mightypotato
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Posts posted by mightypotato
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My first year of GKTW, I ended up getting around 56 or so laps on Behemoth. That's currently my record for number of rides in a day. Following close behind was the 35 I got on Leviathan during Leviathan Bash 2012 (hurray ERT!)
In terms of ERT sessions, the rides I managed to ride the most have been Viper (SFGAm), Maverick and Millennium Force. I lost track of how many times I rode Viper and Maverick. We just kind of sat down and didn't get up for the entire session. Millennium Force was around 15 or so rides.
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Sorry for such a amateur question.
1. Was anything added to the Waterslide area of wonderland?
2. Are there plans for this year to add any new slides?
Splashworks is finally getting an expansion in 2015. A new slide and splash pad are on their way. Well..."new" since they're from Ontario Place. Though I don't think they ever got used there.
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The only coaster "part" I have is a chunk of wood from Wooden Warrior that Quassy gave everyone on the 2011 Northeast Trip. It's a neat conversation starter though.
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Hands down, the answer to this is Walt Disney World. Cedar Point may provide thrills, but it can never match the level of magic and all around awesome that is WDW.
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Count me in for another vote for Dorney. Everything about the park screams "meh". Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible park. It's just...well...bland.
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^ That was the problem I had with CW's Backlot: the effects not working. The splashdown isn't turned on at Kings Island anymore either, and I suspect it's the same as KD's. Although...that Rob Ford idea would be amazing!
For what it's worth, the splashdown never worked at Canada's Wonderland.
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I've chosen to organize this by park, because that's easier. I'm also including rides moved from other parks making their debut at their new home. Also, Canada's Wonderland is my home park.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
1996 - Wild Maus (well, it was originally Wild Izzy because for some reason it was themed to the Atlanta Olympics mascot)
1997 - Alpengeist
1999 - Apollo's Chariot
2007 - Griffon
2012 - Verbolten
Canobie Lake Park
2011 - Untamed
Cedar Point
2013 - Gatekeeper
Darien Lake
1998 - Boomerang
1999 - Ride of Steel
Knoebel's
2011 - Black Diamond
La Ronde
2010 - Ednor
Mt. Olympus
2013 - Hades 360 (yeah, I'm counting this)
Quassy
2011 - Wooden Warrior
Silver Dollar City
2013 - Outlaw Run
Six Flags Great Adventure
2011 - Green Lantern
Six Flags New England
2011 - Gotham City Gauntlet
Six Flags St. Louis
2013 - Boomerang
Universal Florida
2004 - Revenge of the Mummy
Walt Disney World
1996 - Barnstormer
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After a quick glance at my coaster count, here is a rough ranking of how I'd rank the various SLC's I've been on.
1. Thunderhawk - MIchigan's Adventure (Seriously, it's really good. This ride messes up my Mitch Hawker ballot I liked it so much)
2. Mind Eraser - Six Flags New England
3. Gauntlet - Magic Springs
4. Mind Eraser - Darien Lake
5. Ednor - La Ronde
6. Mind Eraser - Six Flags America
7. Flight Deck - Canada's Wonderland
Granted 7 isn't a large sample size...but still.
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Kataklysm - "Prevail"
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If past announcements have been any indication, it won't be until mid to late August. But, I'm sure we'll slowly see a transformation starting early next season (i.e., land clearing, track arriving on site, etc) if a coaster is indeed coming.
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Wasn't the reason the park removed Skyrider was because of maintenance/lack of parts? I wish the park that bought it well, and I hope that they have good luck with it.
It might have simply been due to low ridership. Over the last few years, I've never seen a line at Skyrider. The park probably figured they can get more ridership and marketing opportunities out of a new ride in its old spot.
Of course, I could just be talking out my butt, so whatever.
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So...Halloween Haunt 2014 has come and gone (yeah yeah, there's still Friday...whatever). Here's a breakdown of what I thought of this year's Haunt.
