Samuel

It just struck me that Valravn's color scheme is very close to the branding colors of the park itself. I think the idea was to have the style guide colors of Cedar Point showing prominently on the skyline, right in the middle of the park. The orange/brownish color is an update over the red, but the basic color combination is close to what's been used past and present on uniforms, the website, the logo, etc. Even the white strip along the spine of Valravn's track fits with the park's use of white text & logotype. Website menu colors

The rumors for what turned out to be the returning antique cars at King's Island quickly ballooned from Racer rehab, to full Racer RMC makeover, to a brand new RMC Beast III/Son of Beast II. What's more, a friend reached out to me on Facebook to see if I had heard the big news from King's Island (he said it leaked), and then a second friend approached me at a BBQ to bring it up, as well. As it turns out, Reddit is where all the Dippin' Dots guys spend their time online.

The Beast is one coaster that I thought there'd be no way it'd live up to the hype, and then I loved it. No kidding! I think it's the best ride in the park, even if it's been trimmed and tweaked over the years. The double-helix at night is a religious experience. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it.

Wow, I love the balance of this lineup, where you can go on almost anything and be guaranteed to have at least a really fun ride. I like this kind of mix a lot better than some parks that have 10+ coasters, but in reality there are only two or three rides you actually look forward to. The Sky Rocket II models are selling like hotcakes, and I like the looks of Tigris a lot. Add in the Gwazi tease, which I frankly didn't think had much of a pulse at this point, and this is a great announcement!

To overwhelmingly vote Schlitterbahn as best water park again is to willfully ignore the huge elephant in the room, whether it's truly the best park or not. This just screams, "Thanks for SchlitterCon! Friends forever, ACE." I know that it's the New Braunfels, Texas park that won and not Kansas City, but ERT and pool parties don't change the fact that Jeff Henry somehow still co-owns it all. His second-degree murder trial is set for this month, and he remains dramatically unqualified to own and operate safe water parks. Put aside the Kansas City park and grim indictment, and you still have troubling facts like these: "Schlitterbahn and its other companies have been sued 25 times in Comal County [Texas] since 1985, mostly over injuries suffered by water park patrons, which generated claims of negligence in the design of rides and training and supervision of its employees." "...the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration slammed the company with six safety violations in August 2013. The agency claimed the company “tragically exposed its workers to unnecessary risks.” "Since Feb. 1 2013, Schlitterbahn has reported 71 ride-related injuries at its parks in New Braunfels, South Padre Island and Galveston Island, state insurance records indicate." link Even if the park is truly exceptional, Henry's reputation casts a Papa John shadow over it.

LOL, this description will have me giggling well into next week. I've heard plenty of nostalgic remarks that rough Arrows "didn't use to have track like that/they changed it somehow," when said coasters were always awkward -- smooth or not. For example, Steel Phantom had a few deplorable transitions, but people at first overlooked them because the drops and speed were so impressive, and also because comfort standards were just lower. Gift shop merch would have a lot of "I survived" messages. I even remember finding a "Can You Tolerate It?" shirt from Six Flags that showed generic Arrow loops and wonky transitions. I'd like to see Desperado hang in there, but it's been dated for some time. Hooray for better engineering!

I rode MaXair (Huss) and Black Widow (Zamperla) a few weeks apart. I thought MaxAir spun more, but Kennywood's Giant Discovery felt much more powerful and intense. Black Widow's one of the crazier rides I've ever been on. I've casually retired from riding these now because they both nauseate me, but I imagine the new Giant Discovery models are really good if you like this kind of ride.

Yep, I brought it up a couple of weeks ago. The long corridor within Mean Streak's structure was always spider paradise, but it had been rare that the coaster ever had much of a line in its later years for people to notice. There are lots around Valravn's stairs and under its station, and it's the same for Millennium Force's ramp, but Steel Vengeance takes the cake -- boatloads of big spiders right above and all around you in line. If someone doesn't like spiders, it's probably a scarier gauntlet than the nearby haunt walkthrough!

