thrillseeker4552

Lagoon! I officially took my last trip to Knott's a few days ago since I head off to school in Utah next week. Can't wait to go back to Lagoon! It'll be my new home park.

Worst B&M: Either Apocalypse at SFA or Vortex at Carowinds. Both are equally terrible Stand-Up coasters, and they should either be converted to Floorlesses or just scrapped, in my opinion. Worst Intamin: I honestly cannot think of an Intamin I do not like. I can think of some that are rather boring or "mediocre," but that doesn't necessarily classify them as bad rides. I guess I would say Superman at SFMM, only because it is overrated and "average." And before you ask, yes, I really like Green Lantern (at SFMM). Worst GCI: Wildcat at Hersheypark, by far. No question. EDIT: I just realized I posted this two pages ago, with the same coasters! I guess that solidifies my opinions!

The more I think about it, the more I predict the Vortex conversion taking place in 2019 rather than 2018. Next year is almost certainly going to be a Planet Snoopy expansion. And then a few years after the Vortex conversion, RMC Hurler!

California: Twisted Colossus (SFMM) Florida: Expedition Everest (WDW Animal Kingdom) Maryland: Superman: Ride of Steel (SFA) Massachusetts: Wicked Cyclone (SFNE) Nevada: El Loco (Adventuredome) New Jersey: El Toro (SFGAdv) North Carolina: Fury 325 (Carowinds) Ohio: Maverick (CP) Pennsylvania: Skyrush (Hersheypark) South Carolina: Intimidator (Carowinds) Utah: Haven't ridden Cannibal yet, but is it even a question? Virginia: Intimidator 305 (KD)

I hope so, too. And in all honestly, from what I can tell, those leg bars are completely unnecessary if they are simply trying to prevent someone from sticking their foot outside the train. There is already a guard attached to the restraint (near the feet) that blocks the outside of the train and "closes up the hole." All the leg restraints do is make the ride painful. Coast Rider was actually a pretty fun ride back when it first opened, but now the ride is slower, rougher, and painful for any regular-size adult. Ugh.

This is definitely one of the most least accommodating rides I've seen. I rode WT once on my trip last week, and I saw TWO walks of shame on that one ride, and the people weren't even that big at all. Even the B&M restraints seem more accommodating.

I really think people put way too much stock into completely arbitrary terms. I highly doubt this will be a "bigger announcement" than Intimidator 305 in the eyes of anyone on this forum but it doesn't have to be for them to claim that. Maybe this comes with some general upgrades (a new parking gate seems likely since the chain seems to be in the process of renovating those) but I don't think the phrase "biggest announcement in history." is something people should get hung up on since it can mean whatever they want it to mean. You're absolutely right. Even if they only announce RMC Hurler, that's still plenty for me!

I LOVE Designated Survivor, and cannot wait for Season 2 this fall. How I Met Your Mother is also one of my all-time favorites, considering I am rewatching it for the third time now! The ending still sucks.

Man, this thing is looking fantastic! I'm so glad we are getting a huge Mack coaster in the US. 'Bout time they build a huge ride here, considering the awesome stuff they've been doing overseas. I really hope it isn't a spinning coaster though. Something like Helix is plenty good enough for me, at least!

I completely agree. I was very impressed with my visit last weekend, and the park has a really solid and well-rounded ride lineup. RMC Hurler is just icing on the cake. Something tells me they are announcing more than just RMC Hurler though, considering it's their "biggest announcement in history." August 16th really cannot come soon enough!

Interesting. Lagoon will soon by my new home park when I go off to school for the next four years starting this fall, so I'm excited to follow the development of this. The name is actually pretty cool.

