ajfelice

^Doug, you may not be an economist, but from a marketing perspective that was beautiful!

Service and infrastructure go hand and hand in making a successful park grow before any major coaster or signature ride. Another thing I would add is knowing your market, but the perfect case study example of Geauga Lake has been hashed and rehashed so many times that I will not talk about it. Looking through guest reviews of any park, and you will find that complaints are generally based around rude employees, dirty facilities, limited food and drink options, accessibility, and poor crowd control among other things. Usually a poor review doesn't complain solely about the rides and attractions themselves in terms of thrills or excitement, but that kind of complaint is usually coupled with a criticism of service or infrastructure. Also, many of the ride-based complaints are about maintenance and the lack of variety in a park's collections that fit a guest's demographic which are both infrastructure problems. That signature attraction addition will usually bring in a huge season for any park, but the long term success of that park depends on how the park can continue to provide excellent guest service and continue to upgrade it's infrastructure to support large crowds brought in by new rides. In other words, the saying, "If you build it, they will come" is one of the most annoying things anyone can say to me in this industry, because that quote is usually made on the basis of a large coaster or something on similar scale is the sole key to any long term growth for a park. Go ahead and build those towering coasters, but make sure your park is ready or you will pay the consequences.

My worst weather experiences at a park were all while working. First came in 2011 where we had a May weekend with a high of 43 and it never stopped pouring. That day I learned how to operate Scrambler where I was privileged to huddle under a leaky umbrella for four hours until Waldameer decided to close at 4pm. I would actually walk out into the pouring rain and pace around the ride just so I could keep moving because I was getting numb standing idle in the cold. There was a counted 8 people who walked through the gates that day. The only reason the park opened was because they guarantee all scheduled employees at least four hours of work. I get numb just thinking of that day. Second came back in June of 2013 when we had a huge pop-up thunderstorm. I saw some dark clouds out West so I grabbed a poncho before going to, look at that again, Scrambler to give the ride operator a break. Well we got hit hard. Guests knew to run out of line before the storm really hit so I braced underneath the operator booth standing on top of the motor. I did that to avoid possible sideways rain. Well I avoided the sideways rain for the most part, and lucky me also avoided a torrent of rushing water through the operator booth by standing on the ride motor. Not to forget to mention that the lighting was so close during this storm it was practically a rave outside when it was still 5:00pm. All during this the ride was technically open, but no one in the right mind was riding. Since I was not cold and avoided getting soaked for the most part. I look back on that one and laugh how I was huddled up on the motor and holding onto the rails on the side of the booth to avoid slipping off.

I know trims have been a part of The Beast since opening. I have no problem with the midcourse since it's probably a block, but the other trims really put a damper on things. But just imagine how insane The Beast would be without trims on those major hills and small hill following the first drop. Nothing on this thread said we couldn't wish to modify things a coaster has had since day one.

Remember that Waldameer can be done as a package with Conneaut Lake Park (45min apart) easily in one day if you decide to come up this way. If you started with Kennywood the first day, go up I-79 to Waldameer and CLP the next day, and after that you can come part way down I-79 to I-80 West which takes you to right to Knoebels. In the same direction as Knoebels is Dorney and Hersheypark which are all decently close to each other. But Northwest PA is kind of isolated from the rest of Pennsylvania, so it's understandable if you decide not to make the drive up. Also, Erie does have an airport with a good amount of connections to other cities that could serve as a starting place as well if you decided to start from Northwest PA.

I long for the day The Beast can run trimless or at least a reduction in trims. If this requires running 2-bench trains instead of three and a reduction of capacity from 36 to 28 riders per train, I'm okay with that. Even just tweaking some of the banking and profiling to handle more stress would be appreciated. The Beast could be right back in the discussion as one of the very top wooden coasters once again without those trims. As for Maverick, all I ask is that the reduce the second launch speed just slightly so they do not have to trim it on the hill following the launch. Feeling a slowdown like that just after a launch is kind of a buzzkill. Other than that, Maverick is virtually a perfect coaster in my opinion.

