DILinator

All of this! You'll get no fight out of me there, regarding SF being better in at least this one area! And yes, I almost included Hangtime with my post, alongside Leviathan and GK, and I should have added the beautiful Fury as well! But Valravn's theme was just DYING to be that rare (nay, nonexistent in CF) Purple/Black color combo. and why they went with something so close to Rougarou's color, so close to Rougarou, I'll never understand. At least in this case, CW doesn't have any coasters close to that color already, and it'll make more sense there.

I know this doesn't really sync up with that leaked layout, but that space could totally be used for another RMC Raptor clone, like Rail Blazer. It's a smaller expenditure, but one that would still deliver mega thrills for Dorney. I know the popular thought now is they'll never add another big coaster, but they WERE a prime CF park before the Paramount parks purchase, and their day will come again for a new coaster, I have no doubt. Now, MiA, on the other hand...

Dang! I have yet to ride Prowler, and had heard it rode great back when it opened. Hopefully, they do a little re-tracking or something to take care of the "roughness" it seems many are experiencing, before I someday make my way out there again.

Chiming in on the Early Entry convo, and also referencing a topic from earlier this year in the Carowinds thread, I have continued to have NO problem this season, getting everybody in my party in for Early Entry, even as the only Passholder. In the Carowinds thread I asked about it earlier this year before my trip there, because I noticed they specifically noted that only Passholders can get in for Early Entry there which was different than how I'd known CP to do it. At that time somebody told me they've never been able to get friends in for Early Entry at CP, while I have never NOT been able to get them in. In previous years, that was coming in through the front, but both times this year, it was back at the Magnum/Resort entrance, and yes, there was a little holding area that was blocked off where you enter the main midway there. I just showed my card, and we all went through. I guess I can't speak to anybody else's experience if it's different, but that's what I've always done, without issue.

Pretty much the opposite reaction to what I had (which looked a lot like this: )! Seriously, Cedar Fair's love of all coasters red, orange, and yellow, has gotten SO stale, at least to me! Thank goodness for the Leviathan's and GateKeepers of the world to keep me from thinking they've completely lost all sense of variety! HOWEVER (before anybody smarts off about the color of the coaster having nothing to do with the ride experience), I don't care what the color is, because this looks like it's going to be EPIC, and I can't wait to finally get back to Canada, and this great park, next year!

I have to catch myself when posting because of this all the time!

You don't have to apologize to me for picking an inferior coaster to SV. That is on you. Besides, SV can't have fanboys... It only has real human beings with normal feelings who rank it #1, and synthetic androids, apparently... And yes, that was a joke, in case it wasn't readily apparent... lol

Somebody said it above, and I'll echo it again here: GateKeeper is FUN! While I can admit it's not the MOST forceful coaster out there, it's just plain fun to me, and that's why it's one of my favorite coasters at CP, and arguably my most frequently ridden these days (due to doubling up every ride, and short lines, mostly!) The #1 reason I ride a roller coaster is to have fun on it, and GK definitely delivers for me in that department!

I ride GateKeeper in the back, or near the back, 9 of 10 times, so maybe that's why I enjoy it so much. It's definitely the best place to ride the coaster (especially on the left side!) However, I ride it in front from time to time, still enjoy it, and feel ACTUAL forces... You know, like every roller coaster has. Soaring through those keyholes, and experiencing the ride with nothing in front of you is fun in the front too! Certainly not boring, at least to me, or virtually everybody I've ridden it with who isn't an enthusiast... *shrugs*

Haha! I'll be the first to admit that anybody posting on this site is an enthusiast, because nobody would bother with all this triflin' stuff if they weren't! And yes, I actually find that amusing as well, since there's a lot of "enthusiast judgement" that goes on here, especially from some members, and I'm like "But you're here, so YOU are also an enthusiast, like it or not!" I was more just responding to what I said being termed "enthusiast speak", when in fact, what I was saying runs counter enthusiast "hive mind", that's all...

