MartinU

It's still on the map, so I'm assuming it's just a photoshop error that the name was removed. And, it's still on their website list of roller coasters. So, let's assume it's safe. Man, that section of the park is making all the rides a little nervous.

Here is a photo I took in September 2020. The second train was largely stripped and just sitting there. It was a slow line, so we only caught it at the end of the day.

I wonder, could the removal be for safety? The speed that the train has as it comes back over the mountain; if a branch fell, that could be disasters for the riders. I know other coasters fly through trees, but I wonder if Dollywood wanted to open it up for safety or accessibility. It does seem odd, since Dollywood strives for conservation and replanting of trees. The park said this back in 2009 So, just from Lightning Rod hillside that's a lot of trees to replant. Or maybe the bees from Wild Eagle moved to those woods so they cut it down

I am not sure where to put this, but I have an idea an wonder if anyone has ever seen this before... With more and more parks canceling and/or revamping their shows it made me wonder: "What if a park put a show into a parade format?" The idea is simple in nature but probably complex in nature. What if the parade told a story, had some rising action and climactic event, and then a happily ever after moment. Have any parks done this before, or has anyone seen a parade that actually had a story line other than just a theme (Christmas, magic, Halloween...)? Do you think this would work? I thought this could be a great way to allow a lot of people to view a show while offering an outdoor socially distanced experience. Thoughts?

MKvillalba, when I look at that one photo, it does look very much in the shape, size and angle of a baseball stadium. The wheel would make a great landmark in centerfield... Interesting to see what unfolds.

Great night videos (Steele Dragon 2000 really is beautiful). I love theme parks at night, something magical about them. And the coasters seem bigger, faster, and I feel more alone. Like, the ride is just for me and not a train full of people. As you said, as cameras become better in low-light I look forward to seeing more coaster videos like this. My wife and I waiting for the front of Millennium Force at night... we still laugh about it how awful it was. Awful because of all the gnats along the track. Hitting a cloud of gnats at 90 MPH at the bottom of the first drop was horrible. And every other low spot was filled with them. We came back laughing at how miserable it was after I promised an incredible night-front-seat experience. That was 5 years ago; we still laugh at it. So, as much as I love front seat/night time rides... I'll enjoy them through the screen for a while longer. We ride in the back at night now, just to be safe

