jwil

Thank goodness that is finally over. Very nice to see Mantis become something I'd like to ride. I wonder what else CP has in store for 2015, if anything.

I'd really like to see Dorney get something unique that makes me want to go back, but I understand it is a smaller, regional park rather than a headlining destination park, so it is near the bottom of Cedar Fair's list for getting new/expensive rides. I do miss Laser. There aren't many of those Schwarzkopf looping coasters remaining in the World, much less the U.S. It was a tight and aggressive ride. As my first looping coaster, it will always have that nostalgia factor for me. I also miss Hercules. Even though that ride was out-of-control, that first drop and turn were amazing, and the layout wasn't bad at all. I haven't ridden Steel Force in a while, and although it would probably pale in comparison to the newer hypers/gigas, I always liked the ride. Talon is one of my favorite inverts. Hydra, however, was a fairly big disappointment to me. I do need to ride it again since it's been awhile, but I absolutely hated that ride before.

I'll join the side of those thinking Mantis won't leave entirely. I really think they are going to make some changes to it, I just have little idea what. The "darkness falls" wording makes me think they are turning it into a dark ride. Maybe not the whole ride, but perhaps part of it. I can't see them removing it and building a new dark ride (or otherwise) in its place between November and May/June. If there is going to be a brand new ride for next year, it will be going in a different location, I'm sure.

Have those markings on the ground in the Blue Streak area and elsewhere been explained yet? I remember those teaser pics from long ago; I was wondering if it was ever determined what those markings meant. Perhaps nothing but laying electricity/water/gas to an area that doesn't have those connections. I think anything with Mean Streak for next year would be out. If they plan to renovate or remove it for 2016, they would wait until next year to announce that, I'm sure. Anything dealing with Mantis could still be on the table, and I suppose it could be a dark ride coming - perhaps with a frontier/western theme?

I personally think Six Flags may be over-extending themselves by having to manage so many parks. I imagine that is a large reason for their bankruptcy issues back in 2009 (recession and other issues didn't help). I imagine they do revenue-sharing amongst the parks (meaning they don't just use revenues from one park to expand that one park); however, with so many parks to deal with, it is bound to happen that some parks get ignored in favor of the bigger parks that can support growth due to popularity and a larger consumer base. Magic Mountain might get more attention because, although there are a good number of parks in Southern California, there really aren't any major competitors to its thrill-park status in the Western third of the U.S. (Knott's and DK being the closest). Plus I'm sure SF doesn't want its "coaster capital" title taken away. Here in the NE, a lot of parks are clustered in a much tighter sector, ones that are much more comparable, so Great Adventure has a lot more competition to deal with. If people want to ride a bunch of roller coasters, they have a lot more options in the NE U.S. as compared to the Western U.S. I think if SF would sell off some of their properties, all the properties would be better off in the long run. I'm just speculating, of course. It could be that the smaller sell-offs could die due to lack of funding (again assuming SF does revenue-sharing amongst all its parks). Plus it would be a matter of finding buyers. Personally, I'd love to buy an amusement park - time to hit a crowdfunding site!

Definitely not a "roller coaster" in any true sense of the word, but I believe it is Larson's fault, as they advertise the ride as a "compact roller coaster." It is a flat, without a doubt. I think it's a tad deceptive to call it otherwise. What about the other announcements? Are they just waiting on those? Or were fake clues included with the real ones as red herrings? Also, who wrote that press release? There is nothing unique about this ride at all, as four of these are being installed at the same time across different parks, not to mention the ones that already exist.

Parks don't have to do exactly what we want or would like to see, but they do have make improvements and continually evolve. They're a business, and the tourism industry is particularly fickle. Older rides that no longer get a lot of attention from guests, specifically positive attention, are just dead weight to a park that must continually change to meet attendance and revenue goals. Cedar Fair also understands return on investment. Making a smaller change could see a fairly equivalent return as making a much more expensive installation, only in less time. While the rumors going around don't have a ton of weight behind them, they seem fairly cost-effective and would certainly increase the appeal of older rides. As a personal note, I do not find Mantis or Mean Streak appealing as they are now. They both physically hurt me. Mantis, at least, has a seemingly decent layout. I find Mean Streak's general design is out-dated; it has not aged well. The layout is peculiar and ineffective, IMHO. Any change to either coaster would make me want to ride them again. I don't predict a substantial change to Mean Streak next year. Any significant change to Mean Streak, and CP would likely give the public some warning so they could get their last rides in.

