JJLehto

Nice! Clearly staffing is not an issue going forward, its almost like they were right to go moderately out of the gate and see how things go instead of full speed and realize "oh shit". Six Flags should enjoy their moment in the sun while they can XD

Of course! Sounds dreadful and huge kudos to that person but what a nightmare that is. Better for the park to do what they can to try and lure more people to work. Which is also why I've taken the chance when I can to drop a thanks to the ops, (esp for Coastermania since that's so long after normal close for now) I do appreciate those who are here busting it for us. Esp at KI where the ops were indeed still busting their asses. I wonder if its like a KI pride thing, never seen any CF or SF (or a few others for that matter) park that over time, even on a not crowded weekday, move to try to move people like they do. Last thing I'll say on the matter is we have a cult of work, one that is deep seeded so I get the knee jerk, but we work to live not live to work (least that's how I am) and we will bust ourselves....but not just for the sake of it. That's why it's work, not charity and they're employers not overlords. I don't chagrin a single person who isn't coming back yet....esp with all the horror stories I hear about people at parks and things I've seen, can't blame anyone who may be thinking ya know **** this no, I'm not doing it. But I'm supremely grateful for those who are here working for us to enjoy some rides. Truly I am. For that, I'll be done with the matter as well.

Damn it dont you tempt me lol

But this is the internet, that's what ya do! If you don't OTT attack people for simply having a different opinion it's like you aren't validated in your own or something! What are people who struggle to tolerate other opinions/lacking confidence supposed to do then? Get a life!?!? That said pretty funny that anyone would bash on the ride than later say oh well still better than 90% but typical enthusiast shit lmao I am more and more glad I stopped following the community and just experience things myself. Esp considering anyone posting their opinion on YT/online kinda has to ham it up to get attention etc I'm stoked for an RMC less than an hour away! Bc yeah even the weakest one, which somehow I doubt this is, indeed its better than most and this is the first good ride and unique ride this park has added in ages. Like how it used to be in the day. Tempted to go tomm but a Friday oof...nah may wait till next week to go on a Tuesday or something.

Damn it way to get me excited!

Much to my own amazement I actually had great days at Carowinds and KD (on opening weekend!) Kennywood and KI all without fast lane Granted, Kennywood was a supposed to be rainy day, KI was a monday (and also rainy) but yeah sometimes the coaster gods shine upon you Not from this point on though, yeah now that June is here I won't be caught dead at any park without! Esp since I committed to do Great Adventure with my brother and he can only do weekends...RIP me

It would be, that's not so much it just find the claim a tad dubious is all lol

Yeah I wont go any farther bc goodness this is NOT the topic I want this to go off into but all the "damn kids today!" "more ok to mooch than work!!!" reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaalllllly asking for an "OK Boomer" sorry to say it yall. And this is from someone who has been working full time at various jobs for a decade and only stopped to do a Masters Degree so dont even imply I'm some lazy ass who defends lazy asses. Bill also makes a few good points as does the # of staff per ride thing. On orion there WERE multiple people doing restraint checks. Compare to Kennywood 2 days before when there was ONE person doing both trains. Which: sucks, and I get KI is prob proud of their ops as they should be but like clearly they can deal w it and we'd all rather more days/hours. So yeah idk gotta be a reason they are having these issues so bad while Six Flags, or Dollywood for that matter, are doing much better. Wouldnt surprise me if Bill is right and its larger financial issues and they are blaming the workers, would make sense actually given they also leave their staff to deal w the OTT outraged mobs lol Things still aint normal yall, kinda recovering from a year when the world largely shut down. Let's give it time.

