Rai Fox

They just reported that it's repaired and running now.

Lake Compounce is currently saying that Boulder Dash is down "until further notice." Doesn't sound particularly good there...

Dorney Park Saturday, Knoebels Sun-Tuesday. Get to take a couple people to Knoebels who've never been there before, too; always great to see peoples' reactions when they see the place for the first time.

Back when Hercules was removed, I was delighted to see it turned to firewood. Now, though, I can only wonder what could have been, if it were still around and could ge the RMC treatment...

That...comes as quite a surprise to me. When I was there just a few weeks ago, it was perfectly smooth, for a wooden coaster, and a -much- better ride than I expected at all.

Just wondering, why do some parks not allow snapping? It's very rough on the cables, means they have to replace them far more often. At least, that's the claim.

That's not quite true. There were injuries on it, but I can't find a single actual report of anything as severe as a broken neck. It was also the circular shape of the loop that was really dangerous; the new slide uses a modern elliptical shape. Still not 100% sold on the general concept, though.

Even Action Park wouldn't go there.

Not on the weekend itself, it never is on sat or sun. Should be available that Monday though.

I can't see myself going without buying a wristband. Just the way my mind works, if I just had tickets, I'd spend too much time agonizing over how many tickets I had left, if I'd had enough, if that ride was really worth it... Even if it's not financially the better choice, I'd rather buy the all day pass, and ride whatever I want without having to give any thought to how many I have left in the day.

That's Irving oil.

Blazing fast, it's definitely not. I don;'t think it ever even hits 30mph. It feels quite a bit faster though. It is a great picture for marketing though. I don't think I could have really picked out that it's the wood grain that makes it look fast, but now that you mention it, you're definitely right.

Typical for Hershey; I've never seen anything approaching good operations at that park. In my experience, they have consistently the worst operations of any major park I've been to. I'm not sure what the issue is; training, policies, I just don't know, but they're abysmal, and on a crowded day it really hurts an otherwise wonderful park.

Yeah, decided on Dorney; just seems wiser to go with parks I know when it comes to showing a friend around them. I'll try to make a weekend trip to Morey's myself before the end of the season. Got everything booked now...nothing to do now but slog through a couple more weeks of work until I can get back to Phoenix and Twister! (And Dorney, but...really now. Priorities)

If a four hour drive from Knoebels is too much, you might not want to do Morey's Piers then, because apparently that's a four hour drive on a good day. As familiar as it is, maybe Dorney Park is your best bet? Or perhaps if you feel like checking out even more nostalgia, Lakemont Park in Altoona, if you haven't hit it up yet? well, the thing is, the first day I'll be starting in Philly. So it would be about an hour and a half to Morey's Piers. From there, a four hour drive to Knoebels the second day. If we did Kennywood, it'd be six hours to there, four hours back. Still, I am leaning towards Dorney. While the selfish part of me is flailing about new credits at Morey's, Dorney's sorta the safe bet for me, as far as bringing a friend new to this stuff. I know it's a decent, clean, well kept park that might not have the -greatest- rides but someone who doesn't have lots to compare them to is still going to enjoy them. Never really long lines, a couple smaller coasters to start things out, and then Talon and Steel Force to test him out a bit...plus, it's a good point of comparison as far as "okay, he's a halfway decent chain park...and then, here's Knoebels." Not that Knoebels needs the help, but, you know...let's make it memorable as possible, right?

Tempting, and normally I'd not turn Kennywood down, but we have half a day, and we'd have to drive there and back...a lot of driving for half a day, probably not worth it this time. Especially since we'll almost certainly be in Pittsburgh again next summer, so we can check that one off then. (Or sooner, as I'm beginning to look into moving there depending on the job market!)

I'm leaning that way, but a bit less so after looking into the hotel situation. Maybe I can find one an hour away or so, though, that'd be tolerable enough.

