Jcoaster Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 I have no idea why the water park is still such a huge priority. They have added on to it more recently then any other part of the park. This park really needs a new coaster to compliment Boulder Dash. Simply because of the crowds in the waterpark. It's the only real waterpark in the area so it draws much bigger crowds than it can handle, and lines are painfully long if the weather's good. I have never been in SFNE's water park but would that not count as a real water park? Also wouldn't a new headliner coaster divert some crowds away from the water park for the time being? I just feel like they are leaving the amusement park side slighted. Correct me if i'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rai Fox Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 I have no idea why the water park is still such a huge priority. They have added on to it more recently then any other part of the park. This park really needs a new coaster to compliment Boulder Dash. Simply because of the crowds in the waterpark. It's the only real waterpark in the area so it draws much bigger crowds than it can handle, and lines are painfully long if the weather's good. I have never been in SFNE's water park but would that not count as a real water park? Also wouldn't a new headliner coaster divert some crowds away from the water park for the time being? I just feel like they are leaving the amusement park side slighted. Correct me if i'm wrong. SFNE's water park is pretty good, but LC's management doesn't seem to feel that the two really compete for crowds. They're not that far apart, but LC's draws a lot of locals that won't go "all the way" to SFNE. (This is southern new england - an hour drive is a weekend trip!) That does seem odd to me, but I'm just repeating what I've been told by LC's GM and rides manager, and given how packed LC's water park gets, they seem to be right. Same goes for getting a new major ride on the "dry" side. I'd love to see it myself, but I don't get a vote on that, and the park really wants to expand the water park and make that a big draw. There will be a new coaster coming in soon, though, almost certainly. Whether it will be a headliner or not, I don't know; I'm not sure any standard spinning coaster, etc, is going to look particularly special next to Boulder Dash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 ^ A spinner on the side of the mountain near Boulder Dash would be something special. I always thought a Euro-Fighter would look nice in this park too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voyager6442 Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 Boulder Dash is one of my top 5 wooden coasters. I went to Lake Compounce for the only time on a weekday in June, 2011, and got 6 daytime rides in about 3 hours. I'd like to go back and get as many rides as possible, especially night rides. ACE had an event there on a Saturday the first weekend of August of this year. The upside of going to an ACE event is one hour of nighttime ERT. The downsides are being at the park on a Saturday when it's likely to be crowded, and getting only one hour of ERT. The other alternative is going on a day when the crowds would be light and night rides on Boulder Dash would be available. The park is about a 24 hour drive for me, so I'd really like to maximize my time there. Could anyone give me any suggestions about how to do that? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rai Fox Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 If you're looking for night rides specifically, it's worth noting that the park is usually open later on Saturdays than Sundays. You'll get more after dark time then. Going during the haunted graveyard season is a great way to get night rides too, but not really to maximize your time in the park in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulderdashcci Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Boulder Dash is one of my top 5 wooden coasters. I went to Lake Compounce for the only time on a weekday in June, 2011, and got 6 daytime rides in about 3 hours. I'd like to go back and get as many rides as possible, especially night rides. ACE had an event there on a Saturday the first weekend of August of this year. The upside of going to an ACE event is one hour of nighttime ERT. The downsides are being at the park on a Saturday when it's likely to be crowded, and getting only one hour of ERT. The other alternative is going on a day when the crowds would be light and night rides on Boulder Dash would be available. The park is about a 24 hour drive for me, so I'd really like to maximize my time there. Could anyone give me any suggestions about how to do that? Thanks. Haunted Graveyard. Park is open til 11 on Friday-Saturday and 10 on Sunday, and it gets dark around 6. Saturdays are usually busy (but they run two trains so it's not a big deal) but this past Sunday was the deadest I've ever seen the park. I got like 25 rides on BD in and had time to eat and ride Downtime once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoulderDash Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Here are a few pictures of Lake Compounce. New lights on Zoomerang. The Outdoor Stage (which looks like it is being removed(2015 anyone?)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I am going to Rhode Island the weekend of the 24th and just realized after checking this thread that if I take Monday off, I could hit the park up on Sunday and get my much wanted night ride(s) on Boulder Dash with hopefully little crowds! Something tells me that BD is probably one of the craziest rides in the world at night...thinking like The Beast at night on steroids? