Photo TR: Roller Coaster Tomfoolery Tour 2012

[Voxelmatic]

I have to agree with most of the report, but every time I ride Superman, I get crazy airtime!

And the best thing about Joker that the FoF clones don't have are the rings around the what-used-to-be-a-MCBR.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

Thanks for the great TR! After seeing your TR, I don't think I'd go out of my way for this park. It doesn't look like anything special and has a lot about it that just screams "unspecial."

[mightypotato]

Part 5: Six Flags Great Adventure

Holy crap, I have really put off doing this

 

After the disappointment that was Six Flags America, we made our way to a far better park, Six Flags Great Adventure. Pretty much nothing had changed since my 2011 visit with TPR. So, here's a brief "Cliff's Notes" version of my thoughts.

 

- El Toro is still my favourite coaster. Dat Rolling Thunder Hill...

- Kingda Ka is still tall, fast and shaky

- Batman and Bizarro were better than I remembered

- Rolling Thunder still sucks

 

So...yeah. Not as exciting/lengthy as my other reports. But, when I 've got nothing new to say...I've got nothing new to say. I also didn't take as many pictures as I did at the other parks. But, here are some pictures anyway!

 

Wow...and I thought we had driven a long way!

 

Hi. I'm in...Delaware.

 

Getting there bright and early and greeted by Superman

 

Our first stop because of course it's going to be our first stop.

 

Still TONS of airtime to be found!

 

Glorious!

 

I also love the Intamin fart, because I'm apparently 5 years old.

 

Going down!

 

Still lots of air here!

 

We were going to ride Kingda Ka next, but it broke down once we got in line. So, we made our way over to Green Lantern instead

 

Ride sign

 

Divey loopy goodness

 

Didn't get too much headbashing/nut squashing in the wingovers.

 

Logically, our next stop was Superman: Ultimate Flight

 

I neglected to take pictures of it last year, so I'm glad I came back!

 

Flying! But without real forces.

 

Twisted mess of track

 

Mmmmm...pretzels.

 

This was one of those rides that if you've never been on it, you probably should. Don't know how much longer it'll be around for

 

Kingda Ka was still closed, so we hit up Rolling Thunder (not pictured) and Bizarro.

 

Bizarro #1? Well...maybe the SFNE one. Not this one.

 

Though, zero-g loops are my weakness

 

In the misty corkscrews, at the end of the ride...

 

As you can see, it wasn't a really busy day.

 

This picture quota? FILLED.

 

Nitro from the skyride. Not that I need more pictures of Nitro.

 

This corner of the park always seems like such a mess.

 

On your right, pleasure. On your left, pain. Choose wisely.

 

Rawr. Skull Mountain is still fun.

 

Ba-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na...BATMAN!

 

Lift hill funtimes

 

Lots of fun in the zero-g roll

 

There were better forces in the loops than I remembered

 

Second half of the ride

 

Mouse in a box. Meh.

 

YES. This ride rules.

 

Kingda Ka is finally open! Hurray!

 

I would still take Storm Runner and TTD over it.

 

New hotness for 2012. These things terrify me.

 

Not cool.

 

One last shot of Kingda Ka as we left for the day

 

Up next, Dorney Park!

[beatle11]

Nice pics. Were they still doing the visual scan?

[simon8899]

SkyFlyers are the best invention since the classic chain-flyer!

 

You said it was a slow day. Which day did you visit?

[mightypotato]

^^Hahahaha, yes they were. Still did the whole hand over the eyes thing too.

 

^It was a Wednesday in early June. I want to say June...6th maybe? We were a bit rushed to get the credits since the park was only open until 6pm. But, we managed to get it done.

[tamilse]

Wow!!! this was the greatest explanation that I have ever seen. Thanks for posting your message in here.

