bkroz

I think it's live, only because there are times when we've monitored whether it's open or not via the webcam... I think it would be more work to have a fake camera affixed to the Eiffel Tower, record a few days worth of camerawork, then sync it up online, and run it on seamless loops than it would be to just have a live feed. There's no good reason to fake it, either... I bet that you just hit the park at a weird time, and even if you live 35 minutes away, recall parking, getting to the front gate, walking back to the ride... A lot can change in an hour...

Steel Phantom interests me more than I could possibly say - I have ridden the Phantom's Revenge on quite a few occasions, and most every time I get off I think to myself, "that was even better than Millennium Force." It's just a fantastic ride, and it's so funny to think that that's not how it used to be... GYK, glad that the days of 'more loops, more fun' is, for the most part, over (and that those who chose to continue the trend do it much more comfortably than Arrow ever did).

You must understand that the former Paramount Parks are just now coming out of their 'beefing up' that was so required for them to meet Cedar Fair standards. The Paramount Parks had their gimmicky rides (Arrow multi-loopers, stand-ups, inverts)... But where were the big, tall, fast steel coasters? None of the Paramount Parks had them. So each was quickly given a Geauga Lake ride to keep visitors occupied while that de facto-necessity, a B.T.F.S. machine, was in the works. Fast forward to 2010 and each of the former Paramount Parks (except Great America, for different reasons) has recieved it's BTFS coaster - Behemoth, Diamondback, and the Intimidators. Keep in mind that Paramount operated very differently than Cedar Fair. Every single park, for the most part, got a new ride every single year. Most were medium-sized, and were cloned and given to other parks, but it kept visitors coming back. Cedar Fair's de facto policy is different - build a BTFS coaster one year, and then ride on its popularity for three or four years. Then, after its marketability is drained, build another. That leaves all the parks with "dry" periods. Cedar Point is starting to come out of one this season. Not only did they get their last BTFS coaster three years ago, but that was when suddenly, five Paramount Parks had to be added into that rotation, thereby creating even MORE of a gap between additions. Don't mistake what has happened at Kings Island during Cedar Fair's leadership to be their new pattern - we got Firehawk because of Geauga Lake's closure, and Diamondback as our big new ride. Just because there were two years between those additions doesn't mean we should expect a two-year pattern... Expect four years or so between big additions. People aren't too far off in starting their "What Will Be New for 2012?" topics, if you ask me. For better or worse, Cedar Fair handles this particular area much differently than Paramount Parks...

A great way to remind us that, while we often nit-pick things that casual visitor does not notice (fog machines, 'splashdowns,' area-appropriate music, etc), we can also hit the nail right on the head - What this visitor and his family learned from experience is probably the first thing any one of us would have recommended had he asked for help planning here: pack a lunch and eat it in your car. Still good to see that Snoopy is leaving a good impression with visitors of all ages, and that Kings Island can be a destination!

I truly think Arrow's problem is more basic: Poor transitions. Everyone feels them. You can ride Vortex, or Adventure Express and physically see the track ahead awkwardly snap in direction. You can watch as the passengers, one car at the time, are whipped to the side. If you sit in the front, you can see it coming, and have that "Oh crap" moment when you brace yourself and prepare for the worst. On Adventure Express, it's an annoyance. On Vortex, it's downright awful, in my opinion. And those two are actually aging much better than say, Anaconda at Kings Dominion... Sure the suspended coaster and the 4th dimension coaster have design flaws almost entirely because they were prototypes... But the awkward transitions and the neck-snapping are two things that are simply inherent issues in Arrow mine trains and multi-looper rides. Were the transitions not as bad when the rides first opened? I can't imagine that it's simply a matter of "aging," because it's in the physical pieces of track that the direction changes occur so oddly. Like on Vortex, you enter (and exit) the MCBR so awkwardly, on your side, and then go through this painful, stretched out corkscrew and slam onto your side and the track is rattling because the wheels aren't affixed tightly to the track... Ugh! The same can be said of the second hill. The first drop is okay, then at the top of the second hill of Vortex, the track snaps down into a straight piece and then tosses you onto your side to round a turn, over and over again... Why couldn't they just have smooth transitions?

Enough said of grammar and spelling errors? Let he who is without sin throw the first stone, after all... Hahha. But yes, it would be much clearer and easier to read if there were paragraphs and if the sentences were... well... sentences.

^ Ah semantics... Hyper coasters (also known as mega coasters, which are also known as coasters between 100 and 199 feet, thus excluding them from the definition of hyper coaster, which is between 200 and 299 feet, which makes them mega coasters in the minds of many... confused?) are a hard thing to judge - some say it's based on height. Others say it's a specific layout. Still more say it must actually be without certain elements. I say, who cares? Ride the rides and enjoy them... Anyways, Terpy was right in his assessment of Apollo's Chariot (as I said, my personal pick) in that it's mostly floater air, very smooth, and very graceful. There's only one transition in it that actually took me by surprise and had me laughing, but when it's all said and done, Apollo's Chariot is just a really fun ride for me. As he said, if violent coasters are your thing, it's not for you.

