Prof Kaos

I really hope it isn't a Splash Works expansion. I mean, it's not like that would be terrible, or even a bad call (splash works can get pretty damn crazy), but I'm really antsy for a good inverting coaster.

So with the crazy heat we're expecting tomorrow, any thoughts on how full the park should be?

I'm looking forward to Lumberjack next year. Obviously I'm eager for a new coaster one day, but new flats are also appreciated.

Wonderland is my home park, and I love going too. I did have the pleasure of going to KI earlier this month, and I really loved it as well. KI definitely has a much more solid coaster collection, even though CW has giga bragging rights. At KI, every coaster is rideable, and there are more coasters that are really good. Banshee, The Beast, Diamondback, and Mystic Timbers are all more or less on par with our two best, and then most of the rest at KI are all still good. We only have three good coasters at CW, a couple more decent ones, and a handful that are just rubbish (the two taking up space by the Kingswood, blech). So in that sense, I agree, KI is better. But our flat collection puts theirs to shame, badly. Not only that, but our flats are good on their own merits anyways. I mean, Shockwave gives a crazier ride than lots of coasters. Skyhawk is a great choose your own intensity ride, and Sledgehammer (when running, tbf) gives a unique, fun ride. Seriously, I love KI, but if it was my home park, I would miss the variety of flats on offer at CW. The atmosphere at KI is very nice. It's more polished, while being more rustic and quaint. It a struck me right away when visiting. Overall, I probably prefer the atmosphere at KI. Again though, CW deserves credit here too. The atmosphere at CW is grander. The mountain, the falls, Arthur's Bay with the diving shows, Leviathan over the entrance. It all adds up. Honestly, before going to KI, I was afraid it would ruin Wonderland for me, but it really didn't. I'd love to have as good a coaster collection, but that's only one facet of what makes a great park. I guess I'm trying to say that I love both parks the same, but for different reasons.

I too had a great time at KI when I went, and loved Banshee the most as well, such a solid coaster, with seven good inversions. Tbh, I didn't do a single flat while I was there as I wanted to ride all the coasters and then re-ride Banshee and Mystic Timbers. But, if I went regularly, I'd probably be disappointed with the selection of flats, especially because I'm used to the assortment at CW. As much as any park really benefits from more coasters, I'd love to see KI get some more flats in the future, as the coaster collection is really solid already.

It was the same at Kings Island. I find it to be a minor inconvenience at worst, though being eco friendly is likely just the spin they're putting on lowering their costs.

Honestly, we thought paying a buck an hour was cheap, and so just spent $6 bucks, and kept anything important/fragile in it all day. We returned to it once or twice, but it didn't seem like a big deal to me.

I've never made it to the Brew & BBQ Festival before, but hoping to go this year. Is it good? I'm worried the crowds will be nuts, and lines for beer and food will be out of hand (more so than usual for Wonderland), and that the food and beer will be ludicrously overpriced.

I'll try the second car next time. Don't get me wrong, I want Wild Beast to be good. The layout is solid, and it can give respectable airtime, but neither is good enough to offset the beating I usually endure. I give it another shot from time to time because I know that it is entirely capable of giving a great ride when the planets align (or something).

Sometimes Wild Beast gives a good ride, and very occasionally a really good ride. More often than not though, I regret riding it, and end up pretty battered.

I had the pleasure of riding Mystic Timbers, The Beast, and The Racer at Kings Island this past weekend, and none of the woodies at CW even come close to these. Even without comparing, I would never have considered Wild Beast or Minebuster great. They are okay. Sometimes they give good rides, sometimes they beat the living crap out of you, not in a good way. The classification of a coaster as wooden is less important than the ride it gives.

Finally rode my second hyper (I know, I'm still a rookie): Diamondback at KI. The only other hyper I have to compare to is Behemoth at CW. Behemoth still reigns supreme in my mind. Diamondback was good, and had a little more variety in its experience than behemoth, but its airtime wasn't as strong. I only rode Diamondback once, and I've had the privilege of riding Behemoth many times, and that will skew the data, but Diamondback wasn't even close in terms of airtime. I have to assume that it was a really subpar ride for Diamondback, but I didn't want to spend the day re-riding it, Banshee was my priority for the day, as CW has no good looping coasters.

