "What? You got to be kidding. You mean rides like the "Flying Falcon" at Kings Dominion scares you to death? You got to be joking! Wish I were. But it isn't the riding of the Flying Scooters that scares me, it's watching the ride in operating while waiting in line. When those scooters go up, down, and nearly twist all the way around, I'm afraid that those scooters are going to snap off and kill somebody. Here's a funny story about me being scared on a walk through attraction. My friend and I were at Morey's Piers and we went through this walk through haunted attraction. My friend allowed me the honor to go in front of him. So we walked slowly and cautiously as I tripped all the platforms and switches to activate the noisemakers and lit-up creatures. Midway, I stopped at area that look suspicious. As I was thinking how to bypass this area, my friend yelled in my ear "WHATCHA GONNA DO!!!" I yelped out and ran the H-E-(double hockey stickes) into that area, activating a switch that sounded a loud horn. I nearly passed out. When we got out, I had to use the restroom and clean up. "Take this tip: before entering the haunted house, use the restrooms first"

"Oh wow, I'm the very first to reply to this! I'm so thrilled!!! Look how far we've come in coasters. In the beginning, they were all "sit down in train cars and ride an out-and-backer wooden coasters. Now we got looping coasters, hyper-coasters, launch coasters, suspended coasters, inverted coasters, stand-ups, wild mouses, wild cats, and coasters that has everything except the kitchen sink. Okay, how about this concept. Imagine an out and back coaster. After the lift (or it could be a launch), the train goes up and down until it reaches the halfway point and enters a station. As the track interchanges unto a new section of track behind the train, the train is released, but it is traveling backwards until it reaches a station to interchange the track and send the train (forward) back into the station. In other words, a roller coaster that travels forward first, and then later backwards on the second half of the ride. Another idea using this concept would be a double track in which one train starts forward and the other train starts backward. The two trains are dispatched until they reached the mid-station and the transfer track to changed their direction: the forward train is now traveling backwards and the backwards train is now traveling forward, and they stay that way all the way back to the station. Keep in mind that if you began the ride going forward, you'll end up in the backwards station and vice versa. How about one more concept before I call it a night? Imagine the Wicked Twister, but instead of the twisted ends, you have two inversions on top of the station. The inverted train is launched, travels up and over the station, and flips over to be right side up until it flips once more to enter the station and gets launched again. A coaster like this wouldn't take much room and I'm surprised no one else thought of this.

Three new rides for KINGS DOMINION!!! Okay, who cares if those rides are classified as "used", Kings Dominon needed more flats (even though I wished at least one of those rides were a Huss Frisbee or a Skyhawk). If the Spider ride is comfirmed, I should point out that KD had a ride like that in the 70's called "The Mad Apple". Maybe they could call this ride "The Mad Apple's Revenge". Heck, I wouldn't mind if KD bought the old former Six Flags America's Viper coaster, installed it inside their park, and called it "King Kobra's Revenge". Nevertheless, sign me up for next year's season pass. "I wonder why we can't have something like that happen at Six Flags America?" "I know, but let's just say that the general manager of SFA and I have something in common! Ha, ha, ha!!!

Hey, Hey, Hey- I must say that two coasters located in KENNYWOOD have interesting pre-lifts; in fact, the lift hills are in the middle of the ride. Of course, I'm talking about The Jack Rabbit and Thunderbolt. Then at my homepark of Kings Dominion, I like the pre-lifts of the Rebel Yell.

Oh! You want me to post a reply to this? Picture me turning blue and dropping dead. "Why did I choose to answer to this? I should just hit delete, forget the whole thing, and go out for a pizza." What I know about roller coasters is that they are powered by gravity after the trains are lifted up a lift hill, so as long as the next hill is much shorter than the previous hill, then your coaster train is going to continue to speed along the track. Another thing I know about coasters is that I love to ride them. Shoot, I might as well delete this. "Rats, I accidently hit 'send' instead. I'm going to be blackballed for the rest of my life."

WOW WE WOW WOW WOW!!! I'm thrilled to death to hear that Kings Dominion had a record breaking day, just like I'm glad that I didn't attend that day (and I have a season pass). But if I did show up that day, it would have felt like that time I attended Cedar Point during their Hallo-Fest in 2004. Let me tell you, I've never ever been to such a crowded park. "The park was so crowded, there were lines for everything. You had to go in line if you wanted to take a breath of air!"