^I agree with you about the need for children/family rides. After getting Superman, Dare Devil, Joker, and Wonder Woman all within 5 years, they could really use something for the families. I'd love to see a new family coaster at the park that doesn't go upside-down, but I doubt that will happen next year. A Justice League would actually work well at this park, I think, nestled in their growing DC area, but I know Six Flags isn't planning on adding any in '18. I really hope it isn't a Free Spin, but I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Thanks for the comments, everybody. I really appreciate it. As promised, here is Part II. Part II - The Greenest Cedar Fair Park Seriously, this is one of the first things that caught my eye with Kings Dominion. It's so GREEN! Then again, I am from Southern California, so I am used to brown, brown, brown, and more brown, but Kings Dominion's landscaping and vegetation really took me by surprise. It is WAY more "foresty" than its Ohio counterpart. I really enjoyed my visit here. Some areas have so much theme and charm that you forget you are in a Cedar Fair park. This is what really separates it from Carowinds for me, since that parks feels much more..."Cedar Fair." It really is a well-balanced park, and I would say that it exceeded my expectations by quite a bit. It also helps that we had GORGEOUS weather for our "big day" at the park. As always, here are my brief reviews for each roller coaster in the park. I will post my thoughts on the select flat rides throughout the report. Anaconda: This was a pretty average Arrow looper. To be honest, the more of these Arrow coasters I ride, the more they start to all feel the same. I'm 5'9", so I sit at a perfect height where the harness rests perfectly on my shoulders to prevent any headbanging, but not tight enough to staple me. It had some rough spots, and the whole butterfly element is really awkward, but I do think people make this ride seem way worse than it really is. Honestly, I would ride this over any crappy B&M Stand-Up like Vortex or Apocalypse. The slow corkscrews over the water were, by far, the best part of the ride. Avalanche: This ride was pretty interesting because I've never ridden anything like it before. It was a fun family coaster, and my little sister had a blast on it, but it's pretty much a bunch of helices. I was surprised they were running three trains on it, though. Backlot Stunt Coaster: I love these rides. It's just like the one at Kings Island (which I rode in 2014), and they are great family coasters. Smooth, fast, exhilarating but not terrifying, and all around a fun ride. The first helix is pretty forceful as well. Dominator: This was a great Floorless. But to be honest, I'm not completely sure what to think of it. I like that the layout has the inversions spaced out with other elements in between, but I also really wish the ride had a zero-G roll. If it had that one element, it would be my favorite Floorless by far, but I think for that reason, I still prefer Bizarro at SFGAdv. Still a great ride and VERY photogenic! Flight of Fear: Based on my ride in 2014 on the one at Kings Island, it felt exactly the same. Very forceful and fun, but also quite jerky and uncomfortable in some spots. I definitely prefer Joker's Jinx at Six Flags America. Wow, I can't believe I actually prefer a ride at Six Flags America. That's suprising. Grizzly: Honestly, this ride didn't impress me too much. It was quite jerky (not exactly rough, but more like the ride had square corners and turns), and it threw me around quite a bit. I LOVE the setting though. It is the Beast's little brother. Intimidator 305: ALKDJDALSKDJLSAKFJLASKDJLAKSJDLKASJFLKJSD. Sorry, but that is my reaction to the ride. This ride completely blew away every expectation I had. This is the ONLY ride I have ridden that made me black out. I've ridden MANY forceful elements on coasters (Tatsu's pretzel loop, Skyrush, El Toro, KK / TTD, etc.), and NONE have made me black out except for freakin' I305. Seriously, this ride kicks your a$$ about 50 times. I really can't decide if I like this ride or Fury more, but when given an opportunity to ride either one, I think I would pick this one. I don't rank rides because it is so difficult for me to put a list together, but I think I may have just found my new #1. I think I need to ride Skyrush again to make that final, but who knows when that will happen. We seriously need more Intamins in the US. I305 kicks all sorts of a$$, and I love it. Although, side note, I did notice that the train runs much faster during the day when it is "warmed up" rather than in the morning. Everything after the trim braked airtime hill is much better in the middle of the day, and that is when it kicks