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Something tells me that BD is probably one of the craziest rides in the world at night...thinking like The Beast at night on steroids? Yes! I think the two are pretty comparable. BD is a Beast with airtime; Beast is a BD that's longer, goes deeper into the woods, and has a sprawling layout. Combine the two, plus a bit of the Voyage, and you'd have my ultimate coaster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScreaminNewEngland Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 BD is amazing but it was wicked rough this season. The trains are falling apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulderdashcci Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 The turnaround and triple up could use some work but I didn't think it was that overly rough this year - at least not as bad as it got in 06 when there were two major potholes that destroyed your back and the thing was running so slow it barely made it into the turnaround. It's also running very fast this year and on my trip Sunday it had the strongest air I've ever felt on it. It felt like an Intamin for a couple of rides. The trains do need huge work though, they were making some creaking noises I've never heard PTCs make and the seats are ripped to hell. That and they need to get the problems with the blue train engaging the lift sorted out, it's going to rip itself apart eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medoman Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I should be going for the first time on the 24th, any tips for the park? wheres the best seat on BD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I always thought Boulder Dash was a really good but extremely overrated ride. I'm thinking of stopping by the Haunted Graveyard for some night rides so maybe I can see why everyone hypes it up so much. I like the ride but I don't see how it beat Phoenix in the Mitch Hawker poll... I always thought Phoenix was miles ahead of this ride in every possible way but I really want to see what I'm apparently missing out on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoulderDash Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 BD kicks ass at night. The park also turns off the lights on the partway to the south end so most of the ride is pitch black. I also noticed the trains are looking a little rough especially the green train. I heard a really strange creeking noise from car 4 or 5 up the lift which didn't sound normal. Hopefully they can fix up the trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King of Ka Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 As somebody who has typically preferred smoother coasters (although that seems to be less of a factor for me than it once was), Boulder Dash is my #1 coaster and it's not even really close. The ride is definitely rough and at times even borders on uncomfortable, but it's just so wild and keeps up its pace so obscenely well that the roughness just sort of feels "natural" to me. For medoman, my only two tips are to definitely try and get as many night rides in on BD as you can (personally all my visits to LC have been Saturdays so that I get the most night time possible), and if you have the choice to ride on the right side of the train, which is just a slightly more comfortable ride, especially on the turnaround. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medoman Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Thanks for the tips, was wondering whether front or back was best?. I'm going on a friday so I think the park opens round about 5pm and is open late for a few night rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I haven't been to it in years, but The Haunted Graveyard is one of my favorite park Halloween events. Really well done, and I love how long it is. Glad to see it's still happening. dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoulderDash Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I prefer the front on any coaster but the back is definitely awesome, especially at night. Also I always try to sit in the front of one of the 6 cars, the backs are a little rougher and bouncy. The fronts give a much better ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I am going to Rhode Island the weekend of the 24th and just realized after checking this thread that if I take Monday off, I could hit the park up on Sunday and get my much wanted night ride(s) on Boulder Dash with hopefully little crowds! Something tells me that BD is probably one of the craziest rides in the world at night...thinking like The Beast at night on steroids? The night ride I had on The Beast in the early 80's were absolutely insane and night rides on Boulder Dash are comparable. Night rides on Boulder Dash blow away night rides on present day Beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I was at the Haunted Graveyard for the first time last year and Boulder Dash at night blew me away. The ride's speed feels supersonic and there are absolutely no lights throughout the course. While the ride has an out-and-back layout, it is completely unpredictable and the speed (and air-time) never lets up. Are they running two trains on Fridays this year or just one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I just got back from the Haunted Graveyard. Boulder Dash was running incredibly fast! I rode in the front twice and the back twice. Usually I prefer the front on Boulder Dash, but the back was particularly great tonight. I didn't remember getting crazy laterals and air-time on the first drop. The ride was also quite smooth despite the speed. Then the Graveyard was very well done. The entire walkthrough took nearly 45 minutes and had every type of phobia one could have. There had to have been at least 100 scare