ytterbiumanalyst

At the risk of this being taken as a pun, I've always been partial to Mr. Freeze's station. Not only is it very cold, which is more than welcome throughout the summer, it really sets the theme of being in Mr. Freeze's lair. One of the best theming jobs Six Flags has ever done.

How to build a terrain coaster: For best results, build it on the side of a mountain. Outlaw Run easily wins for me.

^ Are you kidding? The mall that's there can't keep any tenants, and they think they're going to get 1 million visitors a year? That's the same attendance as Six Flags, roughly. I love that they saved the building--it's just too beautiful to tear down--but the business model is just crap. Admittedly there is some room to build an amusement park there, as a lot of the parking that's in the train shed doesn't really need to be there--there's plenty around the area, and quite a few visitors come by Metrolink too. But I just don't see a handful of rides bringing that number of people in. I hope I"m wrong. A $70 million investment can really build a lot of stuff, and if they build the right things, it could go well for them. Plus, an amusement park in a train shed is all of the things I love in one place--and in St. Louis too! I really REALLY want this. But then I have to be realistic too and say it probably won't be built, and if it is built, it will likely hemorrhage money so badly it will doom Union Station entirely. Which is the very reason investors will look at this and then give their money to some other project.

1. Streaming 2. Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, in order of most to least, generally through our Playstation 3. 3. DVDs: none Blu-Ray: 1-2, generally just the movies we like a lot after streaming them so we can have them in HD. 4. We do not use any of those, but the Playstation 3 has some of the same functions and apps. 5. Youtube less often than the paid services, but still probably about 1-2 hours a week.

Nice, I hope they enjoy it. That was always my second favourite flat at CC behind the shot tower. Surprisingly good ride.

Buzzsaw Falls. It tried to be both a flume and a coaster, but just completely failed as both, and had mechanical problems from the beginning until it was replaced after only 5 years.

Getting stuck in the flying position on the brake run of Superman at Six Flags Great America. Just the worst possible experience.

We loved Azoosment Park when we went last July. Lines were short, the rides were stellar, and everyone just had a ton of fun. Wildcat is the best Galaxi I've ever ridden by far, and I love the landscaping. Our visit was a wonderful, low-key, relaxing day, and we got to ride everything multiple times. If any Azoosment Park employees are reading this, keep doing what you're doing; next time we're in Chicago, we'll definitely be back.

Fiesta Texas is the best by far, but Great America's pretty good too. The other Midwest Six Flags are okay. Haven't been to any parks outside the Midwest, so I can't comment on those.

I've been on 2 Intamins, American Eagle and Vertical Velocity, both of which I enjoyed very much. I've been on many more B&Ms, though, and all very good: 3 Batmen (SFGAm, SFStL, Goliath at SFFT), Patriot, Raging Bull, Superman at SFFT, and Wildfire. So I have to give the edge to B&M.

Well, as it turns out, I've been on 4: Ninja at SFStL, Boomerang at SFFT, Boomerang at WoF, and Spacely's Sprocket Rockets. So Spacely's Sprocket Rockets. Ninja is absolutely the worst coaster I've ever ridden, and I don't care for the Boomerangs either.

I haven't been to either, but I grew up with Silver Dollar City, so that's been the gold standard for me. Because of that, I'd much rather be at a well-themed park that has a great overall experience than one that has a bunch of roller coasters adjacent to each other. I will make it to both eventually, but probably to Disney World sooner. So Disney gets my vote.

Well, this thread has succeeded in making me feel old. Only about a dozen coasters left from 1984 that haven't met the scrapyard. The best are of course 1. Sea Serpent, Morey's Piers 2. Boomerang, Bellewaerde 3. Boomerang, La Ronde

To update, we didn't make it out to Bell's this summer, but we did get the other three. Worlds of Fun: Detonator (1996) Mamba (1998) Dinosaurs Alive! (2013) Six Flags St. Louis: Batman (1995) Mr. Freeze (1998) Boss (2000) Tsunami Soaker (2014) Six Flags Great America: Goliath (2014) Santa's Village Azoosment Park: Wildcat (2014)

Wrong. This was in response to a member who was stating that any new coaster would be a STANDARD B&M coaster WITHOUT GIMMICKS -- AS IN A LAUNCH. Which is what numerous younger posters were foaming at the mouth about earlier. If and when WOF gets their next coaster it will contain a standard chain lift. This is what you said: So you were stating a standard floorless and wing coaster are both examples of a traditional B&M coaster. I'll accept that that maybe wasn't the point you were trying to make, but it was the point you made. But I do agree with you that they likely won't go with a launch next, much as I would like them to.

