KPfan Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Thanks for the info. I'm going to the park tomorrow... decided it would be best since there is no way i would get everything done on a fright night even with VIP tours. Any food recommendations? (Other than potato patch ) Hope you enjoyed the visit today. I was there myself and it was a nice day. Weather was a tad warm but otherwise perfect. Crowd wasn't too bad either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymouscactus Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Yes, too hot for me! Definitely had a fun and very surprising day that's for sure. Full trip report to come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Kennywood needs to bring back their drop tower. Not sure why they removed it for Black Widow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyRCT3 Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I'll take a frisbee over a drop tower any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njcoasterguy34 Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I'll take a frisbee over a drop tower any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennStater Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Pitt Fall had maintenance issues. I do miss it, but Black Widow is an awesome replacement in my opinion so I can't complain. What don't you like about Widow? Have you ridden it? I think it's much better than the Huss version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILinator Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 I'll take a frisbee over a drop tower any day. x2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 Pitt Fall had maintenance issues. So what you're trying to say is that Pitt Fall had some pitfalls. How did nobody see that coming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 Black Widow's combo if height and ride duration makes it FAR superior to the HUSS Frisbee as well as the makers IMO. It got on the ride expecting it to be a fun ride like the others I've been on, but I was blown away. The airtime was in a whole different ballpark, and the ride just...kept...going!!! It was absolutely amazing. I seriously think the ride was about 4 minutes long from start to finish. It's my favorite flat ride next to Intamin drop towers/Indiana Jones/well themed dark rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILinator Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 ^I know this is going to sound really lame, but do you have to go under or near that giant Black Widow to get onto the ride? Because anything that is as good or better than maXair, I would LOVE to ride! But I don't know if I could bring myself to get near that giant spider! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennStater Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Haha... Yes you do. [emoji13] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
certifiedcoastergeek Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 ^^Yes, you get so close that you can touch the belly of the beast. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA #bestpartofqueue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILinator Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 How ridiculous, that I would ride a thousand foot, beyond vertical drop coaster, with 20 inversions, without batting an eye, but I don't want to walk near a giant spider I know is fake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcurry11 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Don"t worry, I am right there with you. It's not as out there as you would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 How ridiculous, that I would ride a thousand foot, beyond vertical drop coaster, with 20 inversions, without batting an eye, but I don't want to walk near a giant spider I know is fake! For you..... Kidding aside, Black Widow really is a phenomenal ride, and to me a far better ride than Pitt Fall ever was (and don't get me wrong, I really liked Pitt Fall when it was there!) My only honest beef with it is the ridiculous wait times for it. I've seen fairly minimal lines on it still take 60+ minutes, which is a tad crazy. Part of it, I think, is the ride system, as it seems to be almost overly sensitive. But in all honesty, the park could benefit from seeing how Cedar Point manages the line for an almost identical ride (maXair). They assign numbers, and have a "waiting pen" for the next cycle of riders. It keeps that line really moving. Kennywood's line management for Widow is more like "organized chaos", as people don't seem to know where to go or what to do. I heard rumors that they tried handing out "seat cards" at points this year, but they were not in use the times I visited the park, so who knows. It's a shame really, as like I said, the ride itself is top notch and fantastic! But I've probably only ridden it maybe 4-5 times since its installation, mostly because I don't want to commit 90 minutes waiting in a line that should maybe take a third of that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILinator Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 ^You fiend! Honestly, I love these kind of rides, and Black Widow looks great! So, I'm just going to have to face my irrational fear, and... wear a blindfold until I get on the ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyRCT3 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 ^^I remember riding Black Widow on its inaugural year, and thought the same thing myself. The ride has a ridiculously slow load time. Something needs to be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rai Fox Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Kidding aside, Black Widow really is a phenomenal ride, and to me a far better ride than Pitt Fall ever was (and don't get me wrong, I really liked Pitt Fall when it was there!) My only honest beef with it is the ridiculous wait times for it. I've seen fairly minimal lines on it still take 60+ minutes, which is a tad crazy. Part of it, I think, is the ride system, as it seems to be almost overly sensitive. But in all honesty, the park could benefit from seeing how Cedar Point manages the line for an almost identical ride (maXair). They assign numbers, and have a "waiting pen" for the next cycle of riders. It keeps that line really moving. Kennywood's line management for Widow is more like "organized chaos", as people don't seem to know where to go or what to do. I heard rumors that they tried handing out "seat cards" at points this year, but they were not in use the times I visited the park, so who knows. It's a shame really, as like I said, the ride itself is top notch and fantastic! But I've probably only ridden it maybe 4-5 times since its installation, mostly because I don't want to commit 90 minutes waiting in a line that should maybe take a third of that time. Kennywood's a great park, but their operations have not been their strong point the last few years in my experience. Last time I rode Black Widow (multiple times in the day, and the same thing happening every time) they just could not handle counting out the correct number of people to let into the ride at once. Nearly every single cycle there were people circling the ride trying to find open seats when they were all taken. I realize it can be tough to count people all crowded together, rushing into a ride, but they did this again and again and again, and often several people over, not just one extra. Every time, the ride ops reacted with complete confusion. It's just not that difficult, is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 ^You fiend! Honestly, I love these kind of rides, and Black Widow looks great! So, I'm just going to have to face my irrational fear, and... wear a blindfold until I get on the ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Although defunct, Pitt Fall continues to be my favorite drop ride. When it first opened, it was seriously intimidating. In 1997, when Intamin first gens were still the norm, 251 feet was unthinkable. "How long do you stay up there?" was a real game people would play in line, staring straight up and counting seconds out loud. The drop was surprising and gut-tickling fun, but some people thought it was just unnerving. From my observation, the popularity of it really died down over the years. On busy days with queue lines spilling onto the midways, Pitt Fall would seem oddly deserted. Whoever mentioned maintenance issues is right, too. With only two sides operating, five-minute waits ballooned to 30-40 minutes, with the ride sometimes dispatching with only five people on it. Black Widow is not my thing, but it's a tremendous and forceful ride. The long cycles and spinning, which are virtues to many, make me "RCT-green-face" in a hurry (same for the Huss versions), but I've ridden it multiple times with Dramamine. Fast, disorienting, and absolutely wild. Several of my friends who were scared off by Pitt Fall think that Black Widow is the best ride in the park. I concur that the loading/unloading is slow and can play out like musical chairs. I've seen people get assigned correctly, only to watch them get split up by joggers who stampede around the ring and go into the seat-picking business for themselves. If everyone is orderly, it's not so bad. Although I've already called an early retirement from it, it's a real solid thrill ride - maybe Zamperla's best creation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILinator Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 ^^bert425, you got me! I flinched pretty good when I clicked that orange icon and popped onto your post! Why do I suddenly have the feeling I may not want to visit the unread posts in this Kennywood thread for a while! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymouscactus Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Has anyone done "ark in the dark" during fright nights? Do they really make it pitch black or how does that work? During the day it seems like a liability as-is, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 It truly is pitch black. Aside from the light from outside when you're on the bridge, there are only pin-sized LEDs so you can see going down the stairs and crossing the shaker boards...that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamico2 Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 How busy do Phantom Fright Nights tend to get on Saturdays? What sort of wait times do they see for the mazes and major coasters? I'm thinking about visiting the park next Saturday, but want to make sure that only 6 hours in the park is worth my drive. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NegativeGLover Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 So I haven't seen any TRs for Phantom Fright Nights yet this year. How does this year stack up to the last couple of years haunt wise? The last time I went they were about on par with the mid level houses from, let's say CP or Kings Island. Also - are there any rides they haven't been running due to low staffing, etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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