Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

operative_me

Members
  • Posts

    159
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by operative_me

  1. Checking out the webcams today, the Monster trucks are starting to arrive. Also saw that Sky Ride was running. Good to see the park getting it ready to be mothballed til June due to staffing issues.
  2. I would love to, but looking at their schedule it seems like the best chance for that would be around Christmas. That might be kind of tough.
  3. This is only a guess, but I think that is temporary while they move some things in and out. I heard that the actual ride in a monster truck course is going to be on the Cedars site. You would exit through the Marina gate to get to it. Where Luminosity is they will have displays for the trucks. At least, that's what the word on the street is.
  4. Well after spending a few days at Carowinds, climbing up a few mountain peaks, and enjoying the small town of Hot Springs, I headed towards SMNP and my first chance to visit Dollywood. We spent Thursday night in Cherokee, NC, hitting up the casino and planned on a leisurely drive on Friday through the Smoky Mountains up to the Pigeon Forge area where our cabin was. Not so fast my friend. Friday the area got about 3.5" of rain, and US-441 (the only road through the park) was closed due to flooding and high winds, so we had to detour east around the whole park. Once on I-40, we were greeted with a 20 mile traffic jam since a recent landslide reduced the freeway into 1 lane each way. So what was supposed to be a 1 hour drive turned into 4 hours, effectively killing a good part of the day. We got to our cabin and pretty much called it a day. We left in the evening to go ride the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster in the drizzle after dark. That was a lot of fun, and a re-ride is $8, which I took advantage of. Saturday we did Gatlinburg, it was a good time albeit a bit touristy. The aquarium is quite nice. Sunday was Easter, a lot of things were closed, but the road into the National Park was open so we went to Clingman's Dome where we found a good quantity of snow. Seriously I drive all the way from Cleveland to drive up into the mountains so I can find snow. I'm an idiot. Monday was finally on to Dollywood. I had originally thought of doing 2 days, but with the extended detour and the fact that my girlfriend is not as gung-ho about rollercoasters as I am, we decided that 1 day would be enough and I was fine with that. First thing to say: TIME SAVER! Do it. $50 dollars for the unlimited Time Saver? Are you freaking kidding me? Fast Lane plus at CP is 2-3 times that. Holy cow it's a no brainer. Secondly, I love the themeing of this place. Seeing as how I am usually at Cedar Point, where their idea of themeing is "Hey we fixed the effects in the Maverick launch tunnel after years of neglect!", it was nice to experience. The setting in the hills is fun and a lot of the rides interact with the terrain really well, which I'll rave about plenty as this goes on. The park was plenty busy, but with Time Saver it really didn't matter to me. I don't really care about the shows, but they certainly seem to have a lot of them. Of course when I arrived at park opening I looked to see if Lightning Rod was open. It was not. It wouldn't make or break the trip, I mean I had a great time, got a year older, climbed some mountains, visited 2 new parks, spent some quality time with my girlfriend, so one coaster being closed isn't going to rui- OMG PLEASE LET THIS THING OPEN DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! Fortunately around noon they started cycling trains on LR so I jumped in line, and shortly thereafter it opened for business. I got about 12 rides on it in all, so I'd say that's a pretty good day. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the park, although I'm glad I only did 1 day. Apparently I'm not as mature as I thought and my coaster nerdom is still strong, I was able to knock out the rides I wanted pretty easily and was satisfied with that. (TIME SAVER! Remember these words!). Dollywood Express- A 2-8-2 Mikado? Holy crap! Maybe the coolest train ride I've taken in a park to this point. It runs on a schedule every hour (I assume on days they run 2 trains it's every 30 minutes) so it's not like other parks where you just get in line and wait for the next train. Check the schedule and get there 15 minutes before it departs. A very fun and scenic ride, and gave a good view of Wildwood Grove. They still have a lot of work to get done as far as they finishing touches, but it looks like it will be an awesome addition to the park. Blazing Fury - After collecting my Time Saver, this was the first coaster I came across. It's a cool ride, focusing on thematics as opposed to a crazy intense ride. Good for families and younger riders, I can think of a certain park up North that could use something like this. Tennessee Tornado - You been on 1 Arrow looper, you've been on them all right? Nope. Easily the best Arrow Looper I've been on. Normally before riding these I need to make an appointment with my chiropractor, not the case here. Uses the terrain to it's advantage. This is a good coaster. Not good for an Arrow, a good coaster in general. It seems like Ron Toomer oh wow Alan Schilke got the bending