ArgoZ

We arrived at Dollywood around 8pm Thursday to buy Friday's tickets and take in the included after 3pm admission. As we got off the shuttle, my heart sunk as I read Lightning Rod listed under rides not running. We bought anyway and decide to walk over and check the ride structure out. As we approached an empty train launched! I was so excited, my wife made fun of me and said I looked like a kid. The line was open and we rushed in. I asked for a back seat ride, got it and then re-entered the line for a front seat, in the dark, 9:30pm ride. Amazing, the coaster instantly shot into my top five. I prefer the back seat as the air was a little more aggressive. The lateral air is the best I have ever experienced. I can't wait for today to go back, but last night made my vacation! Come to Dollywood, you won't be disappointed!

EL TORO

I can confirm although I am certainly not an official source. I am related to someone on that team. Keeping with RMC tradition, an early closing coaster makes way for the start of transformation. I've read from a few sources tonight, that a conversion is very likely. It's like someone let the cat out of the bag. When I visited the park in May, all I could see was the New Texas Giant when looking at Mean Streak. RMC finally at Cedar Fair would be amazing. Next could be CW's Mine Buster. The possibilities are so exciting.

As a frequent visitor to both parks, I too was puzzled how CW always beats CP in attendance, (usually only by a few hundred thousand). Your reasoning is a little flawed IMO. Your comparing 2 reliable, people eating monsters to a trio of Intamins and a new coaster. For example, no matter how busy CP gets, the line for Gatekeeper is usually under 30min. I came to the conclusion that CP is more of a destination park, resulting in huge weekend, but very manageable weekday crowds. CW, has a more steady crowd, even though it seems to never reach the crazy capacity that CP weekends do. Last year at CW, it was hard to tell a daily difference, as it seemed very busy every day.

I've never heard of so much human "testing". Usually the ride is cleared and then it's game on. There is no need for extended staff testing either. The coaster obviously works, so I wonder what exactly are the problems with the launch.

Cost. You could essentially create the same affect by boxing in the last 200' of any coaster. A tunnel after the first drop creates a neat sensation, but like Superman NE, that's all that's needed. I would rather plunge 200' into a valley or over some cliff before a tunnel.

Early entry is not really required if you splurged for FP+. Valrayvn's FP lane at 10am will often be shorter than early entry. So enjoy your breakfast or don't fret if your a little late. One problem I found with the Resort Entrance is the security line that becomes quite long. When we visited last weekend, the line almost mirrored your red line, which had to result to many people not even getting in by 10am! Conversely, the Beach Entrance was a very short line and the Marina Entrance was a walk in. Whatever your plan, I would recommend to hit Dragster at 10am. Not only is this the best time to get a rollback, the ride breaks down often. Make sure someone has a phone and the Cedar Point App. This can be a huge time saver. The app will inform you if a ride is currenty down and can save some precious walking.

Great coaster, I believe 1-3 is the most extreme seat for airtime. Have you rode SkyRush or Phoenix? Those two coaster remind me of Magnum's ejector air. To think that coaster is 27 years old and still awesome. Raptor, (22 years old) was also running great last weekend.

We're going next weekend too! It's a long weekend in Canada, so expect to see a lot of us. It looks like great weather is forecast, especially for Sunday. I have stayed at Sandcastle. It's nothing fancy, but does the job. See ya there!

I understand your situation but to persuade you a little more: Diamondback is my favourite hyper, so much floating air in the back of the train, Banshee is a great addition, and front seat on Beast at night is awesome! The park is only 3.5h away. You got the car, American gas is cheap, go for it! No easier way than renting a car, you will drive through fields of grass to get to your destinations. Remember that most insurance companies cover car rentals, so you can decline coverage. If I rent with my Visa, I also receive damage coverage.

Fly into Cleveland. Detroit is a good second choice (45min further) if it's a better flight or cheaper. You will need a car, no other option is economical or practical. Park hotels can be expensive, but have perks like early entry and the convienence of taking a break or a dump (let's be honest) in your own, walking distance room, can be priceless. Hotel breakers went under extensive renovation and is great. Lighthouse Point is good to for bigger parties. Sandcastle suites is a little dated and run down. Breakers express is a typical motel, which has perks but is off site. There are some suitable hotels in Sandusky, if you must. The Fast Lane Plus is around $100 on a weekend, budget for it if you must ride everything.

5 nights is a lot of time (way too much for myself) for Cedar Point. Have you thought about going to Kings Island during your stay?

We just booked a stay on May 20-22 because they were running a special, but everyone in my family that has been swears up and down that it is the best resort that they have stayed at. You can't beat the free Timsavers and free transportation either! I'm looking into a stay for June. Hopefully LR is running! At a minimum of $239 a night, I would say transportation and Timesavers are included rather than "free".

Memories of our Allure of the Seas cruise a few years back. Labadee has an awesome zip line, (expensive, but do it once for the view), and you have to do the Alpine coaster. In Flamouth, your stuck to take an excursion to get anywhere. We did the Dunn's River Falls and Bobsled combo. The Bobsled feels like the fastest and my favorite Alpine coaster. Probably the only coaster where I have difficulty not going "Balls Out". The trees are so close to the track. I've been to Cozumel a few times. I like the Money Bar for a day of relaxing, food and snorkel. Chankanaab Park is a good place to take the family for the day. I once drove all the way South to Punta Sur and found it had an awesome park for a beach day full of activities.

