Delirium_Guy

I agree with you on the fact that when KI builds a ride, I'd love to have a custom layout suited for KI. However, the points about SOB remain true. Its fine to go out on a limb and try for unique and different, but it hasn't worked on SOB. Yes, its a wood coaster and yes wood coasters are typically rougher than steelies. However....SOB is a violent rough that tosses riders around like rag dolls and continues to beat them upon end with its out of control jack hammering effect.....unless you ride in the 1/3 of the seats on the train that aren't over the wheels. The point being made is that millions have been dished out to try to get this thing to work properly......and nothing has been able to accomplish that. I, too, applaud KI. They have tried many different things to make a go of it, but it just doesn't seem to be in the cards for it to be successful. What makes Voyage a good build is the fact that EVERYONE in the train comes back to the station clapping and cheering after the amazing experience they just had. All people do on SOB is climb off in desperate need of Tylenol. Yes, accidents are publicity.....but not good publicity. SOB already had a troubled history before the accident took place. A structural failure is NOT good publicity for this ride......given that it had a partial collapse during its construction. Add in the fact that the ride closed down its first weekend and was closed for a month, suffered from frequent late openings due to on going track adjustments the first season, and so on and so on. It doesn't have a good history. Again, I'm curious to see how this round of adjustments turn out. I wish them the best. - Todd

I can assure they have sank far more than $25 million into the ride since 2000. The initial investment alone was $17 million. Its actually quite sad to think of the *quality* rides we could have received if not for this POS. I agree that it *is* is beautiful ride to look at......so was Hercules looming over its signature lake. We all see how that turned out. Intamin's pre-fab is something to behold, El Toro rides more like a steelie. SOB would instantly become the smoothest ride in the park.....but it would still suffer from a lackluster layout. Its not about being an icon at the Park, hell I don't even look at it as a signature attraction. There will come a point when the decision will have to be made as CoastersRZ said.....I believe that decision will come sooner rather than later. I certainly dont wish bad things on the ride, but it just seems as though its been far more trouble than it is truly worth. - Todd

I think the only next logical step if this doesn't work is the wrecking ball. SOB's time has come, its either going to work or not. Its useless to continue to POUR money into it when that same money could be invested into a much better attraction. With that sad, yes wooden coasters are suppose to be rough. As someone pointed out though, there is a fine line of what is acceptable. SOB was absolutely unacceptable. 2/3 of the seats shouldn't be darn near unbearable to ride in. There are rough rides, please see SFNE Cyclone or GA Cyclone. They are rough in the sense that the forces are crazy intense and really move you around. However, the rest of the ride doesn't leave you jack hammering in the seat. the G-Trains are just as uncomfortable as the Premier trains that we just lost, IMHO. Zero padding, probably less than the Premier ones. - Todd

Took a random spin on Sky Coaster tonight with a friend. Blue train IS on the transfer track without the water dummies loaded. Both trains were parked on the transfer track actually. The blue is ugly. Blah. - Todd

Why move the camera? Shouldn't they want to catch people screaming for JOY instead of screaming in PAIN on the ride? What else should have KI done with SOB? Besides take the wrecking ball to it? Not much else I suppose.

Delirium I think is better, and Delirium still goes the same height they, slowed down how fast it takes to get to its max hight. Beleive me. To me, it doesn't SEEM the KI one goes as high as it once did (and photographic evidence seems to back that up). Regardless, the CP one normally does at least one more swing than KI typically does. Anyway, it's subjective, and *I* prefer MaXair. Your mileage may vary. (Actually, I prefer the Frisbee thingy at Six Flags Great America, which used to live as Frisbee at SFGAd, to either, but I digress....) I definitely agree that MaXair is the superior ride and was reminded of that on Friday when we took our spin. Delirium just hasn't been the same since the incident. MaXair doesn't have the nasty jolt when it switches directions of swing. It is also a longer ride cycle and I would agree that it does seem to swing a tad higher than Delirium does these days. Also, don't be fooled by Mavericks line. It typtically isn't as long as they say it is, provided that the ride doesn't go down.....which it seems to do almost everytime I'm in line for it :-) None the less, be sure to stick it out its totally worth the wait. While I may not be as negative toward the middle car as Interpreter.....the front and back seat are BOTH worth waiting for. Front seat is absolutely outstanding. - Todd

