ajfelice

Let's See if I can do this in order... Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood Roller Soaker - Hersheypark Maverick - Cedar Point Hard Rock Park Coasters Diamondback - Kings Island Intimidator 305 - Kings Dominion Sky Rocket - Kennywood Leviathan - Canada's Wonderland Skyrush - Hersheypark GateKeeper - Cedar Point White Lightning - Fun Spot America

I used to really enjoy reading this thread until it became littered with unfounded rumors and not even close to funny fake pictures altered with Microsoft Paint of all programs in the world. Not anymore... In other news, I'm really liking how much detail Kings Island/Cedar Fair are putting into this ride. From the looks of the station, front sign, and decorated walkways this is really looking like an excellent installation. (On time too! hehe) For a park that is not Disney, Universal, Busch, or many Herschend properties, Kings Island appears to have done a fantastic job. I can't wait to see Banshee and this section of Action Zone in person.

A lot of the creativity of the original park still exists. Actually, I was looking into integrating "Mountain Creek Waterpark" into my Six Flags Great Adventure trip before I realized how late their season starts. There are some really neat things there. Doing my research I thought the now previous Mountain Creek brand was really nice. Their website gave me the impression of a secluded water park in a foresty area with attractions that are built into their unique terrain. "Action Park" with its ambiguous name and flat 80s/90s colors really appears to me as a nasty, concrete-paradise, and carnival-like operation. Perhaps my mind is just flowing of the mental pictures from the legends of the first Action Park. The old Action Park name and branding just doesn't fit the unique feel of a WATERPARK that is located on a mountain with several unique water attractions that a mountain makes possible. I know there are other added on attractions, but the section of the resort's website that is now Action Park is mostly a waterpark.

This is a very interesting decision. I understand there are traces of the original Action Park in the park's current state, but I wonder if there was any research to back up this decision to revert back to a name that is associated with employees who drink on the job, where no rules apply, and unsafe attractions. I know times have changed, but that is what has been built in my mind about the place and I can't imagine what that name means to the locals. This decision could go either way in terms of success or failure. However, as much as I appreciate old school logos, I believe something that is updated but has a resemblance to the original may have been more effective in terms of marketing. We are now in the 2010s after all.

I never realized that, but you are completely right. I was lucky that the day I actually waited in line that it wasn't very sunny. But anyways, this is an "amusement" park we are analyzing. The queue is shaded, has some fun visuals, and it's a high capacity ride so the queue should move well. What more can you ask from a Cedar Fair park? We are not going to find Disney and Universal-esque queues in most amusement parks. Heck, this is much better than what I have seen from the likes of Six Flags. Even a more unique place like Kennywood has more terrible queues than this. Just look at how cheaply they installed Sky Rocket and Black Widow to name a couple. In my opinion, this entire Banshee installation looks impressive. It's simple, yet has personality, and can be easily maintained on the amusement park level.

^Glad I'm not the only one who thought the new Starliner looks like a White Lightning cousin. If it rides similar to White Lightning, we should be in for a really fun, fast-paced, and out-of-control ride. Now it may not be an intensity monster of a woodie, but it sure looks extremely re-rideable and able to put a smile on anyone. Some people out there are a little butt-hurt about not relocating the original for "nostalgic value," but it looks like they are getting something really special as a replacement. A brand new coaster is going to help a park a lot more any day over a relocated "okay" coaster.

Despite never having stepped foot on the property, it appears that any of those three major woodies would be dramatically better in almost any other park. Between the uniqueness and intensity of both Hades 360 and Cyclops combined with the potentially fun airtime coaster that Zeus could be, there is a hidden threesome of amazing wooden coasters. Despite all of the hate going around about Hades 360, I deep down want to ride it just once to experience the uniqueness of that amazing layout. Heck, I even collected a bunch of Hades crap at IAAPA because I think the layout is so cool. I'm not very familiar with the market aspects of that area, but perhaps Mt. Olympus doesn't try or care that much when it comes to comfort, service, and even safety because they really don't have much competition? It seems like they are busy enough and are not financially hurting to really see the need to be better. Not being pushed to always be on top can often result in thinking purely profit first before the guest experience.

I didn't think the number of trains debate would continue on this far. I thought it was quite obvious there would be three trains from the start?

^ FYI: Morgan is now Chance Rides through acquisition and re-branding.