actors and several did a really good job catching us off guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 We visited the haunted graveyard on Saturday night for the first time ever and were very impressed. We stayed from opening (5pm) until close (11pm) and got a ton of rides in plus the Haunted Graveyard. I'll spare everyone the long report but I wanted to mention a few things. The Haunted Graveyard is awesome. It's easily the best maze I've ever seen at a regional park. It's about 45 minutes long and there are a ton of actors and great scares. They had great sets too and a lot of times props that managed to scare a ton of people. I'd much rather parks have one awesome maze than 5 or 10 crappy ones like Six Flags. This thing is awesome and they do a great job keeping wait times manageable by assigning people certain times. We waited for about 40 minutes but the line was more of a slow walk than anything else... it moved incredibly fast so waiting in it wasn't too big of a deal. Boulder Dash I've always loved this ride but thought it was a little overrated. The fact that it was voted best wood coaster in the world is insane to me as I never thought it was even close to rides like El Toro or Phoenix but it's still a lot of fun and it has a very unique layout. I'll say this... after riding it so many times at night (mainly in the front seat) I have a whole new respect for it. I have no idea how this ride maintains such awesome speed for so long but it really never slows down. The airtime in the front is great and the area by the turnaround was pitch black and actually reminded me a little bit of a Beast night ride. I still prefer Phoenix and El Toro and I still think the Beast is a better night ride but Boulder Dash at night is absolutely amazing and it's definitely one of my favorite wood coasters. Riding this at night is a must. Wildcat I've now been to this park 3 times... once in 2000, once a few years ago and now this year. The first time I went we rode Wildcat and thought it was awful. I have no idea how such a small wood coaster could be so rough but this ride was complete crap. Then a few years ago we heard they re-tracked it and decided to give it another chance and as expected the ride was horrendous. For some reason we decided to give it another try this year because they re-tracked it (again) but we were expecting the worst. I'm happy to report though that the ride was really smooth and enjoyable. It's absolutely smoother than Boulder Dash (and I don't consider Boulder Dash rough) and it reminded me a lot of the SFNE Thunderbolt which is a big compliment. I hope they can keep this ride running the way it is now because it was really, really good. We only rode it once as it's line was over an hour long due to it's low capacity. We managed to get on in 20 minutes on our first ride was it took about an hour for the park to really fill up. Zoomerang For a Boomerang with the old style trains this one is really good... i've always considered it one of the smoothest Boomerang coasters out there. I actually really enjoyed it. American Flyers These are the worst flyers at any park, anywhere, period. Overall we were really, really impressed with this event and we'll be making it an annual tradition for sure. The park was very crowded but except for Wildcat and the Graveyard nothing ever had more than a 30 minute wait and the crowds were much better than Halloween crowds at most parks (which I consider to be kind of rough compared to summer crowds at most parks). I highly recommend this event to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejot Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Had a great time in the park Saturday night. We queued up for the graveyard at about 6:20 and only waited maybe 20 minutes to get in. Could have been darker, but worth it to miss the line - it was insane by the time we got out. Really fun walkthru, absolutely awesome attention to detail. I would have preferred it be a bit shorter to keep a higher density of scare actors toward the end. My friend actually managed to snap the flyers here, I was astounded. We did get a few nice gusts of winds during our ride, but I still wasn't getting anywhere with them. Boulder Dash was running fast and rougher than I remembered it from my visit in July, my two rides in the back had a few painful moments especially after the turnaround. Night rides in the front seat were absolutely magical. The first drop is really underrated on this coaster, it is beautifully suspenseful seeing much of it peek through the woods as you crest the hill and approach the turnaround. Excellent air going over, and the little rightward twist perfectly sets up the crazy laterals ahead, into the station flyby section. Wildcat was running smoothly and gave legitimately good rides. After waiting 45min for one, I started to regret not just having waited for BD again, but after the ride - in the front, with some great air - no regrets! I really enjoy the Zamperla Disk'O variants and LC has Revolution, which we rode a couple of times. Their swings ride runs really fast and is great fun too. Flats had really minimal lines especially during the last couple hours. An awesome night at a really fun park! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I think we were riding behind you on the Flyers... did one of you have a Kings Dominion shirt on by any chance? Someone managed to snap the flyers at the very end when they started slowing down and we were shocked. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejot Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 ^ Yes, that was us haha! It was a green nylon bag from KD with not much stuff in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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