Photo TR: The Finglish duo do the best of the rest - NE USA

[cfc]

I think Phoenix is right up there with Balder and El Toro. Just goes to show you that a very "old school" ride can still be amazing. I'm a fan of their Haunted House, too. And their Skooters. And their food.

 

Hell, just about everything at Knoebels.

[andybarnes84]

Day 5 - Niagara Falls/Presque Isle State Park/Waldameer

 

What a wash out yesterday was. It didn't stop until the early hours of this morning, but I'm glad it did finally leave us alone and allowed the sun to break through. An essential ingredient for a Niagara Falls visit. If anyone is in the Rochester/Victor area, I would recommend staying at the Best Western Victor, the rooms were the biggest of the trip with very high ceilings which caused me to have a panic attack half way through the night when I went to the bathroom and thought all that rain had shrunk me by AT LEAST 54%.

 

Let's get in the car and hit the open road yet again, and we're not even half way through the holiday, I'm starting to really see the benefits of a TPR trip, having someone else do the driving would be a nice luxury because on this drive there really wasn't much to look at.

 

What I said about the parks on this trip being open during the week was true, but we had to miss Seabreeze, Darien Lake and this place due to weekend only openings. Question is, did we miss much?

This is what you get on the American side, a HRC and a gift shop. I've heard the Canadian side has an extra gift shop, but we couldn't get the visa in time.

This guy was here before all you lot, but now he's retired in Palm Springs so you're safe.

This reminds me of the I Ride trolley in Orlando. "Next stop Bargain World for all your classy souvenirs, now get off my clean trolley you smelly trailer trash Brits".

I caught you, illegal immigrant! I'm calling the Citoyenneté et Immigration.

 

I didn't originally plan for us to come here on this tour, originally we were going to drive west from Knoebels along I-80 and up I-79 to Erie. I'm glad I changed my mind. For those who have been here, or even seen other family members boring photos from their trip here, I apologise in advance. The boat trip up to the falls starts off very innocently and then turns nasty, I expected it to be wet (the poncho was a hint) but in reality it's like standing behind a 747 taking off from a flooded runway in a monsoon. Much better than I thought it would be and definitely worth the $15.

 

If out for a swim and you come across this view, TURN AROUND AND DON'T STOP! If you had beans for lunch you'll probably survive.

Where's the restroom?

The trolls of the falls, don't go down there or they will do nasty things to you.

"Hello Canadian neighbors, what did you think?". "Ehhhh!!".

Good.

Better.

There it is, the "famous" one.

Brother and Sister falls together in the one shot.

Purty shot.

Yes that is a herd of Amish coming right for us, RUN HANNA RUN TO THE BOAT!

"Lower Gorge viewing". Need I say anymore.

Down I go!

"Welcome Sir, sorry to stare it's just I've never seen a monobrow that significant before".

Uh oh, Asian tour group!!! This means war!

Forget "Where's Wally?", let's play "Where's Amish?".

Like lambs to the slaughter...

Luckily I managed to secure my place for the trip right at the front of the boat. Unfortunately I was to be be crushed by about 30 Indian tourists throughout the 15 minute ride because of this. They got so violently close I swear if I didn't wear that poncho I'd be giving birth to a mini-Indian in 8 months or so from now.

I'll let the pictures do the talking...

"PHOTO PHOTO!!!", I proceed to be elbowed, pushed, kicked etc by the tour group but don't give in, stand my ground and get the footage I came here for.

This is where the 747 in a monsoon comparisons kick in.

This is all you'll see for the next 3 minutes or so.

And we're done.

 

After Niagara, we continued west to Erie. Did some sunbathing on Presque Isle, a beautiful place that really reminded me of Florida, didn't think PA could look like this! Unfortunately as soon as I turned on my camera it died. Oh darn. All that Niagara footage drained it of it's will to live and with no access to a charging facility I wouldn't be able to get footage of this wonderful location AND Waldameer Park (all users immediately leave this topic).

 

In truth, we were only at Waldameer for one thing, Ravine Flyer 2. Literally walked up to the booths, charged a Wally card with $9 and went on the ride. I think we needed more time here because I wasn't that impressed by it and could have done with re-rides. The view from the lift hill is spectacular, great first drop, great first airtime hill and turnaround but then it really felt like it fizzled out after then, certainly didn't have the scale or speed expected and just generally forgettable after an impressive start. But I know with re-rides we would have appreciated it a lot more. Tiredness and dehydration always play a part when the weather is good too. Time scales just didn't allow us to visit this park properly, and in all honesty it didn't look like we missed much as Waldameer is smaller than I thought it would be. A nice basic park with what I'm sure is a good wooden coaster worthy of it's place in the polls. I just caught it, or myself, on an off day.

 

We continued our drive west all the way to Sandusky, passing the very serene Cleveland Waterfront at sunset which was memorable. A cool moment approaching Sandusky along US-6, we raced a train pretty much the whole way and were so close you could see if the driver had shaved that day.

 

Checked into the Breakers Express, bought our $32 tickets for tomorrow and collapsed.

One last close up view from below the American falls.

Edited July 9, 2012 by andybarnes84

[andybarnes84]

Day 6 - Cedar Point

 

Woke up at a relatively civilized time, must have been about 7:30am. I've finally adjusted to Eastern Time, result! I would describe the Breakers Express as basic 90's Chic, as long as you have realistic expectations of what a $100 room at a Cedar Point "Resort" will get you, you'll be fine. A free parking permit for the park, 1 hour early ride time and $32 tickets made our stay all the sweeter. We were here for 2 nights (what a luxury) because we knew this would be a bit of long day and there was no way I could drive to Pittsburgh after today.

