McSalsa

I have never been to Kennywood, but everything I have read makes it a park I really do wish to visit one day. The great flat ride collection, combined with 3 excellent wooden coasters, would have been enough but no...they have to have awesome dark rides and a top-ranked steel hypercoaster too, as well as several other small-but-fun steel coasters...

While I never went on it, evidence actually does suggest Villain was once a good wooden coaster- here's the 2000 Mitch Hawker wooden coaster poll (Villain's debut season). Out of 163 woodies, Villain finished a very solid 17th- just outside the top 10%. http://www.ushsho.com/wcprs00.txt However, in 2007, it had apparently fallen from grace- the ride placed 116th out of 178 coasters, a far cry from its original spot at #17...it in fact lost 99 spots, a heck of a drop-off... http://www.ushsho.com/detailedwoodrollercoasterpollresults2007.htm So it suggests that Villain was a good ride when it opened, and then it aged horribly- something that has befallen many wooden coasters over the years.

Rumor from Holiday World, from Screamscape (so it may be inaccurate) but I'll share anyway: apparently, there is a "clearing" of trees that have been removed near Voyage's 2nd drop. And the park has been teasing about something new in 2015, saying #MayflowerisJustTheBeginning on their twitter page... Here are the links, BTW... http://screamscape.com/html/holiday_world.htm https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MayflowerIsJustTheBeginning&src=hash My guess? I would not be shocked to see a steel coaster finally come to Holiday World in 2015, but I'm not expecting a $20+ million dollar scream machine. Or this could be something else altogether- they teased back in 2007 for example, and we got Kima Bay for 2008.

My experiences with The Voyage (I have 5 total "laps" on it): May 2010, Ride #1- Front row, borrowed Raven train: Epic- a little rough but nothing major, incredible airtime. My best ride on the Voyage to date- and it was my first- and one of the best rides I have ever had on any coaster save a select few Beast night rides. May 2010, Ride #2- 1st car back row, borrowed Raven train: A bit rougher due to being in back but otheriwse, same as 1st ride. August 2011, Ride #1- Front row: Ouch! The ride jackhammered like crazy, and to make it even worse, NO AIRTIME WHATSOEVER (granted only The Legend had ANY airtime at all on this particular visit- among the woodies that is)! Still a fun and intense ride due to the good layout, but man... August 2011, Ride #2- Middle car: Even MORE jackhammering, though there was a bit of floater air this time. About on-par with the previous ride overall, thanks to actually having a bit of air, but it was painful. June 2013, Ride #1- Front row: First half was epic again, and buttery smooth, with solid airtime. However, the second half (after the triple down) was as bad as my first ride in 2011 was. A Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde type of ride where it felt like someone hit a switch mid-ride. We didn't ride it again that day, unlike the past 2 visits (we DID ride Raven and Legend twice that day though- Raven was a bit rough but nowhere near as bad as anything Voyage's 2nd half did, and Legend was actually quite smooth but still hurt a little due to its crazy laterals). That's what I've seen so far from Voyage anyhow. Apparently Holiday World did even more trackwork on it this offseason in problem areas, which is good, but I really am worried for the ride overall if it keeps NEEDING these repairs year after year after year... As for the rest of the park, and is it worth a return trip? IMO- YES (based on my last few visits anyhow)! Voyage is rough, but still fun (My Advice: Go ahead and ride it then make for the Bahari River to "rest up"), and Raven & Legend are as good as ever. And the waterpark's additions since 2006 have been epic- Bakuli (2007) is a massive, fun Bowl side. Wildebeest (2010) is a waterslide that behaves like a roller coaster with ejector air to boot. Mammoth (2012) also has good airtime, and will also soak you silly. Hyena Falls' largest slide (2013) is more intense than you'd expect with an awesome half pipe element. The staff is still friendly, and they still have the free unlimited soda- one downside though, is that the new management is no longer up-front and personal like it was in 2006, so don't expect to see Pat Koch (who I am not 100% sure is even on the HW team anymore after the legal battles), Lori Koch, Dan Eckert, etc etc at the front of the park or roamig around. For more info, you can read my last trip report from Holiday World (from June 2013)...note this includes what would ultimately be my last ride on the now removed Pilgrims Plunge/Giraffica...- http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/27542-mcsalsas-coaster-adventures-holiday-world-june-13th-2013/?hl=mcsalsa

