Schrecken
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Posts posted by Schrecken
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I can think of a few off the top of my head....the double down on the Jackrabbit was quite unexpected, and the first time my friend and I rode it a few years ago she ended up bashing her elbow into the side of the seat. So it was a most unpleasant surprise for her, at least on that trip. I just didn't think an older, smaller coaster like that could pack such a negative g punch.
And the RT hill on El Toro - that was also unexpected, and also to a degree the whole coaster, as I had never ridden an Intamin woodie before.
The drop on Verbolten would have shocked me had I been GP and had no idea of it before I rode it, and also the 2nd launch on Volcano had I not been aware of it before hand, as only the initial launch is apparent from the line.
And then there's Skyrush - to me the whole coaster was a huge surprise, even though I had fair warning as to its nature before I ever set foot on it. Despite what I had heard, I had a hard time believing a middling, simple looking 200ft hyper could deliver such an intense ride complete with killer negative g's.
Finally, there are the negative surprises. First was Drachen Fire - despite the fact that it was the only coaster in the park that day that was a near-walk-on (especially when the BBW and Nessie had waits almost an hour long; not sure about the old wild mouse, but it wasn't a walk-on) I still eagerly got in line. As I got up to the gate, a little voice in the back of my head wondered why this impressive looking coaster had no line, but I got on anyway. And boy was my neck wrenched in a really painful way - such was the surprise that was only a surprise to me and practically no one else in the park that day. SOB was a similar situation, but at least with that one I had heard it was pretty rough before I rode it so I knew not to expect a glass-smooth ride. I just didn't think it would be THAT rough....
And then there's Ninja at SFMM. The first time I rode it I failed to notice (or just could not see) the full lay out of the ride, and so once the train hit the 2nd chain lift I was gearing up for another drop, and then to my total dismay what appeared before me was the brake run into the station. So yeah, a big surprise, and a lame one at that. The only other Arrow suspended I had ridden before was the BBW, so that added to my disappointment.
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I'm not a fan of drop towers either. I have ridden some of them before here and there, but in general I will avoid. My reason is that I don't like the way they startle me - IMO drop towers are amusement ride analogies to someone creeping up behind you and popping a paper bag in your ear or otherwise making a loud noise. And sometimes the loud noise still startles even if you know the person is there, as is the case with the drop tower - you know it is going to drop but still it freaks me out. And worse is the fact that most towers are just that - the ascent, and then the drop and that's it.
There are of course coasters with elements that can startle and surprise, like sudden launches, hanging drops like Griffon and drop track like Verbolten (I remember being worried about both of those before my first ride because of my drop tower aversion), but all of those have other elements after the surprise that give me time to "recover". But with a drop tower I'm just sitting there once the gondola comes to a stop at the bottom with my heart beating out of my chest and no way to get rid of the adrenaline build up. That's not enjoyable to me. But with coasters that have drop-like features, the rest of the ride dissipates that for the most part.
That said, while I normally avoid drop towers, I will ride the kind that bounce, like the one at Valley Fair (which was the last one I rode) or the one at Holiday World. The actions of these help dissipate the "shock" of the initial drop and not only that, I feel I get more "bang for the buck", so to speak - there is more to it than just an ascent and drop.
But if I happened to be at a park with someone who really, really wanted to ride one and didn't want to go alone, I probably would bite the bullet and go ahead and ride, but I would have to close my eyes for the whole trip to help blunt the startle response. I am not afraid of heights, and normally I will look out if I am on an observation tower or even at the crest of a tall coaster, but closing my eyes would allow me to turn off the visual input if it becomes too much.
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I have to agree about this park being totally lackadaisical when it comes to maintenance - I will never forget the one and only time I went to the park a couple of years ago and my friend and I were in line to ride Hades 360. We were in the station, and there was a ride mechanic who waited until the train dispatched and jumped down onto the track in the station and was spraying something with a can of WD-40 and banging on it with a hammer. He kept looking up and when the train came onto the brake run he would leap up onto the platform. Once the people left the train, he was banging on something on the train (it looked like they were having a problem unlocking the restraints). And then more riders got on, the train dispatched and then he went back down onto the track with his hammer and spray. And this went on for several cycles until we got on (and it may have continued when we got off, as he was still there).