 

After yet more hotcakes at the McD's nearby, we made the scenic and quite impressive drive along Cedar Point Causeway:

 

This sign tells you that you are entering the domain of coaster awe, but you're by no means there yet so foot down!

Being a law abiding tourist I maintained 35mph until everyone started overtaking me so "sod it, live a little" I thought, 37mph it was to be.

Naughty beggars are getting ahead of us even though it's only 8:50am!

I can assure you the car park didn't look like this by 10am.

Nice landscaping, good start!

Are we really here? Seriously?

Don't you get one of these if you just eat enough Wonka bars? Mr Cedar Fair must be huge because they've got golden tickets coming out of every orifice of the park!

*cue epic holy music*

 

OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS WE'RE FINALLY HERE, WE MADE IT TO COASTER GEEK MECCA!

 

After the usual Cedar Fair pre-opening, highly emotional rendition of the national anthem, we present our tickets and literally run like pensioners at Sears on Black Friday (not pretty) through the turnstiles to the big blue one. Only 3 coasters were open for this 1 hour privilege, Raptor, Iron Dragon and Millennium Force. I'll proceed to review the coasters shortly, but needless to say we enjoyed our first ride of the day on the big blue one very much. After this headed to Raptor then Iron Dragon. By this time the G.P. were massing in the holding pen, we looked upon them with our bourgeoisie stiff upper lips and thought it would be wise to start queuing for TTD even though it was only 9:45. Half an hour later the coaster finally opened and off we went.

 

TTD, then Maverick (get this one in early folks as the capacity is rubbish, thanks to everyone on here for the warning) followed by Blue Streak. By now we were starving, for some strange reason we decided to eat at Joe Cool's and share a big pizza. Surrounded by mini-people we felt slightly out of place but heck we're on a holiday so let's watch cartoons and stuff pizza down our gobs. If you can eat lunch around 11:30 you'll have your food with you in about 10 minutes. By the time we finished our lunch the place was full.

 

"Oh yeah Hanna, did I tell you they have a beach here too? With free sun loungers?"

 

World class coasters + an amazing beach = Hanna's paradise.

After crashing out on the sun loungers for an hour or so, we went back to the car to freshen up and entered the park for the second half of our day. My memory fails me when it comes to remembering the order in which we did things in the afternoon/evening, but we got a ride on Gemini, Magnum, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Wicked Twister and re-rides on the big blue one and the biggest red one.

 

We would really have liked to do more, the crowds caught us out today. Midweek in mid June, didn't think it would be too bad, but in spots it was busy. Queued an hour for our second ride on Millennium Force, and about 30 mins for everything else we did later in the day but noticed some big queue times especially for Maverick at about 1 1/2 hours.

 

So what did we make of this place?

 

Six Flags Magic Mountain is still our collective favorite, but this is a microscopically close second. Cedar Point is an amazing park, AMAZING! Yes it's a bit bland like other parks in the chain but the operations were outstanding, impressed by the idea of having a ride attendant interact with the guests with a headset which made things move along a bit slicker. The staff were soooo friendly and into their job but this is probably an early summer season vibe, will be interesting to find out if they can keep this up through the mad days ahead.

 

Prices weren't insane, location is stunning, and they have some truly amazing coasters here. I can't put my finger on what it was exactly that didn't allow me to accept this is better than SFMM but I'm sure many, if not most of you disagree with this. Next time we come here it'll be for at least 2 days, and I'll seriously consider Fast Lane and would urge you to do so too. We missed out on tons of rides, mainly due to queue times, and we were burned out by 8 so missed out on Luminosity too. At least we didn't get caught in any traffic on the way out along the Causeway though.

 

You go ahead, not my thing sorry.

Interesting name...

Pink's or Nathan's?

Hanna Cool with Joe Cool. Or is this Snoopy? WHO THE HECK IS JOE COOL ANYWAYS??

I used to love these rides but nowadays I fear they'd cause me to perform a "multicolored yawn".

Is this as good as Supreme Scream? If is then consider this regret number 4.

What do you mean "this isn't Shoot the Rapids"?

Tranquility in a Cedar Fair park?

Been on one of these at Thorpe Park, much fun!

Yeti chickens?

See it's got train and everything!!

"When in Rome...".

Thanks for your advice on this one ladies and gents, took one look and walked away.

I've been beaten up by too many of these things over the years. Sorry folks didn't get on it this time.

Then I realized it had a loop. So this isn't a clone? Darn, regret number 5?

 

Blue Streak 7/10 - A solid oldie with a nice paint scheme, think I chose the better Woodie to ride this day and wasn't dissapointed. Can't remember the catchphrase between the ride attendant and ride op but it was indeed catchy.

 

Cedar Creek Mine Train 5/10 - Scenic but that's about it, some jerky transitions that you'd be better off bracing for, not awful but not worth the 30 minute wait. Our ride was enhanced by someone screaming "HUGGEE HILLLL" most of the time.

 

Gemini 8/10 - If Big Thunder Mountain sexed Magnum XL-2000000000 this is what you'd get. The most under appreciated coaster/s at the park and a heck of a lotta fun. Airtime and classic retro style is a winner with us, and this thing chews through the queue line like there's no tomorrow!