Im hoping this is a satire of how enthusiasts are, in which case brilliant stuff! Otherwise...a length breaking inverted coaster w no inversions? You think Vekoma? So the park will have two Vekoma inverts? Sure, and I heard that the record breaking gerstlauer is going to Lakemont Park, will be 2 miles long and 15 inversions

I am ready! Not for the traffic, oven that is this park, and all the unpleasantness that comes w it BUT tis the price of SFGAdv and well....I wanna ride this thing. My brother has the membership he said he can bring me for free so I reeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaalllly hope he's off from work one of these days so I can go asap and not on Sunday lol but yeah great news and hoping this ride will be a bigger version of the single rails and not a less intense version LOL yeah....Sea World had 3 coasters testing, I believe w people at least in some cases, before this thing was done and it somehow opened first ha

The coaster gods shown on me again. I'm guessing weather (+ weekday) kept crowds away and it was dry for basically all my time there, sans one heavy downpour right before Banshee, which was an experience. Turned out to be a pretty good day, though not for the B&Ms! All 3 went down at various points, Orion for maybe 10, Diamondback for an hour, poor Banshee had some struggles let's just say. So got in like quarter to 11 which was a godsend. Got Orion twice before the normal lines were let in. Basically did a loop and managed to do 2 rides on Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, and one on Beast and Racer all by 1:00. Everything was 10-15 mins tops. Banshee I was to the steps when the rain started and it came down hard. Still went through w it of course and yeah...that was something lol Dried off w some Blue Ice Cream and Red Cream Soda (aka heaven) and the rains stopped so I went back to Banshee which was down for a while. Supposedly someone was stuck in the restraints and they couldn't get it, EMS came and everything (which seemed odd, unless there's a medical issue IDK why unless they have some tool to help?). They emptied the line and said it would be a while which it wasn't, started testing when I got around the corner lol but got another quick ride on Orion, ran back and they were just letting people on! Basically did another 2 laps just hitting the coasters again. Longest wait was Mystic Timbers, which was only 30 mins, next lap was 20 mins. During this time Diamondback was down but again managed to snag it at reopening. Another 2 rounds on Orion and decided to end the day with Banshee which was down again, I even said to one employee "Yikes 2nd time today?" "More like 5th" they said. Once all the rides warmed up I can say that Mystic Timbers is still my fav here. Fully amped up that thing is just non stop and the only thing I can say is wish it was longer. Damn, it's so good. Diamondback was better than last time...which I found pretty lackluster but this one had some solid air in back on basically every hill. The 2 rides I got on Banshee were pretty good, one ofc felt like I was facing a firing squad of paintball guns, and it still doesn't quiiiiiite deliver on what I think it should, but fun ride still. Solidly forceful and I do love the layout. Racer was better than last time, but clearly parts have been retracked, should prob do the rest soon lol Beast was good once warmed up. It still surprises me how OK the ride is, I mean nothing great but it really is fun. Damn though I do wish it could be retracked, I'd love no trims and for the ride to be fully unrestrained which ofc requires retracking bc while I didn't find it toooo rough, damn it was knocking on the door. I know it won't happen and I get it...but I just wish it could be updated a bit. No not "RMC'd" but retracked and with all its speed and length....those straight parts imagine if there were a couple of hills in there. But ah well. And of course: Orion, my new cred of the day. I really was let down at first, though it got better through the day I assume as it warmed up. Had 6 rides I think total and yeah, it's fun, it's solid, drop is superb in back and also gets you some ok air at times but just....dang, it's been said before: We know what B&M can do with a giga and it's just a shame this one doesn't. It doesn't have enough hills to be traditional and loaded with air, it doesn't do enough to be twister, the speed hill left a lot to be desired, and the whole thing is so short. I will agree with above comments the helix and twisting drop and pop into the breaks are great. Of the 4 giga's I've done it's prob my least fav. Deff Mystic Timbers still #1 here. 2 is hard now that DBack had a good day, I'm inclined to give it to Orion but idk Banshee and DBack were both running well. Glad the day was not too crowded and (mostly) dry. Great park, good lineup, nice feel and no, sorry it doesn't touch CP in my opinion but certainly a top 3 park in my book. This also was my 6th park in a 3.5 week span ending my month of freedom between grad school and work. Glad it ended on a good note and it's great to be doing parks again!