Small trip report My wife and I went to Kennywood on Labor Day, the last day of operations for their 2020 seasons. I had not gone to any parks this summer, but I could not pass up a free trip to the park. As a whole, it was a really good day. The park did a great job trying to comply and enforce the social distancing and mask guidelines. I want to share a little about what I saw, operations, guests, and general park atmosphere. DISCLAIMER: My intention is to not mask shame. We wore ours, other guests kept pulling them down. The park staff was consistently reminding guests to wear them (yes) even above the nose. One even said, "We know it's the last day, but you still have to wear your mask." My Brother and his family of 6 all have season passes. They had not activated them this year, so that was our first stop once through the temperature check. Gates opened at 10:30, and by the time we went through the temp check line, season pass line, and THEN finally into the front gate, the whole process took less time than a TSA full body search.... we were in the park by 10:50 As far as operations, things moved pretty well. There were social distancing signs and stickers throughout the queues, however as the day went on they were ignored more and more. At every station they had a ride op assigning seats and this process was surprisingly smooth, efficient and well organized. Once you were told your seat, they would have you sanitize your hands with hand sanitizer and then proceed to your seat or wait at your gate. It has been a few years since I've been to Kennywood, but the station organization was very refreshing. As someone who likes efficiency a messy station just irks me sometimes. But not today (other than crying seeing half empty trains roll out). All coasters were leaving space between riders but some did it differently. Phantom's Revenge: 2 trains, alternating rows Thunderbolt: 1 train in morning (2 later in the day), alternating rows Sky Rocket: One Train, 8 out of 12 seats filled. Jackrabbit: 2 trains, but they were sitting parties and then leaving a space between parties Racer: 2 total trains (racing) alternating rows Exterminator: Quite a few trains (hard to tell), and they were sitting parties in their own car. I saw a car of 1 and up to 4. Other rides: Cosmic Chaos (Zamperla Disk ride) usually sits 24 people. They would seat a party together and then leave 2 empty seats between parties. Not bad. Volcano- they filled it all, no space left between cars. On Bayern Kurve parties would sit in successive cars, and then an empty one before the next party. The Old Mill- They would fill a boat with a party. At the end of the day, the food lines were CRAZY long. The Potato Patch's lines were stretching nearly all the way to Noah's Ark! Everyone was craving their last chance at those delicious fries. The other food line that was huge was the fudge and cotton candy lines at the front of the park. They stretched all the way to the tunnel. Those lines would have been even longer had guests been leaving 6' between themselves. Again, as the day went on, people got less concerned about the distancing guidelines. It was a good trip. Way to go Kennywood for pushing through in this summer of changes. Thank you to your team, even on the last day, sticking to the plan and enforcing the policies to keep everyone safe. I didn't feel like a last day, or an end to the summer. It just felt like any conclusion to a theme park trip. However it may have felt, let's just hope it was the end of the Summer of Theme Park Distancing Below is a mini photo report. The Temperature Check Tent. This is where all the guests enter the park this year. Obligatory Sign Pic This is at about 10:20. By the time they started scanning guests, the tent was full and the line went way out into the parking lot. At 10:30 they started scanning and the lined moved quickly. First stop, Phantom! Looks like new this season is a new exit. The three lines allows for VIP and wheelchair guests to enter, with exiting guests a line to, well, exit. With two trains running at half capacity, this line still moved quickly along. Great job to the ride ops. Exterminator! Ran great, and again the lined moved quick. They were filling the 4 seater cars with a party, just no combined parties. It was funny, there was a single rider right in front of us and he said, "You can join if you want" as the ride op closed the lap bars. No thanks stranger wearing a mask on a blacked out roller coaster. Thunderbolt! This was the only ride that irritated me. From 10:30 until sometime after 2:00 they were running one train! This was the slowest line we experienced. It hurt standing there, seeing two empty trains sitting on the side tracks, as a half empty train rolled into the valley out of the station. As you can also see in the queue, I'm glad COVID can't spread left or right, only forwards and back... Later in the day, the green train joined the cycle, effectively cutting the wait time in half. The ride ops did a great job keeping things moving and making sure guests wore their masks and sanitized their hands. In case you forgot. They ever had the 6' sticker above the men's urinals. We don't need a sticker there... we always leave an empty stall, am I right? Sad this was closed. On my to-do list, as I have not gotten a chance to ride this one yet. I keep hearing mixed reviews of such a great looking coaster. The New Old Mill. It's line was.... cozy. Hi Harold! Where is your mask? And why do none of the other skeletons on this ride look like you? Seems like a missed opportunity. Other than that, cute dark ride. Good Job Kennywood! I was perplexed why this major coaster, currently the only looping one running, was only running one train! And then I got to the station and saw it was not even fully assembled. With one train of 8 people, and a dispatch every 3 minutes that comes to about 160 PPH. I'm glad we caught this right after a break down, and only waiting maybe 15 minutes. Fun ride, but this would have been painfully slow to wait for this one. CURVE! This one is fun to people watch! Evening shot of Racer. The lighting was great, add a little filter and BOOM! It's also quite a juxtaposition of classic and modern with Steel Curtain right beside this classic woodie. Bye Kennywood. I hope we can come back soon and experience more of your classic charm.

I just saw the new schedule. We had already planned to go on September 7th. It will be odd to visit a park on it's last day of the season. I'm excited to be taking my wife on her first trip to KW. It's been about 5 years since I've been there, and sad Steel Curtain is closed. However, still looking forward to an exciting day. If anyone else is there, I'll be the guy with a mask.

What!?!? Cedar Point never totally removes charm and character for the sake of a new attraction.

I think they could build a great one around Cedar Creek Mine Ride. Weave the two together. Add mine buildings, a small mountain/rock work. There is enough space around the ride to have enough elements: high, low, lifts and drops. To save a little space have an elevator lift, like ascending a mine shaft. It could also interact with the water and the train! Not only would it be a great ride, it would really add to the CCMR experience. Based on the picture, it could be about a 1,400' long ride. Timber Mountain being only around 1,200'. Anyone else for a makeover AND addition?

Looks like Ohio has extended their "Say at Home Order" until May 29th. I'm really looking forward to making our yearly trip in August, but I am curious what changes will be in place. I'm glad several states like Florida are allowing the theme parks to determine their own reopening dates, for when THOSE parks feel it is safe. All of these parks want to get open, but I'm glad they are being cautious and showing love to their guests. Also, remember in 2018 when we were all outraged we couldn't see construction pictures of SV? What a simpler time.

Benches. Lots and lots of benches.

My family and I have been going to East Harbor State Park for years! It's a great park, with bike and hiking trails, pet friendly, and kept really clean (for a park). Last year the beach was a little underwhelming as sand had been lost to storms and there seemed like more trash than normal. Other than that, this is an AWESOME park. It's less than 30 minute drive to CP from there, so not bad at all.

Yes and no. You have to understand that "Dueling Dragons being removed" isn't just about a park knocking down a ride. It goes much deeper than that and is a discussion a lot longer than I have the time for at the moment... I genuinely am looking forward to hearing this. (And then watching people get roasted as they complain to Robb's well thought out argument)

So to be clear... wood coasters like Mystic Timbers (which helped Kings Island draw record crowds the year that it opened) don't draw crowds yet they're very marketable? What I meant was Mystic is a great ride. BUT compared to every record breaking coaster they have added, it can’t draw as many people as SV did. Although, they could add a record breaking 2 sheds... Also, don’t touch the ballroom. I mentioned it to explain how big the arcade’s footprint is (obviously sans games).