I don't think we are too harsh on the General Public. We poke fun at their lack of knowledge because, well, it's funny. It's not meant to belittle them as second class people or anything, it's just funny to poke fun because many of us are more educated about the rides and attractions so the GP's shortcomings sound outrageous to us. Coming from someone who works closely with the GP, what we say on here isn't nearly offensive. Actually, you wouldn't believe how much the GP makes fun of enthusiasts when they see them in parks. The banter goes both ways, and there is little to no harm to what is said on here or what people say about enthusiasts in parks. Until things get personal, no harm done.

BOOM! People will say anything for 15 minutes of fame. People will also overanalyze an event if they were somewhere in the vicinity of it, just so they can have some significant "involvement" in their minds. Are we sure that this bystander is over-exaggerating? Not really. But recent trends of society do not let me believe that her account is entirely accurate unless there are several other accounts describing the exact same events. In the case of this event, all I will accept as the most likely sequence of events is the most recent investigation report.

Since when has it been announced that Darien Lake has an attendance problem? Is there solid information out there that says Darien Lake is suffering due to attendance problems? The attendance comparisons to Canada's Wonderland need to stop. To say those parks are directly competing is absolutely outrageous. True, a bunch of people come to Darien Lake from Canada, but that doesn't necessarily mean there is a harsh competition with Canada's Wonderland. For example, the majority of out-of-town Waldameer guests come from Ohio. Actually, the majority of guests total in the park may be from Ohio (I do not have access to the records). However, that does not mean we are competing with Cedar Point directly by any means, even if Cedar Point is closer to many of those Ohio guests. Heck, Cedar Point never comes up in any serious business discussion. With a quick Google map session, you will notice that the driving distance between Darien Lake and Canada's Wonderland is within 8 minutes of the distance between Waldameer and Cedar Point. Okay, yes I'm using my puny tiny place of work as a comparison with Darien Lake, but stick with me. The difference between any of these compared park distances is what the park on each end is offering. Darien Lake is a more family-focused park that is intended to be a more affordable, relaxed place that is great for younger families. In addition, Darien Lake feeds off their concert series and campground which are very unique draws to their park. Canada's Wonderland is your typical, massive thrill park that is great for families with children who are older. People living in the middle of two parks are probably going to pick the place that fits their "amusement park needs" and the place that fits their budget accordingly. Going beyond the unique draw of each park, an even bigger factor of Canada's Wonderland's huge numbers is their 8 million people regional market Cedar Fair specifies in their annual report. Darien Lake, having roughly a 1 million annual attendance, is very much more focused on the Buffalo-Rochester and surrounding regions which aren't even close to 8 million people. Darien Lake's market may extend into Canada, but I would be surprised if Darien Lake is reaching all the way out into the Toronto area where Canada's Wonderland would dominate on location alone. Therefore, 1 million guests is not necessarily a bad thing if the park is financially stable. So when you consider the size of each park's target market region and you compare each park's unique attributes, Darien Lake and Canada's Wonderland are really not competing very much in terms of drawing people in either direction. For all we know, Darien Lake is still turning in profits relative to their size. Attendance doesn't always mean one park is more successful than the other. It's about being financially successful based on your size and scale.

Drop Tower at KI is the only tower from Intamin that I have been on that comes close to the intensity of an A.R.M. drop tower. The second generations and KD's Drop Tower feel more floaty than intense free-fall.

^Based on that footage, Banshee will be so fast and forceful that it might kill people. Must be B&M sticking it to the enthusiasts who think their coasters aren't forceful enough. (just a small amount of sarcasm)

Okay, you got me. We all have our guilty pleasures.

I have read this thread a few times and I can only come back to one absolutely amazing coaster trio. Holiday World with The Voyage, Raven, and Legend simply can't be beat. Wooden coaster enthusiast for life!

Banshee is intended to be a "thrill" ride. GateKeeper is also a "thrill" ride. It is obvious through every piece of Cedar Fair's marketing for these rides that they are intended to be thrill rides. B&M May have a forceless reputation lately, but Cedar Fair is building them as thrill rides. The day a park like Kings Island spends that much money on a family coaster...

