Skycoastin' Steve's 2011 Season Extravaganza!!

[Skycoastin Steve]

Yeah, I guess they could still put more on there, but it's already pretty high up there. Standing directly under it, it's definitely close. I know for a fact it's already taller than the Drop Tower at Carowinds, which is 150-160ish feet tall.

[cfc]

As I recall, Mach Tower is supposed to top out at 240 feet--35 feet taller than Griffon.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Yeah, I think I just got fooled by the American flag. Yesterday was a bit of a long day, I think my brain cells were used up for the day by about 2:00.

[kalikoasterman510]

Well what about the tree for the top off? Or is that just for coasters?

[Skycoastin Steve]

Time to dust this thread off with a couple of updates from my epic weekend trip to New Jersey!

 

On Friday, I went up for the season pass holder preview for Green Lantern, which ended up being a pretty interesting day to say the least. Green Lantern is still a pretty decent ride, just as I remember it from when it was Chang. However, the ride rattled a little too much for being "new." Other than that, it was definitely a fun ride, had lots of positive g's, and even a couple pops of air thrown in there. I think they have the same loud wheels that Kumba runs with, because that thing was LOUD. Also, the great thing about it being a pass holder preview day was the fact that I literally walked on for all four of my rides on it. The rest of the park was overrun with school groups full of non-deodorant wearing, immature, obnoxious teenagers.

 

For this reason, I took my first foray into purchasing a Gold Flash Pass (as opposed to the regular one I usually get), and that thing was a life saver! I ended up getting 5 rides on El Toro when the line was at least 30-45 minutes or more the entire day. I also rode Nitro twice (probably the most overrated coaster this side of Raven), Kingda Ka once (yawn), Bizarro once (with no sound, thank God!), Superman once (yawn), Batman once (another yawn). For a park that has 5 B&Ms, they sure are some lackluster models. Anyway, the waits at every major ride were all incredibly long, and I'm sure the wait for Superman was somewhere near 90 minutes because there was only one train running. So in summation, if you have the cash to splurge on a Gold Flash Pass, DO IT!!!

 

On to the pictures......

So I guess the picnic areas are now extremely dangerous and involve high voltage???

This ride sign was brought to you by the letter R, which promptly walked away after delivering the sign.

Wait, when did they repaint GASM?

Wait. You stand up AND it goes upside down?!?!

You can see that it was a beautiful day in the northeast United States on Friday.

The evil yellow loop. Sources have told me that this loop has been responsible for such heinous deeds as causing starvation in Africa to steadily increase, preventing rapture, almost single-handedly crashing TPR's servers, and killing Macho Man Randy Savage. It's that evil. Who knew a different paint color could cause so much havoc?

Pop quiz: Which is worst: Osama bin Laden, the eye of Sauron, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Lebron James, the false B in Robb's name, or the yellow loop?

Shockingly enough, these people have survived the certain doom of going through multicolored track.

This is the evil-doer responsible for the dastardly act of painting the loop yellow. Shame on him!

Back to green track, whew!

I was inclined to take this loop picture.

This fighter jet is used to shoot missiles at every person who doesn't wear deodorant to a theme park. My guess is most of the people at the park that day would have been dead. That is, unless the yellow loop connived to stink the park up and blocked the missiles.

Half empty train, that's why I love being a season pass holder (I guess it's the only positive perk of being a SF pass holder).

This guy looks NOTHING like Ryan Reynolds. I want my money back.

Kenny Loggins approves.

What a line......

Yeeeeeeesh..........

I am epic win!

[mattnz]

^ LOL Damn rapture preventing yellow loop! I couldn't agree more about the Gold Flash Pass it is an absolute MUST at a park like Great Adventure. C'mon Cedar Fair where's your version?!

[Skycoastin Steve]

^One can only hope that at least Cedar Point will get some type of Lo-Q system in the near future. So many of the other CF parks don't really need them, though. I would say Kings Island and Canada's Wonderland could use them, but no other parks are crowded enough on a consistent basis.

