CP_RULES

Ozark Wildcat.

Where to begin? I have lived less than 4 hours from Branson my entire life but this was my first ever trip to the city. I had spent 5 days before this in Joplin hanging with people who I knew down there with my best friend, and we were a bit worn out to say the least. Silver Dollar City When we finally got to SDC I was amazed at how many cars were there for a Friday. It literally took us 30 mins in traffic just to get to the parking lot! We parked in lot F and by the time we actually got our tickets (50 bucks is a HUGE rip-off) and got into the park we had wasted an extra hour. Now for the park itself. Now I know people aren't going to like hearing this, but I can't say that I really liked the park all that much. The rides were top notch, the atmosphere was cool, and the smells were agonizingly amazing. However, the park lacked so much to me. All it felt like was walking around through a little western town with tons of shops and stalls, and oh look a carousel! There was a ton of shade which was nice, but as far as things to do, you could be done in less than two hours, which hardly makes it worth the price. A tourist trap? Silver Dollar City DEFINITELY is one. We managed to get on the Disk-O once (forgot the name), the Giant Swing once, ThuNderaTion twice, Fire in the Hole once, Wildfire three times, and PowderKeg once (we would've ridden again but it broke down and we had to leave). Reviews (from best to worst)- PowderKeg: A Blast in the Wilderness-- 10/10-- We rode in the front seat and let me tell you, this ride is truly amazing. The launch was VERY powerful feeling (my picture was hillarious), it had TONS of hidden airtime and laterals, it was smooth, twisted, and just a blast! Pun intended. Wildfire-- 9/10-- This was my first B&M sit-down and yes it was fun. It had some nice forces and kept its speed well. However, it was fairly short and though it was FAR from rough (no headbanging what-so-ever), it did have a bit of a shake to it. ThuNderaTion-- 8/10-- By far the best mine train I've ever ridden. It was smooth, forceful, and just all-around fun. Its built on the side of a giant Missouri hill so it starts out right from the station and really gets going immediately. What I didnt like was how the lift was at the end and it only had a little bit of track after it. Too much wasted speed at the brake run. Disk-O-- 8/10-- This was just your standard Disk-O without the extra hump, but it was fun. I hadn't ridden one before and I always thought they looked boring, but it was thoroughly fun and had a nice long cycle. The Giant Barn Swing-- 6/10-- These rides are a lot of fun, and the theming really was a nice touch, but what is up with parks and cycling them so short? How am I supposed to enjoy a ride that takes longer to get on than it does to ride? Shame on you SDC, I was at least expecting a longer circuit than Cedar Point... Fire in the Hole-- 5/10-- I went into this "coaster" not knowing what to expect AT ALL, and I can't say I came out satisfied. The whole "dark ride section was horribly "themed" if you can even call it that. The three drops were unexpected and the splash at the end was a nice surprise, but overall I got off the ride just kind of thinking "what?!". I didn't bring my camera, so here's a few cell phone pictures: One of the great things about Wildfire is its location. The view is simply amazing. Wildfire again. The cobra roll was smooth and fun. PowderKeg... it was closed when I took this. Celebration City After we left SDC we took the short drive to CC. Now I had heard a lot about this park feeling like a carnival, but I didn't really catch too much of that drift from the park. The price was MUCH more reasonable ($26), and the atmosphere felt nice. Granted we were only at the park long enough to ride each coaster once (we would've ridden OzCat twice but it broke down), but overall I felt the park was sufficient for what it is advertised to be; unlike SDC which was supposed to be this amazing super duper uber family fun park and couldn't live up to that. We rode Jack Rabbit once, Thunderbolt once, and Ozark Wildcat once before leaving the park. Reviews (from best to worst)- Ozark Wildcat-- 9/10-- I had heard a lot about this ride being great and I had a great GCI experience from Evel Knievel so I went into this ride open-minded yet still expecting a great ride. Now it was not as good as Evel Knievel, but it was a great ride. A few spots of unexpected airtime and some great laterals made this ride the second best coaster of the trip. The negative would have to be the incredibly short length. Thunderbolt-- 7/10-- This may be a small, portable coaster but I managed to enjoy it still. It wasn't really rough and it was a lot of fun. TONS of incredibly close head choppers, some nice forces, and one really surprising turn. Its definitely not the biggest or the best, but it was a good ride. Jack Rabbit-- 6/10-- This was one of the biggest WTF coasters I have ever ridden. It was really jarring, but somehow fun in that twisted sick way. It had airtime, some crazy laterals, and it somehow managed to pop my back. It's definitely one of those rides that you get off thinking "What just happened to me...? Let's go again!" A few more pictures: OzCat. You can see the crazed turn in this pic of Thunderbolt. WTF: The Ride. ------------------------------------------------ Overall my first ever Branson trip was a letdown in a way. It may have been the crazy Joplin trip that preceded it coupled with high expectations, or it could've been that I'm too old to enjoy such a family environment. Maybe it was that we only had a limited amount of time to enjoy the parks. Who knows really, but the point is that at the end of the day I couldn't help but think the Branson trip wasn't worth the money spent to take it. I'm glad I got the credits but something amazing will have to be added before I find myself going back.

If the 900 foot view from the top of the arch in St. Louis was boring, then how is this little 400 foot wheel in the middle of nowhere interesting supposed to be an attraction?

Was this on a Saturday? You couldn't pay me to go to SFStL on a Saturday! I've NEVER seen a full queue on Screamin' Eagle, I don't even want to hear about the waits on B:TR or Boss! Anyways, how did Big Mike like EK?

