CNYCoasterguy11

I come from just east of Syracuse when I visit and it takes maybe 2-2.25 hours to get there on the thruway, yeah traffic can be bad north of Buffalo but it's not that bad. I go out to Buffalo all the time to do stuff and it's no worse than any other Upstate city. Just a pointless rant about nothing really.

I believe they didn't plan on having The Claw open for Spring Time in the Park along with Coal Cracker and another ride. It will most likely be ready for the Summer Season.

A very underrated log flume (possibly because many have never been on it) would have to be the log flume at Seabreeze in Rochester, NY. I consider Seabreeze about as close to a real hometown amusement park as I can get and I've been on it multiple times over the years and while not the longest or biggest that final drop is amazing and so steep. Best I have ever been on. I also believe at one point (and still might be) it had the steepest drop of any log flume.

And most of their other rides also follow this same pattern. This, IMO, is a very WELL BALANCED park! I really feel that BGW is a park that should have a very similar line-up but is very much lacking in the "family" coaster department, or at least the family coaster height restriction department. BGW is pretty good about their regular rides for the most part being family friendly and spaced out, it's really just when it comes to coasters, and the funny thing is even their "kid" coaster has a height limit of 38" just to ride, many parks have at least one where its only 36" and that's just to ride alone many allow smaller kids to ride as long as they have adults. Trailblazer to me at Hershey which as you said is 36" is much wilder especially in the end than Grover's Alpine Express, Trailblazer was actually the first real coaster I ever rode as a kid thanks to that height limit.

46" seems like a very strange Height Limit to have for a wooden coaster, does anyone know of any others that have that limit? Most that I have ever seen are usually either 42" or 48". And sorry If this is late to talk about but it is strange that a family oriented park like Busch Gardens (either one really) has very few coasters for anyone below that 46" height. My daughter is only 3 now but she loves riding rides and even small coasters, and its hard for me to be able to ride the big ones without her getting upset that she cant too. So More true family coasters between 36" and 42" would be greatly appreciated for that in between crowd that loves rides but is too short for the B&M's of the world. When we visited Dollywood that ended up being a tough park to enjoy together because the vast majority of rides she could do (anything below 39") were in the one end of the park and mostly in the Fair section. The rest of the park was less enjoyable for her because she couldn't ride most things. Parks need to do more what Hershey does and scatter their family and kid rides out amongst the big rides and coasters so everyone can enjoy everything together better. Hopefully in a year or two she will finally be big enough for the coasters with 42" height limits : )

Where has this website been for the past 3 months? It's like he had the story but forgot to post it. They tend to be a little slow on the draw, I wasn't sure if this was a new company or not so I figured I would post it, I never saw the original.

http://www.syracuse.com/state/index.ssf/2017/04/investment_firm_buys_darien_lake_park_management_company_remains_the_same.html#incart_river_home Darien Lake has a new Owner, Same management team