First, I need to preface this by saying I only went once and that was this past Saturday when the park was suuuuuuuuuuuper packed. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen the park this busy. Every queue was in overflow, it was insane.
Anyways...Fight Lane is absolutely worth the money. Not just for skipping the multiple hour waits for the mazes, but for the mostly awesome skeleton key rooms. I think next year, even if I do Haunt a bit earlier, I'll still spring for Fright Lane because of how much I enjoyed the bonus rooms.
We didn't get a chance to ride Zombies since the line was wrapped around Victoria Falls about half way to Thunder Run. So...that wasn't going to happen.
As for the mazes, the usually good ones (i.e., Cornstalkers, Terror of London, Asylum, Blood Shed) were good and the usually bad ones (i.e., Clowns at Midnight, Club Blood) sucked. Sci-Fi House remains a solid "meh". New (to me) mazes this year were Streets of the Undead, The Ruins and Louisiana Scream (though that's just a renamed Blood on the Bayou, so I don't know if that counts). I enjoyed The Ruins and Streets of the Undead, but Louisiana Scream was a bit lacking. Mainly because they went overkill on the moss effect, which really distracted and annoyed me during my walkthrough.
So...skeleton key rooms.
SPOILER WARNING!
In order of how much I enjoyed them, I would rank them thusly:
1. Terror of London
2. Louisiana Scream
3. Blood Shed
4. Streets of the Undead
5. Clowns at Midnight
So, let's work our way backwards through this list. Clowns at Midnight was exceptionally lame. It could have been cool with the large jack in the box, but just to have the same scare actor that walked into the room with us do a jump scare from behind us was just...weak.
I liked how Streets of the Undead started, with the disinfectant room. That was pretty neat. Also, when our group was told to take the zombie blood, everyone said "um...no?" and didn't know what to do next. That was actually kind of funny. I really liked what they did with the lights while in the room and the quick "escape" of the captive zombie. Good stuff.
There is only one word that can describe the skeleton key room at Blood Shed: messy. Reaching through the goop (for lack of a better word) to find the key was actually pretty fun and nerve wracking, especially not knowing what was going to come next. The only downside was that my hand and coat were covered in corn starch for the better part of the night. Though it did give me this humourous exchange:
Scare actor: "Reach in and find the key to escape!"
Me: "For reals?"
Scare actor: "Do it!"
We've all heard of the Bloody Mary legend and doing it as a kid to freak your friends out. The Louisiana Scream room is pretty much the same thing. We were told to walk into the room and see what fate Bloody Mary has in store for us. This room was fantastic. It's a small octagonal room covered in mirrors which flash an image of Bloody Mary's face. The lights go out and suddenly, there she is! It gave me a legitimate scare when she popped up right in front of me, even though I was pretty sure what was going to happen.
So...Terror of London. Holy. Crap. This one was actually legitimately terrifying. Walking doubled over, blindly feeling around in the darkness only to come to a dead end with a voice saying "you're going to die, you know" was both the best and the worst. When I came to the dead end, I had a mini panic attack, not knowing what to do next. When we were let out, all I could do was laugh and be dumbfounded by what just happened. This one could actually trigger some serious phobias in people and I'm surprised there was no warning or disclaimer before going in.
In all, it was an enjoyable night, but only because of Fright Lane. Let this be a lesson though, do Haunt early and avoid the lines.
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Most of those 16 coasters are rough and boring, only Leviathan, Behemoth and Vortex are good.
Really? I mean, this comment....
You guys have Thunder Run, a decent family powered-coaster. You also have Back-Lot Stunt Coaster, another decent family coaster. Not to mention the several, unique flat rides CW has. Then you have trees and great landscaping, something most modern North American parks lack. Don't talk about CW being neglected. Heck, Cedar Fair pays more attention to CW than Six Flags does to Magic Mountain, which gets negative reviews from enthusiasts for bad operations and a messy park.
Also, let's not forget that CW is due for a new coaster in 2016. I'd like to see you still complaining that your park gets neglected.
