GCI Wooden Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Hey guys, about how long do you think it would take to do all the coasters at Michigan's Adventure on a Monday in early June? If it doesn't take too long, than I might be able to get there and experience Shivering Timbers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Not long at all. You should be able to do them all in an hour. I recommend going on a hot day, because everyone is in the waterpark and the ride side is slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GwaziBSRider1 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 ^^ I did that same trip a few years ago and the park was dead. We were able to do everything by 1:00 PM, and that included many rides on Shivering Timbers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPFan1234 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 How can anyone actually want to ride Shivering Timbers? It's one of the roughest, most uncomfortable coasters I have ever been on. Then again, pretty much every coaster at MiA causes substantial pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 How can anyone actually want to ride Shivering Timbers? It's one of the roughest, most uncomfortable coasters I have ever been on. Then again, pretty much every coaster at MiA causes substantial pain. Out of all the trips to the park we have made(in the hundreds), we have never received pain from a coaster there. Timbers was running great last summer, and thunderhawk is the best/smoothest slc out there. Wolverine wildcat is a little bumpy just like most wooden coasters in the world, but no where near painful. The only discomfort of any kind we have had there, was the typical arrow headbanging on the corkscrew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCI Wooden Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 ^^ I did that same trip a few years ago and the park was dead. We were able to do everything by 1:00 PM, and that included many rides on Shivering Timbers! What time did the park open that day? How can anyone NOT want to ride Shivering Timbers? Fixed this for you. Not long at all. You should be able to do them all in an hour. I recommend going on a hot day, because everyone is in the waterpark and the ride side is slow. An hour? That is crazy! Does anyone actually go to the park? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartan Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 ^The park opens usually at 11, except for a few days at the beginnings of the year when it opens at 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GwaziBSRider1 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 GwaziBSRider1 wrote: ^^ I did that same trip a few years ago and the park was dead. We were able to do everything by 1:00 PM, and that included many rides on Shivering Timbers! What time did the park open that day? 10 AM, I think. Based on my visit, I'd recommend riding Mad Mouse as soon as possible. It was literally the only ride that had a line (20 min) the entire time we were at the park. As for Shivering Timbers, when I rode it two years ago, it was by far one of THE smoothest woodies I've ridden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lareson Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 How can anyone actually want to ride Shivering Timbers? It's one of the roughest, most uncomfortable coasters I have ever been on. Then again, pretty much every coaster at MiA causes substantial pain. What era have you visited the park? GCI did an amazing job with Timbers last year and even before then, it was still running very well for being the largest coaster CCI ever created, since most of their coasters have not aged very well. And I used to ride it pretty much daily. I'm looking forward to riding it this year now since the helix is being re-tracked again. Wolverine Wildcat ran probably the best it did last year in a very long time, thanks to a massive overhaul on the train by PTCI. When that coaster gets hauling, there are some nice pops of airtime on that. And having rode Thunderhawk 40 some odd times for Coasting For Kids in 2013, I can say that it's certainly the smoothest SLC I've been on. The park has taken excellent care of their coasters. For being the smallest park in the chain, their coasters and rides are kept up as much as the bigger parks and are really reliable. ------ But yes to the person that was asking, you can probably do everything that you want to do in a few hours. I have no idea how this summer will be since last year was pretty quiet due to crappy weather, but in general, between 1p to 5p, everyone heads into the water park so the ride side can empty out. Head for Thunderhawk first as everyone rides the front 4 coasters (Mad Mouse, Wildcat, Timbers, and Corkscrew) first since Thunderhawk is way in the back, takes a while for people to trickle back there. You can then hop on the train to take you over to the Timbers area and then work your way back towards Corkscrew and Mad Mouse. Those two will have the longest line right at open, but within an hour, they usually trickle down to a smaller wait time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPFan1234 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I rode it back in 2012. As far as Thunderhawk, saying it is the smoothest SLC you have ever been on really isn't proving that it is smooth. SLC is nothing compared to other steel coasters out there. Maybe I am spoiled by CP but I just couldn't bare any of the coasters I rode