Talk about an accident waiting to happen. That would totally have to be an OSHA violation! I have never seen anyone work on a coaster while it was running at any park, not even tiny "mom & pop" operations.
Going to Mt. Olympus got me some more coaster credits for sure, but honestly, I really have no desire to go back there again.
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So, they are finally getting rid of that piece of scrap iron in the middle of Candy Apple Grove....YES!!!! I am one of those coaster fans who would normally try to get a last ride on a coaster before it goes away for good, but on this one I will pass. Whatever they choose to put there will at least be something I can ride without being in pain....
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I would also add Kumba to my list of popular coasters I don't care for. I didn't hate it; it was simply that I just couldn't understand what was so great about it. Honestly, if I had the choice of riding Kumba or Bizarro at SF Great Adventure, I'd ride Bizarro every time. But I was able to appreciate the way Kumba fits so perfectly into the landscape - it is indeed a very photogenic coaster. On the other hand (while speaking of BGT), I did find Montu to be very deserving of its reputation and accolades.
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Here's a little mini-tr: My boyfriend and I went to HP this past Saturday, and due to the previous day's heat and thunderstorms (and also the propensity for Saturday crowds) we were sort of expecting the worst. However, we got a bit of a pleasant surprise. The sky was overcast, and it stayed that way until late in the afternoon, which kept the heat way down. The crowds were also moderate, and most rides had only a 20 minute wait or even less. We got there first thing in the morning (right before 10am), but we were delayed in getting into the park because my bf had to rent an electric scooter because he had injured his ankle at work a couple weeks ago and it was really bothering him. So as soon as we took care of that we headed back to Laff Trakk to get that out of the way. The line was already close to an hour long, and he could not stand for that amount of time so we went into the handicapped entrance and got on after a few minutes. Which also meant that we missed the stuff in the cue line, but oh well. At any rate, I found it to be a fun little coaster, and being it was only the two of us on one side of the car, we did get some decent spinning. The black light graphics also reminded me of some of the Sally shooting dark rides, and my bf though it looked pretty cool. That said, I would also not recommend waiting an hour or more for it. Maybe a half hour or so, especially if it's hot outside as another way to take a break from the heat.
Then we headed over to Lightning Racer, and I caught the Lightning side without anyone waiting for the front seat (I usually ride back seat on this woodie but my bf was concerned about roughness, and also because of his ankle). I found it enjoyable as always, but he found it too rough even for the front seat. So then we rode Fahrenheit (also used the handicapped pass for that one, even though the line wasn't too bad, maybe 25 minutes at most), and we were placed in the middle of the train, but a bit closer to the front perhaps. I was surprised at how rattly it has become, since the last time I rode it, it seemed very smooth. But I didn't find it to be painfully rough, even though I got one bit of head-banging which kind of tweaked one of my earrings and that didn't feel good). My bf said it really bothered his ankle (the positive g's sending all the blood to his feet I'd imagine) and so sadly he had to sit out Storm Runner. We by-passed the mouse and Wild cat, since we had ridden Laff Trakk and IMO the Wild Cat is painfully rough, even in the front so even I didn't want to ride it). I only waited maybe ten minutes for Storm Runner.
As I came off the ride I found my bf sitting there on the scooter parked under SR's lauch track, watching as each train was sent flying over the top hat. As he is an industrial equipment mechanic he was most interested in the workings of the launch - that, and when he was in the Navy he worked on an air craft carrier and was quite familiar with hydraulic launches but didn't know they were being used on coasters. We also passed on Sidewinder and Trailblazer.