I cannot agree with this post more. Canada's Wonderland has been anything but neglected since Cedar Fair took over. Maybe he just doesn't remember the dark days of Paramount.
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Hades 360 could be awesome, were it actually properly maintained. The layout is great, the inversion is fun and all that, but it's killed by how rough of a ride it is.
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As I was leaving the park last night, I knew something wasn't right. It started with one police car going into the parking lot (at that point I thought it was to direct traffic because the parking lot was in grid lock) but then one siren turned into two, turned into three, turned into a fire truck and ambulance.
There were some police dealing with several issues in the park through out the night last night, so whether that had anything to do with it, I don't know.
I had the same feeling too. I was stuck in the line waiting to get out to Rutherford and I saw multiple ambulances and police cars zoom by going the other direction. It's really sad.
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Wildfire has always been one of those "good to look at from any angle" rides.
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1. There is no need to make double and triple posts....just edit your posts if needed.
2. We have no idea if Fury 325 is "amazing". I know I'm getting technically, but the coaster hasn't even been built so we cannot start making assumptions of an animation.
3. B&M's are nothing like they used to be. After Stengel left, things changed a bit....but they seem to be finding their groove again.
Sorry I just like to say a lot and respond to other peoples posts. Is there anything wrong with double posting?
I find the new B & M's are better than the old. When did Stengel leave?
Werner's been in semi-retirement since around 2007 or so. I think Maverick (his 500th installation) was his swan song (anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). Stengel Engineering still works on rides though.
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Definitely X2. I loved that drop, especially riding in the front.
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It was a folk metal night last night, which is the best kind of night. A friend and I once again made the trip to Toronto to see Metsatoll, Tyr and Eluveitie. As I've mentioned before, I am a massive fan of folk metal and will never pass up an opportunity to see it in concert. Also, Eluveitie is my all time favourite band, so there was no way I was missing this show.
Metsatoll started out a bit rough, it kind of sounded like they couldn't get their timing right. But, they quickly pulled their act together and put on a fun set. When the pit eventually opened up, it was one of those friendly ones where everyone links arms and headbangs together. Such is the power of folk metal.
Every time I see Tyr, they just keep getting better. The first time I saw them many moons ago, I actually left early I was that unimpressed. I don't know if their setlists are getting better or if they're just better musically, but I really enjoy these guys now.
I'm a huge Eluveitie fanboy, so I was absolutely guaranteed to love their show. And of course, I did. They played a lot of stuff off their newest album, Origins, that but that is to be expected. I was pleasantly surprised to hear some stuff off Everything Remains as it Never Was though. That album doesn't get nearly the amount of love it should.
Here are some photos!
Metsatoll!
Tyr!
Eluveitie!
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Part 3: Six Flags Magic Mountain
So...it had finally come to this. SFMM was the park I was looking forward to the least on this trip after hearing many negative comments. I was expecting it to be Six Flags America, but with a slightly better selection of roller coasters. Did I have a good day? Did something derail and/or catch fire? Read on, and find out!
We got to the park for 10am, which was when the website said it was opening. However, the park didn't really open until about 10:30 for...reasons. On the plus side, this gave us some time to look at the park map and plan out our day. Our first stop was to the most important part of the park...the Flash Pass office. I will never not buy one of these things when I travel. It's money well spent. Since we had heard horror stories of SFMM's operations, we decided to be high class and bought the Platinum Passes. It turned out to be a great idea.
Our first stop of the day (along with most of everyone else) was X2. X2 has been a bucket list coaster for me ever since I first saw X in RCT2 way back in the day. I was not disappointed in this ride. It was everything I was hoping it would be...crazy, intense and disorienting. The first drop is probably my favourite drop on any coaster ever. I didn't even find it to be rough, and I was sitting on the outside seat. To make matters better, we managed to get a front row ride which I think just made it better. I'm sad there is only one of these rides in North America and that it's so far from me.