 

Part 2: Busch Gardens Williamsburg

 

We left Kings Dominion around 3:30pm or so and made our way down to Williamsburg, with plans to stay until the park closed for the night. As we pulled into the park around 5:00pm, the parking lots were PACKED. Definitely not a good sign. The helpful parking attendant told us it was packed mainly because it was a Saturday and that the Washington Redskins were in the park that day. We didn't see any of the players (or maybe we did, I wouldn't know them to see them), but it was still pretty neat. We sprung for preferred parking, which was definitely worth it and made our way into the park. As we were coming into the park, it seemed that a lot of people, especially families were leaving for the day...definitely a good sign.

 

Our first stop of the night was Griffon. I had ridden Griffon back in 2007 during its opening season and I was happy to see that it hasn't really lost any of its punch. Some nice moments of airtime on the drops and the little camel hump before the splashdown. The two immelmans also provided some decent forces. And naturally, the holding chain just before the first drop is awesome. I love that sensation of being held over the drop. Also, if you get the opportunity, grab a seat on the outside. Some nice extra bonus forces await you in the turns. The splashdown still doesn't really do anything when you're on the ride, but hey...at least it looks pretty when you're watching the ride.

 

Next up was Alpengeist. For me, this ride is a very special one. Alpengeist is the ride that turned me into a coaster enthusiast. Back in 1997, I went to Busch Gardens with my family and I was terrified of everything except Big Bad Wolf. I don't know what made me want to ride Alpengeist, but once I did...I was hooked and my obsession was born. After that, it became a search for bigger, faster, better.

 

While it's definitely not as intense as it was back in '97, Alpengeist is still a pretty damn good ride. To my surprise, it was running pretty smooth and only really gave you a shot going out of the cobra roll and coming into the MCBR. Speaking of the MCBR, it didn't seem to be on too hard, throwing you into the dive under the bridge at a pretty good clip. The ride still has my favourite first drop on an inverted coaster too. That long, sweeping dive into the ravine is great. My only wish is that they would turn off the trim on the pre-drop just to make it crazy intense again. But that won't happen...so whatever.

 

After Alpengeist, it was time for the park's new hotness for 2012, Verbolten! The queue was beyond full and they were using the overflow line, though it didn't stretch too far. But, even with the queue 110% full, the operations were fantastic and we never stopped moving. To get through the entire queue (overflow and all) took about 45 minutes. Bravo to the Verbolten crew. You guys rule. Not that I would have minded staying in line longer, the queue was impressively themed. The tourism office, Gunther's Creepy Office and the garage were all extremely well done. There was so much to look at, you could never be bored in this line. They even went above and beyond the call of duty and added oil stains to the floor in the garage area. Attention to little things like that is what puts Busch Gardens in the upper echelon of theme parks.

 

OK, so the queue is nice, but "what about the ride?" you're probably asking yourself. While it's not really intense or anything like that, it's a great replacement for Big Bad Wolf. This is a perfect ride for people who aren't quite sure they want to tackle something a bit bigger and need some encouragement. It's got enough of a kick to satisfy a thrill seeker, but it's not overly scary so as to deter families. The interior "Black Forest" portion is great and I never could get my bearings in there even after multiple rides. The freefall portion is also great. I really think Zierer and Busch Gardens hit it out of the park with Verbolten. It perfectly fit the park's needs and should be a great addition to their lineup for years to come Parambikulam forest guest house booking.

 

After getting off Verbolten, we noticed how quickly the crowd at the park seemed to be dying that pretty much only Verbolten had much of a line. This worked in our favour. We decided to keep grabbing as many rides on everything as we could, so our next stop took us over to Italy and Apollo's Chariot. So...what else can I really add to the discussion about Apollo's that hasn't been said before? It's one of the best B&M hypers and delivers great airtime. Yeah...I know that wasn't anything new or controversial, but hey...it is what it is...fantastic. Also, if I could buy a B&M hyper seat and use it as a computer chair, I totally would. Most comfortable thing ever.

