Voyager6442

I was looking over the layout of Mystic Timbers and wondered what you guys think will be the most fun parts of the ride. I didn't see any big hills or twisty turns.

I was at Holiday World on Tuesday afternoon, July 26, and all the next day, and I wanted to post a few thoughts. All of my previous visits had been May and early June, and someone had posted here that the Voyage began to run rough beginning about the middle of July. I was happy to see that, at least for me, this was not the case. The Voyage was just as comfortable to ride as it had been for HoliWood Nights a couple of months ago. I could even ride in a wheel seat with no problems. Four years ago it become my #1 coaster, and nothing has happened since then to change that. A true masterpiece. I enjoy talking to people in line who are about to take their first ride on the Voyage. I got one ride on the Raven when I got there Tuesday afternoon, but then it was down for the rest of the day Tuesday and all day Wednesday. The only information I was able to get was that it was related to the computer and possibly to the heat. Does anyone know what the problem actually was? The Legend was also down for a while Wednesday morning and afternoon, so the line for the Voyage was pretty long. Does anyone know what the Legend's problem was? None of the problems kept me from having a great time.

I was wondering whether you got any helpful responses to your post. I am always solo when I go to parks and would like to have some like-minded company. Thanks. Voyager6442

I'm going to be at Six Flags St. Louis on Thursday, July 28, and Friday, July 29. If anyone would like to meet up for some rides, just let me know. Thanks.

I'm going to be at Holiday World on Tuesday, July 26, and Wednesday, July 27. If anyone would like to meet up for some rides, just let me know. All my other visits have been in May or June, so I will be very interested to see how rough or smooth the Voyage is.

I'm planning to visit the park on Thursday and Friday, July 28 and 29. What size of crowds should I expect? If anyone has any tips, including what time to eat, I'd be glad to hear them. Thanks.

I'm planning to be at the park sometime during the week of July 25 through July 29, and I wanted to make sure none of those days are bring-a-friend-free days. Would someone be able to tell me how to check this? Thanks.

Lightning Racer. It's not too intense. The twisty track and racing make this coaster pure fun for me.

I just got back from a road trip to Hersheypark and the awesome Lightning Racer. I was wondering why the ride ops check your lap bar but not your seat belt. Also, why is the noise going up the lift hill so much louder than on other coasters? Any insights would be appreciated.

Please excuse. I should have said Skyrush.

Positive: 2nd helix on Titan at SFOT (blacked out), ascending helix on Nitro Negative: Mamba at WoF Lateral: Helix on the Boss; Legend before the modifications made in the 2015-2016 off season Would it be correct to say that, in general, steel coasters pull more positive Gs than wooden ones? I'm finding myself becoming increasingly less able to tolerate high positive G forces on steel coasters. I don't have any problems with wooden coasters. Some of the steel coasters that have given me problems this year are: Avalanche at KD Batman at SFOT Dominator at KD. I rode this late in the day. Mr. Freeze at SFOT Skyrush. I rode this late in the day. If anyone has any comments about how I could counteract my decreasing tolerance for high positive G force steel coasters, I'd really like to hear it. Thanks.

Twister at Knoebels. It was Voyage-like in its intensity. I have a new top 5 wooden coaster.

