Samuel

Very cool! It stylistically reminds me of iSpeed and those fast Zierer family coasters. Vekoma doesn't get much love for its cookie-cutter legacy, but it seems like they've been flexing with fun-looking, innovative stuff for years now, just waiting for a park to bite. I see twistiness, airtime, a fluid layout, fast transitions, a killer drop...there should be a lot to love here!

Mystic Timbers should be very fun right out of the box, and hopefully it's maintained well over the long run. I still can't figure out why Lightning Racer is glass smooth year after year, while sister coasters like Roar and even Wildcat just across the midway can jack hammer like nobody's business. I'm all for parks getting modern "depth" coasters like this, which should still be very fun and thrilling. Someone referred to the lopsided division in coaster modernity at Carowinds & Wonderland a few pages back, and I agree. By today's standards, family thrills shouldn't just mean clunky rides from 1989. I'm also impressed that KI is willing to stand by and reinforce its legacy of wooden coasters. Even if we all know the feel of a GCI coaster, this will still be unique. I'd much rather have another way to scamper through the trees at night at KI over an off-the-shelf wing coaster in the parking lot. I also don't mind the name! It's probably been mentioned (I haven't caught up to all comments yet), but this looks inspired by Th13teen/Verbolten -- a fine theme for heading off into the woods. I'm not going to specifically reroute 2017 plans to KI for this, but I'll undoubtedly look forward to riding it when I can.

Fantastic, thorough report! I loved reading through it & agree with just about everything you wrote. There's a pattern to your writing that suggests something that I've been talking about for a while, which is how the same coasters can give a different impression depending on so many factors. From how I'm feeling and the time of day, to what train I'm riding in or what seat, coasters can and do show different personalities. - There have been whole trips where I have all OK, but never great rides on Millennium Force. At other times, it's my clear #1. - On Magnum, I've had so-so rides, flat-out painful rides, and rides that were so enjoyable and smooth that I marvel how Arrow did it --- all in the same day! - I've thought, "Boy, Raptor sure is getting rough," only to come back later and it's one of my favorite B&M inverts. - I've had fun, glass-smooth rides on Gatekeeper, and at other times it's frustratingly bumpy with that lumbering push/pull feeling that was described in the TR. The legacy feel to those night rides on Millennium Force is real & unmistakable! I usually try to knock out the other coasters during the day, do lots of TTD for big thrills when the sun's out, and then really focus on Millennium and Maverick at night. I've never seen another coaster create quite the aura that MF does near close. For the duration of the ride, every train of strangers go out together as friends. It's just remarkable.

Conceptually, ToT is by far my favorite Disney attraction. I love the Twilight Zone, Rod Serling, and everything about the off-key atmosphere. I think it hits the best creepy note among Disney's rides, Haunted Mansion included. With the DCA version, I can see the appeal to arguments of ToT's questionable popularity and inferior presentation vs. Orlando's, but those arguments don't assuage my initial gut feeling that this announcement reads like a surreal April Fool's joke. I wonder if ToT would have been better protected against a re-wrapping if it hadn't felt so tacked on and unsupported in that dead end of the park in the first place. DCA's execution brought the skeletal concept of ToT, but it didn't capture the heart or soul of that ride's legacy. I think "good" Tower should be untouchable, an iconic must-do in the ballpark of Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc. The Guardians injection could help DCA's version, but it's still a shame to me that ToT never had the chutzpah of Florida's version going for it.

I was keeping my fingers crossed for a Dispatch Master Transport excursion to Alaska with the Iron Dragon VR.

