TombRaiderFTW

The video's from GCI. They posted it first. I'm guessing Coasterforce reposted it. It's funny to me how B&M rides, at least until very recently, were generally perceived as increasingly tame, while GCI seems to be working in the opposite direction. I've been on Wildcat at Hersheypark, which, while originally designed with PTCs, is much more about grand, sweeping turns with a sprinkling of abrupt pops of airtime. Gwazi appears to be similar in that aspect. Thunderhead toys with sweeping turns but relies much more on stuffing as many moments of airtime and changes of direction as possible in the area. White Lightning looks like it's purely about getting chucked out of your seat and caught off-guard by many swift direction changes. (Prowler and Wodan look to be along the same lines.) I like where GCI's going. This ride looks really good. If I make it to Florida anytime soon after this opens, it's pretty much going to be necessary that I check this out.

In this case, I can also say I've gotten "stuck" on The Raven's lift hill. Someone tried to take video of the ride, and the ride ops caught them on camera and stopped the lift. It's actually really surprising when it happens, because that lift goes from 8-ish miles per hour to zero very quickly. The chain dogs caught us with a loud thunk, which delivered a little shock when you're, say, busy talking to the person beside you. It was quickly restarted once the offender had apparently complied. But besides that and the AE thing, that's pretty much all I've got.

^^^^ and ^^^^^ It would astonish you how much of that conversation I heard last week when trying to convince my friend, a Six Flags St. Louis regular on her first KI visit, that that was the case. She was at a loss for where the coaster was located until she finally saw herself in the mirror. (She was also mesmerized by the British Invasion show... Apparently they don't do live shows at Six Flags?)

Of the parks I've been to this year, it's a tie between Holiday World and Dollywood. For Holiday World, the rebuilding of half of The Voyage's turnaround does wonders for that ride, and Sparkler's a very fitting addition to the Fourth of July area. I haven't ridden Mammoth yet, but considering the lines it's garnered (and removed from Wildebeest), I'd say it's more than fulfilling the purpose the park had for it. For Dollywood, Wild Eagle is clearly very popular (as it should be, in my opinion.) It's a very fun, thrilling ride (particularly for a B&M) that no park in the region has anything like.

I enjoy the videos Don and the rest of KI's PR team makes for various purposes, like the Dinosaurs Alive teasers, the Haunt job advertisements, and yes, even KI Enthusiast Guy. I'm also a big fan of the PR for Holiday World, Cedar Point (especially Tony and Tyler, though Becca's doing very well), and Kennywood.

Never been stopped on any KI coaster before, except for once or twice on Adventure Express's second lift due to blocking, back when I was young enough to have been terrified enough to remember. The second lift was the scariest thing that ever happened to me as a kid at KI--so much so that getting stopped there was memorable to both me and my family, who rode the ride with me. (Or I assume the stop on that lift was due to blocking, anyway. This would have been in the mid-90's--did the ride run 3 trains at one time?) Oh, and even though it's not a coaster, I once had a sensor misalignment (or whatever you want to call the control system losing track of the gondola) on The Crypt back in 2008. The ride very slowly lowered itself back to the loading position, with the music and lights still doing their things all the while. The thing took forever to finally park, and once stopped, the ride ops acted as if nothing had gone wrong and told us to enjoy our day. The ride was declared down immediately afterwards.

Check this fact out: Cedar Point hasn't gotten a new coaster since 2007 (Maverick). Valley Fair got a kids' coaster last year, but it's been 2007 for them too. Michigan's Adventure got a coaster in 2008 (Thunderhawk). And Worlds of Fun got one in 2009 (Prowler)! Not to mention that, at least at Michigan's Adventure, the biggest draw is clearly not the roller coasters. It's the waterpark. Before Thunderhawk, the last coaster additions were a wild mouse and a steel kiddie coaster in 1999--if the park needed coasters to survive, I think they'd have gotten another sooner than 2008.

