thrillseeker4552

Really, no airtime at all? While I will agree that it is far from ejector airtime, you definitely lift up out of your seat on the hills. It's kind of impossible not to unless your stapled in your seat or you defy the laws of physics. EDIT: This post is referring to Millennium Force.

31 May 1982 It's great to hear an official statement from the park. While it's unfortunate that the airtime-famous double-down was removed and seat belts were added, it's nice to see the ride open again. Maybe this is the first step in a bright future for the park. No more double-down. It's for the better, though. It's a pleasant surprise to see how popular Big Dipper is after reopening. The midways of the park are a little more populated now. This is great news! I also spy some new red paint on Big Dipper! Wait, what's that over there? It looks like a very decent plot land has had some dirt moved. If this leads to a new addition, the future for Seaside Spot looks promising!

Silver Bullet!

23 April 1981 Wow, this is tragic news. Prayers go out to the family and anyone involved in the incident. This is the last thing Seaside Spot Theme Park needed. After a 7% drop in attendance last season, the park was already seeing dark skies and a not-so-great future. Hopefully Seaside Spot gets back on their feet soon, or this could be the end of this Pacific coaster park as we know it. Big Dipper has been closed down until further notice. What an unfortunate event for an already-declining attendance park. According to witnesses, the accident occurred at the final double-down section of the ride, which provides extreme airtime. However, nothing will be confirmed until the full investigation is complete. The Big Dipper train, sitting in the station until a light at the end of the tunnel is seen. The future is not bright for Seaside Spot Theme Park. Hopefully they can get back on their feet soon, but at this point it just seems improbable.

Wow, this just isn't Cedar Point's year. Not to mention, they had some issues with Skyhawk last season as well, right? I hope it stays for a while longer. It's one of my favorite flat rides! Hopefully everyone is alright. The last thing the coaster world needs is another incident, especially after what happened at Terra Mitica and SFMM a few weeks ago.

^LOL, that is hilarious. I totally forgot about Diamondback! Rewind...Banshee is the 2nd best B&M coaster in the last decade!

Where did you ride on Banshee? I rode once in the front, once in the back, and a few times in the middle. I felt that the back of the train had a little rattle (nothing too bad) but the front of the train was glass smooth. Like I said, great ride, but nothing exceptional. It's got to be the best B&M in the last decade, though.

Could you guys link to an article or source? I can't find any information about it.

I love how you took the time to put a website for the park. Love it! Can't wait for more.

Oh, there it is. It's nice to finally see B&M doing a launched coaster. Now the only thing left for them to do (or one of the few) that I'd like to see would be a beyond vertical drop. The only type of coaster I could see B&M use for a beyond vertical drop would be their Dive Coasters. Other than that, it just seems unrealistic. I don't know why. I'm catching up on this thread, so let me get it straight. Yellow is for the new flyer in China, white is for Gardaland, reddish/orange is for Holiday World, and teal is unknown. Did I miss any colors? And has B&M ever manufactured this many coasters as once? It's almost overwhelming!

So has Cedar Point said anything about renaming one of their coasters? Do we know which one yet? It's been a while.

Holiday World claims that Thunderbird can reach 1,140 people per hour. The layout is fairly short, and there is no lift hill, so I think it should be okay. I guess it really all depends in the efficiency of the ops, though.

It's weird how everyone looks down on the original Intamin T-bar restraint, even though Millennium Force has been operating with them for 15 seasons now. After visiting Cedar Point twice (2012, 2014), I've never witnessed anyone get the walk of shame (and there were some not-so-skinny people in line). I don't know if it's the ride, the ops, or both, but why can MF operate with them consistently over a number of seasons while the Supermans can't?

Firehawk at Kings Island is quite abrupt.

Great looking park! I love the name Ricochet for the SLC--it fits so perfectly! I look forward to more.

^^^^ This. Is. Beautiful. It seems like nowadays, unless a coaster is OMG KICK YOUR A** FORCEFUL, it gets trashed on. I don't care if Carowinds' new coaster is an exact clone of Leviathan, I still look forward to the announcement, it being built, and hopefully riding it one day. I don't care if Millennium Force is the most overrated coaster in the world, I'm gonna jump in line and ride it anyway. I don't care if Silver Bullet is viewed as the most pathetic invert in the world. I'm gonna get on and just have a great time riding a roller coaster, like an enthusiast should do. It seems that an enthusiast's window of what is considered a great ride is getting narrower and narrower every year, forgetting that they are an ENTHUSIAST, and are supposed to be ENTHUSIASTIC about a ride and enjoy what they have a passion for. What we all have a passion for. Sorry, I had to release some steam too. Regarding Thunderbird, I think it looks like a great, unique ride and a perfect addition to Holiday World. It could be the most forceless coaster in the world, but if I ever visit Holiday World, I know I'm going to ride it and just have a good time! That's what being an enthusiast is all about!

