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Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Discussion Thread


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I just rode it last night and this morning and if it was any worse before the Timberliners I don't even want to think about what that could've been. It is brutal - Timberliners, lazyboys, whatever you put on that ride isn't going to change it - even the newly retracked (or rebuilt sections like the turnaround) were nearly as bad as the "old sections" - surprised about that since Timberliners were suppose to reduce stress track.

 

I look at it like a pothole on a road... doesn't matter what car you drive it will still jolt you.

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I just rode it last night and this morning and if it was any worse before the Timberliners I don't even want to think about what that could've been. It is brutal - Timberliners, lazyboys, whatever you put on that ride isn't going to change it - even the newly retracked (or rebuilt sections like the turnaround) were nearly as bad as the "old sections" - surprised about that since Timberliners were suppose to reduce stress track.

 

I look at it like a pothole on a road... doesn't matter what car you drive it will still jolt you.

I haven't ridden very many roller coasters, but I have ridden The Rattler as it used to be and the Boardwalk Bullet. Both had PTCs when I rode them (Bullet still does), and both were very rough, though Rattler MUCH more so. I can say that PTCs are easily some of the worst things to happen to many wooden roller coasters. It's like riding in a cardboard box full of bricks down a staircase. The only thing the Timberliners will do is keep the track from getting progressively worse.

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I haven't ridden very many roller coasters, but I have ridden The Rattler as it used to be and the Boardwalk Bullet. Both had PTCs when I rode them (Bullet still does), and both were very rough, though Rattler MUCH more so. I can say that PTCs are easily some of the worst things to happen to many wooden roller coasters.

 

I wouldn't place total blame on PTCs... There are some great rides running PTCs (just got off Viper at SFGAm and that's quite smooth with PTCs for example). Rides with PTCs may require more maintence but can still provide good rides.

 

I've ridden the Rattler and Boardwalk Bullet as well - those seem relatively smooth compared to Hades. They may say Timberliners may not destroy the track as quickly but the newly tracked areas of Hades isn't smooth by any means - not sure if that's the Timberliners, the construction, lack of maintence or something else.

 

Have you been on Hades? I would say go ride it and then compare to old Rattler and such but I don't wish a ride on Hades on anyone!

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I was looking forward to a trip here in the near future but I'm not sure if it's worth it, now, based on comments in this thread. Would I be best served ignoring this park for now since it's so far away from me and focusing on enjoying other parks we haven't been to? (I never thought I'd ask if it was worth 'skipping' a park I've never been to...)

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I can say that PTCs are easily some of the worst things to happen to many wooden roller coasters. It's like riding in a cardboard box full of bricks down a staircase.

 

A PTC car/train in it's basic, old-school form (box, seats, buzz bar) gives an excellent ride. But when you start adding all that extra weight in different places (those headrests/hardbacks have a metal core in them - and are behind the axle; the ratchet bar mechanisms also add weight), the dynamic of the ride changes dramatically over time.

 

I mean, a pot hole is still a pot hole, but those super-rigged-out PTCs don't provide good rides over time. Viper at Great America is special though. Built in-house with a super heavy duty structure and track... it's near perfect. But would still be better without all the extra PTC "gear." PLUS... the lap bars are rigged so they only go down the 'buzz bar' level, no further -> no stapling

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^Elissa, didn't you used to really enjoy Hades? How does it compare now from your previous visit? Did the Timberliners help at all?

 

I rode Hades opening year 2005 and it was fantastic! I really enjoyed it...and I do NOT like rough rides at all.

 

Then I rode it in 07, and it was rough and dropped quite a bit in my mind.

 

When we went to the park in 2010 I was warned not to ride it as it was pretty far gone.

 

Last week I rode it hoping for the best and was quickly killed. It was by far the roughest ride I've been on EVER, and I've been on a lot of terrible rides (SOB, White Canyon, Gouderix, SLC's, Outer Limits with OTSR's, etc.).

 

I was honestly offended and horrified that the park would leave a ride like that operating. To think that six and seven year old children could be put on that ride not quite knowing that the 'Hades is running agressive today' sign is a nice way of saying 'stay away!' scared me.

 

When you bring a group of 93 enthusiasts to the park for ERT and most give up after one ride, and nearly all after the second ride, something is wrong. Even people that 'love rough rides' thought the ride was too rough! I was having to beg people to go ride again so Robb could get footage.

 

What bums me out is that the ride has a ton of potential. It's a fantastic layout and setting, you're just in so much pain you can't enjoy it.

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^Elissa, didn't you used to really enjoy Hades? How does it compare now from your previous visit? Did the Timberliners help at all?

 

I rode Hades opening year 2005 and it was fantastic! I really enjoyed it...and I do NOT like rough rides at all.

 

Then I rode it in 07, and it was rough and dropped quite a bit in my mind.

 

When we went to the park in 2010 I was warned not to ride it as it was pretty far gone.

 

Last week I rode it hoping for the best and was quickly killed. It was by far the roughest ride I've been on EVER, and I've been on a lot of terrible rides (SOB, White Canyon, Gouderix, SLC's, Outer Limits with OTSR's, etc.).

 

I was honestly offended and horrified that the park would leave a ride like that operating. To think that six and seven year old children could be put on that ride not quite knowing that the 'Hades is running agressive today' sign is a nice way of saying 'stay away!' scared me.

 

When you bring a group of 93 enthusiasts to the park for ERT and most give up after one ride, and nearly all after the second ride, something is wrong. Even people that 'love rough rides' thought the ride was too rough! I was having to beg people to go ride again so Robb could get footage.

 

What bums me out is that the ride has a ton of potential. It's a fantastic layout and setting, you're just in so much pain you can't enjoy it.

This is all 100% accurate. But what is most notable is this:

What bums me out is that the ride has a ton of potential. It's a fantastic layout and setting, you're just in so much pain you can't enjoy it.

 

I went back and looked at our 2005 Mitch Hawker ballots. I ranked it #10 in the world and Elissa ranked it #8. This year, it ranks dead last. I can't think of a single wooden roller coaster that I like LESS than Hades 360.

 

And I agree with Elissa. Children should not be allowed to ride this roller coaster.

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The worst part of it all is that the park easily has more than enough money to make Hades awesome, but they'd rather spend it all on hotels and night clubs. I'm really hoping that all these terrible reviews will get the park to sit down, figure out what to do with it, and invest some serious cash in it. Maybe if they had some competition they'd step it up, because their clearly taking they're position as WI's only "theme park" as an excuse to do the bare minimum.

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Mt. Olympus is essentially a glorified carnival! Each time I visit the park, something is always broken and appears to have been fixed by an amateur Jiffy Lube mechanic. I've seen duct tape and bungy cables on more than 1 coaster...and plenty of tape on the go karts. Also, Opa cars that are swinging back and forth going up the lift (while the others are not). I've exited Zeus and had the seat come up with me. Not to mention the ride ops having to push the train out of the station on Zeus (before promptly returning to their stool to continue their text message).

 

It's a shame because I also rode Hades back in 2005 and it was easily a top 5 wooden coaster at the time. But, with that said, I can't say that I'm suprised it's not getting the care that it needs & deserves.

Edited by Looty
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Mt. Olympus is essentially a glorified carnival! Each time I visit the park, something is always broken and appears to have been fixed by an amateur Jiffy Lube mechanic. I've seen duct tape and bungy cables on more than 1 coaster...and plenty of tape on the go karts. Also, Opa cars that are swinging back and forth going up the lift (while the others are not). I've exited Zeus and had the seat come up with me when I stand up. Not to mention the ride ops having to push the train out of the station on Zeus (before promptly returning to their stool to continue their text message).

 

It's a shame because I also rode Hades back in 2005 and it was easily a top 5 wooden coaster at the time. But, with that said, I can't say that I'm surprised it's not getting the care that it needs & deserves.

 

 

The park owner has stated that they can't afford 2 trains for Hades. That should be a big enough warning for the park. All well, They bought another hotel. How bad are the hotels when they cost less than a coaster train? I would love if Merlin or some big chain like Palace would acquire it and make it good.

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The entire resort has TONS of potential. I mean, we've stayed on property several times, and while very expensive, the rooms aren't bad for what they are. And overall, Mt. Olympus has a TON of things to do and lots of offerings. But I really do feel they need to focus on fixing up their wooden coasters and maybe even pay a bit of attention to customer service.

 

I'm "ok" with their being only one train on Hades 360 (even though I would prefer two), and I'd MUCH rather see the park make the coasters "rideable" again over getting a second train on them.

 

The park has a trio of potentially AWESOME AWESOME roller coasters. But they all are currently running like crap. And it's really disappointing.

