thrillseeker4552

I don't know how things were when you were there but I didn't feel like a third train would have made much difference at all. It was rarely stacking but I think I only saw once or twice where a train dispatched before the other one was hitting the brake run. Yeah, it is usually very difficult to make three trains efficient on any coaster that doesn't have a MCBR or a freakishly tall lift hill (Fury and Leviathan). That's why I said two trains works out just fine and wouldn't be much of a problem for most medium-sized parks. They would have to be SUPER fast and have the lift hill go very slowly along with a continuous loading station to make three trains worth it (see: Wonder Woman).

Railblazer seemed to be very reliable the one day I was there a few weeks ago. Aside from a late opening where we couldn't ride until 11am (which really isn't a big issue), I don't recall it ever breaking down the entire day. Also, despite running two trains (which I feel will be the usual), the ride really pulls through its line more than I expected it too. Every train went out with 8 riders, and there was absolutely zero stacking the vast majority of the time. Still not a "high capacity coaster" by any means, but I think this type of ride would work fine at most amusement parks that have good operations and manageable crowds. Also, I saw on Instagram that the black/green train is now in operation. I'm not sure if it got switched out with the red or yellow one, or if they're running three trains now, but it's back.

^Honestly, almost every major coaster at Kings Island I would consider a "must" for night rides. It is THE park for that kind of stuff. Beast, Banshee, Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, and even Vortex, Firehawk, and others are all fantastic at night. But I would definitely prioritize Beast for night rides, because while the others are definitely great, a front row ride on the Beast at night is unlike any other roller coaster experience out there.

Great report! Lech Coaster looks fantastic. Here's to hoping Vekoma sells more of these next-gen loopers, including the US! I know many parks that could use a ride just like Lech Coaster.

I haven't ridden Firechaser Express, but considering its very low height requirement and VERY broad appeal, I'm surprised more parks aren't picking up Gerstlauer family coasters. I think something like this would work very well at Cedar Point. Even if it was 42" instead of 39", that's still much better than 48".

Part of me really wants to get pumped for this addition since there are so many possibilities, but the other part of me has to remember back in 2012 when they were gonna add a huge new coaster to the park, and while Full Throttle is fun, I don't think anybody will argue that it didn't quite turn out as expected. Also, this is Six Flags, and I just find it really difficult to believe they will drop a ton of money on a huge Mack coaster or something similar. Of course, I REALLY hope I'm wrong!

Sounds a lot like Twisted Colossus, minus the launch. And knowing SFMM, it would never race lol. I'm glad to finally see some teasers up. I think this basically confirms it is a roller coaster. Can't wait for the announcement!

I will actually laugh out loud if they announce a Floorless Apocalypse because there is absolutely nothing they can do to improve the dumpster fire that is that coaster.

I visited on a Monday a few weeks ago (7/23), and lines were VERY manageable. Surprisingly, Superman had the shortest line in the park all day. They were pumping out trains every 30 seconds it seems. There was a time in the late afternoon when there was absolutely nobody in line, so as soon as we parked back in the station, they asked us if we wanted to ride again and launched us again after a quick release and lock of the lap bars. It was awesome! It seems to be super reliable and it's an awesome coaster. Joker and Medusa should be running both trains, but there's a possibility Medusa will only be running one since I heard they were a few days ago. Joker also breaks down fairly often, so don't be surprised if it's only running one train at some point throughout the day. Kong was also running one train when I was there, but the second looked full assembled and on the transfer track (the ride sucks though, if you don't care much about credits I would just skip it). V2 is closed, the train is completely disassembled in the station. As for park strategy, after entering I would go left and do Joker first, followed by Wonder Woman (if you are in to flat rides) and Superman. I highly doubt HQ will be open, but I supposed hit that too if it is, and if you care. Then I would head back to the other side of the park and hit Medusa, Cobra (if it's open, it was closed when I went), and Kong if you want the credit. Don't forget about Boomerang, again if you want the credit. Both were one and done rides for me. By then you'll probably have an hour or two to spare, so I guess it's up to you on what you want to re-ride, if you want to see animals, eat, etc. I highly recommended re-riding Joker at least one or two times, it really warms up as the day goes on. Grab a back seat ride if you can! It really is a good park. I hear people trash on it a lot (mostly on the enthusiast whining fest that is Instagram), but I was pleasantly surprised. Operations were MUCH better than expected, and despite Kong and Boomerang being terrible rides, I think Medusa, Joker, and Superman is a really solid top 3, and all three coasters had above average operations when I went. Have fun!

^Nice mini review of everything. In terms of Six Flags parks, I think Over Georgia is my number one or two on the "next to visit" list. Twisted Cyclone, Goliath, Mind Bender, and Batman seems like a really solid top 4, plus Dare Devil Dive, Superman, Scorcher, and all the others too. Some day!

