Kennywood (KW) Discussion Thread

[BigBad]

Ejectior air: being chucked up hard into the restraint

Hang time: falling down into the restraint

 

Kindly elaborate on upside down ejector air.

[I Like Theme Parks.]

I think what he means is that the fast transition into the inversion is harsh enough to throw you out of your seat (and also gives some great laterals.) After that though, it would be traditional hang-time while you're upside down.

[Password121]

Going on July 3rd... I'm expecting to wait between 30-40 minutes for each coaster. Is that reasonable or will I be surprised to see how empty it is, or will it be more like 90-120 minutes for everything? We are going to try to get there early to buy the Unlimited VIP coaster tour, but I see on the website they only sell 26 per day so we aren't really banking on that

I'll be there Monday, July 11th and I'm also curious about how lines are weekdays in the summer. I know these types of posts are always super annoying but I really have no idea. We'll have around 6-8 hours in the park and plan on all the coasters, dark rides and maybe a couple flats--are we looking 15-30 minute waits for marquee rides midday or longer?

 

As for the line skipping option (don't remember the name but not the unlimited more expensive one), I assume this is one ride each and only the front/back option lets you choose a seat? If that's the case we might skip that.

 

 

Any help is appreciated because I have really no idea how busy Kennywood gets.

[bluestreak]

Going on July 3rd... I'm expecting to wait between 30-40 minutes for each coaster. Is that reasonable or will I be surprised to see how empty it is, or will it be more like 90-120 minutes for everything? We are going to try to get there early to buy the Unlimited VIP coaster tour, but I see on the website they only sell 26 per day so we aren't really banking on that

I'll be there Monday, July 11th and I'm also curious about how lines are weekdays in the summer. I know these types of posts are always super annoying but I really have no idea. We'll have around 6-8 hours in the park and plan on all the coasters, dark rides and maybe a couple flats--are we looking 15-30 minute waits for marquee rides midday or longer?

 

As for the line skipping option (don't remember the name but not the unlimited more expensive one), I assume this is one ride each and only the front/back option lets you choose a seat? If that's the case we might skip that.

 

 

Any help is appreciated because I have really no idea how busy Kennywood gets.

 

I have been there other Sundays in July and it was not crowded at all. If Mondays are the same you'll have no problem riding everything. Phantom was only running one train the last 3 times I've been there and it was still only about 20 minutes.

 

Any help on my July 3rd question is also greatly appreciated!

[I Like Theme Parks.]

Going on July 3rd... I'm expecting to wait between 30-40 minutes for each coaster. Is that reasonable or will I be surprised to see how empty it is, or will it be more like 90-120 minutes for everything? We are going to try to get there early to buy the Unlimited VIP coaster tour, but I see on the website they only sell 26 per day so we aren't really banking on that

I'll be there Monday, July 11th and I'm also curious about how lines are weekdays in the summer. I know these types of posts are always super annoying but I really have no idea. We'll have around 6-8 hours in the park and plan on all the coasters, dark rides and maybe a couple flats--are we looking 15-30 minute waits for marquee rides midday or longer?

 

As for the line skipping option (don't remember the name but not the unlimited more expensive one), I assume this is one ride each and only the front/back option lets you choose a seat? If that's the case we might skip that.

 

 

Any help is appreciated because I have really no idea how busy Kennywood gets.

I used the cheap night ride fastpass (they're called VIP tours here), and even though you can't choose the front and it forces you to follow a schedule, it's a fantastic deal compared to the other fastpass options. The lines didn't get too bad on my two days at the park, and on a Monday it should be okay. But you'll have fun even on a crowded day because it's motherfucking Kennywood!!!

[cal1br3tto]

Wow, I'm pretty impressed that they added an unlimited "coaster tour" and that the front seat option is now "front/back." I'm not the biggest fan of line-skipping systems that keep you to a schedule, but I've always liked that Kennywood offers a variety of options, including different sets of rides and even a la carte.

[Password121]

I'm a little unclear on the different options. What order do the rides have to be done? Is it a complete walk on, choose your seat anywhere but the front, or how does that work? Does the "night" tour have to be after a certain time, or is it just a different set of rides?

[bert425]

just don't skip Kangaroo.

