n1ch0las

I can attest. Rode NTaG a couple years back as my first RMC. I've never ever had to even think about losing my wallet out of my back pocket on a coaster before, but during my 7th or 8th ride I saw it go flying into the row ahead of me on an airtime hill. Thank god it bounced into the guy next to me's lap and he grabbed it and gave it back. I flew back home a few hours after that and wouldn't have made it through security without it! Love that ride.

Sorry to double post, but the bankruptcy hearing was last week and went better than expected for the park. After 3 and a half hours of debate between the two sides (and apparently a bus load of supporters) the judge sided with Mediation between the two sides to be completed within 60 days. He also granted the taxing authorities over 400K from the insurance settlement after the Beach Club fire a few years back. For those of you who don't know what legal mediation is - it's exactly what it sounds like. They've been ordered to compromise. If they can't compromise, then it will likely go back to court for a final decision. Thought this quote from the judge summed up his decision quite well:

Pretzel loops on B&M Flying coasters. Don't even know how many times I've seen objects go flying when you hit the top of the loop with the floater air.

Substitute X-Flight with Raging Bull and those are typically your top three. Raging Bull doesn't tend to get above 45 minutes, so yes X-Flight and those two are the longest. American Eagle has the shortest line, and never really gets above 20 minutes 6 or 7 years ago I'd agree with you on the Raging Bull thing. Substitute poor operations, flash pass increases, and a whole lotta teenagers in that EAP line though and suddenly one full queue house means a 90 minute wait.

I'll just go ahead and skip most of the Leviticus and Job themed holes.

Substitute X-Flight with Raging Bull and those are typically your top three.

^Work on circulation of blood to your brain. Practice thinking really hard, that usually helps increase stamina. I'm not the type of guy to not ride a roller coaster, so usually I'm kicking myself (literally) half way through every Arrow Mine Train (other than the one at SFStL) as I slam my knees into the middle bar for the 6th or 7th time heading into the unnecessary 3rd lift hill. I hate those things.

It's really amazing how quickly things can spiral downhill in just 9 years...

It actually sounds like the board of trustees for the park tried to get the hotel operator to pay them their debts, likely so they could use the money to pay their own...getting desperate

I really didn't expect 1988 to be the oldest third of this board: Shockwave @ SFGAm takes the win out of the coasters opened that year, which honestly was a pretty sad year for coasters that still operate today! I suppose an honorable mention can go to Wolverine Wildcat, and I wouldn't even pick a third place out of that bunch.

So somebody wants to develop a theme park around the family friendly idea of children murdering other children who are less fortunate financially? Sounds like it'll do really well.

These crowds are very typical for the 3rd and 4th weeks of Fright Fest. The park has been doing these numbers for years now, and the attendance in peak summer really isn't much higher than what was typical in the 90s and 2000s. The difference to guest satisfaction and lines is decreased staffing (which leads to decreased engagement because their shifts are a living hell) in F&B joints and increased use of Flash Pass and EAP. 10 years ago (when Flash Pass existed) Bull could clear a full queue house in 45 minutes, full queue in an hour and 15. I bet over the weekend some people waited over 2 1/2 for a ride. Don't even get me started on Goliath, that station can become a disaster, especially when they make those poor people in wheel chairs cram along the side of Iron Wolf's tiny exit ramp. Needless to say, poor Operations are a bigger deal than increased crowds.

X2, Magnum and Big Bad Wolf for me.

Update from the park below, not good news I'm afraid. It's not over yet, but it sounds like it would take a near miracle or major investment of liquid assets to save the park at this point.

I'll be in the minority here, but after riding all three quite a few times, I still put Mantis/Rou in the front. I actually think Raptor kicks your ass a little more than Rougarou does and I really like positive Gs and the quick transitions that the former standup coaster still delivers. Though Gatekeeper is a public winner and makes for a dramatic entrance to the park, I thought the ride was pretty boring and after 2-3 rides it actually made me kind of sick, which barely ever happens to me on coasters.

I know it's likely been talked about to death, but this is just the start of a larger demand based pricing system that will eventually be better for everyone. Annual Passholders at Disneyland have been overrunning the park for years now, which obviously detracts from guest experience of regular day ticket holders. The park has raised prices before which obviously hasn't achieved their goal, and they will continue doing this until they reach the number of passholders they want at the right price. By raising ticket prices (and annual pass prices) on peak days such as Christmas, Spring Break and Summer Disney is able to reduce volume while increasing revenue and guest experiences during the day. I think the big question will be whether or not they lower ticket prices on off-peak days as much as they jack them up during the holidays, my guess is they will offer a slight discount on slower days, but tickets will be significantly more expensive on busy days. And to add to the talk about madness of price increases, when I lived in SoCal in 2012 I bought my premium pass for $500. That's an increase of 103% over 3 years.

Arkham Asylum at Warner Bros Movie World in Australia was actually a really great SLC experience. It had new trains and restraints that were vests and not headbang machines that all the other models have. Turns out when the ride isn't slowly torturing you its actually pretty great. Honorable mention goes to the GIBs around the world, when they work they are really fun.

While a lot of the hypers and gigas mentioned have some pretty great drops, for me nothing tops X2. Going up backwards, not sure which way you're going to flip and ending up looking straight down that drop was one of the greatest experiences on any coaster.

Both Magnum and Skyrush are rides that I need to ride with at least one hand on the restraint at all times, but I also love terrifying airtime so they are both ranked quite highly. Magnum is a good example of a coaster that really solidified my love for traveling to theme parks.

One of the reasons RMC is so hot with chains like Six Flags is because they offer very good value for money in terms of thrills - this looks like an extension of that business plan. This track looks versatile, strong and able to support a full, ground up built steel coaster with plenty of "next level" elements that we probably haven't even seen before. Most importantly, it might be able to be produced cheaper than competitors in the steel coaster market, and that's a win for the company. Next step is improving their products with each iteration and providing a more reliable experience for parks with better capacity. It's already been said but it reminds me of B&M track spine without the rails - either way its really neat to see this company create so many patents in such a short period of time. I wonder when they sleep?

^Right? I waited a solid 45 minutes for it the first time, the second time when I came through the ticket host asked if I was a single rider and directed me right on in! It's not signed too well and since they usually sit in the front of that line its easy to miss, but it really makes your wait a lot shorter.

If you're going when school is in session on a offpeak weekday Sept-Feb the place will be absolutely dead. When this happens they will rotate ride ops between rides so watch out for this and plan your riding accordingly. That being said you won't wait more than one cycle for just about everything so the amount of rides won't ever be a problem. I always liked visiting here in Mid-Feb when you're just itching to ride something for an afternoon when the regular season is still a ways off. No lines and plenty of fun when you bring some friends. Since you won't spend all day there I'd also recommend walking around the mall, eating tons at the food court and visiting the aquarium.

I wish all TR's were this well written. Sounds like a really nice event with plenty of rides, tours and fun.

Looks like the bankruptcy plan filing is imminent, hopefully they can report good revenues for 2015's main season. http://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/local_news/breaking-conneaut-lake-park-expected-to-file-plan-regarding-million/article_8b5dc3de-5c09-11e5-8843-0713aea88bf5.html?utm_source=Daily+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=8b8e944316-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN+%2A%7CRSSFEED%3ADATE%7C%2A&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3f6f2faad7-8b8e944316-89358409

I agree with spending money to make money. What I meant was that anyone who was following the signs leading up to the announcement and actually thought a coaster was on the way wasn't living on the same planet as you or I. I think a front gate coaster would do loads for this park, MSP is a growing metro area and VF could and should continue investing into the park to bring in new business.