They didn't have any problem naming WOF's new B&M steel inverted coaster Patriot after "Castles n' Coasters" coaster...

http://www.nolimitsdevcenter.net/p4887 -Trackwork 100% -Supporting 100% -Station & Queue 95% -Surrounding Areas 95% -Foliage 60% I've uploaded two new pictures, a nice shot of the layout that shows a little more, and an aerial view of the whole shebang.

Amazing night time pictures, very good TR.

^I haven't really looked into getting a hotel, I guess I just figured it'd be out of the question. You may be right though, I mean if my mom pays with her credit card over the phone, then why would they care who stays in the room? And thanks for the info savethewhales, but how much would something like that cost? When I really think about it, staying the night there would cost just as much, if not more, than another tank of gas! Maybe what I should just go ahead and say is that its a definite that we are going to only go to both parks in one day. Okay, now that that has been decided I need to know what day (it doesn't have to be the weekend savethewhales, I'm talking any day of that entire week) we'd go, and what is the cheapest I could get into both parks.

I'm 16, the friend I'm going with is 16. That means we cant get a hotel. If we go for two or three days, that means we have to make the 2 hour drive from Joplin to Branson (and back) twice or three times. There goes a few tanks of gas. No thank you.

Alright so I've got a major update with whats going on. We plan on heading to Joplin for the week of August 3rd. We are only going to go to Branson for one day. Two days just isn't an option due to gas prices. What I need to know is what will be the least crowded day on that week (Sunday-Sat)? I also need to know if there is a place to buy cheap bundled tickets for ONE DAY to both parks. The least I can find is a 3 day pass, and we definitely don't need that.

I was there on Monday and EK wasn't really squeaking. There were a few small squeaks here and there, especially on the station turn around, but it wasn't bat at all.

Yes, we were there SAT night and SUN morning and there was a bit of squealing going on. It had rained just before we arrived; perhaps the track oil had washed off. Does anyone who goes there often recall it squealing all the time? It wasn't squealing on opening day. I'm going on Monday so I'll let you know if it has gotten better. Nice TR by the way.

No, this could just be outhouses... I mean, it hasn't been confirmed it's a coaster...

Bored much, Robb?

http://www.nolimitsdevcenter.net/p4887 Frisson, meaning a sudden, passing sensation of excitement; a shudder of emotion; thrill; a moment of intense excitement, is an intense Intamin shuttle launch coaster that incorporates one inversion into its 1617 feet of track. The ride is very intense yet very smooth. It is all handmade then AHGed. I am adding scenery from the park pack and constructing a custom support station. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've made A LOT of progress and even made my own entrance and 3ds signage that looks quite nice IMO. There's still a lot of fine tuning to go, but here's some "progress facts": -Trackwork 99% -Supporting 100% -Station & Queue 90% -Surrounding Areas 50% -Foliage 40% Now I don't want to show off too much of what is going on, but here are a few photos (more at linked NLDC page): The inversion. The spike. A peek at the main entrance, queue, and station.

This one seems a bit more confirmed than SFMM's at the moment...

Sorry to be a pooper scooper, but you must be dead if you think Patriot is boring. Its forceful (storong positives on the first drop and loop, three moments of airtime, two of them pretty strong for an invert), fun, and smooth. Not only do I think it's the best ride in the park, but it easily beats out half of the "amazing" rides I've ridden at Cedar Point. I think you're in the minority if you think a 150 foot B&M invert is boring.

Aren't some of the teaser signs boasting a "steep incline"? One could easily imply from such a statement that the lift will be steep.

I hardly consider Patriot a fluke. Not only did it greatly increase attendance, it is also a great ride. The way people are treating WOF is disgraceful. This is WOF, not CP, SFMM, or SFGAdv. -Justin "No one seemed to laugh at IB or HW's sad attempts at making advertisement teasers" Seabaugh

I just updated mine today. Exciting. 1- Maverick (Cedar Point) 2- Mr. Freeze (Six Flags St. Louis) 3- Evel Knievel (Six Flags St. Louis) 4- Patriot (Worlds of Fun) 5- Batman: The Ride (Various Parks) 6- The Boss (Six Flags St. Louis) 7- Raptor (Cedar Point) 8- Timber Wolf (Worlds of Fun) 9- Mantis (Cedar Point) 10- Mamba (Worlds of Fun)

To all that are trying to say this is the parents fault or that the parents didn't raise the kid right, SHAME ON YOU! As a 16 year old I can tell you that no matter how my parents have raised me, I don't tend to make all of my decisions based on their best wishes. Whether it be speeding on the highway when they tell me to drive the speed limit, or something slightly worse, teenagers are going to disobey their parents no matter what. This HORRIBLE accident is the kid's fault and the kid's fault ONLY. Once again, I am SO sorry to the family, friends, and the park for this horrific... accident?

People die in car wrecks every minute and that doesn't stop me from getting in my car. Besides, that wasn't the ride itselfs fault.

You want to take him on something that is going to be really smooth and just plain fun. If he gets motion sick then don't take him on a ride that goes upside down. You don't want it to be too intense either. Here's what I recommend: -Silver Bullet -Scream -Goliath -Batman: TR Batman may be too intense, and all of them but Goliath go upside down. So the best choice may be Goliath, but then again that one I hear is pretty intense. I think I just convinced myself that Silver Bullet or Scream is the best choice.

As amazingly stupid this boy may have been for going into the restricted area, I can't help but think about all of his friends and family. As a 16 year old, if this happened to one of my close friends their stupidity would be the last thing on my mind. My thoughts and prayers go out to the boy's friends and family, this is an absolutely horrible accident.

Great pictures of KD, the park looks really nice! And why wont you ride sky coasters? Cause the reason should be because they suck, not cause they're scary. -Justin "wont waste another $30 bucks to ride a thrill-less sky coaster again" Seabaugh