thrillseeker4552

Sorry you missed out on Xcelerator. I guess that’s the risk that comes with visiting in February. I’m glad to see you enjoyed GhostRider and Montezooma. Those are the two “gems” of the park, in my opinion. But HangTime and Silver Bullet are fun too.

While part of me is relieved it likely won't be a Wing Coaster, I still hope we see a coaster soon. Volcano was a huge loss and I'm sure the park is well aware of that. And with BGW significantly upping their coaster game (as well as being a gorgeous park in general), I hope Kings Dominion does something great in the next few years. I think the chances of them going another 8 years without a new coaster is pretty low. The next few years will be interesting for Cedar Fair. Given how much love and attention Kings Island gets, I'm willing to bet the Vortex plot won't stay empty for too many years. Cedar Point will probably get a new coaster in the next 2-3 years. You know Carowinds will too. I wonder if another 2018 will happen where we see several coasters in a year, or perhaps they will play it more conservatively like they usually do with 1-2 coasters per year. You never know. What a fun time to be an enthusiast!

The black bean burger by Gold Rusher is delicious, might I add. I decided to substitute it for a regular burger one time (which I do occasionally) and it was great.

Maybe it's because I grew up (and live) in the west, but I would gladly take desert heat over the gross, humid, swampy, sticky heat in the east. I had a couple days at Cedar Point and Carowinds that were in the 90s but felt WAY worse due to the humidity. It had me wishing I was back out west in the ultra-dry heat. You can actually sweat and cool off when it's dry!

^I think you hit the nail on the head. I totally agree. I do think Pantheon and Iron Gwazi are bit more "upscale" and expensive (neither of those coasters can be cheap), but Stingray, Emperor, and Ice Breaker are definitely on the smaller and cheaper side just to get more people through the gates. I'm not complaining either because I am ecstatic that a B&M Dive Coaster is coming close to my home, but gotta give credit where credit is due. And if rumors are true, 2021 will be similar with rumored coaster additions at 4/5 main parks (BGT being the exclusion).

I'm excited to check out SFMM during a totally dead day next week. My spring break falls obnoxiously early this year (it's March 2-6), which is kind of annoying for some reasons (shorter operating hours at parks), but it will be a total ghost town at both Knott's and SFMM and I am looking forward to marathoning rides like crazy.

Cedar Fair is a pretty well-oiled machine when it comes to building coasters. Begin groundwork during the summer season, announce the ride in late summer, begin vertical construction in the fall, finish track work by late January, and begin testing in February. Then open it on the park's opening day. That's why it is so obvious to predict which parks are getting new coasters for the following year - they begin the process quite early. The only Cedar Fair coaster in recent memory that didn't open on the park's opening day is Railblazer, I believe. Likewise, I don't think Six Flags has ever opened a new coaster on the park's opening day in the last 10+ years? Of course excluding the year-round parks, which Six Flags has more of. Just different strategies. I do like Cedar Fair's strategy more since they are more reliable to plan trips around, and opening the new coaster in the spring allows kinks to be worked out before the busy summer season.

I think this is fantastic news. That area of the country is quite dry in terms of coasters. Throwing an RMC Raptor at a small park in the middle of nowhere actually makes sense. Its capacity won't be an issue, and it will draw people who have likely never heard of the park. Sweet!

Apparently there are construction walls up at the park advertising something big coming in 2021. They have dammed up some water from the lake and begun ground work. Does anyone who went this weekend have photos? If this is another large coaster, my goodness. The SeaWorld chain is officially losing their minds.

Nice report so far! I like seeing reports from first-timers at one of my home parks. Can't wait to read about your visit to Knott's too.

I am willing to bet they are taking a look at Steel Hog and possibly a few flat rides. Steel Hog is probably dirt cheap, and it's very compact, high-thrill, and adequate capacity for the park. That coaster just screams Fun Spot to me.

^I agree that Jersey Devil may become a sleeper hit. So far, most of the 2020 attention is on Orion, Pantheon, and Iron Gwazi. However, those other coasters are probably grabbing the most attention because they are complete or nearly-complete. I think people will gain more excitement for Jersey Devil when the coaster actually begins to take shape.

^My thoughts too. Schwarzkopf coasters run like an absolute dream. None of the ones I have ridden have included a single rough spot at all.

Sad news. I never visited Indiana Beach, but I heard good things. Hopefully Steel Hog finds a home. I think it would work great at the Atlanta Fun Spot park.

The first rides to shut down in high winds are X2, Lex Luthor, and Superman. Most rides should operate unless it is incredibly, abnormally windy. My favorite location to sit down and eat is in Food etc. (to the left of Goliath's entrance). Lots of seating, climate controlled, and spacious. Some of the booths on the bottom level can be pretty gross and outdated though. This place includes nachos, tacos, Greek food, and I believe sushi as well. However, my favorite food in the park isn't necessarily located there. I really like the sandwiches at Twisted Witches down near Twisted Colossus, and the BBQ place near Riddler's Revenge and Tidal Wave is also quite good (I believe it's called Ace of Clubs). Although apparently all the seating has been ripped up due to the mysterious construction, so perhaps that restaurant is closed entirely, and if not, there is definitely limited seating there now. EDIT: Also, I forgot to mention that there are several new food options in the WCR area, but I have not tried them yet. I rode WCR during it's technical rehearsal when the food facilities weren't open yet.

Thanks for the photos. I'll be at the park in 2 weeks. I can't wait to check this thing out in person!

Is there official confirmation that this will only operate one boat? Or are we just assuming based on the animation and concept art?

Regardless, this ride will be a great addition to the park. I visited in December, so I can't speak from experience, but I imagine it gets scorching hot in the summer. This ride will pull a huge line during those days I imagine. I'm really hoping we get one of these at SFMM next year. With all these shoot-the-chute rides leaving, I'd love to see modern water coasters like this gain popularity - especially in the warmer states.

^Or they could repaint it invisible.

Northern Utah is... depressing. It will completely dump snow for consecutive days all week and stay in the teens and 20s. Then the sun will come out, and it will reach maybe 35 degrees. Then you get one beautiful, perfectly cool day (which was Thursday this week), then boom - snow again. Rinse and repeat. I guess that's what you get at the higher latitudes and higher elevations. I'm just looking forward to going home to California for Spring Break in a couple weeks and escaping this depressing weather!

Oh yeah, I totally get that. I was just making fun of Six Flags since I wasn't expecting vertical construction until at least March or April. I meant two months ahead of the "Six Flags schedule."

Wow! About half of the track is in place, and it's only mid-February! They're two months ahead of schedule!

I am not surprised. Tidal Wave has been rumored to be removed for many years now. However, I do find it surprising that work is already starting on something so soon after WCR. That was a huge project for the park (clearly, since it took so dang long). Next year is also their 50th anniversary. I know, I know, anniversaries don't mean anything. But SFMM did add three "new" coasters for their 40th in 2011. Remember that cheesy announcement video of Green Lantern, Superman EFK, and Road Runner lumped with them advertising 40 years of thrills? Adding their 20th coaster during their 50th anniversary year in 2021 could be tons of easy marketing. I would be thrilled with a Mack PowerSplash, and if turns out to be the new concept with a loop, then even better.

^One month away and track isn't even complete yet? Yeah, um, definitely not. I think May is most likely, just like the other SeaWorld coasters opening this year except Stingray.

I am very interested in what they are doing to the ride. I mean, it was basically already themed to the Riddler. But with the whole Revolution train thing, color me intrigued.