Oh boy Oh Boy Oh Boy! This is just like the TOP GUN incident at Great America at San Jose when a woman loses her hat on that ride, so her husband jumps the restricting fences to try and retrieve it, and gets nailed by a passing train. The hat remains unhurt. (laughing) I heard other stories that this kid was trying to reenter the park as a short-cut rather from the entrance (and, Oh Boy, did he get a short cut on himself). (laughing even harder) What more can I add to this subject? Restricted mean restricted: you break the rules and the rules may break you.

Okay, I guess I should add my own two cents into this discussion. "Er, what was what we were discussing?" Why isn't there any wooden coasters inside Busch Gardens Europe? Let's face it: all the coasters that Busch Gardens Europe have or once had were all steel coasters. Why not put a woodie in there? "Are you kidding? Busch Gardens Europe got some killer thriller coasters inside their park. What kind of woodie coaster could they add that would be more thrilling than the Griffon, Apollo's Chariot, or even the Loch Ness Monster?" Well, that's my opinion anyway. I believe that Busch Gardens doesn't need any woodies.

"Hey Ya!!! That's my normal greeting whenever I begin my post at SFAFANS, but I haven't been much of a fan this season, although I did enjoy parts from the last couple of seasons I've been there as a pass holder. When Six Flags America announced the Tony Hawk's Half-pipe waterslide, I was thinking "That's good that SFA is getting something new, but it's not good enough for me to return there - I've gotten a bad case of SFA fatigue and perhaps a season or two off would do me some good" By the way, according to the photo, it looks like they placed the Half-pipe ride in front of the four Rainbow slides and read some comments that those slides "are being left to rot". Is that correct: the Rainbow slides are closed? Well, maybe next season SFA would announce some additions that would whet my appetite and force me to exclaim out loud "I GOTTA BE THERE THIS SEASON!!! or maybe it will be the same old same old.

"Give It Away" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Hey Ya!" by Outkast, and "Riding High" by Traffic.

Thanks for your report (I was there on May 24 to be one of the first riders to ride Dominator). Dominator isn't opened until noontime? I find that surprising because when I got to the park at 10 a.m. Dominator was up and running with a long line. Perhaps this coaster is opened earlier on weekends. By the way, did you have a chance to check on the status of Avalanche? For one reason or another, this ride isn't opened until noontime and they are only running one train (last time I was there).

I've got several favorite log flumes to list. First, there is the Shenandoah Log Flume at Kings Dominion. At Busch Gardens Europe, there's the Le Scoot (it's the first log flume I ever rode) At Walt Disney World, I love riding Splash Mountain (it was the first log flume I ever rode to prove that a rolling hill on a log flume was possible - it's the "Laughing Place" part of the ride). And finally, the Zoom Phloom at Morey Piers is a fun flume ride. I love to ride any log flume in any park. I can't think of any worst log flume I've ever been on.

I was at Lakemont Park last year and did enjoy myself even though Leaps the Dip wasn't running (had some reconstruction issues) and I couldn't ride the Skydiver in part to the restraints against my massive chest (felt like a medieval torture device). I plan to revisit Lakemont park during the Atoona Mirror Days on June 14 in hopes that I'll be able to ride Leap the Dips and finally have ridden the last coaster of its class. Then to DelGrosso's park to ride the rides that Lakemont doesn't have. By the way, many thank-you-very-muchs goes to andy_e219 on his video of the ride Leap the Dips so I know what to look forward too. "I'm here to announce that this is my #100 post on themeparkreview. Pass out the champagne!!!"

Great photos of Kennywood - Tis a pity that you had to spend a huge part of your day in the rain, but least they kept the coasters running. I do know that Exteminator and Garfield's Nightmare were running because they are indoor attractions. Big Question - Were any of the flat rides closed due to the rain, especially The Whip? Another Big Question - Kennywood's newest ride Ghostwood Estates - was it opened or do you know when it will be opened and did you ride it when it was opened?

I have to admit, that looked too cool. I was !!! I loved the theming they did to the ride: the preshows and connections to The Dark Knight movie. And the design of the trains themselves: they resembled the subway trains in Gotham City. Too Cool!!! Six Flags Great Adventure got themselves another prize winner here.

Okay, I'm just talking from nearly thirty years of riding experiences under my belt, but I'm sure that each ride would have a restriction notice (reading that this ride isn't recommended for guest who are pregnant, have a history of heart disease, if you had a recent surgery or illness, etc), and this fact is also true at Walt Disney World. On many of the attractions they have, your sister-in-law could be in a full body cast and still enjoy them. But as for the coasters themselves, she may not be allowed on. Still, I would check with the line attendant to see whether or not her arm cast would prevent her from riding. Regardless of the outcomes, I hope you and your sister-in-law enjoy yourselves at WDW!!!