^beatle11, I agree wholeheartedly. It was slightly embarrassing how such little precipitation could shut so much down. I couldn't help but apologize and sympathize to frustrated guests when we had certain types of weather downtime in my short time working there, I really had no logical backing behind some of the strictness of the rain policy. I have worked with and seen many similar rides run in the same, and often worse, conditions. Also, the milking of the "we are on a peninsula on Lake Erie" excuse was a pretty sad explanation for the policies. CP's weather may change quickly, but they do not experience anything more extreme than other parks in that region. Imagine the capacity numbers at CP if the weather policy wasn't so strict...

Steel: Top Thrill Dragster Wood: Son of Beast (Tallest still operating is El Toro)

Oh man this is tough, as this list is always fluctuating for me. This is what I got as of 2013. 1. Magnum XL-200 2. Millennium Force 3. Maverick 4. Raptor 5. GateKeeper 6. Blue Streak 7. Top Thrill Dragster 8. Mantis 9. Gemini 10. Mean Streak 11. Wicked Twister 12. Corkscrew 13. Cedar Creek Mine Ride 14. Iron Dragon Disclaimer: This list is what I enjoyed the most as of 2013. I can tell you now that 1,2, and 3 will always be shuffling around. Also, Top Thrill Dragster is on a nose dive as it's simply not as thrilling as it used to be each time I ride it.

Believe it or not, Herschend has more control over this deal than we realize, or they are just good at repackaging the truth when I spoke with a higher up from Herschend corporate during IAAPA. Unfortunately, I can't remember his name for the life of me. My question during Q&A session with the Show Ambassadors at IAAPA was, "What unique opportunities does Darien Lake posses to make it an attractive option to enter into a management contract?" Well, his answer was pretty straightforward with the usual they have a lot of land and they have an untapped potential to become a major resort. However, a major detail of that answer was that the ultimate goal of this management deal is to decide whether or not Herschend will buy Darien Lake, and own it outright. Some food for thought...

For Sure: Close to 100 Days at Waldameer (if that counts anymore) Kings Island Knoebels Darien Lake Likely: Cedar Point Kennywood Maybe some of these: (probably only 1 or 2 if they happen) Six Flags Great America Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Six Flags Great Adventure Six Flags New England Lake Compounce If I do IAAPA Ambassador Program Again: (All Possible, but not all likely) Universal Disney Sea World Fun Spot America

Cedar Fair: Magnum XL-200 Six Flags: El Toro SeaWorld Entertainment: Kraken Herschend: Ride of Steel Universal: Incredible Hulk Parques Reunidos/Palace Entertainment: Phantom's Revenge Damn, all elite coasters on that list in my honest opinion.

Simple: 1. Keys attached to belt loop (lose these you are screwed). 2. Wallet and phone in a sealed bag. 3. Disposable 20 oz bottle that fits in a cargo pocket (refill it with water throughout the day). I refuse to carry a bag around an amusement unless its completely necessary which has happened only once. If I do the water park, I'll go back out to my car to collect that stuff and bring it in, but once water park time is over, I'll take everything back to the car before riding more rides.

Just going to throw this out there. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit was an absolute surprise. I didn't expect much more than an average ride, but it was anything but that. Great airtime, forceful, and comfortable. It may be a nasty ride to maintain, but it kicks some serious butt. Haters gonna hate, but I cannot find a reason to complain about this one. Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure were both amazing parks, but I'm too lazy to type up a full report so I just wanted to make my opinion on this coaster known.

After working on Gatekeeper this past September and October, I have figured out this touchy rain policy. The rain policy on GK is based on the number of trains operating. With three trains, GK cannot operate in much more than a tiny drizzle. If it looks like its going to be like that for a decent amount of time, they will reduce to two train operation. If the rain gets more steady like a typical rain shower, they can go down to one train and stay open. We actually did one train operation on a couple occasions just for the sake of keeping the ride open when practically nothing else was. With all that being said, sometimes CP will elect to just hold GK operations if they think the rain will only last a short period of time instead of transferring trains on and off constantly.

^^^Those suits are a better style than most enthusiasts going the Alton Towers way of rider attire, or should I say lack thereof.