Went to Dollywood today for the first time ever. My wife and 3 year old daughter joined me and I have to say I was impressed for the most part. The rides we ride were great and while I wasn't able to enjoy all of the major coasters the ones I did were all very good. Unfortunately Mystery Mine was down most of the day so I missed out and Lightning Rod was on and off and when it was working had at least a 30 to 45 min wait (unfortunately my daughter was not going to sit for that). So I thought she would have been tall enough to ride Firechaser as I measured her at home before we left and she reached the 39in plateau they said you needed to be, well they must add a little to those height sticks and charts because she was a hair(literally) to short for them. Needless to say she was devastated as was I and I choose not to ride so she wouldn't be upset, but that's what future visits are for. We did get to ride most of the country fair rides which my daughter enjoyed, however most of those lines were surprisingly long for the short ride cycles. That area really does get congested being the main ride area other than water rides or coasters. The Rockin Roadway was pretty fun for a car ride and Splash Battle was pretty fun even if not many people were riding. We skipped the other water rides mostly because it was too cool for them even though it was a really nice day out. As for the coasters I did ride: Blazing Fury 5/10 ---Not a bad ride and hardly a wait, the story is really convoluted if you don't know it but you get the jist of it and the drops are pretty fun and a little surprising. A good family ride as well, but I wouldn't wait too long for it. Wild Eagle 7/10 ---A solid ride but just seemed too short and lacking any real force. The final twists before the breaks had a little but it was a little punchless. This was also my first Wing Coaster so maybe others are better but it wasn't a bad intro to the Wing Type. The station and theming around were amazing as were most of the coasters. Tennessee Tornado 8/10 ---Loved this Arrow however it was still a little rough but I'm shorter than most so maybe my head is just going to bounce around more lol. Either way pretty darn smooth and that first drop was great. The only knock is the short ride time but not having a huge wait didn't hurt. Thunderhead 9/10 ---Wow, this woodie really lived up to the hype, it was fast and really forceful and even had some decent airtime in some spots. It was a little rough but it is getting old now, however it was much smoother than most, the flyer trains probably help with that. And it had the shortest wait of the coasters too at a couple train loads thanks to two trains running. You really had no idea which way you were going to go next, a stellar Coaster. Overall we all enjoyed the park with the exception of the firechaser mishap, food was great, atmosphere was everything I had expected it to be. Staff was very friendly and had that southern charm. I would rank it up there with Busch Gardens Williamsburg as my favorite theme park not named Disney. I'm a sucker for theme and thematic elements so thianpark easily won me over right from the front gate. My only real knocks on the park would be the layout which is tough to navigate unless you basically go in a loop and do a lot of back tracking, it's a huge park and it really takes its toll on you. The second would be something the park could fix possibly, they lack more family rides for smaller guests (36'' and below) outside of Country Fair. It was hard to ride the big coasters and keep my daughter entertained while doing so. They had a couple of little playgrounds but not enough and no rides other than River Battle and soon to open Whistlepunk Chaser they don't have any rides for those 36 and under from the lower park to the other side by Thunderhead. They have rides for families but they are just not spaced out well enough, I love how Hershey does it where they mix adult and kid/family rides together. But in a year or two it shouldn't matter for us but it would be nice for others.

My family and I will be taking our first trip ever to Dollywood in March on opening day March 18th, what kind of crowds can we expect if anyone is familiar with that? Is it packed due to being opening day or is it somewhat quiet due to being March? Also I haven't really been following the park until recent but does anyone know the status of Lightning Rod? Is it finally fixed and fully operational or is it still having issues that plagued it last year?

Not sure how I feel about this addition, was kind of hoping for either a new coaster of course (or a replacement) or a new family ride. They have done a nice job updating the thrill rides but could really start to add more family rides with lower height restrictions. The water park has seen numerous additions over the past few years and really didn't need these slides. If anything they need to add a family raft slide or a water coaster. Still nice to see an addition that isn't a VR makeover like SFM.

Not sure why most people are upset with this announcement, Hershey is a family park and gears the majority of their rides towards family's, hence why they have so many kiddie and family rides. This is a solid addition to the rise lineup and they are really trading one ride out for three. I like the idea of three heights because some may not be ready for the Hershey Tower and would want to start out smaller first and work their way up. My only suggestion would have been to make the Kisses tower a double shot, the Reese's tower a turbo drop and the Hershey Bar a combo, that way each would be different other than height and capacity. A true choose your own thrill ride. Plus that part of the park is elevated more than others and that will add to the overall height and sight lines from the top

They should redo Stitch with a Guardians theme if they want to incorporate more marvel into WDW, it actually would probably work really well given its space themed and would be in tomorrowland. Anything would be better as long as they made it more like the original alien ride but maybe somewhere in between that and stitch as to be just scary enough but not overly frightening.

I feel like I'm one of the only people who actually likes Dinosaur. I mean it is goofy and all but for some reason I really like the themeing and ride itself. Of course I remember riding it when it was still Countdown to Extinction and was even more intense.

Is it just the transitions that make it rough, or does it ride the rails poorly? It mostly just rides poorly from what I remember. it is a transportable ride so inevitably it will be a little rougher because crews are putting it together in a matter of days. Its also an older ride but I remember it being OK, not smooth but I don't remember a ton of head banging and I'm a shorter person.