Since Viper is right next door, that's where we went next. Viper was my first of the now mostly dead Arrow megaloopers. I can see why they're more or less an extinct species. It's not that it's overly rough or uncomfortable...it's just...boring. There is no imagination in the layout. It's basically the same Arrow multilooper I've been on countless times, but a bit taller. They didn't even use the height/speed appropriately since Arrow didn't learn to make bigger loops until Tennessee Tornado. It's a shame too, because with a bit more imagination, this ride could have been something special. Instead, it's same old same old.
Next up was a ride with some definite historic bonafides, Revolution. Now, let's get this out of the way...the OTSR's suck. We all know that. Let's not talk about it further. I actually enjoyed my ride on Revolution. It had a real graceful feeling when it was going through the big sweeping turns that I really liked. Also, the run in to the loop is something that builds anticipation and momentum. Plus...it was the Whippersnapper in National Lampoon's Vacation. That automatically makes it awesome.
Continuing down the front of the park, we came to the park's newest hotness that's not a kiddie coaster, Fu ll Throttle (YOLO!). I love Premier and pretty much everything they do. Fu ll Throttle is no exception. While the launches aren't particularly foreceful, there is plenty of hangtime to be found in the loop. And with only the lap restraint, that's pretty fun. The backwards bit I was a bit skeptical about, but it was still fun going back up the inversion and stalling before going into the last launch. There is definitely some airtime to be found on the top hat, but you hit the brakes so quickly, it ends before you can enjoy it. As much as I enjoyed Fu ll Throttle, it has a major drawback: it's too short. It feels almost...incomplete, like they had something else planned for after the top hat but Six Flags couldn't afford it, so they just ended the ride there.
Now, from here we had a choice. We could either keep walking all the way around to the side of the park for Goliath, or we could be lazy and take the Orient Express up to Ninja. So...Ninja wasn't too bad of a ride. It seemed to carry its speed throughout the course rather well and provided a couple of really good swings. Now that said, I'd still take Vortex and Big Bad Wolf over it, but it was enjoyable. Plus, we didn't hit any trees (too soon?). I'm still a bit confused about the placement of the second lift. It reminded me of Adventure Express at KI, but except without the awesomely lame animatronics. That said, when going up the second lift, both my friend and I were chanting "YOU WILL PAY". Because we are nerds.
After this, we hit up probably the best flying coaster I've been on (not that that's saying much), Tatsu. I love the B&M flyer seats and restraints. They're probably the most comfortable out there. As for the coaster, it was pretty good. But, what really set it apart from the other flyers I've been on is the pretzel loop. Holy f'ing crap was that thing intense. I had a rough idea of what to expect, but it still caught me off guard. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but...damn. The rest of the ride felt like more of a graceful wander with the odd inversion thrown in for good measure. Still, I'd take this over any of the Superman clones.
Continuing our journey through the back part of the park, we came to the park's newest woodie, Apocalypse. While we could no longer take the tunnel, I still really enjoyed this ride. It carries its speed really well and provides good little pops of air all along the course. GCI has been doing some really good work lately and this is just another example. Also, Millennium Flyers are super comfy and I love them.
Our next stop was the park's mine train, Gold Rusher. There's not really much to say about this one. It was your typical mine train. Fun, but not something you'd really want to ride more than once. In fact, I remember very little about the actual layout or course of the ride. It's kind of just vanished in the ether of my memories.
After Gold Rusher, we wanted to ride Superman. No big deal right? Well...not if you foolishly decide to climb Samurai Summit. We must have taken a wrong turn or something because we just started climbing...and climbing...and climbing. I thought Magic Springs was excessive on the hills...but damn. As we were going up, another group came up to us and asked if we had also made a wrong turn going to Superman. Damn you, Samurai Summit!