^ Well, it may not seem like competition, but there is Santa's Village Azoosment Park. When we were there last summer, we talked to several guests who all had season passes there rather than Great America specifically because of the shorter lines and better customer service. Granted, this was very much a straw poll, considering it was just casual conversation while queuing or in picnic areas, and attendance was not very high (we went on a Friday). For families with small children, though, it's a great little park that gives you a lot for a relatively low price--and that's a big selling point. Maybe some of those who are writing bad reviews on Yelp should look into it. They might be as pleasantly surprised as we were at how fun it is.

^ Yes, if you asked me in 1994 if an inverted coaster is a gimmick, I'd tell you it is. Keep in mind wing coasters have been around now for three full seasons in the US, and there are exactly 3 of them (and one under construction). They're not mainstream. The wooden coaster with inversions is very much a gimmick at this time also. You've brought up older elements like the corkscrew. Why do you think Cedar Point's Corkscrew goes over the midway? That was a gimmick, and an effective one. They could have put the corkscrews anywhere, but they wanted something to grab people's attention. Any design decision whose primary purpose is attention grabbing is a gimmick.

And anyone who's been to Adlabs Imagica, Janfusun Fancy World, King's Dominion, Ocean Park, Parque Warner Madrid, Seaworld Orlando, SF Discovery Kingdom, SF Fiesta Texas, SF Great Adventure, SF Magic Mountain, SF New England, or Tivoli Gardens just said:

A wing coaster is not a gimmicky coaster, they are a new type of coaster that offers a very different experience compared to regular roller coasters. The Premier drifting coaster is an example of a gimmicky coaster. And I absolutely loved the one wing coaster I've ridden, X-Flight at Six Flags Great America in Chicago. But this was in response to a member who lumped them in with floorless coasters as a "traditional" style, and they most definitely are not traditional. Also, consider that no park builds coasters for enthusiasts; with few notable exceptions I'm sure we could all name, parks build coasters in general for the people from that local area, most of which are not knowledgeable about coasters, especially coaster types that have never before been seen in that area. If you ask any random non-enthusiast to describe a wing coaster, what they'll tell you is that the seats are ON THE SIDE!!!!!!! That's a gimmick. In the case of X-Flight, it's a very well done and highly enjoyable gimmick, but that's what it is, and that's how it will generally be perceived.

Last coaster this year will likely be Thunderation, since it's always the last to close for cold weather. You can even get night rides on it during the Christmas festival some days.

Silver Dollar City's Christmas festival!

Well, let's be honest, here: A wing coaster is a gimmicky new style. There are only a handful of them, and they've only been in North America since 2012. Most people have not ridden one at all, since you have to know where they are and plan to go to a park that has one. Considering that the vast majority of people only go to their local park, you can guarantee there will be a sizable portion of WoF's patrons who have never heard of a wing coaster, let alone seen one. So a wing coaster would be a new and exciting thing for them. But really, I think a standard B&M sit-down looper, floorless or floored, would be a great choice. There are a lot of us who loved Orient Express and still feel like we haven't seen its replacement. A standard B&M would fit most people's expectations of what Orient Express II should look like, and it would be a big hit for Worlds of Fun, at less of an investment than a wing coaster would be, whenever the time comes for a new coaster.

I have never ridden it but I like how it looks different from most B&M looping coasters. From the trains, to those high speed turns and fast corkscrew. Oh, and the drop looks like it provides some great air in the back. You cannot beat the air in the back. You're out of your seat almost the whole way down. The view from the top of the mountains and the lake is incredible, too, for the few seconds you get to see it. Since it's built on the side of the mountain, there aren't a whole lot of angles from which one can see it, but that observation deck is very worthwhile, even if you never ride the coaster (but why wouldn't you?).