Waldameer Discussion Thread

[ajfelice]

Ravine Flyer II has been aging just fine and runs just about as it did in 2008. 2012 was the only year it showed some signs of roughness, but re-tracking projects in the past three off-seasons have made that a distant memory. Most of our re-tracking can be attributed to moisture and weathering as opposed to a beat-down by the trains. The traditional wood track coaster needs regular annual maintenance after 5 seasons which was exactly the case for RFII. PTCs will be the train of choice for the time being because they are incredibly durable and easy to maintain, but the next set of trains if/when they are needed will not for sure be PTCs.

 

The Maurer Sky-Loop is a real rumor that had some ground, but do not hold your breath as the idea has been pretty much pushed to the bottom of the pile. Besides, as of the summer of 2014 Ravine Flyer II still had a mortgage (as I call it) so it wouldn't be happening soon anyways.

[OISU8P]

Some more authorized food for thought in terms of future attractions besides the proposed coaster is a giant flume that will use the terrain on the hillside and have a stunning drop facing Lake Erie. It should be a neat placement for this kind of ride that has been pretty commonplace in parks.

 

Interesting, will it be the same style as Thunder River or a Shoot the Chute style ride. If like Thunder River, then will that be on the chopping block to free space for another attraction?

 

Ah, and one last question. Are you demolishing "The Inn at Presque Isle" this year? Just trying to plan my 3 to 4 day trip to the area for this summer.

[ajfelice]

The giant flume would be like Pittsburg Plunge. Thunder River is here for a long long time, so the giant flume would put us at two water rides. The drop will be about 70ft.

 

The Inn at Presque Isle will be completely be demolished by the end if May. Basically, the land of the motel makes up for the parking we are losing by expanding the water park.

[OISU8P]

Great, it will be about as tall as Snake River Falls and that is a nice drop. Good the hear about Thunder River since that seems to be in great condition.

 

Oh well on "The Inn". Looks like we will staying up the road next year but still coming to the park. Bring on the wrecking ball...

[ajfelice]

Finally, a real winter storm passed through the Erie area this past week. Temperatures fell as low as the single digits, the snow has been falling, and the wind has been howling. It's about time. After being cooped up in the Park Office for several days straight, I cracked under the pressure of Cabin Fever shortly after 3:00 on Friday afternoon. I shut down the computer, quadrupled my layers, grabbed the camera, and set out into the park for a walk. Gear up for the Second Edition of a Winter Photo Update of Waldameer and Water World.

 

I wanted to cut through Water World but the padlock on the gate was frozen shut. So I used a secret passage way underneath Comet. However, I couldn't resist walking up the lift on the first roller coaster I had ever ridden.

Alright, made it to Water World, but my attempts to view construction of the Wave Pool Expansion failed due to another frozen padlock and 35mph winds causing on and off whiteouts. But hey, here a is neat view of the "Heart" of Water World.

Onto the Raging River and Wild River slide tower. After seeing this I was tempted to propose a conversion to a seasonal bobsled course.

Looking out to Ferris Wheel and Sea Dragon.

Alright, back down to the amusement park midways. We have a lot of fear going on in this picture: Spiders, Haunted Houses, Heights, and Snow.

The flat, basic colors of Whacky Shack's facade somehow work for this beloved quirky attraction. I love how they pop against the snow and white/gray skies.

This guy ain't afraid of no snow.

In Water World we have a potential for a bobsled course, in Waldameer we have the opportunity to create a sizable ski jump.

For some reason I had an urge to walk up the lift of Ravine Flyer 3. Must have been a credit whore moment.

Speaking of awesome colors against the white show, I can't get enough of the recently updated backdrop on Wipeout. Thanks Lake Compounce for the idea!

Woah, that escalated quickly.

After finding some icy catwalks, I didn't think a lift walk would be in store for that day. Sure enough I'm walking back to the Office, and the Park President stops me and says how one of our "Weather Enthusiast" managers was just at the top the day before taking pictures of the ice forming on Lake Erie. After being told it wasn't too slippery, I found myself making the 85ft climb a couple minutes later.

