OT: Amusement Park Discussion

[dragonoffrost]

When the Six Flags Cedar Fair merger went down I may have mentioned there is much more than amusement parks that the federal government looks at in that space for a monopoly.

Things like this news are why:

Herschend to Acquire Palace Entertainment

Herschend and Parques Reunidos have signed a definitive agreement under which Herschend will acquire all of Palace Entertainment’s U.S. entertainment properties from Parques Reunidos. This agreement represents a significant milestone for both organizations—supporting Herschend’s strategic...

www.hfecorp.com

As for my views on this news. HELL YEAH! Herschend knows what they are doing running attractions. And I say attractions as the Adventure Aquarium in Camden NJ is one of their locations. Adding Kennywood (Pittsburgh) and Lake Compounce (Bristol CT) can only make the chain stronger and improve those smaller parks.

 

[dragonoffrost]

With the season about to start on the 29th at Great Adventure I think I'll do a look at my favorite 10 parks. In NO real order until we get to the top 5.

Today I need to highlight our Canadian friends and Canada's Wonderland. Now a Six Flags park that was under the Cedar Fair umbrella previously.

This park has some great coasters and has built 2 since my last visit so it's on the need to go back list.

Probably my favorite coaster there is Leviathan a coaster with a tiny first drop of over 300 feet. For those who don't like to go through inversions this guy is for you. It's all about the speed, hills and zero gravity.



But really why this park hits the list is the flat rides or as I call them spin and puke rides for those who can't deal well with those forces.



Sledge Hammer and Shockwave being two of my favorites

It was definitely worth the trip across the border to visit and as I said I'll be getting back there again due to the new coasters.

 

[dragonoffrost]

Was a little busy yesterday so you get a two for today. One of these I know is going to be controversial that it's not top 10 but I didn't get the since 2010 when I did both of these.

So first up will be the less controversial, Busch Gardens Tampa.
(the videos are not done by me but they are ones that I hope don't have too much comentary)

Great park with a lot to do and some awesome coasters, two of which are Montu and Sheikra.




But the park is also known for this nightmare fuel



This park is good for the rides and the animal exhibits. They also have a safari truck that will take you out and let you get closer to some of the animals and feed giraffes.

I have to get back for Iron Gwazi which many rank somewhere in their top 3 overall.

Now to get controversial....

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure is also on todays post. I know I know Velocicoaster, Hagrids, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey... etc..

Well I got there before Hagrid and Velocicoaster (so they can't be included in my view)

But the park was still very solid back then Hulk, Spiderman, Doctor Doom, Jurasic Park, Forbidden Journey all made it a solid park along with the Seuss area.





But this park also shines for two water rides in the Cartoon area.

Dudley Do Right Ripsaw Falls


and the ride that probably soaked me more than any other ride when I didn't hit the waterfall element.

Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges.



The theming on most rides blow everywhere but Disney away.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

I say this genuinely and honestly- I admire that Universal has opted to keep a ride themed to Dudley Do-Right despite the fact that there's a zero percent chance any kid today knows who he is. Same with Popeye, to a lesser extent? Cool to see a more "obscure" franchise get some recognition in a major park

 

[dragonoffrost]

I say this genuinely and honestly- I admire that Universal has opted to keep a ride themed to Dudley Do-Right despite the fact that there's a zero percent chance any kid today knows who he is. Same with Popeye, to a lesser extent? Cool to see a more "obscure" franchise get some recognition in a major park

The whole cartoon area is a flashback which is amazing.

 

[dragonoffrost]

Next up on the favorite places is one that is about to merge into another chain which I expect bigger and better for this park once that occurs.

It's a park that is known for their old wooden coasters, Potato Patch fries and the currently being repaired Steel Curtain roller coaster themed to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Yes I am trying to not vomit mentioning that NFL franchise. But it is part of the fabric of that area so it gets mentioned.

But I'll stay away from showing that ride since I have yet to experience it.

easiest thing to start this post with is the Potato Patch fries which are amazing

They have many toppings including brown gravy which is how I get mine. Brown gravy and bacon... YUM. excuse me while I need an AED device though.

