TombRaiderFTW

Really? Midwest stuffy? Try Atlanta or the Northeast. Or even Los Angeles. That's stuffy. Try open social interaction with random strangers in New England. Let me know how THAT goes. I was going to say something like this, too. I've found the Midwest to be one of the friendlier areas in the country that I've been to, with the South being the only friendlier area I can think of right now. (Of course, I'm from the Midwest, so perhaps I'm a little biased.) The only exception to this that I've experienced is the western Pennsylvania area, and especially Erie. (No offense, Browntggr!) The times I've visited Erie recently, I think just about everyone I've met has been really unfriendly. On the subject of high fives in line: one of my friends is a germaphobe, so I understand the aversion to high fiving random strangers. Like others have said, you're going to experience other people's germs at an amusement park whether you want to or not; people touch EVERYTHING there. Think about it. For me, it brightens my day a little to high five people, so I'm always down for a high five if someone offers.

This whole thing sounds an awful lot like someone read the story of someone's Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 park on a forum and thought it was legitimate... If that's true, then this would be a shining example of why Don does what he does on here.

Not really. I think they're more there to keep your legs from exiting the area they're supposed to be in by accident. With all that force pulling your legs into the air, it would be easy to have them accidentally land outside the car unintentionally if there weren't leg restraints. My bigger gripe with LR's restraints is that they're stapling them very strongly, to the place it's almost painful just sitting in the station. But that's unnoticeable once the fun starts.

I was at Kentucky Kingdom today. I'm a little zonked at the moment, so please excuse any derpy errors: 1. Popular enthusiast opinion is that Kentucky Kingdom is somewhat dumpy and/or neglected. Maybe that was true in its SIX days, but I think Kentucky Kingdom is very picturesque and can absolutely hold its own against parks like Kings Island and Holiday World. Y'know, once you get past the razor wire-lined fence surrounding the property. Once you're past that, it's really a neat little park. The landscaping is a work in progress (no, really--they've got signs in most major grassy areas that say that the landscaping is a WIP) but the fresh coat of bright paint on everything really does look great. Granted, I never made it to the park when it was a Six Flags, but that doesn't make it any less nice-looking. 2. On the subject of SIX: the place looks and feels very, very much like a Six Flags park. I don't know what sort of name Ed Hart is trying to make for Kentucky Kingdom, but if it's "this once was Six Flags and now it isn't so we painted some stuff," he's nailed it. 3. The staff was super friendly. I must have been welcomed to the park six or seven times while walking in. The ride ops on Thunder Run were a little shaky/nervous but friendly, and they'll get the hang of things eventually. 4. The layout of this park is ridiculous. I don't mind walking on a bridge over a road to get to the rest of the park, but the bridge is so narrow that it must be incredibly annoying to get to the waterpark/Thunder Run/T2/Twisted Twins (i.e. most of the park's major attractions) on a busy day. Finding your way to Thunder Run, Mile High Falls, etc. is comedically difficult without a map, as you can see it but literally have to go anywhere but towards them to finally get to them. Which brings me to... 5. You can't find a dang map anywhere in the park if you're looking outside. Maybe I'm spoiled by almost every other park I've ever been to, but I found it pretty annoying that you have to search for a map. Spoiler for all you urban adventurers: I would think you would want the things in the hands of the people coming in the front door so they know exactly where they can grab a meal or buy a shirt (or, y'know, figure out how in THE BLESSED HECK you can ride the wooden coaster that's right in front of your face but inexplicably appears unenterable... GUHHHHHHH), but apparently no one in management agrees. Perhaps that says a lot about who they're expecting to visit this year. I dunno. 6. Thunder Run is actually a really good ride, for the most part. It's got way stronger laterals and airtime than either Hurler, but there are parts of the layout that just kind of meander due to how it's been modified over the years. But it's still a good, solid ride. I was pleasantly surprised, as POVs left my expectations somewhat low. That queue, though... That thing is asking for people to act up in it. It's hidden from all except those who are in it. It's difficult to find. If I owned the park, I'd be considering drastically changing it for safety's sake. 7. Lightning Run is ridiculously good. I am not exaggerating when I say its airtime is comparable to El Toro. It's like someone at Chance took Magnum and cut its height in half, and it got really angry and decided to attempt to throw everyone out of the train at every hill. Except it's much more comfortable than Magnum. And also the airtime is RIDICULOUSLY strong... like it is on El Toro. You heard it here first, folks. It's breakneck pacing and strong airtime (I'd believe the alleged -1.5G number that's floating around) combined into the most insane 30 seconds of coaster riding you're going to experience in the tri-state area. If I were into sheer intensity, it would be my #1. Also, its queue is very short. You're going to see a "1 hour wait from this point" sign and scoff. The capacity of the ride is such that this sign is not lying. If the line is beyond that point, don't lose hope. If you're asking me, it's 100% worth every minute. 8. I hate to end this with a bad point, but: the park is very sorely lacking more attractions to keep people there. I don't think there were any shows, and, as we all know, many of the former major rides will be returning in subsequent years. This puts a lot of strain on the rest of the rides to impress new visitors (if, of course, we're even supposed to come at all this year, like I hinted towards earlier.) Despite the fact that I think it's a very pretty park and liked many of the rides I rode, I was pretty much satisfied with visiting after two hours. Granted, I did not try the waterpark, but still. Maybe it's like Holiday World, where the waterpark is the main draw, and I've missed the point of Kentucky Kingdom existing in its current form, but... I don't know. I just found myself thinking a lot about how much of the park was closed and how much the rest of it reopening will affect how many more times I visit.* I really don't know how many more flats are at the park that aren't open... Maybe someone could fill me in? Alternatively, is the park trying to focus more on families than teens/young adults? I feel like all of this combined sounds like a negative review. Don't take it that way. Kentucky Kingdom's really a nice park, and I know I'll return at least once this year. I HIGHLY recommend that each and every one of you all stop in this year, as it really does offer something different from Kings Island, Camden Park, Holiday World, etc. *I'm pretty sure those CCI's in the back are going to draw me back whether I like it or not, though. Not being able to ride those was slow torture--I usually love CCI rides.