A super loop makes sense based on the clues, but common sense should dictate that it would not be the best decision for the park. It doesn't seem like the most appealing ride, either. Isn't this model almost the same ride that used to exist, just under a different name? There are a lot more appealing flats they could install out there. More appealing in terms of capacity and overall design.

Perhaps the queue will be a giant bee hive you have to navigate. Only the strong (the survivors) get to ride at the end of it. Jokes aside, looking forward to see how big the reveal is. Leaks will happen; I imagine the plans are going to please everyone regardless.

Off topic - For the out-of-staters, Pennsylvania is one of the three remaining Commonwealths (Kentucky, Virginia), and the old "blue laws" are still on the books, unlike most other states that no longer have them or never had them. At this point, the LCB (Liquor Control Board) will do its best to see that its monopoly remains indefinitely. It brings in a ton of money for the state. It was still illegal to sell alcohol on Sundays up until a few years ago. Moreover, one cannot sell six-packs and cases of beer in the same location, nor can hard liquor be sold where beer is sold. Hard liquor sales are confined to state-run "Wine and Spirit" shoppes. I recommend doing research ahead of time if you want to find a place to buy beer. Most bars will sell six-packs, at least, just keep in mind "Beer Distributors" are stores where you can specifically purchase cases of beer. Hopping over to a gas station or grocery store will likely net you zero results, although that is slowly changing. Both Sheetz (West/Central PA) and Wawa (Eastern PA) are intent on obtaining liquor licenses so they can sell six-packs. Meanwhile, some grocery stores are now selling six/twelve packs of beer, but those locations are fairly limited. The only grocery stores I've seen selling beer are in the metro Pittsburgh and Philly areas and suburbs (think Giant Eagle or Wegman's). I remember the first time I traveled out of state and could legally purchase alcohol. Going to a gas station and finding beer was miraculous to me haha. Anyway, that is your TIL lesson for the day if you're traveling from out-of-state! I'm not a Hershey local so I can't give you the best advice for that area; hopefully others can help you out there.

Not sure where you live, but you can try buying your tickets at a local township building. My local township in PA offers tickets for $36 a piece. I don't think there is a better deal around. Look online at your local township's website for the Parks & Rec Dept. and hopefully they have similar offers.

I want to like Magnum, but as another tall person, it hurts the legs bad. I would prefer restraints that have a bit more room for my legs to space out. Perhaps lap bars that have one side open: _| instead of |_|.

Not sure where you live, but you can try local governments. I go to my local township building to get most tickets, as they are usually cheaper there than anywhere else. Hershey tickets are currently $47 there; they are $61 online, but I'm not sure if there are any better deals.

For all-out intensity, Skyrush is the winner for me, and it isn't even close. I can't think of another ride that emulates riding a bull so perfectly. Somewhat ironically, El Toro is my #2 (and certainly my top woodie for intensity). Kingda Ka wins for most intense launch, but after that the ride is "calm." Honorable Mentions: Millennium Force (most intense drop, IMHO), Maverick, Nitro, Griffon.

B&M - Mantis (Cedar Point) and Hydra (Dorney) tie for me. The former was extremely painful, while the latter was just so incredibly dull. Intamin - Skull Mountain (Great Adventure) and Stormrunner (Hershey). The former, certainly an older ride, just isn't all that interesting. Perhaps a bit unfair to include it. The latter was also quite painful for me, largely in the shoulders and head; new restraints might make it a much better ride, IMHO. GCI - Wildcat (Hershey). No comparison as far as I'm concerned, this ride is just bad and painful.

I absolutely love the atmosphere you've created with the details in this park. The ride layouts are just icing on the cake, from what I can tell. Really excellent! Would love to have a download of this once you're finished!

For me this could be any number of smaller flats. I probably enjoy the classic Pirate ships more than most, sitting in the very end rows, of course. Other rides I would include in this category are the HUSS Enterprise, the Monster, etc.

Simple question for those in the know: is Outlaw Run a painful ride for taller people? I'm 6'3" and have not heard great things about the restraints on the legs. I'm sure this is one of those YMMV conditions, but I'd still like some idea of what to expect. Thanks.

Ah Breakers renovation, how sorely needed is that? Thank goodness. I had heard of CP's planned 3-phase renovation timeline, does anyone have any more information on that as of today? What "phase" is restoring the Breakers? I'm curious as to when I should next plan a trip there, ideally after renovations are complete. Also please let the rumors of floorless trains on Mantis be true. I'm fairly certain that ride caused permanent damage to my body. Exaggerating, of course, but it was pretty painful for me. Seeing as how I would greatly prefer floorless trains, the ride could still be salvaged for me.

