Need help planning Rollercoaster Vacation

[Alucard77]

Hi All,

 

I am new here, but this looks like the place to post my question.

 

Me and a couple of friends have been going to Six Flags NJ for the last 20+ years. Unfortunately this year they just recycled Medusa into Bizzaro, which non of us find interesting. Not to mention that last year, The Dark Knight Coaster was the biggest joke ever.

 

We figure it may be time to branch out and do anual trips to some of the best rollercoaster parks. This year we decided on Ohio. We want to go to Cedar Point and Kings Island.

 

We love crazy rollercoasters with tons of Gs. Last year we rode El Toro back to back about ten times with the speed pass. My head was spinning for a good day off that. After El Torro we are dying to try the beast and son of the beast. Also, King da Ka was awesome, so we want to try Top Thrill Dragster.

 

So I am wondering, are we making the right choice here? Is Cedar Point and Kings Island two of the best roller coaster parks to visit?

 

Also, which should we do first? We are planning on flying in on Thursday night, do one park Friday, one park Saturday and fly out sunday.

 

Personal experiences would be appreciated.

[Homeboy23]

If you are only giving yourself one day each, do Cedar Point on Friday and Kings Island on Saturday.

[robinschroder]

After your experience on (universally praised) El Toro, I think you'll be in for a bit of a shock with Son of Beast (and Mean Streak)...!

[Alucard77]

Yeah, we were thinking Cedar Point First as well. The rides look very similar to Six Flags NJ rides. King's Island looks to have different types of rides.

 

So what kind of shock will I have. Good or Bad? I have read that Beast is not so smooth, and beats you up a bit. I really wished that Son of Beast still had the loop, but I heard the loop definately beat you up.

 

Initially I said lets do Ohio because I saw the 3+ minute video of Son of Beast. I wanted to know what a 3 minute El Torro ride will feel like.

[alpengeist04]

If you are going to CP, I recommend staying at one of the park's hotels. ...Early entry to the park is a must IMO!!! With the early entry I was able to ride Millennium Force 4 times and Maverick 6 times over the course of two mornings this week. When the GP finally did arrive the wait times quickly went up to 60 minutes for MF and 75 minutes for Maverick.

[STR8FXXXINEDGE]

I really wished that Son of Beast still had the loop, but I heard the loop definately beat you up.

 

You heard wrong. That was the only smooth part of the ride!

[freddycoasterkid]

I use this to plan my visits:

http://www.coasterimage.com/ohio-amusement-parks-ohio-theme-parks/

 

BTW Cedar Point omg flipping awesome!! (have fun)

[robinschroder]

Hi again,

 

I have to be a bit careful, as I've personally not been to Kings Island (and I haven't been to all that many US parks either) - so I don't want to go putting you off or pointing you towards places / rides I haven't been to / on myself!

 

All I would say is that El Toro is one of a modern breed of wooden coasters made (by Intamin) from pre-fabricated track which makes the ride a lot smoother than would normally be possible using traditional techniques. It was voted in Mitch Hawker's 2008 poll as the #3 wooden coaster in the world. So in a way, it's a hard act to follow!

 

Son of Beast, on the other hand, has a bit of a reputation (again - I've not ridden it!) for being a little rough... granted it's a huge, tall, and fast ride but it's not going to be directly comparable to the 3 minute version of El Toro it sounds like you're hoping for...

 

I live in the UK, and I've travelled out to the states over the years to visit Six Flags Magic Mountain and also Cedar Point. I had a great time at both parks and they just felt like some of America's 'must do' parks for someone outside of the US. I think Cedar Point is one of many good choices for somewhere fun to visit to go on lots of coasters in the US - so you're definitely not looking in the wrong direction. Bear in mind that Kingda Ka (not ridden it myself!) and Top Thrill Dragster are pretty similar rides at the end of the day (admittedly Dragster just has lap-bars so it maybe feels even more insane) - check out what else Cedar Point has to offer you (and there is a lot there); don't just go if your sole motivation is for a 'Kingda Ka'-a-like would be my advice.

 

If you just want to head out and ride the biggest and best out there, for wood there are lots of interesting places to go in the Mid-West e.g. Holiday World is one of many very popular parks (e.g. The Voyage is #2 in Mitch's poll). Whilst there aren't any other Intamin pre-fab woodies in the US yet apart from El Toro, the GCI coasters dotted around the US are also definitely worth checking out - I really loved Troy at Toverland in the Netherlands!

 

For steel, Superman / 'Bizarro' - yes, another one! - at Six Flags New England is very popular (#1 in Mitch's 2008 poll), Maverick and Millennium Force are popular at Cedar Point, also don't forget about the Florida parks like Busch Gardens Africa and Islands of Adventure, and for sheer volume of coasters all in one park there's Six Flags Magic Mountain. I've probably missed lots!! The good news is that the US is full of interesting parks to visit!

 

I'm sure other US-based members will have some good and more focussed suggestions... Check out the TPR Park Index to read reports / see pictures / etc. to help you decide.

 

Best of luck with your trip and don't forget to tell us all about it!

 

Robin

[Wood Dragon 1988]

I've never been to Kings Island, but from all reports I've read, the Beast and Son of Beast are definitely not even in the same league as El Toro. They are both kind of historically significant roller coasters though, so it gives them some appeal (for me at least).