For those who would like to see what Hercules was like in action, and a POV, I looked it up and got this video from Theme Park Review on Youtube: It's not the clearest video (I assume this footage is all from the mid to late-90's or early 2000's since Steel Force can be seen in the background in some shots) but it gives you an idea of what the ride was all about. That first drop sure looked quite epic- it's too bad the ride was so rough, it looks like it could have been a great wood coaster if only it didn't beat the tar out of you. Hercules was also known for having the largest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1989 at 151 feet, thanks to its use of terrain (the lift was only 95 feet tall). It lost this record in 1991 when Cedar Point opened Mean Streak, which was designed by the same company, Dinn Corporation.

Hmm...Diamondback, Behemoth, and Intimidator all get seatbelts but not Leviathan? I wonder why that is...could the fact Leviathan is technically a "First-Gen" B&M Hyper (4-across seating) and that the other 3 are "2nd-Gen" (V-shape seating)...? And there's only one more 2nd-Gen Hyper besides the 3 listed above- Shambhala @ Port Aventura in Spain. But it's not Cedar Fair, nor in the United States... All of these are just some random thoughts I had...

Hmm...well, on the GCI topic, I give you Wodan Timbur Coaster @ Europa Park- a GCI that has a supposed capacity of 1250 riders per hour and runs 3 trains. http://rcdb.com/10018.htm A similar ride could work at a park like Kings Dominion, if that capacity is anywhere near accurate- it actually beats the on-paper capacity of Kings Island's Beast by 50 riders per hour. And Europa Park pulls 4+ million guests in a year, so if they could do a GCI with good capacity, no reason Cedar Fair shouldn't be able to.

^ From what I heard, the park offered but no one took them. If that had been me up there though...

A little off-topic, but it came to mind: I am aware that The Beast may not be the ride for everyone (though I obviously adore it!)- it is after all, unconventional and weird and not everyone is into that. But thankfully there are plenty of other coasters in the park, offering their own ride experiences...(WARNING: Big List Ahead with how I would briefly describle all of KI's coasters!) The Beast: Classic High-Speed Wooden Terrain Coaster with Odd Layout Diamondback: Giant Steel Hypercoaster with Massive Amounts of Airtime Banshee: Forceful and Furious Inverted Coaster with numerous inversions Vortex: Classic Steel Looping Coaster that still has good specs 25+ years later Flight of Fear: Fun & Forceful Indoor Launched Looping Coaster Firehawk: Fun Flying Coaster, one of only 3 in the world of its kind Racer: Airtime Filled Classic Wooden Racing Coaster The Bat: Fast and Furious Suspended Swinging Coaster- and this kind of ride is now becoming rare Invertigo: Looping Inverted Shuttle Coaster with face-to-face seats- only 2 of these exist in the United States Adventure Express: One of the world's finest Mine Train Coasters Backlot Stunt Coaster: Small Coaster that has pretty good thrills and forces Woodstock Express: Family-Oriented and Fun Classic Wooden Coaster Flying Ace: Family Inverted Coaster Great Pumpkin Coaster: Starter Coaster for the Kids I honestly really like the balance of KI's coaster lineup- that list has a lot of diversity in the ride styles and offers everything from mild to wild. Well, that's another random thought from me. Carry on. PS: Oh, BTW- I like all of the coasters at Kings Island. Yes, some more than others, but I don't think any of them are "bad" rides...

