LiftThrill

Time Traveler @ SDC

I always do that out of habit - used to be a major chicken. Some lap bars freak me out unreasonably still, like Screamin Eagle @ SFStL whose classic wooden coaster lap bars sat way above my lap - best floater air I've ever gotten on a ride but a little unnerving the first time. The push up is always better than the push down as a test I think.

Deal

The guy's tweet that they used as a source... he tagged SFOT, lol

The only waterpark I would avoid in sub-90 weather is actually one of my favorites, the old side of Schlitterbahn. The water there is straight from the Comal iirc and it's freezing. The water at SFFT's waterpark is comfortably cool and perfectly acceptable for any temperature that we'd actually get in Texas during the summer.

Oh, I'm aware how waterpark-ideal that is (used to live in Rhode Island), but because it's Texas, everybody turns their thermostats up to 92, puts on their cowboy boots and hides inside if it's 84 and overcast with light showers in June, leaving the amusement parks ridiculously empty and the waterparks somehow less so.

Washuzan Highland looks very intriguing. I wonder what magic happens for the backwards looping Togo of death to somehow be better than the forwards ones. That coupled with the rusty aesthetic and stand-up train makes it a very interesting-looking ride. The pedal-powered coaster also definitely looks like a "never in America!" type of deal.

As the weather today was absolutely not waterpark-ideal weather (84, humid, and overcast, really not that bad tbh), naturally I decided to go to the waterpark for a few hours to try out Thunder Rapids and the fun tube slides. The lines everywhere were non-existent. Wonder Woman probably had a line, but the dry park wasn't on the priority list so idk what it was like. Didn't realize that Mineshaft and Six Chuter had been rethemed- they're called Bermuda Triangle and Riptide Runner and are more colorful now (part of the 2017 addition with Thunder Rapids I think). My opinions changed since last time I was here - Bermuda Triangle (x1) - Just as awesome as I remembered, a little shorter maybe. The airtime can get pretty ridiculous and the sensation of speed is off the charts. In my opinion, still the best water ride in the park. 10/10 Thunder Rapids (x3) - A lot of people here aren't huge about this ride but I think it's absolutely solid. The saucer turns are hilariously fast and the way the water blasts you after every uphill section is really fun. A little lacking in airtime compared to some of these other rides, but still very fun and gets you absolutely soaked. Some of the valleys slam you down kinda like an old out-and-back wooden coaster, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. 9.5/10 Riptide Runner (x1) - Not quite as good as I remembered, but still very enjoyable and intense. Some of the turns slam you to and past 90 degrees and it's still one of the more intense slides here. 8.5/10 Big Bender (x1) - This one jumped a TON from last time I rode. The airtime isn't quite as strong as Bermuda Triangle, but the sensation of speed is greater and the ride overall is a bit longer (plus it goes down the hill which is cool). Much better than I remembered. 10/10 Whirlpool (x1) - I'd forgotten how fun this thing is. It really gets you going and then you plunge down a MASSIVE steep drop before hitting the toilet bowl, banking 90 degrees on the first time around, then slow down during the next few rounds, then drop (usually backwards) to the end of the ride. 10/10

I think attendance probably has the highest impact, probably about at the same level as location. The only days where my home park (SFFT) feels like shenanigans could happen (and they do sometimes, but almost exclusively on these days) are on those weekends and holidays where everyone and their dog shows up to the park. More people = more people who are likely to cause something More people = more crowded = more desperate to skip a line and in doing so cause trouble because long lines are frustrating More crowded = easier to get away with stupid stuff because the employee/visitor ratio is lower Regardless of other people's behavior, I am still excited to be visiting this park and the city of Chicago for the first time next week!

Must've missed the evac by less than 15 minutes. My buddy I was with decided we should see what the WW line was like around 9:45 so we ditched IRat and speedwalked over to WW. Can't decide if I was lucky or unlucky to have missed the evac. On one hand, it's one of those cool things that doesn't happen often (like rollbacks), but on the other hand, being at that height, exposed, sounds a little terrifying, lol! I did notice on about 50% of our marathon rides that the lift slowed down about a quarter of the way up and then quickly resumed normal speed, and that the cabin with the bottom lift gear was open all night. So, not super surprising that it happened, but sucks that it had to be down all day yesterday. Hopefully it's back up today or tomorrow. Since I have plans to go on Wednesday, I'll probably just shift those over to the water park to check out Thunder Rapids (didn't renew passes last summer, so limited visits) which I planned to do on Saturday but timing got screwy with weather and such.