Yeah I'm a little bummed that the best I can get on Beast tomm is a (looks out window at 8:00) ah hell its still fully bright out lol but what can ya do? Least I got one before. But yeah it is what it is and this is the end of my travels, possibly for the year!! Depends how the job and living situation shakes out. So hoping it ends on a good note! Doing KI tomm, sadly FL+ is not an option. I can but it's just not fiscally smart to do so. I'm living tight right now (was hoping my security deposit would be returned over this last trip, places/people always slow to get $ to you but want lightspeed when you owe em eh?) but I know how good the ops are here and hoping that it won't be toooo horribly jammed. In fact I see there's a pretty solid chance of rain and thunderstorms. Hmmmmmmmmmm perhaps I will get lucky twice and it will keep crowds away but will stay dry! That would be a pretty damn great way to end my coaster tripping. It happened at Kennywood, wish me luck yall.

Another successful coastermania but holy hot damn and I beat. I almost feel like I need to skip morning ERT or take a looong like 6 hour break bc damn... that said what a day. I still love MForce, I forgot how much I love Magnum (I was informed of the magical row 3 and it WAS pretty amazing). Had an epic Gemini experience with both trains continually slapping high fives while racing and of course....SV is just, I can’t... esp by night once it’s ran all day. My god that thing is not right. I KNOW it's crazy and still catches me off guard, especially the "inside" part...thus far it still gives me that out of control I dont know what's happening feeling. FL+ was worth it esp for TTD, Maverick, MForce though I will say while obviously helpful for SV it did seem the line was a few times not much shorter than regular, and yeah there was some weirdness w storage and moving one side a lot then not the other etc but IDK wasnt a huge problem, but still. Worth it though, 2 TTD walk ons, shaved an hour off the Maverick wait and got to semi Marathon MForce (10-15 mins when at times line was 45-75). But yeah damn, other parks may be nicer, have a better vibe, better customer service, better food all of which is true but this lineup it truly can't be topped, hell even matched. Also at least today.....it didn't seem they were doing horribly early line closures. In fact Millie was running a decent bit past 8

Which is quite fine with me! Was having a bit of a jab at some enthusiasts is all heh but I agree and don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Quite the opposite, development is good I mean I’ve always heard how wonderful the park it was but since it was not close/convenient I never thought to go until recent years where they have quite a lineup. People chagrin at the idea but idk the same people all bust the chops of parks that are stagnant for years so what can ya do?

Oof...Maverick not even testing yet. The best kid plans of mice and men...often get mucked up by Intamin lol edit: damn 945 and Maverick not open yet. Feel and for hotel guests who had basically their hour wasted.

Wow that is quite an expansion! On top of a park that's already blown up a good bit, and yeah on top of the pandemic. THAT is impressive/dedication. They need to watch out, at this rate it may lose its beloved "smaller gem" status among enthusiasts and become "corporate" XD XD XD But nah good stuff, I already want to go back and IF they had some time of record breaking coaster for 2023 pencil me in already!