^ I feel like it should be pointed out that Holiday World proceeded to use the Banshee name until 2002, if that has any relevance. Maybe the name was a factor in the ride's removal? I'm excited about the possibility that it's a B&M 4th dimension. I wonder if Walter and Claude are feeling especially adventurous and are going to include the launch system their company's been rumored to have been designing for a while now. Also, Cedar Point just posted this to Facebook: EDIT: Darn it, Colonel_SoB_fan just beat me to it!

Don't forget to paint it red and yellow. Sell food in the queue... because, y'know, people gotta eat. Oh, and it'll probably cost a lot, but it will run pretty well--it's an operations ride, not a financial one.

With the large bouts of downtime this ride's had this year and last (and now and again in prior years), I wonder if they're considering removal. It would seem that that was reason The Crypt bit the dust.

I can understand that they're disappointed. Considering the price of admission to Universal, it's probably incredibly frustrating to not find out you can ride a ride until you're trying to get in line for it, even if the details of the qualification are available online. However. If there was actually a change in policy, I'm willing to bet it's probably been influenced by the Darien Lake Ride of Steel incident. And, honestly, if Universal errs on the side of caution, I can't say I blame them. From an engineering standpoint, designing for disabilities seems like it would be a bit of a gamble--there aren't any standards for body dimensions for amputees, etc. that could be used to design trains and the like. I don't say this to be mean, but with a leg amputee, what if there happened to be a position comfortable for riding in, which the person had never sat in before, that put the person in risk of falling out? Wasn't that the cause of the RoS incident? Seems like it's a gamble of a liability for Universal... I guess I'd have to side with them on this one.

How many Arrow multi-loopers have you been on? I'm not saying I disagree, I'm just genuinely wondering. To be honest, of all the Arrow loopers I've been on, Vortex is one of the best (second only to Tennessee Tornado, which is pretty much in a class of its own as far as Arrow rides go, as far as I'm concerned.) I'd have to agree with stashua. Granted, only two others (Anaconda and TT) have actually been custom loopers, while the rest have been variations of the standard Corkscrew model, but Vortex is the only "classic" Arrow looper I've ever actually enjoyed in some capacity for the duration of the ride. On that note, the praise for car 5 (and especially row 1) is justly deserved, as it's pretty much the only row I end up riding in anymore. Car 7 is an acceptable alternative, but the front of the train headbangs pretty strongly. I find I enjoy most other models from Arrow even more than the loopers, though--particularly the mine trains I've been on.

^ I got the impression that it was to verify that you were, in fact, a single rider, and not someone jumping out of the line in an attempt to cut, I think. I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it was to discourage groups from jumping from the regular line to the SRL and then attempt to sit together? It didn't last the duration of 2009, as I recall.

^ Maybe I've missed something, but I don't really see anywhere in this thread where people are blaming a loss of park atmosphere on teens. I've arguably raised one of the biggest stinks about the age of passholders (at least in this thread), but mine's moreso directed towards the fact that kids younger than the teenage years are apparently being dropped off without adult supervision (should I have understood the situation I witnessed accurately--and Browntggrr presented a good possibility of the opposite.) That's not an effort to reclaim lost atmosphere; it's about safety. (Plus, it's kind of hard to hate on the teen crowd when almost all of my KI experiences took place when I was part of that group.

