VACoasterdude

I was at BGW this weekend and rode Tempesto. Really enjoyed the ride. Wish it was longer and a little faster, but overall a nice addition to the park. Different ride in the front versus the back, but all seats offer an enjoyable ride with nice air time. The attendants did a great job getting riders in and out, in some cases holding the, "comfort straps," out of the way to expedite boarding. With the one train and limited capacity, I am sure the line will be well over an hour on Saturdays this summer and pushing 2 hours on Saturdays during HalloScream.

I was at KD over the weekend. No land clearing going and according to one park official I casually spoke with, no new coasters on the horizon (he wouldn't lie would he?) I would expect Cedar Point and some other CF park to get a new coaster long before KD. With the Planet Snoopy expansion last year, and the Water Works/Soak City expansion this year, I think we will only see minor improvements and maybe a new flat ride the next two years with a new major coaster announced for the 2018 season!

There supposedly was a Media Event scheduled for Friday April 17 that was cancelled, thought it was rescheduled to April 24. But maybe BGW has decided not to hold a Media Day? I mean look at how long they took to formally announce the coaster to the GP. Usually TPR and other coaster sites post info about the scheduled Media Day with pictures of the invite and the goodies that came along with the invite, but don't recall seeing anything posted so who knows? Robb? Chuck?

Has BGW ever done a soft opening before? Is Media Day still scheduled for April 24?

Actually a lot of schools in VA start back August 24 or August 31 because Labor Day is so late this year (September 7). School systems in VA have to get a waiver from the Governor to start before Labor Day, its called the Kings Dominion Law. Some schools are starting back September 8. Both KD and BGW close at 8:00pm Mon - Thurs of that week, so you won't get any night rides on Apollo's Chariot or I-305. The parks should not be that crowded during that week, but KD and BGW will likely not being running all the trains on the coasters either, so that can increase your wait times. I-305 likely will run a single train, Griffon and AC @ BGW will likely run two trains instead of three. Of the two, BGW will likely be more crowded than KD. Play it by ear, if lines get too outrageous you can always pony up for FL+ at KD or Quick Que @ BGW. IF you wait until the all kids in VA are back in school, after Sept. 8, you are talking weekends only and the both parks can be fairly crowded then!

Visited WoF last Thursday and really enjoyed the park. Used my Platinum Pass at the gate without issue. (Every other CF park I have attempted to use my Platinum Pass at this year has resulted in my being stopped at the gate and directed to Customer Service where I have to wait in line to have them confirm the validity of the pass on the computer.) I arrived around 12:30pm. It had been raining earlier in the morning so the crowds were fairly light. All the coasters were running one train, but waits were only one cycle, unless a front seat ride was desired. First stop was Patriot, which I found to be a typical B&M, giving some pretty smooth rides. Next I hit Timber Wolf. I discounted the warning signs about extreme josteling and headed to the last seat of the train. I usually have my hands up from the first drop to the brake run, but not so on this ride. I felt like one of those paint cans being mixed at Home Depot. Now I knew why those signs were there. No second ride for me on this thing, needed to let me bones recover. Headed over to Mamba next. Really enjoyed this ride. Reminded me of Superman at SFA outside of DC. Smooth, decent air time and great first drop. Rode this several times and liked the front seat a little more than the back, but overall a great ride. I went to Africa next. Boomerang was down (and did not reopen during my visit). Prowler is a nice GCI woodie. Really enjoyed several rides on this coaster. Did not stay late enough to experience night rides, but I imagine those would be a blast. After I spent a fair amount of time riding Prowler and I backtracked hitting Mamba for a few more rides. I then hit Cyclone Sam's. I don't usually ride flats unless my daughter or friends force me to, but based on what I read on TPR, decided to give it a try and enjoyed it. It is a unique ride and I would ride it again. Decided to hit Timber Wolf again, and rode the front this time. My ride wasn't as bad in the front and I actually liked it, was not josteled nearly as much. Got a few more rides on Patriot and then hit Spinning Dragons. This ride had the longest line of the day, with a 15 minute wait. It looked like they were only operating 3 cars, which made for the longer waits. Being a single rider, I quickly moved up front. Had a pretty cool ride on this coaster and enjoyed watching the kid across from me ride his first coaster, according to his dad. When the ride was done, the kid asked to ride Mamba, and he was pretty disappointed when his dad told him he wasn't big enough yet! Really enjoyed my visit to WoF. Was able to ride everything I wanted to several times in the 4 hours or so I spent there. Like the shaded areas. Hopefully, CF will spend money on improvements and get rid of the asphalt eventually, like at other CF parks. But it was definitely worth the $3.00 round trip bus fare from downtown KC and I will visit again if I am in the area.