 

With 4 out of the 6 credits at the park done, we figured we would hit up the last of the "adult" coasters, leaving the sad and pathetic part of our trip for the next day. So, we went over to Loch Ness Monster to have some interlocking loop goodness. The trims going into the first loop didn't seem to be on as hard as my last visit in 2007, so that was a definite plus. I'm very pleased with how the ride has kept up over the years too. It doesn't deliver much in the way of roughness. Granted, most of the ride is either more or less a straight line or a seemingly never-ending helix, but whatever. There are a few eccentricities to the ride which I'll never understand. Namely, the random hill up to both the MCBR and the second lift. I don't quite understand why those are there, not that they detract from the ride. Also, the ride's interlocking loops are probably the best looking inversions ever.

 

With the major rides surprisingly taken care of, we decided to ride Alpengeist and Griffon a few more times before heading out for the night. We checked in to the hotel, went to bed and early the next morning, were back at the park for another round of excitement.

 

On our second day, we had bought Quick Queue passes since we figured we would need them. Turns out, we didn't. There were no lines...for anything (except Verbolten). But, since we paid for the Quick Queue (unlimited plus, since we're ballin' like that) we made use of the Quick Queue lines, much to the amusement of the staff Places to visit in Parambikulam.

 

Our first stop was going to be Verbolten, but it was temporarily out of service, so we decided to come back later. Also, when we were heading back to Verbolten, the line stretched all the way across the bridge into San Marco. I know, WTF right? While waiting our Verbolten, we basically went back and forth between Alpengeist and Griffon. Luckily, the two rides are pretty close to each other.

 

After Verbolten opened and we used our Quick Queue to skip the ridiculously long line, we decided to ride Mach Tower. To be honest, I didn't care much for Mach Tower. It seemed to hit the brakes far too early and you never really got a sensation of freefall like you do on an Intamin tower. It was definitely a one and done type of thing.

 

Since it was a bit warm outside, we thought it would be a good idea to ride both Escape from Pompeii and Roman Rapids. Surprisingly, we didn't get too wet on Escape from Pompeii. Mainly because there were a total of 6 people in the boat, so we kind of just skimmed across the water. However, on Roman Rapids we got drenched under the row of waterfalls. It was hilarious, awesome and fun...exactly why I love rapids rides. To dry off, we rode Apollo's Chariot a few times. I can't think of a better blow dryer.

 

Once we were dried, we decided that we had put it off for long enough and that it was time to ride Grover's Alpine Express. We wandered into the Sesame Street themed area and sadly joined the line for Grover's with young children and their parents. We sat down, pulled down the lap bar and rode. Sure, we got the credit...but it always feels so wrong riding a kiddie coaster. On the plus side, the Sesame Street area is pretty darn nice!

 

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the park, grabbing rides on whatever coaster not named Verbolten we came across. We ended up catching one of the animal shows (Secret Life of Predators I think it was called) which was pretty fun. One of the best parts of coming to a Busch park is the food. OH GOD THE FOOD. No matter where you go in the park, you are guaranteed to have a great meal. We ended up eating at Trapper's Smokehouse, the Irish pub (name escapes me at the moment) and The Festhaus over our day and a half in the park. You really can't go wrong with that trio Parambikulam tour package.

 

As night was creeping in, we left the park and made our way back up to Doswell in preparation for our full day at Kings Dominion. Looking back, I noticed that I have been to Busch Gardens for the opening year of every new coaster since Drachen Fire in 1992 (which I tragically never rode). I was there for Alpengeist in '97, Apollo's in '99, Griffon in 2007 and now Verbolten in 2012. Something keeps drawing me back here, and I know I'll be back for whenever the next ride goes in.

 

You know, I had really forgotten just how good Busch Gardens is. Everything about the place is in that top 1% of theme parks. Landscaping, rides, food, staff, shows...everything. My friend had never been to Busch Gardens and he was comparing it to places like Universal and Disney. I think that says a lot right there.

 

Here are some pictures from our day and a half at the park for your viewing pleasure

 

This sight always makes me happy

 

Sooooo happy to be back here

 

Bald eagles are cool. Americans have an awesome national animal.