So then we headed back to the front of the park, and on the way we went up in the Kissing Tower and he took some pics on his phone, and if any of them turn out really well I will post them here when he sends them to me. Then we took a stroll thru the zoo, and after that I decided to ride Great Bear. The line was just barely out into the first set of switchbacks, so it looked to be maybe a half hour or so. But that wouldn't be the case. In reality I must have waited almost 45 minutes, which doesn't make sense, as GB has the highest capacity of any of the coasters at HP, and yet the line is always so slow! Even Skyrush with its goofy enter/exit confusion and its Intamin brethren Fahrenheit and Storm Runner with fewer seats per train can't seem to compete for this dubious honor. B&Ms are usually people eaters, but not so at HP for some odd reason. I like GB, but it always sucks to have to wait so long for it when other coasters have shorter lines.
So after I rode we went into the food place right across from GB's entrance and had a late lunch at around 2pm. We both got the beef burrito, and wow, was it filling! We were so stuffed we didn't eat dinner until around 8 pm later that night, so if you want something extremely filling and fairly decent, the burrito is one thing to consider.
After that, we headed down into the Hollow, and my first stop was my old favorite - Skyrush. Sadly I had to leave my bf behind, as I knew that if Fahrenheit and Lightning Racer had given him pains, that my #1 coaster would have plunged him into abject misery. I really had wanted him to be able to ride it, though, since he hadn't been to HP in over ten years. So I went and did my thing, and as always, my #1 delivered as I took my favorite center back row seat. The good news is it does not seem any rougher or more rattly than last year, and it packs just as much a punch as it always has (although I did not get to ride it for the first time until after the lift was slowed down). Afterwards my burrito started to come back and haunt me, and so I took a break on the SDL, and the lines were non-existent, and so I waited a few minutes for the front. Afterwards I checked in with my BF again, who was patiently waiting for me, and then I noticed that the line for Skyrush was starting at the bottom of the stairs, instead of spilling out into the first couple switchbacks. So I took two more center back seat rides and then I decided to call it a day, especially since the sun was coming out and shade was hard to find in that area where my bf was waiting.
It was about 3:30 when I left the park to hit Chocolate World and go get the truck to pick my bf up at the gate, and by that time there was a second wave of people coming into the park. So all in all it was a good day (well, other than my bf's ankle issue, but at least he was able to do some riding) and the rain held off and the crowds were fairly light.
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Thanks! Maybe I'll try the closing time strategy (and also Skyrush seems to be less crowded as the day wears on).
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Anyone know how bad the lines have been for Laff Trak on weekends? I am planning on going this coming Saturday (yeah, I know, not really a good day to avoid heavy crowds, but that's the only day my boyfriend can go due to his work schedule). I'm guessing maybe the best thing to do would be to just head to that part of the park first thing (since everyone always seems to go for Skyrush and other stuff in that area first).... I'd really rather not wait more than a half hour or so to ride it.
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For Intamin, Skyrush hands down
For B&M I'd have to go with Nitro, and maybe Griffon as a close second
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For me, SOB would be close to the top of the list for wood. I had really looked forward to riding it ever since it was built, and finally I had gotten a chance to go to KI and ride it (this was a couple of years before they closed it down). I figured that a woodie topping 200ft and having a loop surely would be awesome, but instead I ended up with a big headache and a sore neck that must have lasted close to an hour after riding. And not only that, the ride wasn't even enjoyable in the least (other than perhaps the first drop and the drop into the loop, and even those were unremarkable).
The Beast was also somewhat underwhelming, although it did perform better once darkness had fallen. I didn't hate it, it just wasn't quite the powerhouse and legend I had expected. Not only that, it was a bit too rough in some places to be highly re-rideable.
For steel, some that come to mind are the B&M Superman flyers - I think the first I rode was at SFOG. I never thought I'd like a Vekoma better than a B&M, but that is exactly the way I felt after having ridden S:UF at three different SF parks.