[mattnz]

^ Absolutely agree. We waited in 1 1/2 hr + lines last year at Cedar Point and would have loved q-bots. When you've travelled half way across the world to visit a park it would be nice to have the option. We shall see!

[Skycoastin Steve]

It's time for my Whore on the Shore Trip Report! Enjoy!

So last Saturday (the 21st) was Whore on the Shore day. The goal was to get to my 299th credit by the end of the day, a plan that involved stopping at 9 small Jersey Shore parks to credit whore them into submission!

 

The first stop was Jenkinson's Boardwalk.

First credit of the day, and #277 overall, the Tornado. Not much of a tornado, and it was powered, but it counts!

#278 was my first Flitzer of the day. These are actually kinda fun.

Park #2 was Casino Pier.

Oh noes! The sun gobbled up the riders on Skyscraper!

#279 was the Mighty Mouse, one of several wild mouse coasters on the day. This one hurt.

#280 was Pirate's Hideaway, this ride was a hilarious indoor/outdoor ride. And painful (another common theme of the day).

 

Two of the coasters were closed at Casino Pier, so that was a bit of a failure.

Funtown Pier was park #3, and it was right down the beach from Casino Pier, maybe a half mile away. I was also denied a kiddie credit here since I was too big. Boo.

They had a Skycoaster.

And there's Casino Pier.

This looping coaster (#281) was made by some obscure manufacturer, but it was similar to a Pinfari looper. Either way, it was very uncomfortable to say the least. And they dispatched it every time with shoulder harnesses still up. Oy.

The Funtown Family Coaster came in at #282 and actually had a decent layout for a kiddie coaster. Not too shabby at all.

#283. This Wild Mouse was seriously freaking nuts. I also had a sandbag in the car with me. But it had airtime, no joke.

A wonderful whorish stop at Blackbeard's Cave (park #4).

#284 was the Dragon, a delightful ride THROUGH THE TREES!

Fantasy Island was park #5, and it was 28 miles out of the way round trip. However, a credit is a credit!

Yep, drove an extra 28 miles for a powered coaster. #285.

Atlantic City!

The next park was behind the Taj Mahal.

And there it is!

Steel Pier, park #6.

Crazy Mouses are evil. #286.

The Mini-Mouse, #287, and the record setter for laps on a kiddie coaster. The crazy operator here sent this thing around 9 damn times!

And here is park #7, Gillian's Wonderland Pier.

They had a monstrous Ferris wheel here, I bet it gave some good views of the ocean.

#288, the Runaway Train Coaster. This was actually kinda fun, I rode in the back (where we all know it goes SO much faster).

Miner Mike, #289, and I rode this by myself with horrified parents watching from the sidelines. Little do they know that shame is not an emotion I feel. Ever.

Fiesta Express made it 290! I rode this with another adult, and we were the only ones on the ride. She was only riding so her niece could see that it wasn't scary.

Park #8, Playland's Castaway Cove. Kinda dig the entrance.

The Sea Serpent made it 291, and the girl operating got a kick out of my "I'm just a big kid!" line as I walked up to ride it.

Python, this Pinfari looper, was #292, and it had some wicked airtime in the back row going over the first drop. The rest of the ride was misery, though.

They had an S&S double shot.

My 2nd Flitzer of the day, and credit #293!

Just like Elton John, the sun's going down on me.

So I guess these people had their fries voted the best on the shore. Naturally, I had to try them out for myself.

Not only were they some of the most delicious fries I've ever had, they also sold Stewart's orange cream soda. Double win!

And for my 9th and final park of the day, it's time for some big people rides at Morey's Piers!

Morey's Piers has three piers that are spread out pretty far from each other. This is the middle pier, but I started by going to the "left" pier.

The "left" pier, which had the SLC. More on that unfortunate development later.

My 3rd flitzer of the day, and credit #294. I'm not entirely sure how long I waited for this, but it was over half an hour. And apparently it's themed to anime surfers?

The Doo Wopper (#295), a wild mouse themed to fast food?

Time for the SLC. Ugh. #296.

Looks pretty nice at night.

