gad198

Prowler is a really, really good coaster. It's not quite as good as Thunderhead but it's really close. I think the voters may have been swayed by the fact that it's a wooden coaster, and you don't have as many good ones come out year in and year out as you do steel.

I'm surprised Diamondback finished 2nd in the Best New Ride category. I thought for sure it'd come down between Manta and Prowler. I'm not surprised, however, that Diamondback finished 7th in Best Steel. Diamondback is a world class ride and I'm betting that it will climb higher in future polls (along with Behemoth...once more people ride this it will definitely climb higher).

I agree with everyone in regards to the food prices. Outside of the fudge I have purchased only one food item in any CF park this year (been to five different parks in the chain so far) some chicken tenders at Outer Hanks (thanks to everyone who posted about this, excellent suggestion!). Neither the quality or price of the food compel me to purchase anything. I could definitely be swayed by a season pass discount, but it'd probably have to be in the neighborhood of 20% before I'd start thinking about it. The only reason I eat anything at Dollywood is because of their 20% season pass discount. The discount has to be across the board, though. It's much easier for everyone if you facilitate it that way, because then both season pass holders AND employees know about the discount and don't have to wonder if any discounts apply at any given location. The only other big thing I see is how their Platinum Passes program operates. I've been to five different parks in the chain outside of KI (Cedar Point, Carowinds, Dorney Park, Canada's Wonderland, Worlds of Fun) and have had a wide range of experiences using the pass for parking and admission into the park. Cedar Point, Carowinds and Worlds of Fun presented no issues with either parking or admission. Dorney Park I only had issues with the parking but not with admission. Canada's Wonderland; I've not only had problems with parking (on both visits) but then was initially denied admission this last time. They indicated that my PP was only valid through 08. I explained to them that I had renewed the pass at the park in 08 for the 09 season, but they couldn't see that on their computer systems. I told them that I had been to KI, Cedar Point and Worlds of Fun with that pass all within the last month but again, they couldn't see that. I asked if they would call KI and verify that the pass was good, and they finally agreed to do so. 25 minutes later they came back and said that the pass was good, and suggested that I get a new PP when I got back to KI, updated for the 09 season. Uh, no, not when I've already used the pass dozens of times to get into various parks! Perhaps it's just Canada's Wonderland that needs to be integrated into the system, but what CF needs to do is simply have a "Cedar Fair" Platinum Pass, not a "insert park X" Platinum Pass and integrate all the parks on the same system. I know the current system is there for accounting purposes, et al, but I don't know why the system can't be tweaked to find another way to allocate season pass sales to the individual parks. If I make 10 visits to CF parks total, 5 at KI and 1 visit each at five others why not just allocate half of my PP sales to KI and then 1/10 to each of the five others. It's not like this would be hard, but again, this is assuming that all parks would have access to a common system. Overall I think CF has been great for the parks. They've either recently added or will be adding rides that each individual park has desperately needed (well, except for Great America, but that's more due to the current situation IMO). CF will continue to invest in each park and try and make each park better, something I didn't necessarily feel was entirely true just before CF took over. I would simply ask that they continue to look at ways they can make the guest experience better, and if they do that then I'm sure everyone will be happier.

I visited the park (SFKK) three weeks ago for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. Granted, their coaster collection isn't the best out there but I came away feeling as though much of the negative news I've heard about the park was not warranted. The park was clean and the operators were friendly, many of whom actually showed some personality! Chang was by far the best ride in the park. I do find it amazing that the last three standups that B&M made (Chang, Riddler's Revenge and Georgia Scorcher) were the three best in their collection. Having said that, I can vouch with others that the ride was a complete walk-on, even at 1 pm on a summer Saturday. The waterpark, on the other hand, was amazingly busy, and almost felt like even then that it was too small for how many people were there. The rumor, while it may not turn out to be true, does make some sense at least from the standpoint that the waterpark at SFKK is definitely their meal ticket. How they would incorporate Chang into SF Great America's lineup is the real mystery IMO. Having two standups at a park doesn't really make much sense, so we'll see.