Yes, but then you have kids like me, who can easily be mistaken for someone a few years older then they really are. You'd be surprised at how many people think that I'm 15 or 16 when they first meet me. Sure, but that could easily be fixed by adding age info to the season pass data system. They're already non-transferable, so if someone under the age limit tries to use their pass, there could be a prompt on the screen to the effect of "Is this person accompanied by an adult?" An adult, of course, would be someone who appears to be above the age limit. You may appear to be 15 or 16, but if you're 13, which I'm assuming from your username, that might still be close enough to the age limit that it would be okay. In general, you're probably not going to find many kids significantly under, say, 13 who look like they're well above it, though I'm sure there are exceptions. I keep also thinking there could be a prompt, once the young guest's pass is scanned, for an adult's pass to be scanned. It'd be easier than having to guess if the person accompanying the child is within an age bracket. But then I keep thinking that maybe there are kids out there who have passes but whose parents/guardians do not... Maybe there could be a combination of the two ideas? Or maybe I'm seriously overestimating how much the admissions folks would want or care to repeat this process on a regular basis. It would probably slow the flow of people through the front gates noticeably. I'm pretty much just thinking out loud here. Being a parent of kids near the same age, and knowing how my kids will answer a direct question without being 100% clear, the child may have been with another adult that was not his parent.One can only hope that was the case here. I really, really hope you're right.

^ Even then, that's a little safer than dumping them off at the drop-off area. There are security guards inside the park, but the parking lot is more or less free game.

Sunday night at the park, I walked into the Convenience Corner (beside Guest Services). There was a surprisingly young (as in within two years in either direction of 9 years old) boy standing at the register. I don't know if he was purchasing something or not, but the employee asked him if he knew where his parents were. His response? "Oh, they didn't come." When the wide-eyed employee questioned that, he added, "They dropped me off." That's the first and only time I've ever witnessed proof of people treating the park like a day-care center, and I was floored. People realize bad things can happen at parks, right?! I'd like to imagine pass pricing would help weed this trend out significantly, but it almost feels like there should be a minimum age for passholders to enter alone. For instance, if a 9 year-old walks up to the gate alone, could it be required that an accompanying adult vouch for the child until he reaches a certain age (like 13 or so?) I don't know if that's unethical or something, but I was floored that someone so young is allowed to enter apparently with no qualms at all.

I've always liked the KI&MVRR, but the Dollywood train made a much bigger impression on me. I love the way the engine looks and sounds, and I can't even explain why. It's the essence of a Dollywood trip for me. In general, I like when parks have trains... to a point. It's all in how they're placed. Holiday World, Kennywood, and Hersheypark (as well as the two aforementioned trains, of course) have the right idea: the trains are relaxing and give you a unique view or experience. Stricker's Grove's train, in contrast, has a great station location, but the train gives you a great view of their backstage and maintenance areas and the spacious field of a parking lot you left your car in. I realize it's a tiny park, so there's not much they could do to interact with the midway. I can't fault them for that, as they're pretty clearly anticipating expansion with that layout. It's just odd.

That yellow one would be Dominator at Kings Dominion. That cobra roll is probably one of my favorites.

Given the lack of a teaser or two at this point, I'm doubtful we're getting a sizable coaster for next year. Maybe something small, if that. If we're getting anything (and remember, we just got a significant waterpark overhaul), my money's on a flat ride or more 2011-esque general park improvements.