Some not-so-subtle nods to TTD on that bleacher idea!

i get it every time i've gone recently. takes away the stress of getting enough rides in for me. i usually go for two or three days. last trips have been around this time and almost every day had downtime due to weather. fastlane takes the stress away for me who just wants to marathon everything in site. lol Even if you don't want to strictly go from ride to ride FP+ is still worth it. It's much more fun to spend your time out and about in the park rather than spending the majority of one of your precious few visits standing in a cramped switchback. Emily and I probably got as many rides in as your typical non FP+ rider, but we gained hours of relaxing and exploring the park. I don't enjoy my time standing elbow to elbow with the many different species of the general public (not excluding coaster enthusiasts). Yeah, amen to all of this. Being able to decide your own pace, and not being pressed into a hasty day of compromises due to lines, is big. The total benefits also extend beyond the shortened waits...the passes have allowed me to enjoy meals, visit the beach, take pictures, watch shows, go for a walk outside the park -- essentially, to do whatever I want to do on my own time, and also ride a heck of a lot more than is otherwise possible. Or, just ride Maverick 30 times straight. You'll make a lot more memories doing those things, as opposed to waiting in the switchback pens for VR & the big Intamins for two days.

Even factoring differences in cultural norms, the "shaggin wagons" turned me off. I'm not wildly offended by the concept -- I did get a chuckle, but in this particular context it looks symptomatic of the park disappointingly leaning away from the integrity and well-manicured qualities that Heide always seemed to exude. Has any park ever "gone for the teens" and had it made for a better qualitative experience for anyone at all? In my experience, tight-ship operations and a family focus often encourages civility, courteousness, & great overall days at parks, while sloppy operations and a teen crowd is a surefire recipe for frustration.

To go a little bit outside the box, Lightning Racer is one of the overall smoothest and most comfortable coasters -- not just wooden -- that I've ever ridden. What's more, it's reliably been that way every year I've visited Hershey. Yeah, you could say that the trains aren't the greatest for large riders or that the layout could use more airtime, but there isn't one moment of even slight discomfort to be had on either track.

Watching Millennium Force on the webcam here and there over the last week or so, it's noticeably ripping through the course. Earlier in the season, the trains would rove over the island hills a little bit sluggishly, behaving as though the ride just got out of bed. Now it appears to be wide awake, as every train is hauling like it just chugged coffee. If anyone had a "meh" ride on it last month, I'd recommend revisiting it in these current conditions -- it looks like it's giving some great rides.

Even on a seemingly calm day, some coasters just really produce a blustery ride experience. The front seats on Millennium Force and Phantom's Revenge are very reliable for this, where the air is howling, your face is distorted, it's hard to talk, and tears are flying out from the corners of your eyes. It feels like you're riding through a wind tunnel that's trying to rip you apart. On other, still good coasters, sometimes I just don't get any of that. The forces are all there, the coaster is really solid, but there isn't a whole lot of wind, and you can even talk to the person next to you without a problem. I haven't totally figured out what proportions are owed to the sustained speed of a coaster, air temperature, the breeze that day, train design, or some other variables. I thought this might be an interesting, off-the-beaten-path topic. Anyone have coasters to volunteer or general thoughts?

I don’t think there’s a lot of scholarship in the “themed entertainment industry” because scholarship applies to conceptual fields and disciplines, not to specific industries. In your first essay, you're referring to architectural planning, as well as visual design philosophy and human traffic flow, of which park projects would belong as a small subset. As a community, you know that we cover parks as an industry hobby. Manufacturers and IAAPA, meanwhile, view it from a B2B perspective. For park managers, it's a B2C perspective. We've had topics on the engineering route that some of our members have taken in the hope of designing rides. It's often fun to use parks in academia and school examples (I did it whenever I could!), but nothing is too unique in the planning and business processes of theme parks so as to warrant treating them as their own field or solitary discipline. The preparedness that you need for a given job within the industry simply depends on what that job requires, and then competing vigorously for it, provided the CEO isn't your Uncle Steve who hands you a career to make up for skipping a couple of birthdays. I truly enjoyed reading your essay, and a lot of concepts that you seem to be interested in would be put to use good as a city planner or architect who solidly grasps conceptual story-telling and visual metaphors. In fact, that would be a compelling professional narrative that could land you at parks, while giving you more career opportunities in case Imagineer jobs aren't dangling from low branches right off the bat. I want to read more of your essays, so keep 'em coming! **Ah, I see that I can simply get to your homepage to find more. I'll dig in -- thanks!