system right this time. Firechaser Express - Another fun family ride. Don't let the "family" part fool you. Although young kids can ride it, this ride is very cool even as an adult. Once again takes full advantage of the terrain to really make the ride pop. Wild Eagle - I've only been on 1 wing coaster (Gatekeeper), so that's all I have to compare to. I like this ride a lot. Once again, takes advantage of the terrain in a fun way, going up and down hills and whistling through the trees. It seems the forces are stronger than Gatekeeper and it doesn't lose it's speed halfway through. I got several re-rides on this and enjoyed the front and back seats the same. Only thing I think is better on GK is the first drop and the keyhole. Thunderhead - I'll admit I didn't know much about this ride going in, so it was a pleasant surprise. A good woodie, it seems like they have been doing some retracking on the 2nd hill/turnaround. I thought it was pretty smooth for a wooden coaster (remember for years I had to ride Mean Streak so take that with a grain of salt) and had a lot of the good elements of a GCI. I got several re-rides on this as well. Mystery Mine - Another coaster I didn't know much about going in, so the actual ride was a total surprise. I actually didn't know it had 2 vertical lifts. A good blend of drops and inversions and themeing and effects. A little jerky in some parts but overall pretty good. Lightning Rod - Yes, yes, and more yes. I've seen plenty of POVs so I don't know why the launch surprised me, but it did. It really whips you up the mountain. Once again, they took full advantage of the terrain, and it makes for a really unique experience. So much has been written about it that I don't think I need to go into great detail, but wow. Steel Vengeance is the only other RMC I've been on, so while I don't think LR as intense with the forces, I think that is a good thing. I could ride this thing for days. It's one of those rides you wish didn't end. One small note about Lightning Rod, and Dollywood in general, is that the staff is so freaking nice it hurts. Maybe too nice. I've never seen so many, um, larger folks not being able to ride. And I thought Wicked Twister was bad. I don't want to shame anyone, and don't wish the walk of shame on anybody, but some of these folks were so large they would have trouble fitting in a taxi. It wasn't even close. I don't know how you can nicely encourage folks to try to test seat but damn. I also want to thank everyone on this forum who posted good advice about visiting this park. Once again, by reading this forum I was able to get some valuable insight before visiting, which helped immensely. (TIME SAVER) A couple of lousy pics and I'm done. Easter Sunday. 70 degrees. And yes the cabin I stayed in was called "Moose on the Loose" 1 hour later at Clingman's Dome. 35 degrees. This is what you could see on a clear day. This is what I actually saw. Well worth the price of admission.
  5. I assume that is for the Monster Truck attraction they are doing, which is supposed to take place in the Luminosity area and the old Cedars Dorm site.
  6. I also want to mention that a big part of riding TTD is preparation. I don't mean the wait, the breakdowns, or the launch. You have to be ready to endure hearing a snippet of Republica's "Ready To Go" roughly 3.2 billion times while waiting in the station. The song will be in your dreams afterwards.
  7. What the others have said is correct, get SV and Maverick out of the way early. If you get really lucky you can make it over to Millennium Force for a little magic gate time. Another trick I use is if I see Dragster is down, but maintenance is working on it or it is cycling empties, I go hit up Magnum a ride that for awhile until I see TTD is open. Granted the second it starts cycling a line will form (hell it might have a line before that), but if you can get over quick enough the line will be minimal compared to what it will be later. You DO NOT want the fun experience of waiting 90 minutes for Dragster just to have it go down while you are in the station.
  8. ^^ that was my first thought too about The Beast. Hopefully not too much of it's seclusion is affected. That is large chunk of land being cleared. Personally, I'm thinking the giga rumors are true. But what the hell do I know?
  9. You'll love it. Fury defintely lives up to the hype. What 300+ ft coaster that goes 90+ mph doesn't? Oh wait some think Millennium Force sucks lol. Which is the other giga I've been on. Both are great rides. Also awesome: they sell beer 24 hrs in South Carolina, and fireworks are plentiful and cheap.
  10. I finally got to visit Dollywood on Monday. Had a fun time, I'll try to post more about it later. I know this isn't Dollywood specific but I did try to visit the coaster at Goats on the Roof. The store was open but the coaster was closed. The lady working the store said it took some storm/flood damage a while back, and it would be closed for at least another month. Her exact words were "they have a lot to put back together". Ouch, that sounds unfortunate. Hope they are able to get it back together. I did ride Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster twice. That was a hell of a lot of fun, my first alpine coaster experience and I rode it at night. Kind of creepy flying through the woods with no one around!