 

Iron Dragon 4/10 - I'm sorry but this is crap. Looks pretty but crap. Nuff said.

 

Wicked Twister 9/10 - As I mentioned in the Dorney Park report, I'm a sucker for these contraptions. I preferred the holding brake on Possessed to an extra spike here. Amazing setting however. Hanna thought this one was a little more intense, we agree to disagree.

 

Raptor 8/10 - Intense, VERY intense. As mentioned before Inverts aren't my favorite coaster type these days, heavy G's and little visibility doesn't equal thrills for me personally. If you're into good Inverts though head to this because it's got everything you could want.

 

Top Thrill Dragster 10/10 - Still not sure about the name after all this time, but boy is this good. Perfect actually. Fitting theme, best coaster trains in the World, efficient operations, LAP BARS! Let's just say this is so much better than Kingda Ka in every way, but you already knew this right? Stealth and Kingda crrrraawwwlll over the top but this just flies over, Cedar Point (like Hershey) know what they have and aren't scared of letting you know about it.

 

Maverick 8/10 - If only we could have been on this a couple more times. My score is probably not reflective of just how good this is, but you better practice your defensive anti-whiplash pose because this thing dishes out sharp turns by the dozen. A strange ride, not sure what to make of it after the one ride but it was definitely fast and the tunnel launch was great. Shame the queue is always stupidly long.

 

Magnum Force XL200 8/10 - A classic, I'm sure you'll agree. A great coaster worthy of it's fame, typical Arrow angular transitions you'll have to brace for but impressive Skyrush style ejector air on those last hills.

 

Millennium Force 10/10 - Best coaster here. OK this isn't the best airtime machine and I'm all about the airtime but take into consideration the whole package and it's definitely one of the best on this planet. A perfect blend of floater airtime, ejector on that last hill, and epic over bank turns. This coaster always seemed to draw a crowd but for obvious reasons, because it's AWESOME.

 

Thank you everyone at Cedar Point for making our day genuinely awe inspiring, a place that provided us with many unbeatable moments and a significant craving to return as soon as practically (and financially) possible. A genuine resort in an amazing location.

 

Adios! Until next year (he hopes), farewell.

[johnychen]

Great trip report on Cedarpoint. Love the reviews and the pictures. Can't wait to go this weekend for Coastermania.

[simon8899]

Great PhotoTR! Need to do CedarPoint when I'm in or near NYC next time - will also do Hersheypark, Knoebels and SFGA then at least.

 

Weather can be a bitch judging by your Knoebels pics. Honestly at that weather I'd headed for some museum or shopping mall. I pick my hotel at a central location - all parks I wanna do within 100 miles - and then make a priority list which parks to hit first if weather is mostly dry. I dont care for a single shower or two - but if weather is worse I rapidly get frustrated at a park. I also have a list with destinations for bad weather...

[Invertalon]

Nice CP TR, I enjoyed reading it.

 

I really wish Intamin went back to making rides like they did back back around 2000... Millennium Force, the Superman Ride of Steels, Expedition GeForce, Goliath (Holland), etc... I just liked the way they designed the rides more back then compared to their latest creations. Rides like Maverick, I305 and Skyrush do not excite me like the old designs did.

[Rai Fox]

I was at Knoebels the same day you were. The weather certainly was...interesting... It was the only day I had to get there though, so I didn't feel like letting it get in my way. Got on pretty much everything there...after a certain point of "wet," you pretty much stop noticing any more rain, anyway!'

 

Power surge is amusing in the rain. The shape of the arms scoop up tons of rainwater, and then dump it on your head when you're up the ascending part of the spin. Wetter than the flume in weather like that.

[simon8899]

Did it once that way as a school-kid when visiting Hansa-Park - then Hansaland - with a group and got the cold of my life. Was flat in bed for nearly two weeks. So after that experience I won't repeat it. I already had travels when I had 2-3 parks planned but the weather all week was horrible - so I skipped all parks.

 

Another reason to visit that areas - London, Paris - again!

[caffeine_demon]

Nice CP TR, I enjoyed reading it.

 

I really wish Intamin went back to making rides like they did back back around 2000... Millennium Force, the Superman Ride of Steels, Expedition GeForce, Goliath (Holland), etc... I just liked the way they designed the rides more back then compared to their latest creations. Rides like Maverick, I305 and Skyrush do not excite me like the old designs did.

 

Skyrush eats Millenium force for breakfast - then returns for a good go at bizarro!

[coasterbear30]

It is so amazing to me how people have such different opinions on rides/parks. I recently went to CP as well and I loved Maverick, TTD and WT but I thought that Millennium Force was once of the most boring pieces of crap I have ever ridden and I have only ridden a little over 200 coasters. Intimidator 305 was a much better coaster and more thrilling. I rode MF 5 times over the course of two days in different seats and it was just really boring to me. I didn't think it had hardly any airtime at all. I also did not like CP as a park. I like my parks with more theming, plants, SHADE and great rides than just ride after ride plopped down on concrete. Glad to know we are not all the same.

 

Rob "I guess I just don't get the fascination with MF" McFarland

[Werner]

Great TR! To bad about your Knoebels day... Looks like you had a nice day at The Point!

 

The Intamin's are by far the best rides at Ceder Point with the two B&M following close... But the rest of the park? No, not my thing...

[andybarnes84]

I'm going to be a little philosophical here but there are so many weird and wonderful reasons why we all love different coasters in different ways just like music, clothing, movies and so much else, that's what makes reading this forum so interesting.

