gad198

Not very I would assume. From 8:30 to close I was at DB, and the line was around 10-15 minutes give or take for the random "protein spills that seem to happen very often this year. I saw a guy spill over the fence in the station at The Beast. I agree. Ride in row 1 one time and look at all the cell phones that are actually inside the track. I counted at least 7 phones on the track box yesterday. You know, it'd be interesting to see if they would do some type of exhibit showing off all the items lost on DB. The last time we rolled through the airport in Cleveland we saw a big display case with all kinds of items they had to confiscate as people went through security (the nunchuks were my personal favorite from that collection), and I'd love to see the things that DB has collected in less than two months. Outstanding! "Here is your cell phone...(display cell phone after having been crushed on ground after flying out of DB)...here is your cell phone after DB." Awesome!

I am always amazed at how often I hear change, cell phones and other objects either hitting the floors of the DB trains or hitting the pavement below. Looking up at the nets just below the first drop tells you how often stuff comes out. The bottom of the hill leading into the first helix and drop off of the MCBR seem to be the worst thieves, however. Out of curiosity, how busy was the park from 8-10 yesterday?

My brother and I were just getting into the line when we saw two enthusiasts get into the SRL. We were passing them about 10 minutes later as they were standing just below the halfway point of the SRL, clearly agitated that they knew they got into the wrong line. Sometimes it just works out like that, but it's nice to know that there seems to be a pretty consistent method on how to use the SRL effectively.

I know it's been mentioned before in some other threads, but wouldn't the "grab a ticket as you enter the line and give it to the attendant at the end of the line" bit work well in preventing these type of things from happening? They had this in place when I jumped in line for X2 and I thought was a fantastic deterrent; one that didn't require superfluous security, cameras, etc.

^ Agreed. They seem to have a much better feel for how to handle the SRL than they did a few weeks ago. The SRL has always been open the last few times I've gone as long as the line doesn't stretch past the bottom of the stairs. Having said that, as someone posted earlier, if the SRL is at the bottom of the stairs and the main queue is less than 25-30 minutes, your best bet is probably to get in the main queue. Yesterday I saw a group of four kids who got in the SRL, saw the length of the SRL (just past bottom of stairs) and quickly retreated to get back in the main line, which was around 15 minutes long, so there are veterans out there who know how to use the system.

^ It seems as though most of the discussion there seems to be valid. The supports do resemble those of the newer 'smaller' Intamin coasters. The best coaster for them, assuming it's an Intamin, IMO, would be a mega-lite. It would be the only one in the US, would give them a non-inverting airtime machine which would appeal to a wider array of people, and would cost less than your standard Intamin or B&M hyper. The only problem I would see with this would be capacity, but again, having a mega-lite in the US would be outstanding.

Voyage was running absolutely insane after the rain on Saturday! The combination of diving down into pitch darkness and rising up to see lightning out in the distance made for the best coaster rides I've ever experienced. I'd be willing to say that a trimless, pitch black Beast ride might come close, but even then I can't imagine that it would have the same ferocity as those Voyage rides had. I was on the train with the gentleman who was on his 100th ride of the day. I still don't know how he did it! Holiwood Nights is something everyone needs to do at some point!

