BavarianBeatle

I'm halfway to "80ish...." But now that I have read your post I understand the 80s music in the queue lines. It's a tie in to the show. Hmm, took me awhile to figure that out.... LOL!!!

The most recent one I heard this year was "I won't ride that Drop thing. I'm afraid the hydralic lines that stop it might break and then it would go straight into the ground. That's how that girl down in Kentucky got killed last year." The next exchange was my kids saying (in unison) "They're magn--" Only to be interrupted by me telling them to let it go, then to stop laughing, while trying very hard not to laugh myself........

Nice post, but I'm one of the few you can actually say I've stood on the 50 foot deck.....Were you insinuating that most of us who did so are no longer "of this earth"...? But seriously, I'm looking forward to the 4th at the park this year. Let's hope that Wallenda does not unintentionally become one of the sky divers.

I've ridden coasters and other rides for many years. I am scared of heights too, but now, because I have kids, I get to ride Drop Tower on a regular basis. My advice to you is to just ride The Beast a few times, like I had to do with DT. Once I walked away unharmed a few times, I got used to the ride and I can now ride it and actually enjoy it without feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack every time I hang there at the top. Hopefully, you can have a similar experience with The Beast...Good Luck!!!!

He should walk from the top of Drop Tower to the Eiffel Tower.......

As someone who rode it several times, RWB was fun, but not great, IMO.......

And there were no seat dividers, head rests, or seat belts. To those who are too young to rember that era, imagine riding The Beast (and Racer) with the bars like those on Fairly Odd Coaster, on a well-padded "bench seat" with no other restraints at all....... Those of us who are older did that many times....... Needless to say, the ride experience was significantly different than it is now!!!

The trims on The Beast have been repositioned. On that second hill, the skid brakes were on the upside of the hill. Now the trims are at the crest. You used to get great airtime in the back as the train left those trims and the back got pulled over the top of that hill. The trims before the double helix, as I recall, used to be right at the top of the drop into the helix. You started at a crawl and sped up as you fell. Now you speed up, hit the trims, then speed up again.

I find the butchering of ride names only mildly annoying. My main pet peeve is when people refer to "switchbacks" as "turnstiles"......

If you are willing to ride to the park in an automobile, you are doing something far more dangerous than riding any ride in the park, including Drop Tower.

Congrats as well!! I have also, for a long time, noticed that The Beast is inconsistent, especially through the brake shed. Sometimes you get slowed so hard you get slammed forward, others you hardly notice the braking at all. Same with the trim in the helix. We rode it last week, and the helix was as fast as I've experienced in a long time... I'm not an engineer, but from what I understand, it has to do with the temperature of the lubricant of the train's wheels. Like the grease in a car's suspension, it must be heated to a certain temperature to work to maximum efficiency..

Even though I have always said my five food groups are sugar, salt, grease, fat, and alcohol, I wouldn't feed White Castle to an animal.......LOL!!

Sounds really great!!! We are leaving early on the 5th for a few days in Cleveland and at CP, but sounds like I'm going to wind up at KI until the end of the fireworks on the 4th. Oh well, sleep is overrated anyway.

If you can handle Racer, The Beast shouldn't be a problem for you. As for the "next step up" from Adeventure Express, I would say Vortex. IMO, Flight Deck and Backlot Stunt Coaster have about the same degree of intensity as AE. After that you are ready for Invertigo, Flight of Fear, and Firehawk. Finish with Son of Beast, but ride it after the sun starts to go down and the track cools somewhat. Also, don't miss Drop Tower, Delerium, and The Crypt. Slingshot is also fun if you don't mind the upcharge. Have fun!!

I still think my son's idea is the best...."Carnivore"........

I've been there 16 times this year and the downtimes for rides have not been bad at all. Actually better than last year as far I have seen.

I know what CF did.... It was a very intelligent move on their part, from a PR perspective..... A public "You want it, come get it" I was speaking hypothetically (and fantasizing a bit) with regard to the potential spot for BD......

I was thinking, "Welcome back riders... How many of you had to "Hold On"?

My 9 year old proposed "Carnivore"......Not bad for his age, IMO...... But if you are looking for a western type theme I would think something with "Stampede" might work. Or simply call it "Hold On".... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P9V3IkI3zo May be some intellectual property issues there though.

What about that big field by the train at Stricker's Grove? (Don't know if it would fit though......)

Don't know why those decals aren't on the trains this year, but I noticed that too.

Remember your economics class..... Once you walk into that park, they are a monopoly, they have no competition. And the entire major theme park industry would be an oligopoly, which is only slightly better. Personally, I like to use the trunk of the car as my "locker." The walk to the car is worth what I save, especially with food and drinks in the cooler.....

I remember the 4th last year... We went early, and the kids noticed that SOB was listed as "Temporarily Closed".... So we knew what was going to happen later that day.... The kids and I were on the news briefly when they filmed the people in line, and they thought it was special when the ride op said "Welcome to the sixth ride on the newly reopened Son of Beast" as they opened the gates to get on the train. I thought it was pretty cool too..... Apparently they have something planned for this year too. We will certainly be there with our lunch in the cooler .

Could there be a certain announcement that day????????

I bought the one of the kids' first Beast ride. Only one I ever bought.