 

However, this ride sucked. Horribly. A lot has been said about the new restraints and all, and the head banging was gone, but it was still a VERY rough ride. The train doesn't track well at all, the transitions are awkward, and the restraint tightened down so hard on my thighs, I thought my legs were going to fall asleep before I got off the ride. Terrible.

My 2nd coaster of the day named Sea Serpent. And #297.

It did boomerang things. It wasn't too horribly bad, not like the SLC.

Fail. Rollie's Coaster had a max height of 75 inches, I am 77 inches. The operator did his job and rejected me. Bastard!

And to end the trip, it was time to get a new woodie credit, and a CCI to boot! This would make it 298, so I would just have to grab a bonus credit in Florida before riding Cheetah Hunt.

The classic swooping CCI turn.

Great White was pretty good, but nothing special. It had some good moments of airtime both in the front and back, but it jackhammered on a lot of the turns and didn't really do much for most of the ride. However, a mediocre CCI is better than a lot of other wooden coaster offerings out there. Plus the pre-lift tunnel under the pier was awesome.

There was some Boy Scout thing going on, and basically this entire part of the beach was covered in tents.

 

But that's the end, and the day was still a success since i made it to 298. And i really wonder how many other people have ever done 9 parks in one day? That's gotta be close to some kind of record!

[Blatch]

 

Ummm... wow.

 

Just in case you wanted to know more about these Looping Coasters, they're made by Interpark, same company that made the Wild Wind coasters. There's one more of these in the world, and it's in South Korea.

 

http://rcdb.com/401.htm

 

Anyways, amazing trip report, Steve! I'm pretty sure I've never seen anyone go to 9 parks in one day, and I was suprised to see that some of the coasters you featured were actually pretty good!

[larrygator]

OK Steve, you either confused me or taught me something new.

 

So it looks like Gillian's Wonderland replaced their Wacky Worm with a Fiesta Express. Hmmm, I wonder if they moved the Fiesta Express (which used to be at Cypress Gardens) from their smaller Sea Isle location?

Edited May 28, 2011 by larrygator

[dragonskeep]

I knew a girl like you in high school. You sir are a filthy credit whore

[Skycoastin Steve]

So it looks like Gillian's Wonderland replaced their Wacky Worm with a Fiesta Express. Hmmm, I wonder if they moved the Fiesta Express (which used to be at Cypress Gardens) from their smaller Sea Isle location?

The Fiesta Express is still listed as being at Gillian's Funland, but the Wacky Worm is apparently also still at the Pier. When I was planning this trip, I wrote down that there were three credits at the Pier, so when I rode the Train, Miner Mike, and Fiesta Express, I left. I had no idea there was also a Wacky Worm on the Pier somewhere. So I actually missed a credit just because of misinformation on the internet. The only site that even has the Fiesta Express listed for counting is coastercounter.com. It's not listed on any other site. Odd.

 

I knew a girl like you in high school. You sir are a filthy credit whore

[Pirouettes907]

Okay, 9 parks is awesome and all, but this:

 

 

THIS makes this trip report. No lie, it's been over 10 years since I had Curly's Fries, and I still remember them as some of the best French fries I have ever eaten. It was always these and Kohr Brothers ice cream that were my boardwalk staple foods as a kid.

 

So, so jealous of you right now!

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Yeah, those fries were unbelievable. I was shocked at just how good they were. And Stewart's orange cream soda has been my favorite soda since I was a kid, so that just made it even better. I'll definitely be finding a Curly's from now on whenever I go to the Shore.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Moving right along on my quest for my 300th credit, just a mere 4 days after my rampage down the Jersey Shore, I was on a plane for Orlando. Upon landing in Orlando, paiging_jen and I made a nice little mid-day trip to SeaWorld for some fun in the sun (and as it would turn out, a little more credit whoring later in the day). Overall, I still love SeaWorld, and Manta and Kraken are still both my favorites in their respective categories (yes, I like Manta better than Tatsu).

