DILinator

You haven't been to very many Six Flags parks I take it? I'll gladly drive right past the park (it's less than 2 hours away) to go to a better one that's farther away I think you're being too hard on the park... I have been to MANY Six Flags parks, and when my wife and I went to SFStL, we really enjoyed it. No, it's not comparable to Silver Dollar City (which isn't a SF park), but I thought it was at least as good as WoF (which also isn't a SF park) back when we went to both on the same trip. That being said, it was back in 2003, so maybe SFStL has deteriorated, and WoF has improved. But I did enjoy SFStL back then. Certainly, it didn't seem much worse from the overall park experience perspective, than any other SF park. It was actually a lot nicer than SFMM, from that standpoint! I CAN understand getting bored with the park as a local, however, as I know in Michigan we are all tired of how MiA stagnates year after year while other parks in the chain get sizable improvements. But I feel like that is a different issue than whether the park's appearance, and experience is solid. (And, FWIW, SFStL then, was better than MiA is now, so you have that going for you! )

An Intamin Mega-Lite would pretty much be the best-case scenario, factoring in cost, reliability, coupled with an awesome riding experience. I'm not sure if all that talk about CF not doing business with Intamin (or Chance, for that matter) is true, but if it isn't, I really hope they throw MiA a bone, and become the first place in the US to get an Intamin Mega-Lite! Oh, and yes, I will do a TR/State of the MiA post later today, hopefully, from my trip to the park the other day! Prepare yourselves!

^ In defense of Goliath, however, SFGAm didn't have much space there where Iron Wolf was to work with. SDC had tons of land to create an amazing layout. Though I haven't ridden Goliath yet (I hope to rectify that in less than two weeks!), from what I've seen, it looks like they still made a pretty amazing coaster in that limited space!

I know this probably isn't a popular opinion, but I would love to have a Chaos back! If not, a Bayern Kurve would be just fine as well!

^Well, of course Dominator is better than Rougarou! It was actually created with the intent of being one of the best Floorless Coasters in the first place! I was actually very impressed with the first half of Rougarou, all things considered! After the MCBR, it did get rougher, however, with plenty of head-banging moments, like you mentioned...

^ Gale Force 7, perhaps?

Shivering Timbers, front row paradise!

^I loved both the Rotor, and the Bayern Kurve! I loved getting a chance to ride the latter again (after growing up with one at CP) at Kennywood! So much fun! I'm definitely for CF bringing those back in vogue at their parks!

At least the Lions have a better chance of getting a Super Bowl title than MIA getting a new coaster. ouch Ouch, yes... But is he wrong?

Ok, this is my new front-runner for Fun Spot's 2016 coaster! Apparently, the rumor is that there were two ordered for 2016, so it would make sense if Fun Spot were to be the second one! I think it'd be a great addition for the park, personally!

So, CW and the Maple Leafs share a bit in common with MiA and the Lions, eh?

^Regarding the Dinos Alive, I know my young kids have zero interest in them, at least once it was explained what they were. Now, if it was Jurassic Park themed, and there was a chance they would come alive...

^^Does this mean there's a chance I can get Chaos back at CP or MiA?

^ Uh, oh! Now you're scaring me for my Wednesday visit on the 19th! Hopefully it's not so bad then... Thanks for your report on Goliath at opening, to those who responded to that!

Yeah I'm thinking Gradv might just have a surprise up their sleeves. Because even a bigger version of the free spin 4d wouldnt require such a huge land clearing, they could plop that down essentially anywhere in that huge park. My guess is something big, maybe a B&M or possibly a 4D like X2 since S&S owns the technology to that. I know people speculated that the new GAdv coaster might be called that "Total Mayhem" name, assuming it's the S&S Free Spin. But I have been suspecting for a while now that they would receive the marquee addition for the chain in 2016, and that it would be big. When I read somewhere that the name "Titan" had been trademarked again (or something along those lines) I immediately suspected that this would be the name of whatever GAdv was getting. I guess we'll know in less than a month!