^ I'm betting you'll be able to see much more of the ride at Carowinds. The trees do partly block much of the action on DB, but the placement of Carowinds hyper will allow for much less obstructed viewing. It'll be much more similar to Behemoth's placement at Canada's Wonderland, which I might add, is fantastic.

Yeah, this is for the 11th and 12th. I edited my original post to reflect that. If the weather holds out for that time I'll definitely be taking a half day and heading up there that Friday. Good times!

Cedar Point just added two more days to their calendar, Friday and Saturday September 11 and 12. These days were not opened up to the public until very recently. I only mention this because my brother and I went up on this same Friday this time last year and had the best day we've ever had at Cedar Point. It was so dead for early entry that they let everyone, including the GP, in. We got three rides on Maverick in 20 minutes early and MF and TTD were 5-10 minutes even at the peak of the lines. Friday is 6-11 (early entry at 5) and Saturday is 12-10 (early entry at 11). Cedar Point Calendar

I definitely agree with the first part. This looks like it will ride completely different than any other coaster, particularly given the speed involved. I think much of the conversation and buzz is due to just that. It also means that this coaster will probably evoke more variable opinions from both the GP and enthusiasts than the Carowinds version, as B&M hypers typically feel very similar. I disagree, in part, with the second part. Comparing I305 and a mega-lite (or a B&M hyper) is comparing apples and oranges IMO. Megalites spend much more of their time going over hills, while I305 is spending most of its time closer to the ground in turns.

^ It's also not your own money going into fixing it. It's always easier to spend someone else's money than your own! It's only 'worth' it to CF if it makes business sense, and I'm not really seeing where CF is really itching to get out there and repair the thing at this point.

I initially voted for Raven, but after riding Ravine Flyer II this weekend I'll agree. This ride really shines at night, and I actually liked the night rides here better than the Raven ones, which is saying something because Raven night rides are the bomb! Still need to ride Phoenix, though...

I love the layout of this ride! It's a little Nitro and a little Behemoth rolled into one coaster. This coaster looks like it may have the best first half of any B&M hyper, which is saying something considering that Nitro's and Behemoth's first halves are both very good. The turnaround, particularly in the back, will catch a lot of people by surprise, as the one on Behemoth is fantastic. There's also NO TRIMS SHOWING! If this thing isn't trimmed I can almost guarantee this will be a top 10 ride. I'm actually more excited about riding this than KD's Intimidator.