Then there are the unnatural events that abruptly stop decades, or even centuries of cherished and treasured rides and attractions. See, for example, the "development" of the Geauga Lake property!

Not Adventure Express. Or Vortex. Both rides have really awkward transitions that cause you to sort of smack back and forth. It's not painful, but it's not really fun, and certainly not appropriate for your first ride - it'll turn you off of roller coasters for a while.

Apollo's Chariot... The setting, the colors, and the upward helix turnaround... Mmmm... I salivate just thinking about it.

My mom was scared, too, and so we went to Backlot Stunt Coaster. It launches, but it's a family coaster. It's probably the second smoothest in the park, it's short, and it's a fun ride no matter what! I would say that the best three to start off with at Backlot Stunt Coaster, Flight Deck, and (you won't believe this, but it's true) Flight of Fear - Flight of Fear goes upside down four times and is in partial darkness, but it's a rather tame ride after the first 10 seconds (which contains the first three inversions) and very manageable for new riders. It's just the fear of not seeing the ride until you're on it that's scary. The Crypt is also a realllly good introduction to rides - it goes upside down twice, is very, very smooth, really short, and provides a very unique sensation of positive G's.

I love the "DO NOT ______" sign illustrations in the upper middle of that photo.... Hah!

http://ixindooramusementpark.com/index.asp?flash=N The IX Indoor Amusement Park, held in the massive International Exposition Center (which, at other times, houses garden shows, boat shows, RV shows, etc), that's pretty much Northeast Ohio's version of a BIG traveling fair. My towns, though, does just have a few flats and a funhouse. So it's not just you.

Not a great trade if you ask me... Perhaps the person who made that decision was being controlled by voodoo... for a while, at least... GYK, whose "witty" thoughts never roll off the tongue quite like Terp's.

^ I think you're right! A piece of Cedar Fair history! So cool... Why did Dorney get rid of it? Schwarzkopfs are so rare around here, and so fun! It would be incredible to have the chance to ride it... I've only been on one, and described to my riding partner beforehand the difference between the clothoid loop and the circular loop, having no idea if we'd actually feel the difference or not... Needless to say (for anyone who's been on one), we literally both said "whoa" aloud as we exited the loop, and my riding partner was no enthusiast and not well-versed in different inversions... It's an experience, that's for sure.

SO AWESOME! Why aren't my local fairs like this?! A roller coaster that's not a wild mouse? Schwarzkopf even?!

I hate when people say Firehawk didn't count as a new coaster... It was brand new to 99% of the riders who experienced it at Kings Island. And trust me, Cedar Fair paid full price for it at one time... So which of the Cedar Fair parks has gotten a new coaster since 2005? Kings Island - Italian Job (2005), Firehawk (2007), Diamondback (2009) Kings Dominion - Italian Job (2005), Dominator (2008), Intimidator 305 (2010) Carowinds - Carolina Cobra (2009), Intimidator (2010) Worlds of Fun - Patriot (2006), Prowler (2009) Cedar Point - Maverick (2007) Dorney Park - Hydra (2005), Possessed (2008) Knotts Berry Farm - Sierra Sidewinder (2007), Pony Express (2008) Canada's Wonderland - Italian Job (2005), Behemoth (2008) Michigan's Adventure - Thunderhawk (2008) Valleyfair - Renegade (2007) All of the major Cedar Fair parks have had two or more additions since 2005. Two of the smallest ones (and oddly, Cedar Point) have only had one. Only Great America has been without a coaster addition in the last five years (though they have gotten other rides). Compare that to your quote: Are you joking? Kings Island and Canada's Wonderland (the two you specifically mentioned) both got $22,000,000+ steel coasters in the last two years...

^^^ Terpy was right, I was saying that many of the employes doubtlessly went out of their way to alert arriving guests to the condition of the park, but that management probably did not force them to do so. They did it of their own kindness, not because management requested that all arriving guests be made aware that their money was being wasted. It was a commentary about management and their attempts to get every dollar possible oftentimes at the expense of the visitor, not about the workers (for whom I've always had the utmost respect in all of my posts and in real life!)

In short, no. They're pretty, and they look great. But once onboard, most everyone I've talked to agrees that they're... less than spectacular.

Yes! On my way to Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom last week, I drove by a small billboard advertising Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Campground (an old family favorite) "located only two miles from Sea World." "And SeaWorld," I remarked, "is only 1025 miles from Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom!" But "Sea World," as the sign proclaimed, is in Australia. I figured that was a typo.

Perhaps some did. Perhaps some didn't. I don't know that they were specifically instructed by their superiors to alert the arriving customers to the issue... I imagine some people brought it up before they scanned your ticket, but I really don't think that management required, or even promoted it. And even if they did... They've already got your $10 for parking, don't they?

It's not much of a challenge on our particular cars...

And I ask again, would the Kings Island of 1972 simply have sent guests on their way, meandering through darkened pathways with no entertainment or dining, and without any update from the park management? Would the Kings Island of 1972 simply bid farewell to guests exiting the park without so much as an apology, much less a complimentary beverage or a ticket good for the following evening? Absolutely nothing? I don't know... But I have a good guess.

... And Woodstock's Whirlybirds. And the wait leading up to Woodstock's Whirlybirds...