What happened to Magnum? On opening weekend for Maverick, a Magnum train slid through the saftey brake (the set following the final tunnel) and collided with the train that was waiting to enter the station. Very minor collision, but Cedar Point was all to quick to place the blame on the rain. Oddly enough, Maggie now has a brand new brake caliper that has since been added IMMEDIATELY upon exiting the tunnel. Seeing as how Magnum had never operated in the rain before that Saturday (ending sarcasm now), ALL coasters were being shut down in the slightest inclining of moisture. Is this how its being done now? Can anyone confirm that they are indeed operating in the rain now with just one train? Seems pretty ridiculous to remove a train or trains for a 15 minute rain shower only to turn around and add them back on after it stops? With such silly policies, one would think we were at Six Flags this season. - Todd

The train that I saw on the circuit AND parked in the station later in the evening was the full train. We counted 6 cars from our viewing from the tower. So, they really do just look that short :-) And once again, this was NOT a pull through but a full cycling of the train. - Todd

It wasn't a pull through that I witnessed. It was a train filled with the water dummies doing a cycle. I believe Ryan has some pics as he called me as I was on my way to the Park. The new trains look so odd running the tracks as they are significantly shorter than the old ones. I only saw one cycle from the Firehawk queue. - Todd

I don't think the issue was the taste of the food. My food was alright. However, $13 for a soda, two spring rolls and some fried rice......PATHETIC. Those discussions are very valid. Honestly, the food pricing at Disney is very reasonable. I'm always surprised every time I go down. It was fairly common for me to eat for less than $10 in the Parks....including the drink. I have YET to be able to get what I want at KI for anything less than $12. - Todd

Gotta disagree. Aside from early in the season, Beast has been giving me some crap rides lately. Racer isn't much better. We all rode both during our run of the Park last Thursday and all came up with splitting headaches. Beast just bounces all over the flippin' track. Racer has a horrible jack-hammering going on in the axle seats. - Todd

Also, is The Racer considered 2 coasters, or is Avatar considered a coaster (to equal 14)? You know that is a good theory, what better time to have the ride open by? im sure that ace wouldnt be too happy with a closed down world class rollercoaster. the Son of Beast even with its problems has been one of the major attractions of the park since its opening, its one of my favorites, but nothing beats The Beast. I hope they have it open as soon as possible though as im going the 27th... I hardly doubt they break their necks to get the ride open for ACE. Add to the fact that MAJORITY of ACEers find SOB to be neither world class or a good ride. It won't be missed by most this time around. - Todd

If I have understood them correctly during my rides, shoes must be worn at ALL times. So renting a locker for your flip flops isn't an option. Honestly, its not really much of a hassle keeping them on. You do have a floor, afterall. I've worn mine every ride. - Todd

I can understand why Paula would be upset, but still it is what it is. HW seriously DOES need to wake up. There are issues to be had in the Park and its NOT the perfect place that they seem to think it is. I love the Park, I really do, but things have changed. I experienced something at Legend last season or the season before that. It was around 830PM, the Park closed at 9. Of course, HW is a park that doesn't leave their queues open until Park close. They tend to have the Park almost cleared out right AT close. Weird. Anyway, we ran down the hill to ride Legend at night. The gate was open, so we jumped in line. While we were in, an employee approached our two friends who weren't riding. They accused us of reopening the gate and pretty much threatened to have us ejected from the park. It was ridiculous. I left a complaint at GR but pretty much got the brush off. The excuse for the rudeness I got was, "Hey, its 90 degrees today, you'd be rude to". I emailed Paula that evening and received a prompt response. She more or less said the Park was still the same and that she understood there was a situation that occurred at Legend that night but didnt' have all the details. Again, they prided themselves on the polite employees. It was a horrible first impression for our two friends who had never been. Like I said, I absolutely love the Park. Things have just changed and I don't think they've realized it. The employees aren't of the same caliber as they used to be. I agree that it was a tad unprofessional for Paula to post a link to that post that slammed KI. - Todd

A couple of points I'd like to add also..... When presenting a Maxx Pass at Cedar Point, they also do not ask for photo i.d. Anyone could use your pass to enter the park on that day. The Six Flags pass is the best deal around, even the parking pass. Although you have to pay for parking when entering the lot at SFKK (they do not own their parking lot) all you have to do is present your parking pass at Guest Relations and they will give you your $5 back! - Todd

