DILinator

See, I don't even have an issue with the idea of having to lock up big stuff like backpacks, stuffed animals, and larger items that clog bins, and slow load times even more. However, having a little shelf, or netting (like Manta has for instance) for small things like glasses, cell phones (if you want to risk it), wallets (again, if you want to risk it), and maybe even big enough for drink bottles (like the Fun Spots), is a very reasonable courtesy, and shows you're not simply trying to make a buck.

My take on this, from riding the other night, is that while those hops absolutely feel like they're trying to chuck you off the train, they are still more "comfortable" than the ones at the end up Lightning Run, Lightning Rod, or Storm Chaser. I actually thought they felt *exactly* the same as the ones on Lightning Run, Rod, and Storm Chaser. I think what I'm trying to communicate is that they "felt" the same, as in what your experience was (the violent tossing forward, as if to eject you), but that the restraint was more comfortable, for whatever reason. That was my impression at least.

I must say I DID really enjoy Electrospin! Great addition for the park!

While I prefer Montu more (and Cheetah Hunt), my daughter had ShieKra as her favorite coaster at BGT, and I think my son preferred it to Montu as well! It's definitely a really good, and fun coaster, so there shouldn't be too much controversy over preferring it to Montu, especially if you aren't a big fan of the intensity of B&M Inverts. My kids and I really noticed this, and commented frequently on our recent vacation to Florida, which involved hitting Carowinds on the way down, and Kings Dominion on the way back up. All the Florida parks we went to (BGT, SWO, both Fun Spots) were great in their use of cubbies or bins to make buying a FFBFWM&G not mandatory! Whereas, Cedar Fair is all about the mighty dollar, and clearly is not putting small shelves or bins on any of their new coasters, in spite of plenty of room to do so. While I love CF for many things, this continues to be something (in addition to the FL system) where I feel they have let financial exploitation get the better of them... But hey, if I was running a park in RTC, I'd probably do the same! Capitalism, baby!!!

Honestly, the loudness of the lift hill never once bothered me, and honestly, I only really noticed it when in the final part of the queue directly next to the lift. When I was on the coaster, that was the last thing on my mind!

I swear, most of you on this site must be getting commissions or kickbacks from CP for pushing FL+ sales!

My take on this, from riding the other night, is that while those hops absolutely feel like they're trying to chuck you off the train, they are still more "comfortable" than the ones at the end up Lightning Run, Lightning Rod, or Storm Chaser. I didn't come away with as much leg soreness from my rides on it, nor did I feel the need to "brace" or "prepare myself" for them. I don't know if slight tweaks were made in the RMC restraints, or if the hills are more perfectly engineered, but I certainly loved getting that bucking bull feeling, without any discomfort!

I wouldn't say I get a "Six Flags vibe" from Carowinds, but my kids and I just went a couple weeks ago, and all of us just came away feeling like coaster-wise, it's really Fury-winds, and then some other stuff. Afterburn and Marginalized: The Coaster are both solid, but beyond that... Meh. That's why I think if this next addition is a large and thrilling coaster, it's certainly something the park could use as Cedar Fair continues to try and bolster its position in the Southeast. Here's hoping!

Regarding the on-ride photo spot there were a couple things I wanted to add... First off, it's right after that 3rd inversion, as mentioned before, and that inversion, for whatever reason, is particularly disorienting! Multiple rides, particularly at night, when twisting through the lit up structure, upon exiting the inversion and structure, it appeared to me that we were just going sideways - and that's when the picture is taken! So it could definitely account for some interesting pictures there, as that's the point in the ride where you're probably the most discombobulated! On the negative side, however, the camera doesn't take very good pictures... Out of 4 rides, I only came away with 1 picture marginally worth keeping. And that one only had half of my son face who was sitting next to me, when capturing my two kids in front of me as well. So there's apparently a "hole" in the picture stream there. Also, when arms are up (which, of course, they always should be! ), faces are blocked VERY easily! So if you want to get your picture, and have it turn out, I recommend NOT putting your arms up, at least at that point. 1 night later, I'm still on a bit of a high from riding SV! It's such a game changer, as has been said often, and is more than worth all accolades it's received, and is going to receive! I thought I'd share this pretty cool thing we got - particularly cool for those that miss Mean Streak a little (not me, to be clear, but it seems some people do! lol) An actual piece of wood from Mean Steak, with a SV plate attached to it! Nice to know what didn't end up getting reused for SV, wasn't just chucked into a landfill, but turned into something kind of cool - something MS certainly didn't achieve in many years!