In the back of that picture is Noah's Ark which is a walk through funhouse that shouldn't be missed.

As for the coasters this is where I will post 3 videos of Classics
Jack Rabbit is a wooden coaster built in 1920 and is known for it's insane airtime on the double downs.


Then you add next Thunderbolt from 1924 which is known for the drop right out of the station which is plain amazing and not something that normally is done but this ride knocks it out of the park with the element since it was built on a hill.


Then we hit Racer from 1927 which is a racing coaster that is built in what is described as a mobius loop.

a mobius loop is a rare coaster that you need to ride 2 times to get the full circuit in you ride starting one station and end that ride on the other side of the station. then you get back in line and go into the station you exited and get on and ride which then ends in your first station. The video attached shows both sides.

Add in some rare old rides and you get a classic park that is a great day.

 

[dragonoffrost]

Carowinds is a cool park on the North Carolina/South Carolina border. We get to have southern foods and ride all day.

Odd fact they also have a Chickie and Pete's in the park.

The main draw to this park is Fury 325. A monster of a coaster that crosses state lines during the path of the ride. Get ready to dive into the hive and feel the sting.


Another fun coaster in the park is Copperhead Strike which actually inverts shortly out of the station and then rolls around to the first of two launch tracks. It's not a fast ride speed wise but it's just pure fun



This park used to be one of the two parks that had coasters themed to Dale Earnhardt but when the licensing expired Dale's widow wanted more money and more restrictions on the merchandise so the chain decided to rename the coasters at Carowinds and Kings Dominion. Intimidator has become Thunder Striker same fun ride just different name.



One cool thing they just did was retheme an area to a cyberpunk airport and one of the fun rides is Gear Spin

 

[dragonoffrost]

5 days until we hit Park Season for the ones I will be frequenting this season minus Dorney which opens in May. With that we will now move to the actually top 5 rankings....One of the two aforementioned didn't make the list which is Kings Dominion but it would definitely fall in the 11-15 range. But enough blabbing and lets get on to......

#5 - Six Flags Great Adventure.

Yes yes I know how can this park not be higher when it's the biggest, best park closest to Philly. Well simply put, they don't handle the lines and the people who go there properly.



I know that's an explosive take.

Well the crowd control and the above video also affected it's rating.

But this park still has a serious punch in the ride package.

We have El Toro. The bull has been worked on per reports and we are hoping it won't tear itself apart again.



This beast is one of the best wooden coasters in the world. The speed, the height, the lateral and negative G forces. It has the entire package people looks for in a ride. That first drop in the back row feels like you are about to be yeeted from the ride. Then you get halfway through and another hill tries to yeet you again after it turns left. Such a fun and amazing coaster that shows tall wooden coasters still have a place in park lineups if you can maintain them.

Then we come to another airtime machine in Nitro. For years before riding it I hated coasters, I couldn't wrap my head around how they were safe but a teacher taught us the physics of coasters and the safety mechanisms and I was better on them. But it took years for a ride to be built that totally snapped me of the fears. This was it. My hands went up on that first drop at the urging of friends and they never came down until the end. Which during a ride when it really is flying through the circuit is a bad idea for any male, LOL. If this bad boy is flying the day you ride it get your hands down and brace yourself before those final brakes or you will be speaking funny for a bit.



Get the popcorn, get a beer.... get me an ice pack!

Then we walk around the corner and there stand Batman The Ride. This ride exists in most Six Flags Legacy parks and it's a twisty inverted delight. The positive G forces it gives are nothing short of astounding.



With the DC Comics licensing the parks have you can't have Batman and not have Superman. And boy did they do Superman justice. They make you feel like you are flying and when the ride hits the bottom of the pretzel loop, yes it's shaped like a pretzel, you get crushed into your seat so hard some riders grey out.



After these great rides I would be remiss if I didn't mention Great Adventure was the park that got the very first floorless roller coaster. Medusa....a set of twisted steel to look like Medusa's snake hair. There goes the floor and you're out the door!



The food in the park has been typical park food until this year as they have hired an executive chef. So it will be interesting to see what changes come in that area this season and going forward. This was a Cedar Fair initiative that has been moved over to Six Flags legacy parks and I can only hope they do as well as Cedar Fair did when they added this role.