Great TR! I really enjoy the detail you get into. There's a chance I may visit Canada's Wonderland this year (crossing fingers, toes, legs, eyes, etc. for Wonder Mountain's Guardian), so it's great to read a review of the park from a guest who seems to have fairly similar views on parks and rides.

If Mammoth and Wildebeest are all you're looking to do in the waterpark, then your trip is doable in one day. Their waterpark is colossal (even though it may not look so from the road or from the dry park) and could be a two-day trip unto itself if it's super busy. In my personal experience, it seems like the coasters are somewhat temperamental when it comes to operating temperature. Early and late in the season, when the weather is cool, the rides are very smooth. Extremely hot days (90+) have historically provided my worst/roughest rides on their coasters. I personally don't mind reasonably rough coasters and think all three rides are fantastic (a rough Voyage is still better than a smooth Beast to me), but I think it ought to be noted that rough coaster rides can and do happen at Holiday World. If you ask me, the only place to experience all three wooden coasters is the last row, but it's all about what you're into.

Off the top of my head: what if it's whatever announcement Dan was planning when the theme for Holiwood Nights originally was "Big" last year (or was it the year before? I don't remember. It was whatever year that Lori won the court battle and ousted Dan.) With the way Rhinoblaster quickly changed names to Hyena Falls and Holiwood Nights went from being themed to the movie Big to being themed after nothing at all, I got the impression that Dan was making decisions and promises not many others in management liked. So maybe this is somehow going to reuse the attraction that was originally going to be announced at Holiwood Nights that year?

^ I can definitely see a multi-year addition/renovation of the Thanksgiving area. Pilgrim's Plunge/Giraffica had an awkward entrance that didn't really make sense for expansion; I wonder if there are plans to change that. I don't know about a hotel, though. Is Holiday World enough of a destination that people spend enough time at to justify multiple nights at a Holiday World hotel? The waterpark is sizable, but I still don't know that both parks combined offer enough to justify any more than a two-day visit at most. What helps is that Holiday World is basically in the middle of nowhere, but unless they throw in enough benefits for guests, it doesn't seem like there would be enough reason to stay there versus Santa's Lodge or Lake Rudolph. Of course, if any Midwest park would make a hotel work, it'd be Holiday World, but I just think they're going to have to offer plenty of incentives to lure people in. EDIT: I should add that I'm operating under the assumption that a night at a Holiday World hotel would cost more than it would at any of the surrounding hotels.

