AirMBTB

^I'm sure you'll have fun on Goliath (provided you are not as restraint-sensitive as me), and you know what you are getting into. If you go to Goliath later in the day, you might be able to use the single rider line... but even that can be heavy with operational issues.

Coming from the park that has removed their flumes, added hardware to perfect classic wooden coaster trains, and removed their Schwarzkopf coasters? Kinda strange... Don't get me wrong, there's nothing like classic rides. It's just strange as they have ruined or gotten rid of so many "classic" rides already. Ouimet must have a lot of sense and appreciation for nice things! I'm very excited to see what they do!

The park wants you to believe that; remember, we're dealing with Six Flags here. The same park that claims "cleanest theme park in the country" and "best waterpark in the country." They're not interested in building a full, world-class ride. SF doesn't do that anymore; they're building mostly "test track" type coasters, or conversions of older woodies (that have lost popularity due to neglect -> rough track). The new "coasters" are short rides, but marketable enough to get people to invest in cheap season passes. Sure, it's their business model, but let's keep it honest. It's not a space issue. I rode Goliath again yesterday, although an OK ride, it still feels silly short. There is easily enough energy coming into the 65 foot high brakes for another 1,500 feet of track, probably more. My friends (who went to the park for the first time yesterday) chose Whizzer, Raging Bull, Demon and American Eagle as their late-in-the-day re-rides. They didn't want to waste time riding Goliath again. There is ALWAYS enough room:

Drop tracks aren't for everyone, particularly those of us who like non-stop rip-your-face-off intensity. But most importantly, casual park goers seem to love drop tracks. +1 for variety. With RMC, on the other hand... there is a trade-off for all that rip-your-face-off intensity and that price is being forced into an odd, uncomfortable "Z" riding position: the lap bar has to nearly crush you, and your legs can't move. To me, that takes a good amount of fun from the coaster. Innovation, comfy or not, my vote still goes with variety. Variety in design and variety in manufacture. Nothing beats the freedom you get from an old Schwarzkopf coaster (except Revolution, that's a special and tragic case); the freedom of a classic woodie; the height and speed of a B&M or Intamin; the weirdness and "roughness" of an old Arrow mine train.

Looks like I'll be doing the park solo on Tuesday, August 25th, if anyone would like to join me!

Woot woot! All those fast, flat(ish) turns is what makes some of us love it so much! You ain't the only one! I always thought there could be a little more before Raven hits the brakes, there sure is enough energy! I also envisioned a helix, partly built into the hillside I'd also vote for a pre-lift section (on ANY of the 3 woodies for that matter!) We can dream, sure... but we can't forget this is the park that added trains and transfer tracks to their first 2 woodies in order to get higher capacity. No one does that. You never know with Holiday World! Great trip report, glad you guys had a fun!

I cant tell if your being serious or not... Shows how steeped in sarcasm our society is... I was being serious. I love that ride. I was talking about how you said I cant believe there getting rid of Excalibur. That has in no way been confirmed. Hasn't even really been hinted at by the park Gotcha. I thought the park said they were removing Excalibur for a waterpark or parking lot? Perhaps I heard wrong. I hope so!

With those helix-exit brakes off, American Eagle (red) becomes "Phoenix meets Voyage." Around 2008-2011, it was frequently running brakeless and smooth... it was insane! Mark Shapiro, SF CEO at the time, said AE was his favorite coaster in the chain; hence the money that went into it and the brakeless rides. I took a few friends on it during that period who previously had dismal/mediocre experiences, and they were all blown away. In 2012, they only ran it brakeless during Fright Fest and in 2013 all brakes were back on/all the time. Although back to it's old braked self, it's still a great ride. That first drop is the only one like it in the world. I love the near-stop at the top and gradual *circular* drop to the steepest point; it's like going over a mountain.

I cant tell if your being serious or not... Shows how steeped in sarcasm our society is... I was being serious. I love that ride.

