ajfelice

Chance makes a good flat ride in my opinion. All of our Chance flats at Waldameer are very reliable (Sea Dragon, Wipeout, Giant Gondola Wheel, Merry-Go-Round). Even the C.P. Huntington train runs well despite the wide array of components. Rarely do these rides experience downtime more than a couple hours, if that. Also, all of these except the train are approaching or over 20 years old. Rarely does maintenance complain about being plagued with issues on Chance rides. Contrary to Chuck's post about Holiday World's former Eyerly Spider, "Paul Revere's Midnight Ride," our model is actually very low-maintenance to keep running properly. Periodically, the clutches need tightening for the spinning and oscillation, but that's about it for heavy work. Downtime on Spider is very rare and short the few times it occurs. The mechanic in charge of that ride absolutely loves working on that ride as it's easy to access components and maintain them. Operating Spider can be very challenging though. As for the worst rides when it comes to maintenance, the Zamperlas can be pretty moody. Even the smaller rides like our Rockin' Tug and Tea Cups like to nickle and dime us and get caught up in more hours of maintenance than average. Thankfully, Zamperla's service is excellent which has made repairing these rides less painful. Lastly, S&S Frog Hoppers stink. This simple ride is very temperamental, and likes to mysteriously not operate properly for operators, but runs just fine when maintenance runs it. It always seems like the Frog Hopper is up to no good.

Just to keep the peace, I did say earlier "if no records can be found." So I am giving CLP the benefit of a doubt in this particular situation. My main point was analyzing what they might be up against if somehow the worst is true.

http://www.newpittsburghcourieronline.com/index.php/featured-news/metro/15751-state-has-no-record-of-safety-inspections-of-conneaut-lake-park-amusement-park Not the best PR CLP wanted about their rides department. As someone with a decent background in the inspection process PA rides go through, it is not in their financial benefit to go around these laws. If no records can be found, they will be dealt some hefty fines as opposed to the small cost to perform the annual pre-season inspections as well as the monthly required state inspections. Basically, the only cost involved in the process is paying for your own mechanics to be certified to perform inspections.

Waldameer Park has been business as usual in terms of operations. We used the Texas Giant incident as a reminder to reinforce taking extra care to make sure all guests are secured properly, and that they meet the safety requirements for boarding each ride. In response to the Shoot the Rapids accident, we re-demonstrated to our operators the proper steps to be taken when a ride malfunctions, particularly our Thunder River log flume. As always, we constantly are combing over our operational procedures in order to re-evaluate their effectiveness, and we periodically make changes if/when needed. Overall, no rules have been modified or added with these particular accidents as of yet, but we are using these tragic accidents as a serious reminder to always keep safety as our top priority.

First of all. Really?^ You really made it to every Intamin and B&M in this world to assume they are all bad? Worst coaster experience for me occurred on Millennium Force in 2006. I volunteered to be the single rider since our group had an odd number, so I was paired up with another person. He was about the same age as me at the same time, and didn't appear to creepy so I thought nothing of it sitting next to him. Right as we crested the lift, he removed his shirt and waved it like a towel at sports games the entire ride. Getting smacked in the face by his sweaty shirt multiple times was the perfect way to end my day at Cedar Point.

*IF* Predator was to be leaving, I would be saddened. Predator has improved exponentially over the past few years. However, this proposed concept might just be the kick in the butt Darien Lake needs to get back into the positive spotlight. A very unique and thrilling ride that can't be found in any other park remotely near them will surely bring in people. As much as I would love for Lake Monster and Predator to coexist as they would likely provide a great contrast in experience (more traditional versus modern woodie), sacrificing Predator is justified for this big step in getting Darien Lake back on the map. Edit: P.S.: this thread is a love/hate relationship. This park is interesting to me due to it's proximity to me and recent expansions/modifications, but the amount of pointless fanboy/girl posts really hinder good discussion. Just saying.

Waldameer Crowds are usually in the moderate range on July 4th. The day usually starts out very slow, but around 5:00pm the "seas part" and the "very best" of Erie takes over the park. I would never suggest visiting on July 4th because our clientele is usually very rude, misbehaved, and even violent. A few years ago we moved our fireworks from July 4th back to July 3rd because we would rather share them with crowds who are nicer and more civil. We even did the same with our Memorial Day fireworks in which we moved them back to Saturday and Sunday because the Memorial Day Monday crowds are usually extremely misbehaved.

