coneyislandchris

I... I guess Sidewinder at Hersheypark? The only Boomerang I've been on that has the new vest restraints instead of the old big clunky OTSRs? I actually enjoy Boomerangs in general, though. I was hoping to say Goliath, but since the one time I was at SFNE it was out of service, I can't. :/ Maybe I can get back up there before Fright Fest ends if it's up and running again.

So true in sooooo many ways that it needed to be quoted for truth.

*sigh* You guys are really gonna make me re-ride it, huh...

This may sound like a weird request, but by any chance, does anyone have a link to any off-ride or on-ride footage of their old Pinfari coaster Flying Dutchman in action? The only thing I've been able to find is a single far away shot in someone's archival vacation footage from the early 80's. I barely remember this coaster existing as I was super young at the time they tore it down.

I would LOVE to see a Falcon's Fury style drop tower somewhere up north... and if Hersheypark is going to do it, I am all for it!

Ha ha, no problem, happy to be of service! My wife had the good DSLR and took several photos throughout the day. I'll see if I can get some of those uploaded in the future because they're sure to be much better than the crap I take with my phone.

Nice, Bill! I saw the info about Safari VIP when I picked up my memberships, but also saw that we needed to call in advance to set them up. And by the time we got around to making our way to Safari, they had already closed the line. So, next time. My wife and I got our cards at the gate, but the kiddo needed to go over to Season Pass services to get his because no fingerprints. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and we were in and out pretty quick. That being said, since the kiddo is just shy of 44", we ended up mostly doing flat rides and the smaller coasters yesterday. Lots of carousels, pirate ships, round-up, Ferris wheel, and whatnot. Blackbeard was actually surprisingly good for a kiddie coaster! He was less than impressed with The Dark Knight coaster. Turned away at the entrance to Skull Mountain, expected as much, but they were more lenient over at Runaway Mine Train. I did manage to escape twice while the wife took him to the kid areas, and got rides on Nitro and Bizarro. Even though the lines were long, they were moving super fast thanks to running three trains per ride and the ops teams just firing on all cylinders. Didn't wait more than 25 minutes for either ride which was really impressive for the Saturday crowd. No fire effects on Bizarro for some reason, maybe they relocated them somewhere else for FF? As much as I would have liked to get another ride on Namtab before they flip it, the line was all the way back to the entrance gates, presumably because they were only running one train. And then it shut down for a bit. I didn't even bother heading towards Kingda Ka. Tried to get a ride in on El Toro before we left, but it was looking like a 90 minute wait and everyone else was starting to get tired at that point. Overall, a pretty good family day at the park! Will definitely be back many times now that we are members, and hopefully the kiddo can grow a few more inches before next summer to be able to ride El Toro. (Might be a little wishful thinking tho.) Obligatory phone photos! Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood! Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood! Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood! Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood! Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood! Nothing says Happy Halloween like an evil pumpkin dude floating on a fountain of blood! Ex-Grandstand. Nostalgia feels! Welcome to Nitro, enjoy your floater air and 90's techno music! Love the view from the top of the Big Wheel! The kiddo really had a great time yesterday.

Side note, going to be heading down to the park tomorrow with the family to redeem our Flash Sale memberships. They all say on the first time vouchers, "Go to the processing center" -- anyone know where exactly that is?

^ I guess different strokes for different folks and all that, but for me, i305's first drop is #1 and nothing else even comes close. The height, speed, and force all combine to make it amazing and one of those things that just doesn't get old. My #2 and #3 respectively are Skyrush and Bizarro SFNE. El Toro definitely gets a special ineligible mention as well, since it's wood but feels like steel.

Look, I'm the first one to cast blame on myself when it comes to stand-ups. I think I just don't have the right body type in height and weight for them in order to ride them comfortably. I'm sure if I dropped a few dozen pounds my ride experience on GL would be completely different. I don't think it's an over-exaggeration to say that the ride does not treat me kindly, however. I get what people say about riding defensively, and I'll have to try that the next time my cojones are fully healed up.

Supposedly, this is the final weekend of Namtab, after which they're going to be turning the trains around. But, it was originally scheduled to happen Labor Day, and they extended it due to high demand, so maybe you will be lucky in October? Maybe?

...there's a single rider line?!

As much as I'd like to see an RMC'ed Wild Cat, I wouldn't shake my head at that result.

Monorail coaster from RMC, you say?

Looking over the list, it's way more than I originally thought... Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Big Bad Wolf Drachen Fire Dorney Park: Laser/Colossus Hercules Flying Dutchman Kennywood: Steel Phantom Kings Dominion: Shockwave Knoebels: High Speed Thrill Coaster Jet Star Whirlwind Las Vegas, NV: High Roller @ The Stratosphere Speed: The Ride @ The Sahara SF Great Adventure: Great American Scream Machine Lightnin' Loops Rolling Thunder Shockwave Ultra Twister

Only rode it the one time, but it wasn't rough at all for me from the front seat. Also next to no airtime, either, aside from a single hill. Your mileage may vary I guess?

How about a compromise then... Flip half the cars?

Could not agree with you more on this. Even after my fifth re-ride, I still found it incredibly intense and unexpected. I'm glad they extended it through the end of the month, and hope they do decide to leave it like this indefinitely.

Wow, a complete drooling idiot on Facebook? Whodathunkit...

As much as I love Phoenix, I love Twister just as much. Two fantastic woodies that make a great one-two punch at that park.

That was the Parachute Drop ride that was there, I believe. Yes, I meant to mention that and then completely spaced. Used to be a Parachute Jump; been SBNO since 1964. It's since been retrofitted with 8,000 LED lights that display miscellaneous programmed patterns, and is visible from the Belt Parkway at night. Always makes a comforting sight when driving home from the Verrazano bridge! From Luna Park's website

Great shots! Glad you enjoyed yourself on your brief visit. You didn't miss much by skipping the carousel; the upcharge isn't really worth it, as it's quite possibly the shortest and slowest run of a carousel I've ever been on in my life. Agreed on Thunderbolt... beautiful looking coaster (hence the avatar), just wish it rode better, and got rid of those silly seatbelt-strap OTSRs.

This is a thing?

Seconding everything everyone else has already said; awesome trip report, great photos, very well written for a 12-year-old (and better than some adults I can think of!). Your parents must be very proud of you; I know I would be if my son does anything like this when he's your age! Insert clapping GIF here.

I know I've said this before on the Facebook posts, Robb, but it bears repeating. THANK YOU for these coaster classics videos! It is awesome to see both the POVs and off-ride footage, and by placing them in their proper historical context and utilizing vintage footage, it really helps me gain an understanding of why these rides have withstood the test of time. When we understand the past, it helps us appreciate the present and anticipate the future. I look forward to future entries in this series. Keep up the great work!