One thing Six Flags needs to do is bring back shows for the people who aren't ride junkies as if you aren't riding or eating there isn't much to do.

 

[dragonoffrost]

We are at #4 and this one is going to be one not many know.

We are going to Santa Claus, Indiana (yes that is a real town) and Holiday World.

You enter the park into an area themed to Christmas with shops, food and of course a place to meet the Jolly man himself Santa at set times each day.

Then depending on which path you take out of that area you can head to Fourth of July or Halloween.

Fourth of July has flat rides like a drop tower, bumper bison instead of cars, a train ride through sets about fairy tales, and a set of Flyers themed to eagles.

Halloween on the other hand is where the coasters start with Raven. Themed to Poe's work it's a great ride that serves as the breakfast of the three wooden coasters in the park. Raven is definitely not your normal wooden coaster and it annually ranks in the top 25 wooden coasters. The turnaround by the lake is just a great visual as you fly along the track.



Nearby is a dive show during the summer months and a few flat rides and games sprinkled in along the midway as you wind around to The Legend. Yep you guessed it we are now visiting the headless horseman from the Legend of Sleepy Hallow. And of course we also are adding to the aggressiveness of the ride. We get another yearly top 25 coaster checked off as we plummet down the first drop with a wolf howl behind is and then a breakneck ride over hills and turns that only gets faster as the day goes on. This becomes the lunch in the coaster meal.


Once you leave that area you pass by the included waterpark... We will get back to that in a bit because it's definitely worth a day in itself. Past that we find the last themed area Thanksgiving and you will be full when you hit the Dinner of the wooden coaster lineup, The Voyage. This is a true voyage of g forces be it positive or negative forces. It also throw the train perpendicular to the ground 3 times during it's sail. This was a new feat when the ride was built. Most also rave about the triple down element in a tunnel that just drops your seat from under you and lets you float back into it. It's a long ride with lots of out of the seat moments and ranks #1 for wooden coasters to me. (El Toro takes a sad second place.)


You also can get yourself a turkey dinner here to rival your annual feast and ride a dark ride where you catch (shoot) turkeys. They like to keep it family friendly as the park is family owned.

Now fun the fun of Splashing Safari, the waterpark, where you can get free... yes that's right I said FREE, sunscreen. This water park has all the normal amenities, tube slides, speed slides, racing slides, wave pools and instead of a lazy river an action river with waves. But the two rides that draw people here are Wildebeast and Mammoth two water coasters.





This is a park where you won't be shocked to see management walking around picking up trash (in the rare case someone did drop something) or stopping guests to see how their day is going and if anything can be done to make it better. Believe me it's hard for them to make things better when you park for free, pay one price for entry to the amusements and water park, get reasonably priced food and snacks and then FREE unlimited water, tea, soda or sports drink.

 

[dragonoffrost]

It is fitting that on the day that the baseball season opens in CIncinnati the park at #3 is local to that city. We are going to Kings Island in Mason, OH. We get a ride package on par with Great Adventure but we lose the crowd issues.

You can't start anywhere else when speaking of this park than will the longest wooden coaster. The fact that this ride has held that distinction since 1979 says a ton. We are talking about the one and only Beast.


This truly is an amazing feat as it was designed and built in house not by any company that makes other coasters. 7300 feet of track length that just about rattles your brain free from your skull but you smile all the way. It's roller coaster royalty and rightfully leads this park to high levels on most park enthusiast lists,

Then you start to hit the more modern rides that were built when this park was owned by Paramount (yes the TV/Movie company I will add the names for that era in parenthesis after the current name) and then Cedar Fair (yes that is a clue to a soon to be on this list park). I'll bring up the just pure fun Backlot Stunt Coaster (aka Italian Job) This cute little ride is a great way to get kids into riding coasters with the cars being made to look like Mini Coopers and the quick launch through twists and turns between police cars then a helicopter shooting at you while you sit in a gas station. Only to be shot into a tunnel and then out through a splashdown effect. Just a fun little ride.