I made my return to Carowinds last week after a hiatus of several years. I had some business and family obligations in the South, but I certainly wanted to stop and ride Fury. I only had a few hours available Thursday morning, but I arrived promptly at 10 a.m. and had what felt like a private park ERT session! I rode quickly, took pictures, and then hit the road shortly after noon. Fury 325 (5 rides, total walk-on) My first ride of the morning and boy did I time things well! I got my rides in and then it broke down. I did see it testing empty trains when I left the park, but I’m glad I hauled to it first thing. I was bummed that the “How many?” assigned seating policy was in effect, given that each train was departing half-empty. I joined another party of three for the front row on my first ride (!), but was given rows 3 and 4 for the others. I lobbied for a back seat ride with no luck. So it goes. Fury is extremely solid. The first drop is pure fun and the highlight for me – very long, steep, and floaty. The rest of the layout provides good airtime and fast, yet graceful banking. After my fifth straight ride, I was starting to feel a bit of g-force fatigue. While no one element ever felt too intense, the layout is packed with variety and is a testament to Fury being rightfully undeserving of the “forceless” label that gets pinned onto some newer B&Ms. I would describe the airtime as “strong sustained floater,” definitely powerful for B&M, but never harsh. As a whole, the ride is nearly impossible to dislike. It isn’t quite among my all-time favorites, but it’s thoroughly enjoyable. 9/10 Top Gun: The Jet Coaster (0 rides, RIP Paramount’s Carowinds), Afterburn (3 rides, total walk-on). Well, another empty station with an assigned seating attendant. Humph. I’ve always been a back seat guy on B&M inverts, but same deal here – front-to-back loading. I had one ride in the front and the others in row 2. Afterburn holds the nerdy distinction of having my favorite B&M wheel cap design – the bird and the shark. I’ve always liked the coaster’s overall color scheme, too. I was singing this coaster’s praises for years when it was largely underrated and considered merely a mini-Montu. Now, I think enthusiasts are realizing that that isn’t a bad thing. The coaster’s element sequencing, pacing, and interesting location on a hill near the back entrance make for a good ride experience. It doesn’t feel as fast as its advertised 62 mph, but the elements are fun and quick-hitting. The B&M batwing is always better than the cobra roll, and the snappy corkscrew has serious old-school bite. 8.5/10 Intimidator (3 rides, total walk-on). To the station attendant’s credit, I was given the “any open row” directive, which is as flexible a policy as I was able to get all morning. I stuck to the back for my rides. OK, if you look at my post history, I haven’t always been kind to Intimidator. I thought that it was boring, uninspired, and a parabolic trim-fest. I’m pleasantly surprised to report that I was giggling all over the ride this time around. The yank-air on the first drop and conventional hills was excellent. The first trim was light, and the second trim on the return trip didn’t seem to kick in at all. In dozens of rides over previous years, I had no idea that there can in fact be some major airtime on this thing! Post-MCBR still feels like B&M phoned in lazy filler, but I will give this ride a lot more credit than I had in the past. It was legitimately thrilling, and held its own quite well despite Fury being in the same park. 8.5/10 That’s all for the rides, folks! Sometimes, like with Intimidator, I’ll revisit a coaster and be taken by surprise, but I simply had no curiosity to re-ride the older, rougher coasters. I’ve been coming to Carowinds periodically since the Smurfs were around, so I have all of the other coasters under my belt. The coaster lineup speaks to the big disparity in eras between Paramount and Cedar Fair, and between technology from the 80’s/90’s compared to today: it’s very top-heavy. The good B&Ms almost disservice some of the other coasters by exposing how comparatively dated they are. I could see a quiet floorless transformation during the offseason for Vortex, perhaps with some fog effects to spice it up. Overall, I had a nice morning at the park! - I’m a Peanuts fan, so I enjoyed the atmosphere in the kids’ area near Intimidator. The Peanuts costumed characters must seriously roast in the summertime, but they did a great job at delighting me and the thin morning crowd. -The coaster skyline looks colorful and vibrant from all over the park, and there were a few nice fountains and helpful shaded areas. -It’s in no way the park’s fault, but getting only a few hours sleep + springtime allergies + high-humidity heat = low stamina! The Charlotte air can be thick and feel like a blow dryer when on coasters, and a high pollen count in said air set off a mid-morning sneeze-athon. It didn’t undermine my time in the