 

I don't like to make concrete verdicts on parks until I've been a second time, same goes for rides. It's also amazing just how different expectations can be for the "famous" ones. I know it sounds mad but I was expecting to be a little let down by MF and blown away by I305, and the two couldn't have been more opposite to me after riding them a couple of times.

 

Thanks for all the comments so far everyone, this is the first TR I've ever written so it's great to hear a few of you are enjoying it.

[andybarnes84]

Day 7 - Kennywood

 

Started the day with the long drive from the Breakers Express down to Kennywood. Stopped by a service station to have some overpriced McDonald's, didn't think you had these in the States. There was even an Ohio gift shop but I skipped this (unsurprisingly).

 

Made the first mistake of the day, the entrance to Kennywood really caught me off guard, so we had to spin round in the nearby McDonald's car lot and make our way back. Free parking or $6 parking? Hmm..how quirky. Despite the long drive we made it there by 10:30am and managed to get a space in the trailer trash lot. $6 would get us fries at the Potato Patch, who cares if we have to walk a little bit further.

 

or free, no brainer.

Never has a horse stabbed through the heart looked so happy.

Kennyland!

 

We loved this park, it really caught us by surprise with it's lush landscaping, classic atmosphere and equally classic rides. I'll admit I wasn't expecting much from Kennywood but it was so much better than I could have imagined. Lots of little areas to stumble upon, they really seem to take good care of this park. Having said this, Garfield's Nightmare is in a sorry state and really needs to go. Ghostwood Estate was a fun ride and surprisingly well themed. Didn't go on the classic Noah's Ark though, and Exterminator was down which I wanted to do too.

 

The employees could have been friendlier and more energetic but they seemed really tired, I've since found out they work 14 hour days so I'm not going to say I expect more from them. Sort out their work/life balance management!

 

The "patch" lived up to it's reputation, although strangely these reminded me a lot of our British "chips".

 

Lines were quite long probably because of it being a Friday and amazing weather but luckily Phantom's line moved the quickest. Maybe I was just being lazy but it seemed difficult to get many decent pictures of the coasters here as most of them have been built into a giant ravine, shame.

 

Lost Kennywood? If anyone can explain this concept, answers on a postcard please to Hanna, Lundun, Ingalund.

It's never too early for these (10:49 for us).

No need to be scared kids, Kenny is MUCH nicer than Mr Duds, fact.

This however kids is scary, very scary, stay away.

Still better than World of Color?

These guys are stealing your fun, I think they are Scientologists.

No comment, seriously I cannot come up with anything for this.

"I'll have what she's having".

Moist enough for ya?

See it's got all these nice water things and grass and stuff.

These poor homeless souls from Pittsburgh were adopted by the Kenny foundation and now sing for you 14 hours a day. All they need is a Twinkie every 2 hours and they're good to go.

Just in case you forgot where we were.

Thanks for reminding me why Brits are so good at playing the bad guy in movies.

The Phil Collins music playing in the background spoiled the atmosphere a little, but it's still a nice view.

Kennywood Racer 5/10 - Tame, bland, not the Grand National. I would like to be more constructive but it didn't take long to realize this wasn't going to be great. There wasn't much of a race either, more of a chase.

 

Thunderbolt 8/10 - Really loved this, what a unique coaster, making the most of the terrain and all. Reasonably smooth for it's age but they really do mean it when they say "smaller human must sit on right side", serious laterals after the drop. I even luuurve the design of the trains. Just a great ride, I wish the line was shorter so we could have ridden more. Even Hanna liked it, I think I'm starting to win her over with the "woodies are actually really fun" argument.

 

Sky Rocket 7/10 - Wasn't too sure about this, but took it for what it's worth and thought it was fun. A superb ride for it's size with a bit of a punch, the shin pads were very uncomfortable however. The launch is OK but I think the best moment is the second vertical drop in the back.

 

Phantom's Revenge 10/10 - Another 10 here folks! Minor criticism, could have been a bit longer (2/3 of the ride is the insanely slow lift hill), but everything else it did, it did very well indeedy. Again a "quirky" ride with it's Goliath-like second drop. Big comfortable trains, insane airtime although my "back seat is best" theory didn't work on this, much preferred the front. The location makes this coaster so different from anything else of this scale that I've ridden. We liked it so much we queued for this 5 times. This may not be the biggest or baddest but it's got a unique punch you won't find anywhere else.

 

Yes that's Mr K himself at the front! Seriously the best and coolest park mascot ever.

What a great old school park, more Knoebels less Dorney. Not a place we're necessarily going to prioritize on our next trip unless we're passing by due to the limited range of coasters but certainly one for the future. If you haven't been here yet and aren't too far, get to Kennywood quick before I fear it loses some of it's classic charm. Heck, I liked it so much I got a back window sticker for the car, as if anyone here in rainy London is going to know what Kennywood is!

 

Not unless we're in Iceland but heck, I know what you mean. Gute Nacht Kennyland.

[coasterbear30]

I agree with you on Kennywood. We went there on our trip as well and I really loved it. Small parks hold a place in my heart. Your reviews of the coasters were very similar to mine. Wasn't crazy about Racer. LOVED PR. It is a top 10 coaster for me. Thunderbolt was ok. Sky Rocket was a hell of a surprise and had crazy airtime. The shin pads do indeed suck! I loved Jack Rabbit too. That double down of insane death was awesome and scary all at the same time. Exterminator was the best themed mouse ever. Kennywood is definitely a great little park worth visiting.