I rode it last year at the NYS Fair where that photo was taken, it was impressive to look at being one of the bigger traveling coasters in the states. However like most have stated it is a bit painful, mostly due to the OTSR's that are unnecessary. They seemed to dispatch rather quickly so it wasn't a long wait to ride at least. This year they changed it up and brought Comet II, a wildcat model. If you need the credit it OK for one ride, after that its just punishment.

Glad to see they at least added a new thrill ride instead of another water park addition, but it s still a huge letdown to Great Escape fans. Many were expecting a real coaster this year, oh well maybe next year will be the year. At least they are finally listening about adding more thrill rides. At least they aren't claiming its a coaster like all the super loops last year.

It doesn't appear to be that way on their website, it says the park admission is only for Saturdays and Sundays and it also says the activities are available for hotel and campground guests only but that the park is still closed Friday. I think vacation guests still can only go to the park on the Weekend.

I really hope they don't make the mistake of removing the bobsleds, its their only unique coaster other than the comet really. The one thing however working against it is the curfew of closing it at 6pm due to the noise (which I always thought was ridiculous). They have room in this town to expand if they just remove the old nightmare building, or better yet they should add a new ride in the existing building, a spinning coaster or something along those lines would be a great fit for a family park like Great Escape. I just feel the bobsled is more unique than everything other than the Comet. Personally its my second favorite in the park after Comet, which unfortunately isn't saying much.

Day 2-8/17/15 Storyland, Glen, NH Coasters: Polar Coaster-5/10 --A decent kiddie coaster that is somewhat bigger and faster than most, has a nice helix finish but otherwise nothing to special but a good fit for the park and their clientele. Well themed station, on a 90 degree day it would have been a nice touch if the station was cold as well, maybe a future suggestion : ) Roar-o-Saurus- 8/10 --A big surprise, this ride packed a lot into a small footprint and was an excellent ride. Full of sudden airtime pops and great speed. Was only able to ride once and rode in the back, smaller children should definitely ride in towards the front. The drop before the final turnaround was a real airtime drop with buts off the seat. The dinosaurs around the ride were a nice touch and the line going thru the ride was neat and gives a close up view of the ride. It had been forever since I Las visited Storyland, and this would be my first visit actually remembering most of it. Storyland proved to be a great park for families with young children, my daughter who is a little under two loved what she did when she wasn't napping. The park was very clean and well manicured, and ride operators were extremely friendly. The one knock on the park was the pack of major food locations, some were already closed for the season which caused the Food Fair to have massive lines being the only real eatery in the back half of the park. Other than that one snafu the park hit every mark on a very hot and humid day. The park blends the classic storyland of the 50s and 60s with the new of the modern era with high tech rides and attractions. The farm follies show provided much needed relief from the he's with its air conditioned theater, all while playing home to the classic show I enjoyed as a kid and now was a favorite of my daughter. She also was able to enjoy the Tractor ride, the turtle twirl, the whirlin' whales, slipshod safari, loopy lab and the Splash Battle. Surprisingly the Splash Battle proved to be a hit. If she didn't have to nap midway thru the day she would have ridden much more. Her nap did provide me and my cousin a chance to ride the big four at storyland, all rides my daughter was too small for, the two water rides provided a good soaking on a hot humid day, and the coasters provided some fun thrills, especially the roar-o-saurus. The bamboo chutes were well done and very well themed, and the raft ride was quite enjoyable for being a tamed down version for the younger crowd with lots of opportunities to get sprayed and soaked. The park was a hit with all and could be on the docket for the future when my daughter is big enough for all the rides. Hopefully storyland will keep its charm in that time and beyond for her future family as well.