RMC upgrades should absolutely be considered a "new" coaster. While it doesn't add to the total count, it easily improves the quality of a park's lineup, provides a vastly different experience than before, and even changes the skyline and other visual aspects of the park.

I'm looking forward to my trip this summer, I'm actually spending a full day in Chicago and a day at SFGAm. I should've clarified that the general target area for this park in particular includes a few more problem areas than an average park, not necessarily the city as a whole but certain areas around the park and the city that have built up a less-than-stellar reputation. I also agree that SF as a chain does attract a more rowdy crowd than other chains, but I think it would take a lot of evolution over many years to change that reputation in each local area. The price increase and new membership tier system may be a step towards that, but we'll see. I'd be all for a more professional-feeling Six Flags in the future.

May go to the SFFT waterpark sometime this week, but then Silver Dollar City on Friday and Saturday! Can't wait to try Time Traveler and do the cave tour (since we barely missed it last time).

Also remember where this park is. It's pretty close to Chicago, which isn't exactly known for being the most civilized city out there (to put it nicely). That probably factors in more than price does.

Good luck! Today was absolutely packed earlier, but it emptied significantly around 8:30. I'd imagine tomorrow will be quite empty based on Sunday precedent, though it is a BAFF day if I remember right.

Went to the park for the last 5 hours today. WW x2 Iron Rattler x12 Superman x1 Boomerang x1 Boomerang was rougher than usual. IRat was absolutely hauling. Night rides during the fireworks and when the smoke is settling from the fireworks (it's like riding in the fog) are amazing. Wonder Woman running as intense as can possibly be. Fun times as usual.

I know exactly what you mean! I do like inverting coasters and g-force focused coasters, but 95% of them don't hold a candle to more airtime, lateral, and sensation of speed focused coasters. Goliath and Batman(SFOT) are technically mirror image clones, but Goliath seems to run a little slower through the course. Batman feels a lot faster and tends to cause greyouts more easily (for me at least). I like both, but on some days I'm more prone to a headache than others. Titan has the same effect, except if you come off with a headache it'll be more migraine-like. That's what surprised me so much about Raptor at Cedar Point. I was expecting a headache from it but instead got the snappiest and most fun inversions imaginable. The "floating feeling" you describe is the airtime we all crave around here. I think you'll find you're not alone in preferring it to "loopy-de-spatula-fun-cakes" as Robb once called them.

Just be glad it's not Six Flags, because they'd probably name a dive coaster Harley Quinn Spinsanity.

The restraints are definitely kinda awkward. They're like a janky version of the Intamin OTSRs on Maverick, etc, except less comfy. I see why lap bars were out of the question for these rides (transitions and intensity), but the OTSRs could have been a lot comfier. On my first ride on WWGLC, the left strap actually came off of my shoulder on one of the airtime hills, which really does show how insane these things are.

Titan is amazing in that it manages to be both the most forceful and least forceful coaster ever made. The back few cars provide a slightly less sucky experience (the first drop actually feels like a drop instead of straight track). Looking forward to your eventual Texas TR! It's always interesting to see what people from outside the area think of the parks here.

Nah, that's just me. That is pretty interesting - I wonder if it's due to exposure or if there's actually a noticeable difference for some people? The extra helix probably makes a difference, but I haven't been to SFMM so I can't say.

Wild Eagle probably did it the worst for me. It probably comes with age on these rides, as Valravn and Banshee weren't quite as bad.

How much did the restraint tighten after two consecutive rides? Based on how much mine did after each ride, I don't know if I could handle two, haha

There are seats/days/hours/seatbelt positions/literally any imaginable factor where Magnum runs like a slightly stronger B&M Hyper, and some seats/days/hours/etc where it's trying to cut your legs off.

Great TR! Silver Dollar City is awesome, and I'm stoked to be back there in a few weeks. It's amazing that every single thing there is one of the best, if not THE best of their kind, be it rides, food, or pretty much anything you can think of.