 

it's an extremely unique ride, and is WAY more fun than it looks like it's going to be

[Schrecken]

I am planning on going to Kennywood mid-August. This isn't a "how crowded will it be" question (though I would imagine Wednesdays would tend to not be too bad) but rather I was wondering does anyone local know where I might be able to find any discount admission coupons?

[FeelTheFORCE]

I am planning on going to Kennywood mid-August. This isn't a "how crowded will it be" question (though I would imagine Wednesdays would tend to not be too bad) but rather I was wondering does anyone local know where I might be able to find any discount admission coupons?

 

Giant Eagle. https://www.kennywood.com/plan-a-visit/discounts

[Schrecken]

I am planning on going to Kennywood mid-August. This isn't a "how crowded will it be" question (though I would imagine Wednesdays would tend to not be too bad) but rather I was wondering does anyone local know where I might be able to find any discount admission coupons?

 

Giant Eagle. https://www.kennywood.com/plan-a-visit/discounts

 

Thanks!

[I Like Theme Parks.]

I'm a little unclear on the different options. What order do the rides have to be done? Is it a complete walk on, choose your seat anywhere but the front, or how does that work? Does the "night" tour have to be after a certain time, or is it just a different set of rides?

I believe you can buy VIP night tour passes even in the morning, except you obviously have to wait to use them. The tours don't let you ride in the front, but on Phantom's Revenge I was able to sit in the back. I'm not sure if the back is available on every ride on the tour, though. But I know that there is a daytime-only, front/back seat-allowing tour that costs a little bit extra. The schedule the tour follows is kind of like the Disney/Six Flags-style of skip-the-line passes, except you don't reserve anything yourself. So the pass you get will say something like: You can show up to ride Phantom's Revenge at 7, Thunderbolt at 8, etc. Because of this, you just walk right onto the rides. And they give you a little time in between each ride, and these spaces are perfect for getting in flat rides in between. For example, there's usually enough time to ride the Turtle before Phantom's revenge, and the Whip right before you ride Exterminator.

[bluestreak]

Trip Report from yesterday, July 3rd... Sorry no pictures.

 

Being from the Cleveland area, Cedar Point is our home Park, but knowing the crowds there on a 4th of July weekend we wanted to stay far away from CP. Given that we wanted to hit up a park this particular weekend to see some fireworks and enjoy some coaster rides, Kennywood seemed like the obvious solution.

 

We haven't been to Kennywood for a couple of years. If memory serves me correctly, the last time we were there was the summer of 2013. Seems silly since it's only a 2.5 hour drive from my house. We knew what to expect, but we were still blown away by the park.

 

We got there at about 10:00 even though the park opened at 10:30 and the rides didn't start till 11:00. We knew it would be packed so we wanted to get there early to beat some of the crowds and also purchase Platinum VIP Coaster Tour wristbands before they sold out. They only sell 26 per day. The wristbands get you unlimited rides on Jack Rabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt, Skyrocket, Exterminator, Phantom's Revenge, Swingshot, Arrow 360, and Black Widow.

 

Since the wristbands did not include many of the flats and dark rides, we were off to those first.

 

First was the refurbished Noah's Ark which was as good (and loud and annoying) as always. After, we hit The Turtle, then the Whip. Both such classic and awesome rides. Great to see they kept them around and in such good shape.

 

We then hit the Ghostwood Estates dark ride. Standard shooting dark ride with a nice pre-show and decent story. Then we were off to the Log Jammer which was the only water ride we had interest in since it wasn't hot enough to get soaked on Pittsburg Plunge and the Rapids Ride. Log Jammer is great, but the line got so long later we only rode once.

 

We did not ride the Paratrooper or Kangaroo. Both had long lines or were broke when we were around. We have ridden both before so it wasn't too big of a disappointment.

 

We did ride the train and auto race. Auto Race was a tad disappointing because it seemed to be moving at much lower speed than I remember. Anybody know why?

 

Ok finally on to the rides we could get on with our front of the line wristbands.

 

Swingshot: We have the taller Skyhawk at Cedar Point but S&S Screamin Swings are always very fun. One of the best flats out there. Only rode once.

 

Black Widow: Fantastic ride, but dreadfully slow operations. Better ride than maXair here at home. Only rode it once.

 

Arrow 360: Weird ride... fun though even though I'm not the biggest fan of being hung upside down. Rode once in the middle and once on the end.