My Amusement Park Career started way too late in 2011 when I was hired as a Ride Operator at Waldameer Park. In 2012, I had my eyes set on something more. I applied to Cedar Point and was hired on the spot to the Maverick Crew. However, a couple weeks later I received an offer I couldn't refuse from Waldameer; Assistant Rides Department Manager. Since the start of the 2012 Season I have held this position. I have currently worked every day Waldameer Park has operated for the 2013 season. It has already been discussed and informally announced that I'm the heir apparent to the title of Rides Department Manager in the not so far future. Waldameer is not a job, but a dream come true. I have a family there that I could not imagine life without. Each day is grueling, yet rewarding. Dull moments are few and far between, and there is never a day without experiencing at least one episode of uncontrollable laughter. I always tell myself that I will quit working at a park the day that working there causes me to lose interest in the industry or causes dislike of a park. Actually, the opposite has happened...

Holiday World has made its name well known to a larger audience at an increasing rate ever since The Voyage and probably before that. Seeing their class act first hand was phenomenal. Putting it simply, Holiday World is the best value park I have ever experienced by leaps and bounds. Granted HW is not that far from Louisville by any means, getting people to choose Kentucky Kingdom over HW is not an easy task by any means. Of course having two parks in the same general market will keep HW on their toes, but I think it's absurd to suggest their attendance will drastically decline. I expect their numbers to continue to positively improve as more and more families discover the value they offer.

When I visited CP on May 28th, there was a LED out on one of GK's trains. I tapped it right before I sat down and it came back on. Maybe we can all help out CP and tap the trains before we sit down? A common reason for parks to continuously have problems with lights on ride going out is the vibrations and forces they withstand everyday. A decent amount of "burnt out" bulbs or LEDs can be fixed by just tightening them slightly. Then again, mechanics have much more important things to attend to each morning that take priority over popping open every light fixture and tightening the lamps.

I have been pretty lucky over the span of 22 years. However, my worst injury is coaster-related as coincidental as it seems. On the first Saturday of this past May I threw out my back pulling out corn bags from the Ravine Flyer II trains at Waldameer. The initial discomfort just felt like I just shoved a whole bunch of heavy snow, I figured it would subside quickly. I even took the first front row ride since 2012 before the real pain hit, as we literally just re-installed the seats. Then, I tried to sit down at the control panel to continue testing and basically missed the seat I was in so much pain. I was out of commission for two days. I dragged myself back to work on Monday for worker orientation, and I was back to manual labor prepping the park for opening day within three days of the injury. Always lift with your legs! However, the angle of lifting corn bags out of PTC trains on a brake run doesn't help very much!

As a teenager, my coaster hobby was pretty covered up. I was already bullied quite a bit growing up, so I kept pretty much to myself throughout my teen years. I never really showed off much knowledge about coasters in social situations at all. There was the occasional paper or report that was related to the industry, but people didn't know me as the "coaster nerd" by any means. If coasters were brought up in social conversations with others, I mainly just kept the topic in "GP" terms, and never really interjected with statistics, details, or correcting others. Probably the only social hint that I was well rehearsed in my park knowledge came on my Senior Class Trip to Cedar Point. Everyone couldn't believe how my friend and I rode so many more coasters than everyone else. Going through college, my true inner coaster nerd came to surface. When I spoke with peers and professors about my career plans, I wasn't afraid to say that I wanted to be in the amusement park industry. Most people I spoke to about this thought it was really interesting and really cool that I was following a personal hobby into a potential career. Seeing how many people were complementing and supporting a career goal like that, I started to be more open about my hobby in the past couple years. Nowadays I'm perfectly okay with embracing my inner enthusiast. Of course, I never push it onto someone else or flood people with knowledge unless they ask about something. I'm still typically a reserved person, as you wouldn't know I'm an enthusiast by my appearance or actions at parks unless you asked me something or started a conversation about coasters.

These are tons of fun to operate. So relaxing, yet highly involved at the same time! When I need a break from the hustle and bustle of a major coaster, the train is the place to be! Raven Maven: An absolutely beautiful C.P. Huntington! We sure love our two C.P. Huntington's in Erie, and I'm sure it will work out great for Holiday World. Best wishes to another great season to Holiday World and Splashin' Safari from your friends in Erie, Pa!

Is it just me or these wind complaints are new as of recent? Anyone know if Cedar Point officially tightened up their wind policy? I know that their weather policy has always been regarded as one of the stricter ones when it came to rain, thunder, and lightning, but I've never heard of their high wind policy complained about as much as it has been recently.

