Got another ride in, and again the first third of the ride is honestly not all that different, except that it is most certainly smoother - but I actually liked how brutal (and sorta intense) the section in the first tunnel and the first turn used to be. So the work done on this section of the ride has its upsides and downsides.
But holy moly, The Beast comes *ALIVE* in the middle third of the ride. so much speed, my side was hurting (in a good way) from how much I was getting pinned to the side wall of the train through the very intense turns with my hands up. It's the most fun The Beast has ever felt to me - excluding cool night rides or jovial rowdy rides with friends.
It seemed to me that they enlarged the entrance to the helix tunnels, with the size of the tunnel gradually tapered to match with the dimensions of the old sections of the tunnel? It really did feel like the first helix tunnel was taller.
Of course my idealistic dream version of The Beast would involve a number of other changes beyond what they just did, but if I may make a humble, modest request - they really should do *something* with the trains to improve them. I swear the seatback padding is thinner and worse than on almost all other PTC trains. At bare minimum, I would really like the seats to feel fluffy and cushiony like they are on the Holiday World woodies, for example. No wonder people got so much pain from The Beast and The Racer over the years.
In conclusion, I can't wait to ride The Beast many more times in its new and dazzling form!