2016 Trip Report Day 1, Saturday, June 18, 2016 Drove from Little Rock, Arkansas to Wytheville, VA. I haven’t listed every ride I rode, just the ones I wanted to comment about. This is my first trip report. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be glad to hear them. It seems that most trip reports posted in the main forum have pictures. Since I don’t know much about photography and have not included any in this trip report, I decided to post the report here. Day 2, Sunday, June 19, 2016 Kings Dominion I love Cedar Fair parks. This one was clean and well-maintained. There was, however, a trash can in Planet Snoopy that was full to overflowing. Imagine a Cedar Fair park that could do with another trash can! Grizzly (4x) Walk on. I liked this better than I did the 2 previous times I was at KD, probably because I rode it as soon as I got there instead of near the end of the day when I was tired. Thanks go to the TPR website that told me to go through the gift shop to get to the coaster. I would say this is a fairly good coaster. If the whole ride had the intensity of the tunnel section, it would be a great one. The ride slowed down at the top of the hill leading to the first turnaround, and it sounded like there were anti-rollbacks there. Could someone confirm this? I can understand having the anti-rollbacks there, but I don’t see why they have to slow the train down so much. Rebel Yell (4x). Walk on. This was my favorite ride at the park. It’s a good classic wooden coaster. They were running 2 trains on each side. Hill after hill is just so much fun. Woodstock Express (3x). Walk on. I had never ridden this before because I thought it was a kids’ coaster. I rode it because in an old post, someone described it as an airtime machine. It is not a kids’ coaster; in fact, it was my 2nd favorite ride in the park. The forces are a lot of fun, and I love the way it maintains its speed through the turnarounds. Back Lot Stunt Coaster (1x). A one train wait. This is a fun coaster with surprisingly strong forces, especially in the helix that serves as the lift hill. The dark section was my favorite part. Anaconda (1x). A 2 train wait. I almost didn’t ride this because I thought the compact layout might be too intense to be enjoyable. It turned out to be fine, and I was glad I rode it. I305 (1x). A 1 train wait after a breakdown. The first drop and the turn following it have improved a lot since the last time I rode. The quick transitions from track banked to the right to track banked to the left were a little too extreme for me. Dominator (1x). A 2 train wait around 5:30. This is a good ride that I enjoyed tremendously the last time I was here. By the time I rode it, I was “g forced out” for the day, so I didn’t enjoy it as much this time. Flight of Fear (1x). About a 20 minute wait. Good ride with a fun layout, with some forces that were enjoyable and some that were a little too much. There was enough light to be able to see the track. Avalanche. (1x) A 1 train wait. It picks up a whole lot of speed as the ride progresses. The G forces were a lot stronger than I remembered, especially in the helixes. They were too strong for me to enjoy this ride. Volcano. I’ve ridden this before and didn’t want to stand in a long line to ride it again. I spent a fair amount of time on Bench the Ride and Water Fountain the Ride. I got a burger and fries at the restaurant between Hurler and Windseeker, and they were actually pretty good. I wore one of my TPR shirts hoping to find someone to ride with, but it didn’t happen. Day 3, Monday, June 20, 2016 Six Flags America Since wooden coasters are my favorites, I made SFA the 2nd stop of the road trip. I wanted to make sure to ride Roar before anything is done to change it. Reading almost the whole thread on TPR was very interesting. The first 2/3 or so was pretty discouraging, but the tone changed about the time the park got Apocalypse. I was delighted to read all the praise of Wild One as it helped cement my decision to visit this park. Wild One (2x) About a 10 minute wait for both rides. What a great classic wooden coaster that has been well taken care of. It’s hard to believe it’s 99 years old. Roar (3x) Walk on. The compact twisted tangle of track is a joy both to behold and to ride. It has just the right amount of intensity for me, and there was no bad roughness. I have a hard time understanding why some people think it needs the RMC treatment. Joker’s Jinx (1x) Walk on. This was the surprise ride at this park for me. I had ridden Flight of Fear at KD the day before, and some of the forces were a little too much for me. I expected more of the same from Joker’s Jinx, but was I wrong! This ride was smooth, fast, and a ton of fun. Day 4, Tuesday, June 21, 2016 Hersheypark Lightning Racer (22x) Walk on. I was reminded why Lightning Racer rests firmly in my top 5 wooden coasters. Even after 16 years of operation, there aren’t any rough spots. The fun factor is off the chart. The glorious tangle of track as seen from the lift hill is a sight to behold. I like Thunder a little more than Lightning because you can see the other train while you’re going up the lift hill. I like coasters that make a lot of noise going up the lift hill, and Lightning Racer excels in that department. Would anyone be able to tell me why it is so loud? The ride ops on Lightning were letting me ride twice without getting off, but the ones on the Thunder side weren’t. I have a hard time understanding why this coaster is always a walk on, but I’m glad it is. Wildcat (2x) Walk on. I want to love Wildcat, but I just can’t. Both my rides were in non-wheel seats. The first ride wasn’t too rough, but the second was. After having ridden Lightning Racer, the layout wasn’t too interesting to me. Two rides were enough. I wish something could be done to improve this coaster (while leaving it a wooden coaster). Comet (1x) Walk on. The fun factor on this ride is high. It was worth several re-rides, but I rode it at the end of the day when I was tired. I really enjoy seeing the track of 4 coasters so close together in the Hollow and Minetown. Storm Runner (2x) 1 train wait. Lots of fun elements here. The launch is a little scary. If it were longer, it would be one of the best steel coasters around. Fahrenheit (2x) Walk on. I rode Fahrenheit as soon as I got in the park and was assigned the back row for both rides. The elements are fun, the forces are in a comfortable range, and the transitions are smooth. The 2 rides are the best ones I’ve ever had on this coaster. By the way, the Hersheypark app is excellent. I tried the “find my car” menu item, and it worked great. Day 5, Wednesday, June 22, 2016 Knoebels I had a great time at Knoebels. Even the drive to the park through the rural Pennsylvania countryside was cool. I liked the relaxed feel to the park, and it was fun to see so many dogs there. Flying Turns (2x) I got in line about 20 minutes before the park opened, so the wait was short. I waited about 20 minutes for my second ride. I thought this would be kind of fun, but it was better than I expected. I enjoyed the speed and forces in the second half of the ride especially. It felt like the top speed was more than 24 MPH. I’m glad Knoebels has a solid ride on their hands after all they went through during the construction period. Phoenix (5x) Phoenix was a lot of fun. The tunnel leading to the lift hill was a nice touch. I had read about how much airtime there is, and Phoenix did not disappoint. I thought the airtime on the final inbound section of track was especially good. The dispatch times were consistently fast. With the line down to the bottom of the ramp, the wait time was only 15 minutes. Would anyone be able to tell me why there are no seatbelts on this coaster? Twister (6x) Walk on. Twister was the big surprise of the whole trip, and I have a new top 5 wooden coaster. The intensity is Voyage-like, which is the ultimate compliment from me. The split lift hill was way cool, and the turnaround between the 2 parts was intense and fun. It was interesting to experience head choppers going up the first part of the lift hill. Twister is another coaster that makes a lot of noise on the lift hill. The helix was fast and wild. The turnarounds are banked so that you don’t lose any speed on them. Weaving through the structure was just so much fun. I didn’t get nearly enough rides, so I want to get back to Knoebels soon. I got some great views of the coaster from the train ride. Day 6, Thursday, June 23 Waldameer Ravine Flyer II (17x) Walk on or 1 train wait. This is one of my top 5 wooden coasters. Both of the sections that cross the road feel wildly out of control and have some Voyage-like moments. The 90 degree banked section is so much fun not just to experience, but also to look at as you approach it. I had a great time talking about coasters with one of the ride ops. I wish Waldameer wasn’t a 17 hour drive away. Day 7, Friday, June 24 Drove from Erie, PA to Little Rock, AR.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions about Knoebels. Part of the fun of taking road trips is posting questions on TPR and getting to read all the accumulated wisdom in the responses. Some other questions: Does Twister have as many laterals as the Legend did before the 2015-2016 offseason modifications (which I loved)? I have loved the time I've gotten to spend with the Coaster Cats at Holiday World. Are there any opportunities to talk to the Knoebels Coaster Cats? Thanks.

