RCjunkie Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 (edited) Went to VF today from 10:30 to 2:30 pm to check out the park. It was about 55 degrees when I got there and 65 and muggy when I left but it was still overcast as you will see in the pictures below. Met garyman6 out there for a couple hours and hit some coasters with him too. A few observations: - High Roller’s re-tracking turned out really nice. - The two big hills were redone and tightened up - The trim at the turn around and the one where you turn left back to the station were both turned down which is nice - Like ACES commented, all the work really smoothed out and improved the ride. - Renegade also had re-tracking work done in 5 new area’s. - The first area is after the horse shoe turn around, after the low hill when you take a right it starts there and goes until the left turn under the lift hill. - The second place is right after that turn going up the hill under the lift hill up until you take the left down the S turn. - The Third area is at the bottom of the S turn until you are about to go back under the lift hill again. - The fourth place in the turn you can see from the station. - The fifth is after the drive bye station hill to a little past the camera. - As with last years work it improves the ride even more. YEAH BABY! - Kudos to the VF maintenance crew for the work done on both woodies this year, a very nice job. - Wild Things’s lift hill is moving a little faster which is nice. It needed some work. - New wheels on all the cars made for a very smooth ride today. - The new water towers are impressive looking. - The slides change the look and feel of the entire corner….for the better obviously. - The slides are a great new reference point for people who don’t know the park because they can be seen from all over the park. - With the slides, the removed games island and the paving of the path by the new slides also changes the whole feel and look of that area of the park which everyone is going to really like it. - Both sides of the Extreme Swings were operating unlike the last two opening days which was nice. - More speakers were added to the park all over so the sound is fuller and reaches even more area’s now. - On FUN TV while waiting in line on High Roller we saw a POV video of Fury 325. While waiting in line for Cork Screw I we saw a POV of Cork Screw actually. I liked watching coaster POV’s while waiting to ride one. Yes, I am a coaster geek. - Just lots of new paint on buildings, railings, etc. You’ll notice it when you go. Interesting story. On my Steel Venom ride on the way headed to go back up the first spike for the 2nd time I felt the trims kick in (which they never do at that point) so I knew something was wrong. Sure enough due to that we only go about half way up the spike and rolled back to be completely stopped right after the bend in the track but before the train was back in the station. The reason they did that was some kid was leaning over the rail next to the launch both and he dropped a lamented card bigger than a license and it was flying around in the ride area from the wind of the the train as it went by so thankfully for safety they did stop the ride so no one got hit by it. Since it was not a complete ride cycle they let us do it over again. I have never been stopped on SV. And yes ACES I saw the Red/Green lights that are by the operator doors. Looks like an added safety feature to make sure the ride area is clear before launch by the crew who all have to hit the one in their corner. It was good to get in some rides. Here are pictures below of some of the new stuff for this year. The new water slides. Another slide shot. The stairs. A closer shot of the slides. Another angle from the Wild Thing loading station. The end run of one of the slides. A shot of the new shade are next to the new water slides. garmany6 gets the credit for calling this one. The new splash pad. Sorry, the park was not open and had to shoot through the fence. It looks a lot better in person than on the construction cam. The remodeled corner. The new gate in the same place at the corner. The other view of the remodeled corner. garyman6 striking a pose in the new High Roller entrance queue. Another shot of the remodeled High Roller queue. The touched up the old sign on all of the High Roller cars along with repainting the front and back 'High Roller' name on the cars. Looking out into the employee area that you can see from the High Roller queue. It looks like Monster cars. Either they have not been painted black yet or Monster is getting some new colored cars. The newly repainted cars and new logo for the Yellow train on Corkscrew. I have more pictures of Cork Screw but that is plenty for now. Just wanted everyone to be able to see some of the new things for 2015. Edited May 16, 2015 by RCjunkie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACES Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 RCJunkie did you notice only one que line in High Roller they took out the second one only the fast lane entrance? Also did the area were they took out the rest rooms by Mad Mouse does that corner look bigger in person are they going to have crowd problems in that area on busy days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Thanks for the nice trip report RCjunkie. All of these little changes look really nice. Looking forward to seeing them in person. The green Monster cars are from Worlds of Fun. They apparently removed their version of the ride so that Valleyfair could have some more spare parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valleyfairfanatic Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I also was at the park today, had a super fun time and met Captain Unknown at Power Tower. Anyone else notice they repainted steel venom's wheel assembly's? I have some pics but ill wait till the end of the weekend to post a full TR since ill be there the next few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyman6 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Valleyfair was looking good today. It was fun hanging with rcjunkie. I also met captain unknown at power tower. One thing that wasnt mentioned was new blacktop near the front entrance to right in front of corkscrew. Something interesting though is they left about a 50 foot section of midway untouched before it went to pavers. Why? Did meet Mr. Frazier at the front gate but unfortunately he was not able to take time to talk. High Roller was running like new today. Smooth and much faster. The trims were almost nonexistent. Renegade was the same, very smooth and fast. Even corkscrew, it felt like the trains got much more than a nice paint job. Very little side to side head banging. Valleyfair once again out did itself during the off season. Cant wait till my next visit!