coasterkid124

I believe I saw that same sign when I visited last year. I don't think that it prohibits snapping, they just don't want people whipping the sails side to side with all their might.

It's really surprising that they have been able to operate it without air gates for as long as they have. Especially with the strict standards in the industry today. I don't think that this will hamper operations too much. It's not like seatbelts were added. The crews will still be able to quickly check trains, and the gates might even make getting everyone behind the yellow line quicker.

Security is now really tight at the park. There are tents set up at the entrance for bag checks. They stop you even if you don't have any bags, and wave you with the wand. This is at all entrances, even at the back of the park. So if you want to ride Motocoaster you have to pass through. Speaking of that area, Twister is still closed and many of the shoulder harnesses are missing. I hope the park considers replacing it. Even though they have added some thrill rides lately, the net total has pretty much stayed the same with other rides being closed. Now that it's worked itself in, RoS's train is really flying. For the first time ever I blacked out a little on the helix, which was a bit scary because that has never happened to me before. I really hope that another is ordered next year. Maintenance wise and accommodation/comfort wise, this train is working well. Unfortunately, it might not be looking too good for a second train on Predator. I saw a single car by the transfer track, and it looked pretty gutted. Unless they are assembling it on the fly, they may have started partsing out the second train. If that is the case, it's a shame that the park cannot take care of their rides. Those trains are only 6 years old now since they came from Holiday World. Predator's crew is consistently the slowest, and a second train would be nice. A couple of new upcharges have opened as well. The laser tag has opened, and there's one in Darien Square called "Animal Express". It's basically a bunch of large stuffed animals that can be ridden around near the arcade and General Store.

This was my exact problem with VR. It wasn't supposed to be used on a thrill coaster, it was meant to bring popularity back to mine trains and smaller ones. Who cares is the loading times for those rides somewhat increases? Those rides are usually walk-ons. Let's see what the park did wrong here: 1) Dramatically extended wait times on the park's top attraction 2) Took away assigned seating from one of the only rides allowing it 3) Paid to refurb a major ride when they strapped a screen to riders regardless How the hell can the park justify doing this? It's bad enough getting everyone on the train to green light, let alone checking an additional 108 straps (3 per screen x 36 riders). Hopefully they learn their lesson and ship it out after this season. It might even leave early. Raging Bull at SFGAM is rumored to get VR by the end of the year, and they may reuse headsets from a current ride.

Ka only cost in the 25 million range, but that is money that SF is not willing to spend anymore in a single place. There might only be a few exceptions to that, but it will come sparingly and only to the flagship parks (GADV, MM, SFOT, SFGAM, and SFOG). There are two ways to run a chain; SF style and build lower cost rides while ensuring every park receives an addition, or CF style which means the largest parks get huge attractions and the small parks suffer. One thing that I have heard was that the Justice League rides cost in the 20 million dollar range, which is really surprising to me if its true. SF isn't so willing to spend that on a coaster anymore, but will spend it on a themed ride that they may neglect over the years. None of the JL rides are showing those signs yet, but we all know the company's past when it comes to theming.

It might be awhile. In order to take a video they need to dispatch a train. I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future. Where'd that post of the week thread go? That was gold.

Probably another Justice League. I don't mind them but I just wish that the chain would change up the theme a little bit. I get it, cloning the ride is cheap, easy, and the GP doesn't care. But it would be cool to have a villains version of this or a superhero specific version. That would make them a little more unique.

Whoever suggested that Splashwater Falls could be replaced with a Mack Power Splash may have hit this right on the head. With the chain's good relationship with Mack, and the possibility of the Dubai park adding one, it seems like a good guess. If they decide to add another Justice League ride, I would be a bit annoyed.

Has anyone checked the arcades? That would be my bet.

^^Woah, very weird... I just got done watching that for the first time about 10 minutes ago. It's from 2011, but shows a lot of cool things that I never knew about the park. A couple of lines that I found funny from that: "Dragster is a star attraction. It has to open at 10."- We all know it never does "We have to repair this section of track at a much quicker pace. We want to have Mean Streak opened with the park so our guests can enjoy it."- Enjoy? More like wince in pain from it. Except for coasterbill who is screaming "One more lap!"

Geez, things aren't looking too good. Hopefully nothing is down too long at the park. The webcams are all down too as of right now.

Cedar Fair: Maverick Six Flags: El Toro CNL/Premier: Ride of Steel Busch/SeaWorld: Apollo's Chariot Herschend: Outlaw Run (probably soon to be Lightning Rod) Independent: Skyrush

Can anyone really blame Premier for adding a few new water slides? They're cost friendly, reliable, and very popular. Whereas I rarely see a significant line for Rolling Thunder anymore, the water park rides all have waits pretty much down the entire tower. I would prefer that they do swing back to focusing on the dry side next year though. There's still a lot of work to do when it comes do deciding on whether to shell out money to refurbish old rides or replace them. With Ranger gone and Twister likely soon out the door, I think that Premier should look at another thrill ride. I know that it's been a while ago now, but on a guest survey one of the suggestions for a new ride was a Frisbee ride of sorts. This would be a lot more visible and reliable than Twister at this point. It has pretty much been SBNO for 2 years, just like Ranger. The next two things in the water park that need work are Hook's Lagoon and Big Kahuna. Hook's should be replaced with a newer model, as the company that built it went out of business. there's no way really to fix all of the broken effects and features of the structure. If the park plans on keeping Big Kahuna, it's going to need some structure repairs and paint.

I went to the park today, and I would recommend skipping this weekend because of how busy it was. The crowds were not as much of an issue as the one train operations and slow operators. I tried to hit Predator first, but I am not lying when I say that the dispatches were literally 6 minutes apart. I just do not understand how the same operators get put on the same rides every week when their throughput is lousy. I left the queue because after 10 minutes passed and there was only one dispatch, I did not want to wait it out in the heat. I stopped by the waterpark, and things were not much better. Tornado was having issues all afternoon, and kept shutting down. Swirl City, Brain Drain, and Big Kahuna had waits all the way down their towers. I did manage to get on Ripcurl Racer. I think this is one of the best additions to the park in a while. Because it has 6 lanes, I only waited 20-25 minutes to get on the slide even with a full tower. The ride itself is a little short, but it has a wide appeal and I thought it was very fun and refreshing. The park was doing bag checks this weekend, and the season pass line was mobbed. I saw Chris Thorpe and felt like talking to him, but he looked a little busy with the water park issues, so I left him alone. If the current issues continue, and I catch him on a less busy day, I might have a discussion with him. +I don't want to seem like the average pesky customer looking for apologies and freebies because I don't want any of those, but I do want to let him know that things are a little sluggish around the park. Chris seems like a down to earth guy who would like the feedback from someone who visits the park often.

Thanks for the pictures. I had a feeling from the beginning that the rumors were false. It was just another poster without any proof or anything who either wanted attention or to stir the pot. The three main reasons why I came to that conclusion were: 1) Batman will probably decompose into the soil before it is moved ever again 2) Darien wouldn't be building a coaster (especially B&M) under their current management situation or be receiving parts this early 3) If there really was green B&M track people would have seen it at Clermont before it was shipped out I don't know how people think they are getting ahead by posting crazy rumors without any proof. Sooner rather than later the rumor will be debunked, and the person won't be viewed as credible anymore.

^That's exactly why I don't want to be too harsh on it until getting more rides. I was put right in the middle, in what was probably the worst seat. Even that gave a good ride. One of my friends who was sitting on the end said the ride was great through the inversions.

This wouldn't be the first time that Tony teased us, so I'm pretty doubtful that the stake means much. Plus with Valravn just being installed, we probably won't see another big coaster addition for a few years. The only other thing could be RMC planning track work for next year. Speaking of Valravn, I made a visit to the park yesterday. Thankfully the weather cleared up last minute, and thanks to a Fast Lane Plus, I avoided a huge line for Valravn. I went from an hour plus wait to a station wait. The only bad thing was that I was assigned smack dab in the middle of the train. I can't really review the ride without riding it a little more. From what I noticed, it was the smoothest coaster in the park, and does a lot for the space it's in. Is the ride a top ranker for me? Not even close, but it was fun. The drops gave off some good floater air, and the inversions were well placed. Out of all the coasters at the park for me it ranks about right in the middle. It could be better, but I would much rather have Valravn than Good Times Theater. Aesthetically and physically I like the ride.

I honestly am not believing one bit of this rumor unless I see it with my own eyes. Last Friday I didn't see anything out of the ordinary around the park, but I also was not looking too hard for anything. I don't think that the park is thinking too much about 2017 yet, when the prep work for 2016 is still in the finishing stages. I really don't mean to discredit anyone, but how many times have we seen someone step up with a crazy rumor like this, no pictures, and expects everyone to believe it. It still astonishes me that people still think Batman is going up. Whether or not it is true that the ride was disassembled incorrectly, the ride has been sitting in the elements for 10 years now. I have more faith in Orphan Rocker being opened than Batman ever having a chance of running again. The ride is damaged beyond repair, and Intamin won't supply parts. Even if it was salvageable, I wouldn't want it to go up. The ride was horrible and never ranked above 157. In it's last year open, it ranked 256. Next time I visit the park, I will try to investigate. I would love the idea of a Premier Sky Rocket going in, but the park has enough cookie cutter rides. I would like to see a more unique layout go into the park first. There are many options for cheap roller coasters on the market right now, and most are highly ranked too.

Woah, you built a wall of text so big that it would impress Donald Trump.

Last year I went Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and Friday night was pretty good. Maverick was the longest wait, with most of the other major coasters having 25 minute waits or so. Saturday will get busy, so try to do some of the bigger rides Thursday and Friday. I'm going Thursday, and the weather looks a little iffy at this point. Hopefully it's just a little hit and miss and not a washout. Lines should be pretty manageable.

^Changing wheel materials only affects speed and friction, it doesn't change smoothness drastically. RoS is definitely more comfortable with the new trains, but it is still rattling like last season. Unfortunately, it is what it is and I'm not going to let a few rough turns ruin the ride for me. The helixes weren't a good choice in the design phase.

I was against VR on coasters for reasons like this. VR is supposed to be for older or rougher coasters that maybe need more ridership or to get its popularity back. Superman doesn't need this at all, and now it too is ruined by assigned seating. I just want to know what the park thinks that it's getting out of this. They're not boosting capacity in any way by doing it, and it's just an inconvenience and hassle for everyone else. Most people prefer to sit in a certain place even if it isn't just the front or back seats.

As much as I would love to see that, I don't see Cedar Fair going with this because they haven't even tried any of RMC's other products yet. If they haven't been willing to go with one of the "proven" models by retrofitting a wooden coaster, the odds are stacked greatly against them going with a brand new prototype model.

For the most part you need a conductor rail or some form of battery pack to unlock Intamin's hydraulic restraints. This points to a faulty or leaking part in the system, because Intamin has never made a manually releasing model. RMC is the only company that builds cylinders with release valves. It could have also been a bad sensor in the restraint itself, but I think that the ride's computer would have caught it and not dispatched. It's still a puzzle because why wasn't the seat belt able to prevent this?

I heard a group of kids at Darien Lake screaming and shouting about how they couldn't wait to get on "The Nitro", when they were really in line for Ride of Steel. At first I thought maybe DL purchased VR headsets for the ride to make the park appear like a much better park.