 

On a side note, we had a hall of fame moment while enjoying some ice cream during our day. After sitting down at our table, we noticed a couple enthusiasts come out of the ice cream shop behind us (enthusiasts are so easy to spot), and they sat down at the next table over. Almost immediately after sitting down, all we heard was them whining and complaining about Robb and TPR. It was the usual complaints against Robb and the site, but it made us laugh that some dorks were taking time out to complain about internet things while they were at a park as nice as SeaWorld. And they went on for a solid 15 minutes, maybe longer. The grip that this site has on the people that have been banned from it is just hilarious!

 

Anyway, onto the photos...........

SeaWorld!

Wanna Manta, don't you wanna? Wanna Manta, don't you wanna?

This picture has been taken approximately 8 million times.

The lack of clearance at this point is staggering.

So if Manta rays live under water, why isn't the ride under water?

First drop.

Pretzel loops are my favorite coaster element, and it's not even close.

A little lift hill porn for you lift-thusiasts.

Having a good time in the pretzel loop.

Twisty!

Flyers are terrible for pictures, the sun is always behind the riders!

We took some time out to check out the penguins.

They look like they would be REALLY comfortable pillows.

F*** YOU, I'M A PENGUIN!

ummm.....not a penguin

Quasimodo?

FEED ME!!!

Guess the ride!

Oh no! Don't eat the riders!!!!

I really like the whole corkscrew out of a trench element that B&M did with this ride and Montu.

Another equally delightful helping of lift hill porn!

The bonus loop may not be as evil as the yellow loop, but its bonus-ness is beyond compare!

They took the tunnel through Kraken's belly and survived.

And to end the day, we stopped at Fun Spot USA (site of the world's tallest Skycoaster), and took a nice little spin on their kiddie coaster, which made it 299 credits for me! Cheetah Hunt is next!

[Skycoastin Steve]

And now it's time for Cheetah Hunt's opening day!

 

This would cap off a pretty whirlwind week for me, one that included SFGAd, 9 Shore parks, SeaWorld Orlando, and now BGT. And unless I'm mistaken, I do believe I was the first person to ride both Green Lantern at its new location and Cheetah Hunt! Not that it matters, but I thought it was a pretty cool feat.

 

As most of you probably already know, Cheetah Hunt didn't open until about 2 on Friday, so we were forced to kill some time up until then. We checked out the cheetahs in their new habitat, looked at the rest of the usual animals, fed some kangaroos, rode some rides, and took some pictures. As for the ride itself, we waited just a hair under two hours to get on, and we rode in the 2nd row to avoid waiting yet another 30 minutes for the front row. I personally thought the ride was a lot of fun. Much like everyone else, I don't think it had the most thrills in the world, but the launches were actually surprisingly good for not being the fastest, and the airtime was abundant! As for right now, it's sitting at #24 in my rankings, but we'll see if that goes up or down as the season goes on and I ride other coasters and/or ride CH again.

 

Just a cool little side story, while we were standing over on the bridge under the middle of the ride, we passed by Jim Dean as he was shooing a black snake off the pathway. He chatted us up for a little while about the ride and what we thought of it, about the park's vision for the ride and how well it turned out, how they intentionally made it quieter as to not disturb the animals, and he was excited to hear that I had flown all the way down from Virginia just to ride it! I thought it was very cool that the park president was standing out in the park and talking to people about the ride as they passed by. He was almost like a proud father watching his child go to its first day of kindergarten. Every park needs a president like that!

 

Anywho, now on to the pictures.

Taken on the way in, we got there an hour early thinking we might beat some of the crowd.

Andddddddd we were wrong.

So close, yet so far away. This was about the time they told us it wouldn't be opening till the early afternoon.....

So we went to check out the cheetahs!

So pretty!

You can get pretty close to them on the one end of the Cheetah Run.

This one thinks it's snacky snack time, and the big lady is the snack!

I just wanted to take one home, is that too much to ask?

All the cheetahs currently residing in the Cheetah Run are females, seven sisters to be exact.

Beautiful!

Not sure how the heat compares to Africa, but they were sitting in the shade whenever they could!

Artsy take on the first curve.

A look at the empty launch track.

I know a bunch of people have already taken this, but Larry, you should use this one.