Another staple of the Paramount days is The Bat (Top Gun) a suspended coaster that swings under the track as you soar above a valley. Most will remember this style for Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg but The Bat is one of a handful of these still in existence and it may not last much longer if rumors are true for the future of most of this style ride.



The final coaster I'll mention from the Paramount days is Flight of Fear (Outer Limits). Again we get a launch via magnets to get to a speed and then normally a disorienting ride in darkness through a spaghetti bowl of steel track. The video is lights on but the ride is not



If you want more wood coasters we have the classic racing coaster The Racer with two mirrored tracks that brings the old school wooden coaster vibes most love.



Or if you want a more modern twisty wooden coaster there is Mystic Timbers. Don't go in the Shed.... Don't go.. in....static....
Built by Pennsylvania's Great Coasters this is one fun ride from the curved drop to the low twists and turns through trees then a field of the turns and into a tunnel. The ride never really slows down until you reach the shed. The video won't show the shed which is perfect as that would ruin the fun and the full reason to not go in the shed.


If you were wondering what was the ride right as you leave Mystic Timbers station that would be the snake known as Diamondback. We get a 200' drop and then loads of airtime and speed and a fun splash element at the end.


We will finish with Banshee which happens to be my favorite inverted coaster. This perfectly used the terrain it was placed on and at night they can fog the area so well you have no clue where this is heading along with added sound effects you truly get the feeling a Banshee is chasing you

 

[dragonoffrost]

Ok so now that I can not get spammed with ads I will finish the top 2 and that means without delay here comes the most controversy. I know this was expected to be #1 by people who attend parks but NOPE it's #2.

Cedar Point America's Roller Coast.

Yes it is close to #1 because of the ride package offered by this park. But I just couldn't go with it at #1.

I will start at the front gate and move to the back as it's really the best way to keep my favorites for the end. So we start at the coaster that goes over the main gates and creates an awesome experience and visual, GateKeeper a wing coaster where you sit beside the track and go through the circuit. These rides are very fun and popular with the masses but enthusiasts tend to not have the same vibe as the layouts tend to be similar.


Myself I love Gatekeeper due to the visuals you get as you go through the course.

The we cross the main midway to get to Raptor. This invert is definitely a beast with some very impressive G forces especially in the final Helix



I will go past the Boardwalk area that opened since my last trip so I can't speak to the Wild Mouse and the food at the Grand Pavilion which seem to be well received. This brings us to Valravn, Cedar Point's dive coaster another coaster style that like the wing coaster enthusiasts tend to have a jaded view because most say if you rode one the rest aren't much different. The 3 second hang before the dive is of course the main draw of these. Then most go through the same elements. It may or may not have a mid course break the leads to a second 90 degree drop without the hold.



After that you can swing on over to Iron Dragon another of the few suspended coasters left in North America. I love these coasters since they are a great ride for kids to move into a more thrilling ride but not scare them too much. I always seem to run into a snake swimming in the pond under this coaster as I wait in the queue...yes I know it's as unhappy with me being there as I am with it being where it is so we keep our distance.



After a swinging good time over that pond we head to another ride along side it and get in line for Rougaru the floorless coaster that came from the Standup coaster Mantis. This has become a popular way for a park to repurpose a ride style that isn't very popular in the standup model, mostly because the bicycle style seat on a standup coaster tended to be painful at certain elements of the ride. By making it a floorless coaster with a normal seat the ride can live on and not be as painful to riders, except for if your head bangs against the shoulder harnesses.



This is time to turn around and go to the right hand midway since I am going to leave the next coaster for later as it's one of the major rides.

I'll again have to leave Top Thrill 2 out of this post as I have yet to experience it but hope to get there this year and it might be open since it only ran for 2 weeks last season before being closed for redesigning something that was found to be an issue once they started sending trains with people on the ride.

This brings us to the first coaster to break the 200 foot tall barrier. Magnum XL-200. Magnum is a fun ride that can leave you a little sore if you get a ride where it's flying through the end of the course.



The next coaster in the lap will be Gemini a wood structure but steel track racing coaster. It's a fun ride that younger children love since they only need to be 48" tall to ride it.