Anyway...Superman. What a complete and total letdown. Much like X2, Superman had been a bucket list coaster for me since I first saw it on TV. But, unlike X2, Superman did not live up to my expectations. Sure, it goes 100mph (though in reality, I'm sure it's far less than that) and has a 400 foot tall tower, but it was just so boring. The launch did not do a thing for me. It just felt like I was in a car pulling on to a highway. Even going up the spike, I didn't get the same sense of "holy crap, I'm high up" or hang time that I've felt on other rides. Even launching backwards seemed to be pointless. I'd take either of the Mr. Freeze rides over this any day of the week. Now, all that being said, I think this ride has just been overhyped having been on every TV show about roller coasters since 1997. Maybe I was expecting something that was never there. Or maybe I've been on so many more extreme rides over the years that what would have been mindblowing in 1997 is common place in 2014.
After Superman, it seemed like a good time to get lunch, so we went back down the mountain and hit up the Full Throttle Sports Bar. This was for two reasons. One was to get a break from the sun and the other was to watch the US/Ghana World Cup match. To my surprise, the restaurant was actually pretty full of soccer fans cheering on the US side. When they scored the first goal, the place went crazy. It was a fun experience.
After lunch, we made the trek around to Goliath. I don't know what it is about the Giovanola hypers, but there's not a lot going on with them. The first drop has that weird constant angle thing going on that doesn't really give you the same thrill as the B&M or Intamin hypers of the same era (e.g., Nitro, Ride of Steel, etc). I did appreciate the tunnel at the bottom of the drop though, that gives a great head chopper effect. I'm also a fan of the helix of death, even though the MCBR makes it not as deathy as it could be. Like most of the rides here, I liked it, but it could have been so much better. Maybe a bonus helix like Titan has would have made me like it more (even though I had the same thoughts about Titan).
Up next was something I had been looking forward to for a while, Lex Luthor Drop of Doom. I'm a huge drop tower fan, so getting the chance to ride a 400 foot tall one made me very excited. I loved this ride. The suspense slowly building as you go up the tower only to be replaced by adrenaline as you fall for what seems like forever was great. I don't know if it was a purposeful decision or not, but the overhang above the car so you can't see how much farther until the top was a great touch. It's probably my favourite drop tower now. I can only imagine Zumanjaro is just as good.
Heading down into what seemed like a forgotten corner of the park, we encountered Scream, the coaster with authentic parking lot theming! The ride itself is decent enough, even though it's B&M Cookie Cutter Model 105. I didn't think the parking lot would have been as noticeable as it was, but it really took away from the ride. It just looked ugly and cheap. Like Magic Mountain said "WE NEED COASTER! COASTER GOES HERE NOW!" without any real thought. I mean...how hard is it to put down grass or do some basic landscaping? Bah.
Across the way from Scream is (was? will be?) Colossus. However, it was closed on the day we were there. We ended up getting to Magic Mountain the day after Batman and Colossus finished their backwards runs and both rides were down. Why they didn't just put the forward trains on and have the rides opened is beyond me. But, it is not for us to know, it is only for us to wonder why. Anyway, two missed credits. Kind of crappy, but what are ya gonna do.
However, there were still open coasters in DC Universe for us to ride! The first one we got to was Green Lantern. While I had heard some not very positive things about this ride, I was giving it the benefit of the doubt since Insane is so highly praised. But...oh god. This ride wasn't just painful or horrible. It was horribly painful. I think a lot of the pain was having my shoulders and collarbone reamed into the restraint every time we went down a drop, perhaps going too fast or something, I dunno. Maybe if the ride actually spun more than once or twice it would be better. But as it stands, this one is in the bottom 5 of my list.
Our final credit of the day was Riddler's Revenge. Now, here's a ride I loved! I'm not a fan of stand up coasters at all. I couldn't stand (no pun intended) Mantis, despised Shockwave, danced a dance when I found out Skyrider was leaving Canada's Wonderland and the less said about CGA Vortex the better (because that part is still coming). But, this one was awesome! The layout was really good and didn't allow you to really catch your breath until the brake run. I loved the back to back dive loops into the inclined loop. And who doesn't love a Kumba style loop around the lift? This was one of the best surprises of the trip. I wasn't expecting much from it, but it came through big time!
