AndrewA86

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Anyone know of a hotel with a shuttle to (and from) SDC and the Branson airport? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’d be interested in seeing how everything was ranked top to bottom within all the major parks. Or if that’s too much trouble if the entire list is released I could figure it out for myself. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For flights I use Matrix and Momondo. https://matrix.itasoftware.com/#search: https://www.momondo.com

Right, they don’t load the full train right away but as the trains warm up they add the other rows. Not sure how long they take exactly but I feel like it’s 15 min or so. The best time to get a rollback is to be on one of the first full trains. In fact, the last time I witnessed a rollback my friend and I were letting people in front of us trying to get on one of the first full trains. We got on the 2nd full train and the first one in front of us rolled back. If only the grouper told us to go to the first loading station... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah if it’s busier I would agree to make Dragster the 10:00 ride. But even on some busy days the dragster line did not get busy until after 12. One day, which I believe was at the end of June, I marathoned Dragster for a whole hour before 12 with no more than a 5 min wait. I think at least early in the day, Dragster benefits the most from the Steel Vengeance effect (everyone going there first, then probably Maverick). Most Everyone else from the front is going to Raptor because it’s in the front. Which leaves Dragster kind of caught in the middle. Valravn too if you get to it before 10:30. Valravn’s line was usually around 20-25 min at about 10:30. Most likely because that’s where the Raptor people go next. And Dragsters (if operating) is usually no more than 10 min. That’s why I would suggest doing Valravn at 10 and Dragster right after. But if someone hasn’t been on Dragster before and they see it operating at 10 it might be a good idea to hit that then because it could break down at any moment and possibly never open back up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't even know the last time we rode Dragster where we didn't have to wait through a 30ish minute breakdown in the station. I'm not even joking, it’s probably been like 5 years. Wow.. so I should expect a very difference from Great Adventure? the two times i've been to Gadv, both times on a late April weekend I went straight for KK and the station was empty for the first half hour of the day at least.. I got 5 front row rides in a row just last week, most I had to wait was one train to get the front.. and we had to wait for people to fill the train up, a half hour after opening. Then went to Toro and it was running trains half full for at least an hour after opening, probably longer but I left the area. I was hoping maybe by going to CP midweek in early June it would be a similar experience But I guess it's a different beast, more like Disney where there's always a minimum "crowdedness"? Last year on the 3 or 4 days that I went in early June on weekdays the park wasn't all that crowded at all. Before noon Dragster was basically a walk on for the regular line. 5-10 minutes at the most. And during the last 3 hours I would say that the park was dead. Everything was no more than a 5-10 minute wait except for Steel Vengeance, which was 45-90 minutes. On the days I went in early June I did very well getting on a majority of the bigger coasters before noon without FL+. If you follow this roadmap you should do pretty well... First of all get early entry access. That is key. At early entry I entered at the resort entrance. Walked, never ran towards SV. Did that, Maverick, and MF for early entry. By then early entry is over and the park has opened to the GP. I would head towards Valravn next which never had wait, and then while on Valravn I would look at Dragster and if operating I would do that next. It never had more than a 10 min wait. Then I would go to Gatekeeper which was never more than a 10-15 min wait. Then Wicked Twister with no wait. That's 7 coasters before noon. 8 if you want to make your way over to Blue Streak. It shouldn't have more than a 5-10 min wait. Then you can hit Magnum, Gemini, Corkscrew, Rougarou, Iron Dragon, Cedar Creek and any flats/water rides/ family rides. At about 5 make your way over to Raptor because the line will have calmed down, and you can do Blue Streak too if you didn't before. Then if it's anything like last year you should have minimal waits for anything you want to do until the park closes except Steel Vengeance. I would get in line for SV before the park closes it and make that the last ride of the day.

Kings island. Definitely opening day, maybe pass holder preview. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The Beast is the only coaster open for early entry in April so I assume if you get there at 9:30 and if you head straight there it should be no problem getting on one of the first 40 trains. I know I'll be on one of the first 40, if not the very first one!!

Flying past a t-Rex’s head was honestly one of the highlights of that ride for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I've been on MF countless times and I never noticed a T-Rex head on the island...

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Hey everyone, I’m just wondering how the fast pass system works at SDC like for example does the fast lane line merge or take you right to the station, and do you get to pick your row, etc.. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Food was terrible IMO. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No I’m with you. I would much rather see a ground up RMC for 2 reasons. 1. It adds a coaster without taking one away. 2. I actually like Carowinds’ Hurler. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FWIW someone who’s rode CS says it is better than Blue Fire. So that’s promising... [emoji16] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

YES!!! This looks like a MAJOR upgrade!!!! That Reds hall of fame grill was terrible...

Fair enough, but I'm 11 hours from Charlotte. So I'm trying to determine whether or not I want to book a flight (or drive) and hotel room to go down there again to ride this.

This is not a "family coaster". Sometimes it kills me to consider myself an enthusiast because if any new coaster doesn't blow the previous ones out the water then, for some, it was a waste. The coaster is fun, exciting and thrilling. Personally I never compare coasters because to me that's kinda silly. Like, why not go in and appreciate it for what it is and not because its better than "X" coaster or worst? What makes me enjoy riding coasters is to ride them because I love coasters and not to be critical and feel as if the park has to cater to my needs. Copperhead Strike is a great fit and balances out the coaster collection at Carowinds. You said it was a family coaster... "I have to say, Copperhead is a very fun family coaster and it seems it is what the park was missing."

I was expecting something closer to Helix.

I'm actually really bummed from reading people's reviews. I didn't think this was supposed to be a family coaster...