I always get a kick out of those signs too!

Well, Steel Vengeance IS a Hyper coaster, so I'm going to update my list from last year, with that now leading the pack! In the other new addition, Mako now slides into the #3 position, behind Phantom's Revenge. What an awesome Hyper coaster, and a fabulous addition to SWO! Behemoth, and Diamondback, round out my new Top 5.

You mean like Maverick? Definitely a sign of a terrible coaster about to be boarded!

^First off, I'm one of the least "enthusiast" people here, and my observations always bear that out, not that opposite, as you stated. Everyone IS entitled to their opinion, hence, "to each their own." However, some things (ie: force) are quantifiable, and NOT a matter of opinion. That statement has nothing to do with being an enthusiast, rather, being intelligent. I don't personally care if somebody's least favorite coaster is MF. To each their own. But to say it's force-less, is a false assertion. Fact. So that's where my differentiation is made. I'm also almost exclusively around people who are NOT enthusiasts, reinforcing my views I stated regarding how non-enthusiasts view coasters differently than enthusiasts. And again, I line up alongside the GP much more here, than the typical "enthusiast" viewpoints. So no, nothing I've said is a "very enthusiast thing to do." Quite the opposite, in reality. As for the Inverts, I merely think people fall into two categories in regard to them. Either you prefer the more intense ride experience of the older models, or you prefer the layout focused experience of models like Banshee, Alpengeist, Great Bear, and Silver Bullet. Then you have Montu, which kind of gives you the best of both worlds. Again, to each their own. I don't think anybody is "less than" for preferring one over the other. I just know that many of the GP I've gone to CP with, don't care for the intensity of Raptor these days, and I know my kids, who have gone on a number of other Inverts around the country recently, also prefer the Banshee's and Montu's of the world over the Raptor's and Afterburns... At the end of the day though, it's all just personal preference and opinion, so apologies to anybody feels those things were stepped on by my last post. Not my intent. I just marvel at how anybody can ride an amazing coaster creation like GateKeeper or Banshee, and not be impressed! But different strokes, for different folks, as they say...

I went to this park July 5th last year, and was able to ride everything I wanted to, and El Toro over and over, and still left the park a few hours early. So definitely wait until you get to the park before buying any Flash Pass, because there's a decent chance you won't need it at all.

Honestly, the shed is your standard brake run, except not standard, and with a cool "show", and cool shade. I'd love to see more coasters with these type of brake runs! "The Shed" was massively hyped by KI, setting some enthusiasts with overactive imaginations up for the fall of inevitable anticipointment. However, I think most of us with tempered expectations, can appreciate it for what it is... and yes, enjoy the shade on hot Summer days!

I still love Blue Streak, but even I must admit it has been running rougher these past couple of years. After years of loving it more every time I visited, I've actually had a couple of uncomfortable rides in recent visits. However, if you ride in the very front row, or at least the front of the cars towards the front, you should still have a good ride. But as I said earlier, if you have to ride a coaster that way, how good is it really? Still, I enjoy Blue Streak, and hopefully with a little retracking over time, it will become smoother again. On the topic of refurbishment, and getting back to Magnum, I would LOVE to see them get those new B&M trains like SD2000 got! Potentially, it could take Magnum back to being a top coaster in the world again (at least to those like myself who don't already see it that way! ), and would actually make sense as a smaller park improvement next year. While they're at it next year, they absolutely need to do something about the Magnum station cluster****, whenever there are hardly any people of in there. Personally, I'd like to see people just held at the top of the stairs, and only up to three groups deep in each row allowed in at a time. However, if they were to modify the station next year, longer row queues for each row, with a number at the entry to the row queue, would be immensely helpful! I know the last time I went to CP this year, it was an utter madhouse up there, and somehow, my brother and sister got on the front row before I got on my favorite row, the first of the last car. Don't get me wrong about Magnum... It's not a "bad" coaster, and I certainly respect the hell out of its place in history! (Heck, I still remember my vivid dreams during the offseason of 88-89, about me riding it for the first time, just based off of the commercials!) I just think like all Arrow coasters, time has not been kind to it, and it can be the second most frustrating coaster in the park many visits... (Second, of course, to Tepid Thrill Downtime, which I've yet to ride this year as it's been down, more than up during all my visits, and has LITERALLY shut down when I entered the line, or was walking up to it, three times! )