(Out of character.) Sorry for the little hiatus, again. I was on a 10 day vacation to Kings Island and Cedar Point, so I was somewhat productive! Anyway, here we go. (In character.) 19 July 1980 It's the summer season now at Seaside Spot Theme Park. Unfortunately, it's not the best one. Even with the new addition, Caribbean Cove, attendance has dropped drastically. Six Flags Magic Mountain, about an hour north of Seaside Spot, has been growing rapidly the last few years with the openings of the Great American Revolution and Colossus. Knott's Berry Farm has also proven to be a go-to destination in the SoCal area. Could these parks be affecting Seaside Spot? Seaside Spot Theme Park reports a 7% drop in attendance in comparison to its best year so far, 1978 (Forest Run). A family area doesn't seem to be the market. People want thrills at Seaside Spot. Let's check out the Summer season at SSTP for 1980. All of the new rides at Caribbean Cove are walk-ons. This surely shows the dropped attendance. Many empty seats on Pacific Rapids. Even a classic family favorite Scrambler ride has a walk-on. Remember when the midways would be jam packed? Not today. Or this season. Poor Big Dipper. The California sun sure has it baking. Forest Run, what was the most popular ride in the park, is loading just a few people on. It used to always send out full trains. What happened? Treetop Twist was empty! For a fairly low capacity ride, this is impressive (not in the good way). Just like Big Dipper, Parachute Plunge is standing tall with faded paint. Let's hope this isn't the end of Seaside Spot. It has grown so much, and one year of low attendance can't end it all! Hope, hope, hope.

I went to Cedar Point earlier this week from the 21st-23rd. Just like with Kings Island, I didn't take many photos, but I thought I would share my experience and opinions from my visit. [General park thoughts] I have been to Cedar Point before back in 2012, so I already knew what to expect ride-wise. However, since then, GateKeeper was added as well as the renovated Gemini Midway. Anyway, I have to say that I love Cedar Point. Sure, a few of the rides are overrated, but it is a great park with great rides, great service, and a great location. I really have nothing bad to say about the park, really. Here are my thoughts on the rides. Some of my opinions have changed since my visit in 2012. [Millennium Force] I know, it is one of the most overrated coasters in the world, but I still love it regardless. The first drop is simply amazing, the speed is well-maintained, and the hills provide decent air, especially in the back cars. I just love to throw my hands up and have a great time on this ride. It firmly holds the #2 spot on my list. [Top Thrill Dragster] Honestly, I don't really get this ride. It's very fast and very tall, but that's about it. It's over with before I can even process the ride. I like Xcelerator quite a bit more due to its more intense launch and slightly longer layout. TTD #8 on my list. [GateKeeper] This was my first B&M Wing Coaster, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would! After reading for the past year about how it is sort of a let down, my expectations were quite low. But I thought it was a very good, solid ride. It's not OMG INTENSE, but it isn't supposed to be. It does exactly what a wing coaster should do, and it does it well. It doesn't crack my top 10, but that doesn't mean it's a bad ride. [Maverick] Here is the star of the show. This coaster has everything--a quick lift, an awesome drop, "twisties", insane airtime, a launch, and banked turns. It is phenomenal in its simplest form. My only complaint are the restraints (I305 restrains would be nice), but that doesn't prevent it from proudly holding the spot as my #1 coaster. It is great. Truly great. [Magnum XL-200] I rode this once back in 2012, but hardly remember anything about it other than some roughness. I decided to give it another whirl, this time in the "magic" seat (car 1, row 3). That airtime was CRAZY, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. I still think it's a great ride, and it sits right behind TTD at the #9 spot. [Wicked Twister] This has got to be one of the most underrated coasters. It's a very unique ride that seems to get shadowed by bigger rides. The back rows are my favorite--twisting up the back spike is such a cool feeling. It doesn't crack my top 10, but like GateKeeper, it is still a neat ride. Definitely re-rideable too. [Mean Streak] Rough and boring. Enough said. [Mantis] Ouch. This thing could surely use some floorless trains. The ride still wouldn't be super great, but at least one could ride it comfortably. [Raptor] A very good B&M invert. I prefer Banshee, but it's still a great ride. I think Raptor on par with Silver Bullet (yes, I like Silver Bullet and think it gets a lot of crap it doesn't deserve). [blue Streak] Nothing much to say here. Standard, classic wooden coaster. [Power Tower] I think it's worth mentioning that I love Power Tower's launch side. It's very fast and cool, however I like Drop Tower at KI better because of its insanity. And I think I got most of the major rides out of the way. Overall, I love Cedar Point. It's such a great park. Some parts of it are overrated, but I will always love it and want to visit again and again and again in the years to come.

