thrillseeker4552

I recall hearing somewhere that Cedar Fair is announcing ALL of their parks' additions tomorrow (that are getting something). Could somebody confirm, or am I remembering wrong?

I'm kinda bummed the announcement is in the evening as opposed to the morning like all the other parks. I'm looking forward to this announcement most, simply because we basically already know what CP, KD, CGA, and SDC are getting. I have absolutely no clue what to expect for Knott's; we have had no hints, leaks, anything.

Very interesting. I would start speculating a bunch of crap, but we'll find out in 24 hours, so that would be pointless. Can't wait!

Yes, they have considered it. A few years ago (gosh, maybe it's been like what... 5 years now, or longer?), they had some Timberliners and were testing them on Voyage, but for whatever reason they stopped and it never happened. I can't remember why it never happened, but they have most definitely considered it. EDIT: After some research, it turns out they were testing them in August 2010.

I'm not completely sure what to think when it comes to SFMM for 2018. By then, it will have been three years since a new coaster, so I could see it going two ways. Either they take a small off-year (since Justice League was a huge project) and add some flats (Giant Discovery PLEASE), or they surprise us and add their 20th coaster. If so, it would be 2013 all over again with Knott's, CGA, and SFMM all getting new coasters. Refurbished Viper would be great, as well. I don't have a problem with it the way it is, but if giving it new trains keeps it around longer, I'm all for it.

Yikes! I hope the damage isn't too bad and everybody stays safe. I know it's a boat fire, but it's probably not the right time to joke...

Great report! I gotta get to SFOT soon (or all the Texas parks, for that matter). Looks like you had a great time minus the few breakdowns.

Agreed, I second this. As much as it's a kid park, they've got a kickass coaster tucked away in the back and everyone I've gone there's been no lines. If and when I ever do a NorCal trip, there is no way I'm skipping out on that park, especially since they take the Platinum Pass. It's in such close proximity to CGA, it would be stupid not to go. It looks like a beautiful park.

When I think "A" rides, I think Intimidator 305, Fury 325, Maverick, RMCs, El Toro, Skyrush, etc. Banshee is my favorite Invert (and I will admit that if I HAD to choose a favorite coaster in the park, that would be it), but that doesn't necessarily mean it stacks up with the aforementioned coasters. I hope I'm not giving off the impression that I do not like the park, because I REALLY do. They just don't have that big "star attraction" that other CF parks tend to have. And like I said, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It really has one of the most well-rounded coaster collections out there. I see where you're coming from. I often wonder if the park will ever get a giga, being in such close proximity to CP. God knows there's plenty of room. I'm highly skeptical of a giga coaster as well. In a way, I feel like Kings Island sort of "balances out" what Cedar Point lacks. For example, the plethora of wooden coasters, a B&M Hyper, a flying coaster, good family coasters, etc. I would actually be VERY surprised if this park ever got a giga, for the same reason I would be surprised if KD ever got a B&M Hyper. Both CP and KI really are great, and with a Platinum Pass they can be a good "one-two punch," and between the two parks, they pretty much hit every possible coaster category.

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I don't give a flying crap what the name of this coaster is. It will be an amazing ride regardless. Plus, most names that initially sound terrible typically tend to grow on me. When I first heard the SFMM was calling their new coaster "Twisted Colossus," I thought it was one of the worst things you could name a coaster, but it really has grown on me, and it's not too bad now. Steel Vengeance is fine, IMO. It'll be a kicka$$ ride, and that's what matters.

I recently visited Kings Dominion on a Saturday and Sunday, and crowds were perfectly manageable. Volcano can get crowded, so try to hit that first (even better, take advantage of ERT if you're eligible). The rest of the rides should have manageable waits, with none being longer than maybe 30 minutes. I'm sure by mid-August, when some schools are back in session I assume, it will be even less crowded.

Great report! Holiday World is slowly climbing up my priority list of new parks to visit. Thunderbird looks like one of the best Wing Coasters out there, and the three woodies all look fantastic. Oh, and Splashin' Safari. Yeah, those water coasters look amazing.

