DILinator

Unless you're an indoor coaster/dark ride enthusiast, weather plays a huge part in this hobby. You can say that again! I was supposed to have been to KI with my kids and ridden Mystic Timbers two different times by now, but ended up passing both times due to weather! Still don't know what's in the dang shed!

As somebody who has been to GAdv a few times already, and only hasn't been on Zum and Joker (and JL, obviously), when I go again later this year, I think I'll hit up Joker first, then Ka (front row only), then Zum (no VR). However, after that, I'm inclined to just marathon the shizz out of El Toro for a while, honestly! As much as I loved JL at SF:GAm, having done it already there, and not counting credits (I know, I know...) for things like that, I'm disinclined to wait in the ungodly line that it will no doubt have. Joker being a coaster (not looking to start a fight over that one either - and not really sure why there even IS a fight over that one), that's why I'll be hitting that one up at GAdv, even though I will have likely already ridden it at GAm earlier this year. Unless my GAdv newbie sister who is going with me really protests, I'm envisioning solo spins on Bizarro, Batman, and Skull Mountain (if the line isn't too bad), and maybe just two or three laps on Nitro. I will strongly advise against even bothering with Superman (she's ridden it at GAm anyway, and the line is always brutal), and Green Lantern (for obvious reasons.) Doing this should allow us maximum El Toro time, which is really my end-game for this trip!

Very nice TR and pics! Thanks for sharing! I'm going to Florida again this November, and taking the kids, but wasn't planning on hitting up any Disney parks this time around. However, if I WAS going to do one park, it was already going to be Animal Kingdom, just because of how much I love Expedition Everest ( ), and the fact that I think the kids would enjoy the animals there. With how awesome this Pandora addition looks though, I am definitely thinking more and more about trying to work Animal Kingdom into the trip for sure! Thanks again for the preview!

Ugh... I can't stand it when Bumper Cars have that island in the middle...

I'm a BIG fan of going to CP in May, multiple times even! However, going Opening Day is generally not advisable, for the reasons stated by others. Mid-week in May is generally an awesome time to go to CP! I'm going May 25 this year for my first trip, as Thursdays in May seem to be particularly low attendance days. The first couple of weeks in June also shouldn't be too bad for crowds, especially mid-week. And no, you will NOT need Fast Pass any of those days!

My bullsh*t meter has been off the charts on this rumor ever since the first time I heard it. This screams of something that enthusiasts completely made up and have repeated enough times that it's now accepted as fact. Yeah, I second this... I've always found this rumor/legend very peculiar...

I'll also chime in that from my lone trips to SFStL and SFFT (both all the way back in 2003, I believe), my memory of The Boss was that it was rough, but fun, and my memory of Rattler was that it was absolutely one of the worst rollercoasters I had ever ridden. So, there you go!

Aaaaand the "Wet Blanket Award", goes to...

Perhaps one solution would be to create a Playlist on Youtube, and call it Roller Coasters in the RAW Volume 20. Just a thought... I'd be curious to see what coasters the next volume would consist of!

I keep track of my coaster credits on two different sites, and they don't even line up in terms of total count! Furthermore, I couldn't even tell you right now what my count is, on either site! Clearly, I'm not a very good roller coaster enthusiast! (Oh, and Rougarou is a VERY different experience than Mantis was, and most definitely a different credit, in spite of being the same track! )

It sounds like the matter's been decided, but I've always been one who's been big on the physical copy, as my kids love to watch them on the big screen that way. Yeah, I know it's still possible through YouTube, and they've done it that way too. But the DVD's were super convenient, and I have the whole collection thus far! So yeah, if there were another release, I'd definitely buy it, even on BluRay for $20. I'm just old school I guess!

Count me in as another person who really hopes this VR is not mandatory, as I hate spiders, and certainly don't want to ride this with the VR when I go in July! Zum is one of the few things I haven't done at GAdv yet, and I was looking forward to riding it as it was meant to be!