Wow the coaster gods took mercy on me today! When I left it was like 75-80+% chance of rain and thunderstorms. I arrived at KW at noon and it was light drizzle on and off, eventually stopping. Got the perfect combo of dry AND crowds kept away! Went to Steel Curtain first, (since I was there an hour in figured the Exterminator line was already screwed) and the line wasn't that bad physically but took about 30 mins due to the 1 train ops. It was not the crew, they seemed to be moving and were quite efficient. It was simply the 1 train. Did 2 rides, once 2nd row once towards to rear, fun ride but weirdly underwhelming. It has it all: speed, elements, a unique layout, airtime but it was just a bit...well I guess forceless. Air was good. Guess I thought it'd have a little more oomph esp the 2nd half. Over the Phantom's which was a walk on, literally. Forgot how sick that ride is, especially in back! Knocked out Sky Rocket which was better than expected (granted expectations were low). Honestly I really liked the first half, I got back row and those drops had some (brief) pops of pretty nasty air and it was a speedy little ride. It did peter out hard after the 2nd barrel roll, the twisty part and final hills etc were pretty lame. That said running 2 trains and ops were fast, so this was also a walk on. Jack Rabbit I lucked out hard and got cut off next to board. This was great as naturally I took back row, and it also had 2 trains so the wait was like a minute. This was better than expected. I had the vibe its "eh" with the sick double down but I got some pretty good air on a couple other drops! Also by a year this now takes record for oldest coaster I have ridden. Racer was also better than expected, which again wasn't much but it wasn't too bad in back. Line was again short, only 2 cycles ahead of me, though it did move pretty slow. IDK if this is common but ONE person was doing both trains, felt bad for that woman. But yeah solid little ride. Perhaps unpopular opinion(?) but I like Thunderbolt least of the 3 classic woodies there. Exterminator's line was indeed looooooong and I know how slow it goes, by this point I was getting tired and Phantom's again was empty. I count creds but not a cred whore, so I made the choice to not wait. I love a spinner too but long wait for that or 3 rides in less time on Phantom's? Which I did, it was wild 3 walk ons, right to the train in one case it timed perfectly that I barely broke stride and jumped onto the loading train. Maybe it warmed up by this point but felt even wilder. What a ride truly. All in all this experience was the polar opposite of my last (hot as hell, crowded as hell, few rides closed/down) and in a better mood, it wasn't a bad park. I did kinda like the more forested parts and the whole fountain area by the splash boats was wonderful. Now that redemption has been had not sure I'll make a case to stop here at least for a while but considering I got near all I wanted done, (even snuck a ride on Swingshot) in 3 hours and it was not the total washout I feared, not too shabby!

Interesting, thanks for the tips yall. It does say thunderstorms....and I can't do any extended hours. Ah well, gotta go by it regardless so not much point fretting, will see if 1 they will indeed allow a date change (I bought the ticket when reservations were needed so yeah it says 6/3 only but I wondered maybe that wont matter anymore) or say **** it and go and see lol

So it looks like weather in Sandusky is rainy/stormy but clearing out late afternoon...meanwhile looks to be rough all day near Pittsburgh. Wondering if it may be worth coming here early, like 5:00 using my pass and seeing if I can sneak a few rides in...perhaps rain will clear out the crowds?

Oof looks like weather has taken a turn for the worst. Its now well over 60% chance of rain, thunderstorms...I bought my ticket ahead of time and I see "valid only on" the date. Yikes, was planning on stopping for just a few hours, hope it's not a total washout

Thanks all! I'll grab it right before the park opens for full. Well this is why Im even more glad I (if possible) only go here for the event now...avoids all that, got ERT for both rides It relieves so much pressure off the day. ESP now that this whole shutting very early thing is going on (though god hope that is a temporary thing that will end next season)

Yeah I recall the Phantom's crew really moving.

Mystic Timbers is great, was my fav ride there and we'll see if it remains so after Orion, though it wouldn't surprise me. Sounds like it was a good time and dang now I HAVE to try the blue ice cream beer lol Also seems like crowds were no issue which gives me hope but also guessing rain kept people away.

Ah but here's the thing, we get that...it's less not zero and ofc 45 mins is better than 2 hours. Problem is it seems that, at least thus far, they have kinda bungled how they've been doing it and the FL was not that much less than normal. THAT is a problem, like 45 mins vs 120 is clearly a huge difference and worth it, some are making it sound like that hasn't been the case though....but I do assume it's still early season bugs that will work itself out. Least I hope. Bc yeah bad news i305isdaddy but for SV it was deff more than 15-20 mins lol It's till Cedar Point, like I don't think people always seem to grasp that and like, ya gotta understand crowds are part of it. But if ya wanna go it is what it is. I know I am excited as hell esp that weather should be perfect. Since I'll be arriving tomm night gunna pop in the park (since I got the platinum pass ) I know rides have been closing early but maybe can grab some of the not big names. EDIT: Oh btw how do we get the actual fast pass? Can we just pick up at the gate/conveniently or do we need to go to some place?

Awesome report! Sounds like a good time and yesss I love Mystic Timbers. What a ride. And thanks so much for the tip: The park does early access for season pass holders?? Even 25 minutes, I'll take I had no idea this was a thing.