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippindotsguy8 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Thanks for all the pictures. The park is looking really nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCI Wooden Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 (edited) Less than 24 hours till I get to go to the park! I'm really excited I'll be wearing some sort of TPR stuff when I'm there, feel free to say "Hi". Is anyone else going tomorrow? Edited May 16, 2015 by GCI Wooden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Currently at the park, and my offseason is officially over! Here are some pictures I've taken so far. The new Valleyfair entrance sign on my way in. It looks a lot better in person. Great to finally be back after another long offseason. The 2015 park map cover. Nice to see Renegade on it. My first coaster of the season... Running pretty good in the front seat. New strip of pavement to the right of the entrance. Wild Thing's turnaround is a bit rougher than I'd remembered, but I had probably my best return run ever because the trims were on pretty light. Renegade will not open until either 11 or noon. I hope this doesn't become a normal thing. That's all for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsupercity Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Blacktop huh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferk60 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 HaHa, LOL! O.K. I admit it's a bit dramatic but so is this topic. We have a great park that is only getting better! Instead of complaining why don't we thank Cedar Fair for what they are doing. There is really nothing out of the scope of possibility but we have to be patient. I'd actually like to see Valleyfair team up with Nick U. like K.D. and Busch Gardens Williamsburg just did (I think its those two). What a great entertainment package that would be! And look at little Nick U. A new "Flyover America" attraction priced at $20,000,000? I'm sure MOA is working with them cause its a separate attraction but Nick U. will surly benefit from it. So let's not say "won't" or "can't" when it comes to what Cedar Fair will do the Valleyfair. You just never know! I downloaded the park map on my iphone just to see the park and it looked rather small and I started looking at the Wikipedia page and reading up on the park and it looked like at some point Cedar Fair was pretty even handed with given rides to both the Cedar and the Fair part. Today it seems clear that Valley Fair is a flagship property in name alone. However there looks like plenty of room for growth and it looks like it is getting some more attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyman6 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Valleyfair has been getting some great attention! Planet Snoop is one of the best in the chain. Route 76 last year is awsome . They built new facilities to feed 3000/hr. There are literally dozens and dozens of general improvements made over the last several years that have really modernized the park. Much work was done on many rides to make them run and look like new. High Roller in particular. It will turn 40 years old next year but its running like a teenager! Lets not forget this year. The new slide tower is world class! 4 capsule drop slides and 2 ninety foot speed slides! Its impressivejust to look at! What you dont see on a map is the absolute beauty of the park. Its spotless clean and beautifully landscaped. I saw older people walking the park on friday just taking it all in! The park is in good hands with Mr. Frazier who knows how to maximize space in smaller parks. He used to be GM of Nick U. and that park is regarded as one of the best indoor parks in the world. Valley does have expansion room but they are using up the available space first. Valleyfair has a very bright future ahead of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferk60 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Valleyfair has been getting some great attention! Planet Snoop is one of the best in the chain. Route 76 last year is awesome! They built new facilities to feed 3000/hr. There are literally dozens and dozens of general improvements made over the last several years that have really modernized the park. Much work was done on many rides to make them run and look like new. High Roller in particular. It will turn 40 years old next year but its running like a teenager!What you dont see on a map is the absolute beauty of the park. Its spotless clean and beautifully landscaped. I saw older people walking the park on friday just taking it all in! The park is in good hands with Mr. Frazier who knows how to maximize space in smaller parks. He used to be GM of Nick U. and that park is regarded as one of the best indoor parks in the world. Valley does have expansion room but they are using up the available space first. Valleyfair has a very bright future ahead of it! I believe you, it seems like like a great park. I wasn't knocking it at all. I was rooting for the park and saying it seems unfair that they don't get more prime time treatment. Cedar Point is also pretty clean, gets infrastructure and capacity improvement yearly on top of getting world class attractions It is clear they are the flagship but ValleyFair also should be a flagship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyman6 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Haha, i didn't take it like you were bashing Valleyfair! I wholeheartedly agree that the second half of Cedar Fairs name, Valleyfair, should be treated more like a flagship park! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 (edited) Some more pictures of my day at the park. The lines for Excalibur are MASSIVE today. Renegade's entrance. Not running at its best today, but still my favorite ride in the park. What comes to mind here: Dick Kinzel Power Tower and the slide tower. New Corkscrew logo on the ground in front of its entrance. Corkscrew's orange train on the transfer track. Yellow train after leaving the station. The ride itself is still quite smooth for a 35-year-old Arrow. Today I officially upgraded my Gold Pass to a Platinum Pass for my Cedar Point trip next month . A few more pics to come later. Edited May 16, 2015 by VF15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACES Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I was at the park this morning Mr Frazier saw me can up to me with a nice hand shake said I remember you from last year I ask him about a lot of people been wanting a new B&M inverted coaster. I told him about having a 170 foot lift hill go over the clock tower of by the front plaza entrance he told me he likes playing Rollercoaster Tyoon lol which I also do its my favorite pc game but he said if he had the money to do it he would also said he has some plans for next year I also told him its our 40th anniversary it's always nice to say hello to Mr Frazier talks to me every time I come to the park, Also with High Roller turning 40 next year how about shutting off the trim brakes and bring back the air time on the hills I remember riding High Roller with out the trim brakes having lots of air time on the hills with out the trim brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mdcastle Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I'm at Renegade. Anyone else here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mdcastle Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I'm at Renegade. Anyone else here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 A few more notes about today... -All of Wild Thing's trains now have the yellow lap bars. Last year only one train had them. -High Roller was running smoother with the new trackwork, also nice that the trims were on light. -Only one of Excalibur's trains is on the track right now. Not sure why though. -I noticed these small markings on the ground near the amphitheater/train station, no clue what they mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dboor129 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I was at the park today, just a few things that I would like to share: - I was very impressed with the work done on High Roller, it made me enjoy the ride way more than I can even remember. - For what should have been a 20 minute wait on renegade turned into a 45 minute wait. I didn't know what the delay was but when we got up to the station we wanted to sit in the way back but the employee working told us we had to move to a less crowded area and wouldn't let us go straight to the back after I told her we wanted to sit there. - The new slides look AMAZING in person! - I love the pavement they put in at the Mad Mouse/Soak City corner. It felt way more comfortable to walk around especially without the restrooms and old backyard bbq patio being there. - I noticed the net on Looping Starship was gone, I don't go on that ride much but was that gone last year? Just wondering the reason behind it. - And when are they supposed to put the new cars on The Monster?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFVSGirl16 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 If anyone cares, I uploaded some pics I took this weekend to my blog. I should have a review of opening day and run and ride sometime this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowyowl1028 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 If anyone knows what this is please tell, but there is some disturbed dug up land behind mad mouse, with some cones to mark it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidelity Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 - For what should have been a 20 minute wait on renegade turned into a 45 minute wait. I didn't know what the delay was but when we got up to the station we wanted to sit in the way back but the employee working told us we had to move to a less crowded area and wouldn't let us go straight to the back after I told her we wanted to sit there. Agreed, although on Saturday it was quite clear why the wait was so long. We got up to the turnstile and the operator disappeared. They dispatched a train with two rows of seats completely empty, although I was with a group that would have been happy to take them after a 35 minute wait. It was strange. The operations at Corkscrew and Renegade were subpar, whereas Wild Thing was okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariznglori Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Saw that as well from Mad Mouse! Might be some work being done on backstage facilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dboor129 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Is that the parking for management employees? Could just be expanding the parking lot or creating a space for miscellaneous storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyman6 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Dave tweeted that they took down a training building to build a new one in its spot. They also fixed several drainage problems. Looks to me like it could make a good spot for a coaster station. Just my opinion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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