Banshee at KI. I've been wanting to go there for some time, and was not disappointed! Experienced a rattle on my fourth and final ride on Banshee, but it wasn't nearly bad enough to spoil the ride. That slow in-line twist near the end is so awesome!

Was at KI yesterday for the first time, and I really loved it. The park is really nice, with a great atmosphere. My home park is CW, and I was really surprised at how spread of everything is at KI. I guess when there's not urban sprawl closing in on you from all sides, you have the luxury of spacing things out. This is my first trip to a park other than CW in more than 15 years, and the first one since I would even begin to consider myself an enthusiast. Being at KI gave me bittersweet feelings about CW. Wonderland really doesn't have its coaster game up to snuff in comparison, but it sure has a much wider selection of flats. Honestly, I'd say I like the parks about the same, but man, I really wish CW could get some more quality coasters. We enjoyed every coaster at KI, though certainly some more than others. Our day looked like this : Banshee x4 Invertigo x1 The Bat x1 Adventure Express x1 The Racer x1 Flight of Fear x2 Firehawk x1 Vortex x1 Backlot Stunt Coaster x1 Diamondback x1 The Beast x1 Mystic Timbers x2

Another question for folks familiar with the area around KI. What kind of traffic can one expect on a friday between 4 and 6 headed north from the park to Yellow Springs? Google Maps gives it a travel time of roughly an hour, but that's without much of any traffic. Should I expect dramatically higher travel time, or little to no change? Really not familiar with the area at all.

Thanks for the replies. I'm not really stressing over the weather, just trying to know what to anticipate if the weather isn't nice. Tbh, I'm hoping it's overcast with some light rain so I don't have to buy FL+.

I'm headed to KI next Friday. As of right now, it's looking like there could be a bit of rain and maybe a storm that day. Hopefully things start looking clearer in the days ahead. If it does rain, but not too badly, how is the park? Do some rides close sooner than others? At what point does the park just throw in the towel and close? Does it go that far? I can imagine there would be very little in the way of crowds on an overcast day with some rain, is this a safe assumption?

Cedar Point next year. But I'm actually going on a bit of a road trip to the Canadian east coast, so La Ronde is just one of the days we're in Montreal.

I'm simultaneously scared and excited to go to La Ronde for the first time next month. I'm excited because it has a couple ride types that CW doesn't (B&M Invert), but scared after reading Coasterbill's report. If it does suck that hard, maybe it'll just give me a greater appreciation for my home park.

Canada's Wonderland First ride last season was nearly always Vortex. I really enjoy it, and it's definitely my girlfriend's favourite. Also good to start the day, as after riding Behemoth and Leviathan, Vortex can start feeling pretty tame. This season, we're thinking Behemoth to start. Seriously, shortly after open it might have a 5 minute wait when Leviathan anyway has a 30+ minute wait.

I would love to see Minebuster get the RMC treatment. As it is right now, I can't ride it. I barely fit in the cars (6'4"), and the lap bar sits right against my stomach. If I get jerked around just right, I'll get punched in the gut by the damn coaster. Not pleasant. Wild Beast needs a hell of alot of love too, but at least I fit into those trains. And once in a while, it gives a decent ride. I'm not gonna get my hopes up too soon here, but I feel like they have to eventually do something about/with both those coaters (not to mention Flight Death and Spine Warp).

I imagine it has as much to do with comfort as it does with perceived safety. Wooden coasters (as a category) are more likely to be viewed as rough; rides that'll really beat you up. They could be enough to keep people off a hood wooden coaster.

If those footers weren't right next to Minebuster, I'd be excited. Still interested to see what their purpose is, and already anxious for announcements for next year regardless. The waiting game begins.

Canada's Wonderland this coming weekend, and then Kings Island in about two weeks time. So pumped!