Also agree with those who mentioned Raging Bull - that was totally a let-down, not only because it lacked excitement, but also due to the fact that I waited nearly an hour to ride it and it was so not worth it.
Kumba was another recent let-down. I expected far more out of it considering its legendary status and legions of fans. But I came away from BGT liking Montu, Sheikra and even Cheetah Hunt a lot better. And when it comes to sit-down B&Ms (I include both floorless and non-floorless models here) I like Bizarro/Medusa at SF Great Adventure and even Dominator a lot better. I do think that Kumba is very photogenic and it makes the most of its location in the way the track follows the layout of the land and landscaping. But, that doesn't a great ride make. I just found it be overall average for a sit-down B&M, not horrible but not great either.
There are some other steel coasters that I could mention that IMO were ruined by bad restraints, but I won't mention those simply because bad restraints don't mean a ride can't or couldn't be good if the restraints were modified.
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Well, there really was no good option in the poll to express the way I feel about fast passes, so I will have to explain. My thoughts on them are that, assuming certain conditions are met, I really could care less whether or not parks sell them or how much they charge.
The main problem I've experience with fast passes (glad someone else noticed this about SF Great America) is that if the park doesn't run the operation properly, things can turn into a nightmare for non-fast pass guests (which are the vast majority of a park's guests in a given day). My friend and I went to SFGA three summers ago, and it was a total disaster for most of the guests in the park. Instead of slowly "feeding" fast pass users into the main line, they would just shut down the main lines for several minutes and wait for the fast pass lane to fill up before letting those people thru. This in turn created 1.5 hour lines for rides that probably would have only been maybe an hour or so long (or even less) without such a fustercluck system they had in place (no idea if they still do this, but I can tell you it's unlikely I'm going to find out, as a certain place will have to ice over before I go back to that park all due to that rotten experience). It's one thing to have a crowded park and know you will be waiting in a line (which happens and is usually understandable); but it's a whole different story when the lines you are in are grossly exacerbated by poor park fast pass polices.
As for the rich vs poor thing, I don't think that the hotel room or airline seat analogy is that good of a comparison to what is going on with fast passes (whether you like them or not). If I fly coach I can compensate (to a large degree) for what I won't get in first class. I can pack a lunch and only have to purchase a bottle of water on the plane to take care of food and drink, and I can bring a tablet, music player, laptop, etc, to entertain myself with, and I can choose a certain seat or part of the plane to make my trip more comfortable (assuming the airline allows that). And most importantly, I will arrive at the same destination at exactly the same time as the person in business or first class and pay half or less of what they paid for the trip. And if I choose to sit in the "nosebleed" section at a concert or sporting event, I can bring a pair of binoculars to compensate for sitting further away from the action, so I can see just as well as the person who is within spitting distance from the stage. But with something like a fast pass, there really is no way (other than perhaps planning two days at the park rather than one, and then that defeats the purpose because you are still spending extra money) to compensate (well, you could also be a really fast runner when the chain drops!).
Though as I said, I am used to waiting in lines at parks and it really doesn't bother me much (well, anything over 34 or 40 minutes starts to get really old, especially depending on what ride you are waiting for), and as long as I don't feel that the line I'm in is being made a whole lot longer by fast pass users, I'm OK with it.
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The three parks closest to me that I would consider to be home parks are KD, Hershey and SFA. I haven't been to KD in a couple of years, but when I was last there I still enjoyed it, though of course some things do grow old after a while. Older rides that were awesome when they debuted (like Flight of Fear) now seem tired and worn out, but of course part of that had to do with the changes in theming. Of the three, I'd say Hershey has lost the least of its luster over the years for some reason. And then there's SFA. IMO that park lost its luster for me a long, long time ago, and has yet to get much of it back (for a multitude of reasons). I did have a season pass there for a couple of years back in the late 90's (in pre-SF days), back when my love for coasters was brand new and I had yet to go beyond my figurative coaster back yard at that point. I hope for the day that I will want to go to SFA the way that I want to go to HP (and KD occasionally). For them, getting a brand new non-clone bonafide rollercoaster would be start in the right direction of re-building any luster they might have had.
