Whodey

^^I agree 100% on both of your comments. I was suprised at the "jack hammering". Row 7 and 8 had most of it while mid train wasn't so bad. If this is day one it could be interesting in October. I think DiamondBack has a lot less jack hammering but we all have our opinion. Opinions are like a$$holes, we all have one but they all stink. PS Is anybody else having trouble with spell check saying a bunch of words are misspelled but actually spelled correctly?

We have to practice walking single file. Could be tough for some DBs.

I do miss the old restraints on the Beast and Racer. Makes me feel old since I remember when there was water under beginning of the ride.

So I went back to grab a ride on Superman and Irat after my attempt a couple of weeks ago was foiled by high winds. I drove over from Houston and got to the park at opening. I went straight to Irat and it was closed. The worker said it opens at 11. I ask why and his response is that it is the last ride to get tested and opens late everyday. I walk away wondering why their most popular ride opens last. Start testing 30 minutes earlier so it can be open when the park opens. So anyway I only have a short time in the park because I needed to head to Galveston and Kemah that day to grab those 2 coasters. So I thought I have 15 minutes I can grab Superman. I go over ride that twice and head to Irat. I walk up right at 11 which was minutes after it opened. Guess what? ONE TRAIN OPS!!! 30 minute wait within minutes of opening. Not enough employees you might say. No 1 unload, 1 load, 1 driving, 3 standing in driving booth talking to each other. So one of the most popular rides on a weekend running 1 train.

The Beast compared to modern wooden coasters is not good. At the time Beast was built it was amazing. I watched the video of the 25th anniversary of the Beast. It was crazy how they built the ride. If they built it today the ride is pathetic. They designed the enitre thing by hand. No computer or even scientific calculator was used. The 2 guys who designed it had never designed a coaster before. So I give Beast props becuase of the way it was built. It is amazing it is still going strong, but yes I think El Toro and Boulder Dash are better rides. Once you ride a modern woodie it ruins the Beast. I still love it despite it being "overrated".

Does it actually wait for a scream? What if you don't scream? Or is this just a gimmick to get you to scream? Either way it seems like fun, except the many times you said ouch on the brakes.

I don't like parks that don't run coasters at max capacity. Most parks outside the Six Flags chain that I have been to run all trains unless there is a maintenance issue. I have been to Six Flags parks on many occasions that have 40 to 60 minute waits while only running 1 train. My home park(Ki) runs all trains even when the park is empty and I don't even have to get off the train. That is my biggest thing I can't stand about any park. I have just run into this more at this chain than any other place. I want to add when I went to ride Boulder Dash it was a 1 train ops with over 40 minute wait. I was not happy and it does happen elsewhere besides Six Flags. As a side note I know there are certain reasons like weather and maintenance that cause 1 train ops.

This Sunday, Galveston pier followed by Kemah.

Wild Mouse first is the best advice for Dorney. Also Flashpass at SFGAdv. Just so many rides and if you schedule your next ride right after they clear you on a ride you never wait. Most rides take 10-15 minutes after they scan your flashpass.

^^Bad management to me was running 1 train on Goliath when they had a full compliment of workers to run 2. This led to over 1 hour wait after the ride being closed almost half the day. Road Runner and Boomerang were the only other coasters open. Management should of known that the line would be very long. What do the lose by running 2 trains? What do they gain by running 1 train? As for Poltergiest someone pointed out that they can run 2 trains on less staff. I understand that might of been the case and don't blame management for that. At least they opened it. They probably sent the Irat, Superman crews home too, which was to be expected since the wind didn't die down until 5. I am not trying to beat a dead horse. Just answering the question. The park was clean. I now have to debate if I am going to drive over from Houston on the 30th to ride those rides. I also have to hit Kemah and Galveston Pier on the same day. Might be tough.

Your missing the point of the post. There were signs out about the closure. The parking attendant even warned guests coming in. I am cool with the closure for winds. I was getting my Gold season pass and went in despite all the closures. I was disappointed in the decision to run 1 train. Good point about running 1 train Poltergeist had 2 man operation. So maybe that is the reason. Goliath had 4 people in station and driving so I don't get that.

