operative_me

Interesting thread, I'm planning to go to Dorney on the 20th and Knoebels on the 21st. I would like to try to hit Hershey but I think I'm going to go to Gettysburg on the 22nd (blah history, I know, I know) and drive back to Cleveland on Thursday to be at work in the afternoon. We'll leave CLE early on the 20th and hopefully get to Dorney around noon. I know Dorney is only open til 8 but 8 hours should be enough to hit everything right? And I definitely want to budget a full day for Knoebels, after all I have read on this forum. Edit: I just realized I kind of hijacked your thread, I apologize. I can be a d*ck sometimes.

Yesterday was a pretty bug free day at the park. Rain mostly stayed away too. Last night was ERT on Valravn. I managed to get 8 rides and that was after a ride on SV with a 20 minute wait. Managed to survive SV without my phone. It's amazing how much I have unappreciated Valravn. It has usually been a ride I'd hit once if there was short wait, ride once in the front and moved on. Last night I took several rides in the back row and enjoyed it more than I would have thought. Not saying it's the greatest coaster in the world, or even the park, but I'm thinking it is kind of scoffed at when compared of the rest of CP's lineup. It's cliche to say that at another park it would be more of a standout, but that's pretty much the truth. Make me realize how fortunate I am to live so close.

I would use the route that Bill posted. I lived near the airport and used that route. There is a small section where it is a toll road, when 480 ends and merges into 80. But the cost is 50 cents to route 57. Just bring some quarters with you and you're good. I wouldn't advise trying to skip it, the closest toll free option would be going up to I-90 and it won't even be worth the effort.

Headed back to Erie for another attempt at Waldameer, previous attempt was thwarted by a power outage. Forecast said scattered storms, but since everyone on here has talked about how they will run rides through and EF5 tornado, I was hoping the crowds would be manageable. Pulling into the lot I could see rides running and people in Water World so we're off to a good start! Hit up Comet first, and really enjoyed it. Nothing flashy but a good ride with a cool design. Then it was time to stop screwing around (look I only went on Comet first as a "warm up" for my girlfriend) and go to the main attraction, Ravine Flyer II. I have been wanting to get on this ride for years and I've heard a lot of hype and some warning of roughness. I loved this thing, nice view from the top before you go tearing down the hill and up and over the highway. This ride is fantastic and didn't seem rough to me at all, I got 5 rides during the day in different parts of the train, definitely preferred the back although front seat is worth the experience to check out the view of the lake and beaches. After that we hit up most of the rides in the park. Liked the Skyride for it's length (a little slow for me), Steel Dragon I think is underrated, I think it's a very fun ride with good lateral forces. Musik Express... finally got to ride one of these that's being run correctly! Whacky Shack and Pirates Cove were cool dark rides and the type of unique attractions that make parks like this amazing. Mega Vortex was alright but was kind of uncomfortable. Thunder River, well, all flumes make me happy to be on them. This one was fun, old school, had a good flow, basically everything Shoot the Rapids II at CP was not. Skipped the dodgems because they looked like the same Ninja cars that CP has and those are slow and boring. If I'm wrong let me know and I'll fix that mistake next time. The water park was nice. The new bowl slide is pretty cool and overall the place was pretty clean. The giant hot tub in 90+ degree heat was not really for me but the lazy river was good and lazy. After a few hours we went over to Schickalay's for some food, I got 2 Greek Dogs again. Thank you to whomever recommended them, I love them. Then back to the park. Hit up Comet a few more times, XScream as the sun went down, the ferris wheel as well for a nice view. Then back over to Ravine Flyer II to finish the night. We had dodged rain most of the day, a few sprinkles here and there. But that was about to change. Got a night ride and wow! Love flying around through the dark and into tunnels you can't see the end of. Just amazing. Leaving the station for our second ride the skies opened up. Fun, but kind of painful with the rain flying in your face. Thankfully it was a quick burst so for our 3rd ride it had quit raining but the track was slick. I warned my gf that the slick track would probably change the experience a bit. It did, the train hauled through the course so fast I could scarcely believe it. That was it for my girlfriend, she tapped out for the last two rides. Overall I got 10 rides in and loved the thing. I want to say thanks to those who have posted advice and info over the years, as I have read pretty far back in this thread waiting for the day to come so I could finally visit. It really helps knowing what to expect.

FYI changes to the passholder ride night schedule, including tomorrow.

Definitely hit up Logjamm- er, never mind. The Whip is fun, Noah's Ark is unique. Garfield's Nightmare is strange but the ride itself has history to it. The Tumble Bug (Turtle) is ok but not as good as the one at Conneaut. Bayern Kurve is a lot of fun too. If it's hot Pittsburgh Plunge is a good way to cool off.

I think you can, but an all day ride wristband is only $10 so it may be worth just getting that. Blue Streak is fun, but you'll definitely want to ride the Tumble Bug. 1 of only 2 left operating in the world and it is much more intense and fun than the one at Kennywood. Maybe check out Devil's Den too for it's weirdness. And as others have stated, watch where you walk because there is broken pavement everywhere. Try to think of it as an added attraction.

Glad to see the Tumblebug getting some love. Had a blast on it last summer. The one at Kennywood doesn't come close.

I've lurked for years and finally decided to post: Tuesday I tried to visit Waldameer for the first time. Unfortunately I didn't even make it in the gate as the park lost power due to a semi truck taking down power lines on 8th street. Disappointing but what can you do? Well I took the advice of this forum and went to Sara's. It was excellent. Spent some time at the beaches on Presque Isle. Rented a boat and zipped around the bay for a few hours. Went to Schickalay's and got the Greek Dog, I loved it. So overall had a nice time in the Erie area even though the main attraction was down for the day. So thanks for the advice, it helped in making it a good day overall. Hoping to get out to Waldameer for another try in a couple of weeks. I've had bad luck lately, I got rained out for Steel Vengeance ERT last week, so I'm due for a good run. P.S. Ravine Flyer looks awesome from the road!