you butt even more. Seriously, I know this ride is 7 years old, but bravo to Intamin and Kings Dominion. I didn't think I could black out, but the freakin' Intamin gods made it happen. I305, you sonuvabitch. Rebel Yell: This was actually REALLY good! I mean, it's nothing to write home about, but it was super smooth on both sides, and it had some solid airtime. It's the perfect "medium" wooden coaster, and racing makes it all the more fun. Ricochet: Definitely a better loading procedure than its sister at Carowinds, but not quite as good of a ride. It's a mirrored version of my home Wild Mouse (Coast Rider), and it makes me wish Knott's ran their mouse like this one. It's pretty average though. Not super slow, but I wouldn't call it fast either. Volcano the Blast Coaster: This ride was pretty much exactly how I expected it to be. The launch is great, and shooting out of the Volcano is awesome and gives some great hang time, but everything after that is fairly repetitive. I even got some ear bashing in some places since it isn't quite as glossy smooth as the B&M Inverts. Still a solid "second-tier" ride. Woodstock Express: No different than the one at Carowinds. Fun little ride, especially in the back. Alright, now on to the photos. We visited the park for 1.5 days. We spend about a half day at the park in the afternoon/evening of the 29th, and our beautiful full-day at the park was the 30th. Enjoy! I can already tell how green this park will be by the sign alone. If Kings Island had 100% more trees, this is what it would look like. We headed to Dominator first. It had no line, and we walked right on the back row. It's a great ride; I just really wish it had a snappy zero-G roll. Volcano was next up. This ride unfortunately had more of a line, but it only took about 45 minutes. Fun, but a little rattly and repetitive. I'm glad it was open though! We wanted to ride I305 next, but it was having some hiccups with the restraints on one of the trains. We decided to check out other stuff and come back later. This was just like the one at Kings Island, although it was only running two trains. I love this ride's sign and placement in the park, but the coaster itself was quite jolty and violent. We then headed to the opposite side of the park to check out Avalanche. It was alright, albeit unique. We got to I305 just in time. It opened up about 10 seconds after I took this picture! ALKFJSLDKFALSKDJ. Drop Tower opened up as well. This is definitely my favorite drop ride that isn't Lex Luthor or Zumanjaro. Ricochet was solid. The ones at Carowinds and Hersheypark are better, but at least this one loads two cars at a time AHEM CAROWINDS. RMC Hurler update as of 7/29/17. I didn't really pay attention if there was anything new or not since I was so busy checking out the rest of the park. Mondial sure does great light packages. Oh, and this Windseeker sure was seeking wind. It ran full speed, unlike its sister at Carowinds. Delirium was FUN, especially at night. Not quite at the same level as KI's Delirium or MaXair though. Eiffel Tower at night. We then headed back to our hotel to get some sleep for our big day at the park tomorrow, and boy was it a good day. Back at the park the morning after, and it was BEAUTIFUL outside. The best weather on this trip was this day. We trekked back behind Dominator to get to I305, since we wanted to ride that during ERT to beat the crowds. I don't know if it was a "shortcut" or not, but it seemed shorter, and we wanted to book it to Volcano and I305 as fast as possible. Intimidator was HAULING A$$ today. Holy sh*t. We also rode Drop Tower again because it had a short line and we loved it. We wanted to ride Dominator again, but the line was spilling out of the queue, so we passed. The beautiful weather really drew crowds. But it's still fun to take pictures of. And I was too impatient to wait for a train to come. Again, too impatient for a train. I then headed to Anaconda...alone. Nobody wanted to ride, and I can't blame them. *heart eyes* Swingin' high on Delirium. Sorry Coasterbill, but we couldn't get a ride on Shenandoah Lumber Company. The line was a little too long, and we wanted to check out other things. It's all the more reason to come back in the future. We then headed up to the Eiffel Tower to take some photos. This park really is beautiful. I really can't emphasize how beautiful the weather was this day. This is one of my favorite photos I took on the trip, oddly enough. We wanted to ride Volcano again, but the line was well over an hour. I was content though, since I had had four rides on it already, which was enough for me. Dominator ended up being our last ride of the day. We started and ended in the same place! Goodbye, Kings Dominion. You were good to us!