Overview: My brother and I decided to take a very last minute weekend trip out to Kansas City and St. Louis. We drove out to Columbia, MO Friday evening, hit up Worlds of Fun Saturday and then Six Flags St. Louis on Sunday. The weather was absolutely perfect both days as the temperature stayed around 80 for high temps, so we expected there might be some crowds. Much to our surprise, however, crowds were very light both days and this allowed us, particularly on Saturday at WOF, to do some additional things in town. Worlds of Fun: A quick note: the Platinum Pass allows you entrance into the park 10 minutes early to go wait in whatever line you desire. It wasn't a big perk on our visit but if you go when there might be heavier crowds this may make a difference in your day. Patriot (one train wait to the back row): the parks B&M inverted. I can't remember with 100% accuracy but this seems like a Talon clone, the exception being a zero-g roll that goes to the right instead of to the left. Patriot is an amazingly smooth coaster with a terrific first drop, and I'll go so far as to say that it might be the first drop on any inverted I've ridden. I actually liked this a shade more than Talon, as this seemed to have a little more speed through the course. I'd rank the B&M inverted I've ridden as follows: Montu, Afterburn, Dueling Dragons (Ice/Fire, in that order), Raptor, Batman clones, Patriot, Talon. Grade: B- Prowler (walk-on to the third to last row): the parks newest ride, a GCI. It's been mentioned here that you can't see a lot of the ride's layout from the queue or from the rest of the park, and that is absolutely true. The trees really frame the ride well, as you can really only see the lift and some of the "back" portion of this out and back layout. This ride is simply out and out fun. The first drop is basically Thunderhead's first drop but going to the left instead, providing a neat sensation as you're falling back to earth. The layout is an out and back, but it twists and turns the whole way, so you're changing directions constantly. I'm sure night rides on this would be fantastic! Prowler is just outside my top 5 wood and is by far the best coaster in the park. We rode five times in succession (in various rows, from the front to the back...we found the best rides in the back), so extra points are awarded for re-rideability (love those Millennium Flyer trains!). A very, very good wooden coaster. Grade: A- Mamba (one train wait to the second row): the parks Morgan hyper. I don't know what to say about this ride other than it was simply a little better than average. You do get some float on the first hill (although, to its credit, the first drop is WAY better in the back) and a little float on the bunny hills coming back, but I expected a little more to the ride than what we got. The helix is very cool, but that and the first drop in the back are the only real redeeming qualities. This ride was smoother than Magnum, but I'd take Magnum every time because it has more to offer in just about every other area. Grade: C+ Worlds of Fun is a nice park. There's plenty of shade in most areas and it wasn't incredibly difficult walking around trying to find things. I do wish they had a few more signs indicating the best way to get to some rides, but that's a minor complaint. Ride operations here were really good; not quite Cedar Point good but still way better than most other parks. I don't know that I'll be rushing back here anytime soon, though, as there's not quite enough noteworthy stuff (outside of Prowler) for us. We wanted to spend more time here checking out their flats, but we had BBQ to enjoy. Overall grade: C+ Oklahoma Joe's BBQ: This joint was listed in a recent magazine article (can't remember which one off the top of my head) as one of the "13 Places You Should Eat Before You Die". Good enough! The place is in Kansas just across the river from downtown Kansas City. We were told that the restaurant itself actually shares space with a gas/convenient store, so it was a little weird to be looking for a gas station when trying to find a BBQ joint! We knew we can to the right place when we saw the line forming outside the door. We hopped in line and waited an hour to order (not a misprint). The food has won a lot of awards, and it's easy to see why. The brisket, smoked sausage were both good. The ribs and chicken were very good (and spareribs, no less. I'd always rather have baby backs but these were the best prepared spareribs I've had). The french fries, billed as Kansas City's best, were awesome. There were two standout items, though. The baked beans are by far the best I've ever had, and I would go back just for these if I could. The other standout item was the sauce itself. I am convinced that this is the perfect BBQ sauce. You can even buy it online and try it for yourself if you don't believe me! Oklahoma Joe's BBQ Site. A great place to eat with very reasonable prices. You won't walk away hungry after a meal here. Overall grade: A- Six Flags St. Louis: Evel Knievel (walk-on to second to last row): this little GCI really packs a lot into a tight footprint! Customary GCI twisting first drop leading into a customary GCI twisting layout. The lift can't be more than 90 feet tall, but the ride keeps much of the speed until it hits the brakes. The double dip leading to the last drop was brilliant. This wasn't as good as Prowler, but it would still be better than every wood coaster at KI except for The Beast. Grade: B Mr. Freeze (walk-on to the second to front row): I can't say that I was incredibly impressed with this one. The backwards part, particularly going back over the tophat, was cool, but I don't know if I would have been happy getting off of this after having waited 30 minutes. I must say that the dual loading stations was neat, though. Grade: C Scooby Doo dark ride (20 minutes): this was, by far, the longest line in the park today. I remember seeing some people comment on this so we decided to check it out. Glad we did! My brother and I are always skeptical about going on these types of rides due to the lack of thrill, but we both thoroughly enjoyed this. He beat me 107,000 to 44,000, so I can't say that I'm a very good player, but I loved the fact that it was interactive, fun for the whole family, and long enough to get some value out of it. I can see where the love comes from! Do not miss this ride! Grade: A The Boss (walk-on to front row): this was an interesting experience. I've heard this ride was rough and that the front seat would be the best to try and avoid some of the rough spots. This is definitely an speed filled intense wooden coaster, make no mistake. I don't know if I'd really enjoy this ride nearly as much in the back (rougher), but I thought the front wasn't nearly as rough as I expected. I enjoyed the ride, I liked the layout and I liked the speed it carried all the way through. It's not re-ride for an hour fun but it definitely is a must hit. Grade: B- Screamin' Eagle (walk-on to second to last row): The Racer on steroids! Definitely the surprise coaster of the trip. The ride doesn't look like it would run well from off the ride, but the ride tracked well and had some surprisingly good air. The wooden setting was also a nice bonus. If I were to ride any of the three wooden coasters here I'd probably take this just barely over Evel Knievel. Surprisingly good! Grade: B+ Tony Hawk's Big Spin: a fun little spinning wild mouse style coaster. The spinning really does make a difference. All the kids who rode came off and immediately wanted a re-ride, so this obviously filled a gap in the family ride department. While fun, this ride is WAY too short, which in turns keeps me from rating this higher. As is, though...Grade: C+ Batman the Ride (walk-on to last row): someone here (I believe it was the Interpreter) mentioned that they thought this was the best of the Batman clones. This was my fourth of the bunch, and I have to say that I didn't notice a significant difference in the ride experience (although, the left turning zero-g roll is awesome in an outside seat), but I will say that the footchoppers on this ride did add spice! There are a couple of those moments and I will say that this was the best ride I've had on a Batman clone thus far, but only due to the footchoppers. Great force as always and I wish that some of the newer B&M inverteds could have had that same intensity. Grade: B+ Six Flags St. Louis is a quaint park, even for as big as it is. It's definitely no Magic Mountain or Great Adventure, but it has a nice charm to it that a lot of the bigger parks don't have. The wooden collection there is really tasty, the Scooby Doo dark ride was very nice and I'll definitely be back, hopefully when they add an Intamin Mega-Lite, as the park really needs a signature steel coaster. Overall grade: B- Thanks for reading!

