Coasterfun

Great Report! I want to visit this park, but I don't think it will happen this year.

New Blog post on official site: http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/fun/blog/index.cfm

I would definitely ride these: 1. Volcano. My favorite ride there, smooth, fast, unique launch and great themeing. 2. Grizzy. Good tunnel, didn.t notice trim, takes you into the woods and back. Only complaint is that it is short compared to The Beast. 3. Dominator. I've ridden this at GL as well. A solid B&M. I posted descriptions and pics at my trip report here: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18854

I was there on that Sunday as well. The crowds weren't bad and it is a beautiful park. I think I liked Lochness better, it is just so smooth compared to other Arrow coasters I have ridden. I also liked the enclosed part of the ride. Big Bad Wolf is in a class all of it's own. It really puts Iron Dragon and Flight Deck to shame.

Thanks! Afterburn really surprised me, I have not ridden a B&M invert that used tunnels, I liked it a lot. I love Raptor and Alpengeist but this was fun in a different way. I think Afterburn and Volcano-KD are my two favorite rides from when Paramount owned the parks.

I visited Carowinds on Saturday. Nighthawk: I like how this coaster is built over water, but I like the ride on Firehawk better. Carolina Goldrusher: One of the original attractions, I liked how the ride was located in the park. On the thrill factor I rate it better than Cedar Creek Mine Ride and worse than Adventure Express. Vortex: I liked this standup coaster, I rode in front and found it to be smoother than Mantis. Carolina Cyclone: I like Vortex at Kings Island better, this ride is short and rough. It was smoother than Corkscrew at Cedar Point though. Hurler: I have heard bad things about this ride. I rode it in front and enjoyed it. It was rough but not unbearable and it had airtime. Ricochet: I like the Wildcat at Cedar Point better. Carolina Cobra: The trains on this ride are the best! What a difference! I wish we had these trains on The Vortex. Afterburn: In my opinion the best ride in the park! Great Themeing: great use of terrain: I love when it went under a tunnel. My only complaint is that the ride was too short. Thunder Road: I liked this ride a lot better than Rebel Yell. Good airtime, and a good layout. Overall a pretty park with a lot of charm, it will interesting to see next year.

Parks I've been to: Magic Kingdom: Visited twice. Best for kids or a Disney fan. Also, the gold standard on how to run a park. EPCOT: I enjoyed when I went 17 years ago, but I sure it's changed a lot since then. Disney's Hollywood Studios: Same here, although I'd like to see this park again. Universal Studios Orlando: Excellent, well-themed park. I've been here twice, and the most recent time I was very impressed. Islands of Adventure: Another top-notch park that is fun to walk through even if you don't like to ride. Not to say the rides here are great! Spiderman should not be missed. I need to return to ride Hulk and see Harry Potter. Kings Island: I personally like it better since Cedar Fair took over, but I understand why some prefer Paramount. Diamondback is a great coaster that we are really lucky to have. The Beast is also a classic although the trims are annoying. Cedar Point: I pretty much agree with Jackson on this one. No where else can I think of, where you have overabundance of great rides. Everywhere you look it's coasters. Kings Dominion: Volcano and Grizzly make this park worth a visit. It's also an interesting park to walk around in while it is busy. A lot of original themeing is there from the Taft days and it's interesting to see a giant liberty bell in their version of River Town. Busch Gardens Williamsburg: If I lived in Virgina, I'd probably have a season pass. Beautiful park, all rides were top notch, and all who can need to ride the Wolf before it is gone! Sea World Orlando: This is the park that made want visit other Busch parks. A great park for eveeryone, not a lot of rides, but all attractions were good. Note: I was there pre-Manta. Carowinds: A great little park, loved AfterBurn, and Thunder Road. Looking forward to next years coaster. I also liked the staff and parking was handled. Camden Park: A fun park just for rides that aren't in major parks. The Whip, haunted house, and Big Dipper are musts at this park. One of the few places you experience a ride with a person stopping the ridecar! Forgot one! Six Flags Fiesta Texas: Nice park that I visited last year. It wasn't busy when I went, walk-ons on everything but the Rattler. One of my all-time favorite train rides, you go through a tunnel past a waterfall. Another pretty park that is fun just to walk through and look at the landscaping.