They could also choose a double-loading station if they wanted/needed, in order to get trains out faster. Holiday World doesn't like to stack They could do a hyper, but not have that large of a lift. A 150' lift then have larger drops later in the ride; all that topography at Holiday World "ain't gonna go to waste!" I'm not saying they need a hyper just yet (personally, I think they could use a family coaster like Whizzer, Sooperdooperlooper or Revolution *in original form*!), just looking at available options. Might be, but in reality Thunderbird gets higher numbers every hour compared to many *large* B&M coasters at Six Flags parks. Raging Bull, Nitro and even Diamondback regularly stack 3 trains (with plenty of vacant seats to boot). Goliath at Great America gets 500-600 per hour (as do Wicked Cyclone and the rest of the new RMC rides, due to operation not design). I would bet Thunderbird has had more riders in it's first season than Goliath has had since it opened last year; Goliath's record for most riders in one hour for all of last year was 703. It seems like the Thunderbird crews launch a train about every 90 seconds, that's impressive!

Hard to believe they're getting rid of Excalibur, what a bummer! It's my favorite ride in the park; wild and unique! I've heard people complain that it's rough, but to me - it's doing what a coaster should do! I never found it painful. But if the ridership isn't there, I understand. Still sucks, it's a real loss. We're running out of unique coasters, unfortunately. Sorry I can't get up there before it's gone.

^It would have been! Plenty of folks (coaster club people and the public) spoke their minds, called the park and wrote their letters (as did I, in a polite and non-demanding way). It worked! The Whizzer is the heart and soul of the park; the trees are overgrown and hang over the ride. Night rides are so cool under those trees! I know this isn't the most popular place for ACE stuff, but they gave the ride a preservation or landmark plaque out in front of the ride. Very cool! Many locals took their first coaster ride on Whizzer; either Whizzer or Little Dipper at Kiddieland. Great America has both now! The ride has regained some of it's old popularity; I've seen longer lines for Whizzer than X-Flight

How about some sort of "shuttle" water coaster, that takes you from the main Splashin' Safair over to the Hyena Falls area? High capacity, with a double track (one going each way). Just having fun: No matter what they do in the future, it's sure to be awesome! I remember hearing that spacing out the water attractions was all part of a bigger plan for the future. A joining lazy river, perhaps? A sky ride?

There are some good places to eat at Great America, but it's only fair to warn you how slow the food lines move. I've waited over an hour for food in the past few years, I no longer even attempt to eat in the park. Overpriced food is one thing, poor quality (cold fries and/or cold cheese for your fries, wrong orders, etc.) is another... but when you combine those with painfully long waits, that does it for me. For example, in Angelo's (cross the street from Batman), there is 1 register where there used to be 4. The same goes for free cups of water. You have to wait in that line to get them - same for refills on drinks; the places that have Coke Freestyle machines are typically VERY backed up with long, unorganized lines. And when you finally get up there, you bet your flavor will be out (how could they run out of regular Coke?); ice is typically gone on a hot day as well. I don't know why they haven't figured out how to replenish this stuff, but it happens again and again. I drink from fountains now, haven't spent a dime in the park in 3 years. I usually bring a cooler in my trunk and go out to the car for a meal, then leave the park for another, if I'm at the park that long. Of course it's all a trade off; you could eat at a time when it's not too busy... but then again, they shut down places when they're not busy. Don't mean to be a bummer, I love my home park. But gotta be honest; the service is way below that of a Cedar Fair or Disney park (but with comparable prices). The BEST thing about Great America, I think, is our awesome selection of flat rides and coasters. Don't miss the classic flats - Fiddler's Fling, Orbit, East River Crawler (Lobster), Hometown Fun Machine and Triple Play. Like anything at a park, they are better at night! Not to mention 2 classic log flumes...

The big question would be is who's running it? Six Flags or Subway? Subway is usually fast Well that's almost a deal sealer for me! I had my first Pizza-Pizza slice last year on my way home from Canada's Wonderland, and it was one of the best slices of pizza I've ever had. Maybe I was just really hungry and in a good mood, but it was incredible. Heaped with BBQ sauce, chicken, the works. It was nuts!

It really comes down to personal opinion. I am fine with Voyage and The Boss, but I stay away from anything called Vortex, as well as Maverick at Cedar point (haven't been back since they put the new restraints on; it's probably more rideable now.)

Thanks for the information guys! I'll be driving my own car, so I'll probably just keep my cooler packed and go out to the lot if I need a sandwich or snack. I did notice there is a Subway at La Ronde. Can't be too bad, could it?