Uhh...I've been on both The Beast, and Voyage, and I perfer Beast. Voyage does everything you'd THINK a great wooden coaster should do, and throws as many airtime hills, twists, and turns at you as fast and hard as it can- and since it's also a 160-foot 67mph wooden coaster it beats the tar out of you during the return run, pretty much ruining half the ride. The Beast, on the other hand, tries something else- redefining what makes a great roller coaster, throwing the rule book out the window and instead of hitting you with a turn or drop every second, using the surrounding woods and wooden nature of the ride to instill fear and build suspense. That middle section of the ride after the brake shed that's so "controversial"? If you pay attention, you're actually gaining a good bit of speed during that whole section as it's downhill...but not all at once. It builds up, and the ride shakes more and more with each second, leading you to think "Oh No Something BIG is coming up" but then killing it with the 2nd lift, but there's a purpose: this is to trick your brain so that when you hit the helix, it thinks as you gain speed "Oh great more build-up with no pay-off...wait...what...OH (BLEEP)!!!" This article probably explains it better than I can: http://www.rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2009/beast/ Oh, and I'm only 24 myself...and my first ride on Beast didn't come until 2009, so my experience is just with the new brake system- I don't know what it was like before all that, if it was truly better or not. And I've ridden The Beast recently- a night ride on opening day, in fact. Did not feel "slow" at all, save the lift hills and right after the brake shed trim- but it had regained all its speed, or it felt like it, within 5 seconds and was flying before the 2nd lift (if they removed that trim I think the lateral forces could become dangerous in that section BTW). I had a ride earlier that day on Banshee which was worth a 4 1/2 hour wait (awesome coaster, in the more traditional sense though), yet once again, Beast was the highlight of my trip and "stole the show". Sorry if I ranted a bit there- had to drop my two cents on this whole Beast discussion. Oh, and one more thing- Legend at Holiday World is also superior to Voyage (It's my #2 overall, and Banshee is #3 and #1 steel). Still has everything you could ask from a "traditional" wooden coaster ride (great air, laterals, and non-stop action) WITHOUT the insane roughness. And if Raven were just a bit longer...(I don't hate Voyage, it is a very good ride and could be amazing if smoothed out, but I do feel there are likely quite a few better ones out there)

I'm giving it a 10/10, but it's NOT my favorite coaster ever...favorite steel though as the 2 rides I'd rank ahead of it are both woodies (Beast @ Kings Island, and Legend @ Holiday World). Loved the forcefulness, the awesome layout, and the great speed of the ride. My one minor complaint is the vests- it wasn't too bad and they didn't tighten during the ride, but it still kind of hurt my collarbone just a bit (I'm 6'0 BTW). However, even that and a 4 1/2 hour wait can't keep me from LOVING this ride. Oh, and this is one of 4 rides I'd give the full 10/10 to- the other one (in addition to the ones listed above) is The Voyage @ Holiday World. The list should grow however as I get around to more parks... (So Far: Kings Island, Holiday World, and Indiana Beach back in 1999...)

Uhh...I disagree. I rode both BLSC and Banshee on opening day and I'd give the slight edge in forcefulness to Banshee over BLSC's helix. Only by a bit though- that helix is still pretty intense. That's interesting. I find the helix on BLSC to be so forceful that I have to put forth effort to keep my head up and straight. Banshee wasn't THAT forceful to me. For the record though- Banshee was ALL full on positive g-forces (straight down), and BLSC's helix was actually a mix of laterals and positive g's AT THE SAME TIME- which I found crazy. I also got some decent airtime in a few spots on BLSC...Banshee really doesn't have that whatsoever, save perhaps that slow roll at the end, but I dunno if I could call that airtime...it was more of a funky floating sensation. I need to ride BLSC more- it's a crazy, fun little coaster. Too bad the capacity stinks and hence it usually has long lines...

B&M Hypercosters have been a "thing" since March 27th, 1999- the date Apollo's Chariot opened. So far, only two noteworthy incidents- a bird being crashed into at the bottom of Apollo's first drop ON OPENING DAY, and a girl dying from heart conditions after riding Raging Bull @ SF Great America. Seat belts would have prevented neither of those, and no one has ever been tossed from any B&M Hyper in their 15-year run. In fact, B&M has an outstanding safety record so far across ALL models- part of the reason Cedar Fair is in love with them. Also just realized- it's been 15 years since the first B&M Hypers opened!?!? They still feel so new and modern though...

Uhh...I disagree. I rode both BLSC and Banshee on opening day and I'd give the slight edge in forcefulness to Banshee over BLSC's helix. Only by a bit though- that helix is still pretty intense.