I will be in Kansas City next work for work and plan on hitting WoF either Monday or Thursday. Any ideas as to the crowds either day? Are schools out in the KC area or will there be bus loads of school kids next week? I may go after my meetings (5:00pm) or spend the entire day there, so any advice regarding ways to maximize my coaster ride time and avoid the crowds would be appreciated. (Note I normally do not spring for a FAST Lane pass). Thanks in advance!

The ACE Spring Conference had a pit stop at KK on Saturday from 12:00pm - 3:00pm. I never made it to KK when Six Flags operated it, but overall the park looked great and seemed ready for prime time. KK provided lunch for ACErs and the food was great (prime rib and chicken). The park was very crowded because of the Amazon preview and the crowds grew as the afternoon wore on. They cleared the queue lines at Lightning Run and Thunder Run for us and we had two hours of ERT. Both coasters were running great. Thunder Run is a great woodie. KK has a hit on their hands with LR. Loved the air time in the back. Only got 1 ride on LR because the wait, but will definitely love to ride LR again. Couple of reasons the line for LR was so long on Saturday; it was the first day for the Ops actually running the ride with riders, so they were learning as they went along. Riders were instructed not to touch the lap bars, the ops had to lower them. The ops tried really hard to accommodate people of size, spending several minutes before making them take the walk of shame. Lastly, only one train was operating on Saturday. When they add the second train and the Ops get more familiar with the ride, wait times should be reduced considerably. Overall, myself and all fellow attendees were impressed with the new KK and the two coasters. Hopefully, more coasters will be added or brought back to life soon.

Thanks for the report Chuck and the additional pictures Zach. Makes me look forward to our visit in a couple of weeks on what I am sure will be an extremely crowded Saturday in early December.

Thanks for the info and the tip. Much appreciated. May have to rethink my approach to BGT and decide if HOS is worth it.

I am going down to Tampa for work and decided to extend my trip and take in BGT. I will be down there Oct 17 & 18. Quick ticketing question, if I buy the $50 daily ticket, will I get i get kicked out of the park @ 5:00pm (i.e. does BGT Security clear the park) for Howl-O-Scream or will I be able to stay at the park until 1:00am? Never been there before. Any tips appreciated.

Was in Cleveland for work last week and decided to drive the hour to CP on Wed 6/13 in spite of stormy weather predictions. Arrived around 3:30pm and found Gatekeeper's line was only 10 minutes, so I rode that twice. Not much more to add to the other reviews, overall I thought is was a good ride and look forward to seeing clones at other CF parks in the next couple of years (KI in 2014?). The harness was a little tight especially when sitting outside, but it wasn't too bad. I next moved over to MF whose line was about 25 minutes and then to Maverick's whose line was about 40 minutes. I just got on Maverick and got the last ride before CP shut down all the coasters because of a rain squall that lasted about 15 minutes. That happened around 5:45pm and cleared a lot of people out of the park. Raptor was still running so I hit that while waiting out the rain delay. All the coasters were back up and running by 6:30pm. The rain cleared a lot of people out of the park, and the lines for all the major coasters (TTD, GK, MF Maverick) were no longer than 10 minutes for the rest of the night. I ended the night with 8 rides on TTD. The ops were great, letting us get off and get right back on through the handicap gate so they could keep the trains filled to accommodate all the riders waiting for the front row. Returned to the park Thursday morning, again to light crowds due to predicted storminess through midday. Took advantage of early entry for Platinum Pass holders and MF, GK, and Maverick were walk ons. Up until 2:00pm, lines were no longer than 15 minutes for MF and GK. I easily got multiple rides on these two coasters again. However, Maverick's line did fill up fast and it was easily 35 minutes by 11:00am. TTD did not reopen until much later in the day. Apparently, it suffered a lightning strike during the storm the night before. They replaced a bunch of fuses and sensors, and TTD did okay through initial testing. They opened it to riders about noon, and after the first group filled both trains, the problems started. Mechanics were up on the top trying to fix it for over an hour. There were about 10 diehard riders who stuck it waiting for TTD to reopen for nearly 2 hours. They finally told us that it was going to be a lot longer before it reopened and we were rewarded with exit passes to MF for our patience (hey, I'll take a front seat ride on MF anytime.) I guess TTD opened later after I left to head back to Cleveland. Throughout both days a CP, the Ops were doing a great job finding single riders to fill seats. It really helped lessen my wait time. That and the lack of crowds both days, made me glad I didn't spend the $80 for Fastlane Plus. Skyhawk was still down as of Thursday 6/13, and I did not see anyone working on the ride while I was there. I was disappointed as I really like that ride. Maybe next time work takes me to Cleveland.