 

Exterminator: I didn't have high expectations considering it's a spinning mouse but I remembered this being one of the better spinning mice that I have been on. Boy was I wrong. The top of the double up is a killer and the rest of the ride isn't very pleasant either. Rode it twice. The second time was giving it a second chance... Just as bad as the first time. Glad we didn't wait in what looked to be an hour long line.

 

Skyrocket: Great, smooth ride for the park. The top hat provided crazy air time. We rode about 6 or 7 times.

 

Jack Rabbit: Still running insanely smooth after all these years. That Double down is f*****g nuts. We rode about 10 times.

 

Racer: Just as smooth as Jack Rabbit and a fun unique ride. Only problem was that the side that started on the right side of the station (when looking at the ride from the midway) always won the race. Also rode this about 10 times.

 

Thunderbolt: Just as smooth as the other two woodies. Awesomely unique and has that crazy pop of airtime right before the lift hill. Unfortunately though I am the bigger rider so I'm the one getting squeezed in the helix. Rode this about 5 times.

 

Phantom's Revenge: I had forgotten how great this ride is. The first part of the ride is all about crazy height and speed, while the whole second part after you circle around Turtle is just crazy, out of control ejector airtime awesomeness. Unfortunately they have trim breaks now that I don't remember being there a couple years ago. Didn't really take away from the ride though. We rode this about 10 times as well, 4 of those times when it was dark. The finale of the 4th of July fireworks show was going on as we were going up the lift hill one of those times. Also managed to get the last train of the night. Shoutout to Kennywood for staying open till 10:15 so everybody could get a couple more rides in after the fireworks.

 

We also ate Potato Patch French fries and had a Turkey Dinner at Parkside café. Both were really, really good.

 

All in all it was a fantastic day thanks to the VIP wristbands. Kennywood is still a wonderful, unique park that is run well and is well taken care of.

 

We are definitely going to have to make Kennywood a yearly tradition again.

[I Like Theme Parks.]

^Yeah, Kennywood is one of the best parks. All of the wooden coasters are so smooth and awesome, the classic rare rides are cool, and they have my #1 steel coaster. And that's only scraping the surface! I actually really enjoyed Exterminator and it had fun effects and some good spins.

[KPfan]

They modified Auto Race a year or two ago. Don't know the specifics but I seem to recall it was needed due to regulations. The old version was faster but lacked controls on the circuit to handle multiple cars running at the same time. The new version is slower and there are now multiple sensors throughout to stop cars as needed.

 

Phantom had some brake work done not long ago. The big change was to the station brakes which I believe also corrected an issue with trains stalling on the lift hill. As part of the work, the trim brake was adjusted as well. Some say they don't notice it but it's definitely there. I don't know if it's true but I heard the new phantom bodies increased the speed by a couple mph which is why the trim was adjusted.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

They modified Auto Race a year or two ago. Don't know the specifics but I seem to recall it was needed due to regulations. The old version was faster but lacked controls on the circuit to handle multiple cars running at the same time. The new version is slower and there are now multiple sensors throughout to stop cars as needed.

 

Phantom had some brake work done not long ago. The big change was to the station brakes which I believe also corrected an issue with trains stalling on the lift hill. As part of the work, the trim brake was adjusted as well. Some say they don't notice it but it's definitely there. I don't know if it's true but I heard the new phantom bodies increased the speed by a couple mph which is why the trim was adjusted.

 

 

I more noticed the brakes on the double-dip before the turnaround. Ruined it for me. Also Auto Race broke down 3x when I was there a few weeks ago.

[TBpony414]

We got there at about 10:00 even though the park opened at 10:30 and the rides didn't start till 11:00. We knew it would be packed so we wanted to get there early to beat some of the crowds and also purchase Platinum VIP Coaster Tour wristbands before they sold out. They only sell 26 per day. The wristbands get you unlimited rides on Jack Rabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt, Skyrocket, Exterminator, Phantom's Revenge, Swingshot, Arrow 360, and Black Widow.

 

I looked up the different wristbands on Kennywood's website but didn't see exact clarification regarding wait times. If you get the VIP one like you did, do you enter through the exit ramp and get right on? If you get the Day Coaster Tour or Gold Coaster Tour bands, do you also get to walk right into the station or are the bands like Fast Lane at CP where you are in a separate, much smaller line? I've only been to Kennywood once and didn't know they sold fast passes.