About "Turbo Mode" or "Turbo Time" that you may hear several times throughout the day on Music Express. That was completely made up by an operator on Opening Day, and it stuck. It was not a part of the "guide" I created for them, but I encouraged them to create their own messages. Walking down the Midway, it's become quite common to hear our guests talking about "Turbo Time." The ride has become a huge hit for the park as not only the number of riders it draws is impressive, but the number of re-rides is phenomenal for a ride of it's kind. I have never heard so much screaming and excitement on any flat ride in the park like the Music Express has generated. Also, I wasn't kidding when I told all of you that we had Music Express programmed to the absolute max!

Maverick Crew was great on Tuesday. Very efficient and exciting! I personally enjoyed the first attempt to re-open after the storm when just as guests sat down you had to have them get back in line. On a side note, I still wonder what it would have been like to operate Maverick if I didn't turn down the offer for that crew in 2012.

Cedar Point: Tuesday May 28th It was Tuesday or bust for a trip to CP. The weather was extremely questionable as we drove in dark clouds and on and off storms. Coming into the park they did a good job of covering their butts with a big LED message, "Due to weather, some attractions may not open today." However, the risk was appealing as there was zero traffic coming through the causeway which is abnormal for even typical summer weekdays. We parked about three rows in, so that was a nice treat. I noticed the array of buses, but once I get into what was accomplished despite the weather, it's obvious they weren't much of a concern. This ended up being the lightest day I have experienced at CP. The hour weather delay around 4pm ended up not being very detrimental at all in getting everything I wanted, and more, to get done. I managed two rides on Gatekeeper. Lines were around 30 minutes. and later less than 15 minutes. This coaster is definitely a winner. It's not the best coaster there by any means, but it's a very above average ride with a unique experience. Gatekeeper is not what I would call forceless as you definitely get to experience some great positive G's. The "keyholes" are not very effective by any means as it's really visually obvious there is more than enough clearance. However, the keyholes do serve a great purpose of creating a visually stunning entranceway to CP. I did notice during our meal break around 3pm that Gatekeeper looked idle as the winds really picked up for a period of time. Overall, Gatekeeper to me falls closely behind Millennium, Magnum, Maverick, and Raptor (no particular order on those) when compared to the rest of CP's collection. Again, Gatekeeper is a very solid ride that will definitely draw more guests than Disaster Transport could have ever done. Magnum stole the show today as my favorite ride of the day. Keeping with my tradition which has never failed me, row 1:3 is the place to be. Today, on the other hand, Magnum not only delivered some extreme ejector air on the return hills, but the hills before the pretzel turn were floating like I have never felt them float before. I know Magnum is not as smooth as other hypercoasters today, but it's by no means painful. The line seemed to be in the station all day with only a few cycle wait. Score! Millennium Force was running hot as well. I have had my fair share of "forceless" rides in the past on this coaster, but my past couple visits have led me to find a hot spot for a guaranteed excellent ride. The key to MF is to sit as close to the back as possible, if not the furthest back. However, I like to steal the first row of the last car as it's queue gets hidden, so it's usually a lot shorter than others. The first drop resulted in a great gap between my butt and the seat, and the following airtime hills all delivered. The back of the train also gets pulled through the overbanks very forcefully. Both times, the line was never past the bottom of the ramp. Easily, MF is an elite coaster in my book. Maverick was basically a walk-on in the morning in which I only had to wait two trains to hop on. Maverick was running very good, and I did a better job of protecting the head for the two rides I took. It never hurts that the airtime hills were ejecting as great as usually. It still bugs me how the second launch is into trims. I dare to say that I would prefer a slower launch that doesn't need trims. Anyways, Maverick is still a great ride that is very unique. I'm not going to go into much detail on the other coasters, but I'll provide a remark for all of them. Top Thrill Dragster gave a good ride as usual, but seems to be less intense with every ride I take on it. Raptor is running as great as usual; as smooth and intense as always. Mantis is leaps and bounds better than Green Lantern, and actually very enjoyable. Gemini has much more air than I remembered, so that was a nice surprise. Wicked Twister is enjoyable, but not as great as it looks by any means. Blue Streak had some great air, but slightly rougher than usual. Mean Streak opened late, but as usual, it was uneventful as always. Corkscrew was smoother than I recalled which was a nice change. Iron Dragon is, well, Dragging Iron, but still a decent family coaster. Apply Iron Dragon to Cedar Creek Mine Ride.