  11. Visited Carowinds for the 1st time last week, 4/15-4/17. When I was a kid we passed this place many times on vacation, but never stopped in. We had Cedar Point so why bother? Lol. Left Cleveland on Monday morning with the temp a balmy 39 degrees. By the time we entered NC we were peeling off layers off clothes, it was good to be in the sun. Stayed at the Motel 6 right across the street from the park. It was adequate, it was a Motel 6. Only real complaint was the keycards. I don't know if the place was built on an Indian graveyard or what but the damn cards would stop working constantly. They gave you a speech on check in to keep the keys away from phones, electronics, the remote to your car, peanut brittle, air. No matter what you did, they would stop working. They had lines of people coming to get new keys throughout my stay. It was kinda of funny. Went to the park on Monday about 6pm, and the park was starting to empty. I was able to get on Intimidator, Fury and a few other rides. Basically knocked out a lot of the must rides in the first couple of hours, setting up Tuesday to be a very relaxed day. At about 9:30 I wandered over to Copperhead Strike, the app said a 40 minute wait, but the host at the entrance said it was a walk on. Was able to get 4 rides in before closing, so all in all a good night. Tuesday the park was busy during the day, but like Monday started to empty out around 6pm. I was able to knock out the remaining coasters pretty easy, and start getting re-rides on the ones I liked. Wednesday I went into the park a little before 10am just to get a few more rides on Fury before rolling back to the hotel to check out (and pick up my girlfriend, she was sleeping in). Fury didn't open until 10:30 but I was able to get 2 rides in before having to leave. It was the first time I got to ride a coaster on my birthday, which was pretty cool. After that we hit the road, wandering west to Mt Mitchell, Hot Springs, and Cherokee over the next couple of days, before we hit up Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. Overall I enjoyed Carowinds quite a bit, once I got used to the layout it was pretty easy to navigate. I'll definitely try to visit again, hopefully during a time when the water park is open. A few thoughts on the rides: Nighthawk - Got to ride this right after it opened, so only a 20 minute wait with the atrocious dispatch times that come with a Flying Dutchman. I liked it better than Firehawk, particularly it's location above water. Vortex - Brought back the fun memories of Mantis, as in the slow dispatches and the method of making you sterile. It's an ok ride. Since it was mentioned in above posts, making this a floorless would improve the ride, but not sure CF got the ROI they wanted on Rougaroux. Carolina Cyclone - Better than Corkscrew at CP, but still feels like an Arrow Looper. Ricochet - Cool Wild Mouse ride. A lot of fun if you can avoid a long line. Afterburn - A lot of fun. I liked the way it interacted with the terrain, and there was no MCBR to slow things down. Wish it was longer. I've been on 4 B&M inverts (Raptor, Banshee, Talon) and have enjoyed them all. Intimidator - This was a surprise. The dispatches were efficient, the drop is good and has some decent moments of airtime. A headliner at most parks. Hurler - Meh. I didn't find it rough like some stated (I grew up with Mean Streak), it just didn't excite me. Was down all day Tuesday so only got on ride Monday. The Flying Cobras - Only reason I mention this is that I rode it in it's inaugural season as Mind Eraser at Geauga Lake. Nice nostalgia, but still a Boomerang. Didn't seem too rough. Carolina Goldrusher - Not a bad ride at all. Good for families. Ron Toomer liked to build the same rides over and over didn't he? Copperhead Strike - Got to marathon this a bit towards closing at the end of each night. This ride is a home run. I know some thought it was slow in the POV, but it's like watching auto racing on TV. It doesn't seem fast watching from home, but go to a race and those cars zip by so fast it's insane. The launches aren't particularly powerful but do the job. The dangles on the loops are a lot of fun. The jojo roll WILL empty your pockets right out the gate so be careful. It's also got some nice theming and a nice little pre-launch scene. Was very happy to get as many rides as I did on it, it's a hell of a lot of fun, and the crew were busting their a$$es to get trains out. Fury 325 - I've been waiting 4 years to ride this. First rides were at night, and there were a lot of planes coming in to land at the airport, so it felt as if you were climbing up to their level on the first hill. My favorite ride was sitting in the back seat on my 2nd ride, it really whips you over the lift hill. I won't go into detail because what am I going to write that hasn't already been written? My 2nd giga and just as fun as my first. Fury alone is worth a trip back. Only real regret from the trip is not trying the gliders, but they had a pretty long line throughout the day and when that finally died down CS was basically a walk on. The CS marathon won over. Overall a great experience, great weather, and a good start to a week long trip down south.