I am going to stop talking about coasters for a little bit and mention a few other rides I like at Cedar Point. We'll start with the swinging pendulum MaxAir which is one of the tallest pendulum rides in the world and boy does it give you a nice pop when you reach the high point of the swing.



The other ride that needs mentioning is Skyhawk a S&S Screaming Swing that brings your childhood swing set back to your mind but in a much larger scale and more forceful as it is air propelled to create the swing motion. I couldn't locate a Cedar Point produced video so I chose an offride one that a visitor made.



Another popular ride since it gives a great view of the park and Lake Erie is Windseeker a 300' tower ride that has a rotating ring of seats for you to slowly spin around the tower as you ascend and decend the 300'.



We now get to the main course the three best coasters in the park starting with Millenium Force which seems to be anywhere from people 4th favorite coaster in the park to their favorite. Right now it sits at number 3 for me. It's a 300+ foot first drop that brings you to 92 miles an hour. And is just built to give pure speed and some airtime moments that I enjoy but other call them too mild. A ride in a light rain on this ride can be just insane as you get rain drops pelting you as you fly through the course. The view of Lake Erie at the first drop is amazing and at night you can see the green and red lights from the boats out in the lake.



We now head back into the western themed area at the back of the park and find Maverick. This coaster not only sits as my number 2 at this park but it's my #2 steel coaster ever ridden. The ride is not very tall and not as fast as others but it just brings the fun and you get launched twice in the twisted course that you go through. Giddy up cowboys and cowgirls.



So if I mentioned the previous was number 2 on both the park and my overall list here it is #1 ride for me of 377 I have experienced. We are talking about none other than Steel Vengeance. An aptly name reconstruction of the old Mean Streak roller coaster. This ride brings the revenge you would expect when a wooden roller coaster is torn apart and then rebuilt with a wood structure and steel track to allow for inversions and a super smooth ride. You get a high intensity, high speed bucking bronco of a ride that make you wonder what the heck just happened for your first couple of times on it. Steel Vengeance bring in spades what every coaster lover wants in a ride.



The food options have been reworked over the last many years to go from your basic amusement park burgers, hotdogs and chicken finger to include things like rotisserie chicken, salads, pulled pork, brisket and many other food and sides that make eating at the park a nice choice rather than something you know you regret. Also you can get some cool Great Lakes beers while walking the midways as they are the brewery partner of the park.

 

[dragonoffrost]

My Number 1 Park is because it brings the full package of rides, food, and entertainment. We are heading to the Smoky Mountains and a little place that calls Dolly Parton part owner. I am speaking of Dollywood. A park that cranks the southern charm up to 11 and packs the thrills also. If you get tired of riding you can go to one of the many theatres and see a great show featuring talent that is Nashville worthy. The atmosphere is brought to another level with the excellent landscaping and also the crafters along craftsman valley that you can watch ply their trades and purchase things that were actually crafted right there on site.

Just past the crafters is the eagle sanctuary where eagles and other raptors that were injured are rehabilitated to see if they can be released back into the wild or if they will live their lives out at the park under the care of the staff. They do have a show that teaches about the birds of prey which is really fun especially if you get lucky enough to be in a seat where a bird flys within a few feet of your head. Yes the eagles used at the Linc during football season live here and are in the show.

This park when I last visited was about quality rides with not much quantity. They definitely have added quantity now but have not lowered the quality.

Rides that stood out to me were the Blazing Fury dark ride/powered coaster. I won't get into the is it or isn't it a coaster argument and just say it's a cute ride that fits in the southern charm of the park.



Mystery Mine is a coaster called a Eurofighter that dives and twists through a tight course and can catch you off guard from the looks to the actual ride experience.



The park also has one of the best old school Arrow Dynamics looping coaster in Tennessee Tornado which are becoming rarer as the years go on.


For those who like to get a little wet during the day at the park there is Smoky Mountain River Rampage.



A classic raft ride through rapids that will get you wet and cool you off on a hot day.

Or the flume ride Daredevil Falls might be what you are looking for to cool off on a hot summer day.


maybe you just wanted to take a leisurely drive on the Rockin Roadway.


Or a ride on the Dollywood Express a full size train ride around part of the park.



