Samuel

Wicked Twister is testing today **(Bill beat me to it): Getting ready to roll

I'm really enjoying these reports! Roar was in atrocious shape during my last visit to SFA a few years ago (like, Maryland needed to step in and do something about it soon before the jack hammering went much further), so I'm glad to see a respectable 7/10 review. I wish Roar would get the RMC treatment, but at least it's running tolerably. Cheers to the maintenance team, and keep up the good reports!

Cool! And it's interesting to think of different cultures being more/less receptive and civil toward the idea. It might not go over so well everywhere, but I think some major parks and the GP are now more accustomed to merge points without society totally breaking down. A park might even sell more drinks to its captive audience if guests know that they can stop halfway through a long queue without having to be uncomfortable or totally leave the line.

I was thinking about some of the long line conversations happening about Steel Vengeance and other new attractions. I've never seen a queue offer a little side path that had a couple of porta johns. Yeah, you don't want them blighting a themed attraction or fouling up a main path, but a pit stop area with a merge point back to the main queue seems like a nice quality of life improvement for new attractions with long waits. It could even just be a temporary gesture—rent them for a ride's opening year or a notoriously busy time, and plan it into a new queue. Set them at an interval that would break up a 3+ hour wait. You've got TV screens, app games, vending machines, mist fans, music, DJs, drink/food kiosks, and skip-the-line passes brainstormed and implemented to ease arduous waits (and make $), but when it comes to toilets, you have to just "hold it" or leave the line. Even if you have a Superman bladder of steel or use Fast Lane, "you just gotta hold it" seems like one of those out of date things that we still tolerate in this context but not in many others. We expect periodic stops along highways, but not in four-plus hour waits in the sun for a roller coaster. Oh, and stay hydrated. I've seen people bail out of lines because they've needed to go or their kids have spoken up, and, unfortunately, I've also seen a few people go publicly during long waits, which seems preventable and far trashier than having a few porta johns off the beaten path when lines are several hours or more. Years ago, I remember a few coaster nerds complaining that vending machines would ruin line efficiency, but as we know it didn't end society. Is this a halfway decent idea, or have I gone bonkers?

I actually love the restraints and trains on Valravn! Very comfy and spacious, there's so much elbow room, and they don't seem to have constrictive vests. I think those are the coziest trains in the park. They made me suddenly aware of how crammed the old school B&M trains are; it's hard to put my hands up and I'm often rubbing arms with strangers if I'm in an inside seat. I'm not a big fan of wing coasters or of the tightening vests, but I have nothing but praise for the new restraints on Valravn.

^ Yep, I'm curious, too. "Wait times will show when you're in the park" is all I'm getting, and I haven't found anything about current wait times on the main website or any other so far.

Where are you spotting those wait time postings? I see that info bar on the park app, but only with the Fast Lane details & the "Thrill Level" -- not the wait times. **Answered my own question; I have to be in the park!

Steel Vengeance is undoubtedly buzzworthy—best-in-class on paper, and it takes good advantage of social media, but Millennium Force felt like international news and pop culture. I know this is all subjective, but given that Cedar Point had the AOL era of the internet to work with, it's impressive that the coaster is all I seemed to hear about in 1999. Today it's easy to plunge into communities where everyone is dialed into a new coaster, but I remember MF being discussed by my grandparents, strangers at church in South Carolina, GP guests in line at Disneyland, friends at a baseball game, neighbors who never go to amusement parks, talk radio, local news, etc. Tallest & fastest full-circuit and smashing 300 ft. also felt like gargantuan leaps forward for the industry; no Superman tower gimmick. On that note, California vs. Ohio (Magic Mountain vs. Cedar Point in particular) felt like a prize fight being duked out on Discovery Channel specials. It's hard to compare that era to this one, but it's crazy how much hype there was for MF without social media being what it is today.

It's always fun to see a blend of seasoned & terrified riders on the same train! It's not totally unusual to see rider-facing POVs, but I've noticed so many more this year just with Wicker Man, Twisted Timbers, and now Steel Vengeance. They're all pretty fun to watch! I've loved the coverage from throughout the day, and there's not much more I can add other than to repeat that this coaster looks outstanding.

In terms of SLCs, most were built years ago...and there have been improvements to the occasional newer ones, never mind those Chinese knockoffs. Some of the old SLCs have been relocated with mixed results, but no park is out there overpaying to build the original, first-gen Condor again. If some guy sours on a whole industry of fun because he found the same ride in two parks, he'd have to be the world's pettiest person. "Whoa, whoa...Batman: The Ride is here, too?! THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! KIDS, WE'RE GOING! NOW! IN THE CAR!"

Here's my non-RMC plausible fantasy: A totally unique, fluid, buck-nutty terrain coaster from Vekoma. Something like Lech Coaster that you can't find anywhere else. If Kennywood isn't setting records, then it should go for originality -- just like most of the park's other coasters. I can always be proven wrong, but standard elements from a B&M, for example, just don't seem to fit this park all that well. Sky Rocket & Exterminator check boxes for spinning, launches, vertical drops, and mid-sized inversions, so I don't know how much the typical Mack or Gerstlauer would add to the collection. If it's not RMC, I'd love to see modern Vekoma deliver a crazy coaster that you could only experience at Kennywood.