When I think "A" rides, I think Intimidator 305, Fury 325, Maverick, RMCs, El Toro, Skyrush, etc. Banshee is my favorite Invert (and I will admit that if I HAD to choose a favorite coaster in the park, that would be it), but that doesn't necessarily mean it stacks up with the aforementioned coasters. I hope I'm not giving off the impression that I do not like the park, because I REALLY do. They just don't have that big "star attraction" that other CF parks tend to have. And like I said, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It really has one of the most well-rounded coaster collections out there.

Three days! Believe me, I'm counting.

Honestly as long as it runs a decent setting (i.e not Sol Spin) you shouldn't be complaining, they are fairly common but excellent flat rides with a decent capacity and with a good cycle intensity and out of control flipping. Its also like nothing they have already or at nearby parks as far as I can tell so i think it would be an excellent purchase! Ever since Sol Spin reopened with an extended cycle, it's actually quite good now. I prefer it to the version at Carowinds, to be honest. It runs really well, and Valleyfair would be lucky to receive one. But no top scan is as crazy as the one at Lagoon. That thing is batsh*t crazy.

A little off topic, but that eclipse is going to be amazing. Apparently it's even better in Northern Utah, with 95.something visibility! Can't wait for the 21st. I love geeky stuff like this. So yeah, anyway, back to Holiday World discussion.

I feel ya! In fact, I've never been to NorCal, but I'm highly considering doing a little road trip there from Northern Utah next summer...if I can find time and some people to go with. With CGA's new coaster, SFDK, SCBB, and even Gilroy Gardens, plus a bunch of sightseeing stuff in San Fran, I gotta get out there sooner than later! Was *this* close to going this year, but timing didn't quite work out. Figured waiting until 2018 wouldn't be such a bad idea anyway, with CGA's new coaster.

Even though I almost always take everything from Screamscape with a grain of salt, I'm still very excited for this (assuming it is true). Capacity will be atrocious, but Wonder Woman looks like a great ride. It definitely beats an Intamin Impulse!

Nice mini-report! I also love the Mystic Timbers photo. Just thought it would be worth mentioning here that I posted the Kings Island leg of my trip report to my thread, if anyone is interested.