But then of course you can't miss one of the best wooden roller coasters in the world. Thunderhead which uses the mountain terrain and the wood structure to make an unforgettable ride that includes a station flyover.



As for food you have to have Aunt Granny's chicken, sausage peppers and onions from one of the big skillets in the Rivertown Junction area, a potato tornado, some of Miss Lillian's BBQ and for dessert make sure to get some of the amazing Cinnamon Bread from the Grist Mill.

 

[dragonoffrost]

So yes I did go to opening day at Great Adventure. After not going in recent years, I was boycotting Six Flags parks that I knew had operational issues and Great Adventure was very high on the boycott list. But with the merger I decided to give it a try. Well a perfect storm hit to show how things would be. Opening day, park staffed for a normal opening day, and .... 80 degree weather on a Saturday in March.

This caused me to decide to spend $35 dollars on the normal flash pass not the $145 on the ultimate. The normal flash pass is really just a reserve your spot in line kinda like the join waitlist restaurants offer. You get given a time at that time you can go ride. One thing I wasn't ready for is the Flash Pass is now an webapp on your phone. You purchase it and it opens a website that lists the rides and current wait times click the ride you want to schedule and the countdown starts. At your ride time the page displays a green check mark and a QR code for the attendant to scan to let you in line at a merge point close to the station. They have lockers at that point to store your phone and away you go. After the ride you come back and pick up your phone and repeat the process for your next ride. Smooth and efficient.

I started (before grabbing my flash pass) the day at opening joining the crowd to head for El Toro. Yes it was the running of the bulls to the bull. Let's just say El Toro doesn't disappoint and the work they started over the last offseason made it a much better experience than my last rides on it. Still needs some track work which is going to occur over the next 2 offseasons but they got a good start on bring back the butter smooth ride it was when it was in contact with the track.

After this I registered with Flash Pass and away I went to Jersey Devil(coaster #376 for me). This was my first RMC single rail coaster and I didn't know what to expect going in. First thing that was cool was the ride doesn't stop in the station you board the train and they secure your harness as it rolls through the station to the wheels that propel you up the hill. That was another thing that was odd it doesn't have a chain or cable but uses tires to get you up the hill. This must be a nightmare if any moisture exists. The ride itself was very fun and riding on a train of 1 seat per row was a different experience. I liked it but not something I will be riding many times in a row.

Next were two that got a ride then a reserve the next ride for it before I went to the next ride. Yes we are talking Nitro and Batman. Both were giving their normal stellar rides and The staff was friendly and working their asses off.

The operations staff of the ride platforms was something very noticable on this visit. They we moving as fast as they needed to get dispatches going on a regular schedule but also making sure to interact with guests and keep the platform clear of unneeded people or objects. If they can keep that up all season it will be a great improvement for the park. Of course clearing the unneeded people takes a lot of work for them as some people just don't listen to instructions and think I moved I should be fine here. NOPE MOVE YOUR ASS OFF THE PLATFORM.

This was when I decided I needed food and something to drink so I went back to the center of the park and grabbed some pulled pork mac and cheese and a Dogfish Greatful Dead Ale. The mac and cheese and pulled pork were very tasty and was plenty for me.

After this my iron stomach was put to the test on the Joker(#377). For those who don't know this is a coaster that the ride vehicle flips as it moves along the track. And I got only 3 flips during the ride so my stomach passed the test easily.

Next up was Medusa, this was a surprise of the day. It was a very smooth which again my last ride on it did not come close to being smooth. Also my head didn't try to slam into the harness like it did on previous rides. One thing that made me chuckle is the lift hill takes you up to a good view of the safari and well even the baboons were like it's too damn hot we aren't doing anything.

After this I got another lap on El Toro which seemed faster than the earlier lap as is normal. Damn this ride is so good when it delivers a less painful ride.

I wandered the shops and noticed merchandise for Kingda Ka. Oh boy that's going to go over well.

Also something I noticed throughout the day was that there were uniformed Jackson Township police inside the park gates. This is a change as they used to be outside the gates and security would take people to them. I guess it's now going to be that the police are brought to the area they are needed. Which I will say will be a huge improvement over the old way.