 

A (big bad) wolf

 

I love the theming in this park

 

OK, enough of that. Here's a roller coaster!

 

NINETY DEGREES! Wait...do people still say that here?

 

Immelmanny goodness

 

More immelman

 

HA

 

Love this first drop

 

Heading into the first loop

 

Lift hill goodness

 

Zero-G rolls continue to be my favourite inversions

 

Fun fact: this is an accurate representation of my usual skiing experience

 

Still fun and intense, despite the trim

 

I love this park. So much.

 

Any German speakers care to translate? We were curious what this said.

 

Here's a random Mach Tower picture because why not

 

Here are a bunch of pictures from the Verbolten queue

 

Signage

 

I'm an insurance adjuster. This is a total loss. The tree coming through the car tells me that.

 

Enter here for a Black Parambikulam Forest Stay

 

Not sure what that sign means, but it can't be good

 

Awesome looking station!

 

lol, fart.

 

So much detail, so much to look at!

 

Creepy office is creepy

 

Roll out the barrels, we'll have a barrel of fun...

 

Gorgeous

 

Definitely weird seeing this (with motion blur technology) instead of Big Bad Wolf

 

Hurray B&M hypers!

 

I love the way these look

 

Back the next day to relive the madness

 

More vertical drop fun

 

Ker-sploosh!

 

Hurray Le Scoot!

 

I love log flumes

 

*toot toot*

 

We're still in a theme park. Doesn't look like it though.

 

A wolf from the predators show

 

*drool*

 

Pikachu seems intrigued about that owl

 

A wolf and its trainer having fun

 

Jumping wolf!

 

Two wolves now!

 

A fox doing foxy things

 

A great spot for kids!

 

Most intense ride at the park

 

Grover always took the front row. What a jerk.

 

Almost greyed out here because of the forces

 

Baby Clydesdale!

 

Das Festhaus

 

One final picture of Alpengeist's zero-g roll

 

Kings Dominion (Day 2) up next!

[tamilse]

Part 2: Busch Gardens Williamsburg

 

We left Kings Dominion around 3:30pm or so and made our way down to Williamsburg, with plans to stay until the park closed for the night. As we pulled into the park around 5:00pm, the parking lots were PACKED. Definitely not a good sign. The helpful parking attendant told us it was packed mainly because it was a Saturday and that the Washington Redskins were in the park that day. We didn't see any of the players (or maybe we did, I wouldn't know them to see them), but it was still pretty neat. We sprung for preferred parking, which was definitely worth it and made our way into the park. As we were coming into the park, it seemed that a lot of people, especially families were leaving for the day...definitely a good sign.

 

Our first stop of the night was Griffon. I had ridden Griffon back in 2007 during its opening season and I was happy to see that it hasn't really lost any of its punch. Some nice moments of airtime on the drops and the little camel hump before the splashdown. The two immelmans also provided some decent forces. And naturally, the holding chain just before the first drop is awesome. I love that sensation of being held over the drop. Also, if you get the opportunity, grab a seat on the outside. Some nice extra bonus forces await you in the turns. The splashdown still doesn't really do anything when you're on the ride, but hey...at least it looks pretty when you're watching the ride.

 

Next up was Alpengeist. For me, this ride is a very special one. Alpengeist is the ride that turned me into a coaster enthusiast. Back in 1997, I went to Busch Gardens with my family and I was terrified of everything except Big Bad Wolf. I don't know what made me want to ride Alpengeist, but once I did...I was hooked and my obsession was born. After that, it became a search for bigger, faster, better.

 

While it's definitely not as intense as it was back in '97, Alpengeist is still a pretty damn good ride. To my surprise, it was running pretty smooth and only really gave you a shot going out of the cobra roll and coming into the MCBR. Speaking of the MCBR, it didn't seem to be on too hard, throwing you into the dive under the bridge at a pretty good clip. The ride still has my favourite first drop on an inverted coaster too. That long, sweeping dive into the ravine is great. My only wish is that they would turn off the trim on the pre-drop just to make it crazy intense again. But that won't happen...so whatever.