I'm so glad I was able to ride it this weekend. It truly is the best suspended Arrow coaster I have ridden. Anyone who can make it for one last ride should do so.

That's a tough question. I honestly would like to visit the park again when it is less crowded. Based on that visit, I'd give the edge to Kings Island, it's bigger and in my opinion has a better layout. However, I do give serious props to Volcano, Grizzy, and Dominator, and would like to see how the new coaster turns out next year. I also like the feel of the Congo, it really felt like a themed land complete with it's own music. I can see why KD fans were upset about the placement of Backlot Stunt Coaster there. Thanks for the warm welcome, this my favorite park fan site!

Here's some pics from Saturday:

The next day I went to Busch Gardens I rode Griffon I rode in the front on the far left side, this coaster while short was one of my favorites. Alpengeist This was a fun ride and I love how all the rides are themed. Overall, I prefer Raptor. Apollo's Chariot I am torn on which coaster I like better: this or Diamondback? Big Bad Wolf This is a great coaster! It felt like 2 flight decks together. Great speed and excellent terrain. Why is Iron Dragon so slow? Lochness Monster I can't believe how smooth this Arrow coaster is! I rode it front and middle and there was no headbanging. This is one of my favorites- I was really surprised how good it rides. I also rode Curse of Darkastle and Corkscrew Hill these are 2 great darkrides, almost as good as Disney and Universal. Overall, I love this park, beautiful park and I wish I could visit the other Busch parks.

My first trip report with pictures. I drove to Virginia with friends last weekend. I visited Kings Dominion on Saturday with my Platinum Pass. The park was busy because of a music festival. Because the park was busy I based my rides on trip reports from other people on this forum. I rode Volcano first. I loved this ride! It was smooth, no head banging, great themeing, one of the best rides that Paramount had built. I rode Rebel Yell next, it was rough and I prefer The Racer at KI. I rode Grizzy next This is a great ride, I love how it goes through the woods. I also couldn't feel the trim brake as much as I did on The Beast. My last ride was Dominator I rode this at Geauga Lake years ago, a solid coaster. I rode front seat on all of the coasters that day. Overall a nice park, a lot of interesting landscaping throughout the park.

I was there on Saturday, and I agree, the park was so packed it was miserable. When I first arrived the parking attendant looked at my KI platinum pass and told me I picked a bad day and should leave. I stayed and got a few rides in- overall the staff was good with a few exceptions.

You can't compare Flight Deck to Iron Dragon? No. Because I'll never understand how Iron Dragon sucks so badly when Flight Deck and Big Bad Wolf are so great. I rode Big Bad Wolf today. Wow! I agree and I can't believe how slow Iron Dragon is compared to Big Bad Wolf and Flight Deck. A great combo of speed and use of terrain.

Drop Zone: Drop Tower Top Gun: Jet Flight Italian Job: Stunt Track: L.A. Stunt Chase Face/Off: Invertigo Tomb Raider: The Ride: The Crypt Days of Thunder: Thunder Alley Paramount Theatre: American Heritage Music Hall Action FX Theater:Corkscrew Hill Bubba Gump Shrimp Shack: Outer Hanks

I actually stopped going to the park during the Paramount years and think Cedar Fair is doing a good job running the place. However. . . . I do think orchestra music is better for International Street. I think it fits better with the fountains and shops. The new names for the movie themed rides are terrible. Flight Deck and Backlot Stunt Coaster are the worst examples of naming I have seen. Freestyle did a better job of renaming than Cedar Fair.

Thanks! I do wear glasses, but I can stow them in my cargo shorts if required. I will pass on the info if the policy changes.

While we are talking about Knott's. . . Any tips about the park? I am planning a trip there next month. Thanks in Advance

Thank you! I like this site, I am a long time lurker. That was opening day and we actually missed the rain. By the way the Pronto pups were excellent as were the funnel cakes. I visited the park because of this trip report.