[bluestreak]

We got there at about 10:00 even though the park opened at 10:30 and the rides didn't start till 11:00. We knew it would be packed so we wanted to get there early to beat some of the crowds and also purchase Platinum VIP Coaster Tour wristbands before they sold out. They only sell 26 per day. The wristbands get you unlimited rides on Jack Rabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt, Skyrocket, Exterminator, Phantom's Revenge, Swingshot, Arrow 360, and Black Widow.

 

I looked up the different wristbands on Kennywood's website but didn't see exact clarification regarding wait times. If you get the VIP one like you did, do you enter through the exit ramp and get right on? If you get the Day Coaster Tour or Gold Coaster Tour bands, do you also get to walk right into the station or are the bands like Fast Lane at CP where you are in a separate, much smaller line? I've only been to Kennywood once and didn't know they sold fast passes.

 

For the thrill rides, Black Widow has a separate line you go up. Swingshot and Arrow 360 you just go to the exit.

 

For the coasters, Thunderbolt you go up a separate line that is next to the ride entrance. For all other coasters you go up the exit.

 

I'm 99% sure that this is how all the options work... Hope this helped!

[Password121]

So, heading out in a few days and figured I'd ask here for some details.

 

We'll be at the park Monday from a little after 12 to around 8. Which flats are seriously worth waiting more than a few cycles for? Depending on the crowds we may have to economize with several rides having been suggested to ride. For those that don't really have a huge sense of nostalgia and just focusing on ride experience... for example is Auto Race really any different than a standard Antique car ride? Or are Turtle or Kangaroo really thrilling to just... old and unique? If the latter I'd rather grab another ride on Phantoms Revenge so an unbiased opinion here would be appreciated.

[I Like Theme Parks.]

^I actually skipped Auto Race. It's the last of its kind and it has a strange ride system, but the actual experience seems like a normal antique car ride. Turtle is a lot of fun for a family ride, but it's not a thrill ride or anything. I'd ride it if it has a short line. Kangaroo is a must-ride, and it's awesome. It has some great and fun airtime coming over the ramp every time, and the restraints are kind of like ones you would find on a scrambler, so you really fly out of your seat! And it has great laterals, and it has a great charming feel to it and a nice location. It just has a really old-school feel. So I would definitely make Kangaroo a priority, since it's not only nostalgic and strange, but it's still a great ride even when you take away the uniqueness and charm.

[boldikus]

Which flats are seriously worth waiting more than a few cycles for?

 

Bayern Curve.

 

So freaking crazy and just as good as I remembered it when I used to ride them as a kid. We did walk right on. You've read my report, we didn't do many flats, but don't skip that one.

[Password121]

^^Thanks! Good to know.

 

^Good call on that because I had completely forgotten about that ride. Oh and I can only hope my report is half as awesome as yours, it's what made me want to this trip so badly in the first place.

[bert425]

So, heading out in a few days and figured I'd ask here for some details.

 

We'll be at the park Monday from a little after 12 to around 8. Which flats are seriously worth waiting more than a few cycles for? Depending on the crowds we may have to economize with several rides having been suggested to ride. For those that don't really have a huge sense of nostalgia and just focusing on ride experience... for example is Auto Race really any different than a standard Antique car ride? Or are Turtle or Kangaroo really thrilling to just... old and unique? If the latter I'd rather grab another ride on Phantoms Revenge so an unbiased opinion here would be appreciated.

 

Turtle is old and unique. . tho for DAYS after, we kept cracking each other up by saying "Tuuuuuurtlllllllle". . as the soundtrack that plays during the ride is hysterical.

 

Kangaroo? WAY more fun than it has any right to be, and absolutely worth standing in line for.

[bert425]

^^Thanks! Good to know.

 

^Good call on that because I had completely forgotten about that ride. Oh and I can only hope my report is half as awesome as yours, it's what made me want to this trip so badly in the first place.

 

oh. the Kennywood Whip is great fun too! don't miss that.

 

or the train (next to the Auto Race). .it goes out along the river with some nice scenery.

[djcoastermark]

^ Kangaroo is one not to be missed. It is just a giant laugh fest, riding or watching. The Whip is one of the best one out there and yes, the train is pretty cool too. Bayern Kurve is a great oldie too. I am also partial to their log flume ride, though the line does get long. Kennywood has lots of neat old rides that you really must try. There is just so much, enjoy as much as you can, you'll be sold.