 

After Alpengeist, it was time for the park's new hotness for 2012, Verbolten! The queue was beyond full and they were using the overflow line, though it didn't stretch too far. But, even with the queue 110% full, the operations were fantastic and we never stopped moving. To get through the entire queue (overflow and all) took about 45 minutes. Bravo to the Verbolten crew. You guys rule. Not that I would have minded staying in line longer, the queue was impressively themed. The tourism office, Gunther's Creepy Office and the garage were all extremely well done. There was so much to look at, you could never be bored in this line. They even went above and beyond the call of duty and added oil stains to the floor in the garage area. Attention to little things like that is what puts Busch Gardens in the upper echelon of theme parks.

 

OK, so the queue is nice, but "what about the ride?" you're probably asking yourself. While it's not really intense or anything like that, it's a great replacement for Big Bad Wolf. This is a perfect ride for people who aren't quite sure they want to tackle something a bit bigger and need some encouragement. It's got enough of a kick to satisfy a thrill seeker, but it's not overly scary so as to deter families. The interior "Black Forest" portion is great and I never could get my bearings in there even after multiple rides. The freefall portion is also great. I really think Zierer and Busch Gardens hit it out of the park with Verbolten. It perfectly fit the park's needs and should be a great addition to their lineup for years to come.

 

After getting off Verbolten, we noticed how quickly the crowd at the park seemed to be dying that pretty much only Verbolten had much of a line. This worked in our favour. We decided to keep grabbing as many rides on everything as we could, so our next stop took us over to Italy and Apollo's Chariot. So...what else can I really add to the discussion about Apollo's that hasn't been said before? It's one of the best B&M hypers and delivers great airtime. Yeah...I know that wasn't anything new or controversial, but hey...it is what it is...fantastic. Also, if I could buy a B&M hyper seat and use it as a computer chair, I totally would. Most comfortable thing ever.

 

With 4 out of the 6 credits at the park done, we figured we would hit up the last of the "adult" coasters, leaving the sad and pathetic part of our trip for the next day. So, we went over to Loch Ness Monster to have some interlocking loop goodness. The trims going into the first loop didn't seem to be on as hard as my last visit in 2007, so that was a definite plus. I'm very pleased with how the ride has kept up over the years too. It doesn't deliver much in the way of roughness. Granted, most of the ride is either more or less a straight line or a seemingly never-ending helix, but whatever. There are a few eccentricities to the ride which I'll never understand. Namely, the random hill up to both the MCBR and the second lift. I don't quite understand why those are there, not that they detract from the ride. Also, the ride's interlocking loops are probably the best looking inversions ever.

 

With the major rides surprisingly taken care of, we decided to ride Alpengeist and Griffon a few more times before heading out for the night. We checked in to the hotel, went to bed and early the next morning, were back at the park for another round of excitement.

 

On our second day, we had bought Quick Queue passes since we figured we would need them. Turns out, we didn't. There were no lines...for anything (except Verbolten). But, since we paid for the Quick Queue (unlimited plus, since we're ballin' like that) we made use of the Quick Queue lines, much to the amusement of the staff.

 

Our first stop was going to be Verbolten, but it was temporarily out of service, so we decided to come back later. Also, when we were heading back to Verbolten, the line stretched all the way across the bridge into San Marco. I know, WTF right? While waiting our Verbolten, we basically went back and forth between Alpengeist and Griffon. Luckily, the two rides are pretty close to each other.

 

After Verbolten opened and we used our Quick Queue to skip the ridiculously long line, we decided to ride Mach Tower. To be honest, I didn't care much for Mach Tower. It seemed to hit the brakes far too early and you never really got a sensation of freefall like you do on an Intamin tower. It was definitely a one and done type of thing.