One benefit of wind is that the further you go up, the less snow on the stairs. Dry wood for most of the second half.

So there is a portion of track that never has snow on it. I think it's because it always a blistering hot 90 Degrees.

The North End is resting peacefully.

Between bands of lake effect snow, the clouds are several different colors as the sun begins to set and peek through. Also, you might have noticed Sea Dragon is missing its ship. An under the radar improvement project this off-season is a complete refurbishment of the ride from inside and out. The finished pieces over in the Maintenance Mansion are beautiful.

To the right, another band of snow is approaching the park.

A panorama image of the entire park.

Finally, made it to the top. Just last week the Lake was wide open with crashing wave. Amazing how things changed in just 5 days. Time is ticking to take cover from the lake effect snow approaching.

But before I made my way back down, I had to do my best PTC Train impression to create a winter rendition of one of the most iconic lift hill views in the World.

 

Thank you for reading, I hope everyone is enjoying their Winter.

[JRice92]

Those are some great pictures! The park looks beautiful in the snow!

[GwaziBSRider1]

Absolutely gorgeous pictures! Thanks for sharing!

[Philrad71]

Thanks for sharing!

 

It's really cool that your park president would encourage you to take photos like this and post them on TPR.

[Geauga Dog]

Wonderful photos despite the dark and menacing clouds in the distance. I absolutely love the photo of RF II's 90 degree turn from the lift hill.

 

Thank you for posting the photos.

[ajfelice]

Despite the frigid winter, the Giant Wave Pool expansion is actually on time or even slightly ahead. For little Waldameer and Water World, this wave pool is huge. The pool will contain approximately 500,000 gallons of water and capacity is up to 1,000 people at a time.

 

Now that most of the snow has melted and the wave pool is starting to look more like an actual wave pool, last Friday was a great opportunity to document the progress.

 

An overview of the Water World expansion area. Yes, a significant amount of parking lot was used, but recent land acquisitions will actually increase overall parking in 2015. This picture does not feature other park infrastructure improvements such as more than doubling of Admission Booths, Bathhouse Expansions, and a new Sub Shop next to Merry-Go-Round.

The overall progress of the Giant Wave Pool. Under the tarps are the first poured sections of concrete that make up the side walls and some of the bottom of the pool. Propane heaters under these tents made concrete pouring possible in sub-zero temperatures.

The monstrosity that is the new Waveside Grill. This brand new concession stand will feature a variety of specialty items that should help turn around the commonly bland perception of Waldameer's concession options.

 

A more detailed update can be found on WaldaBlog. http://www.waldameer.blogspot.com/

 

The total cost of the project is over $12 million dollars. Compared to Ravine Flyer II at $7.5 million, this project is easily the largest and most expensive in Waldameer's history, and this is only Phase 1. 2016 is projected to open a new children's play area; ProSlide RideHOUSE 400. Beyond 2016 will feature a Spray Area, another assortment of children's slides, a ProSlide Cannon Bowl, and the existing children's area will be recommissioned into a large tower featuring a variety of larger slides that are TBD.

 

Disclaimer: These photos are directly from WaldaBlog, but they were taken by myself so no copyright laws were violated.

[chadster]

Always love reading the blog, thanks for sharing. Further I'm glad the community continues to support which in turn allows for some really cool expansions to happen. Wished I lived closer!

[Whodey]

My wife and 5 kids are camping in NW PA and we are planning on going to Waldameer this coming week. Any advice? Should I pay the all day pass or go with Wally points? I have tried to convince my wife to stop at Conneaut but she keeps saying na baby na. Traveling with 5 kids makes things more complicated and she says only one amusement park per camping trip. My kids are coaster nuts but like flats too. I am only there for the coasters but need to pretend I am putting the kids needs first. What kind of crowd should I expect. I hope schools have started up there to keep crowds down. I hate waiting in lines with 5 kids.