Overview: I was heading to LA for a salsa dance festival they hold every year, and decided to work in a quick trip to Magic Mountain this past Friday. I had been to the park before six years ago, and I must admit the place was MUCH better this time around. Operations were much better and the staff was much more friendly. It might have been the 85 degree and sunny weather, too, but I had a great, albeit it brief, time at the park, as we were only there four hours. The park itself offers some of the best panoramas of any park I've been to thus far; the mountainous setting provides absolutely gorgeous views. When we arrived at the parking gate I asked the attendant if it was busy. He quickly responded "yes", and I'm thinking, particularly with such a short amount of time that we'd probably have to do a Flash Pass. I'm glad we didn't, as most of the rides didn't have any appreciable waits, sans two or three rides. Rides: Goliath (walk-on to last row): this ride really makes me appreciate all that Diamondback has to offer. The first hill, while taller, doesn't provide the same thrill as DB. It's not as steep, and even sitting in the very back row we didn't get the effect we were looking for. There's only one real "airtime" hill on the ride (although, to it's credit it does provide some nice floater, particularly in the front), and for a ride of this height I never did quite understand that. The helix is as advertised, as it pulls some nice force. I liked the speed, I liked the drops, and I liked the helix, but we both agreed DB was much better and much more re-rideable. Grade: B- Scream (walk-on to last row): your typical B&M floorless over your typical parking lot. I like this ride, a lot actually (it's an almost mirror version of Medusa at Great Adventure), but I never could understand why they simply tear up the asphalt and put some landscaping in! It would probably be one of the most photogenic rides in the country if they'd do it (the mountains behind are absolutely gorgeous), but alas what's done is done, and when money is tight that's the last thing they'll concern themselves with. I've seen elsewhere that the ride was getting a little rough but we didn't feel that on our ride. The zero-g roll delivered yet again. The ride itself is an B+, but the parking lot setting is a complete fail. Overall grade: B- Tatsu (35 minutes, third to last row): I believe that the Interpreter mentioned that he drove four hours one way just to ride this some time ago, and now I understand why. This coaster has everything a good flyer should: height, good speed and even better pacing, and plenty of force! Unlike the Superman: Ultimate Flight coasters the best part is saved for last, the MONSTROUS pretzel loop. We can usually handle a lot force on any coaster, and normally I'll go directly to the back of any S:UF ride because the pretzel loop is the only element worth noting and you get the most force there. Even in the third to last row I nearly blacked out at the bottom of Tatsu's loop due to the force, something I have not even come close to doing on any other coaster. I can only imagine what the last row would be like! The three in-line twists were also spot on. This is the king of flying coasters! I'll definitely need to check out Manta after having ridden this. This easily cracks my top 10. Grade: A X2 (1 hour, last row): this was the most popular ride when we first visited the park in 03 and it's still the case now. My first two rides on the original X were less than stellar, as the headbanging precluded me from enjoying the ride. The train redesign really made a big difference in the ride quality, and I enjoyed my ride. I didn't remember the ride being as short as it was, which may be the only real strike against it. The first drop as you're heading face down vertically is just awesome. The ride itself is so unique you can't really compare it to anything else. The fire and mist effects weren't working, but the on-board audio was a nice touch. It's a really good ride but not a great ride, but definitely worth the hour we waited. If the ride were ten seconds longer this would get an A without question, but since it's not: Grade: B+ Since we visited on the day before Terminator Salvation opened there's obviously no ride review for that, unfortunately. The ride itself looks great and I'm sure will ride well seeing as it's a GCI with those fabulous MF trains. It does look very short, though, and if there are any complaints about the ride by the enthusiast community I'd imagine that may be at the top of the list. Should definitely be a must ride coaster on my next visit. I can't stress enough how big the strides they've taken to improve the park have been. They were running all trains on all the coasters even if the waits may not have necessitated that they do that. The only thing about the park I didn't care for is that their flat ride collection is lacking, so we'll see how/if they address that in the future. We'll definitely be back (no pun intended). On a side note, to those of you who have been to an In-N-Out burger, what are your thoughts? Thanks for reading!

That's a terrific ride count for a 2.5 hour trip! It's nice to see someone else was marathoning DB yesterday. By the time I got there at 6:10 there was a five minute wait, and by 7:15 you only had to wait for the first two and last two rows on most rides. Good times! It's interesting to hear you mention the wait for Firehawk. I was standing in line thinking the same thing, the crowds aren't there (Vortex I saw running multiple trains where only the first row was loaded) and this would be a great time to get on Firehawk, so I'm glad I didn't in the end. If it was a Saturday morning and you're waiting 25 minutes it's one thing, but it's excruciating when the rest of the park is a ghost town!

^ I appreciate you posting your observations. I'm sure as the crowds continue to build through the summer that will become even more important as 20 minute or less lines will only exist during morning ERT. Thanks again!