THIS! I have never seen more "disability" passes on any other ride. I don't know why GhostRider always has so many, but it's so incredibly annoying. I understand the use of a disability pass, and when one person who is truly disabled brings along a friend or something and they really can't stand in line, of course I understand, and that is perfectly acceptable and they have every right to do so. I hate it when one barely-disabled person brings 15 other people with them and fill up half the train almost every cycle. I swear, I don't know what it is about GhostRider, but it BY FAR has the most "exit" people. I don't think the lack of a block brake is the issue. The ride's capacity would be fine (not great, but fine) if there were fewer people at the exit, people were faster at putting stuff in the bins, employees had more motivation, and if there was a single rider line. There is so much more that goes into a ride's capacity and throughput than how many trains they run. Knotts would be the defendant in a lot of lawsuits if they just assumed someone was "barely disabled". Parks are limited by what they can do and be in compliance with the ADA. The best alternative would to be to issue return time passes, since that is equal accommodation. I guess I should have been more clear. I'm not bothered by "barely disabled" people going up the exit. I'm bothered by the huge numbers of guests they bring with them. Like I said, when one disabled person, regardless of severity, goes up the exit with one or two other people, it's not an issue. It's when they bring their entire extended family with them and fill up several rows on the train it gets annoying.

They have three trains so they can cycle one through maintenance, but can only ever run two at a time since the removal of the block brake.

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Windseeker was VERY slow. In fact, for about half of the trip up and down the tower, the gondola wasn't even spinning. It definitely felt like a glorified observation tower, and it became even more noticeable once we rode the ones at KD, KI, and CP, which all ran at regular speed. Intimidator was definitely stronger in the front row, but weirdly enough, I think I prefer Fury in the back. Just goes to show that you can't judge anything until you ride it! Part II (Kings Dominion) should be up tomorrow evening. Glad you guys enjoy it so far.

Top 5 Favorites 1. Hersheypark 2. Cedar Point 3. Six Flags Great Adventure 4. Six Flags Magic Mountain 5. Kings Dominion Top 5 Most Anticipated 1. Dollywood 2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg 3. Busch Gardens Tampa 4. Silver Dollar City 5. Knoebels

Knott's Berry Farm 2018: New thrill coaster in the Boardwalk (essentially confirmed), Xcelerator repaint 2019: New flat ride (would love to see a star flyer, but CalOSHA is a pain so maybe not) 2020: 100-year celebration (since becoming a farm in 1920), festivities, remove Jaguar 2021: New family coaster in Jaguar's spot / Fiesta Village improvements 2022: Soak City addition and/or Camp Snoopy upgrades

THIS! I have never seen more "disability" passes on any other ride. I don't know why GhostRider always has so many, but it's so incredibly annoying. I understand the use of a disability pass, and when one person who is truly disabled brings along a friend or something and they really can't stand in line, of course I understand, and that is perfectly acceptable and they have every right to do so. I hate it when one barely-disabled person brings 15 other people with them and fill up half the train almost every cycle. I swear, I don't know what it is about GhostRider, but it BY FAR has the most "exit" people. I don't think the lack of a block brake is the issue. The ride's capacity would be fine (not great, but fine) if there were fewer people at the exit, people were faster at putting stuff in the bins, employees had more motivation, and if there was a single rider line. There is so much more that goes into a ride's capacity and throughput than how many trains they run.

That's what I think too. They must have rebuilt everything, because it looks brand new. Hopefully this makes the ride smoother and not like it's running on square wheels.

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but apparently Scream is getting new trains? @thecoastercommunity posted this on Instagram a few days ago.

Nice report! I can't wait to visit Dollywood one day. It seems like such an excellent park, even without Lightning Rod. That's a bummer you couldn't ride it. I hope that ride starts seeing better days sooner rather than later.

Blue Streak at Cedar Point yesterday!