[Ed Farmer]

it seemed difficult to get many decent pictures of the coasters here as most of them have been built into a giant ravine, shame.

 

Coaster equivalent of #RichPeopleProblems.

 

Kennywood is one of those rare parks that can get away with the removal of a second-gen Intamin Drop Tower without taking much of a hit in the overall experience.

 

Similarly, Phantom's Revenge is a ride that would be memorable even if it sucked purely because of it's past and how it came to be what it is today.. Luckily, it 's also arguably the best steel coaster standing in this country.

[bert425]

LOVING your trip report.

 

please continue posting the pics

[andybarnes84]

Sorry for the delay folks, been working epic shifts for the past 7 days so the energy levels have been a little low.

 

Day 8 Washington D.C.

 

After Kennywood we popped up to the Mall at Robinson and enjoyed some Five Guys. Had a good nights rest at the Marriott Coraopolis near the airport, not an ideal location for Kennywood but it was a bargain (being a weekend) and probably the poshest hotel of the trip. Woke up a little later than usual, all these driving days were getting to me a little I think.

 

Today's original plan was to drive to Lakemont Park in Altoona, then onto Gettysburg, finally ending up in D.C. to have a late afternoon/evening to sight see.

 

Well, for some reason or other the enthusiasm levels for Lakemont were a little lower on the scale today, and Gettysburg would have been nice but we would only have had enough time to drive through. I figured that D.C. was to be the main attraction of the day so we drove straight there, the entire 5 hours. This was by far the longest drive of the vacation but to be honest I didn't mind too much, the scenery was nice along the way.

 

Arrived at the Hyatt Arlington around 2:30pm, couldn't believe just how quiet the roads were here, like a ghost town! I was preparing myself for traffic chaos after reading about how bad things get here but I soon realized that this is definitely a Mon-Fri city unlike London.

 

Parking was steep at the hotel but this is to be expected here, the hotel itself was fantastic and surprisingly the cheapest of the entire vacation! Again, weekend rates rule! I chose Arlington so that we'd be near the Arlington Cemetery which I've always wanted to see, and it makes a good walking route onwards to the Mall. I also thought the traffic would be bad so this was the perfect location to be close enough to the action but with easy driving access. The hotel was also just around the corner from Rosslyn Metro station so coming back from sightseeing we just hopped on this back to our humble home for the night. I must say however that if you're going to buy a ticket from one of the vending machines at a Metro station, it was initially insanely complicated with a huge fare chart for you to consult, no flat fare here.

 

Washington D.C. was a really nice place to visit, would have been more appropriate if we had more time and could have visited the overwhelming number of free museums lining the mall. It felt very clean, new and spacious to us, almost clinical. I'm not a history buff but it was very cool to see so many iconic monuments in the one place. 5 hours walking around wasn't enough but I'm glad we made it. Even though it was a Saturday, the city seemed so quiet and serene.

 

I'll show you some typical tourist trap pictures just to prove we were really here:

 

First stop Iwo Jima

Up close

The Netherlands Carillon

Overwhelming

The resting place of JFK and his family

The Mall without the water

The big man himself! What you can't see are the hundreds of tourists around me trying to get the same shot.

From afar

Here's some water! Is this still there? I've heard on the news it's a little warm over there right now.

WWII Memorial

The Washington Monument

Sorry but everyone else was doing this so we had to.

It's not exactly Buckingham Palace but for me this is much more iconic due to it's appearance in too many movies to count, just giving you my two cents worth. And YES we took a bit of their grass, lock us up in the Tower of London then extradite us to Guantanamo for our sins!

And from the front! Or is this the back?

This looks like it's moving, amazing and scary.

The Capitol yo.

This is about as close as I could get before things kick off between me and the FBI ninjas.

Emotional closing shot. Cut to credits. No not that kind of credits! Jeez.

[andybarnes84]

Day 9 - Kings Dominion

 

So you've got the history credit, now you can enjoy some guilt-free coaster whoring, woop!

 

This park really isn't far from D.C. is it? Granted it was a Sunday morning but it didn't take us any longer than an hour and a half to drive here. To our surprise they were letting guests in well before opening, definitely isn't a Six Flags park. I think Dominator was running for guests to enjoy before everything else opened but we declined and headed straight for the holding pen for Volcano/I305 and the other rides in that general direction. After about 20 mins of waiting around, they opened the flood gates and off we ran, not to I305 but to the Intamin oddity. Thanks again for your advice about hitting this first, solid number 1 rule about visiting this park, take note future guests.

 

KD was DEAD. Seriously, this was Father's Day, weather was stunning, I was in panic mode, people appeared to be gathering at the park but before long the crowds dispersed and this place remained relatively empty. Volcano did have a queue however, so I'm glad we did this first as everyone ran to I305. The longest wait of the day for us was for Flight of Fear but that was only 10 mins, if that.

 

What did we think of the mighty Kings Dominion, once host to the behemoth that I always wanted to ride, Hypersonic XLC?

 

Well, I wish they still had XLC for a start. This was an odd park. I couldn't pin down what it was, It just seemed a bit inconsistent. I think this park needs another major coaster of some kind. Maybe that's it. Don't get me wrong, the employees were generally friendly, but this place felt a bit too bland and maybe smaller than I had envisaged. I suppose there might be a subconscious view that if they have something like I305 there and the magnificent Eiffel Tower standing at the entrance then this place must hold more treats of equally epic scale. Drop Tower was great, but it crapped black oily goo onto my head, I don't think it likes me too much. What is the general consensus about DT in the World of free fall towers? I'd be interested to know.

