MrSum1_55

Sad this will be pushed back. (I will be temporarily living in Germany in 2019, and I was looking forward to riding this). if I ever ride this, this will be one of my most anticipated rides. It is like all the best aspects of Taron, Lech Coaster, and Batwing all in one. I actually really like Batwing, so I am excited to see more of what Vekoma will do next.

Looks like this is the end of another Flying Dutchman. I actually really like these coasters. My only visit to King’s Island was in 2011, and Firehawk was my favorite ride there at that time. So, is this really the end? Or is it new for Dorney Park in 2019?

Many people are talking about Vortex or Firehawk, but Invertigo seems to make more sense. It always seemed odd for a park as large as Kings Island to have a cloned shuttle coaster in the corner. And I imagine more people are entering to ride Firehawk and Vortex than Invertigo. Plus, Dorney removes theirs too.

^^I have also heard speculation that Kings Island may be removing Firehawk. But would Dorney really take a used Flying Dutchman? That might make sense, as Dorney is already the "Six Flags America" of the Cedar Fair chain. (Not saying those two parks are on the same level, just comparing the two for being the dumping grounds of their respective chains)

^Yes. Sort of. Six Flags went bankrupt in the 2000's due to both overinvestment and underinvestment. In the early 2000's, Six Flags built massive attractions at several of their parks, often with massive budgets. There was just no way these investments could make back their budget in the short term. This is to say nothing about all the useless licencing they bought up. While some parks were seeing major investments, other parks were pretty much being ignored, seeing falling attendance. The most notable example was Astroworld, but there were a few others in the chain.

^^I only have experience with Universal parks in the US, and I have noticed their operations and customer service have been getting worse over the years. Sad to see that this has spilled over to outside the US. I would literally expect better from Six Flags, let alone a theme park chain attached to a massive studio.

Do we have an estimated opening date yet? Is there a good chance this thing will be open in late August? If it does, I'll be in the Krakow area. And I will be posting the trip report!

When Universal took out Dragons, I thought they were just going to put in another simulator/dark ride. I am pleasantly surprised that they might actually be building a worthy successor to Dragons. I would love to see something like a more intense Taron. When I rode that, I thought an Intamin launch coaster like that would look perfect in Dragon's old spot. Good to know that might actually be a reality.

I am not too surprised the new trains limit airtime. There was a similar effect when Ghostrider replaced its PTC's with Millennium Flyers. While Ghostrider is a vastly superior ride now compared to what it was in its later years, there has been a noticeable reduction in airtime. Back when Ghostrider had the PTC's, the MCBR drop was absolutely insane in back row. (At least back when the brakes barely engaged). Today the MCBR drop is gone, but that drop has never delivered nearly the same insanity that it used to. My favorite wood coaster in the western US is actually Timber Terror at Silverwood. It is a very well-maintained CCI that runs with its original PTC's. It is packed with airtime and crazy laterals with no discomfort whatsoever. I would be sad to see anything modified on that ride (except for the final two airtime hills, which are a little weak compared to the rest of the ride. Everything else is perfect).

In spite of having ridden almost 250 roller coasters, I have only ridden two SLC's. But one of them is at my home park. (SFDK). It is usually bad, but it can be enjoyable on occasion if I ride at the right time. I have also ridden Mind Eraser at SFA, which is also bad. In terms of other bad coasters, I would consider New York New York in Las Vegas to be about on par with an SLC, or a giant Arrow looper on a bad day. If you really want to ride a bad coaster, try a Pinfari looper. I rode the now defunct one in Portland, and that thing made we wish I was riding an SLC. I am excited it has been replaced with a Eurofighter.

^Well...They basically look the same. The only difference is the direction the train goes through them.

^Or Magnum. My dream would be for this to be done to that coaster. Magnum XL with new track, transitions, and trains could elevate that ride to a top ten coaster for me.

I know the "I survived____" on a coaster T-shirt is a cliche, but on Desperado it is actually an accomplishment.

Whenever something like this happens, I try to evaluate the situation from a business point of view, separate from my personal views. That being said, Kings Dominion is not too far from Charolettsville. I think it is pretty obvious why any business would want to distance themselves from the events there as much as possible.

This announcement happened recently, and I am already tired of seeing all these complaints. I have political opinions, but I never post them here. The reason why is because I do not believe politics are a thing that needs to be discussed in an amusement park forum. Politics are the exact type of thing I go to amusement parks to escape from. Had the park kept its current name, that would not have affected my ride experience in any way. This name change will also not affect my ride experience in any way. Politics can and should be discussed elsewhere, but a roller coaster is neither the time nor the place. Please just enjoy the damn ride, and let others do the same.

Okay, I guess it's time for an update!: A-Afterburn B-Black Mamba C-Cheetah Hunt D-Diamondback E-Expedition GeForce F-Flutch von Novgorod G-Giant Dipper (SCBB) H-Hollywood RRR I-Intimidator 305 J-Joker (SFDK) K-Kumba L-Lightning Racer M-Maverick N-New Texas Giant O- P-Phoenix Q- R-Raptor S-Skyrush T-Taron U-Undertow V-Verbolten W-Wodan X-Xcelerator Y- Z-

^Considering the fact that the original is already crap, it's difficult to do worse. The only Pinfari loop I have ridden was the one at Oaks in Portland. It was literally the worst coaster I have ever ridden, even worse than NYNY. I am very glad it is getting replaced by a Eurofighter.

^^Persobally, I would much rather have Nicholas Cage inaugurate this ride. No, scratch that. Instead of a Wicker Statue, I want a giant statue of Nicholas Cage that spews fire. And audio recordings of him during the ride. (Nooo! Not the bees!)

Now..now...this is no place for politics and all justified political views should be respected. But I agree, left handed people are terrible.

And another Carpiro batflyer bites the dust. I am surprised Universal of all places still has theirs.

People in Colorado think Mind Eraser is amazing. There is a similar effect in Idaho where many people think Aftershock is one of the best roller coasters in the world. Everything is relative. This part of the country is not the best for coasters. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have friends living in Frankfurt, Germany. They can get on both Expedition GeForce and Taron easily. They do not realize how lucky they are.

Canyon Blaster is...interesting. It is not as bad as the other Arrow loopers, and it thankfully does not have that death transition into the Corkscrews that the others do. It is also far more intense than the other Arrow loopers. I was surprised by how strong the G’s in the loops are. Overall, I would say Canyon Blaster is one of my favorite Arrows, and my second favorite Arrow looper after Tennessee Tornado.

^^I may not have been on a TPR trip, but considering the other travel groups I have been in, there is a descent chance you would not even be the worst person on the trip even if all that was real. From people I’ve met/dealt with in these travel groups, I totally see what Robb and Elissa are talking about.

The new trains make me wonder why they went with lap bars and shoulder pads. The trains are made by Premier, and their lap bar only trains work fine on almost every other coaster. This ride could be fun without the shoulder pads. The coaster still sucks, but I would rather ride this than most SLC’s. There is some fun to be had in the first few hills, which go around the hotel and feel more like a hyper coaster. Things start to go very bad at the top of the third hill.

1. Expedition GeForce (new) 2. Maverick 3. Taron (new) 3a. Magnum (no trims) 4. Millennium Force 5. Black Mamba (new) 6. Silver Star (new) 7. Raptor 8. Curse of Novgorod (new) 9. Blue Fire (new) 10. Winjas (new) Honorable mentions (all new): Wodan Valravn Colorado Adventure Kärnan