^ Why don't we just say that the station was not set up for maximum efficiency that evening and leave it there, hehe. I agree with the rest of your post, with one exception: filling rows from the SRL then becomes a much harder task. I understand that the queue doesn't operate to bend over backwards for people in the SRL, but if you simply allow people from the main queue to go where they want it can get dicey. Say there are three people in the main queue and you're a single rider. The attendant determines you, as the SR, can ride with the group of three who just came through. The group of three decides they're waiting for the front. Let's assume there is a five train additional wait for the front at that time, which wouldn't be out of the question. Do you want to wait the extra five trains? Do you really have to given that you're an SR? Could you simply roll to another row at that time (one presumably with less wait) and grab another SR perhaps? I'm not really sure the two concepts are compatible.

^ I was curious as to when someone would bring that up. I completely understand why KI would not have wanted to have kept a staffer there at that time, particularly for an enthusiast event, but it was a madhouse inside the station for the first hour. Top Thrill Dragster's station is like that most of the time as well.

^^ That railing (or something similar) would certainly deter people from shifting lines. However, one of the things I've noticed is that most people are cutting into the SRL from the main queue at points where it wouldn't really benefit them if there's anyone waiting in the SRL already. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people cross into the SRL from the main queue and actually add time to their wait! My brother and I always get a good laugh when we see that. This leads me to my next point... I'm very curious as to how many people actually KNOW what the SRL is; i.e., why there are seemingly random people walking in another line right next to them, particularly in that last set of switchbacks before you get to the station. Why not simply put a few signs up (along the points where the main queue and SRL run parallel to each other) prominently indicating that the line to the left is the SRL - AND - that single riders will be paired with someone waiting in the main queue. There's currently no mention of either in between the line entrance and the station. I haven't seen too many people cutting from one line to the other (and again, the points where you can easily cut it doesn't do you much good anyway most times), and I have enough faith in people that that will continue to be the case. I don't care if groups use it, as long as special provisions aren't made to allow them to ride together. I simply care about how long the SRL is in comparison to the main queue and whether it offers any advantages at that moment in time. Kings Island is obviously trying to make sure that the SRL is offering a shorter wait for single riders, and I truly appreciate that provision. At some point, though, I can't help but wonder whether they'll allow the SRL to bulge a little bit more than normal to discourage anyone and everyone from hopping into it. I would almost guarantee that if you have someone wait longer in the SRL than in the main queue (a rarity now that crowds have picked up, but still happens occasionally) they would be weary of using it again, particularly with groups where they simply think it's an easy way to get on faster AND still ride together. Most folks on here can pretty easily tell if the SRL will be worth it time wise by simply comparing the two lines and coming to a conclusion, but members of the GP using the line for the first time cannot. I'm of the opinion that the SRL would self-regulate when it comes to the length of the line, thereby eliminating the need for them to have the game of open/closed tag we're currently witnessing. Yeah, it would suck to wait for an hour in the SRL when the main queue is 45 minutes, but that's your fault for waiting in the SRL if there are that many people ahead of you! I love the SRL, I really do, and I'm sure they'll tweak it over time to keep things in check. I think the main thing they need to do is get more clear signage as I mentioned earlier. We'll see! **EDIT** ^ People who are in the SRL don't see that video, so unless you've been in the main queue before AND are actually paying attention (the latter being a more dubious assumption) you wouldn't see that.

^ That is a really good link. Very entertaining and informative! Thanks for posting!

^ I think the main thing with the SRL that most can agree on is that it is really annoying when you walk up and have the attendant out front tell you the SRL is closed. Most people who post on this board or veterans of the park realize that if the attendant tells you the SRL is closed, and if the queue is less than half an hour then you probably need to just get in the main queue anyway. I was shocked to see that on several occasions this past weekend that the line was all the way down at the bottom of stairs and just around the corner. My brother and I went on twice on Sunday and in both circumstances the line the people who were allowed in the SRL perhaps five minutes after we got in line were getting on after we were. It would be nice if someone would be able to come up with a quick and dirty guide as to how to best maximize your DB wait time via either the SRL or main queue. For instance, if the main queue looks to be a half hour long and the SRL line is right at the bottom of the stairs, which queue would be better to wait in statistically, etc.