Just got off Steel Vengeance, and WOW!!! Completely out of your seat, and out of your mind, from start to finish! A masterpiece, and definitely my new #1 coaster! I also loved the queue placement, and how the coaster runs all around you, and offers tons of great photo opportunities from up close! Hard to say what my favorite part is, because it's all so amazing, but a few more rides might bring something to the top! Excellent achievement CP and RMC!

^Yeah, it definitely WAS an experience unlike any other! Its reputation as Intense with a capital I is well earned! I'll definitely give it another chance when I'm feeling better, and while I doubt it'll suddenly be a Top 5 coaster for me, I imagine I'll enjoy it more. Also, is it better in the very front, or very back? We only rode in the very back...

I went to SWO Monday of last week with my kids, and we had an absolutely amazing day! BGT was my favorite Florida park before, but after our visit to Sea World this time, I'm thinking it may just be this park now! I think the addition of Mako, which is a simply fantastic coaster, really helps tip the scales, and rounds out the park so well! Infinity Falls will only further that experience, though it will also be a bit similar to JTA in some ways. Regardless, I look forward to going on that next time we're in Florida! Getting back to Mako, we got a handful of rides on it, both in the very front, and also the very back, and it just delivered a stellar ride everywhere! We even got a no trim ride on the return, our first ride of the day! It's a tough call, but in the end, I'd say Mako ekes out Behemoth and Diamondback among the B&M Hypers I've ridden (which is pretty much all of the North American ones, except Goliath). That means that every coaster at SWO, is my favorite coaster of that type, which is an amazing distinction for a park that is first and foremost an aquatic park! Speaking of those animals, we did both the Dolphin show (my favorite animal), and the Killer Whale show, and they were both fantastic, as is to be expected! I made the mistake of sitting in the Splash Zone for the latter, and paid for it with wet clothes. But it's all part of the experience, really, so I didn't mind too much! Kraken, a longtime favorite coaster of mine, is still awesome to me! And thankfully, no more VR! Sure, it's a little more rattly than it used to be, but it still runs pretty well in my opinion, and I just love its layout, SO much! And of course when it comes to Manta, it's just a perfect example of what a Flying coaster should be, and definitely one of the most underrated coasters out there (as my sig below says!) Crowds were minimal, the weather was beautiful, and a great day was had by all! What more could you ask for? Sea World is definitely my favorite Orlando area park, and yes, I'm aware of certain mouse, and spinning globe themed parks nearby!

I was just there Tuesday of last week with my kids, and we hardly waited for anything all day. Just Cobra's Curse first thing in the morning (because Cheetah Hunt was broken down at park open, and naturally everybody then went to CC), and Cheetah Hunt later in the day after it had opened. Every other coaster was pretty much a walk on. So no, I would definitely not get a Quick Queue in advance, and I'll be shocked if you had to get one once you got there! That smokehouse Boldy mentioned sounds good, but what we loved there were the stuffed pretzels, and particularly the Bacon Twisted Pretzel! I got the recommendation from those here, and it did NOT disappoint! Assuming it's running, I'd definitely go to Cheetah Hunt first, because that did seem to be where most people headed, and the line does back up quickly. After that, I'd hit up Cobra's Curse, which is not too far away. Don't miss Kumba... Oh wait... (Sorry, probably too soon! ) Seriously though, I would be sure to take the train ride on a complete circuit, or at least from Stanleyville to Congo, as you get to see all of the animals on the "Serengeti Plain"! Hitting up the sky ride is a nice way to get a great view of that as well, and I know coasterbill would approve! I hope you guys have fun! We sure did, and BGT continues to be one of my favorite parks to go to!