I did think the wind thing was odd but I know parks have different rules. The BM was running all day at Sea World but only ran in the evening at SFFT. I really didn't mean to complain about that. I understand weather is out of their control. It was just a bummer the day I was in town and spent 108 dollars on a rental car in Austin was so windy. Stupid music festival driving up the cost of rental cars.(I am joking calling the festival stupid)

I was unaware that a ride needs more people to run multiple trains. I worked Top Gun at Ki while in high school and none of the coasters at that time had different staffing levels for different amount of trains. I really don't see how you would need more staff to run more trains. Generally you have driver, load and unload. I am not blaming them for not reopening other rides. I expected them to send their employees home for most coasters. I thought bad management was for running 1 train. From my past experience I don't think it takes more people to run a ride with more than 1 train. The computer runs the block brakes not employees. Please let me know what the extra employees are for with the extra train. If someone has facts on this, my apologies for saying bad management. I guess I just am spoiled because KI runs their coasters at max capacity even when sending out half empty trains unless it is raining then they put one away on a couple.

I went to the park yesterday for the first time ever. I ran into bad luck and bad management. The winds were too bad for many rides for most of the day. When I walked in at 2 the only 2 non kiddie coasters were Road Runner and Boomerang. I rode RR and left for Sea World. Of course I asked at the entrance if the coasters were running and they had said all day long even in the winds. So after riding Steel Eel and Great White I headed back to SFFT and walked back in just after 430. They just opened Goliath and had about an hour wait due to 1 train operations. Then Poltergeist opened with 1 train operations. So another 1 hour wait. The winds became calm at 7 and of course nothing else opened since the park closed at 9. My gripe is that after rides being closed most of the day why open 1 train operations? My thought was to sell Flashpass and I would have no problem with buying one if half of the coasters on Flashpash weren't closed. I know weather was a factor throughout most of the day but there were many with my same complaint about 1 train ops. I talked to a worker on Golaith and he said they have had a lot of angry people coming through the line.

Don't forget Ki owned a little over 300 acres on the west side of 71 where the tennis grounds sit today.

I was joking about a coaster. It looks like every 5 years the park makes a large investment and then would be a good time for a coaster. I don't see any flats going back there. The pathways to get to them would make things confusing and look unplanned since it would be in the back of the park.

A good use of the land behind Banshee would be a giga coaster. Station near old SoB station and lift hill goes behind Banshee and then out behind Racer going over FoF. Turning around and coming back. Maybe that is next years expansion Along with a new theme for Action Zone.

Love the new page, especially the tweets on the side side since I don't use twitter.

I am too lazy to research all of Don's posts but I thought the trains were not coming from the US. I think he said late Feb or March for the trains to arrive. Might be pulling that from my behind or a dream I had.

On another website about a month ago Don said the date it would be finished. I am too lazy to go look for it. It was mid to late January but can't put my finger on the date. So if you want to sound smart go look that post up.

If your looking for a cool museum, I would go to the Air Force museum at Wright Pat in Dayton over going to the Neil Armstrong museum. Also from Ki running up 71 to Columbus is the best route to Cp. There are several routes north of Columbus. I usually use rt 13 in Mansfield and connect with Rt 250. There might be better but I don't think going through Toledo or Cleveland are the best way.

The parking lot near the front of the park is being repaved today.

The orange track of The Bat looks good from the freeway. It used to blend in with the greyness of winter but it really pops now. Will be interesting to see if it can be seen when leaves are on the trees.

SOB just kidding. Big Bad Wolf since it was my cherry popper.

I think you guys over analyze the construction. These people do this for a living and know what they are doing. I would think they have a schedule for everything. I would bet they have a timeline with every day spelled out. Of course there is wiggle room for complications but I don't think weather(at least cold weather) would change the schedule.(high winds maybe) If you noticed they pulled the big crane down a week ago. I think this could be a built in break that would of been a catch up time if anything slowed progress down. Don already said the track will be completed in January so they have some kind of timeline. Just my over analyzing of construction.