Yeah, when I use the term "GP" in posts on Enthusiast sites, it's generally in the context where the best way to read it is as "Normal People"! I have a few "Enthusiast" friends I visit parks with from time to time, but primarily, I go with GP - "NP", as it were...

I think you nailed it here, and I think this speaks to one's personal preference when it comes to an Invert experience. While I did really like Afterburn (still #4 Invert), I personally prefer the "awe-inspired", "graceful" nature of Banshee (or Alpengeist - at least back in the day) more!

So, before we go any further, can I get a definitive answer on whether this is going to be a spoiler free thread, regarding #whatsintheshed? If not, I guess I will refrain from coming in here for the next 10 days, unfortunately... I'd love to hear reviews of the coaster itself, but if people simply can't resist spoiling it, then I'll just avoid checking in here for a little while...

This could very well be one of the most under-appreciated coasters out there... Ok... I've gotta' say it... The whole "Afterburn is one of the most under-appreciated coasters out there" line, mostly coming from enthusiasts, is SO commonplace now, it's actually become almost overrated in my opinion! I mean, I enjoyed it more than Raptor, the middle of the road Inverts, and the Batmen, but not as much as Banshee, Alpengeist, or Montu. After how much enthusiasts had hyped it, I guess I had expected it to be more in line with those fantastic inverts, but did not. To each their own I guess!

Looks awesome!!! Can't wait to ride it with my kiddos in 10 days!

It's interesting... I was just looking at the various updated Cedar Fair websites, specifically their Park Maps, and noticed that although CP has updated their site, their Park Map is still old. And not even last year old. While it does have Valravn on it, is still has Shoot the Rapids on it, and RipCord in its old spot. Additionally, Mean Streak is still alive, a train racing down the lift hill (the wrong direction at that!) Given all of the other parks that have updated sites have their updated Park Maps as well, this seems peculiar to me. I wonder if CP is still holding off the reveal of their updated Park Map, for some particular reason? Hmmm...

My guess is that the visual impact plays a big role. Valravn is very well-showcased in the park with plenty of seating / observation space built underneath the structure so you can watch the riders plummet. I know as far as the GP I went with, this was certainly a big factor. Dive machines are massive, and simply dominate the landscape with their size. Add to that, the imposing looking vertical drop, and you have something very eye-catching, that gets people hyped for thrills. Regardless of whether enthusiasts find it thrilling or not, nobody I rode it with (non-enthusiasts) came away unimpressed!

I'm actually going to SF:GAdv this year, and I was going to elaborate on how I'll be handling myself, but I think I'll just leave it at what Bill said for now!

As someone that has worked many coaster's over the past two years, and working the new one this year. If you just tell a ride op that the child is just walking through, it is fine. We have never been trained or told (at least I haven't in the three years I've been at the park) that if a child is to short that they cannot wait in the line with their parent. See, this is what my thinking on it was! Thanks for confirming that, at least in your actual working experience, this is how it tends to work!

Mmmmmmm!!!!

In my experience, the person at the platform is far more invested in checking the height than the the person at the front of the line. In fact, at Diamondback in particular, it's a pretty wide entry point, and the "checker" didn't seem hyper-vigilant. Besides... the lack of "logic" remains, when it's common practice for people who don't want to ride to "pass through" rides, including kids who never had the intention of riding in the first place. If it's a CF policy not to allow this, it's on them, and a reflection of poor policy - not the first time they've been guilty of such shortsightedness, to be sure...

Calling a dive machine not worth visiting for is entirely subjective. Not to mention completely ignoring the reality of what Valravn did for CP last year in the eyes of the GP! They ate that thing up! Everybody I went with who was a non-enthusiast, was completely mesmerized by it! The first one on the West coast will no doubt draw crowds, and BIG ones! I thought SFMM might be the first to go there with removing Viper, but it looks like maybe it'll be Knott's who strikes first, and reap the benefits!

Well, that would be pretty poor customer service... Not to mention lacking in any logic. I guess we'll see what happens....