4 1/2 hours- thank goodness my sister fed the group we were in some Chicken Shack chicken before the major part of the line got started, and I drank some water too- both turned out to wise choices as some I heard got sick or passed out due to the agonizing wait. The ride itself somehow managed to make up for this wait time...when you wait 4 1/2 hours for a ride, and get off thinking "Wow that was actually worth waiting for"...you have an A+ World Class Ride on your hands. Hence...Banshee rocks.

Well, I was going to rest a bit, but part of me can't help but want to get this over with since it shouldn't take too long- here is my opening day 2014 trip report from Kings Island- my first visit to the park since May 5th, 2012 BTW. PART 1: A VERY ROUGH START We actually met up with a large group of my sister's friends, plus one of her friend's families. Her father rented a large SUV for us to use- and it was cool. Around 8:10, we left and stopped at a McDonalds Truck Stop for Breakfast, and then headed towards KI. With a brief bathroom break included on the trip, we made a mis-turn and ended up taking a different route to KI than usual...we first saw the Eiffel Tower at 11:23 AM, and we were ALREADY in line for parking we realized. A few minutes later, some dude in another SUV tried to do the car version of line jumping, and scraped the side of our rental SUV and then successfully tried to enter the parking lot! Luckily, daddy was smart and got maximum insurance on the SUV, plus we got tons of info and pictures of incident and called the cops- the car rental agency is going to make this guy pay. No one was injured on any level in the "crash", thankfully as well. It was a rough start to the day- and it got rougher once we actually saw the line to get into the park! Upon learning our printed out season pass vouchers could get us in themselves without a card (one of our friends ran over and asked a KI employee) we got in line with them, figuring to do the processing later. After learning Drop Tower and- Train!?!?- were closed, we waited 30 minutes to enter the park and we decided to head for Flight of Fear before the crowds got uber crazy. We found it with a 45 minute wait, paid $2 to rent a locker, and...the ride broke down. Wasted $2. We then headed out looking for a new ride- I wanted to ride Vortex, but many in our group didn't enjoy it due to its roughness, and many were afraid of my other offer of WindSeeker due to its height (I was somewhat suprised WindSeeker actually made an opening day- this was a first!) Finally, we picked a ride...with low capacity. RIDE #1: Backlot Stunt Coaster Wait: 40 Minutes OK, 40 minutes isn't TOO bad for BLSC. I hadn't ridden this since 2010 due to long lines, so I was quite pleased to be reminded how fun and forceful this small coaster can be. All of the remaining theming was working, and it was a fun ride. Since I have a gold pass now, when I visit on less crowded days I should take note to ride this more often! Score: 8/10 PART 2: WAIL OF THE Banshee After BLSC, we tried to decide on another ride, and ended up getting hungry in the process, only to find nearly everything- even food stands- now had lines! Father, who had just dealt with the hit-and-run guy (the cops found him and he was given a ticket for his actions), met up with us and we eventually decided since we were getting gold passes anyway to just go ahead and grind out Banshee...we said OK. We reached the "official" Q-Line in around 30 minutes, when my sister ran off from us and came back with food from the new Chicken Shack- she shared it among us, and we would need the energy, because Banshee...had a 4 1/2 hour wait! RIDE #2: Banshee Wait: 4 1/2 Hours (New Personal Record and OMG WTF worthy) What a wait. Ouch. My legs were so sore near the end. We finally got on after watching Fast Lane abuse and line jumpers up the butt, and we decided to just ride front row- might as well, given how long we had already waited, eh? To compensate for this wait, Banshee would need to be epic... Banshee, amazingly, made me suddenly forget all the pain and anger caused by that 4 1/2 hour line. The speeds were fast, the forces intense, and the inversions incredible. The theming in the Q-Line also helped- another major plus for this ride- those were some nice gravestones. Especially the SOB one and O' Terpy. This was my very first B&M Invert and it is now my #1 steel coaster I have ridden...I may have found another style of coaster I really like. One MINOR complaint besides the crowds- the vest did feel a bit tight on my collarbone, nothing to major but it was a bit uncomfortable. It didn't get any tighter during the ride however. It was also quite fun riding with Sister's Friend's Dad as he is also a fellow coaster nut and his remarks were hillarious... "Banshee