Agreed. There is so much SPACE in there. If you've ever been upstairs in the ballroom you know what I'm talking about. They could easily fit a nice dark ride in there, as well as a 4D (why stop there, 8D ) game theater. Could we see the first Peanuts dark ride? Like a Toy Story Midway Mania except Snoopy and the Red Barren? That could be fun, if they could ever get the rights to make something like that... Secondly, I love flyers, but they a BIG! They seem to have a huge footprint. Which we are always arguing "They don't have room," "They have plenty of room..." Can we just agree almost every flyer I can think of has a large footprint, far more than an out and back or compact style coaster that could come. Also, do flyers handle high winds well, or would they tolerate as well as Gatekeeper? Personally, I would like to see a GCI come to CP. Even the small ones pack a fun punch. Great for families and thrill seekers. Invard at BGW impressed me far more than I expected. And Mystic Timbers is equally as fun. Small, compact and big punch. Do those look sexy and draw big crowds? No. But they would fill a void and add the the total package. Something that the park can market as they build the resort side of things more and more. And let's not forget the boardwalk.... With the old Extreme Sports show stadium gone, and more happening at the beach maybe a woodie on the beach... That's a nice way to end the park at night.

As the lift fell, does anyone else think it looks like an AT-AT or some Star Wars robot being destroyed? Anyone? Just me... ok. As sad as I am to see a fun (yes, I said it) coaster die, it's exciting to think what can and will rise from the ashes.

Finally made it to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. So glad I got to get Apollo's Chariot, Tempesto, Verbolten, ALPENGEIST (which broke down on the lift with us. First Evac!) Griffon, Loch Ness Monster (so much smoother than I was expecting for a 40 year-old Arrow) and Invadr. Such good rides. They are all fun. Living in Ohio my whole life, Cedar Point and King's Island were the bench mark. These rides are more tame, but all of them are a blast in their own way and still delivered.

ADVICE: I'm taking my first trip to BGW this Saturday! I'm really excited to visit this park after years of seeing pictures and new rides being added. I expect the park to be busy, so lines are not a big issue. What are some suggestions for a first timer at BGW? Ride order? Shows that are a must see? Best haunts? And yes, we do plan to make it a full day, opening to close. Thanks everyone!

Take a Google Walkthrough and you can see the issues. I'm going to Hersheypark for the first time this spring. Looking forward to Skyrush for sure! Anyways, you can see the congestion issues that could arise from the narrow walkway, people using the shops, and just stupid people. Look at all the big parks, they are all going to a minimalistic, open and very "user-friendly" entrances. Sure, not the charm, but charm rarely sells ticket (unless you're a county fair).

So, here is a fun "what if" scenario. WHAT IF, KI did an RMC conversion on half of The Racer. One side "mild" the other "wild." Think Classic and New in one iconic ride. It would still race and have dueling elements, just one side a classic out and back, and the other a more intense, twisting, weaving. outer-banked airtime machine! To my knowledge it would be a first of that type of conversion/racing coaster. Do you think something like that "could" ever happen? Pros/Cons?

I'm glad this article used the most recent photo they could of Cedar Point. Source: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cedar-point-osha-violation

With CCMR teaser poster, the #5 car is upside-down... suspended woodie confirmed! But for real, could the 5 in the diagram be a 5 part expansion plan? Maverick, Professor Delbert's Frontier Fling, SV, could be parts 1-3 or a 5 part master plan to reinvigorate the back of the park? And all 5 having a Cedar Creek Mining Company theme/story tying them together? Granted, PDFF doesn't really fit the "story" but has been very recently moved and incorporated nicely into the Frontier Trail part of the park. To continue the agument that CP is running out of room (which they are not, cough cough) CCMR does have a lot of wasted space. They could easily put a family coaster AND thrill coaster in that area. Think Taron and Raik at Phantasialand, two coasters interwoven to make one awesome area. It "could" happen... All of that to say, CP is really making some great overall improvements to the park, and I'm excited for the next several years to see what's next!

Valravn. From the Sunrise Tour talking with one of the mechanics. The cars are so heavy that they can't be moved off site to work on them like the rest of the coasters. That was my second guess. Is it heaviest train or car?

Fun Trivia Time: For all the coaster fan boys and mathematicians, what is the heaviest (empty) coaster train at Cedar Point? I do not know myself. On our yearly visit, my wife and I started speculating. My guess was Gatekeeper based on length, width and occupancy. But, does anyone else have an idea or PROOF of the heaviest coaster train at CP?