What a uneventful letdown; everyone take their Daffy Dollars to Six Flags Worlds of Adventure this spring thank you very much.

I enjoyed it, Iris! Nice waterfall, effects, and terrain. I like the canyon reservoir feel to it.

Thanks everybody going a few posts back to fill me in on the government's involvement with the park's finances. Well, I'll say this for tourism...Energylandia is the first thing in Poland that's made me think, "Hmm...how easy is it to fly into Krakow?"

The indictment is stunning, and the accident report list is particularly chilling. It turns my stomach knowing that I watched the construction documentary years ago and was rooting for these guys to have success with the slide. I've learned more since the tragic accident (and now all this), but I first thought that the documentary was just hamming up the idea that the slide "didn't always work" as part of a pretend danger gimmick for TV. I guessed that the original was perhaps just a prototype that was going to be reassembled in its real in-park location. Ugh, that boy who died and all of the negligence that's come to light is just awful.

Has any non-Chinese park grown at such a scorching rate since circa-2000 Six Flags? Energylandia seems to be in a ceaseless growth spurt (and this is not a complaint!), but I'm not sure how the money is pouring in. Even with a bunch of kiddie coasters, 12 coasters in about 5 years is pretty wild. A huge Intamin hyper is a massive investment...and they have a 164' water coaster popping up at the same time!? I read that Divertical cost about $10.4 million, and here it just appears like a freebie throw-in on the hyper coaster. I can't build this fast in RCT!

This coaster's gonna be a doozy. Is the color scheme now a deep gray or even black, or is it unpainted, or is glare just playing tricks on me? It should be a great ride in any case, but black-on-black would be pretty plain jane for such a striking coaster.

I had reservations about the concept, but Time Traveler just looks great. I love the trains, unique experiences every time, original layout, and even the controlled spin, which should allow a Dramamine user like me to enjoy this some day. Awesome! It looks like Mack and SDC have a hit. Great coverage and POVs, Robb!

I'd take a one season lights plug-in for the anniversary, and if HalloWeekends is anything to go by, there must be fog machines galore somewhere in storage.

Awesome!! I remember the lights and fog, and I generally love campy little touches like this. I stayed at Sandcastle as a young kid and recall getting my first impression of Magnum as I walked along the back path that contours the coaster. The first hill looked huge, but I wasn't truly intimidated until I saw a train disappear into a foggy tunnel with glowing lights inside. Then I saw more tunnels and thought, "Oh lord, what on earth happens in those!?" Even though we can all clearly see the contours of the tunneled track segments, it didn't matter -- I thought it might really be outer space or something in there! Ah, to be young.

Hey, Liam! Thanks for supplying the report. There's a lot to enjoy in it, but to me, parts of your commentary come off as being a little bit condescending. Things like families just trying to get breakfast at the hotel not being dressed to your standards, Volcano looking retarded, King's Dominion being marked by ugliness and a minimalist style, Busch Gardens being themed incorrectly and having obese people, Tempesto being hideous, a ride operator trying to be entertaining needing to just shut up, and seeing fat children and wheelchairs and scooters and people who couldn't walk well, etc., all just seems collectively harsh. You say that the guests at King's Dominion weren't as trashy as you expected [sic] -- but if you expected trashy people for some reason at a fine regional park, then I feel like you're just looking for evidence that fits a narrative of dumpy American stereotypes. You'll find those, no doubt, but talk to a few people in friendly settings, even if it's just a simple smile and "good morning" to some of the adults that you see in passing at your next hotel breakfast. You'll might not get a great reception all the time, but you'd be surprised by how friendly and warm some people can be. There's a lot of character in the U.S. that you will miss if you only judge appearances.

Thanks for the report, and I agreed on all of these accounts. Aside from the bummer outdoor scare actors that you reported, I've also noticed a general uptick in employee quality this past season. KW has some truly unique rides that are great for dark October nights; I had a blast last year. Good to see more Black Widow love, too -- that's one bonkers ride.

Whoops! Extra post.

New Roller Coaster Under Consideration to Replace Log Jammer, from Pittsburgh's local CBS branch. If plans follow through and the park's spokesperson is taken at face value, it looks like 2019 at the earliest (not too surprising) for a new coaster. I can't see the park wanting to let the Log Jammer plot go undeveloped for multiple seasons, and I hope that the Plan A proposal will become a done deal. From the article: Speculation may indeed be all this is, but that'd be a doozy. I think that Goliath's 180' topper track drop would be the target, right? A unique topper track wooden coaster could allow Kennywood to claim some wooden coaster records without having to wrestle with Steel Vengeance's stats in the hybrid category.

I remove myself from this kind of person very quickly. I had the "I'd have a really hard time..." post in mind when I wrote Sonny. I didn't get the OP, but at least someone picked it up.