Glad you enjoyed Ravine Flyer II and Thunder River. Unfortunately, you visited on one of the three days I never recommend visiting. Fourth of July and the Friday following the Fourth are the other days you should never visit due to the rowdiness of the crowds. As you noticed with the chronic line jumping and apparent drug use, today was not one of Waldameer's proudest moments. The rowdiness of the crowds on Memorial Day and Fourth of July is the reason we don't have fireworks on those days anymore. Instead, we celebrate with fireworks the days before. Although the coolness of this weekend made this Memorial Day not so harsh, but it still had several "moments." Thanks for stopping by!

Not trying to sound too harsh, but the park's current condition is pretty much an insult to even to the rough times from the mid 1990s through their previous hiatus from 2007-2008. Outside of Meadville, Conneaut Lake Park has been dead for a long time now as next to no one really cares to visit or even knows they are still operating (barely). It will be a shame to see all of that work that went into restoring Blue Streak go to waste if/when the tax sale takes place. If only the blueprints for Blue Streak can be preserved so that another park can recreate this very solid woodie kind of like Zippin Pippin.

First visit ever at Holiday World on Tuesday May 21. Holy Crap, Holiday World is in the middle of nowhere! I didn't expect it to be a dense city, but not as secluded as it is. However, the setting is absolutely perfect. Their atmosphere is to die for with the lush trees, beautiful gardens, winding paths, etc. Crowds were very low in which one lot was full of buses, but the "GP" lot used barely three rows. The weather was mostly cloudy, but warm with times of sun. The Ultimate Trifecta of Wooden Coasters (as I put it) did not disappoint my high expectations. Starting with The Legend, I found this coaster to be a better version of Knoebel's Twister (which is also a great coaster). The lateral G's were absolutely nuts as I was forced to hang on for dear life on those turns. Before getting into the double helix, there was a nice pop of air going back towards the station. The helix towards the end was very intense and used tunnels effectively which capped off an easy Top 10 Woodie for me. The Raven was a nice contrast to The Legend. The Raven starts out with some very good airtime hills which are nestled between some good lateral sections over the water and towards the end of the ride. After the famous "5th Drop" which didn't disappoint, the wild finale was a really nice surprise. Overall, a great airtime coaster with some good spots of laterals and twistiness. Another Top Ten Woodie here. The Voyage is breathtaking. Walking up to the ride underneath its grand finale is more imposing than Mean Streak's queue line through the structure. Surprisingly, the line for The Voyage running only one train was only three cycles and a walk-on later in the day which was shorter than the other two coasters. I managed to take 5 rides in several different seats on this monster of a coaster. Every seat delivered in a huge way. The back two rows will whip you through the spaghetti bowl, triple down, and through the final twists relentlessly. However, towards the front in rows 2 and 3, the large airtime hills after the lift deliver the best. Also, the seats towards the front fill in the few blanks of amazing airtime the back didn't experience as strongly. The middle of the train was a nice all-around ride that was still more powerful than any coaster I have ever ridden. Overall, The Voyage shattered all of my wildest expectations. I used to think that El Toro was the most powerful coaster I have ridden, not anymore. The Voyage never lets up until the final brakes. I have never ridden a coaster that keeps it's pacing and intensity at such a high level as long as The Voyage does. The forces are physically grueling in the sense that you feel the G's in ways you never thought were possible. In terms of comfort, pain is not an issue by any means. The Voyage is without a doubt aggressive, but it's aggressive in the sense that the forces will cause you to hold on for dear life. No such thing as rattling, shuffling, or bouncing to be found. To sum this all up, The Voyage is the greatest coaster I have ever had the privilege to ride. I did take the time to have some fun in Splashin' Safari at the recommendation of my managers at work. Thankfully, Splashin' Safari was pretty dead, as I find it hard to justify waiting in long lines at water parks. My first experiences with a water coaster were definitely very fun, but I would probably pass on them when their lines get over an hour like they have a tendency to do. Hyena Falls is a good family addition as they are not too imposing or forceful by waterslide standards. The halfpipe slide was unique, but nothing crazy. Hyena Falls is currently very isolated, but it looks pretty obvious that they are prepping the water park to expand in that direction to fill everything out. Giraffica was a great giant flume with a really neat lift and a very interesting run-out after the drop. Overall, Spashin' Safari is definitely my new favorite water park considering how it's built for decent capacity and very unique, but no water slide in any park has yet to wow me like even mediocre coasters. However, it's obvious that Splashin Safari is crucial to the overall progress of Holiday World as the GP can't get enough of it, so I appreciate what it does for the park as a whole. That is my Holiday World experience in a very small nutshell. Holiday World is simply amazing.