That's definitely an interesting theory, as they only said it wouldn't get you wet (and not, it won't be a water ride). The only thing that I could see against that theory would be the 20 million euro price tag (>$23.5 million dollars, and that was at the low end in 2006). I can't see them spending that kind of cash on an attraction like that. I also couldn't see them (Cedar Fair) spending $25 mil on each of the KD and Carowinds coasters and then shelling out additional heavy cash for this. Vliegende Hollander: http://www.rcdb.com/3291.htm

Very nice report. SFMM is a great park, particularly for coaster lovers. Riddler's Revenge is by far the best standup, Tatsu is by far the best flyer, and X2 is one of the most unique rides ever. The ride operations at the park left a little to be desired but the scenery more than makes up for it while waiting in line. The park is truly beautiful. Goliath is a strange ride. You'd think a ride of that height would be more fun (and longer) than it is. Outside of the helix and lone airtime hill it didn't have any special characteristics, and even with the ride being a walk-on the day we were there once was enough.

Nice report thus far! We'll be taking a trip out that way later in September, so this report is a great way of helping us figuring out which parks to hit. Can't wait to see the next parks!

Delirium Guy, thank you for the review. I'll be heading down in December and I'd like to prioritize my time based on well respected posters reviews of the newer stuff. I was leaning towards SeaWorld anyway so thanks for the confirmation that I'm making the right choice! By the way, how good do you think capacity will be with this ride once it's fully operational?

That pretty much sums up what I thought after seeing the animation for the first time. I was really impressed with the Maverick and DB promo videos, but I didn't get that same feeling after looking at this. I'm sure that speed will be awesome, though, which really is what this coaster is all about anyway.