Day 1- Funtown Splashyown USA 8/16/15 So we arrived on Maine late Saturday from just East of Syracuse and decided to take a semi-easy Sunday, so after swimming in the Ocean (a first for my daughter and wife) we decided to take advantage of the After 3pm discount since we didn't see the need of paying $36 for what was going to be a half days entertainment. I would have loved to have gone to the water park but my daughter isn't really big enough to justify the time and energy needed to wade in a kiddie pool when we have the ocean 200 feet from our cottage. The discount was great as we did the Funtown only for $22 and my daughter was free being under 38in. Now i had been here before when they opened the Excalibur coaster way back in '98, not much has changed in the ride park other than the Dragon's Descent and Wild Mouse additions. Now that I am a parent with a small child I have to think differently than I used too, so it was a little disappointing that most if not all of the kiddie rides were in one section and there were not many of them, it also was disappointing that they require a height of 38in or more for all the main rides they classify as "thrill". Now my daughter has ridden the tilt-a-whirl at our hometown Sylvan Beach and the turtle twirl at Storyland with us. However Funtown would not be one of those times, I know she is capable of these rides and she loves them so it was a letdown when she was not allowed on. It was not a total loss of an afternoon, my daughter still enjoyed the kiddie rides she rode immensely and was able to ride the antique cars. My cousin and I were able to ride the Wild Mouse which added a credit for both of us. It was a somewhat rough experience compared to past wild mice (mouses?) The Dragon's Descent in my opinion was a very good turbo drop tower, other than the usual slow loading process it offered the best views of any tower I have been on, and it was a solid first drop, definitely the best thrill in the park. The themeing was a nice touch as well in an otherwise bland park. The real reason for going was to get a ride on Excalibur the parks premier coaster and one I hadn't seen since it first opened. The ride proved to age rather gracefully as it was somewhat rough the only time we rode but not Darien Lake Predator bad. It did provide some unexpected pops of airtime as well as some good speed being an afternoon ride with a mild heat wave helping. The one knock was a single train operation on a rather busy Sunday, it realm slowed the operations down, however they do take your carry one in between rides which helps some. The only other major ride we enjoyed was the classic Astrosphere, which just didn't seem to live up to my memories. It seemed slower than before but still had a pretty good light show, I plan to compare it to the Psycodrome at Canobie is when I go. Overall I would rate the overall experience 6/10, but just the ride park, working for it were the good rides on Dragon and Excalibur, as well as the friendly ride ops and decent amount of shade and benches. Working against it was the height restrictions and several "thrill" rides that made it hard to enjoy rides with my daughter. Coaster Ratings: -Wild Mouse 5/10 -Excalibur 8/10

This year my wife and daughter are joining some other family members and are staying a week in Old Orchard Beach Maine. We will be visiting several of the area parks, however I will not have any photos from this trip to post as my daughter is going to take most of my attention being she is about 2. I will give as detailed a report for each park each time I visit, and thankfully my daughter already has a love of the places like I do and is a budding thrill seeker. I plan on visiting Funtown Splashtown USA, Storyland, Canobie Lake Park, Palace Playland and if time Yorks Wild Kingdom.

So the big announcement was merely that the OCC guys made a custom bumper car for a jew series they have coming out on A&E, the episode will air February 20th. Unfortunately no new ride announced. http://m.poststar.com/print-specific/standalone/choppers-stars-visit-great-escape/article_e0a20a99-07eb-584a-b3e6-e7a3beca4468.html?mobile_touch=true

That would quite a waste of money I'm sure six flags can do a little better than that, for the public's sake.

The Great Escape has recently announced a new thrill ride coming next season with a partnership with Orange County Choppers, it will be announced live on July 29th. Will it be a new coaster? Or some other thrilling flat? OCC already partnered with Darien Lake for the Motocoaster maybe this will be a new custom version.

This is a great addition to LC, easily one of my favorite small parks even before this addition. I went for the first time in 2013 and found it very family friendly while still offering plenty of thrills. Also felt the prices of everything were good and the ease of walking around the park make it a winner. Boulder Dash is easily my #1Wooden Coaster. I feel the location would have been better along the lake or down near Thunder Rapids but with limited space already I can see why they did what they felt was best for its location. Now if they just add maybe one more family coaster to really round them out, seems like three of the five once phobia opens are more geared to the older thrill seeking set, even Wildcat is a little rough for younger kids. Still a great addition for a great park.