Really interesting! S&S's newer big coasters have a unique personality of elements and crazy support structures, but it seems like few enthusiasts have had the chance to ride them. I hope this turns out to be a lot of fun.

Hmm...I wonder if Steel Curtain's seats & restraints end up being like those in the rendering for Maxx Force, racing theme aside. I would definitely be down for these over OTSRs:

I'm pleasantly surprised by Copperhead Strike; it seems satisfying with a nice mix of elements and decent length. The layout has a lot more nuance and chances for airtime than I thought it would, and the launch hump is intriguing. I expect Maxx Force's launch to be bonkers and West Coast Racers to be a lot of fun. Six Flags has been keeping new coasters short, but no one can say these two aren't packed with excitement & interactivity.

What a shame! I've perused recent online reviews of Buffalo Bills, and it seems like a dead mall vibe is setting in. A lot of the negative comments remind me of aging hotels in Atlantic City. Even with Desperado's dated transitions, it's still quite large and iconic; I always thought that it, the flume, and the S&S tower were worth a novelty drive. I love that the hotel carpet goes right up to the edge of the flume trough -- if I had silly money, that's exactly the kind of nonsense I would build at home.

As someone who likes this ride, FL+ is particularly awesome for Valravn. It's an undeniably popular coaster, and having that typical 60-75 min wait cut down to "hop on the very next train" is awesome.

I'm no moderator, but I personally don't like stumbling upon Reddit ride spoilers/leaks here, even if they prove to be total nonsense. Out of respect to the parks, I want to let them and TPR give the us the official "Christmas morning" reveals when it's time. Reddit already has Reddit covered. I understand that it's fun to peak at the gifts and speculate, but it disappoints me when announcements could get spoiled for those of us who like to wait.

The middle rows (row two) on Magnum give me fairly smooth rides -- usually, not always. That's how Magnum goes. I like the middle row of the last car a lot myself, but the ride can be a bucking bronco sometimes no matter what. Try Rougarou in the front -- that's as good as it gets for smoothness, wind, and the floorless visual. I've had several unpleasant rides throughout the train and in the back, but the front is decent. If you don't like it up front, you probably won't like it anywhere else, either.

If you don't mind on-and-off rain, today seems like the perfect day to be at Cedar Point -- I've never seen the parking lot so empty! And if this is anything to go by, Wicked Twister finally had the longest line in the park on a technicality:

According to Weather-US & Best Places, average annual snowfall in Buffalo is 93.4 inches, while Springfield is 42 inches. Both are above the US average of 26 inches a year, but Buffalo is not casually comparable to Springfield just because both are in the Northeast and get snow. Six Flags can try a holiday event if it wants, but I wouldn't drive out to the park during the winter unless the weather is unusually mild, and I wouldn't count on it.

Aw, understood. I had a life-low breakup a few years ago (still not on the same level as your loss, no doubt) a few weeks before what was supposed to be a highlight of the summer: a booked, multi-day trip for two to Cedar Point. I thought about canceling the trip and tried offering the package to friends, but I ended up going solo while grieving pretty darn well. It was a bummer at times; it stung to watch other people being together and having fun, but I'll tell you this: I was riding Raptor in the evening, and heading up the lift I looked to my left at a gorgeous red sunset, the coaster skyline, and all the lights coming on throughout the park. In that single instant I thought, "WOW, look at how beautiful this is...this is the big hug from life that I need, I love these rides, I love this park, and I deserve to have fun!" And I did! It sounds corny, but I had my first smile in days during that Raptor ride, and I had an awesome time the rest of the trip. I will attest that coaster therapy is real.