So, I took my oldest three kids, and went to KD for the first time in 16 years, this past Sunday, and in spite of myself not feeling well, we had a great time! Obviously, there were a number of changes since then, and some rather significant additions! Rather than give you a play by play of the visit, I thought I'd just hit the highlights of my thoughts regarding the park... -Twisted Timbers blew me away! It became the 4th RMC I have ridden (Lightning Rod, Storm Chaser, and Goliath being the other three), and took things up yet another notch in my opinion! Yes, you read that inference right... I actually prefer it slightly to even the amazing LR! It just had everything, and was paced SO perfectly, from start to finish! What an absolute masterpiece from RMC, and it jumped up into my Top 5 coasters! It also makes me even more excited for Steel Vengeance tonight, which looks like TT on steroids! It was a pretty mild day Sunday, so crowds and lines weren't too bad, and we never had too long of a wait for TT. The only strange thing was once again, the early morning struggles that have been mentioned before, as it didn't open with the park, and tested trains for what seemed like an eternity before it opened. But once it did... Oh boy! Again, every time I ride an RMC it blows my mind, and at this moment, none has done it better than this little gem at KD! (And the merch was almost all fantastic! Love the various TT logos!) -On the other end of the spectrum, however, are my feelings about Intimidator 305... I'm going to probably stun a lot of you, who seem to love this coaster for some reason, but I was incredibly underwhelmed! It's not that I didn't think it was crazy intense, because it certainly was! But it was not a fun, or exciting intense to me, like an RMC, or The Voyage... It was an oppressive intensity, that made me feel tired and worn out after getting off it, rather than exhilarated, and ready to ride it again. Now granted, I was sick, and already feeling poorly, so I allow that perhaps my impression of it would be different if I felt better going in (not that my sickness dampened my TT experience any.) However, none of my kids, who weren't sick, and love RMC's, Fury, and Millennium Force, wanted to do re-rides on it either. So it wasn't just me... So I guess to each their own, but I-305 isn't sniffing my Top 10 at the moment. I'll definitely ride it again, whenever I return to KD, and perhaps I'll like it better when I'm feeling better. But while I am not a pansy coaster rider (I LOVE The Voyage, as I said before!), it was just too much for me to really "enjoy" as much as I would have hoped to... -Volcano was still as immensely fun as I remembered it being, but naturally, it was our longest wait of the day, since we went to TT first. Of course, at the end of the day, as temps dropped and people split, there wasn't much of a wait, but we were busy getting our final ride in on TT then! -Avalanche isn't flashy, but definitely still a fun and unique experience, and one I was glad to get on, before it joins the rest of its rapidly dying breed of Bobsled Coasters! -I've ridden Dominator a ton before, just not at KD. It's still one of my favorite Floorless Coasters, and if I was feeling better, I would have definitely ridden it more than once! Its placement in the park, and out of the way nature, is a bit odd, but it does provide the park with an impressive entry coaster. -If it hadn't been so mild out, I would have definitely checked out Shenandoa Lumber Company, after all of coasterbill's hype of it! But alas, it was not in the climate cards for this visit... Hopefully next time! -My whole family was a huge fan of the Mac n Cheese Bowls, and I would definitely recommend them to anybody who likes meat, pasta, and cheese! I also enjoyed the Southwest Salad I got from Border Burrito, and would recommend that eatery as well! In closing, I was again very impressed with the park, and much prefer it to Carowinds, even though my favorite coaster (at the time of this writing) is there. I definitely hope to make it back MUCH sooner than 16 years next time!

This amazing master-craft of a coaster! My new #4 overall coaster (at least until Friday night), and even better than Lightning Rod (barely) in my opinion!