FAMILY RIDES (15 rides & attractions) Backlot Stunt Coaster Zephyr Monster Adventure Express Scrambler Shake, Rattle, & Roll Congo Falls Viking Fury Eiffel Tower Dodgem Boo Blasters on Boo Hill White Water Canyon K.I. & MV Railroad Grand Carousel Thunder Alley ($) My Score: 14/15 THRILL RIDES (15 rides & attractions) Diamondback The Beast Delirium Drop Tower Firehawk Flight of Fear Invertigo The Racer: Red The Racer: Blue Vortex WindSeeker Flight Deck Sling Shot ($) Xtreme Skyflyer ($) Son of Beast (SBNO) My Score: 15/15 Planet Snoopy (18 rides & attractions) Surf Dog Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown Flying Ace Aerial Chase Peanuts 500 Kite Eating Tree Joe Cool's Dodgem School The Great Pumpkin Coaster Peanuts Off-Road Rally Snoopy's Splash Dance Charlie Brown's Wind Up Woodstock Express Woodstock Whirlybirds Sally's Sea Plane Linus' Beetle Bugs Snoopy's Junction Linus' Launcher Snoopy vs. Red Baron Character Carousel My Score: 10/18 Soak City WATERPARK (16 slides & attractions) Note: Link to KI Soak City page for pictures to help determine what is what as this may confuse some- I am aware most people don't remember waterslide names: http://www.visitking...-city-waterpark Aruba Tuba Breakers Bay Tidal Wave Bay Castaway Cove Splash Landing Coconut Cove Lookout Lagoon Pipeline Paradise Mondo Monsoon Zoom Flume Paradise Plunge Thunder Falls Rendezvous Run Tropical Twister Pineapple Pipeline Splash River My Score: 1/16 (It's been forever since I went to KI's waterpark, so I don't know what I've been on and what I haven't, save for the original wave pool. I went once when Boomerang Bay was new, and the only time I remember before that was when it was Waterworks and King Cobra was still around.) Dinosaurs Alive! (2 attractions) Dinosaurs Alive! ($) Dinosaurs Alive! 3D My Score: 1/2 Total Score: 41/66 rides, slides, & attractions BONUS!!!: DEFUNCT RIDES The Crypt/Tomb Raider: The Ride Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle Flying Eagles Antique Cars Phantom Theater Scooby's Ghoster Coaster My Score: 6 Total Score with Bonus: 47/72 I'm not sure if Tomb Raider and The Crypt count as separate rides like Phantom Theater and BBoBH. I feel like they count as separate, but I feel like it's too much of a stretch to just assume that's okay.

So many great pictures in this awesome trip report. You've made me realize how much I miss Hershey. I went there for my first time last year, and Storm Runner, Fahrenheit, Great Bear, and Comet (among others) totally caught me off-guard with how good they were. If Skyrush is as good as everyone says, I need to get back, and soon!

Yeah, I'd have to agree with McSalsa's friend. At least in theory, LoCoSuMo has the worst capacity in the park, as it's got a relatively comparable ride time to Steel Hawg but only one 8-person train (from what I've seen.) I've only been there once, but Steel Hawg's operations added to the effect, so Steel Hawg churned people right through, whereas LoCoSuMo absolutely crawled. Assuming the operations are decent parkwide*, Lost Coaster will likely be your worst line, so I'd probably head there first. (*They weren't when I visited--Cornball Express' ops were content to take a break to talk between each lap bar check and then another 3-minute conversation before sending the train, so the tiny line was still somewhere around a 15-minute wait. That's been two years and only one visit, though, so I probably wouldn't take my experience as the norm.)

Cool trip report. Thanks for sharing. Just one thing, though: your friend may have been mistaken about Son of Beast. The State of Ohio's 2006 accident report clearly states (with pictures) that the support failure was in the rose bowl towards the lowest point. Maybe he was referring to the helix as a "loop"? (It's what Six Flags over Georgia would do, anyway. )

The greatest hits, in no particular order: Pretty much any given turn on The Legend (except maybe the one prior to the lift) The entirety of The Raven Everything after the two large camelbacks at the beginning of The Voyage, as well as the first drop (when seated in the last car) The low-to-the-ground turns on Tig'rr (Indiana Beach) Blue Streak (Cedar Point) in the front car, especially when it's just rained Magnum XL-200 in the front car, especially when it's just rained, and especially when the trims are off, too Wicked Twister's launch The entirety of Adventure Express and Beast The "underground" portion of Backlot Stunt Coaster (KI or KD) Flight of Fear's launch and run from the MCBR onward (KI or KD, but especially KD) Either Racer in the first car at dusk All of Fahrenheit and Storm Runner Great Bear's run over the river, and especially the corkscrew Sky Rocket's zero-G roll All of Thunderbolt (Kennywood) Tennessee Tornado's first drop Everything after the station fly-by on Thunderhead Wild Eagle's zero-G roll All of Dominator (KD) I305's first drop and crazy banking transitions Volcano's launch and drop to the brakes