CedarFlags

Quick trip the other day. Nothing spectacular to report on. I love the return of the forward launch on Superman, but I think that the backward side is the best overall experience. So glad to see Tatsu back up and running, and it's still a blast. Apocalypse rides a little bumpy but it's not uncomfortable... feels like one of those vibrating massage chairs but just a lot more aggressive. Batman still slaps. TC still not racing.

Looks like one side is the original lights (which probably don't work anymore) and the other side is new lights that were installed for this photo op.

No one has seen the mazes yet except for the build crew, so no word on the plexi. Fast Lane at Knott's lets you bypass a LOT of line for most rides, so the impact of accessibility passes would be negligible. Some rides have a dedicated FL line, some go to the exit. Mazes generally don't accept accessibility passes because the queues are designed to be ADA compliant, negating the need for an separate accommodation.

Took a little afternoon trip last week. Overall it was fine, but there was just a buildup of small wacky stuff Surprisingly cold for August and it drizzled on and off until about 1pm. But it was a nice break from the usual heat. Several rides were not using their indoor queues (i'm guessing covid safety?) I noticed Superman, Lex, Apocalypse, and WCR (not Batman for some reason). Superman, Apocalypse, and WCR were holding guests outside and then letting one train worth of people into the building at a time. Lex was using the FlashPass side entrance (but didn't have a sign or anything, just shut the front door making a bunch of us think the ride was closed). Goliath parked short in the station when we returned and we couldn't get out for a couple minutes. But the crew had NO CLUE what to do. I was listening to the gal at the panel call it in to the office and the way she described it sounded like they didn't even know what to call this situation. So that was not super confidence inspiring because I knew exactly what the deal was from back in my Ride Op days. Batman had a sign out front saying it was running1 train. But I got to the station and they were running two. But then they unloaded one train and sent it for one cycle with just a single employee riding, and then empty for a second cycle. And then put it back in service immediately after that. I'm not sure if it was a training thing or what, but it was odd. Scream was riding pretty well. Slight rattle still, but much better than I've seen it before. Still a parking lot coaster, but I'm still glad that we have it. The side wheels need some love though, because that turn out of the station is creaky and LOUD. And the final moment of wacky... while in the pre-loading area of the Lex Luther queue, I noticed that the Operator at the panel on one side was getting her hair braided by another employee. Like... while she was working the ride. At the risk of sounding like a Six Flags hater... i would like to point out that their revamped entrance security screening is incredible and I'm completely in love with it. So quick, so easy. 10/10.

I finally got my butt over to Ghostrider on Monday and it was running like GLASS. Seriously, the smoothest (imo) since it first re-opened post renovation. Scary Farm season is usually pretty rough on Ghostrider (lots of 14-16 hour operating days), but if this is how well it rides after a whole summer season, then Knott's ride maintenance is definitely doing something right. Now.... how about we FINALLY get Hangtime open again? This is turning into a repeat of Xcelerator circa 2017.

You will definitely want it on the Friday of your trip. Thursday would be a bonus, but I don't think it would be necessary unless you wanted to squeeze in rides plus mazes.

The Knott's website has it listed as closed until 8/20 right now, so that sounds legit. The lull between summer and Scary Farm is traditionally a maintenance season for GR, so this seems like the park starting a little early but keeping it available on weekends for the busy days? Bummer for me though, cuz I was REALLY looking forward to a midweek no-lines visit soon and being able to get on GR in under an hour.

New Maze announcement! Looks like we only get one new this year but, given the circumstances it makes sense. Also, Knott's has been really big on easter eggs in the last few years, so I wouldn't be surprised to find extra unannounced things once it opens (like the funeral in Forsaken Lake or the dancers that were on the Saloon a few years back). So it's kind of a circus sideshow story, fitting into Carnevil.. Hard to tell much about the actual experience.

Ladies and Gents we have a NEW SCAREZONE this year! GORE-ING 20s in the Memory Lane area. Not sure how well that area lends itself to being a scare zone but I think it's a very clever concept in how it builds on what the park has already done there. https://fb.watch/79_7Um6nMY/

Whiplash or not, Flip Flap Railway and the 3 separate Loop The Loop coasters all opened and operated for several years with a loop. The fact that they had issues and eventually shut down doesn't negate that.

Patrick Wilson in a fitted white tee + RMC.... This content was made specifically for me and I would like to thank SFGAdv very much.

Quick trip last week. The parking lot was already pretty full by 10:20a but the ride lines didn't get too bad until 1 or 2. YOLO and Tatsu were closed. Apocalypse, X and WCR had delayed openings. Batman - Had two trains on the track but only loading 1 due to no line. And yet... they still managed to stack the train upon our return. Yes, they stacked 1-train ops. Didn't think it could be done. New paint looks great and it's still my favorite ride in the park. TC - Did not witness any races while in line and went for a 0 racing ride. Crew seemed to be trying pretty hard, but was just not making it happen. In about 15 total rides, I've raced blue side twice and green side never, so maybe it's just me. Lex - Standard fun ride, the tower sway from Superman cycles is still very creepy. Justice League - On board audio didn't work for our car and I noticed several of the practical effects were not working. Superman - So nice to having it running at full speed again. The wind in your face on the reverse trip is still nuts. Still not a coaster, but still a total blast. Ninja - I always make a point to go on Ninja because it's so old and I never know when it might get the chop (hi-ya!). Operations were RUGGED though. Multiple dispatches of 3-4 minutes. One crew member obviously picking up slack for the rest. Then the ride went down when I was next, but I stuck it out for about 15/20 minutes. Still a fantastic ride, but I do very much miss all the trees. Also, according to a new-ish sign at the ride entrance, Revolution is the "world's first looping coaster". I'm just like...