Was at BGW this past Saturday June 1 for an ACE event. It was extremely hot at the park 90+, so of course the water rides had long lines most of the day. All the coasters were running extremely well, with Griffon & AC running three trains and Verbolten running 5 trains all day. The longest wait was for Verbolten, with a 30 minute wait even at 9:00pm. I think part of the problem was the ops dispatching the trains, as a couple of times two trains were loaded and waiting and three trains were backed up waiting to get into the station. BGW's Food & Wine Festival I am sure Chuck will post a detailed review of the Food & Wine Festival with lots of pictures, but here is my take: The Food & Wine Festival I thought overall was very good. Prices for food items ranged from $2 for dessert type items to $7 for a bacon wrapped scallop in Spain. Most of the entrees were $4 or $5, were sample sized portions, and as expected at BGW, the food was very good. Beer ranged from $6.49 - $7.49 for draft beers and $10 for a draft beer flight (4 draft beers of 4oz each) in Germany and Belgium. At the Spain station a 3oz glass of Sangria was $5. Other wines ranged from $7 - $10. BGW also offered a Rhine Wine Cruise, cooking demonstrations, and a VIP Food & Wine Tour ($100) as part of the festival. Season pass holders receive a 10% discount at all stations. I signed up for the cashless wristband which was convenient. You provide cash or a credit card before you start hitting the stations and they scan the wristband. At the end of the night at guest services, you can get a print out of where you used the wristband and the charges. I did not notice any long lines at any of the stations, and even during prime lunch and dinner times the stations were not busy. Don't know if it was because it was the first weekend of the event, the pricing, or the heat (the stations and the tables were all outside), but I and other ACE attendees enjoyed it and hope BGW continues it next year.

Was at Knoebel's this past Sunday. Two guys were actually working on Flying Turns at the transfer track area. I shouted to them, "When will I be able to ride it?" One of them responded, "October!" I said, "Very Cool, looking forward to it,' and they both laughed and the other guy said, "He didn't tell you what year!!!!" Love Knoebel's! While the parking lot was extremely full on Sunday, all of the rides were walk-ons. I guess everyone was at the pool or a picnic.

I love the food at Das Festhaus, especially the corned beef sandwich! I do not like that Entwined show they have there now!

My worst day at a theme park was a KD a few years ago and it was entirely my fault. My daughter and I went for ACE's Summer Conference. After checking in, I took her to the Waterpark for the afternoon. We had changed into our swimsuits at the Waterpark and as we were changing back into our street clothes to head to the ACE dinner, I noticed my car keys were missing. I usually tether my car keys to my jeans in some manner as I am very paranoid about losing them on a coaster, but on that day I didn't. I checked our backpack, around the ground of the changing room and asked several employees if they found a car key to no avail. We walked to my car to see if I left the key there, no luck, KD customer service, no luck and we checked with KD security/lost & found, no luck. From KD customer service I called Acura road side assistance (my cell phone was locked in my car) and was told they could dispatch a lock smith to get me into my car for free, but I would have to pay to have a new key made they said $150+. Decided to wait to see if someone turned in the key later that night (it was only 6:00pm and the park closed at 10:00pm). Went to the ACE dinner and ERT later that night, I mean what could I do, no point in ruining the whole trip, right? As we were leaving the park around midnight, saw the Security Guard who I talked to at the lost & found earlier walking towards customer service. She saw me coming and shook her head anticipating my question. My heart sank as visions of hanging out in the KD parking lot until 2am or 3am waiting for a locksmith to arrive and hearing the rant my wife would give me when we got home ran though my head. The Security Guard then told me, "No one turned in car keys, the only thing someone turned in was this," and she showed me my Acura smart key! What a relief. Apparently, two guys found it at the Waterpark earlier that day, and were walking around with it until the left the park when KD closed! Someone was watching definitely watching over me! Regards, RIP...

Depends on what will keep the kids happy. KD has a Water Park within the park that is included in admission. KD also had Dinosaurs Alive this year, but it is a $5 up charge, that the kids might enjoy. KD's kids area, Planet Snoopy, is in a relatively shady area of the park and offers a decent variety of flat rides that can be found at most parks and carnivals. It also offers two kiddie coasters. It is in a separate section of the park, so you could confine yourselves to the Water Park and Planet Snoopy. The bad thing about KD is the park is not as family friendly as BGW. On weekends, the waterpark can be extremely crowded and overrun with groups of teenagers, line cutting, fighting, etc. BGW gets my vote for atmosphere and family friendliness. In addition to the Sesame Street Forest of Fun area, BGW has attractions and rides for kids spread throughout the park. One area my daughter used to enjoy was the Land of the Dragons area near Germany. She loved exploring the Giant Tree House and she would cool off in the water feature nearby. She would literally have spent the entire day there, if we would have let her. She also liked the kiddie rides in Italy and the spaghetti. Also, the food at BGW beats KD by a long shot. There is just no comparison. I have trouble deciding where we are going to eat when at BGW because all the food is so good. At KD I try to avoid eating there (except Chik Fila) because the food is that bad. The only decent food I have found at KD are their funnel cakes, and Rita's. I think your kids would have fun at either park. I think the adults will have a more enjoyable time at BGW. Regards, RIP...