So, after a marathon day at the park, we got in all our (open) credits. We stayed for a while longer and re-rode a few things before leaving. So...what was my take on this park? All in all, I had a good day. But, that was entirely due to the Q-Bot. For the most part, operations were pretty poor at the park. Without the pass, we wouldn't have come anywhere near finishing the credits. If I would have been waiting in the lines, I would have been annoyed and aggravated really early. The whole vibe of the park seemed to be "um...put a coaster here or something. No, I don't care if it fits. Just do it. We need this record! WE MUST BEAT CEDAR POINT!" and "Operations? Capacity? LOL NOPE" which are to the detriment of the rest of the park.
To be honest, if I were back in LA, I don't think I would go back to Magic Mountain, even with Twisted Colossus unless I already had a Six Flags season pass.
On that depressing note, here are some pictures!
Arriving at Magic Mountain! But, the real story here is the age of that school bus. Damn.
Retro-Futuristic!
This was insane and awesome
The whole time, my body never really knew what was going on
I will give Viper some credit, it does look nice.
Normal sized loop placed insanely high because why learn something new?
At least it wasn't too rough
Historic!
It's actually a fun ride if you look past the OTSR's
Failed attempt at a fancy picture
YOLO!
Airtime!
It's a shame it brakes so soon
Hi-ya!
Look ma! No trees! (side note: the accident happened after the trip)
It was definitely refreshing to ride a flyer that wasn't a Superman layout
Huge pretzel! Huge forces!
Definitely enjoyable
There were tunnels. Though we were never told to take them.
I love the curvy layouts of GCI rides
And hey, it's way better than Psyclone would have been.
RIP, Terminator Salvation
Pretty much the only picture I got of Gold Rusher. I told you I forgot all about it.
*gasp* Just give me...*wheeze* a couple minutes.
*sigh*
It only ran one side, which was kind of lame.
Meh.
The sign for Goliath is better than the ride. That said, I still liked the ride.
That is one loooooong drop
Hahaha, do your fart. I am 8 years old.
Are you screaming? Because that would be appropriate here.
Gorgeous area the park picked for it
Though nothing can dampen my love of interlocking corkscrews
Awww...denied.
Green torture machine
If Hal Jordan can make anything his mind desires with the ring, why couldn't he make a good roller coaster?
I'll also blame Ryan Reynolds. Because...reasons.
Denied: Part 2!
Riddle me this...
What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree, and is very dangerous?
A sparrow with a machine gun!
What does a turkey do when he flies upside down?
He gobbles up!
Bonus Fu ll Throttle pictures!
I love those trains. Very comfy.
Twisty!
Ooooh, scenic!
Pretzel looping as the sun goes down
Mandatory picture quota filled!
See you later, Magic Mountain!
You too, Scream! I also like how this one turned out.
Up next: Disneyland Part 2: Electric Boogaloo!
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I actually grew to like Gatekeeper, for whatever that's worth. On my last trip to CP, I got some really good rides on it. I wouldn't be disappointed with a wingrider.
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I've been told by park management that they are extremely pleased with the products B&M has given them and look to keep buying from them. Now, that was just during an informal "shoot the breeze" type conversation during last year's GKTW, but take that as you will.
This park is perfect for B&M though. The park is always packed and those rides are people eaters. I'll be happy with whatever we get, so long as it has some inversions. It's been too long since we've seen a new inversion at the park.
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The definites for next year are:
Canada's Wonderland
Hersheypark
Knoebels
Cedar Point
Waldameer
The possible list is a short one next year:
Liseberg
Grona Lund
I'm really hoping to get to those two, but we'll see what happens.
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I've only been on Demon Drop after it was relocated to Dorney. I didn't particularly care for it. It was like being rolled down a hill in a garbage can.
Crazy Russian Coaster?!?
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
That's a shame. I always loved the look of Pax rides. It was like someone was drunk while playing with No Limits or something.
Seriously...these guys are insane.