  12. Carowinds tomorrow and Tuesday! Dollywood 2 days later in the week! First time for both parks so pretty amped.
  13. I'm ashamed to admit that every time I see that there are new posts in this thread, a tiny part of me wonders if Dorney has announced a big new ride. I know how unlikely it is, but it happens nonetheless.
  14. ^ Nothing about his post was defensive, lol. Very excited to finally check out this park next month. I think I may get a season pass and spend a few days in the area, hitting up the park when I feel like it and not trying to rush my way through everything.
  15. Put-in-Bay or Kelleys Island is easily accessible via Ferry from Sandusky, although the Jet Express can be a little pricey. It is fast. If you have a car you can drive to Catawba or Marblehead for a bit cheaper rate. Kelleys Island Ferry Miller Ferry to Put-in-Bay Jet Express The Marblehead Peninsula has East Harbor State Park with a decent beach and some hiking trails. It is a little bit of a drive from Sandusky but it's cool to check out. Huron has a long pier that you can walk down, you get a good view of Cedar Point, especially at night. Huron Pier Also as Bluestreak mentioned above, Sandusky has a nice little waterfront/downtown area. You can walk around the marinas and there are some decent bars/restaurants to check out.
  16. ^^ But dude, Steel Vengeance is totally opening in 2017, and they're going to have 20 coasters for 2020! Just watch!
  17. I admittedly laughed too much at this. My girlfriend is a bartender and sent me this text earlier today.
  18. The water park, while small is decent for $10. The waterslides are the good old school kind and the lazy river has a surprisingly strong current. The water was clean too, unlike a few years ago when they just put lake water in and said have fun.
  19. I took some time off of work to celebrate my 40th birthday (big deal), and decided to take a little road trip south. We'll hitting up Carowinds on Tuesday 4/16 and then heading over to Smoky Mountain NP area on Wednesday the 17th. I definitely want to hit up Dollywood as I've never been to the park, but I also want to do some hiking/sightseeing, and doing some Gatlinburg activities as well. I have a few questions I hope some of you more experienced folks can help with. 1) Alpine Coaster - Really want to do one of these, so I'd like some suggestions on the best in the area. I won't mind doing 2, since I'm pretty sure my girlfriend will want to go to Goats on the Roof because... well, goats. 2) We enjoy staying in cabins, so we're looking for something for 2 people in the area for a few nights. Usually the type with a hot tub on the back patio. Does anyone have any suggestions? I know there a roughly a billion in the area. I also see that Dollywood has some as well. Is there any special benefit to the Dollywood Cabins? (i.e early entry or something like that) 3) Am I absolutely insane planning 1 day for Dollywood? I have never been so I might try to squeeze 2 (or 1 and a half) days in, but I also want to do some of the other things in the area. I want to be home on that Sunday for Easter, so if I stay another day I would either have to drive through the night or maybe drive halfway, get a cheap motel room, and drive the rest on Sunday. 4) Can you please predict with .00000001% accuracy if Lightning Rod will be running on the day I go? I'm kidding, I hope it is running, but we shall see. Thanks.
  20. While I can't confirm, I do trust the source, but allegedly the Passholder Preview nights are coming back as well. If true, this is an amazing thing for the park to do, I had a great time last year.
  21. Cedar Point adding to Brew & BBQ, adding new dining options in 2019. And yes, the Italian style food is confirmed. https://fox8.com/2019/02/22/sign-of-summer-cedar-point-announces-festival-new-restaurants-for-2019-season/
  22. ^I do remember Fascination at CP, but I never played it there. I was a bit younger then and didn't care about games, just wanted to hit the rides. I think that is part of the reason I am... wait for it... fascinated... with the game now. I only had 1 day at Knoebels so I didn't spend to much time on it, mainly rain delays, but it was hard to tear myself away. How was the pool and the slides? I know the pool was huge, and I think they only had a couple of water slides. We were going to check it out but then it started raining. I think it was around $15 to have all day access to the pool, so I'm assuming it's a good deal.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/