^ I loved Drachen Fire! I rode it twice, and I was much younger and less tolerant of "rough" coasters then. So sad it's gone, and attribute it to too many whiny softies like my brother and you! 100% agreed on SoB though... Only coaster that legitimately f-ed up my body for days after riding it! As for worst Arrow coaster still in existence, it HAS to be... Magnum XL 200! (Just kidding, just kidding... It's not even the worst Arrow coaster in the park. That dubious distinction goes to...) Corkscrew at CP. In all seriousness, it's got to be this pile of steel crap! I'm kind of glad it exists, and people still ride it, for the picturesque views of it you get over the midways. Plus, it's not like you can take it out, and replace it with much of anything better. (Unlike another HORRID Arrow coaster, Vortex at KI, which is sitting on PRIME coaster land!) I will never again ride Corkscrew, however, because I just don't hate my body that much...

CP - Steel Vengeance + Maverick (not to mention MF) = /discussion On the subject of parks where basically their entire coaster lineup is a 1-2-3 punch, I came away from Sea World Orlando with that feeling after this year's visit. Mako, Manta, and Kraken are at or near the top of all their respective categories, and are a killer trifecta for a park! Everything else that's awesome about SWO is just gravy!

^I don't know what to say man, but it's given me some terrible rides this year, and increasingly so in the years prior to this. And most non-enthusiasts I know can't stand it anymore. Every so often I get an enjoyable ride on it, but they're outnumbered by the bad ones these days. I don't know how to do that shrugging thing, but yeah... lol

Yes! Yes! This gal gets it, on both counts! (And don't start with that "trick" talk when it comes to Magnum... It only makes it marginally better, and if you need a "trick" to enjoy a coaster ride, it's not a very good coaster! But YAY for nostalgia I guess! ) And yes, CP bathrooms are definitely among the low-lights of the park experience. I would love to see them them somehow consistently keep them cleaner, and brighter. But then again, they are bathrooms, so they'll never be TOO glamorous!

All the hatin' on Banshee is absurd! But again, it's like the silly GateKeeper hate... Enthusiasts who equate excessive forces that normal people would call "too rough" or "too intense" with how a coaster "should be", rate those coasters low. Enthusiasts who love a great overall ride experience, that deftly combines all forces in a measured and enjoyable manner, and pretty much all "normal" coaster riders (GP), love both coasters, and will rank them highly, if not at the top of their respective divisions. To each their own, but I am very thankful the old school Inverts like Raptor and the Batman clones appear to be a thing of the past, and that we're now blessed as humans with exciting and unique creations like Banshee! (Montu is still the crown jewel of the older Inverts, combining intensity, with a unique and exciting layout!)

GateKeeper is an amazing coaster! Anybody who thinks it's force-less, or boring, needs to find a hobby more suited to them than coaster-riding! Seriously, people need to GTFO with that nonsense when it comes to coasters in general, unless we're talking kiddie coasters, or something of that nature... As for these allegedly "crushing" vest restraints, that was fixed years ago. I ride GateKeeper as much or more than any other CP coaster, and can attest to the fact they no longer tighten up during the ride. That's pretty much a roller coaster "old wives tale" at this point! Regarding least favorite B&M? It's a tough call, as they're mostly all such amazing coasters! However, I can easily say that Vortex at Carowinds is the worst! Halfway through that already short coaster, and I wanted off of it in the worst way!

^I 110% disagree with your assertion it was boring and stale, and most of those I saw it with do as well! I mean, boring? However, I do agree with you about the awesome possibilities the ending set up! Can't wait for the next one!