 

We enjoyed our time at the park, the queues were non-existent, weather great and due to it's relatively compact layout, had no problem doing what we wanted to within a reasonable time scale.

 

The misleadingly epic entrance plaza.

This reminds me of Lost Kennywood, without the lost theme. Still don't understand the concept. Confused.com.

There you are, lets go up ya!

OOOhhhhh......nice. But nobody mentioned this thing wobbled so much, and it's not even windy.

Looking down on the mediocre B&M, not so Dominating now are you smarty "I've got a tall loop so there" pants.

Tick tock Troika o'clock!

These rides look flimsy retro cool dudes.

This area of the park was great, well done Paramount!

Burn riders BURN!!!!!! This is where I lost my eyebrows, will stand a little further back on future visits.

Thanks to your advice, didn't do this.

Or this...by the way, where the heck was Grizzly????? Maybe I got my parks mixed up.

Windstaller

Pretty "this park really isn't too shabby" shot.

Up close with the Americana wheel, excitement has found a whole new level of thrill.

Great to look at, but again thanks to your collective wisdom, not a credit this time.

"Definitely going to need to talk to our Doctor about Cymbalta after this honey, even if it does give me nausea, dry mouth, sleepiness, fatigue, constipation, dizziness, decreased appetite, and increased sweating."

"But isn't Cymbalta for depression sweetheart?". "It's for Depression AND Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, how great and yet ultimately confusing is that!?".

Screamers only, no grunting or "wwwwwhhhheeeeeeee" permitted.

I find this arousing. Psychological explanations on a postcard to Intamin Purve, Lundun, Ingalund.

Look away kids, this is definitely the rated R shot for Intamin Drop Tower fans.

Oh crap what's this black goo on my head? Am I dying??? Am I an Alien and this is my blood??? Am I AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH and we're done.

Ricochet 5/10 - Wasn't a fan, liked how it wasn't quite the typical layout but unfortunately heavily trimmed.

 

Dominator 7/10 - I'm not quite sure about why folks rate this one so highly. First off it doesn't have a zero-g roll, the best inversion on a floorless by far. I dunno, it's alright but it I preferred Bizzaro at SFGAdv and whilst it's better than Scream (although it almost would have suffered from car park syndrome if they didn't stick that grass down, SFMM take note!), it's no Kraken or Superman (Madrid).

 

Italian Car Park:The Ride Stunt Backlot Job Coaster 8/10 - WHAT???? 8/10??? Yes folks, this is a nippy little ride! Funky launches, helix of death, inside dark bit, amusement park level special effects, this is a great little ride. I obviously benefit from not visiting when this was opened and the resultant negativity that the scale of this ride no doubt attracted, but I took it for what it's worth (5 cents or 2 you decide) and really enjoyed it.

 

Volcano 7/10 - Unfortunately wasn't blown away by this one. The start, as everyone knows, is fantastic. The vertical climb out of the Volcano is equally great. But after that it just navigates the volcano at an underwhelming pace, with minimal changes in height. It's not a bad ride but really felt like it promised too much at the start. Bit dissapointed as this was one of the rides (along with XLC) that I was fascinated by back in the early days of my coaster addiction and one day hoped to ride.

 

Flight of Fear 7/10 - Oh dear oh dear, another coaster I've wanted to ride only to find out that it's a bit uncomfortable and not that thrilling. Again, not a terrible coaster, but we agreed that we didn't enjoy this much, good launch but after that I could have done with being able to see where we were going to turn next so that I could have braced myself. The corkscrew at the end bumps it up a point. Too many rides on the relatively mediocre and yet still superior Rock 'n' Roller Coaster have set the bar well above this methinks.

 

Intimidator 8/10 - *ducks for cover* DON'T HATE ME PLEASE!!! I like it, honest. It just didn't blow me away like it should have. Let's get one point straight, +G doesn't make me feel like i'm going to die, even if I black out. It makes me feel safe and enclosed. -G makes me feel at risk and "if this restraint doesn't hold me in then I truly will be flying to a splattery ending oh crap". Now, Intimidator is definitely a ride for the +G fanatic. This ride is so "heavy" that Hanna had a mild nosebleed when we were on the brake run. Prepare to grey/black out for at LEAST 6 seconds on the first turn and not regain vision until cresting the first hill. This knocks Goliath's helix of death for six. Sure, the drop is great like Millennium Force, but the OTSRs reduce the thrill. The big hill is great but not amazing. The rest of the ride is Maverick and a bit more. The trim before that ruins the potentially ejector hill is harsh. It's probably on to reduce the neck snapping at the final turn into the brakes.

 

This coaster has so much speed and power that to design it to hug the ground like that seems a crime. I applaud it's unconventional approach but don't quite understand it. It's a stunning ride to look at, powerful, just not quite for us. And Hanna was fine by the way.

 

 

Left the park around 3pm, drove south to the Hampton Inn Glenside in NW Richmond. Tomorrow, Busch Gardens. My anticipation and excitement levels could not be higher and I prayed it wouldn't let me down.

[andybarnes84]

Day 10 - Busch Gardens Williamsburg

 

And this place didn't disappoint! The weather wasn't great until the end of the day with showers on and off, but that didn't spoil a fun time. This is an impressively landscaped park without a doubt, most beautiful "theme" park in the World, that's a brave statement to make. Unless Japan is actually on Mars.

