neil009

Great Escape is in approximately the same boat as Dorney if not worse. Six Flags in no way shape or form takes better care of their parks than Cedar Point.

HA! Every time a Six Flags employee tries to make me remove my glasses I'll bring up this video on my cell phone.

ug ug ug ug ug

^Big Bad Wolf has literally the same number of letters in it as Son of Beast. I point this out because every time I see BBW I think of something else that's definitely not roller coasters.

Why does all this speculation fill me with dread? Am I the only one who doesn't want the layout to any of HW's coasters to change at all?

Batman backwards has to win. Granted I haven't ridden certain intense B&Ms like Afterburn or Banshee, but I honestly don't see how any of them could come close. Not even a fair competition, really.

Unfortunate for nobody but you. Locals are crazy about Dorney, yeah they like Hershey too but Dorney is where they get their season passes because it's closer and easier, and not many people make the drive to Great Adventure especially if they have kids. Your analysis of Dorney's place in the market is completely meaningless, a new coaster would be just as "worth it" there as it would anywhere else. From what you're saying, the locals make up a large portion of Dorney Park's visitors. This is true of every park in existence outside destination parks like Disney. Yes I'm sure Dorney loses business to Hershey (not nearly so much Knoebels) but the population of the area is large enough to support both parks, as it has for decades.

Unfortunate for nobody but you. Locals are crazy about Dorney, yeah they like Hershey too but Dorney is where they get their season passes because it's closer and easier, and not many people make the drive to Great Adventure especially if they have kids. Your analysis of Dorney's place in the market is completely meaningless, a new coaster would be just as "worth it" there as it would anywhere else. And if they're going to stay "well-rounded" then occasionally updating their coaster collection is a part of that, just like it is anywhere else. Also you act like Dorney has total control over when they get a major investment and aren't subject to the whims of a company much larger than they are. Just because they haven't gotten a major coaster lately doesn't mean they don't "need one". Also hoping for something like a family woodie or wing coaster is hardly unreasonable, it's not like many people are suggesting they get a Fury 325 clone. What exactly do you get out of coming in this thread every year, stamping all over everyone who's hoping Dorney gets a new coaster, and all-around acting like a smug asshole? Why don't you give it a rest?

CGA waited 12 years for Gold Striker, Kennywood went ten years between coasters, Lake Compounce went fifteen years between coasters, SFGAdv has gone ten years between new custom coasters, Playland's Castaway Cove is getting a new steel coaster out of nowhere. Quit acting like you know what's going to happen when you don't.

No idea what you're talking about, they never put coasters in their advertisements because they know no one goes to Dorney for the coasters. Everyone goes for the food and the kiddie rides. Any coaster would just be a wasted investment, instead they should just keep installing cheap hand-me-downs, because that's what all the other super successful amusement parks do. I mean just look at how great they're doing now, they're totally dominating all of their regional competitors, clearly whatever they're doing is working. I'm being sarcastic.

^I think they're attempting to test that theory.

Clearly Dorney doesn't consider roller coasters important to their business model, that's why you never see pictures of roller coasters in any of their advertising.

I see no resemblance here.

I was going to try defending that lead car with the bird on it because I didn't really think it looked that bad, but now I'm looking at it again and... yeah, it's pretty awful. It's really more bizarre then anything. Like I'm looking at it and trying to imagine it in person and it's really hard. There's like three separate black metal cut-outs next to each other each representing... what exactly? Feathered tentacles with a claw on the end? Bird feet don't look anything like that.

Some rides, like Batman apparently, it doesn't seem to matter as much. But for me, all woodies in particular feel slower in the cold so far without exception. Maybe because the track and wheel lubricant matters more, and we all know grease gets slicker when it's hot. But last time I went to Dorney in the cold (probably low 50s) all the rides felt slower and rougher, Steel Force in particular. But El Toro I will admit I'm overly sensitive to how it runs. If it's less than perfect then I suddenly regret making the two hour drive down to that miserable, miserable place. On both camel backs in the back row, I want to be feeling that pressure in my cheeks from the second we start cresting the hill all the way to the bottom. If I can only feel it after we pass the apex like you normally do on other, lesser coasters, then it's a disappointment. I know that's unfair but I'm definitely not one of these "It's still insane even when it's running slow" people.

I realized Toro probably wasn't running just as I was clicking "post", but in any case that only solidifies my position more. I am glad they're doing a good job with it (though I'll be curious to see if that level of quality keeps on year after year), and if I lived 30 minutes away I'd probably consider going. I guess that's probably what they're hoping for anyway, I doubt anyone thinks this is going to draw people from 2+ hours away. I'll be curious to hear how this works out for them. I wonder if Toro could even run at all this time of year without risking valleying.

I know what's going to keep me personally away from an event like this is the main draw, El Toro, runs progressively slower as the temperature drops. Riding the bull when it's running more like a vaguely irritated cow leaves a funny taste in my mouth. If it's the pretty lights I want, there's many local attractions that are closer, cheaper, and offer the same thing.

It's weird isn't it? Usually overbanks increase the level of banking smoothly all the way up to the apex which is the most banked part of the element. Here the apex looks practically sideways still, then increases the banking more as it descends.

I really liked Shockwave when I rode it. It had some decent airtime and I didn't find it painful in the slightest. Sad to see it go but glad I got the chance to ride it. With lines like it had, I would say I'm not too torn up, but if it had waits more proportional to how good it was (i.e. just a fun ride to catch on your way from one bigger attraction to another) I would really have wanted them to keep it. As an aside, I think I figured out why my experience was so radically different from the experience of others with this ride. As you can see, with some people their head is directly in between the restraints, with some the restraints are nowhere near their head, others are somewhere in between. I don't know why since I'm not particularly tall but my head was nowhere near the restraints, so I experienced zero headbanging. In fact, I clicked myself into the restraints, looked around and saw nothing but the nice soft mesh behind my head, and thought to myself, "HOW does anybody find this uncomfortable??" But now looking at this picture I think I understand. There's a lot of variables with stand-up coasters.

My guess is the trains aren't changing and the ride won't be changed in any substantial way! Some serious wishful thinkers in this thread.

I would love to meet you in person.

Knoebels got them this year too, they look great. I mean the transformation is really stunning. And if Knoebels can do it surely Six Flags could find it in their budget as well.

That could just mean they're getting a fresh coat of paint.

fixed I have yet to see anything concrete to make me optimistic about this transformation. If the train still rattles like a shopping cart and has big yellow blocks for lap bars then it won't really be any better.

How do the two woodies at Silverwood, in their current form (for better or worse), compare to The Raven and the Legend at Holiday World? Are they as fast-paced and intense? Has either been trimmed to death?