Hah. Actually, no, I think I'd blocked it out of my mind. On one hand, I DO need to get on Skyrush sometime, and they do have some coasters I like, but overall, Hershey is just that one park everyone likes that I absolutely can't stand. Every time I've been there, operations have been terrible, lines are crazy, staff are rude. Last time I was there, stayed open to close and got on four rides. I'm quite sure that was a fluke, but I just can't make myself want to go back yet. I guess the thing is, I'm trying to drag a friend who's pretty new to amusement parks in general, trying to get him into it all, so I definitely want to make sure it's somewhere that will be a pleasant all around experience, not just something for an enthusiast willing to wait hours in line for a top-ten coaster. Knoebels is of course going to be great for that, but picking another is a bit harder.

1 - Banshee 2- A 2nd ride on Banshee 3- A 3rd ride on B- ...okay, fine. 1 - Banshee 2- Alpengeist 3 - Talon 4 - Montu 5 - Dueling Dragons, pre-retheming

Okay, got a tough choice to make here so let's see what anyone else thinks. Second weekend in August, I'm taking a long weekend to hit Knoebels. I'll be driving from RI into Philly to pick up a friend who's never been there, flying in on Saturday morning. I'm checking into Knoebels campground Sunday evening and staying through Tuesday, can't wait to show them around the place... But, I'll be in the eastern PA area for most of Saturday and the first half of Sunday, and I can't just let that go to waste! This is where I'm having a hard time making a decision though! Option A - Dorney! Some definite advantages here, not least among them the Cedar Fair Platinum pass I'm carrying around. Usually low crowds, plenty of decent, cheap hotels in the area, and, really, I like Dorney a lot more than most seem to; anyway. I've been there four times in four years now though, so it's hard to be as excited about it. Option B - Morey's Piers! I've yet to actually make it to Wildwood, so I'd love to get here. I have no idea what the crowds will be like on an August weekend though. It's a bit further out of the way, it's more expensive, and so far the only hotels I can find that aren't booked out (which does make me worry more about crowds) are quite expensive. However, new credits are hard to resist... Option C - SFGA. Well, my last couple experiences here were downright miserable and I expect the crowds there to be insane on a Saturday in August...but, it's an option. Whatever I decide to do Saturday, I might also just check into Knoebels earlier Sunday and get in some extra time there, especially in the pool and with the waterslides and all. Are there any other worthwhile options I'm missing? What would you do with an extra day and a half in the area?

Unfortunately, it sounds like you missed some of the better stuff at the park. It's not one to go to for coasters right now. Their dark rides are charming and with the exception of the old mill, in uncommonly good condition. Also, their bumper cars are nearly as good as Knoebels! They don't hit as hard but they're probably the fastest I've ever been on. I do agree that the place needs a lot of help though; hoping it gets plenty of it from the new owners.

Lots of nominations for Mean Steak here...and again, I don't get it. No idea what it was like before the last few weeks, but I rode it for the first time last week, expecting medieval torture, and what I got, I wouldn't consider rough at all. I've been on -far- worse coasters half its size. It was a bit wild but never even approached being painful. Didn't think the layout was as bad as I've heard people say, either...not the most intense out there given its size, but...I liked the ride, start to finish. Guess there's someone to love every coaster. Roughest for me that's still operating, Wild Beast at CW. It was bad the first time I rode it, barely tolerable. I was told it had been worked on this year, so I gave it another try. The first 1/3 of the ride or so was MUCH better...and then it proceeded to attempt to extract my spine from me. Roughest of all time, Hercules. I used to be glad it was gone, now I wish it had survived long enough for an RMC conversion. Either way it was hell to ride as it was.