I was at the park both Thursday and Sunday and here are some quick thoughts: *Sorry for having just one pic! These were relaxed days with friends and family; I didn't intend a trip report or do a whole lot of riding. Good: - Lots of families were having fun in Thomas Town, with Flynn's Fire Training and photo ops by the character trains drawing big crowds. - Two train operations on all of the major coasters on Thursday. - The wooden coasters are running phenomenally well, and while Thunderbolt will still throw you around, this is the smoothest I can remember it ever being. The former "King of Coasters" might even be a bit underrated now, and it was a heavy favorite with my friends/family. - Park landscaping is still looking very nice in the middle of the park. I always love the fresh flower beds. - I was reminded that Phantom's Revenge is just so much fun! Awesome ejector airtime everywhere, glass smooth, and it shreds. Being a little bit short is the only thing you can knock the coaster for, but even still, it's a relentless layout that does more with 3,200 feet than most hypers do with 5K+. Phantom's Revenge, Skyrush, Phoenix, Ravine Flyer II...wow, some of the best in the world right in PA. - Hooray for no pictures, but I drove right past the Steel Curtain track, which looks large and impressive in person. It really is being plopped in an empty lot just above the fast food joints outside the park. - Potato Patch fries are still fantastic -- at least the ones I ordered! A friend of mine did get what seemed to be an undercooked batch that were limp and soggy (which I know some people here don't like), but mine were crisp, hot, and very good (see below). Bad: - One train operations on T-Bolt and Phantom on Sunday. Blah! What should have been 15 minute waits quickly crept over an hour... - ...which led to my first time doing the VIP coaster tour. While the concept is absolutely fine, there was no choice of seating on the Phantom -- a car of four in the middle of the train was simply chained off from the regular line and made available for anyone who came up the exit ramp, whether they're handicapped or doing the VIP tour. The airtime is still great no matter where you sit, but I vastly prefer having a choice of row (which is done for the other coasters). Combine one train ops with a closed-off reserved car, and the Phantom line becomes a serious nuisance. - Ghostwood Estate down both days, Raging Rapids down on a roasting hot day, Sky Rocket MIA, the train & Pirate Ship still recovering from boo-boos, etc. ============= Potato Patch. I got a crispy batch & they were terrific.

Typically not quite as jammed up as a busy Saturday but probably still crowded by weekday standards. I've gone on some regular summer Sundays thinking that maybe weekend vacationers would be heading home, but each time it was fairly busy. A few Sundays coming up might be a different story once most kids are back in school. There's usually a little pocket toward the end of August where all days except Saturday tend to be pretty good times to visit the park.

I hadn't seen this thread back in January, but yeah, take my money. I'd love to do this! With what must be very low capacity, it seems better suited for adventure/tourist areas like Pigeon Forge, Vegas, Niagara Falls, etc., than in a large park that already has a sky coaster or drop ride. Still, I hope this concept proves itself and we see more of these. One last thought -- that railing could stand to be a little bit higher; I think walking around up there would scare me more than the rides.

Not that I'm guilty about it, but Valravn in the back row has become my guilty pleasure thing to marathon at the park. With FL+ it's an immediate walk into the station, and I can just keep getting on in no time. As you said, it's not the greatest coaster out there, but he drops give me that big Roller Coaster Tycoon grin of a really happy peep. Although brief, the coaster is a lot of fun.

I'm absolutely loving this report and can't wait for more! Very entertaining and fun to look/read along! I enjoy looking at the Vancouver skyline, and I'm curious -- what parts of the city or neighboring towns are those two clusters of skyscrapers in the distance?

I haven't met a dive coaster I didn't like, and this one looks like a lot of fun. Liseberg is certainly on my bucket list!

I made a topic a while back about parks having very outdated restrooms, and I agree. It's a quality of life improvement that should get some attention after decades. Those little kiosk-style ones by Magnum, Power Tower, and Gemini have been there forever and are often slammed. One or two regular stalls and one handicap stall (men's) in a sardine can room just doesn't cut it for modern park traffic. The people staffed to them are in there and do what they can, but it's an uphill battle against heat, drips, flies, smells; yuck. I'm to the point where I tend to stick with the larger and less-trafficked bathroom near the Snoopy Boutique on the main midway. I remember walking into a SFMM restroom that was large, clean, and air conditioned -- and this a compliment -- that was a legit highlight of the day!