park, but it’s interesting how much more considerate I’ve become of my “feel-good factors” at parks in recent years. I used to have one mode: “Run, run, run, ride, ride, ride.” Now, getting solid sleep, taking allergy meds, staying hydrated, packing the sunscreen, stopping to eat, relax, maybe have a beer, and just dropping that sense of constant urgency to be first in line for everything has allowed me to step back and enjoy myself at parks much more as an adult. Because I was bending my itinerary a bit to squeeze in Carowinds, this time I had to break a few of my own rules. -I ate at the Panda Express across from Intimidator. I know it isn’t signature park food, but I was in the mood for the orange chicken and I have no complaints or regrets! -I also thought that there were an abundance of restrooms that were generally clean, which is never a bad thing. I hope to be back and with more time in the not-too-distant future, perhaps in a package trip with Dollywood. Now on with some pictures: Here's where they dipped! I thought this was a pretty little area for taking a break. This family is getting ready to take a dip. I'm glad that this now-older building is still here and looks really good. With respect to Cedar Fair, it's much more memorable than the uniform "plaza/shrubs/pavement" approach to everything. Good ol' Charlie Brown. There are lots of lights in this area that I wish I could have seen at night, but the area still looks good in the daytime. These rocking chairs are a really nice "Carolinian touch" that juxtaposes the modern plaza. The entrance has been Cedar Fairified since my last visit. Indeed, intimidation looms over the ticketing building. One more for multiple train enthusiasts. ...just not quite THIS big! First ride, front row! The anticipation builds... The famous shot and first impression that you get walking up to the ride entrance. I can't argue with these lines. It's a beaut' There's a glass pane here that's reflecting parts of the ghostly Intimidator & Fury -- the ol' Haunted Mansion trick. I wonder if Ron Toomer ever made this with a clothes hanger? Wrapping around to get to Fury, I was in serious awe of its scale. Heading into the park, Fury is not shy about showing off! Most of my dreams and notebook doodles look like this mosaic backdrop. Incidentally, anybody ever win at this game? Even with Fury in the park, Intimidator has a big presence... When I was very young, Cyclone was a huge deal! I like the color mix, but one more yellow coaster and the park has to move to a shoe. The big hills were much better than I remember! If you're a gentleman, go start your engine. I appreciate a little thing like this -- it lets me know that the park is aware. Furthermore, I'll take this over police tape, traffic cones, and the "trash bag over the toilet" technique I've seen at other parks! I've always loved Schulz's style of humor: perfect for all ages, simple, dry, smart, and likable. Peanuts lore! I feel like I've seen these big pencil prizes elsewhere. Are they part of a brand I don't know? Patriotic Snoop with the classic Southern Star, one of my "no way, Jose" flat rides, in the background. I stopped in the Snoopy Boutique and saw these hilariously adorable outfits. I know what Santa is getting my nieces for Christmas. Planet Snoopy is my favorite area in the park. It has good aesthetics, and being a Peanuts fan, it made my expression turn into what's known in medical journals as "all smiles." I'll end this TR with the classic shot: One pic, two states! Thanks, Carowinds & TPR readers! There must've been a yellow paint deal at Lowe's. You can't fool me, Stealth, I know it's you! Gentlemen, start your engines! Hold up, wrong ride. My mistake. This is why I'm a coaster fan. This inconspicuous corkscrew just made me stop and say, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is." Zero-g-through-the-trees. "You're a pilot" is a fairly generic theme, but everything works here. My kind of line! Afterburn is shrouded in trees and was built on a subtle hill with terraced walkways. It's easy to spot the coaster, but hard to capture it all in a single shot. Certain angles let you appreciate that this coaster has some nice size to it! I've always dug those shark wheel caps! I think the whole color scheme is cool and unique, too. I haven't seen this gift shop underneath the station be open during my past several visits, but I remember buying a Top Gun shirt here when the coaster debuted. The shirt descriptively listed the first drop as a "space dive," and a friend of mine once brilliantly asked, "Whoa, so this ride is a NASA thing?" Another point for yellow coasters! I think these Vekomas ride just a tad bit clunky -- not terrible, though, and they do look very nice. Fun fact: When it opened, several members of my family waited two hours to ride Vortex, only to chicken out and take the walk of shame! Today, I hope we get some Rougarou action to make this into a Daemonen-style little floorless.