And to think, a week ago people were doubting what I heard Matt say at the ACE dinner. Sounds like it could be a great coaster with lots of exciting elements! A return trip to CP is definitely on my radar for 2013. Regards, RIP...

Okay, I was sitting two tables away from the podium, after John Hildebrandt, Cedar Point General Manger spoke, Matt Ouimet got up and said a few words. At the end of his little speech, he asked, "How many of you are visiting Cedar Point for the first time?" Hands went up and he then said, "Well trust me you all will want to be back at Cedar Point this time next year." There were a lot of cheers, Matt looked over at John and said, "Can I tell them?" John shook his head indicating no. Matt said, "He won't let me leak anything more than it is a ...," He was putting the mic down and I heard him say, "coaster of the winged variety." Maybe I misheard what he was saying or misinterpreted what he meant and if so, I apologize. But why would he tell a group of Coaster Enthusiasts they would want to be back at Cedar Point next year, if they weren't getting a new coaster. Later that evening someone else from the ACE conference was in line behind me for MF and was talking to another ACEr about the type of winged coaster CP would get in 2013. They were both speculating back and forth about how CP would build a record breaking winged coaster and the different elements it might have. So obviously, I was not the only person attending the dinner that heard this. Again my apologies for starting any unwarranted speculation. Regards, RIP...

I think it would be a win for BGW to lower the ride requirement to 42" with an adult or 48" to ride alone. Regards, RIP...

Was at CP this past weekend for the ACE Spring Conference. First time at the park and we really enjoyed it. (The swarms of bugs in the evenings, not so much!) Of course Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster were our favs. I did not think the park was too crowded Friday afternoon (around 5:00pm) with MF only being a 40 minute wait, 1 hour for Maverick, and 75 minutes for TTD. On Saturday, however, the park was insanely crowded. There must have been over 100 buses (school and charter) parked in the outer fringes and the parking lots were full, not to mention the resorts were fully booked and there were nearly 700 ACErs there for the conference. The line for MF was nearly an hour shortly after 10:00am, so we purchased fast lane passes and experienced a 25 minute wait for MF, 30 minutes for Maverick, and 45 minutes for TTD throughout the day versus normal wait times of over 90 minutes for MF and Maverick and nearly 2 hours for TTD. The wait times decreased a little towards 9:00pm as the buses began departing and the lines were cleared by 10:30pm for our ERT. TTD went down during our ERT Friday night, but it was quickly corrected by the park. Maverick ERT Saturday night was great, and MF ERT Sunday morning was awesome. Sunday crowds grew quickly as well and I would estimate it was similar to the crowd on Friday, if not slight smaller. During the ACE dinner Sat night, CP officials indicated that we would want to return to CP at this time next year. They hinted that a new coaster of the winged variety would be opening then, but they wouldn't elaborate. They did indicate a formal announcement would be made later this summer. Overall, we really loved CP, their great coasters and other rides. We were glad we had planned 2 & 1/2 days to enjoy the park, we only wish it wasn't a 7 hour drive so we could return more often. Regards, RIP...

Great report and pictures, Chuck! I got a last minute invite to Media Day on Wednesday June 16. I will say, after riding 15 times, I really enjoyed Verbolten. There were a couple times when I banged my head on the back of the seat during the launch, but once I learned the ride, it was no problem. The "Black Forest," is pretty cool and I enjoyed the different themes. The first ride with the freefall drop is the best, because it is unexpected, but there is a lot to see in the event building each time you ride. Personally, I enjoyed the Wolf theme the best. Speaking of themes, the Corporate Creative Director for Sea World, Brian, was telling us that the themes can be changed and they are currently working on a different theme for Howl-O-Scream that will offer a few, "unique surprises." That will be really cool! (His team developed the three themes for Verbolten.) I think the ride is an moderately intensive family ride, not sure younger kids will like the event building though. But it definitely grows on you. As a matter of fact, I can't wait to ride it again. Overall, I think BGW built a good coaster and there will be long lines this summer to prove it. Oh yeah, Gerta is a definite babe. I would explore her mountains, anytime. Regards, RIP...

Cool. Didn't realize they were having two different Media Days. Looking forward to your extensive report and photos, since I won't be able to make it there until sometime in June. Regards, RIP...

I know some ACErs were invited by BGW to Media Day on Wednesday May 16 in the morning. Did BGW move the date for Media Day or are you referring to the VIP Event Thursday evening? Regards, RIP...

I heard when riding Verbolten, riders will be assigned a row by BGW employees and there will be no waiting for the front or back rows due to limited space in the queue. Has anyone else heard this?