Hello everybody, I am usually not one to do big trip reports like this, but I just got back from a fantastic vacation with my family that involved several awesome roller coasters, so I thought I'd put together a four-part photo trip report. We live in Southern California and tend to alternate between Six Flags and Knott's season passes every year. Last summer we took a vacation to a few Six Flags parks on the East Coast, so this year we decided to splurge on Cedar Fair Platinum Passes (with meal and drink plans) and visit some Cedar Fair parks on the other side of the country. We visited four Cedar Fair parks: Carowinds, Kings Dominion, Kings Island, and of course, Cedar Point. Only two of these parks were new to me (Carowinds and KD) since I visited both KI and CP back in the summer of 2014. However, three years was enough time to convince us to head back to these awesome parks, being that Rougarou, Valravn, and Mystic Timbers would all be new hotness for us. Including the two travel days, our trip was 10 days long. That may seem long, but for four Cedar Fair parks, each a good distance from the other, that means a lot of driving and not much room for error. Luckily, we were quite lucky with weather--at least until Cedar Point. But more on that later. The vacation was actually pretty straight forward. We flew into Charlotte, worked our way to each of the four parks, and flew out of Cleveland. We passed by a few close-by parks (particularly Dollywood and BGW), but in an effort to minimize costs for the trip, we decided that doing a Cedar Fair-only vacation was the way to go. Those other parks are all the more reason to visit again in the future. Enough rambling. Let's get started with Part I of the trip report: CAROWINDS. Part I - Where the Carolinas Come Together Our flight landed in Charlotte on the evening of July 26th, and we arrived at Carowinds that night to catch a little "preview" before our full day at the park on the 27th. We spent time in the park for about four hours that night, all day the next day (from open to close), and a few hours in the morning the day after (the 28th). First impressions were GREAT. The park has a wonderful atmosphere. It has a gorgeous skyline (massive B&Ms ) and really something for everybody to enjoy. Oh, and, you know, Fury. Yeah, that's why we were here. I figure I'll just give my brief review of each coaster below before moving on to photos. Enjoy! Afterburn: HOLY CRAP. This ride completely blew me away. I was expecting a fairly average B&M Invert with some intense moments, but it was so much more than that. This ride instantly jumped up to the top of my list for B&M Inverts, at least until I was able to get on Banshee again and re-evaluate. But until then, it blew every other Invert I've ridden out of the water. Love it, love it, love it. Carolina Cyclone: This was a fairly average Arrow looper. As expected, it was rough. It was still tolerable though. It pretty much turned out exactly how I expected. Carolina Goldrusher: It's a mine train. Nothing else much to say about it. Flying Ace Aerial Chase: Yuck. What a poor excuse for a "family" coaster. It was rough. Like, really rough. How do children ride this without getting headaches? The one at KI is at least a little better due to the less bulky restraints. Flying Cobras: YAY! I finally rode a Boomerang I enjoyed! It was quite good. It is by far my favorite Boomerang and very re-rideable. I love the trains, the theme, the colors--everything. It fits perfectly in the area. All Boomerangs should be like this. Fury 325: WOW! What an amazing ride. This is by far the best B&M of the 2000's, at least that I have ridden. It's tall, fast, long, smooth, and comfortable (yes, I know, that's what she said). It is by far my favorite B&M out there and is easily a top 5 coaster (even though I don't keep a list). Millennium Force doesn't even compare. Bravo, Carowinds. You have a winner. Hurler: Probably the most mediocre wooden roller coaster I've ever ridden. It's not very rough but not very smooth. It has a little bit of airtime but nothing crazy. It's a forgettable ride. RMC! RMC! RMC! Intimidator: This ride turned out much better than I was expecting. It has some really solid airtime and is much better than Diamondback, IMO. It's very different than Fury, and the rides complement each other very well. Nitro is still my favorite B&M Hyper that isn't Fury, though. Nighthawk: Bleh. Having now ridden all 3 Vekoma Flying Dutchmans, I can proudly say this is by far the worst. Firehawk and Batwing are much better. The first half of the ride is alright; it's the second half that killed me. It sure has a nice placement in the center of the park, though. Ricochet: Definitely one of the better Wild Mice out there! It's very hard to top Hershey's, but this one comes awfully close. However, it has a TERRIBLE loading procedure. This is the first mouse I've seen that loads ONE car at a time and has both a seat belt and a lap bar. Even Coast Rider at Knott's is more efficient. But aside from the atrocious throughput, it's a