IS A B##CH, AND I LOVE IT!!!" Score: 10/10!!! After Banshee, we decided we might as well go get our passes done. I was expecting this to be slow and agonizing, but the line was shockingly short! And it moved FAST! A few minutes later, we exited and I had a shiny new gold season pass. I couldn't wait to use it- but I and everyone else in the group had become hungry again thanks to Banshee's line. Off we went to a restraunt me and my sister wanted to try- Hank's Burrito Shack! I made a custom burrito, and it was quite delicious- though I'd still give the edge to the Chicken Shack Chicken Fingers & Fries from earlier. We also ate on the outdoor patio in the back which gives an AWESOME view of Banshee. After this, we decided to ride WindSeeker next since it would likely not bug our stomach's. We saw it running as we walked down Coney Mall. We reached it, and...IT BROKE DOWN. WindSeeker DODGES ME AGAIN!!! PART 3: DINOSAURS GO RAWR! After yet another WindSeeker dissapointment (WindSeeker seems to be the new Son of Beast for me!), we decided to take advantage of a new-for-2014 Gold Pass perk- free Dinos! Our group split as ticket sales had ended for the day (it was 7:30 now) and some of our friends just had day tickets (I feel for them!). Due to it being 30 minutes from closing, we didn't have to deal with the massive crowds I am told Dino's had earlier in the day, and enjoyed the attraction- it is fairly cool. Nothing amazing, but I could easily see a kid loving this...I kinda did too deep inside. DA! Score: 7/10 After Dinosaurs Alive!, our group was at a crossroads. We had discussed riding The Beast at Night, versus Flight of Fear. While Flight of Fear is my sister's favorite ride, the group favored Beast, and upon hearing it had been re-tracked we went for a night ride... PART 4: 35 YEARS OF TERROR UNLEASHED My sister and one of her friends played some games in Rivertown- and won both times (YES!)- on our our way to Beast. However, the group began to split off from us, until it was just and my sister. She agreed to ride Beast with me, since she knew I wanted to really ride it as it is my favorite ride of all time (so far at least). I thanked her and made a promise- when we came back, first ride: Flight of Fear. After a 2-hour wait that felt much shorter after that Banshee line, 30 minutes of it due to the fireworks, we rode The Beast...at NIGHT!!! RIDE #3: The Beast @ NIGHT Wait, the final ride of the night is only #3!?!? Dang, Banshee ATE my day. Oh well- I have a season pass now and can return . Anyhow, we boarded the train on car 2-2 and took off up the chain lift. It was chilly and dark...perfect weather for this wooden behemoth apparently, as it FLEW through the course and the woods. The recent re-track (or so I was told- did it get retracked this year) worked according to my sister as it was pretty smooth for a woodie. As usual, the tunnels were pitch black, the speeds were incredible, and the helix was mind-blowing. Another zen ride that pretty much fixed ALL of the day's flaws for us...courtesy of The Beast. 35 years and still rollin' like a champion. Score: 11/10!!! After riding Beast, we tried to get a good view of Banshee's night theming from International Street before heading to the truck (which was still working fine- it just had a dent in it now and some scrapes from earlier) and headed home- stopping for some food along the way back. And now here I am again after a long, fun day with only 3 rides. Meh, when 2 of those are Zen Rides and the other is solid anyway...who cares how many rides you had? RIDE & ATTRACTION TOTALS BLSC x1 Banshee x1 Dinosaurs Alive! x1 The Beast (Night) x1 FINAL THOUGHTS In spite of jerk drivers, massive crowds, and being able to ride few rides I really enjoyed this trip. Banshee is everything I expected- and more. This thing is going to be a great addition to KI's ride lineup. I just hope I don't have to wait 4+ hours every time. Also, Action Zone looks amazing now. Beast, at 35, is still rolling like a champion. Why am I not shocked? The park REALLY could have done a better job managing the crowds, though...that was the big low point of the day. Line Jumpers and Fast Lane Abusers galore...Banshee seems to not only bring out the evil within other rides- she also does her work on mortals, it seems...(There were no Line Jumpers and there was much less FL abuse at Beast than there was at Banshee) Overall: A great trip, even if it didn't go 100% according to plan. And now that I have that Gold Season pass, expect more of these in 2014. I didn't visit KI at all in 2013...and plan to more than make up for that this year. Also, with Banshee there now, I barely even noticed Son of Beast being gone. I hope you enjoyed this trip report- there MAY be pictures, but they will come later.