 

--Robb

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I was at Mt. Olympus this past Thursday the 8th for my very first trip to the park and was able to get a couple of rides on Hades 360. I am going to refrain from saying too much here as I'm working on a TR of my whole trip (also went to Valleyfair and Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America), but I must have caught Hades on a really good day because I found it to not nearly as bad as some other woodies I've had the displeasure to ride. It was far from the best, but better than the worst I've ever ridden.

However, I only rode in the very front seat (wasn't going to risk going too far back since there was some pretty good jackhammering near the end of the ride which would have only gotten worse; that and the front seat line wasn't that long), so maybe I missed the worst of it that day.

It had some interesting elements (the drop out of the station and stuff before the lift, the elements in the tunnels, and also the loop, though I still think loops on woodies are nothing but gimmicks), and also some pretty rough patches (as noted especially at the end). And yes, I also thought that it lacked re-rideability - if there was an ERT I don't think I would have been good for anymore than two rides in a row, and then only in the front. I also noticed that sign about it being aggressive and thought it was rather odd.

 

Speaking of roughness and not allowing children to ride, they were not allowing anyone under 18 to ride in the back few seats on one of the other woodies (I think it was Cyclops), which is really a bad testament to roughness. I rode all 4 woodies only in the front, and of the 4, Zeus was by far the worst, IMO. I almost wish I hadn't gotten the cred on that one, but then again, I wouldn't have hit my 200th coaster on this past trip.

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I will be in Milwaukee on Sunday and I was planning to go to Mt. Olympus. After all the reviews should I just skip it and go to SFGAm instead? I was just at SF last month. I was going to grab Little Amerricka and Hellcat over at Timber Falls also.

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For my family, Mt. Olympus was a good value. We got a nice room for 6 of us for only $99 in June of 2011. That's a great deal to get two days of rides, carts, and water park with the kids. Plus, you have Avalanche/Hellcat down the street, and we hit Little Amerrika on the way home. This week, they have RV sites for $50 for 6 people. Hard to beat that (if you have a camper). Not the best coaster condition or ride ops, but I did not hate it like many do, and I really liked Hades. SFGAm is only 15 minutes away and we have passes there, and of course it's better, but I would go to Mt. Olympus again.

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^Elissa, didn't you used to really enjoy Hades? How does it compare now from your previous visit? Did the Timberliners help at all?

 

I rode Hades opening year 2005 and it was fantastic! I really enjoyed it...and I do NOT like rough rides at all.

 

Then I rode it in 07, and it was rough and dropped quite a bit in my mind.

 

When we went to the park in 2010 I was warned not to ride it as it was pretty far gone.

 

Last week I rode it hoping for the best and was quickly killed. It was by far the roughest ride I've been on EVER, and I've been on a lot of terrible rides (SOB, White Canyon, Gouderix, SLC's, Outer Limits with OTSR's, etc.).

 

I was honestly offended and horrified that the park would leave a ride like that operating. To think that six and seven year old children could be put on that ride not quite knowing that the 'Hades is running agressive today' sign is a nice way of saying 'stay away!' scared me.

 

When you bring a group of 93 enthusiasts to the park for ERT and most give up after one ride, and nearly all after the second ride, something is wrong. Even people that 'love rough rides' thought the ride was too rough! I was having to beg people to go ride again so Robb could get footage.

 

What bums me out is that the ride has a ton of potential. It's a fantastic layout and setting, you're just in so much pain you can't enjoy it.

 

As someone who found The Boss rough but still enjoyable (rode it the day before three times, including in the back), and would even put Gwazi in my "not too bad" category, Hades 360 was just agonizing. I would not be surprised to see someone get a severe injury from this coaster in the next year or two without some kind of intervention.

 

I have no idea how Gravity Group could even sign off on this ride - it needed a complete re-tracking to have any chance of being good. Honestly, this is giving Gravity Group a bad name and if I were in their position, I would not have agreed to do the Hades 360 modification without a contractual obligation from Mt. Olympus to maintain the ride properly.

 

As for the Timberliner trains, I'm now really concerned about seeing them on rides like Voyage. They should be really comfortable on a smooth coaster, but without anything to brace yourself against (the grip area on the lapbar is pretty awkward to hold), any rough sections of track will be painful.

 

Still had a good time at Mt. Olympus despite its sketchiness (Zeus in the front, and Cyclops in the back were amazing), but Hades 360 was quite a disappointment. As Elissa said, so much wasted potential...

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