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I have a soft spot in my heart for the old fashioned swing rides, as I have fond memories of riding them as a child. And also, the swing was my best friend's favorite ride (she found coasters to be too scary for the most part, so she stuck to milder flat rides) and now I have this "tradition" of trying to ride the swing at every park that has one (unless of course the park is super-crowded and I need the time for coaster credits) in memory of her. I always ride the one at Hershey because that was her favorite one.
I also like Himalaya-type flats (not sure of the exact model/make, but I like the kind where the seats are on a platform and not so much the ones with the swinging gondola type seats), as again I have fond memories of riding those as a kid at both carnivals and parks.
Skyrides are also something I always want to do at any park that has one. There's nothing better than getting an overhead view of the park (and a bonus for the ones that will actually take you from one part of the park to another) and being able to take pictures.
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I rode Goliath at SFMM 32 times in one day, and this was back when the mid-course break wasn't on at all (which made the helix even more potent than it is now), and needless to say I was pretty dizzy for a while after that marathon. And in the summer of 13' I rode Skyrush 20 times in one day, and yes, my legs were pretty sore by the time I left the park.
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I just paid my first visit to BGT this past fall since the last time I was there, which was sometime during the Carter administration. Regarding Gwazi, I opted to not ride for two reasons - one is that I have a bad back, and I didn't want to throw it out of whack for my long drive home. Second, I was suffering from the flu (yes, I got the shot but apparently it doesn't offer much protection for this year's virus), and for those two reasons I passed on riding it. I'm not that much of a credit junkie, though if I had been feeling better I probably would have suffered thru one side of it. So yeah, another credit missed, but oh well.
But I did ride Cheetah Hunt. I was fully expecting a snooze-fest based on some enthusiasts' reactions to it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, it's no heavy duty thrill ride, but it does have good pacing, and the inversion caught me off guard because I had forgotten that it had one. I was also worried about the OTSRs bashing me upside the head (as happened to me on Maverick) but thankfully that didn't happen. Actually, in some ways, Cheetah Hunt is IMO one of the most re-rideable coasters in the park (as said, I skipped Gwazi, not that it would have ever been a contender for re-rideability anyway, and Scorpion was closed for repairs when I was there).
As an aside, I also enjoyed Sheikra (obviously very similar to Griffon, the main difference I noticed is of course the theming and setting) and Montu (yes, this is indeed a testament to the potency of older B&M inverts - it sure did clear out my head for a few moments, anyway). Kumba was OK, but it didn't really impress me that much (in kind of a reverse to my feelings on Cheetah Hunt, I had higher expectations for this coaster and it failed to meet them). It is very photogenic and does fit well into the landscaping, though.
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KD - I-305
HP - Skyrush
SFA - S:ROS
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I remember when SFMM used to have a policy (maybe they still do? I don't know, I haven't been there since 02') where they would only run one or two (two for a coaster that could and did normally run three trains) trains on weekdays all during the off-season. Granted, weekdays during off season were usually pretty dead, but once in a while the park could get pretty crowded. And what irritated me was that no matter how crowded it got and no matter how bad the lines got (even for then brand new coasters like Goliath) they would never see fit to add another train. Only on weekends would they run the max. number of trains that particular coaster could run.
So apparently some parks do (did) have a blanket policy based on certain times of the year and days of the week when they would try to anticipate how crowded the park might normally be.
Also, it used to irk me when SFA would only run one train on Wild One, regardless of the time or year or day of the week, and this was because the other train wasn't operational for whatever reason.
So yes, I can see a park having fewer trains on the track on days and times that are normally rather slow, but it would be nice if they would also have a contingency plan on the off chance that the park might get really crowded. I have been at a few parks where they would add an extra train if lines become fairly long.