While waiting, we did lunch at the Smokehouse, which always provides good photo opportunities of Sheikra.

Not a view you see very often.

90 DEGREES!

The wait was pretty bad, and we all know how slow that crew is. Pass.

Baby aardvark. Kinda creepy.

 

The baby cheetah was nowhere to be found, which was probably the biggest disappointment of the day.

According to my friend's mom, this element looks like "two martini glasses"

I don't care what it looks like, it's damn difficult not to take pictures of it.

Ummm.....someone forgot to finish building this archway.

More of the pretty kitties.

I think the one on the left is eyeballing me......

Last cheetah picture, I promise.

Patiently waiting......

Grabbed a ride on Montu and then saw the Cirque Dreams show, which was actually pretty good. Some of the stuff they did in that show was incredible!

FINALLY!

Cheetah Rock. Pretty awesome.

Sandor Kernacs and Jim Dean chatting it up in the station during some downtime.

Half the line.......

Other half of the line. Yeesh.

After two hours, I had my 300th credit!!!

 

Now everyone take a break and do a happy dance!

Whoooooossshhhhh........

Hopping up into the tree, even though cheetahs are not good climbers.

Stalking its prey somewhere on the ground.

CHEETAH ATTACK!!! RAWRRRR!!!!

This ice cream is TWISTYYYY!!!!

Just before the final turn.

Lovely shot, and the background of my computer now.

Headed under the bridge.

After the third launch, that hill was nuts!

LOOP-DE-LOOP!

I really enjoyed the canyon portion of the ride, didn't expect it to be as much fun as it was.

The lack of clearance on my side of the train was pretty surprising. I'm almost certain I could have touched one of the cliff walls.

Airtime!

Taken from the Sky Ride

We didn't quite get a train to go over us while we were on the Sky Ride, but it still provided some excellent visuals of the coaster.

Would have been wonderful if it had timed up right. Oh well, next time!

I haven't spoken about the trains yet, they look spectacular!

One more shot of the first turn, the end!

[paiging_jen]

According to my friend's mom, this element looks like "two martini glasses"

 

My mom's a bit of a lush, what can I say!

[BarryH]

Ssssssssssssooooooooooooooooooooooooo then...jen is just a friend?

 

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

[Skycoastin Steve]

^

 

I may have just unleashed the hounds.

[BarryH]

^Well, some hot women might go for you since you and Jen are only friends. I'm just thinking of you, man.

 

Heehee...

[aimster]

Oh man that was YOU I met before the rope drop! I was the chick who commented on your Club TPR shirt and showed off my Club TPR lanyard.

 

All the cheetahs currently residing in the Cheetah Run are females, seven sisters to be exact.

Actually there are 14 or 15 cheetahs total in the habitat, but they're rotated out and kept in distinct social groups. I guess the ones you saw were the seven sisters. There's at least one male at Cheetah Run. His name is Steelman. He's the largest male there... Cheetah Gifts has a section of artwork for sale done by Steelman (paw prints of course). The info thing by the art display says he loves to interact with guests and his trainers.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^^^Yeah, having NTG, I don't feel pity for you at all! Plus, by August, maybe the line won't be 2-3 hours on a regular basis at CH.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who prefers Manta over Tatsu. Sure, Tatsu has the stats and all, but Manta is a much more complete ride. Other than the preztel loop, everything about Manta is better than Tatsu.

 

 

^Ahhhhh, didn't know that about the cheetahs. I only really caught small tidbits during the times when the trainers were talking to the crowds at Cheetah Run.

 

I'm also surprised to see you waited that entire time for CH to open. There's no way I could have waited in the sun that long, I would have thrown in the towel long before 2:00 rolled around.

[BarryH]

^I, too, prefer Manta over Tatsu and Superman: Ultimate Flight. Superman has the preztel loop and then meanders over the rest of the course. Tatsu is good, but not as cool as Manta. I like how Manta dives close to the ground. The back row in Manta will kick your ass. Best part: Manta is not at SFMM!

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Yeah, back row on Manta is insane. I love it!