Dragon Mountain at Marineland was my first coaster with inversions. Took a nasty beating at my young age and shorter stature. I didn't like coasters for a good amount of time until I rode at the time, Superman: Ride of Steel, at Darien Lake. I still didn't like loopers though. Finally a few years later I developed a good relationship with Arrows and Vekomas as I grew up a little more, and rode a little more defensively. Riding some B&Ms also helped me like inversions more.

In my stint working at Cedar Point, I couldn't believe the amount of people who asked me if GateKeeper was the tallest coaster in the park. Seriously, even from the parking lot Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force look much taller without question. Open your eyes people!

I was also under the impression UFO was undergoing a refurbishment, unless I missed new information after that announcement. As much as I thought UFO was a nifty compact thrill ride (somehow it doesn't make me sick like Round Ups), I think their safety requirements were pretty restrictive and cut out a significant portion of the family. Using a handy internet archive site I confirmed my memory that Darien Lake asked for riders to be 60" to ride which is pretty damn tall for a minimum height requirement. Thinking that it seemed outrageous I dug a little deeper to find that Six Flags in 2006 listed UFO as a 48" minimum height. Furthermore, Canada's Wonderland is asking 54" for their model. I have no idea what the manufacturer listed as their minimum height, but I know that State Inspection and Insurance Agencies can also force a park to raise it. Sometimes this can be at the park's decision, but that is not very common as most parks want as many guests as possible to safely ride. Where am I going with all this? Simple, if Darien Lake's only choice is to only allow riders 60" and above, is reinstallation really the best option when many newer rides of similar thrill and intensity are more accommodating to more people? I have been to Darien Lake several times seeing many different crowd levels, and each time UFO did not seem as popular as it seems to be praised by GP and enthusiasts. Capacity on this one isn't that fantastic to really kill lines either. In my opinion, if it can come back at 48" or even 54", I'm open arms to UFO. However, if UFO came back at the very restrictive 60", I would heavily question if there were better options out there for new attractions. It may be just one ride, but irritating families and low ridership aren't exactly conducive in boosting revenue or helping generate more positive reviews.

Back in 2012 I was doing my morning rounds of checking rides for daily inspection paperwork when I found this little guy basking in Scrambler's ride area. Nothing about this area of the park is suitable for an aquatic turtle besides the sun for basking, so I was pretty shocked to find him here (I know it's a male turtle because I have my own pet turtle which is a male). Unfortunately, my morning routine was completely sidetracked taking him around to show all of the managers and maintenance. We later released him into the pond on our unused Lakefront property.

Recent incidents in the past couple weekends on Blue Streak featured on local news hasn't been helping Conneaut Lake Park either before this new legal battle. And a few days Later... Of course most reasonable enthusiasts might think its somewhat blown up by the media, but the GP often times are not as keen to separate fact from embellishment especially when it comes to amusement rides. Not to forget to mention that ride safety has been a little more prominent in the news this season which only makes many people more worried.

Hills! Airtime! Airtime! Airtime!

Is it May yet? Chomping at the bit to get back to arguably my favorite "large" park. The Bat name fits the coaster's location much better than a flight theme. Tucked away in a dark, wooded area is the perfect spot to encounter some bats. The logo is pretty sweet too. Really neat seeing all the different bats that are integrated into it. Most importantly, one of my personal favorite coasters seems to be sticking around a little while longer.

Coasters may have temporarily reached a plateau in terms of speed and height, but creativity and innovation are still going strong. Just look at RMC. The wooden roller coaster is being redefined by them. Overall, it's okay to argue that coasters may have temporarily peaked in terms of their stats, but the diversity and excitement of ride experience hasn't come close to that as of yet, and hopefully the overall experience of coasters never peaks.

I will say when I was younger that Boomerangs were not comfortable. Being shorter and having less body control at a younger age really let the headbanging happen. However, I'm still short 5'8", but I can ride one with little to no discomfort. I find boomerangs to actually be quite intense and disorientating. They are more of a thrill ride than a coaster for me, but I enjoy them. Of course they are not on the top of my list if I'm limited on time, but I try to ride them at each park I go to. I have ridden Boomerangs at: Darien Lake (first one) Hersheypark Geauga Lake Canada's Wonderland All of them gave a very similar and consistent ride.