Agreed! I think DD: Ice packs more action into the layout, and you can never go wrong with the zero-g roll. I'm curious as to whether there will be a Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit review!

Quick update: There are now 16 left. I can't overstate how good this deal is, as you're basically getting the SkyZip for free!

The ride looks interesting, but I couldn't see myself traveling down there just to pick this one up. Manta, yes, HRRR, no. I definitely wouldn't make a trip down there to ride until later this year, because with all the problems it's already had there will probably be a few more to be ironed out. I wouldn't count on a consistent full daily operation for a while. I'm very curious to see some of the initial reviews, but honestly, this looks more like a bigger version of the Backlot Stunt Coaster to me than a true thrill ride.

^ That would be fantastic, if indeed it is true. I suppose we'll all know very shortly, although I do have to admit I'm very puzzled by why CF would announce this ride first. I would think they would want to build up the excitement leading up to this coaster, as this will way overshadow anything that Carowinds and Cedar Point will be putting up next year. A B&M hyper is nice, but compared to a giga that will most likely be MUCH higher and faster I can't imagine who will be talking about anything other than KD's project after it's announced.

If you have plans to visit Dollywood this year, make sure you check this offer out. This is one of the best deals I've seen for Dollywood yet. This offer includes: - one ticket to Dollywood - one ticket to their new SkyZip attraction Dollywood Ticket Offer Both items together are selling for $50. You need to use the Dollywood ticket by 12/31/09 and the SkyZip ticket by 10/31/09. I'd strongly suggest you check this offer out IMMEDIATELY if you are interested, because there are only 29 left as of the time of this post. Enjoy!

I respect everyone's opinions on this topic. There are been some very interesting comments/feelings/suggestions on this by a lot of posters. Having said that, I do find it interesting that some of the most respected posters on this forum have commented very little, if at all, on this topic. Take from that what you will. The only thing we know right now is that it won't operate the rest of the season. I truly believe that there won't be a firm decision by anyone at CF until they're good and ready to make it once they are confident all factors have been taken into account. Whether that's happened yet is speculation, at best. This is a big decision for all involved and I think that time needs to be allotted for that purpose, but it will be interesting to see if there is indeed writing on the wall.

We did ride front seat on TTD. I've generally found that Intamin coasters tend to be front seat rides, and TTD is no exception. There is NOTHING like riding in the front seat of this ride and having the wind hit you in the face at 120 mph. I generally won't wait for the front seat on normal visits, but the rush I get on that ride, and in the front seat in particular, is without equal.

Yeah, crowd levels were right around where this would have been the case on Sunday as well. Maverick was 1 1/2 hours every time we walked by, MF was around 75 minutes and TTD was right around an hour, when it was operating. Raptor was 1 1/2 hours around 1 but was around 20 minutes by the time we left the park at 7. If attendance is down at the park you definitely wouldn't know it from the crowds recently! I agree. I always say that a coaster doesn't have to be the tallest or the fastest to be great. I always get air on that thing, it's in my top 5 woodies. So many people walk right by Old Blue because it sits in Raptor's shadow.. it's sad. I'm guessing this is more of a front seat ride? We rode in the back seat and got one pop of air on the way out and nothing on the way back. It looked like there might be some opportunity for air up front, but based on our ride trying that front seat would be the only reason I'd get on it again. On a sidenote, I really think a good wooden coaster by GCI or Gravity Group would do the park wonders. My only issue with a GCI would be capacity, but a GCI twister, particularly near the beach, would be terrific. It seems as though most folks in the GP who've only been to KI and CP aren't big fans of the wooden coasters because of the reputation they have (Mean Streak and SOB come immediately to mind). I know I didn't particularly "get" why enthusiasts loved a good wooden coaster until I stepped foot on Thunderhead, Voyage, Raven, Legend and El Toro. I get it now, and I'm betting the GP would too if they installed a good one.