I'm working on a TR, but the short answer is that I was given a polite "no" just last week, citing efficiency and policy. The most flexible policy that I was able to get was "go to any open row" on Intimidator, but Afterburn & Fury were non-negotiable assignments.

There is another line later on about "you don't want to get a reputation for rides not opening on time". Sad to say they totally have that reputation mostly because of Top Thrill Dragster and Mean Streak. Mean Streak they no longer even try to open with the park in the morning and it does not even run the entire season, they either close it early so it does not run during Haunt or open it several weeks into the season. That's not true at all. It ran all year last season. It just opened late this year and closed early a few years ago because of a fire that was probably set by some whiny enthusiast but as always... Mean Streak prevailed and has continued to piss off enthusiasts to this very day. I'm with you, coasterbill. In addition, Mean Streak has historically been closed on Fridays during Halloweekends, as part of the somewhat reduced menu of attractions on those nights. It's a lot of cherry picking to say that Cedar Point doesn't care about being prompt, when the park does put a lot of off-season support into Mean Streak, on top of its daily maintenance, PLUS the fact that it churns three trains just about every day. As for Dragster, it and its green brother in Jersey are notoriously cantankerous rides. There are a ton of coasters here, and not everything will be 100% flawless. Sorry kenban, but the sum of some particular issues and specific closures isn't tantamount to "they no longer even try." That's just not true about Mean Streak or any of their coasters.

Well, it stinks when these things happen. I understand preaching patience and "look toward the long-term good" optimism, but I'll be driving through the South this week with one day to hit up a park -- that park will be Carowinds. I know both parks sans their current star attractions, so I'm bummed that my spirited "Fury or Lightning Rod?" trip planning topic isn't going to happen. Unfortunately, I don't plan on rescheduling to Dollywood this year. I enjoy the park and have sympathy for the situation, but between other priorities and living in a different part of the US, this week would have been my chance. Even if there's a tiny shot for a rehearsal day, the big ol' green hornet is calling my name. I'll get you next time Lightning Rod...next time...!

Where did you hear this? I'd sooner buy, "Premier likes water park additions as they are cheaper than a proper new ride, yet can pass as evidence of something new." Even with broad appeal, I can't imagine a water ride or series of water attractions being preferential or more appealing than a needed ride addition (Holiday World water coasters aside). I know that there are lots of good water parks and innovative slides/pools/complexes, but incremental water park additions + insufficient ride support over the years always screamed, "Sorry, but Santa isn't coming this year, either. Have a water slide & tipping bucket instead!"

That first drop is seriously calling to me -- I love it when you can't see the bottom of a big drop until you're more than half-way down. It looks like Big Boom on steroids!

I enjoy the space shot for the sensation of swift ascent and the pop of air at the top. The ride time is a bit shorter and can lead to swifter lines when compared to the turbo drop. I'm not easily intimidated by too many drop towers, so the suspense angle of the turbo drops is lost on me. I also don't think that those drops are very strong. Great presence in a park, though! I love the look/sounds/aesthetic of the larger combo towers.

I completely missed Psyclone & Deja Vu at Magic Mountain. Both were operating when I passed them years ago, but I went from Ninja straight over to Riddler. After a long Ninja wait & the realization that lines would be long for everything, I started trying to prioritize the coasters. I ended up running out of park operating hours & didn't make it back to that corner. On my next visit, both were gone!