I guess I did miss it because recently (as in the last couple pages) people were striking down the idea of a big major coaster coming. Something I agree with BTW... But with the space they have cleared I think it's reasonable that it could be for another coaster in 2020. I could be wrong, but IMO it's not unreasonable..

You think it's unreasonable to think a coaster is coming in 2020? Not talking about a huge 500 footer, just a coaster...

I do not know exactly what interview you are referring to here. But I have not seen anything from Cedar Point, or Cedar Fair which suggests whatever is coming will be a 2020 attraction.. The Rob Decker quote i heard/read from someone who I believe is a legit source that has a YouTube channel. Meaning, I don’t think they made it up. Now maybe he (Rob) wasn’t being serious, I don’t know, I wasn’t there. Now in terms of 2020 coaster/ attraction evidence/ speculation... What about taking out the stadium, hotel, and dorms? Like I said before, they didn’t remove that stuff to plant flowers... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well the evidence that we do have points to a coaster. What evidence? Well first, Tony Clark has said that what is coming will be on the same scale as Steel Vengeance if not better. CP has removed the extreme sports stadium, sandcastle suites, and the dorms by Valravn. I don't think they're removing all of that just to plant more flowers. CP keeps buying property on the mainland. Most likely to free up space on the peninsula, and again not to just plant more flowers. Also, celebrating 150 years is not arbitrary, it's a milestone. Like a couples 50th wedding anniversary. You celebrate milestones by doing something special. Ok, so what park are we talking about? Not Michigan's Adventure... We are talking about America's Roller Coast.. A park that is known for building coasters that break records. An oh by the way did I mention they have been clearing space like crazy recently...So celebrating a milestone with some kind of new record breaking coaster is not unrealistic IMO. And BTW who's rushing? CP has known what it will be for years now. Will it be a 500 foot seatbelt only B&M, I don't know... But I think it's pretty safe to say that it will be a coaster and it will break record(s) in some way, shape, or form. It sure as hell won't be just a few retro things. That much I'm sure of. 1. What I meant by "arbitrary significance" is that the year the park just so happened to open (in this case, a century and a half ago) should not have a bearing on what is smart for them today from an investment standpoint. In other words, I don't see how the coincidence of a major coaster with an anniversary year is supposed to have any appreciable affect on the bottom line. How would putting in a major coaster on an anniversary year as opposed to a major coaster any other year have any differing affect on attendance, or lack thereof. 2. I'm not saying they won't celebrate it. They will, and they should as it is something special. But throwing a bunch of money into yet another supercoaster is not necessarily the way to do it... I can imagine their working on some artsy logo that you'll see throughout the park, on maps, brochures etc. advertising their 150th. There will be some "retro things" as I've said, to honor the park's history. But I'm skeptical as to why they would do anything past that. 3. What I meant by "rush", is that the timeline just wouldn't make sense for another huge thing by 2020. 2013 - Gatekeeper - $25 million 2016 - Valravn - (don't know for sure, but I'd surmise at least $15 million, at most $20 mill, based on other Divers) 2018 - SV - (Again don't know for sure I would imagine at least $20 million) 2020 - Another $20 million+ record-breaker? Would seem like overinvestment to me. Granted, there was the Intamin explosion of 2000-2007, but that those were different times, and under different leadership. I'm not claiming to be a business savant or anything, nor am I privy of CP's growth potential, but I do know this... According to Cedar Fair's last conference call: "Zimmerman also said that the company may stretch the time between major new rides opening at some parks. (He called it “stretching out the cadence of the more significant investments.”) Citing Cedar Point’s record-breaking roller coaster Steel Vengeance, which debuted in 2018, and Carowinds’ acclaimed Fury 325, new in 2015, Zimmerman said: “We can continue to leverage those for many years in our marketing campaigns.” https://www.cleveland.com/business/2019/02/cedar-fair-parks-recover-from-slow-first-half-report-attendance-spending-growth-for-2018.html In other words, they're gonna continue to brandish SV as the new shiny toy for years to come - not invest money in a whole new one. 4. To clarify what I meant by "we should be set for a while", I'm saying I'd think the appeal to their thrillseeking market has reached saturation (if not gone past it). In other words, anyone who isn't currently drawn by the bazillion record-breakers they already have, is not going to be drawn in by another one. If I had to guess on their next coaster, I'd think it'd be an intermediate, family coaster. Nothing too extraordinary. 5. I don't view Clark's comments as evidence but more just as marketing 101. Suppose they definitely weren't getting anything big in the immediate future, its not like he would say something like "We hope you like Steel Vengeance, because you're not going to be getting anything like that for a looooooooooong time". He's just trying to stir buzz, and hype up the park's future as much as possible. That's part of his job, and considering how much discussion there's been on this matter, I'd say he's doing his job quite well. Ok fair enough. I just want to clarify that I’m not saying they are getting a supercoaster. But I think they will get a coaster of some sort for the reasons I have already mentioned. And CP will claim it breaks some kind of record(s). As for point #4. They need people to keep coming. I like to use my brother as an example. He’s not an enthusiast at all, but he’s a thrill seeker. He only goes to parks with me when they have a new coaster. So this year he will not visit CP, or KI. He will go to Kennywood and Great America. I could be wrong but I think a lot of CP’s guests would fall into that same category as my brother. So if CP didn’t get a coaster for 2020 I’d be very interested to see what the crowds are like. Because people like my brother are not coming back because of some retro things. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No he didn't. I'm sorry, you are right. It wasn't Tony Clark it was Rob Decker. And his quote was "Bigger and badder than Steel Vengeance". It's according to a certain youtube channel that I'm not sure I can post a link to..