So, quick review/trip report (okay, not that quick, by time I was done...). I was hoping to do a big photo report and all, but...as usual I didn't really think to take lots of photos. Just not really a photographer, I guess. Last week, a friend and I hit Canada's Wonderland, King's Island, and Cedar Point on a rather circuitous roadtrip to a convention in Pittsburgh. I'd been to CW before, but KI and CP were both firsts for me. So, King's Islandhere... Banshee - This was the reason I planned the trip to start with. Inverts have been my favorite type of coaster for many years now, and I'd heard only great things about Banshee, so I needed to find out if I was going to have a new favorite coaster! It didn't let me down. Absolutely the best inverted coaster out there right now. The POVs of this one just don't do it justice; it's so much more intense than it looks in any video. It's just relentless, it never seems to lose any speed until the one slow roll at the end. If it's great during the day though, it's indescribable at night, with the lighting and effects, and the way it drops over the hill away from the rest of the park. Love love love love love every moment of it, and yes, it certainly did take my #1 spot. 10/10 The Bat - I have such a soft spot for these endangered Arrow suspended rides, and it's heartbreaking that the best of them are all gone now. The Bat's certainly never been regarded as one of those anywhere that I'm aware of, and I'd just ridden Vortex at CW, and been told that was the best surviving example so I tried not to get my hopes up. I have to disagree with that one; while they're basically clones of each other, The Bat at KI uses its setting far better than Vortex does. I'll take swinging over the natural ravine there over the fake mountain and lake at CW any day. It's still certainly not BBW, but it makes the best of its layout and size, I think; definitely still enjoyable. Given how much I love every last ride I can get on these before they disappear completely, still have to give it an 8/10 Adventure Express - Again not hoping for too much here; my experience with these family mine trains in that they're slow, boring, cramped and uncomfortable. If it's not Thunder Mountain, it's been pretty much a waste of time. Adventure Express was at least a notch above that. Quite a bit quicker than I expected, built into a great little area. The surprisingly nicely themed lift at the end was unexpected...as, unfortunately, the fact that it turns right back into the station from there. Anticlimactic doesn't even come close to describing it...but still, the rest of the coaster is pretty exciting for a family coaster. 7/10, could be better if it weren't for that ending. The Racer - Keeping to the theme of rides I didn't expect that much from, I figured on Racer being pretty similar to Rebel Yell at KD. Last time I rode Rebel Yell, it barely felt as if it would make it around the course. Far different from that, the Racer held quite respectable speed, and even showed off some halfway decent airtime. The racing aspect actually worked here too; unlike most of the racers I've ridden, it seemed to be about 50/50 as to which side actually won, instead of one better side or train always taking the lead. Quite a picturesque coaster too. Seems that most of these 70s era wooden coasters, if they haven't already been torn down, are barely holding together, but this one still has some life left in it! 7.5/10 Flight of Fear - Well, not too much to say about this one, since it's exactly like the one I've ridden so many times at KD. Fun, twisted layout, good launch, disorienting , and still glad every time I ride it that the OTSRs are long gone, but the mid-course brakes take something out of it, and it doesn't seem as dark as it used to be. 8/10 Firehawk - The surprise of the day! I haven't heard tons of love poured out for Flying Dutchmans in general, and I never really gave them much thought. Compared to the B&M Flyers, they look clunky, outdated, rough, and inefficient. Of course, that didn't mean I didn't want the credit. Turns out, they -are- comparatively clunky, inefficient, rough...and FAR more fun! From the moment it flips you around from the lift hill into the first drop, it feels crazy and unpredictable, the maneuvers feel completely different in that position... By time it pulled back into the station, I was laughing so hard I had to wipe away tears. I don't think any coaster's ever left me with quite that response before...and a second ride was just as good even after I knew what was coming. I love every moment of this coaster, not sure I could ever get enough of it...and I think for me it just might tie with Banshee for me. 10/10 Backlot Stunt Coaster - Mostly the same as at KD or CW, but unlike last time I rode either of those, the special effects seem to still be maintained and working here, which certainly makes a difference. Still small and over too quickly, but a nice enough family ride when it's kept up well. Too bad its clones in the other parks aren't. 7/10 Vortex - Not a ton to say here. Big old Arrow monster; reasonably smooth for what it is, which is still far from smooth, but as good as it's going to get for the type of coaster. Probably one of the better examples of its generation, but as much as I love the classics...with the rough transitions and limited elements, it definitely still shows its age compared to newer coasters. Worth a ride or two though. 