This B&M debate of forces or lack thereof, has led me to do some hard thinking lately. Well kind of. GateKeeper is a great example to me. Until the dive loop near Blue Streak, I would argue that GK is pretty much as intense as a coaster of that stature needs to be. After the dive loop, GK has lost some speed, but the elements of the track are still large and drawn out, so inevitably the forces on the riders are drastically reduced and their perception of the lost speed is enhanced. I get this idea from talking to several coaster engineers about the general theory of coaster design. The common denominator is that as you lose speed, the elements should be tighter to keep riders thrilled thinking they are going just as fast while still offering an intense ride. For Banshee, I believe the intensity will all depend on how well the speed is matched with the size of the elements at any given point along the course. Hopefully since the terrain and size of the trains are in Banshee's favor compared to a wing rider, the intensity will be maintained until the final brakes.

Please, tell me more about all of these things parks need to in the future. Every major park topic I read lately has some far-fetched wish list of what you think the park should get. Sorry to jump on you, but after awhile your speculations for all of these parks need calm down as neither you, me, or 99.9% of people on this site is qualified to tell a park what rides they should add in the future.

Thank You. Someone had to finally call it exactly how it is.

This will blow over, just give it a week to settle. Rather have this happen now than in the heat of the busy summer when amusement parks are more on top of people's minds. It's just sad that the fact this man was a Veteran is what put this story in the spotlight as I know many guests in this same situation are denied rides everyday. I'm pretty sick of the excuse of "I didn't see any signs" many people use when they aren't allowed to do what they want. If the sign didn't hit them in the face, or a person wasn't at the door to read off a novel of rules, they will pull this excuse 99% of the time. Six Flags or any park chain for that matter is very well rehearsed in knowing what it takes to notify guests of their rules and park policies, so I really doubt there was nothing telling him in the Fast Pass information, information posted online, in brochures, and at the rides themselves that someone in his situation wouldn't be able to ride. Six Flags was more than gracious to offer a full refund, as there are other rides and attractions he could partake in. I wish that every person in this world could ride every single ride that they want to. However, in the best interest of safety, that simply cannot happen. I wish this Veteran could have the time of his life on every coaster in the world as he has gone through more than any of us can imagine, but in the best interest of his safety, that just can't be. For that I feel terrible, but sometimes that is just how life is.

Well I guess things have changed for me as Banshee Media Day will be my first coaster ride of the 2014 Season. Preseason test runs on RFII don't usually occur until later in April.

Not to muddy this "coaster or not" debate too much, but I recall Cedar Point trying to say how Six Flags Magic Mountain's Superman: The Escape was not a coaster in order to discredit SFMM's coaster count. It just makes me chuckle when Pipe Scream is much more debatable as a true roller coaster than Superman ever was, but Cedar Point was so quick to announce Pipe Scream as a roller coaster addition.

Perhaps all these clues spell out that Cuda Falls will mostly likely end up as a piece of history? It's pretty safe to say given the amount of downtime and exclusion from park promotion materials that we should all prepare for the horrible life without the most greatest, super-spectacular waterslide complex that is Cuda Falls. I enjoyed many trips down those slides in the past, but at some point we need to let go in the best interest of the park. Being the only secluded water park attraction on the opposite side of a lengthy path/bridge combined with it's advanced age and likely neglect from previous owners, there is more working against Cuda Falls than for it. More importantly, just look at the opportunity that sits with that large piece of land that complex occupies! Old out of place waterslides versus a the opportunity to develop a well-integrated expansion. The choice is all too easy.

To make an assumption like that you must have no clue how most modern roller coasters operate. Sorry for the bluntness, but as a person who is very experienced in operation of over 40 rides, this statement stands out to me. Operators are typically trained by parks that if a restraint closes properly and the ride system says the ride is safe to dispatch, the dispatch is safe. As disinterested as some ride operators appear at their job, I can guarantee you not one of them wants someone to get hurt or die on their watch. I can almost guarantee you the operators on NTAG did everything they are supposed to do when they checked that train. Guests all the time make small nervous remarks about safety, and if the guest really wanted off or seemed way too nervous, they would have let her off. The lap bar most likely made contact with the woman, and the ride system said it was down far enough. If anything, the system told the operators wrong that all of the lap bars were down far enough. Perhaps the lap bars weren't designed to accommodate "weight shifting" which might have happened? To me, the operators most likely did everything right as they were trained to do, and the system they used as a guide for safety failed them.