Keep in mind that Knott's is open year-round, so I believe it earns more revenue than any other CF park. There is no reason they can't support another thrilling coaster, I just think the reason they haven't built one is the lack of large, open space and wanting to maintain charm in the park.

This looks like a great addition to Holiday World. It's thrilling and unique, yet family-friendly too. Can't wait to see the track start to go up.

I visited Kings Island for the first time last week on Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th. I didn't take many photos, but I figured I would share my thoughts after experiencing the park for the first time. [General thoughts about the park] Wow. There are so many things I like about Kings Island I don't even know where to start. The employees are friendly and helpful, the rides line-up is very solid, the kids' area is the best I've been to, and the landscaping is clean, colorful, and fresh. The park has a great atmosphere and my family (who aren't very roller coaster crazy) enjoyed the park every bit as much as I did. Now I'll get specific about the rides. [Diamondback] I really didn't know what to expect from this coaster given all of the differing opinions on it. It was also my first B&M Hyper Coaster, so I just went with an open mind. I'm not going to lie: it is a very solid coaster. The first drop is great, and there is solid air on every hill. It rattled at the bottom of the hills, but that didn't prevent it from making my top 5. [banshee] After hearing that this is a great new coaster from B&M, my expectations were quite large for this ride. I thought it was a very solid invert (better than Raptor) with good forces. The first drop and the last barrel roll were both excellent, but everything in-between just felt...uninspired. Like I said, it's a very solid coaster, but it wasn't OMG AMAZING. [Firehawk] This was my first Vekoma flyer, and I thought it was quite good. I prefer Tatsu, but it is a solid coaster that was worth re-riding a few times during the visit. [Flight of Fear] Blah. Sorry, but I do not like this coaster. At all. The lap bars aren't very comfortable (but still better than OTSRs), and the ride was just unpleasant. The first 3 inversions were extremely forceful (it was actually uncomfortable given the amount of time spent in the high g-forces), and the MCBR brought the train to a halt. After that it was just rattly, rough, and slow. The last corkscrew was decent, but that didn't save it from getting a good review. We rode it once and didn't care about riding it again. [beast] Wow! What a fantastic wooden coaster! It blew away my expectations. Beast is one of those rides where you just throw your hands up in the air and laugh the whole way through! It is my favorite wooden coaster, and in my opinion, better than Banshee. [Racer] Just a standard racing wooden coaster. Not too rough, not too smooth. There's really nothing worth mentioning about the ride. [invertigo] This was my first Invertigo-type ride. It was MUCH better than the standard Boomerang, but it's still nothing to write home about. We rode it once. [bat] A decent suspended coaster. I thought it was better than Ninja, but it's nothing super duper amazing. [Drop Tower] This easily won for my favorite drop tower. I don't know why, but I thought it was much better than Lex Luthor. The drop was just insane. Excellent, excellent ride. [backlot Stunt Coaster] A unique little ride. It was smooth, fast, and fun. We rode it a few times. [Vortex] Oh. My. Gosh. This ride was awful. Really awful. It has got to be one of the worst roller coasters I've ridden. It just flat out sucked from the lift to the brakes. There's really nothing else to say. Sorry Arrow fans. And I think that covers most of the major rides there. Overall, I had a great time at Kings Island. All of the coasters were very solid, of course with the exception of Flight of Fear and Vortex. Thank you Kings Island for a great couple of days, and thank you Ohio weather for being beautiful on our visit!

^I believe we don't know yet. Could someone help me out with a strategy to ride all the rides? I'm visiting for the first time on Wednesday (without FastLane) and I'd like to know an efficient order to hit all the major rides.

Mine is @nathanlamoreaux I'm going on a trip to Cedar Point, Kings Island, and a couple other stuff in the Midwest beginning tomorrow, so follow me if you wanna see some pictures/live tweets!

I wish they would too, but they are there for a reason.

^I see your points. The adventure area is mainly aimed at being themed to a jungle/forest, while Caribbean Cove is more of a beach/tropical destination. Hopefully it will do well, but it is only April, so we'll really start to see coming June/July.