Like always, thanks to everyone for commenting. I really appreciate it. Sorry it took me so long to write up Part III (Kings Island). I got my wisdom teeth out recently, so I've been dealing with that. But without further ado, here it is. Enjoy! Part III - Land of the "B+" Attractions This pretty much sums up my thoughts on Kings Island. Keep in mind, I have visited this park before (in July 2014), but after three years, and visiting MANY other new parks since then, I have developed a fresh opinion of Kings Island. Like the title says, it is essentially the land of the "B+" rides. What I mean by this is that the park does not have one stand-out "A" ride. Banshee, Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, and the Beast are the "top tier" rides at the park, but none really sticks out above the rest. Carowinds has Fury 325, Kings Dominion has Intimidator 305, but Kings Island has several--or none--depending on how you look at it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since I think that is what many people like about this park, being it is VERY well-rounded with a lot to offer for everybody. Their "top tier" rides are just, like I said, a bunch of "good but not AMAZING" attractions. Kings Island really is a wonderful park, though. It definitely feels a little more "Cedar Fair" than Kings Dominion, but it still has plenty of charm with a very friendly atmosphere. I was excited to check out Mystic Timbers, since it was the new hotness for me, but I went in having moderate expectations for the ride. I wasn't expecting the next El Toro, but I was anxious to compare it to my home park's renovated GhostRider, since I knew that ride very well. As always, here are my brief reviews of each roller coaster. These are based on my 2017 visit, so anything I experienced in 2014 I will simply leave out. Adventure Express: I would consider this one of the better Arrow mine trains I've ridden. It was quite smooth and had an interesting layout. Even though the ending is pretty bad, I enjoyed the small amount of theming on the lift. Backlot Stunt Coaster: Exactly like the one at Kings Dominion. Definitely one of the best family coasters out there! Banshee: As much as I LOVED Afterburn at Carowinds, I still think Banshee takes the cake for my favorite inverted coaster. The first drop, the final inline twist, and the ride's length are the standout features for me. I also really enjoy the restraints and think they work well on inverted coasters. It was glass smooth, just like I remember, and flowed very well. In my opinion, the back row is the place to be on this ride! Bat: This is, by far, my favorite Arrow suspended coaster. It is fast, smooth, and super swingy. It is a solid notch above Ninja for me, and two notches above Draggin' Iron. Great ride! Beast: During the day, this ride is fairly average. Venturing out into the middle of nowhere is very unique and fun, but the coaster itself is, to carry with the theme, "good but not great." However, as most people know, night rides is where the Beast really shines. I wasn't able to get a night ride back in 2014, so I made it a priority to get one on this trip, and I am SO HAPPY I did. This thing is FANTASTIC at night. It's essentially a whole new ride. My brother and I rode front row at night, and it was definitely a highlight from the entire trip. Absolutely amazing. The ride feels 100x faster, and even though I know the ride layout pretty well, I STILL couldn't tell where we were going. You know, I think if Kings Island were to have an "A+" attraction, it would be the Beast, front row, at night. No other ride I've been on can even compare to that ride in those circumstances. It's a beast, pun intended. Diamondback: When I rode this back in 2014, I thought it was a GREAT hyper coaster. But now that I've ridden many new hyper coasters since then, both Intamin and B&M, Diamondback just didn't quite do it for me. I think Intimidator and Nitro are both quite a bit better. In fact, the first half of Diamondback is actually quite good, but the second half is where the ride turns into a snooze fest. It is also the rattleiest B&M Hyper I've ridden (still not ROUGH, but quite a bit rougher than many other hypers I've ridden). Also, the trains look like they survived a fire. Seriously, I know it costs money, but I am very surprised that a park the quality of Kings Island, which is one of the biggest parks in the chain, allows arguably their biggest attraction to look like, well, crap. Some of the seats had fresh seats and/or lap bars, but it is REALLY unappealing to step in a seat that is about to turn completely black. I really hope the park replaces all seats and restraints on all three trains soon. I have heard so many people, both at the park and on the Internet, comment about this. The trains are just really, really ugly. I honestly expect Kings Island to keep their biggest roller coaster in better shape visually. Firehawk: It is WAY better than Nighthawk and exactly the same as Batwing. It's not as good as the B&M Flyers (I'm a little spoiled with Tatsu not too far from me), but they are still solid rides (not Nighthawk). I don't know what Vekoma did between 2000 and 2001, but it worked. Flight of Fear: I actually didn't get a chance to ride this this year, but I remember it being quite jolty and intense. The one at Kings Dominion felt exactly the same. Good rides, but the combination of intensity and roughness is what keeps this ride from being in the top tier of rides at the park. Flying Ace Aerial