 

Anyway, if you simply want to ride great roller coasters, I would suggest Lake Compounce, Six Flags New England, or Knoebels (which are probably closer to where you live). If you want a lot of credits, then you can't beat CP or KI.

[CHILLERLC1]

If you're a newbie to Cedar Point, as a coaster enthusiast milestone, you have to visit it. To me now though I can avoid it. Kings Island is my darling outside of our local SFGADV at this time. It's a good choice of a duo. Maybe if you can get two visits to Dorney in the Cedar Fair Platinum pass might be worth it. CP and KI are Cedar Fair properties, as well as Dorney, Kings Island.

[nick45326]

If you really have a passion and want to start branching out from your home park(s) I would say don't listen to others opinions on the best coaters etc. The best way to go is just go out there and do it. Go to as my parks as you can. Every park is different and enjoyable in one way or another. Yes, you will find some good and not so good coasters but that comes with any park you visit. I have gotten off a few coasters I thought were going to be horrible and they ended up to be some of the most memorable.

[Alucard77]

Thanks for all the replies, this is very helpful.

 

In all honesty, I think I may have mispoke in my post. The reason we want to do Cedar Point and King's Island is to try more rollercoasters.

 

I don't necessarily need to ride King Da Ka and El Torro all day, but it is nice if there are rides similar to that. From the site, it looked liked both parks had good roller coasters that were different from the roller coasters at six flags NJ. So we are exicited to try the rides.

 

We are more rush junkies. So as long as the rides push good Gs and have good speed to them, then we are good.

 

BTW, does Cedar Point and Kings Island have "speed passes"? We would pay extra to be able to ride more rides. I know when we were at Six Flags NJ, we paid the extra $75, but were able to ride rides as soons as we got off other rides.

[Groteslurf]

^ I'm afraid KI nor CP have 'speed' passes (except for the 'vip experience')

 

At CP you can get in 1 hour before opening if you're staying at one of the CP hotels or if you have a Platinum season pass.

If you want to ride different type of rollercoasters, visiting both KI and CP in 2 days is a good choice imo. Together that will be some 30 new coasters you'll be riding.

[Brad]

BTW, does Cedar Point and Kings Island have "speed passes"? We would pay extra to be able to ride more rides. I know when we were at Six Flags NJ, we paid the extra $75, but were able to ride rides as soons as we got off other rides.

 

The only 'speed passes' at these two parks would be the VIP experiences. I know the one at CP costs $375/person for one day (quite pricey).

[Alucard77]

Yeah, that is extremely pricey. $75 is one thing, but $375 is rediculous!

 

Any hotels that you recommend that would get us into the park early?

[Brad]

Yeah, that is extremely pricey. $75 is one thing, but $375 is rediculous!

 

Any hotels that you recommend that would get us into the park early?

 

I've stayed at Hotel Breakers (its is rather expensive though). For an affordable option, Breakers Express provides early access (although you have to drive over the causeway to get to the park, and pay the parking fee).

[CoasterFanatic]

If you buy a Platinum Pass (which will cover parking and admission to both parks) you will also get into both parks early.

[coaster_dad]

PLATINUM, BABY!

 

A Platinum pass is the way to go. My son scored 10 Diamondback rides in a row at Kings Island on passholder ERT. He also racked up 7 Dragster rides in a row with after hours ERT. Besides early entry and free parking you also can visit any Cedar Fair park. Based on your visits to SFGADV I would assume you are only a few hours from Dorney and Kings Dominion.

 

All clear...enjoy your rides!

[monsterfan99]

Both parks are worth your time. I have visited both for the first time in the last 5 weeks. I agree with going to CP Friday and KI Saturday.

 

Buy the Platinum Pass! You get morning ERT at both parks with the pass. It will also allow you to stay off site and save some $$$ on hotel. If you just plan to sleep at the hotel, go cheap and save.

[NINCUB]

I think these two parks are awesome, especially if you have never been to either.

 

I went for the first time to CP 2007 and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I really needed more time to re-ride rides and get everything done that I wanted. The park was busy so MF and TTD were both 45-60min waits. i would have loved early entry or maybe a 2nd day.

 

I went to KI the first time last year (2008) and really enjoyed this park as well. This was a good full day from open to close and was somewhat busy.

 

Each summer I go to to my friend's in Columbus OH for vacay, so KI is just like 1.5hrs away and CP is a little over 2hrs away. Very convenient!

 

Anyhoo.... I'm debating this year to go back to KI for Diamondback or to CP since I missed quite a few credits. Seriously I enjoyed more coasters at CP than KI even though I didn't get to ride all the coasters at CP. KI really only had a few coasters that I enjoyed enough to re-ride, but at CP almost all of their coasters are awesome.

 

I would advise to visit both parks as they are both different and offer some great coasters and flats! :0)

[sros1fan]

Both CP and KI are awesome parks but the best parks can be found in PA. You really cant compare TTD to kingda krap because TTD blows KK away. TTD is so much smoother and has alot less down time then KK does. Plus i cant stand the otsr's on KK when TTD has lapbars. Niether CP or KI has any good woodies, for those try the parks in PA.