7/10 The Beast - Finally time for the legend. So much waiting, for so many years...even decades? Can it live up to it? Weeeellllll...kiiiiinda. It's impressive in its way, it's certainly still got size and speed even compared to newer wood coasters, but it's just hard to get all that excited over so much straight track, even if you cover it quickly...and then there are the brakes. Why so many brakes, on a coaster built for pure speed? Would have been all rather disappointed...except, of course, that I knew better than to judge it during the day. At night, of course, it's a completely different ride. Speeding through the shadows of the trees half a mile from the park , fireflies lighting the shed as you cruise through it...okay, that's more like the coaster I was told to expect. 7/10 in the day, 9/10 at night Diamondback - Great overall, probably should be my favorite of the B&M Hypers I've ridden so far, but holy hell did it have a rattle both times I rode. Such a persistent, fast rattle that it was more of a buzz, just shook the entire train the entire way through the course...quite unpleasant. I'll try to consider that a temporary maintenance issue and not a real flaw of the ride, because the layout and setting are great, it's lightning fast and actually has some forces compared to most of these rides, and I'm a sucker for pretty looking gimmicks like the water splash at the end. 8/10, 9/10 if they fix that rattle, and we won't talk about the double stacking... Invertigo - Well, it's an inverted boomerang. How much is there to say? Well, at least to say that when I rode it, it was -smooth-. No, not "slightly more smooth than normal" but "head didn't hit the restraints once" smooth. On a boomerang. I can only compare to Stinger at Dorney, which has tried to murder me every time I gave in and rode. Maintenance only goes so far, there's clearly black magic at work here. It's still just a boomerang, but one that's elevated from a torture device to a halfway-decent, re-rideable coaster. 7/10 Other thoughts - Windseeker - Finally sucked it up and got on a Windseeker. Been a long time since a ride intimidated me this much...until the moment it actually started. The thing is so impossibly graceful for something so massive...I almost stopped feeling like I was on a ride. Just flying. It wasn't "thrilling", it wasn't terrifying, it was just kinda beautiful. Whitewater rapids - Petitioning for a rename to Icewater Rapids. Otherwise pretty fun, even if it didn't really stand out from a lot of other rapids rides. Park food - Not really good, but acceptable, which is a step up from where Cedar Fair used to be on food. Had mexican in the afternoon, which was about what I expected from amusement park mexican, and amazingly enough didn't destroy my digestive system, halfway-decent pizza for dinner...and I'm pretty sure I had a snack or two but it can't have been very memorable, considering I can't remember what it was. All rather expensive for the quality/quantity though. Setting and grounds - Well, it's not Busch Gardens for theming or Knoebels for shade, but it's a very attractive park overall anyway, with some reasonably well themed areas, lots of nice details (love the viking fury ship swinging out over the water) plenty of tree cover in places...a bit random in the themeing (oktoberfest beer hall O.o) but it all works very well for the most park. Maintenance and upkeep - Top-notch from what I could see, everything was bright, well kept, and clean. Among the best I've ever seen. Every ride in the park looked great and ran better. Staff - Very good, with rare but sad exceptions. I was impressed with the attitudes all around the park; not sure I've ever seen a chain park where the staff was so pleasant; can't say if it's typical there or just a good day. Most of the coasters were running very efficiently, with Banshee certainly taking the lead. Diamondback, as has been commented on quite a bit here lately, was not so wonderful, with trains double-stacked more often than not. That was the only coaster I saw running slowly though; most others were keeping up with heavy crowds pretty well. Overall - Just a great day at a wonderful park. Really loved nearly everything about this place. It could use a few more good flats and a little help in the kitchen, but between the awesome coasters, with even their most mundane being solidly above average, the park's generally good operations, and top-notch upkeep...I think it's safe to put King's Island solidly in my top few favorite parks. Though I did get on all the major rides, I don't feel like one day was enough to get my fill at all, and I'm tossing around the idea of trying to get back out there for Halloween season; certainly next year at worst.

Let's see, recent surprises...Mean Streak. It -didn't- try to kill me. Has CP done something with that coaster this year? For years, all I've heard was how terrible, rough, painful, etc it is. So, I finally get to the park and get on the coaster, dreading it but not about to pass up the credit...and it wasn't anything I'd consider even remotely rough for a coaster of its size. I'm not sure I've ever heard anything good said about it, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Also Firehawk at KI. I really didn't expect a coaster type that seems to be generally regarded as something of a failed experiment compared to the B&M flyers to be so good. Much more out of control and just plain fun than the B&M models!

Doesn't seem likely; the Enterprise there isn't a big enough draw. It never really has lines at all. I can't imagine them replacing it with the same ride.