[Philrad71]

My wife and 5 kids are camping in NW PA and we are planning on going to Waldameer this coming week. Any advice? Should I pay the all day pass or go with Wally points? I have tried to convince my wife to stop at Conneaut but she keeps saying na baby na. Traveling with 5 kids makes things more complicated and she says only one amusement park per camping trip. My kids are coaster nuts but like flats too. I am only there for the coasters but need to pretend I am putting the kids needs first. What kind of crowd should I expect. I hope schools have started up there to keep crowds down. I hate waiting in lines with 5 kids.

 

 

You can buy your passes online and get the Wally Cards when you get to the park. With five kids, it might make it easier to do it this way...especially if you are going to be eating and playing games while in the park.

 

Crowds should be okay as long as you are going during the week. I would expect the park to only be really crowded during the upcoming Labor Day weekend (if the weather cooperates, of course). If it's hot, most people will be in the water park so ride lines shouldn't be too bad.

[ajfelice]

This went over my head on first glance, and shockingly the comments guided me to the conclusion. Finally, there is photo evidence of the general layout of Ravine Flyer. I figured it would be simple, but the layout was really as simple as an oval on the side of a hill. The largest drop was believed to be 80-90 feet due to use of the terrain. Feel free to interpret for yourself, but it looks like a small lift hill was followed by a form of a double dip that went over the very narrow Peninsula Drive.

Thank You to the kind guest who shared this image with the park. The mystery of the storied Ravine Flyer is now somewhat less mysterious.

[jconsolmagno]

Great post on the Waldablog today.

 

http://waldameer.blogspot.com/2016/02/transformation-tuesday-construction.html?platform=hootsuite

 

Also drops of a new expansion coming to the opposite side of the waterpark from where work is being done currently.

[SFOG1991]

This went over my head on first glance, and shockingly the comments guided me to the conclusion. Finally, there is photo evidence of the general layout of Ravine Flyer. I figured it would be simple, but the layout was really as simple as an oval on the side of a hill. The largest drop was believed to be 80-90 feet due to use of the terrain. Feel free to interpret for yourself, but it looks like a small lift hill was followed by a form of a double dip that went over the very narrow Peninsula Drive.

 

Thank You to the kind guest who shared this image with the park. The mystery of the storied Ravine Flyer is now somewhat less mysterious.

Thank you for posting this! I have always been intrigued by this coaster and the lack of documentation of it drives me crazy.

[thrillrider]

Looks like the park had a presidential candidate visit today for a ride on the ravine flyer. I guess they rented out the rainbow room for some kind of event.

 

Picture is compliments of the parks Facebook page.

[Philrad71]

^ I'm sure that everyone was impressed with the Rainbow Room - a place where I don't even like going into the bathroom.

[coasterkid124]

Didn't that security guard realize that he was standing right next to the Zodiac Killer?

[Paradox]

Didn't that security guard realize that he was standing right next to the Zodiac Killer?

[ajfelice]

^ I'm sure that everyone was impressed with the Rainbow Room - a place where I don't even like going into the bathroom.

 

We added the new restrooms by Steel Dragon for a reason.

 

All it takes to get Senator Cruz to ride Ravine Flyer II was asking. We thought we had a 1% chance of it really happening.

[jconsolmagno]

Trump is hanging out in Pittsburgh doing Hannity tonight, Cruz is riding the Ravine Flyer when it's 40 degrees out. Some guys have all the luck.

[djcoastermark]

I know which seat I will never sit in again. eeew

[neil009]

Let's say I'm not doing the water park at all, should I be able to do just about everything important in 5 hours Friday night? I was thinking of doing the evening pass. Preferably I'd like many rides on Ravine Flyer II. Is it typically about a half hour wait, more, less?

[djcoastermark]

You will have no problem getting in the rides you want. It's a smaller park but quite nice and enjoyable. It has all the usual flats plus a few oddities like the dark ride and walk thru fun house. Oh, dont miss the drop tower. Be sure to get on the side facing Lake Erie. The view of the beach and lake is great.