In Pennsylvania, the "No Single Riders" ferris wheel law was enacted before the Morey's Piers tragedy. It was actually enacted to help prevent such an accident like Morey's Piers in which it was believed that an accompanied person is much less likely to attempt suicide or dangerous misbehavior compared to a single rider. I originally thought the rule came from Chance as a manufacturer restriction, but it's actually is a PA State Law.

Thursday, I took literally the second ride of 2013 on Ravine Flyer II. We only had seats installed in the last two cars, as the first four were still filled with corn bags and shrink wrapped. The retracking is amazing! The bottom of the first drop followed by the transition into the turnaround have perfect flow. The pacing was very good for being the first day we ran it since the first week in April. Saturday, we unwrapped the remaining cars in which I was granted the first front row ride of 2013. Although, things haven't been so good after that, apparently pulling corn bags messed up my back big time. I went to sit at the controls to do some more break-in testing after my ride, and I practically fell off the seat in pain. At least today, Sunday, the spasms are decreasing, and hopefully I'm riding coasters again by Monday May 13 when I take on The Voyage for the first time! The start to the 2013 coaster season will never be forgotten!

It is completely absurd to suggest that Darien Lake is "lowering" themselves to Martin's Fantasy Island. Look at what they have done in the last few years alone with Rowdy's Ridge and now the Boardwalk. Also, it is disrespectful to Martin's Fantasy Island to suggest they are a "lower" product/service. They are two completely different parks! Darien Lake is evolving into a resort facility meant for tourists to spend a couple days or a weekend with camping, concerts, rides, etc. Martin's Fantasy Island is the low-cost park meant for families with younger children who are only looking for one day of fun or maybe even a half day. Martin's Fantasy Island is not supposed to be luxurious or state-of-the-art, it's meant to be simple and cost effective on a tighter family budget. About those "leg shackles." As an industry insider, there are a variety of factors that could be involved in why they were installed. My first guess its that it was demanded by Intamin themselves. Even when a ride is over a decade old, a manufacturer can step in and make a change that the park is legally required to make (happened to us on a few of our rides). My second guess on the changes is their insurance company. Consider what Ride of Steel has been through with two accidents in less than 15 years, and it's understandable that Darien Lake's insurer is very skeptical on the liability of the ride even if the last one was operator error. Lastly, the leg restraints aren't that bad at all. Ride of Steel was delivering better than ever on a cold September Saturday in 2012 with airtime galore and zero pain. I'm very excited about the future of Darien Lake, and I'm lucky it's only a two hour drive up I-90 to see it in person. No park can be turned around completely in one, two, or even five seasons, great things take time and money.

I thought the missing gondolas were due to low ridership as well when I visited back in September. A little research revealed that they are rehabbing them, so that made me happy to know that. Adding flames and fog to a roller coaster that is not in a theme park like Universal, Busch, or Disney is a bad idea in my opinion. Sounds like just another outlet for people to complain they aren't working when the weather gets to them in less a year, and the park doesn't have the time, expertise, and resources to maintain them like a major theme park can. I want Ride of Steel to receive a new identity as well, but Darien Lake has bigger issues to worry about currently. I think it was smart of them to touch up the sections in close view of the public until they have the time and resources to complete the overhaul. I hate to break it to everyone, but Ride of Steel having a generic name and a faded paintjob is not driving guests away. In fact, that project alone is not going to be a major attendance boost if any boost. Seeing what Darien Lake has done under Herschend with Rowdy's Ridge, and the new Boardwalk renovation among several other things, I have full confidence that in time they will attend to Ride of Steel. Apply the same reasoning to Giant Wheel, not having lights is not going to prevent guests from coming or increase attendance when they do install them. Give it time! Darien Lake is doing a lot of great things since Herschend took over!

In response to the Boomerang absence on their site, I have reasons to suggest that it's not going anywhere. First, someone posted on their Facebook a couple weeks ago about it, and Darien Lake "liked" a comment responding to that post which said Boomerang isn't going anywhere. Second, Darien Lake has been going through somewhat of an overhaul of their website which is another possible explanation for the absence of Boomerang's listing. Third, correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard rumblings Boomerang had some significant downtime during the last weeks of the season, so that might be another reason why it was removed from the website listing. Either way, Boomerangs are still very popular among the medium and smaller parks' guests, and currently it's a coaster that diversifies Darien Lake's coaster collection in an important way. I'm a firm believer in the concept that no ride is "safe" from removal, but Darien Lake's Boomerang hasn't reached that point yet by any means. P.S.: Is it just me, or this thread is becoming a wish list as of recent?