Six Flags America is probably the only park I have ever visited that ever made me wish I was at another park. Believe me, I've been to many parks and enjoyed my visit, but from the numerous visits to SFA, I counted only three or four times I actually enjoyed myself. Way back in May 2005 (cue the sad violin music), I absolutely had the WORST park visit I ever had. Long dispatch times on several coasters (some coasters had some seats that were locked out, i.e. nobody could ride them) and some of the most annoying ride operators I ever encountered. Ever worst, parts of the park wasn't just dirty, THEY WERE JUST PLAIN FILTY!!! Plainly, this visit was so bad I wished I were someplace else (like KINGS DOMINION- a park I visited many times and never had a bad trip). As for other bad visits that comes in at a distance second and third place, I will say my visit to Ghost Town in Sky (2007) and Universal Studios Orlando (1990). For Ghost Town, half of the rides were either down or still being built, but all the shows were great; for Universal, although half of the park was in operation, at least they passed out free tickets. And I should add that both of those parks were on their opening season when I visited them (Ghost Town was reopening after a few years hiatus), so the situation was understandable. In conclusion, it can be a dark day in any park whenever a ride you wanted to ride isn't running, but it shouldn't be the worst visit you ever had. "Come to my park and I'll give you the worst visit you ever had. HA HA HA!!!"

"Tis a pity that news stories such as these can make someone swear off riding those swinging rides forever!" I like to ride swinging rides like the Wave Swinger and the Space Surfer at Kings Dominion and even a Yo-Yo swing, but I perfer to stay in the air and only touch the ground when (and only when) the ride comes to a complete stop. I'm glad that nobody died, but having your next ride to the hospital REALLY BITES!!!

Did you know that three rides that were removed from Kings Dominion were relocated to other parks? 1) The Apple Turnover was moved to Carowinds where it was renamed "The Scream Weaver". 2) The Pirate's Flight was bought and moved to Wild World in 1986 to make room for the Shockwave Coaster. Later, Wild World would become Six Flags America in 1999. 3) The Galaxy coaster was also moved to make room for the Shockwave Coaster. According to the Roller Coaster Data Base, the family coaster was bought and moved to the Pavilion at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Speaking of moving rides within Kings Dominion: 1) The Scambler has been moved three times: beginning at International Plaza next to the 180 degree theater, then to the old Apple Turnover spot, then at the old Sky Flight area, and finally to a new area in Congo where it's hoping it'll stay put. 2) The Eagle's Flight has not only been moved twice, but also has been repainted and renamed twice. It first began as Parrot's Flight in Congo, then was moved to Wayne's World in 1994 and renamed The Scream Weaver, and finally to its current place as the Eagle's Flight. And here are a couple more that deals with queuing lines: 1)In the beginning, the queuing lines for the Rebel Yell were much like the Racer at King's Island: enter in the middle and exit on either side. Then in 1994, the queuing lines changed, so now you enter from either side and exit in the middle: just like Thunder Road at Carowinds. 2)When the Grizzly Coaster opened up in 1982, its queuing line ran across the train tracks. An attendant was there to open and close the lines whenever the train is about to approach. When the Train attraction was removed (in 1995 or 1996?), the lines were closed. Last year, the queuing lines were rebuilt and modified to allow the added Go-Karts attraction. That all the secret history of Kings Dominion I can think of.

First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on a very excellent photo trip post. I loved the part when the park's management personnel all took a slide down in their business suits: proving that if the slides are good enough for management, then it's damn good for the rest of us!!! Secondly, I want to say that "it was about flipping time that they took out the Peppermint Twist and the Lemon Drop and put in some better looking and better sliding water slides!" On an earlier post, I wrote of the must humiliating experience of me needing to be rescued by a lifeguard after I slid down the Peppermint Twist wrong and end up feeling like someone kicked me in the groin. But the slide I was sliding down at that time wasn't the two slides that were up before they were removed, it was the third slide that was much shorter and much faster. Yes, the Peppermint Twist used to have THREE slides: two twisters and a speed slide. Last time I visited Water Country USA the Peppermint Twist had just the two twister slides left. Now looking at the photos at the new slides and color schemes, those slides look fun and inviting. Finally, Great job once again.