at the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartan Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I rode it back in 2012. As far as Thunderhawk, saying it is the smoothest SLC you have ever been on really isn't proving that it is smooth. SLC is nothing compared to other steel coasters out there. Maybe I am spoiled by CP but I just couldn't bare any of the coasters I rode at the park. Do you consider Mean Streak smooth compared to Timbers then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I rode it back in 2012. As far as Thunderhawk, saying it is the smoothest SLC you have ever been on really isn't proving that it is smooth. SLC is nothing compared to other steel coasters out there. Maybe I am spoiled by CP but I just couldn't bare any of the coasters I rode at the park. 1. Your not at cedarpoint 2. It "is" the smoothest slc out there. Go ride a mind eraser at a six flags park and you will understand. 3. Michigans adventure is a small park, so of course they are not going to have the huge mega coasters that larger parks have. If you go into a park the size of Michigan adventure looking for 20 mega coasters, of course your going to be disappointed. I just don't get how you can go into a small park like Mia expecting cedar point. I have been in parks much smaller than cedarpoint, and had just as much if not more fun. It's just how you approach it. It's like going into a walmart expecting a mall of America. I don't mean to sound rude, but you just sound very negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatabeast Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I consider Cedar Point to be home park, so I've definitely been spoiled by them... but I have no idea how that translates to the rides at Michigan's Adventure. They're not any more or less painful than similar rides at Cedar Point. The only difference is that we don't have any B&Ms or Intamins with extreme comfort to compare it to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsupercity Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 How can anyone actually want to ride Shivering Timbers? It's one of the roughest, most uncomfortable coasters I have ever been on. Then again, pretty much every coaster at MiA causes substantial pain. The last couple years TImbers has had alot of love put into it and it is running amazingly. Wildcat has got a lot of love as well. Props to the maintenance department there for keeping there wooden coasters golden. If your over 5 foot 8 Thunderhawk is great. Just hold your head a little forward, same with corkscrew. MIA is no CP, but there coasters are fun and have great up keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIAfan88 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Wildcat is amazing, it has truly almost become a new coaster. Those hills after the wide turnaround used to be awful, but they are a lot better. One spot that Timbers needs some TLC is the part before the helix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatabeast Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-cedar-fair-dark-rides-20150415-story.html Cedar Fair president and CEO Matt Ouimet plans to eventually expand the Amusement Dark concept to all 11 park locations in the chain. So I guess we know we're getting SOMETHING in the presumably somewhat near future... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Interesting read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsupercity Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 MIA would prly get theres in 18 years haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor6 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 How can anyone actually want to ride Shivering Timbers? It's one of the roughest, most uncomfortable coasters I have ever been on. Then again, pretty much every coaster at MiA causes substantial pain. What era have you visited the park? GCI did an amazing job with Timbers last year and even before then, it was still running very well for being the largest coaster CCI ever created, since most of their coasters have not aged very well. And I used to ride it pretty much daily. I'm looking forward to riding it this year now since the helix is being re-tracked again. Wolverine Wildcat ran probably the best it did last year in a very long time, thanks to a massive overhaul on the train by PTCI. When that coaster gets hauling, there are some nice pops of airtime on that. And having rode Thunderhawk 40 some odd times for Coasting For Kids in 2013, I can say that it's certainly the smoothest SLC I've been on. The park has taken excellent care of their coasters. For being the smallest park in the chain, their coasters and rides are kept up as much as the bigger parks and are really reliable. ------ But yes to the person that was asking, you can probably do everything that you want to do in a few hours. I have no idea how this summer will be since last year was pretty quiet due to crappy weather, but in general, between 1p to 5p, everyone heads into the water park so the ride side can empty out. Head for Thunderhawk first as everyone rides the front 4 coasters (Mad Mouse, Wildcat, Timbers, and Corkscrew) first since Thunderhawk is way in the back, takes a while for people to trickle back there. You can then hop on the train to take you over to the Timbers area and then work your way back towards Corkscrew and Mad Mouse. Those two will have the longest line right at open, but within an hour, they usually trickle down to a smaller wait time. Regarding Wildcat, if there is only one train running, the line can take some time. The last time I rode it, the line was probably 30 minutes. If Thunderhawk only runs one train, then that line can get long as well. Timbers usually runs 2 trains, so that line just flies! And that's OK with me. It the best wooden coaster that I ride on a regular basis (MA, CP SFGAm, KI, and Waldameer are the parks the I visit regularly). I love the ride, but I don't really like the trick track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsupercity Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 ^ Wildcat doesn't have a transfer track and can only run one train. Thunkerhawk was having an issue last year where it could only run one train, but later in the season that seemed to be resolved. Wildcat is underrated when it runs at its best, that double up, double down is so fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lareson Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Yeah, I'm hoping there's a plan to add a 2nd train to Wildcat in the near future. The layout is long enough to run 2 trains, just the fact it doesn't have a transfer track or a modern control system, so it'll be a rather expensive install since a whole brand new system has to be installed to setup a true blocking system (IOE, are you up for it? ) some sort of transfer track made for it, and then a 2nd train can be purchased. A little history on Wolverine Wildcat: Even though it was built in 1988, it was installed with a lever controlled skid brake system since it was built on a rather tight budget. The train was the same configuration: 4 - 3-row PTC cars, but had single-position buzz bars. There was also no queue gates, as much of the coasters until the mid 2000's didn't have them. It wasn't up until the early 2000's when the park spent money on bringing some sort of electronic control system to the coaster. The skid brakes were replaced by safer fin brakes and the coaster received a brand new train with individual ratcheting lap bars. A primitive PLC was also installed, but the ride operators still had to manually stop the train, only basic switch sensors were installed when the secondary dispatch panel was installed sometime later. Wasn't until a couple years ago when the variable frequency drive was installed for the lift chain that a modern PLC was installed and the coaster saw its first contactless proxies installed to know when the lift chain needs to go to full speed and when it needs to go back to a slower speed. It's still stopped manually by the operators. Fun bit of trivia: Knoebels bought the first car of the old Wildcat train and installed it on top of a golf cart chassis so they can drive it around. You can see what it looks like in a picture here. Kind of funny when you think about it since Wolverine Wildcat was based on Phoenix. ------- I'm surprised that they're planning on adding dark rides to all of the parks and with each their own theme to the ride. Means that they won't be cookie cutter across the chain. Now that we know there's not a dark ride planned for any of the parks in 2016, must mean there's some other big plans for that cost instead. I'm not expecting a dark ride here until at least 2019 or 2020. I think starting in 2017 they might add 1 to 3 per year, but most parks (this one included) will have to build new structures. I think the reason why they're taking next year off is to start planning the theming and stories for the other 9 parks. Coming up with 9 original stories and themes can take a while, since they also have to try and match it to local lore or area theming. Guardian and Voyage were fairly easy since they had a mountain to start with for Guardian and Voyage was already in the Boardwalk section with a pre-existing building, but the other parks don't have something similar to those ready to throw in a dark ride without some sort of theme. Cedar Point might be one of the first, but even then, it's not 100% sure if they're going to use the old Pirate ride building or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatabeast Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 ^Based on that reasoning, I think Kings Island is going to be the next to get one, in the former Crypt/Tomb Raider building. And I hope it is similarly themed. But I'm still excited about the prospect of one coming to Michigan's Adventure. They could base it off of one of those old Michigan Thrillers books, people would go crazy about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Found these pics of MiA's new Dodgem cars on the park's Facebook page. Good to see that they're at least getting something for 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFJorts Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 ^ Those were posted a few pages back (there's a 3rd picture as well): http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1575914#p1575914 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartan Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 The parks building a brand new training building, new employee lot for HR, and an employee drop off area on the land they purchased last year. They hope to have it all done by opening day, which to be honest would be pushing it a bit considering all they've done so far is clear trees. So it looks like this along with the new bumper cars and more fun tv's are the park's cap expenditures for this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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