Coasterbill, Thanks for your encyclopedic response. I now see the error of my ways in focusing on only the wooden coasters. Some of those flat rides sound like they are not to be missed. I'm going to get to the park early so I can just walk around and look at everything before the rides open at 11:00. You should consider contributing to the writeup of Knoebels in Wikipedia.

I'm planning to be at Waldameer next Thursday. Do any of you veterans have any words of wisdom for me? I'll be spending the majority of my time at Ravine Flyer II. Thanks.

I'm going to be at the park next Wednesday. Do any of you veterans have any words of wisdom for me? My main interest is in the wooden coasters. Thanks.

I'm going to be at the park starting at 7:30 Monday night and all day Tuesday. Do any of you veterans have any words of wisdom for me? I know I should go to Fahrenheit first thing Tuesday morning. If anyone would like to meet up for some rides, please let me know. Thanks.

I'm going to be at the park on Sunday. About the earliest I can get there is 12:00. Would anyone have any suggestions about what to ride first, second, etc.? If anyone would like to meet up for some rides, please let me know. Thanks.

I'll be making my first visit to the park on Monday, and I can't wait to ride the wooden coasters, especially Wild One. I wanted to ask a couple of questions. I want to be at Hersheypark by 7:30 Monday night. The distance between the 2 parks is 126 miles. At about what time should I leave SFA? Does anyone have any words of wisdom for a first-time visitor? If anyone would like to meet up for some rides, please let me know. Thanks.

I'm getting ready to head out the door for HoliWood Nights. If anyone would like to meet up for some rides, just shoot me an e-mail. Thanks.

I'm going to be at the park on Wednesday afternoon, all day on Thursday, and part of the day on Friday. If anyone would like to meet up for some rides, just let me know.

I will be at the park on Thursday, May 26, and I have a gold season pass. Would someone please tell me what the gold pass holders get that the guests without a gold pass don't get? Thanks.

I'm planning a road trip to Lake Compounce this summer to get as many rides on Boulder Dash as possible. Would someone please tell me how crowded I should expect the park to be on: Sunday, June 19, 2016 (Fathers Day), Monday, June 20, Tuesday, June 21? I read a post from several years ago in this thread that said someone got 74 rides on Boulder Dash on a Sunday! Thanks.

With HoliWood Nights coming up, I'm trying to brush up on my understanding of wooden coasters. Would anyone happen to know where I could find a picture that shows an antirollback device and a chain dog? Thanks.