Accurate

Jeez, this park cannot catch a break this summer...

You win. Lol

They already did a movie tie-in with Terminator Salvation. Black Adam isn't as established, but the precedent is definitely there.

Correct. The area is called DC Universe, and the new ride's footprint will be sandwiched between Batman: The Ride and Riddler's Revenge. So it's definitely going to be a DC character Personally I think Flash and Wonder Woman are the most likely options. WW especially, since Six Flags already has all the logos and stuff pre-made. I was hoping for it to be Joker, but it makes sense that the park would want to expand beyond Gotham City since they purposely rebranded that area a few years back from Gotham City Backlot to DC Universe.

I'm absolutely not here for assigning blame or fault.. just compiling the stories that made headlines. Clearly Holiday World was not at fault, it's just something that happened. The King's Island fights shut down the park and resulted in 6 criminal indictments... that's definitely a significant incident. Also... don't crap on theme park employees finally making decent pay for one season by saying they aren't worth it. That's gross and so disrespectful, especially in a freaking theme park appreciation message board.

I really am just in awe of all the bad luck, accidents, incidents, and general nonsense that has been plaguing parks in America in such a short span of time this summer. And I feel like it's worth cataloging the various stories in one place just to look back on all the craziness. From mid-May to mid-July, these are the stories I can think of... the fights at King's Island's opening weekend that shut down the park the death on Voyage at Holiday World the two ride incidents at Six Flags Great Adventure (log flume flip and El Toro wheels) the lift cable break on Skyrush the lift chain break on Gatekeeper the viral video of the Magic Carpet ride gone insane at a carnival in Michigan the false alarm shooter at Knott's Berry Farm that shut down the park RMC closing Stunt Pilot & Jersey Devil for train modifications death on the rapids ride at Adventureland All of this in under 2 months. Did I miss any other big stories? EDIT: I do realize that some of these are just things that do happen from time to time. but I can't think of another time this many things happened in such a short timespan.

It has 3 trains and pretty much always runs 2. They used to run 1 train on slow days, but that seems to be more rare recently. 1 train ops on GhostRider is hell though because the ride is just so long. On a day where every other ride was a 5-10 minute wait, I waited 30 minutes for GhostRider and there were only 5 cycles worth of people in front of me. Also... we live in a different world than we did in 1998 when it comes to loose items. First off, Everybody carries a $1000 computer in their pocket that they need to put away before every ride. There are exceedingly few people who can just walk thru a gate and sit down,. Secondly, CF has developed one of the most aggressive loose item policies of the major chains. I vividly remember being able to bring a backpack onto most rides by just putting it on the floor and sticking my legs thru the straps. Now Knott's wont even allow shirts tied around the waist anymore because they're "loose items". Big same. I had high hopes for Hangtime that maybe they could squeeze out shorter dispatches with fewer riders to handle, but.... nope.

Really slow dispatches and the fact that it was built to run 3 trains but now only runs 2. So, even if the dispatch times in the station do pick up, there's a long wait for the other train to return. The new trains lost a few seats compared to the original ones (24 vs 28). Coastercoaster5 is also right about the brake run. They did tweak it slightly after opening, but it's got a very weird program and it takes a good 20-30 seconds for train 2 to get back into the station once train 1 leaves. It's also a ride that would REALLY benefit from lockers because the loose item cubbies are very small and there's always a ton of cross traffic for them. It does have a midcourse block brake on the turnaround above the station, so it's definitely possible. Just not practical unless they can get dispatch times down to like 80-90 seconds.

OMG, YES! I can't believe that 3 of the 4 major coasters have such garbage capacity. GR, HT, and Xcel can only do about 500 riders per hour on a good day. I was really disappointed to see how slow the ops are on Hangtime. They bought 3 trains and literally never use the 3rd one because the rides stacks with 2 trains nearly every cycle.

Sierra Sidwinder at Knott's Berry Farm. Was in the park with family and joined my mom and cousins for a ride (none of them had been on it before). A kid behind us in line started getting nervous as we got closer to the front and my mom's instincts kicked in and she started mom-ing him about how it was going to be fine and how he'd have so much fun. And it seemed to genuinely help. Cut to.... we finish our ride and hit the brakes and my mom turns to me and says "oh man that kid's gonna die".

Dorney: Make sure to get a night ride on Talon if you can. B&M inverts definitely behave differently from beginning of the day to the end, Same with Steel Force. In my memory, front row on Steel Force had better air time than back row. It's also totally in the back corner of the park, so just be aware that it's a hike. I also second the opinion that Knoebels should be your first choice. Dorney is fine, but nothing there is really special. Knoebels has a lot to offer that you can't necessarily get at any of the major chains. Dorney can be a half day park. if you've got some time to kill. My one and only visit was during a Haunt night and I hit every coaster plus mazes, plus re-rides.... all in about 6 hours. I tried to do a half day at Knoebles and I left without seeing several things I wanted to.

Anyone know if Batman is back open yet?