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The main problem I have with a lot of force on coasters is when that force is amplified in a negative way due to the structure of the train as it relates to how the passengers ride in it. In other words, a forceful ride with nasty OTSRs can be a real torture simply because of the way the restraints tend to batter riders. But an identical ride with a different kind of restraint can be a lot of fun because the rider isn't being battered by said restraint.
So, if I'm going to find myself flung hard into or against some part of the ride seating and restraints, then I'm not going to like forcefulness on that kind of ride. I'd much rather have a milder ride will far less force rather than one that would be painful to ride. But for a ride with seating and restraints that don't cause serious discomfort and pain, I vastly prefer a lot of force (in my case killer negative g-s, as on Skyrush, are the best).
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The one that sticks in my mind the most is that several people have been decapitated over the years when they tried to stand up on Space Mountain at WDW (which of course isn't true).
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Depends on what you mean by local.....I've got at least three parks I consider to be local - SFA, KD and Hershey. I haven't been to SFA in years (the reasons for that are kind of obvious for anyone who is familiar with this park, including the fact they haven't built a new coaster in ages, and the idea of a mega carnival ride I don't like anyway does nothing for me), I do go to KD every couple of years or so, and I've been going to HP a lot (a couple of times a year or more) since Skyrush was built.
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My most recent pleasant surprise was riding Cheetah Hunt at BGT. I was totally expecting a lame, boring coaster (based on some things I'd heard and just the layout of the ride) that wouldn't even hold a candle to its BGE counterpart Verbolten. But I actually liked it quite a lot - I'd say it was my third fave at that park, after Montu and Sheikra. And in some ways I like it better than Verbolten (though Verbolten wins for theming IMO), though it's hard for me to call a winner between the two. I like Cheetah Hunt because of the length of the ride, the unusual elements and the triple launch, and the fact that there's no head-banging despite it having OTSRs. But either way, it was certainly better than the yawn fest I was expecting.
Also on that trip another pleasant and unexpected surprise was that I actually managed to get a couple of small pops of airtime riding in the front of Big Thunder Mountain at the Magic Kingdom. I didn't think there'd be any air time to be had in that particular Disney park.
I haven't had any really unpleasant surprises lately, the only thing that might come close was that I found Kumba to be rather unimpressive (despite its fan base), and there are B&M sit down coasters I like better.
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I'm thankful that more coaster builders are doing away with the dreaded OTSR whenever possible and all of the headbanging that often goes with it. Also thankful that my #1 coaster (Skyrush) is only 81 miles away from my home (yeah, not exactly next door but it could be far worse - it could be on the other side of the country or even out of the country!). And I'm thankful that I have a good variety of coasters and parks nearby, both for day and overnight trips.
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Sheikra at BGT. That's it for this season for me.
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For me it would be Cheetah Hunt at BGT; that's the newest coaster (as in the most recently built) in the bunch that I just added to my credit list on my recent Orlando trip.
What defunct park intrigues you the most?
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
I would have liked to have visited Hard Rock Park for sure, especially when it had its original ride names and branding. The Nights in White Satin ride looks like it would have been awesome. Also, Six Flags New Orleans and Astroworld, simply because they were major parks that closed down in the last couple of decades since I've been into coasters.
I'd also go for Crystal Beach so I could ride the Cyclone (though it would be nice if I could also go back and somehow use my 18 year old body to ride it with as I don't know if my back could deal with it).
There is one local park I'd love to go back in time to experience - Gwynn Oak, which was located just outside of Baltimore City. The reason for that is I have heard so many people who are older than me talk about going there. I have a friend who told me about the scary Ferris wheel they had (the way he describes it I think it was a double wheel), which was made even more so for him as a child when his drunken grandmother would violently rock the cart. That park closed when I was about a year old (around 1971), so I would have had to have a time machine to visit it. Also, part of the movie Hairspray (the original, anyway) was set there because the park was still segregated well into the 60's. It probably wasn't that great of a park, but it still interests me just because I know so many people who went there.