Holiday World did it. Twice Just sayin... I can understand and respect that. I hope they have the money some day

^Thanks for the advice guys! I'm choosing to skip Darien Lake as I was there a few years ago. No hurry to get back there I'm glad to hear they usually run both sides of Le Monstre. It feels a little "shaky" going so far out of my way for a six flags park, but I've never been and I wanna get there before anything big changes with Le Monstre (including a progressively rough track, as I know the ride runs heavy PTCs now, but was designed for lighter Morgans). I'm a sucker for older mom & pop parks, so I think I'll be happy spending a day at Seabreeze. I'm meeting up with a friend at Martin's, and we don't plan on spending the whole day there. Any advice on eating in the park? I usually flat out refuse to waste my time and money trying to eat in a Six Flags park; it's not that the food is overpriced or that it's crappy, it's the horribly long and unorganized wait in line that keeps me away. I might just go out the cooler in my trunk and see what I got, unless there is a good option in the park? I shouldn't judge the service of the park before I go, but I've heard bad things and well... it's a six flags.

^Thanks for the input! I was wondering if they would ever get a 2nd train (and accompanying safety system) for Thunder Run. I remember waiting in a slow line years ago. The reason I haven't stopped in for a quick ride is... well, I just weight the pros and cons. I'm not a big fan of being super-stapled to my seat, the "RMC feel" if you will. I still want to ride it, don't get me wrong. I'll just wait until more stuff opens at the park and hopefully the operations get a little better. Until then, I'd rather spend my time at Holiday World or whatever park I'm passing through for. I've had such horrendous experiences at KK in the past, it just makes sense.

Hey guys, I'm going to La Ronde for the first time at the end of August. It's the first park on a trip that also includes Seabreeze, Martin's Fantasy Island (both of which I've never been to) and then ending at Conneaut/Waldameer (which I have been to, and I love them both!) My real interest in La Ronde is Le Monstre. Do both sides typically run during the week? I'll most likely be at the park on Tuesday, August 25th, with the option of going for a couple hours the night before (Monday) and/or a couple hours early Wednesday before I head out to Seabreeze. I'm definitely interested in getting on all the coasters; never been on a Vekoma Corkscrew before, and Goliath seems to have a unique flat turn around (flat turn enthusiast here! we do exist!)... but my main interest is Le Monstre. So the concerns are: 1) what's the probability I will be able to ride both sides of Le Monstre? 2) what are the lines like around then? Do I need a Flash Pass? Thanks for the input! Any advice is welcome

How is Thunder Run running? I wonder if they will ever get a 2nd train? On the way to Holiday World and southern trips, we pass close to Kentucky Kingdom, but don't feel like stopping due to rumored poor/slow operations. Is it true they have 2 trains for the new coasters but only use 1? I haven't been to the park since 2009, when I rode the heck out of the old Schwarzkopf shuttle loop (again!). It's hard to go back knowing that ride is not longer there.

It's all about what you like! I always get the wristband at Knoebels. I usually go during Phoenix Phall Phunfest and spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the park. When it's time to go, I never feel satiated! Knoebels can do that to a park fan! There is so much great, classic and unique stuff to do. I can ride the Spiral Slide over and over, it really is that much fun! Not to mention rides and re-rides on the awesome skyride, long train, carousel, etc. etc. etc. During a summer trip a few years back, a friend and I decided to skip a 2nd day at Knoebels in favor of an afternoon at Dorney (she needed the credits) and an evening "preview night" at Hersheypark. We both regretted not spending that 2nd day at Knoebels. If you're more into "big box" parks like Cedar Point and Six Flags, you might be fine getting tickets and getting the "credits." But if you like more mom & pop, classic and unique stuff, the wrist band is the way to go. Like most any park, Knoebels really comes alive when the sun comes down! Not to mention all the great food there! Knoebels grows on you; with each visit, it seems to get better!

Thunderbird at Holiday World. And what a coaster!

Another big bonus for Holiday World is outstanding service. They have built loyalty over the years; people know they will be treated well when they go to Holiday World. The operations, cleanliness, friendliness and value are 2nd to none. Having top rated world-class rides is a bonus!