I know others have answered, and they have all given good advice! However, I thought I'd add my two cents. 1. If you're going to early ERT both days, you may want to seriously consider splitting up the two headliners, Millennium Force and Maverick. Whichever one you're more amped to ride, I'd do for all of the first day's ERT, and save the other one for the next day's ERT. Here's one reason why I suggest this: those two coasters are a healthy walk apart from each other through Frontier Trail. FT is one of the last vestiges of the old CP that actually had trees, shade, and natural beauty (though I certainly love its coaster beauty, don't get me wrong!), and it might be nice to enjoy it slowly your first time through, instead of running through it. Not to mention, it's not exactly a straight line through there, so as a first timer, it could prove tricky to run straight through! If you really want to catch both coasters that first ERT, I'd suggest this compromise: 15 minutes before the park is opened to the rest of the public, head for whichever coaster you didn't just marathon ride, and get in one ride before the line grows. Depending on where you plan to go for ERT, you'll park in a different place. If you are heading to MF, park up front, and go to the Marina Entrance. If you are doing Maverick first, go through the parking toll both to the far left, and then after going through, let the person waving you into the main lot know you are going to the Soak City lot, and then you'll head left. Follow that road, Perimeter Road, around the point, then park to the right when you see the big Soak City lot, in the small-ish lot next to Gemini. A short walk will take you to the Soak City entrance to CP, and from there, you have the closest walk/run to Maverick! Then, the next day, just go to whichever lot is appropriate for that day's coaster. 2. As pianojohn said, unless the wait is under 30 minutes, don't bother, since you're getting the ERT! Much longer than that, you're just asking to have to endure a break-down, which will only lengthen your wait further... 3. I pretty much already touched on some Parking and Logistics tips. I don't really get food much at amusement parks, and when I do, it's usually not a full meal. So I can't help much on that account. I'm a Boardwalk Fries and Electric Lemonade kind of guy, myself! (I also love to eat at Chik-fil-A while there, because we don't have them really in Michigan, but you being from VA, that is not an issue!) 4. GateKeeper is a people-eater, and FWIW, when I went there earlier this year (a Sunday in May), it was pretty much a station walk-up every time I went on it, including first thing. It won't likely be that way when you go, but it just shows that it does move people through. If you hit Maverick first on Thursday for ERT, and then go to MF right before park opening, I would just work your way back around to the front by way of the "Oceana Midway" (any "old timers" will appreciate that reference!), which means cutting across after doing Rougarou and Iron Dragon, and going down towards Wind Seeker. See what the line is like when you get to it, and if it's under 30 minutes, I'd go for it. I'd evaluate Raptor the same way, and if it's a wait early on, just wait until around 4 in the afternoon, and it should be pretty low. The same thought should apply to GateKeeper as well, if it's too long when you get there earlier. 5. I think I've addressed a lot of my "ride tips" already in these top 4. It's hard to know exactly what you'll face, because I avoid any times that are going to be busy (like, anytime from mid-June until mid-August) these days. When I have gone during the Summer, you just accept that some waits will be 30-45 minutes, and roll with it. Growing up, waiting in line was part of going to an amusement park, since there wasn't any of this Fast Lane foolishness! That being said, I definitely think there are tricks to utilize, and between what the others here have said, and what I've elaborated on, you should get off to a good start! One other thing I guess, would be to tell you that instead of heading up towards the front after hitting Maverick, MF, Rougarou and Iron Dragon, you loop back around the water there where Coasters is, and hit Power Tower (if you are so inclined), see how long the wait for TTD is at that point, hit it if it's under 30 minutes, and then ride Magnum. Gemini would follow, and then you're back to Frontier Town, and you can hit Mean Streak and CCMR while you're there. That way, by the time you work back around (taking time to enjoy walking down Frontier Trail this time), the front crowds should have thinned out, and your wait times will be better there! That's all I got (for now, unless I think of anything else!) I hope this helps at least a little, and I hope you have a blast at Cedar Point! It truly is an Amazement Park (there's another bone for the "old timers"!)

^So, you're telling us they aren't the CF park with the highest profit margin in the chain simply because they "wisely" refuse to give into coaster enthusiasts demands (not to mention every non-enthusiast Michigander I've ever talked to) to add a new coaster for the first time in 16 years?!?! (What? No, I'm not bitter! I keep myself grounded in regard to this topic by reminding myself to be grateful that least MiA wasn't Geagua Laked... yet...) Seriously, though, that really stinks, lagunablue... Hopefully working conditions improve there, or yeah, I can't imagine they'll have a lot of success attracting (or keeping) workers... On a happier note, I am actually returning to the park today for the first time in many years (since before my Thunderhawk-driven "embargo"), and taking my kids there for the first time! So, contrary to what my first paragraph may indicate, I'm really excited about getting back to MiA, and experiencing it with them! I've heard that there have been a lot of nice improvements in the look and feel of the park in recent years, so I look forward to seeing those as well. I will try to write a TR when I get back from our little mini-vacation later this week, and present my thoughts on the park. I'm not much of a picture-taker, so I don't know if it'll be THAT kind of TR, but we'll see... The weather looks fantastic for today, so hopefully everybody on the West side of the state (and all other sides too) decides it's a fabulous day to go to Lake Michigan, and ignores MiA so the Whitewater Adventure lines aren't too bonkers for us! (One can dream, right? ) MiA, your prodigal son is returning! Prepare the fatted calf!

