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Yup, I was aware of this, I made the connection after about an hour and seeing that everything was closed. TR:TR was closed due to this, not a mechanical failure. And I work at PCW, which, like many many other major parks, has the same issues as PKI, with the amount of high school kids not yet out for the year. However, most parks remedy this by either hiring temps or emplying more full-timers. However, PKI's failure to do so left quite the sour impression, as you can tell. I'm not sure if other parks do this [i assume PKI isn't the only one], but again, it just reeks of bush league crap. And I've also been to King's Dominion, but that was in 1998. I am, however, going back there this summer. So maybe the experience will be different or the same as PKI.

Yeah, Tomb Raider at PCW is a horrible piece of ****. We were going to ride it on Monday, but the line was out of the entrance, so we decided to hold off until Tuesday - which was a terrible idea, since it was closed on Tuesday, which made us both even more ****ed at the terrible management of the park.

PKI has a better assortment of original coasters, whereas PCW has a lot of clones [The Bat, Top Gun, Vortex, Ghoster Coaster, Silver Streak, SkyRider]. In fact, outside of Dragon Fire, I really don't think they have an "original" steel coaster. Anyway, I prefer PCW slightly, because it's a bit smaller and more familiar to me. PKI didn't impress me at all when I was there this week, and I wouldn't spend money on going there again, even if I have a season's pass. Wonderland, however, I consistantly visit, as I enjoy their rides more, and their flats, while mostly similar to PKIs, have a couple that give PCW a slight edge [shockwave, mostly]. That's just me though.

We first went to PKI for a couple of days. I gotta tell ya, that park really does absolutely nothing for me. For Paramount's "flagship park", there's just really nothing "stand-out" about it. THe layout is basic, the rides are mostly things you can find at any other park, and the coasters are nothing special. Plus, practically everything was closed on Tuesday, which really, really came off as bush league bullsh-- to me. I understand being understaffed, but how hard is it to employ people on part-time contracts? In fact, I have firsthand experience with this, since I'm employed for weekdays between May and June at PCW, and will be let go when the high schoolers finish and can work. Is it REALLY that hard to staff for weekdays? This really ****ed me off and pretty much ruined the entire opinion of the park for me. Terrible. Onto the coasters: Son of Beast was a horribly painful experience. The first time, it was bearable, however when we went on the next day, it was absolutely terrible. Never will go on that again. THe lay-out is also not very imaginative, and nowhere near as good as The Beast. Top Gun was a very good suspended, albeit WAAAY too short. The location could have been improved - ie: adding water, a bit more trees, however that was purely aesthetic and the ride still kicked ass. I prefer PCW's Vortex, however, since it's located over a lake and the swoops through a makeshift forest and the massive station fly-by are done a bit better. Vortex looked huge from outside of the park, but looking at all of the space between the ride and the ground leaves me wishing for something more. THe mid-course brake was horribly overdone, even with the hangtime created on the corkscrews. Ride was good, though, with little roughness. I did cut my knee flying up in the air on that second hill, though, but I found that more rewarding than painful. Outer Limits seemed like it could have been so much more. The layout didn't feel nearly twisted enough. I felt as though I should be upside down and thrown around a lot more than I was. Mid-course brake ruined this one, too, which was a running thing at the park. The Racer was bumpy and a bit rough while sitting on wheels, however provided a lot of fun while sitting in the middle of the car. Both sides were enjoyable, and the forward side even provided a moment or two of floater air. Face/Off was a waste of forty-five minutes. We thought it might be a nice experience, but no, same boomerangy crap. Adventure Express was the gem of the trip, I think. I expected nothing and was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. From the pre-lift hill shenanigans to the teasing finale, and the rock 'em sock 'em statues.. the entire ride was just a lot of fun and provided great laughs and a new running gag. Runaway Reptar was good for what it was, as was The Beastie. Ghoster Coaster was a way too long wait for something that I'm not even sure qualifies as a coaster. My girlfriend liked it, though, so it was worth it. The Beast was certainly something to behold. The layout was amazing, and while the ride was rough as hell, it was still a lot of fun. For the first time riders, the layout really keeps you guessing. Even with the brakes on heavily, it still is a FAST ride through the forest, definately a good thing. Italian Job is the same as the one at Wonderland, which is nothing special. A good family ride, but if you're in it for the thrills, this is probably not the best ride. I do like the launch into the helix and that drop, but otherwise, forgettable, even with the theming. I also hate the "Okay, let's get this in one shot!" thing for it. Same as Drop Zone - and still stupid as hell. Yes, let's drop from a tower and use it in a movie. No, I think not. Theming is one thing, but this.. isn't it. We also went on Drop Zone [which was okay, nothing special], Delerium [which I love], and uh.. I think that's all the flats we experienced. Oh, and Eiffel Tower, which had a great view and a nice breeze. Over-all, we really didn't get the "flagship" impression from the park. It just seemed like any other amusement park ever, with no real stand-out features to make it their own. The name of the park isn't even sprinkled all over the place like I've seen at other parks. The rides were mostly mediocre, and with the exception of Adventure Express, there were no "memories" to take with us from the trip, which is more of a reflection on the park and the atmosphere than anything else. All in all, not worth a return 8 hour drive. Just one more note about PKI, if you're ever in the area, stay at the Homestead Suites in Blue Ash. They had GREAT rates [$58US per night, plus a $10 discount for signing up to their newsletter]. Really good rooms, well-kept. Do check it out if you're ever in the area.

Wild Beast kicks ass. It doesn't have the airtime that some other woodies have, but it's an action packed ride and not rough at all. Has stood up well with time, unlike Minebuster, the other PCW woodie. I thought SledgeHammer looked awesome before riding it, but after, I thought it sucked. And Delerium is much better than Psyclone. The best flat ride at PCW is probably Shockwave. That thing is bad ass.