^ I'd agree with that entirely. We went last year, the Tuesday after Opening Day as a matter of fact, and after Early Entry it got busy amazingly quickly. MF went from a 10-15 min wait right at 10 to an hour inside of 20 minutes. When we left around 3 the "big 3" major rides had waits ranging anywhere from 1 to 1 3/4 hours. Anyone who wants to go to CP with shorter wait times should go next week.

^ I can see where that would be a problem. There is definitely more flexibility with movement on Vekoma flyers than B&Ms. Having said that, have you been on a B&M flyer where you've been "stuck" in the fly position, either on the lift or brake run? We got stuck on the brake run on Superman down at SFOG for 25 minutes and I will assure you that is a very uncomfortable position to be in. We had a claustrophobic gentleman next to us and he was practically crying by the time we got off the ride. We had a good laugh about it afterwards (getting three front of line passes each helped!), but this is where I really appreciated the differences in restraints.

^ Are you a card carrying member of any coaster club mentioned here? Holiday World Clubs and Associated Discounts If so, you'll see the discounts down towards the bottom, which will give you $13 off a one day admission. Perhaps short of getting something on Ebay or Craigslist, etc., this is the best deal going right now. If you aren't, it may still be worth joining a club IF you plan on either (1) visiting HW again before a year's time has elapsed or (2) decide to go to another park's enthusiast event. Rideworld, Coasterbuzz and the GOCC are pretty inexpensive options (as compared to, say, ACE).

I agree with all of the above except for the part about great capacity. I've seen capacity listings for GCIs running anywhere from 600 - 850 pph, which isn't exactly eating people through the line. Terminator Salvation is probably going to have a problem with this in their inaugural season, and the wait times will probably reflect that, particularly during the busy Summer season.

Excellent post. I got turned away twice from the SRL on Friday due to the SRL being closed. Granted, the SRL line was probably as long (if not longer) than what the main queue was, but the way they've had it working this weekend is asking for trouble. I really do appreciate the SRL and the provision they've made to have it, but I do not like the fact that it's not regulated via the passes right now. I'm very curious to see how they handle this going forward.

I stumbled across this while cruising the Internet today. If you have any plans on heading down to Holiday World and can give yourself 7-10 days notice (to allow the coupon to arrive via the mail) then this might be helpful: Holiday World Half Price Deal

^ It seems like you've been looking forward to this Saturday for quite some time. You plan on checking out the changes anytime soon?

I have to disagree with you on the trims, being that I rode with Giga most of the night she grumbled every time we hit them. The MCBR brakes were grabbing quite hard as well. Both seemed consistent the whole evening to me? I will agree though we seemed to be flying very nicely through the rest of the course. Yeah, the trim before the MCBR was really hitting hard. I'd love to have just one ride where it wasn't trimmed in either spot, but I realize that's unlikely. I wonder if they'd ever be able to modify the systems for one day, say an ERT, where the settings would be adjusted. Thankfully, you still get air on the trimmed hill (unlike, say, Raging Bull) but the air would be out of this world without it!

^ The last sentence is exactly why I love how they're doing the SRL. I'd hate to examine the main line, see a half hour wait and then see 500 people in front of me in the SRL as I turn the corner, negating any advantage the SRL may offer. It may stink to have to wait for some SRL passes (at times), but it definitely beats the alternative of them allowing anyone and everyone in the SRL without the passes!

Yeah, let's just say that you can get really good with a little practice! Stop by and say 'hi' if you see me there again! Most anyone who's been to the park has probably seen crazy stuff happen on midways with folks trying to corral basketballs that get away from them, and therefore from that standpoint they are a bit of a nuisance on that front. The reason the park doesn't deflate the balls or take any other countermeasures is really simple...it's free advertising for their games! It also shows that the games are beatable, so they want people to at least believe that they can win.