prozach626

I'm guessing the power station is not only large enough to supply Thunderbird, but also future expansion.

I found it odd that Dragster made the list.

Is it OK to move on from the whole photo stealing issue, yet?

It still doesn't do anything for me. I'm more of a roller coaster guy than a theme park guy. Dark rides are 'ok', but they make my juvenile hobby feel even more juvenile. I feel like dark rides are geared toward the younger audience, as they should be. I have no interest in ever going to Disney or Universal.

Nice breakdown and animation. It kind of gives you an idea of how out of the way the newest slide complex is. I wonder if management regrets that placement now.

So.. how much do you reward in "damages" for stealing pictures to use on a roller coaster fan website???

Maybe they can put it back on the tracks facing forward...... (jk but I'd literally be at the park TOMORROW if that happened) So I guess I'm the only one who doesn't give two shits about the dark ride?

Hardly.

Pics of Liberty Launch with that days paper in the background or BS!

Good to know we have quite a few people in for a STL meet. I won't be able to make Daredevil Daze, but I planned on just having everyone meet at the most centralized wings/beer spot. I had Hooters or Showme's in mind, if everyone else would be OK with that. Any wings or sports bar suggestions are welcome.

Most of us are a little pissed off, but this won't do anything..... When McDonalds doesn't come out with the type of hamburger you're craving you don't create a petition. You take your business somewhere else that serves the type of food you crave. Let them run their business the way they want. No one is forcing you to give them your money.

^ I'm surprised you didn't like Adventure Express. I like the lack of lift in the beginning of the ride. It gives a different experience. I'm also surprised more people don't like FOF. I know it's not that great, but it's still pretty fun for me. I guess I'm just a fan of premier launched coasters that haven't been ruined by being turned backwards. I could see KI going with another launched coaster as their next coaster addition, but I don't think we'll see if for at least three or four years.

^^ I'm counting you in regardless! I don't think we'll go to the park the first time around, anyway. Just meet/greet. Figures I'm working nights the weekend of the ACE event. Looks like a lot of fun. Has anyone ever been to Indiana Beach? I'm thinking about steal a few credits there later this month with a buddy from work.

The expansion around the new area will be interesting to see throughout the next few years. It may look a little out of place now, but I'm sure they'll tie everything together nicely.

^^ Sounds like that would be fun. Do they do any tours or ERT? That's 3 so far for the meet. Who else is in?

Yeah, no one wants it to close. Not even me. Really all it will take is one halfway decent modern coaster to get me liking the park again. So... beer and/or chicken wings with us? (provided you're of age?) I'm really trying to get this thing going like other local park crews do. If there's not enough interest, no big deal. Like I said, I used to go on subaru/honda meets all the time and it was a blast.

Yes, we sure do: Police, Fire & EMS Discount As a special thank you to police, firefighters and EMS, we’re offering a discounted ticket price all season long. Simply show your official i.d. at the ticket booth and save $5 off the price of General Admission tickets (save $2 off Guests-under-54” and Senior tickets). If you arrive after 3pm CDT, the savings are $11 for General Admission and $7 for Guests-under-54″/Seniors (60+). This discount applies to up to four tickets per visit. Thank you so much! We really appreciate your support!

I'm halfway serious when I say if a bunch of us got together for chicken wings and beer we probably wouldn't bicker as much. We do it all the time on the Subaru boards and it's always fun talking to people with common interests. I've never been able to extensively talk coaster geek with anyone in person. My wife and friends get annoyed when I speak in coaster geek and they just don't get it. If anyone is interested in the first annual STL coaster geek meet, let me know. I'm not as big of an asshole as I seem online... I'd even be willing to go back to SFSTL if it meant actually going with people who share coaster enthusiasm. Just putting it out there.

Paula, Does Holiday World offer any law enforcement discounts? I've steered a lot of co-workers to Holiday World, but none of us ever thought to ask. I was just curious. Your prices are already a bargain as it is, so I could understand if you don't offer those discounts.

Maybe it has been three years, because I did ride Mr. Freeze reverse blast. That's what really killed the park for me, since I was infatuated with Mr. Freeze. I would honestly still go to the park JUST for Mr. Freeze if it hadn't been gimmicked.

^ Wild Turkey...

^ When Honda comes out with a new prototype car, you can be fairly confident it's going to be reliable due to their reputation of building reliable cars. GM may try to out do Honda and build a similar car that is more exciting... but it's also going to be a piece of shit that breaks down on the regular. B&M has established itself as a company that builds reliable coasters, so people expect that reliability. Their designs are based on less moving parts for more simplicity and less areas for failure. LSM technology has been out for years and if I were to guess, B&M already has a strategy to make it as reliable as possible. B&M is just now building a launched coaster, because they are now ready to build a launched coaster. They may not be as innovative and risky as other companies, which is why when you buy a B&M, you know what you're going to get. B&M has more of an interest in perfecting existing technology rather than jumping ahead to the next new thing. They have learned from the mistakes of other companies and so far their strategy looks like it's working.

^^^ Seems like I'm not the only one thinking it, since you posted it right as I was making my post below. Another one bites the dust. Although better points could have been made..... I get it. Next up : Worlds of Fun. I'd imagine it will only be a matter of time before they get a new steel coaster that will again draw even more people away from our park. After that, I'd assume Great America will get another new coaster before we do. I wouldn't even be surprised if KK will receive another completely new coaster before us. X-Flight, Outlaw Run, Lightning Run, Goliath, and now Thunderbird. What people considered a "small scale" park now looks more appealing than our park. Refurbishment of a dark ride and possibly the addition of the Justice League - aka same ride different theming? L.O.L. I'm with ARoss510 on this one. Who the hell cares? Next year will be my fourth year in a row without visiting the park and I haven't missed a thing. Still waiting for the next One.Big.Thing...........

^ I think they wanted something to WOW the GP that coaster enthusiasts would still want to ride. A traditional sit down launched coaster doesn't grab as much attention with the GP as something that offers a new experience to most people, like a wing rider. There are no close roller coasters that offer what Thunderbird offers, within five hours. That and reliability reasons are why the likely didn't go with Intamin.

I'm really hoping they keep the sound of thunder at the launch. The new trend of having a short sound clip before a drop or launch is really need to me. I get the geeked out chills when I hear the perfectly timed Banshee scream right before the drop. I think it really adds something to the ride and gives it a little more character. I'll be disappointed if it's only a first year or two hype kind of thing. Does anyone know if X-Flight still plays its sound clip on the lift? I can't lie... the more I think about the theme, the more I agree with you. On its own the theme works and it looks great. However, tied into the Thanksgiving section it gives you kind of six flags moment of "Wait... why is there a skate board ride in a mid-evil section??" That being said, I'd want my 22 Million dollar multi-looping launched coaster to have an intimidating name and theme, too. I understand why they did it. Again, I get where you're coming from. If you've ever ridden Wild Eagle, it feels like it's alllllmost there, as far as being a forceful ride. You get a few forces and just enough to have fun, but it kind of teases you at the same time. I'm hoping by looking at the layout that this will kind of push that envelope into a more forceful ride. That being said, I can't tell for sure if the ride is going to have decent forces by watching the video than anyone can tell if it's not going to be forceful. WE care about forces, but the GP does not. Most compliments you hear about a ride are "It's so smooth." That's literally the first thing I heard three or four people say when I got off of Banshee on my first ride. I can at least understand most of your points... but this one was just dumb. Top-tier rides by who's standards?