Chase: Better than the one at Carowinds since the restraints are a little less bulky, but it's still a pretty bad family coaster. These Vekoma SFCs should really get those lap bar trains. Invertigo: OK, seriously. I hate most Boomerangs, and I hate every SLC I've ridden, but apparently combining the two makes a ride pretty good? I liked Invertigo quite a bit. It was smooth, intense, and fun. And I still don't know why, but it's way better than Stinger at Dorney Park for some reason. I'm glad I rode this ride again. Mystic Timbers: Here we go, the new hotness. To be honest, it was good. Not great, but good. I still prefer GhostRider at Knott's. I enjoyed all the little pops of airtime hills, but the ride felt like a very good "medium" wooden coaster. The shed was a glorified brake run, as we all know. It's definitely a unique ride and a nice addition to the park, but it doesn't quite rank in that top tier of wooden coasters for me. Racer: Rebel Yell is quite a bit smoother, but the Racer is still fun. Classic. Vortex: I pretty much have the same opinion of this as I have of Anaconda. It's just another Arrow looper. I didn't get much headbanging, but it's definitely jerky and clunky. One ride was plenty for me. Woodstock Express: Again, the exact same as the versions at Carowinds and Kings Dominion. Now on to the photos. We spent one full day at this park (the 1st) and a few hours the next morning (the 2nd). Enjoy! I didn't really get an "entry" shot for Kings Island, sorry. But first thing we did was book it to Mystic Timbers for early morning ERT! It was a good, but not GREAT, wooden coaster. We then headed to Banshee towards the end of ERT, but this ride really didn't have a line throughout the day anyway. LOVE this ride! My favorite inverted coaster! The crew was pumping out trains like there was no tomorrow. Many times the train had to CRAWL up the lift hill and wait for the other train to clear. By far the best dispatches in the park. We did Drop Tower while we were here. Not quite as good as the one at Kings Dominion, but it's still great! The Beast in the morning was quite sluggish and rather boring. Night rides are infinitely better! Diamondback was good, but it doesn't quite measure up to Intimidator or Nitro, IMO. I love the splashdown, though. Vortex was your average Arrow looper. Intense and unique, but clunky and rough. But it at least had great operations! 3 trains with little stacking! We then headed back to Banshee to get another ride, and also to ride Delirium because I LOVE giant frisbees! We did Bat while we were over there. One of Arrow's best! Finally, an Eiffel Tower shot. The overcast weather was quite gloomy, but at least it didn't rain. We wanted to get another ride on Mystic Timbers. It had a 30 minute line, which surprisingly was the longest in the park. We had no need to buy Fast Lane. Diamondback thru the trees! You know, even without the very worn seats and restraints, I just don't like Diamondback's trains in general. One of my least favorite color schemes on a coaster train. I like taking photos of Vortex, but not so much riding it. Rebel Yell is better, to be honest. But it's still fun classic goodness. Firehawk was next. I remember it being quite good. And it was, especially when compared to Nighthawk. We then headed back to Action Zone for more Banshee. It's still pumping out trains like crazy! And I had to ride Invertigo, just to see if it's still tolerable. And it really was good! The Tower of Dropping! The weather started to clear up a little in the late afternoon. And of course, we had to head up to the Eiffel Tower to take photos. Beautiful park! 275 feet up! We couldn't forget about Backlot Stunt Coaster! GREAT family ride! Vortex clunking around its track. Diamondback plunging. I love good light packages! And we ended our day at Kings Island with a front row night ride on the Beast! We then headed back to our hotel after a long day. We were back up in the morning for just a couple hours to get a little ERT on Mystic Timbers and some last rides, then we headed to our final park of the trip! Back or a little ERT on Mystic Timbers, then we're off! Can you guess where we're heading next?! Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think, and post your comments!

I'd love to see an enormous S&S Screamin' Swing. Like, not 120 or 130 foot swings. How about, 300+ foot swings? Or even bigger? Just imagine how utterly terrifying it would be to be on a giant swing that swings as high as a giga coaster? The two limiting factors, I imagine, are the G-forces exerted on the riders when swinging downwards and the amount of stress the structure can handle. I'm going to school for civil engineering, so maybe one day...

1) Kingda Ka 2) Top Thrill Dragster 3) Superman: Escape from Krypton 4) Fury 325 5) Millennium Force 6) Intimidator 305 7) Goliath (SFMM) 8) Intimidator 9) Diamondback / Nitro 10) Valravn

I had completely forgot about this coaster. It looks great, and I love the color scheme. Can't wait to see some test runs.

I try to travel as lightly as possible. Just my phone, wallet, and keys if I'm the one driving. I don't see what else I would need. I never need to rent a fluffy bunny; a pair of cargo shorts does the trick. Obviously I would need to carry a little more if I'm doing the water park, but that would only consist of a small drawstring backpack. I don't do water parks much anyway.

I may be in the minority, but I actually really like them! They have a unique perspective. I'd love to see more!