Having been there, I disagree. I've waited 10-15 minutes for Maverick, Gatekeeper, TTD, & others using Fast Lane on busy days, and in every instance it was still much better than the otherwise 1.5+ hour waits. It's well worth the money on crowded days, or if you're like me & only visit once a once a year. It might be a very mild downer to see that your Fast Lane *only* gets you to a merge point on some of the rides, but in absolutely no instance have I ever felt upset or as though it wasn't a good value.

Nice write-up on your trip, & I'm glad you had a great day! To your bathroom point, I made a post about this months ago. It's a very strange collective oversight to me that bathroom quality at parks often suffers death by a thousand cuts: lacking in adequate size, attendants, cleanliness, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. - What is that puddle!? What is that drip!? Why won't my stall door shut!? My stall door is shut, but why is there a three-inch gap to the outside world!? Why is there only one stall in the restroom anchoring the busiest part of the park? So on and so forth. And this is just in men's rooms. The Ohio Turnpike rest stops, believe it or not, are up to a quality that I'd gladly take in the amusement parks (and not just Cedar Point, to be fair). The restrooms in the Iron Dragon/train station plaza are pretty good at Cedar Point. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into the ones near Magnum, thought "Nope!" & walked right out. It's the size of a secluded public park outhouse in there! I feel bad for the attendants who have to stay in and maintain those sardine can restrooms. To the point, there is often no uniform standard across parks -- you'll get one bathroom upgrade in some part of the park to coincide with a refresh of an area, but in another part of the park, hello 1986!

I'll also drop my affirmation into the praise bucket for Black Widow. It's a very intense ride -- more so than maXair, in my view. This is one ride type where I feel like Zamperla has definitely out-muscled the competition. It's very powerful once it gets going. I actually seldom ride it because I don't like the excessive spinning, and Black Widow delivers a long cycle, but that's a good thing for riders who have a higher tolerance for that sort of thing than I do! And as others have mentioned, I usually go for the Lost Kennywood area first, something like 'Phantom-->Exterminator-->Black Widow' would be a good order. Just like a lot of GP does Raptor early at Cedar Point, lots of casual traffic at KW will go 'Sky Rocket-->Jack Rabbit-->Racer-->Thunderbolt' and then head toward Phantom/Lost Kennywood. Do the reverse order, and you'll avoid the surge migrations to the more popular rides.

I've loved the game going back many months now, and obviously the textures/art feel is very good, but I still haven't seen a total package in terms of a realistic coaster design with proper banking, angles, and smooth transitions. I also think that there is a bit of sameness to the feel of coasters, regardless of type. I've seen a few generic hypers touted on YouTube as being realistic, but they're so benign, with one straight-as-an-arrow drop after another, that I don't have a feel for how well or easily we can mimic the design tendencies of real manufacturers. I see many fantasy designs that were built to show off scenery prowess instead of the coasters themselves. Many uploaded coasters have lots of under-banking and too much sprawl (better than, but not totally unlike, RCTW designs). It's also too obvious to me when a drop is a stretched single segment or an incongruous series of segments. On the other hand, I see parts of layouts here and there that do look tremendous. - Do players simply need more time to master the editor and understand its quirks? - Does the editor itself make true realism (a B&M design that feels like a B&M) difficult? - It could also be that many YouTube uploaders are gamers first, and coaster fans second or not even at all. That might explain why so many uploads lean toward imaginative fantasy over realism. Anyone have another take? I've probably watched 100 ways that uploaders have cleverly incorporated the pop-out Kraken, but not too many well-executed, realistic designs.

There are a lot of "biggest ball of twine" tourist traps in the televangelist, snake-oil tradition, and we more of them like I need lumps in my mattress. Nevertheless, if one of them would just be less profiteering and promote the message that people should be friendlier, more loving, and more considerate toward one another, sure -- I'd put down for 18 holes.