Interesting thoughts, however, no more credible than saying that the extra support and framing neccessary for lap bars, would have made the front of the train much stronger and resistant to impact.

I see what you did there. "Bravo, bravo!"

You know, they are stop mating them. They arent packing them up and shipping them away in a month. I think you have plenty summers to still enjoy them. Well, they technically can't stop the whales from naturally mating, unless they purposely segregate them, which I can't think of any humane reason to do so. They will however, stop artificially stimulating the sire named Tillikum, stop collecting his sperm and stop inseminating females Orcas around the country. Somehow when you spell it all out instead of using the term "breeding", it doesn't seem like a bad idea now does it? On a personal note. I have supported Seaworld and still do defend them against false accusations. Not every thing they have done or do I have to agree with. The biggest change of my mindset really came after experiencing these creatures in the wild. It really does change your thinking about captivity. Orcas are so intelligent, they will come right up to your boat to say hi. It's one of the most powerful, emotional experiences to meet them. I understand the benefits and current needs of captivity and the whales should not be released. Capturing and now breeding are over, it's the right thing to do.

Nice find, and that's done on a wim. Using discounts like AAA, hotel promotions and etc, combined with strong dollar, the Falls is a steal right now. While my mind is running I must mention that most people just experience "The Falls" and don't realize what the whole Niagara area has to offer. There are amazing winery tasting tours in this area that people love. History buffs should take the drive down the Niagara Parkway to Qweenston Heights and Fort George. Very scenic areas that were the sites of great battles that shaped both our countries. Then there is Niagara on the Lake. An 19th century English town with small shops, tea houses, flower covered sidewalks, horse drawn buggies, and home to the Shaw Festival (Theatre shows) in summer. I've had people tell me that visiting that town was the highlight of their trip, never mind the falls. I realize this is far from the coaster loving enthusiast ideas we have, but I like to mix it up a bit on my vacations, for the wife anyway!

The Beast gets my vote. That's one awesome logo.

This would be OK if one were only to visit the American side. The Canadian Fallsview hotels are all much nicer and you are getting over 30 cents on the dollar right now. No better time to splurge for that amazing fallsview room. A good day will take 40 minutes to drive and enter into Canada. Add up that time and cost back and forth to Buffalo and it's not worth it, IMO.

Niagara Falls. The American site is relatively small but still nice. You can spend a few hours there. You can actually walk across the Rainbow bridge to get there if you desire. NF, New York is not a desirable city. The Canadian side can take a full day or even more, depending on what you want to do. Definitely stay in Canada with your strong dollar. If you shop around, I would expect you to find a fallsview room for under $200 night. I know I could find one for less, but I live here. My favorite hotel is the Tower Hotel. Affordable and amazing views with full windows beside your bed. Buy the Niagara Parks package which includes Maid of the Mist, Aerocar, Rapids walk (don't skip), Butterfly exhibit and hop on and off transportation. Go on the huge Ferris wheel at the tacky Clifton Hill area. Dinner atop the rotating Skylon tower is awesome. Fallsview Keg at the Embassy is another popular dinner spot. A night time stroll on the Canadian side is beautiful. Better views of the American Falls all lite up. I always fly out of Buffalo, hardly ever Toronto. No lines, traffic and great flight prices. The traffic between Toronto and Niagara Falls can drive you bonkers. Statue of Liberty. Definitely go in the morning before the island gets swamped, which is the rule for any NY city attraction. If you have reserved Crown passes, you will be fine as they are limited, but the ferries get so crowed in the afternoon. Liberty Park, NJ has free parking, better views of Manhattan, and is far less hectic than Battery Park. In fact, to touch on what someone else mentioned, NY can be expensive and busy everywhere with NO parking. I stayed in cheaper NJ and used the ferry/subway to cross.

Some coasters that come to mind: Black Mamba Manta Nemesis Dragon Challenge Wodan Timber Coaster - probably the best coaster queue.

First, let's do the facts. Platinum can be used with or without a wristband as wristbands are only used for re-rides. The line attendant does not know, nor do they care, what level pass you are using, only that your device says your time has arrived. Platinum is required for Goliath, so a deciding factor for many buyers. Your stragedy has flaws. Even with a gold pass, it could take 15 minutes to ride, as it usually just gets you to the station and especially if your waiting for a specific row. That's an hour of waiting for four people taking turns. You have to at least buy two passes to cut that in half. Platinum is also only going to give one Goliath ride per pass, so two riders will be left out if you register two users to your pass. Riding coasters is an experience best shared with your party is it not? I would recommend riding Goliath first and then using 2 Gold passes for the rest of the coasters.

My daughter and I will be there tomorrow morning as well... in line for the gold pass early entry and making our way probably to Yolo for a quick ride then on to TC before the rush hits... Anyone know if my Gold pass from SFNE will get me in early at SFMM? If so, where is the line in relation to the gate. I only remember the Discover card entrance on the far left a few years ago. Thanks.

I agree, with a decent resume, anyone can become a voter. My wife and I have been selected the last two years. We have been to over 80 parks and 400 coasters. The more enthusiasts that participate, the more accurate the results will become. MF was not in my top ten. SkyRush and El Toro were my #1's. Disneyland was my best park.