I have some other comments I'll post later when I have more time, but I just wanted to echo coasterbill's comment that last place is such a well deserved "honor" for Time Warp!

Man, I *WISH* I only wasted a half an hour on the stupid shit that was this thread for the past 10 pages... You'll thank me later in life when you get .01% of your sanity back. On the plus side, we ended up banning at least five idiots that the rest of us no longer have to put up with, so that's good, right? Yeah, don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's all gone! I just wish I would have waited to post a little bit longer, and saved myself the time!

Well, that was a waste of a half hour of my life putting together a well-constructed, thoughtful, and relevant post! So, yeah, great video!

Ditto! Cedar Point this Friday, for a long awaited moment!

Hey, hold on a sec... I have NEVER been able to get guests in for early ride time at CP... Huh... That's strange, because I've done it with no issue every time I've gone over the years! Unlike Carowinds, the CP site doesn't say anything about it not applying to friends, so I'm going to assume they are still allowing it. So, regarding Carowinds, my kids and I had a great time Saturday, even though the park was pretty crowded! We rode everything we wanted, and Fury 4 times, including 2 amazing night rides! They weren't preventing people from choosing the front if they wanted, so we got 1 ride in on the front as well! It was awesome, but I think I still prefer the very back row, for all the amazing airtime! I still think Afterburn is a very good Invert, but not better than Banshee, Montu, or my memory of Alpengeist. I'll hopefully ride Alpie again this year, and have a better ride to compare it to other Inverts I've ridden more recently. I'll be enjoying the fantastic Montu again on Tuesday, most likely! I also decided that Intimidator needed a new name, since it's not intimidating in the least anymore. So I dubbed it "Marginalized: The Coaster"! Additionally, any hope of thinking better about the coaster disappeared, when the jack @$$ ride op put his ENTIRE WEIGHT down on my restraint for some f-ed up reason, and made it a very uncomfortable for me the entire ride... I thought about reporting him, but who has time for that? It didn't ruin my day or anything, just that particular ride, and I already know what the coaster is like (good, but not great - one of my least favorite B&M Hypers.) Oh, another negative? Don't even get me started on the Carolina Goldrusher dispatch time situation! On the positive, Electrospin was awesome, though I hope I'm not riding an arm with all little kids next time, so I actually flip more! Carowinds is an interesting park for me... It has my very favorite coaster in the world (for at least another 11 days), but beyond that, I'm pretty ambivalent about the park. Yet, I think anytime I'm in the area, I'm sure I'll go, just because Fury is THAT good! I absolutely think they need another top notch coaster to really make the park solid, much like what KD has now with I-305 and TT (though I love Volcano and Dominator there as well, so they're already loaded up!) Hopefully whatever their next addition is, is so good it becomes their 2nd best coaster! Still, I had a great day at the park, my kids enjoyed it, and again, Fury is LIFE!!!

Wait... There are grab bars on coasters??? 12 days... 12 days, and all my anticipation will finally be over! POV (the parts that were true POV) was great, and I love how even now, that final part twisted into the structure is so chaotic, there's no way of really knowing what it's doing! It'll be awesome riding it the first time without any real understanding of the layout!

Carowinds, tomorrow! Pretty much 12 hours from now, in fact! I'll be at Kings Dominion! Pretty sure there aren't any animals there though! (Unless you're counting I-305 and Twisted Timbers!)

At long last! I return to ride my favorite coaster (for at least another couple of weeks! ) Fury tomorrow! Bringing my kids for their first time at the park as well! Weather looks beautiful, and I should be able to get a night ride in this time! Here's hoping everything goes smoothly! Does anybody know whether you actually CAN get your guests in for the early ride time if you're a Passholder? I know it says you can't on the site, but you've always been able to at CP, so it'd be strange if it was a Carowinds exclusive restriction...

3 weeks from today!!! I finally get to ride this amazing creation with my kiddos (and rawkincoaster)!!!