^What was your overall feeling about the whole process of getting there early, waiting to be walked back to Goliath, and that process of walking back as a group? I'm not an overly anxious person by nature, but sometimes really crowded groups of people pushing and shoving can really bother me. Was it a fairly decent process, or was it a pain in the rear? I'm going in a couple weeks, and I'm mostly concerned about getting there early enough to get a couple of rides in on Goliath before it gets really crowded. Thankfully, I'm not going on a Saturday, so hopefully that helps the crowds. Thank in advance for your feedback!

I love how colorful it all is! Cedar Point could definitely learn a lesson from Nasu Highland's coaster color differentiation!

Incidently, those three coasters you mentioned are among the few that I haven't ridden, which could account for not having as much disappointment with the genre. I do wonder, often, why it is that coasters like Bizarro (SFNE) and Expedition GeForce are universally acclaimed, and yet, nobody has contracted for essentially a clone of either of them yet... I know if I were a park, I would have asked Intamin eons ago to replicate either of those coasters as much as possible! In this era of so many cloned rides out there, at different parks, is there a reason specifically why this couldn't happen with those coasters? I apologize for this thread hijacking, I am just very curious about this... If there is a better thread to discuss this, feel free to direct me there!

You and me both! I've been strongly desirous of a custom, terrain interactive B&M Flyer, ever since the mid 2000's. Just ask any of my enthusiast friends from back then, as it was all I ever talked about wanting at CP! Unfortunately, I suspect that I may very well die with that dream unrealized, in spite of all the other wonderful things CP has done...

I agree with this. While the operations and cleanliness do leave a lot to be desired, it's not terrible. There are enough rides to space out the people and the lines never get too bad during the week. The pathways always seem to be clean and the ops get people through the rides. Given there are many parks with far better tidiness and operations, SFMM is the best park on the west coast for roller coasters, so you have to take that into consideration at some point. I have to say, I am more in line with these guys, than some of the more vitriolic statements here. I've only been to SFMM twice, but I definitely enjoyed myself both times! Granted, the park's shortcomings were all quite evident both times, and Knott's was definitely the better all-around park when visiting both during that first West coast trip. However, when I returned to So-Cal a couple of years ago, it was SFMM and not Knott's (or Disneyland, even though my brother could have gotten me in there free since he worked for Disney at the time) that I chose to go to. Why? I really wanted to ride Tatsu, since it wasn't there last time. (I also hadn't ridden X the first time - was it shut down in 2005 for some reason?) Was it worth it? Totally! I don't regret making that choice at all! I loved Tatsu, and had a very enjoyable day. Now, when I go visit my brother again, I'll definitely return to SFMM, and likely not Knott's, since I haven't ridden either FT, or TC. That doesn't mean that I think SFMM is a better park than Knott's. It's not. I very much enjoyed Knott's and was impressed with it when I went. But if I'm going across the country, have limited time for visiting parks, and limited funds, I'm going to choose the place that maximizes my coaster thrills, and SFMM certainly excels at that! If my whole family is down there at some point, I'll definitely want to take the kids to Knott's instead of SFMM (or in addition to.) Truthfully, if we're judging a park simply based on experience outside of coasters, the worst I've been to was SFGAdv back in 2003 when my wife and I visited. There was so much line jumping, thuggery, and intimidation throughout our visit there, my wife was genuinely uncomfortable. I was pleased to see that it was much improved when I returned a couple of years ago, however! I guess I just accept that SFMM is what it is, and don't expect anything except fun coasters when I go there! If I experienced what the other day was described as, however, I would probably be singing a different tune though, I'm sure... In spite of disliking every other Con you mentioned (and agreeing that they all are more than likely true), if this one happened, and that smaller park was MiA, I'd be all for it!

Plot twist! It's a B&M Dive Coaster named Centurion! Where do you see Roman Numerals? There are multiple places in this thread where it's been posted so far, but here is a link to the page where Robb posted it... (middle of the page) http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28853&start=24000