I was there- it was Chaos. 15 minutes to enter the parking lot. 30 minutes just to get in the park. 4 1/2 hours for Banshee. Everything in the park had monster lines at one point...I only rode 3 rides all day, though this was mainly due to our group deciding since we had season passes (got my first Gold Pass- getting that, which I did later in the day, was fast & efficent & easy) and would return on a less crowded date. I would have been FURIOUS- but, thankfully, Banshee actually turned out to be worth a 4 1/2 hour wait, and the other 2 rides I rode (BLSC & Beast at Night) were good (BLSC) and Beast was it's usual epic, raging nighttime self. A full trip report will come tommorow- I had a LOT of fun in spite of the problems (I was with cool friends some old some new who made the day as well as my sister), but these crowds...the park did NOT handle them well. And Fast Lane was out of control on Banshee. EDIT: Eh, couldn't wait. Trip Report up NOW.

Awesome Bat Video...the song though, while good...I had a misheard lyric on...yeah I kinda know, there is a topic for this but... Actual Lyrics: "I'm Stuck in a Coma" I Initially Heard: "I suck at Vekoma"

Worse- it's even newer than that- 2009.

Wow...so much for Giraffica/Pilgrims Plunge. It was a pretty fun ride, but if it was having issues (along with the whole Shoot-the-Rapids accident) then I can see why it's gone. It never had a line whenever I went to Holiday World either, so low popularity could be another factor. I'm going to go and assume Shoot-The-Rapids at Cedar Point won't last much longer, either, since it has had many of these same issues. These recent INTAMIN boat rides have had major issues, and along with that their recent coaster installations have also had problems (Maverick needing its heartline roll removed, I305 being too intense and needing modified and then having its cable break, Skyrush's poor reviews due to its restraints, etc). Not only that, but RMC seems to be eating up the wooden coaster department, and if Lightning Run is a success at Kentucky Kingdom, Chance Ride's Hyper GTX model could kill any interest a park would have in a Mega-Lite as they seem much cheaper and could be more reliable, and Mack Rides seems to be doing well building Intamin-Like coasters such as the upcoming Helix @ Liseberg...which leaves Drop Towers as Intamin's only real product anyone might buy, since B&M makes Hyper and Giga coasters and few parks even built INTAMIN's Looping or Inverted coasters in the first place. I would hate to be INTAMIN right now- they look like they are in MAJOR trouble in the USA.

Banshee will probably be a LOT longer, given it's actually a brand-new ride and The Bat- while it may trick some people with its new theme & paintjob- is still a ride that originally opened in 1993. It'll my guess? Banshee will be 3+ hours, Bat will probably be 30-60 minutes. Though I could be wrong.

OK- a quick question about season passes- if you have someone over 18 who is getting one, but isn't the buyer, do they need a valid ID or not? I know the buyer needs one- and in this case they do have it. My sister called the park and asked, they said only the buyer needed an ID but also thought it was for a minor (under 17)... Thanks in advance.

Wow...Delirium looks EVIL now with its new paintjob...Banshee, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?!?

Guess what's on the park's facebook!?!? The looks on their faces: Persons 1-3: "THIS IS AWESOME!" Don Helbig: "Eh, this is good but Racer's better."

Even though The Beast was overshadowed by Diamondback for its 30th, the park DID give it some love- they rebuilt the entrance plaza for the ride (with a new sign), and they re-tracked the final helix. I'd say that was a fair amount of love...yet it still got overlooked, since you know, a $22 million dollar B&M Hypercoaster opened up that year- that sort of thing is ALWAYS going to get the most attention. And, with a $24 million dollar B&M Invert opening up in Action Zone...sigh, another Beast birthday that will be overshadowed. Then again, we've been getting new coasters on each major anniversary now, so that's nice for us I suppose...'cuz it makes it easy to guess when we are getting another new ride. Also- HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAST!