VF15

Steel Vengeance yesterday.

Been having a great time at the park these past few days. Here are a few highlights so far: -Rode Valravn for the first time and I really enjoyed it. This was my first time riding a B&M dive coaster, and I think it’s better than people give it credit for. The first drop I actually didn’t think was anything too special, but the rest of the ride had some good positive Gs and nice hangtime in the inversions. I’d rank it as my 6th favorite coaster in the park and will probably land somewhere in my overall top 20. -I already reviewed Steel Vengeance a few pages ago but yeah, it’s absolutely incredible and my new #1 coaster. -Unlike my visit three years ago, Top Thrill Dragster has been running fairly reliably most of the trip. It went down yesterday at 5 pm for the rest of the day, but has otherwise has been consistently open. -Gemini has only been running the red side so far. -Crowds and lines haven’t been too bad, about 30-45 minute waits for most major coasters, 15 minutes or less for smaller coasters and flat rides, and Steel Vengeance has had 1.5-2 hour lines due to two-train operation. -Ride operations are very good and fast overall. Special shoutout to the GateKeeper crew, they were rushing to load trains as fast as possible, and were usually dispatching the train before the one ahead of it reached the keyholes. Raptor and Valravn have pretty fast crews as well.

June 2018 update: 1) Steel Vengeance - A+ 2) Millennium Force - A+ 3) Top Thrill Dragster - A+ 4) Maverick - A 5) Magnum XL-200 - A 6) Valravn - A- 7) Raptor - B+ 8) Gatekeeper - B 9) Gemini - B- 10) Wicked Twister - B- 11) Rougarou - C+ 12) Corkscrew - C 13) Cedar Creek Mine Ride - C 14) Iron Dragon - D+

Rode Steel Vengeance for the first time yesterday and yep, the hype is real. It was my 100th roller coaster and I currently rank it at the top above the other 99. Some of the elements and things this ride tries to do to you are simply unreal. The first drop, airtime moments, and inversions were all ridiculously intense. My favorite part was the final few bunny hills before the brake run, the airtime was so strong on some of those hills it felt like the train was trying to eject me. As for the mid-course brake, if it was biting at all, I didn’t notice it. Overall, Steel Vengeance is an absolutely incredible ride that deserves the reputation it’s been getting, and I strongly recommend planning a trip to the park to ride it if you haven’t already.

Steel Vengeance!

I’ll be visiting Kings Island next week and one of my priorities is getting a night ride on The Beast since I missed that opportunity when I was there three years ago. Looks like sunset in Mason on the days I’ll be there will be around 9pm (one hour before the 10pm closing time). Will it be completely dark (or at least dark enough) by 10 pm so that I’ll be able to get the full night ride experience if I try to get on one of the last trains of the night?

Quick question, does anyone know how much a ride on Frontier Fling (the Skycoaster) costs? I couldn’t find it anywhere on the park website.

One week from today I’m off to Ohio for a few days of Kings Island and Cedar Point.

^ There were no heavy construction machines there that I could see. On another note, I noticed High Roller received a new braking system that’s making it run better. When I rode it, the first trim brake was on pretty light and I don’t think the second one activated at all. This resulted in some nice airtime in the newly retracked section of the ride.

I rode Excalibur earlier today and I did notice some substantial land clearing/trees knocked down just north of the ride. Not going to say it means imminent removal but it looks like something to keep an eye on.

Rode Delirious for the first time this morning, it’s pretty much what I expected. A slightly more intense version of Looping Starship with better restraints, and overall an enjoyable ride. It looks great in Route 76 and has a sweet lighting package.

^ Mad Mouse closes for any rain, and High Roller might close in a heavy downpour, all the other coasters should stay open. As for flat rides, Northern Lights, Delirious, Wheel of Fortune, and Looping Starship I know for sure will close for rain, though there may be a few more.

May and Early June weekdays are actually relatively busy with 30 minute waits (maybe 45 if it’s particularly busy) for some of the major rides most of the morning. It should get a bit less crowded around 3pm or so when the school groups leave, but overall I wouldn’t say Fast Lane is a necessity unless your time is limited or you want to marathon rides.

^ I know Northern Lights technically isn't a roller coaster but I feel like it fills in Valleyfair's need for another family coaster. Still, if the park does add a family coaster in the near future, I certainly hope they add something along the lines of Manta at SWSD. Haven't ridden that ride yet but it looks like something that families and thrill seekers alike can enjoy.

^ I wouldn't say being a family park necessarily means they can't get a B&M coaster. Holiday World considers themselves a family park but they have a $22 million launched B&M wing coaster. Granted it's a completely different company operating under different circumstances, but still. I personally think a Gerstlauer Infinity coaster or an RMC Raptor at Valleyfair is a more likely scenario, though I could see them adding a smaller B&M here if Cedar Fair thinks it's a good investment. On another note, the park posted a pic of Delirious' ride sign on Instagram. I like it.

Sigh...

Sorry to interrupt the Prince Appreciation Thread but it looks like the park has built a new Coke Refresh Station in Route 76 across the midway from Delirious. Looks great. Photo from Valleyfair's Twitter.

^ I'm guessing it could be due to delayed ride testing. All of the rides must have a certain number of pre-season test cycles on them before they are certified to open to the public. With the cold temps and snow we've received in recent weeks they may be behind schedule and might not have enough time to get everything fully ready by that weekend.

Valleyfair has cancelled the Passholder Preview Day scheduled for Sunday, May 6th due to the unseasonably cold weather.

Last August. When was the last time you skipped a meal?

Eight years ago. When was the last time you went to a movie theater?

I was at Nickelodeon Universe earlier today and while I was riding Spongebob Rock Bottom Plunge, the person sitting next to me said “This ride hangs you over the edge like the one at Cedar Point in Iowa”.

Work

Two days ago. When was the last time you had a headache?

The daily high temperatures lately have been around or below freezing with the same expected for at least another week. There's also plenty of snow still on the ground and more expected in the next few days. At the rate we're going, we may not have all of the snow melted by the time Valleyfair opens.