I haven't been to GAdv in three years or more, but I can't remember them running four trains for KK since the year it opened. Hell, our group that year (2005) waited over four hours to get on up front even with four trains. At least the waits aren't that long anymore. I'm looking forward to getting back on El Toro and the new drop tower hopefully later this year. Have they repainted Nitro yet? Even however many years ago I thought it needed a new paint job. I still miss GASM despite how hated that ride was.

Ah No Limits 2, been waiting years but it seems like just yesterday it was announced. Yet another reason for me to upgrade to a true gaming PC. As Bart Scott would say, can't wait!

Was never a huge Rolling Thunder fan. It is a shame when those older coasters go by the wayside, but other than nostalgia, it really was not a coaster worth saving, IMHO. This ride seems like a decent replacement, especially since I would actually ride this regularly. I only wish it was a design more akin to Falcon's Fury - the seats should tip forward at least 45 degrees once they ascend to the top. Not sure when I'll ever make it to Tampa and get on that one.

Went to CP Wednesday through Friday last week (8/7-8/9). Hadn't been in five years. No surprise the waits were brutal. Millennium Force ended up being the worst wait on Thursday--3.5 hours. However, that included a 45-minute to an hour breakdown as it seemed one of the trains was having issues (yellow). I realize I won't go back without getting a fast pass, but to afford it over three days is excessive. We just had to wait. Unfortunately it is becoming near impossible to enjoy your time there without a fast-pass. On Thursday we got 4 rides in over the course of the majority of the day. I made a joke you spend 10 hours waiting and 10 minutes riding, and I don't think I was far off. A lot of the major rides seemed to have issues while we were there. Gatekeeper broke down Friday afternoon and people had actually gotten stuck on the lift hill. Not sure how long they were there, but we watched them pull each person off the ride individually. It had to be awkward when there is nothing below you but the track. MF, TTD, and MaXair all had downtime, and of course Skyhawk and Shoot the Rapids were still MIA. I didn't see any work being done on either of them. My favorite coaster is still Maverick with MF in second. I got a night ride on Mean Streak and I actually liked it a bit better than when I rode it five years ago, but it is very rough and the layout shows its age. I would much prefer something akin to El Toro take up that space. Iron Dragon is also a favorite of mine--just a smooth ride. It is unfortunate there aren't very many suspended coasters left around. Big Bad Wolf was a great ride but is since deceased. The only new ride I didn't get on was Windseeker, largely because I had no interest in riding it. Plus I was familiar with all the issues the ride has had and didn't care to risk getting stuck up there for 3 hours. We got lucky in riding Gatekeeper on Friday before it broke; 2 rides in 2 hours (one for early entry then we got right back in line to ride on the other side). The right side was the better ride, IMO, but overall the ride was not all that interesting. The intensity I like in certain rides was lacking with Gatekeeper. It might barely be in my Top 10 coasters. Stayed at the Breakers Express this time largely because the place was booked solid. I previously had stayed at the Hotel Breakers so it was disappointing to have to drive back and forth to the park and a bit less convenient, but overall it was not a bad stay. Still, next time I will definitely stay at Breakers on-site again, just be sure to book more in advance.

Probably already said a million times, but Mean Streak immediately comes to mind to fix up or destroy altogether. You could use the existing wood base and create something like Iron Rattler/NTG or simply use that space for something useful. Due to a lack of woodies at CP I would prefer the former option. If looking to replace it, I guess any number of things could go there. Skyrush at Hershey: I would fix the station to improve capacity and load times, increase ride duration by extending the track. Hydra at Dorney: I would essentially start over with the design. It is far too slow; needs more speed and should be comparable to other floorless coasters. Dark Knight at Six Flags: Instead of a wild mouse concept, I would use an entirely different ride type for this coaster (4th Dimension or Dive coaster). I guess I interpret ameliorate rather broadly here haha.

I was planning a CP trip in early August. I'm glad there were no serious injuries in the accident. I have not yet ridden STR and I guess I won't get to this year. I found it to be a strange inclusion as I feel it isn't all that different from Snake River Falls, correct? I'm in the camp where a park shouldn't add a ride just to add a ride. I know CP wanted to replace the old flume, but it seems like they could have installed something much more interesting for their money. I also hope Skyhawk is fixed but that, too, seems unlikely given all the issues it has had this year. It is only 7 years old so I can't imagine them ditching the investment quite yet.