Betcha it's a Zierer. In the parks goodyellowkorn tends to like best, Chance rides are next to verboten.

You're welcome. If more people would update it with accurate times, it will begin to provide semi-accurate estimated wait times when user data isn't available. I wish people would bother, because it's really a neat little app.

Oof. That's rough. Hope it goes better for you, too. That also explains why Kentucky Kingdom's opening day randomly switched from today to next week. Glad to hear ACE was a bright point in the day. IOE issued a request via Facebook that ACE be patient with the employees, and I'm happy that they did so.

Wait... Did I miss something? I thought Kentucky Kingdom was closed to the public today, and ACE was going to be the only group there. Were there other folks there today at the park?

You both make good points, because rides like Tremors and Georgia Cyclone do kind of introduce a gray area. When do those rides become considered steel instead of wood? When more than half of the tracks are topper track-ed? Does having one inch of wood track left on 7,000 feet of an otherwise steel roller coaster still make it a wooden coaster? I guess does really come down to how you personally feel about it.

Online reviews make me believe my experience was the exception, but I had a pretty decent room at the Kings Island Resort the night before Media Day. The staff friendliness left a little to be desired, but the room was nice. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that I could hear most noises in the downstairs bathroom through the vent in my bathroom... That was a little weird.

^ The reason I, at least, doubt that it's a wooden coaster is not because of the lift support structure. If that were the case, then Adventure Express would be wooden and Voyage would be steel. To me, it's because of what's between the road wheels and the upstop wheels. If you check out RMC's topper track page, you can see that what is between the road and upstop wheels is steel, not wood. Other folks tend to argue that the rest of the track is wood, so it should be considered wood. To me, Goliath is every bit of a steel coaster as Arrow Mine Trains that have their steel rails mounted on wooden ledgers. Outlaw Run is as steel as Goliath is as steel as Iron Rattler is as steel as Cedar Creek Mine Ride. Topper track is a clever invention that has been used to make or improve some great rides, but it's steel track through and through.

^ I laughed out loud. That was a good one. For real, though--I even miss the 2011 Crypt these days. The Inception score tracks that they used were a really great choices, in my opinion. At first it seemed a little random, but now I can't not associate those three tracks with the ride. Of course, Tomb Raider was better, but I'd take The Crypt from 2011 back in a heartbeat if it were offered, ride cycle excluded. I still daydream about TR:TR pretty frequently, though. Most themed rides I daydream up tend to have some resemblance to it, too, at least in terms of how the guest experience progresses. (Before any smartypants says it: no, the rides I daydream up do NOT include extensive downtime, thank you very much. )

Join the club. We have jackets.

1. Awesome PTR! It's nice to see some (great!) pictures attached to these reports we've been reading about Holiday World. 2. Am I the only one that is somewhat irrationally disappointed that the park has apparently given up on Voyage's seventh car? I personally feel like a back seat ride on the ride is this much more intense when there are seven cars instead of six.

Dude... You must spend a TON on shoes before each visit. Or do you just stock up on the cheap Walmart flip flops when they go on clearance each year?

I mean, it kind of is suspended... The track's just in a different spot. You're still swinging based on track geometry.

They don't let you wear fanny packs on public operating days, as my friend recently discovered.

Wow. That ride looks fantastic, at least to my never-truly-been-to-Disney-or-Universal-except-via-YouTube eyes. I LOVE the looks of the theming. The balancing buckets look like cartoon physics transported to the real world--it doesn't even seem like an animatronic. Now, like any good enthusiasts, it's time to split hairs: is it a suspended coaster, or is it a standard sit-down?

Well... yeah, in theory. It'll only get worse with more weight in the cars. Of course, I could just as easily be 100% wrong. I don't know anything about the fine details of the ride. This is just conjecture. For all I know, they could be actuators. I just wouldn't imagine that they would be.

^ Nah, I'm pretty sure it's two-dimensional when it's on a map... It's a FLAT ride.

Adventure Express is a flat ride when you look at it on a map. FTW, running for the door.