 

First coaster I recreated in No Limits way back when.

Where's my Wite-Out?

Once again my sincere apologies for the shocking contrast issues in many of the following pictures, it was a very gloomy day but turned nice just as the big bright thing in the sky was going to bed.

 

We liked this park a lot more than it's Florida counterpart, the combination of coasters and other rides here really is perfect. It obviously reminded me of European parks, so good job there of convincing me I wasn't in the States. Had an almost Alton Towers feel to some parts, just really well thought out and yet reasonably easy to get around. Fantastic staff yet again, kudos to the car park tram crew who were amazingly energetic and friendly, superior to Disney! The animal exhibits were great but not nearly as impressive as the Southern one, still a very nice bonus. The food was amazing, probably the best we've seen in a park so far, and not as expensive as we were expecting either. Some issues with empty seats on rides, queues were found at some of the rides but in general didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for most. Once again, mid June is an amazing time to visit parks if you can!

 

Ireland!

Alton Towers vibe here.

Alton Towers x 10000.

This was good but not great as I was led to believe, was there supposed to be some fire in the room after going through the fireplace?

Where's the sun?

Mach Tower was crazy good, don't believe the haters folks. The music, rotation, and it might have been something to do with the terrain around us but we felt much higher than we actually were.

Down they come, soaking wet! And not just because it was raining!

See it's got a train and everything!

I didn't make it to the boat because I have no idea where it actually goes.

Best food court ever! And tight-pocket friendly too.

Uh oh, illegal gypsies have set up camp in Italy, call the authorities before they start using the rose garden as a toilet, sorry, restroom.

Not warm enough sorry, I'll just avoid Pompeii altogether, thank you misty sign of intrigue.

Wait for the wetness...

There it is, I hope you enjoy the stench of chlorine on your garments.

Best car park tram/trolley/thingy crew in the World, FACT.

Watch out for these addicts, they'll nip you if you don't give them their fix.

A horse playing Soccer/Football, impressive.

A Falcon with mind control abilities, very impressive.

But a bird that can sleep standing up on one leg, you win!

Spot the Wolf and win a lifetime supply of Oxygen!

Why does this remind me of the 70's?

Loch Ness Monster 8/10 - This was our first coaster of the day, partly because of the daft staggered openings the park employs, probably had to wait a half hour for this. It was fun, very unique, not too painful for it's age, very scenic. A great ride that deserves it's classic status.

 

They think they know it all don't they?

Alpengeist 8/10 - A solid Invert, the drop wasn't as thrilling due to it's constant banking, but it was intense enough to hold it's place in the rankings. The second half is where this ride let's itself down a little but we all know why. The only strange thing is that due to it's location you really don't get a feel of how tall this coaster really is.

 

Griffon 10/10 - Another possible perfect coaster? I prefer the atmosphere of Shiekra but this is king with it's extra inversion. What a consistently impressive coaster, the ideal combination of airtime and inversions, great layout, just near perfect can't say much more than that.

 

Apollo's Chariot 10/10 - Another perfect coaster for us, some might disagree but I find this to have the perfect blend of elements. The Drop for a start is fantastic, I don't know how to describe the "dip" before the main drop but this makes a really big difference, amazing airtime in the back row. And it continues to keep the thrills high, a great high-G turn around, the scenery, no trims (at least not noticeable), fantastic twist with airtime through the supports and that "surprise" drop at the end. Just everything about this ride pulled us round the queue for another go, and another, and another. I think we managed 6 rides in total. This is right up there with TTD, Millennium Force and Skyrush for me, and we'll agree to disagree

 

Verbolten 8/10 - And Verbolten. Verbolten Verbolten Verbolten. What do we say that has or hasn't been said already. I'll summarize:

- Along with Skyrush, my excitement level for this was beyond the norm.

- Everyone loved this coaster.

- I didn't love it as much as I hoped to, but still thought it was fun.

This is a very unique coaster, what thirteen should have been, but I'm going to be a little grumpy and play the moaning old man here. First off, Verbolten has an unacceptable amount of rattle for such a new ride, could be the fancy trains? The effects in the building weren't as impressive as I thought they would be given the budget. The vertical drop isn't as powerful as thirteen (and I'm not glorifying thirteen because I'm British trust me!). The second launch is fantastic but the drop out of the bridge isn't that great. The "snap" turn after the big drop is nasty so prepare for it and don't look the wrong way! I just don't know what to think, we gave this 4 tries, and by the end we had enough. I came away thinking that maybe if they had gone with Intamin they would have a more polished product. Amazing effort by the team in creating this attraction, and I hope that Busch Gardens replicate this effort with future projects. It was clear to see that everyone was absolutely blown away by this ride.

 

What an amazing time we had at BGW, even though we did get drenched. This park is truly something special, outside of Disney/Universal the best park in North America by far. A perfect blend of rides, great food and super-friendly staff. Definitely way up at the top of our "must see again" destinations.

 

For a second there I thought we were back home already, almost but not quite ready yet.

[STR8FXXXINEDGE]

I'm going to be a little philosophical here but there are so many weird and wonderful reasons why we all love different coasters in different ways just like music, clothing, movies and so much else, that's what makes reading this forum so interesting.

THIS!

 

You've got a fantastic TR going here! I'm loving all of the reviews and the photos. I agree with a lot of your opinions, for the rides that I've ridden, anyway. Looking forward to the rest!