 

Since it was a bit warm outside, we thought it would be a good idea to ride both Escape from Pompeii and Roman Rapids. Surprisingly, we didn't get too wet on Escape from Pompeii. Mainly because there were a total of 6 people in the boat, so we kind of just skimmed across the water. However, on Roman Rapids we got drenched under the row of waterfalls. It was hilarious, awesome and fun...exactly why I love rapids rides. To dry off, we rode Apollo's Chariot a few times. I can't think of a better blow dryer.

 

Once we were dried, we decided that we had put it off for long enough and that it was time to ride Grover's Alpine Express. We wandered into the Sesame Street themed area and sadly joined the line for Grover's with young children and their parents. We sat down, pulled down the lap bar and rode. Sure, we got the credit...but it always feels so wrong riding a kiddie coaster. On the plus side, the Sesame Street area is pretty darn nice!

 

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the park, grabbing rides on whatever coaster not named Verbolten we came across. We ended up catching one of the animal shows (Secret Life of Predators I think it was called) which was pretty fun. One of the best parts of coming to a Busch park is the food. OH GOD THE FOOD. No matter where you go in the park, you are guaranteed to have a great meal. We ended up eating at Trapper's Smokehouse, the Irish pub (name escapes me at the moment) and The Festhaus over our day and a half in the park. You really can't go wrong with that trio.

 

As night was creeping in, we left the park and made our way back up to Doswell in preparation for our full day at Kings Dominion. Looking back, I noticed that I have been to Busch Gardens for the opening year of every new coaster since Drachen Fire in 1992 (which I tragically never rode). I was there for Alpengeist in '97, Apollo's in '99, Griffon in 2007 and now Verbolten in 2012. Something keeps drawing me back here, and I know I'll be back for whenever the next ride goes in.

 

You know, I had really forgotten just how good Busch Gardens is. Everything about the place is in that top 1% of theme parks. Landscaping, rides, food, staff, shows...everything. My friend had never been to Busch Gardens and he was comparing it to places like Universal and Disney. I think that says a lot right there.

 

Here are some pictures from our day and a half at the park for your viewing pleasure

 

This sight always makes me happy

 

Sooooo happy to be back here

 

Bald eagles are cool. Americans have an awesome national animal.

 

A (big bad) wolf

 

I love the theming in this park

 

OK, enough of that. Here's a roller coaster!

 

NINETY DEGREES! Wait...do people still say that here?

 

Immelmanny goodness

 

More immelman

 

HA

 

Love this first drop

 

Heading into the first loop

 

Lift hill goodness

 

Zero-G rolls continue to be my favourite inversions

 

Fun fact: this is an accurate representation of my usual skiing experience

 

Still fun and intense, despite the trim

 

I love this park. So much.

 

Any German speakers care to translate? We were curious what this said.

 

Here's a random Mach Tower picture because why not

 

Here are a bunch of pictures from the Verbolten queue

 

Signage

 

I'm an insurance adjuster. This is a total loss. The tree coming through the car tells me that.

 

Enter here for a Black Forest tour

 

Not sure what that sign means, but it can't be good

 

Awesome looking station!

 

lol, fart.

 

So much detail, so much to look at!

 

Creepy office is creepy

 

Roll out the barrels, we'll have a barrel of fun...

 

Gorgeous

 

Definitely weird seeing this (with motion blur technology) instead of Big Bad Wolf

 

Hurray B&M hypers!

 

I love the way these look

 

Back the next day to relive the madness

 

More vertical drop fun

 

Ker-sploosh!

 

Hurray Le Scoot!

 

I love log flumes

 

*toot toot*

 

We're still in a theme park. Doesn't look like it though.

 

A wolf from the predators show

 

*drool*

 

Pikachu seems intrigued about that owl

 

A wolf and its trainer having fun

 

Jumping wolf!

 

Two wolves now!

 

A fox doing foxy things

 

A great spot for kids!

 

Most intense ride at the park

 

Grover always took the front row. What a jerk.

 

Almost greyed out here because of the forces

 

Baby Clydesdale!

 

Das Festhaus

 

One final picture of Alpengeist's zero-g roll

 

Kings Dominion (Day 2) up next!