really good mouse. Love the colors as well. Vortex: EWWW. PLEASE Carowinds, slap some Floorless trains on this sooner than later. It's right there with Apocalypse at SFA for my least favorite B&M and probably least favorite coaster. It's tired, old, clunky, and rattly. It needs help ASAP. Woodstock Express: Your basic Cedar Fair kiddie wooden coaster. It was actually quite fun in the back row! But those cars sure are a tight fit. I'll briefly mention my thoughts on the flat rides as they come. On to photos! En route to Charlotte! I see you! It's so MASSIVE! But I promised myself I would ride Intimidator first! It was difficult, but I did it! NOW it's time! I've waited two years to walk in this queue! The ride was AWESOME! I had no desire to immediately hop on Vortex yet... Decided to check out Ricochet! GREAT mouse with a TERRIBLE loading procedure. We then checked out Windseeker. Anyone know why the ride runs such a weak cycle? The other Windseekers on this trip ran WAY faster. This one barely spins fast enough to let the cars swing out. We then went to Afterburn! The entrance is a little hidden and "off the beaten path." LOVED IT! Pretty much the worst family coaster I've ridden. We ended the night with our first and only ride on Nighthawk. Ouch! That's about all we rode on our little "preview" night. Now on to photos from our big full day at the park. Good morning, Fury! Up bright and early for early entry. I'm ready! Woo! What a beautiful sight! After ERT we gave Carolina Cyclone a shot. It was "bleh." But my little sister got over her fear and rode it! Electro-Spin was fun and had no line. My third Top Scan! I love these rides. I needed some more Afterburn. This ride really was the "underdog" of this park for me. Best Boomerang I'd ridden! Oh boy... I can tell you that this line was NOT worth it. Mediocre. A surprisingly good drop tower! The ones at KD and KI are obviously better, but it's better than Power Tower! This place had GREAT food. And it was a great deal for the meal plan. Not just quality but quantity too! The brisket was AMAZING. Back to Intimidator! Better than Diamondback, but not as good as Nitro. Love Nighthawk's location, but hate the ride. More Fury! Cirque Imagine was also quite good! I'm not much of an "entertainment" person when it comes to theme parks, but I enjoyed this one. And it was nice to sit in the AC and take some time off the feet. Back at Afterburn because it is THAT good! Aesthetic. Front row on Intimidator was actually very good! Maybe even better airtime than in the back row? My first enterprise ride. It was lots of fun! I wish the cycle was longer, though. Holy crap. That was amazing! Terrifying, but amazing. Worth the money! Back at Fury because it's Fury. Rides at dusk were even better! County Fair has a great atmosphere at night. I took this photo when it was in the middle of flashing. Good timing, right? Last ride of the night! And it was awesome! We then spent just a few hours in the morning in the park before driving up to Doswell. We mainly just went for ERT and some last rides on our favorites. Such a unique turnaround. Nice to look at, but not to ride. Loopy. Goodbye, Carowinds. Not sure when I'll be back. Overall, I REALLY love this park. But the one thing I couldn't help notice was that the rides were either awesome, or mediocre and rough. Fury, Intimidator, and Afterburn is a GREAT top 3, but after that point, the rest of the rides are just...eh. Flying Cobras was a solid Boomerang, and I love Drop Tower, but the rest of the rides were pretty forgettable. Floorless Vortex would help tremendously, and I'd love to see a big GCI at the park one day, but considering how much the park has grown in the last 5 years, I can't help but be impressed. Those top 3 B&Ms make the trip worth it alone, so get out to Carowinds and RIDE! Thank you for reading! PLEASE post your thoughts below. This is my first major trip report (even though I've been around here for almost 5 years ), so let me know what you think! Next up, KINGS DOMINION!

If the line for Sol Spin was consistently spilling out of the entrance and the employees had no motivation at all, I could see the argument made for poor capacity. But even on busy days, I've never waited more than 2-3 cycles for that ride. My goodness, people will literally complain about anything and everything. First the ride cycle is way too short and weak. Now the cycle is a little longer and more intense, and capacity sucks. The ride is still brand new and is very sensitive, so I'm glad to just see it operate smoothly. The park is taking it slowly with this ride in terms of operation, and if that keeps it operating reliably, I'm in. If we're gonna talk about poor capacity and slow moving lines in the park, let's discuss GhostRider and Xcelerator, especially the former. After riding Mystic Timbers this week and seeing how fast they pump out those trains, it puts GhostRider to shame. That ride could probably have twice the capacity if operations were faster and people didn't take so much time to put their stuff in the bins.