[andybarnes84]

Day 11 - Six Flags America

 

I gave this park a chance but it beat me senseless in every way. From the expensive parking fee to the state of the coasters, my low expectations were definitely not raised after this brief visit. I have read that this park is trying to change it's ways but I struggle to see how. My apologies for the lack of photos this time but the combination of Batwing, Apocalypse, Roar and Joker's Jinx gave me a headache and level of nausea I'm not going to forget in a while. We had to leave as I really wasn't well and Hanna had badly bruised her elbow on Roar too so we didn't hang around to enjoy the scenery.

 

I don't want to start bashing this park because frankly I don't want to waste my time, what has been said already will suffice. Let's just say our 2 hours here was more than enough, thankfully we had season passes so didn't have to dish out the $62 they want to rob people of at the gate. This park needs a huge amount of investment to get it on track with many other parks in the chain. Not a park we want to visit again anytime soon.

 

The best part of the park aside from Superman, seriously. Just look at this entrance, turn around, get back in your car and consider yourself satisfied.

Superman Ride of Steel 8/10 - I'll start with the only coaster worth visiting this park for. Thought it was a great ride, okay not the most exciting layout but my first "old school" Intamin hyper. Better ride at the front than the back we thought, great airtime, no queues whilst we were there. It may be amnesia setting in but I remember uncomfortable shin-pad type restraints which detracted from the ride a little bit.

 

Batwing 6/10 - This is where things start to take a nose dive. This coaster made me feel nauseous, very nauseous, and that doesn't happen often. I liked it's primitive take on the flying coaster and being one of the originals but this thing pulled and pushed me in ways that weren't maybe that calculated for rider comfort resulting in my brain thinking all is not well in my gastric system. Didn't take me too long for the nausea to pass but it was a negative after effect. Kudos to the ride for being quite intense and not holding back, but once you've been on the B&M equivalent you realize why these Vekomas have had their day.

 

Joker's Jinx 5/10 - Same as FOF at Kings Dominion but outside so loses some points there. Not a terrible coaster but is maybe better suited indoors, drags a bit along the track which isn't too great but with a nice corkscrew to finish. Launch is good.

 

Apocalypse 4/10 - Things keep taking a dive here, and this repackaged turd is no exception. Sure, the theme is great for a Six Flags park, but unless you enjoy having your head play the part of Tennis Ball at the US Open, there's not much to enjoy here. Lots of slow turning and not enough upside down! I may be harsh but for a "new" ride, we weren't the only dissapointed ones from what I could hear. This thing is pretty but rough.

 

Roar 2/10 - Oh dear goodness, give me strength! I can think of other four letter words this coaster should be called if they decide to re theme it. My famous last words to Hanna, who isn't an avid fan of wooden coasters anyway, "Let's just give this one a chance before we leave, it's not that old so it must be OK". Now, I have no idea why I thought this was a newish coaster (circa 2005), but boy were we proved wrong. I now know that it's 14 years old, and every second of every day of wear and tear can be felt as you ride. This thing beat us up like no other ride we've been on before. OK, maybe it's a close second behind Tornado at M&D's Scotland, but seriously, Ghostrider, Stampida and The Cyclone are now seen in an entirely different light of smoothness after this. Needless to say, this was the final straw.

 

Sorry to be so negative about this park everyone, but it really did leave a bitter taste in our mouths. From the shockingly cavalier way in which the ride ops behaved, to the sparse and odd layout, to the condition of the rides in general, we did not have fun no matter how much we tried to.

 

Tomorrow, the final park of the trip, and hopefully a very good one to make up for today!

[cal1br3tto]

I'd heard some great things about SFA last year, and maybe even this year, but lately I've been hearing the expected terrible news again. I'm thinking of visiting soon and I guess I'll keep my expectations low instead of imagining it to be on a level with any other Six Flags park as I'd started to hope.

[larrygator]

I'd heard some great things about SFA last year, and maybe even this year, but lately I've been hearing the expected terrible news again. I'm thinking of visiting soon and I guess I'll keep my expectations low instead of imagining it to be on a level with any other Six Flags park as I'd started to hope.

 

Every year it seems the people visiting the park early in the season discuss the improvements they have seen in attitude and operations, but as the season wears on everything seems to gravitate to the norm at SFA.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I'm going to be a little philosophical here but there are so many weird and wonderful reasons why we all love different coasters in different ways just like music, clothing, movies and so much else, that's what makes reading this forum so interesting.

THIS!

 

You've got a fantastic TR going here! I'm loving all of the reviews and the photos. I agree with a lot of your opinions, for the rides that I've ridden, anyway. Looking forward to the rest!

 

Why no ride on Grizz at KD Andrew?

 

The ride is kinda hidden but is easily located near the DA attraction & go-karts.

[andybarnes84]

I'm going to be a little philosophical here but there are so many weird and wonderful reasons why we all love different coasters in different ways just like music, clothing, movies and so much else, that's what makes reading this forum so interesting.

THIS!

 

You've got a fantastic TR going here! I'm loving all of the reviews and the photos. I agree with a lot of your opinions, for the rides that I've ridden, anyway. Looking forward to the rest!

 

Why no ride on Grizz at KD Andrew?

 

The ride is kinda hidden but is easily located near the DA attraction & go-karts.

 

I honestly completely forgot about Grizzly whilst we were there, partly due to it's hidden entrance and we didn't consult the map once. I forgot to mention we rode Rebel Yell which I thought was really good actually!

Edited July 21, 2012 by andybarnes84