Then I'm a little curious what you meant. If it were to not go upside down, what is the problem with lap bars on a hypothetical RMC? (Speaking in terms of regulations).

^I cannot speak for the original Vortex at CGA, but Patriot was a complete walk-on (and I *literally* mean walk-on) all day on a Wednesday a couple weeks ago when both Railblazer and Gold Striker had healthy lines (granted, these are both lower capacity than Patriot). To be honest, I feel that if anything were to happen to this Vortex anytime soon, Carowinds would simply scrap the ride, or relocate it to another CF park (maybe MA or Valleyfair) and convert it to a Floorless on the way. I think Floorless-ing CGA Vortex was a stretch, and at a park like Carowinds with bigger coasters than CGA, would Floorless-ing Vortex even be marketable or beneficial? I'm sure it would be better than its current state as a Stand-Up, but Patriot is by no means a "good" ride. Part of me wishes CGA just scrapped the thing and put in something else. With that being said, I think the case for Rougarou is a little different since the coaster is much bigger and actually really fun now (I GREATLY prefer it to Mantis). These smaller Stand-Ups though? I don't know.

I mean, RMCs don't have to go upside down. Just sayin'!

Woah, that's new. I'm glad everyone seems to be OK. I'm very curious how Prowler managed to valley considering there aren't many "big hills" that it slowly crests. It's all very low to the ground. But I suppose anything is possible with a wheel issue. Interesting...

Very excited to see the layout, trains, placement, etc. Valravn surprised me quite a bit, despite finding the vest restraints unnecessary, so anything similar should be a hit at CW. The park could really use a big, smooth looping coaster.

I'm very excited to see this project unravel. Anything remotely similar to Icon or Helix or even smaller scale like Manta will get an A+ in my book!

This is great news. I visited SeaWorld San Diego a couple weeks ago for the first time in quite a while and I loved it. The park was clean, employees seemed happy and efficient, food was good, and all around it was a fun day. I think Electric Eel did a lot of good for that park!

I rode Electric Eel for the first time two weeks ago, and I loved this system. It was very convenient to toss my phone and hat into that bin and easily retrieve them afterwards, outside the station gate. It seemed to work really efficiently. I suppose the only downside to this system is the need to staff another operator specifically dedicated to doing this.

Doesn't SeaWorld have some type of noise restriction(s)? If so, I wonder if this version will be filled with sand somehow, because the one at SFDK is LOUD.

Very interesting to hear this. I visited for the first time a couple weeks ago and I LOVED Superman. In fact, after a sluggish ride on the Joker, it was my favorite coaster in the park. Joker sped up a little later in the day and after a great ride, that ended up being my favorite, but Superman exceeded my expectations. I definitely prefer it to Full Throttle. I am thrilled they are cloning these rides. With that being said, I completely agree about Kong. After hearing about some trackwork a couple years ago, I was hoping it would be better than the two Mind Erasers I've ridden, but it was just as bad - if not worse.

I agree. In fact, there are probably five other coaster types I would rather see at KI before a giga. Kings Island fills a lot of gaps in nearby Cedar Point's lineup, and vice versa, so unless they build a totally unique giga coaster that really sets it apart from Millennium Force, I just can't see it happening. At least not soon. If we're talking coasters, despite them getting two major ones in the last 5 years, I would really like to see something like Time Traveler, or maybe even a high-capacity version of HangTime with a vertical lift and beyond vertical drop. Kings Island has a very diverse lineup with lots of solid supporting coasters (unlike CW and Carowinds), so I don't think a giga is quite as "necessary" as it was at those parks.

^Lagoon has a very similar policy. No single riders in the front or last rows on any of their coasters.

I actually really enjoy Goliath. Of course, I prefer quite a few other hyper coasters, but something has to be said for the pure "fun factor" of Goliath as well as how smooth it is after all these years. I also really like the trains and restraints. Unless the ride has SERIOUS issues with maintenance down the line and the park has lots of trouble getting parts and upkeeping it, I don't think Six Flags is going to touch Goliath any time soon. It is such a GP machine, ALWAYS has a line (at least when I've been there), and has a huge reputation in the entire SoCal area. Heck, even here in Utah I hear people talk about Goliath and how it's the "biggest baddest coaster" around. It's really iconic.

Nothing for August yet, but because July just barely passed... Railblazer!

Cedar Fair: Fury 325 Six Flags: El Toro Disney: California Screamin’ Universal: Mummy at USH SeaWorld: Electric Eel Independent: Skyrush If I left out a chain it’s probably because I haven’t ridden enough of their rides (or good ones at least) to really make a choice.