SFKK actually can't build that high because of height restrictions due to the airport. If you like SFKK, you'll be blown away by the rest of the chain. SFKK is the absolute arm pit of the chain. I would typically agree with you Ryan. SFKK honestly looks TERRIFIC this year. It looks like a brand new spankin park. New paint on almost everything, new signs. I think this is going to be a break out year for the Park. The new GM is VERY passionate about the Park and truly believes in it. Both my visits have seen employees a lot friendlier than in the past. Chang and T2 have both been running TWO trains everytime I go also....certainly a big change. I haven't thrown in towel on SFKK, its a Park that had and still has a lot of potential. They, like a lot of other SF parks now face, just have to win back their market that has been lost.....a lot of which went to Holiday World. My Six Flags experiences this year have all been great. Once again, SFoG stands out as the jewel for me again! - Todd

With Raven running the way that it was last year, I certainly understand why you thought it was merely OK. I would love for ya to go back and give it a second chance cause it really is a great ride. I'd disagree though with the KI comments, I actually wouldn't put them in a top tier either these days. Funny thing is, I think more people would tend to agree with that. Allow me to share a story from CP on Tuesday..... We were queued up for Maverick that night. There was a lady in line with her son. We all just randomly started to chat while in line, we told her we were from Cincinnati. She then asked us about how KI was this year and if it had changed any from CP. Of course we told her that not many changes had taken place, other than we finally got a great ride. She commented on how she felt they needed to do something with the employees. That in general they just seemed like they didn't want to be there and were slow and unexciting. Keep in mind, this was just a GP person......she certainly wasn't an ACEer. I gotta agree with her. The Point isn't quite what it used to be, but I gotta give props for most of the crews trying to pump up people to ride. With that said, allow me to also give props to Beast crew at KI.....every year they always are tops. I'd give a nod to Firehawk as well, they really seemed to try to get people excited on both my rides. The thing with Holiday World is that a lot of enthusiasts have just discovered it within the past few years. The park has gone through an unbelievable growth. Considering when I visited the first time back in 1998, the Park didn't even draw 500,000 a year and has now gone OVER the million mark. I think the Park itself is a well rounded park and they have done nothing but make GREAT additions over the past few years.....adding value to both the dry park and water park. I'll disagree with Ryan that Splashin' Safari is on a different level than Boomerang Bay in terms of attractions and offers a much better arsenal of slides....perhaps its just they have a much NEWER collection and Boomerang Bay still has the old school slides that are pretty dated. For a change I'd like to see consistent additions to BB, I think its still lacking. I fear what has happened though, is they are almost over protective when it comes to the safety factor. I understand this and respect it greatly, however when it detracts from the overall experience then it becomes an issue for me. The Park is not the same park I first visited almost 10 years ago. Thats been both good and bad. the bad being that its lost some of the charm and personality that truly made it unique. - Todd

They definitely have two different systems. Cedar Point has always the more outdated process for doing passes, thats no secret. I'm like you though, anytime we went to a different Paramount Park we always had to check in at GR and receive a ticket. Six Flags is the only one that allows you to go Park to Park and scan your pass at the gate. In any event, its only a small setback. It only takes a few minutes to get through and into the park. No big deal. - Todd

Excellent report! I would mostly agree with everything you have said, except about Splashin' Safari. Not sure if you rode all the slides or not, but they do have some good ones. Zoombabwe is the huge enclosed slide, which I think you may have confused with Zinga (the Tornado slide). Zoombabwe is a blast with four people in the raft, as we found out during Holiwood Nights. Its fast, the raft really slips up the side of the trough.....not ot menton the fact that its a nice long ride. Bakuli was a blast too, a little different experience from the bowl slide at Great Wolf due to the different rafts. Ottorongo is also an absolute BLAST despite looking very small and not that exciting. In general, I would agree about the employees. Back in the day, Holiday World WAS a class act. Don't get me wrong, I still love the Park and feel that they are among the best of the best. The employees are of a different caliber now, they certainly aren't as friendly or personable as they used to be when Raven was the pride and joy of the park. The capacity issue has always annoyed me, not so much on Raven, but on Legend. Its such a long ride and most of hte time they do run only one train. I dont' get it. Voyage should never run with anything less than two, as far as I'm concerned. Glad you got some great rides though, Voyage is amazing. It was running insanely fast during Holiwood Nights, as were Raven and Legend. All of those rides take on different personalities at night. It definitely makes you look at Beast in a different light once you ride them. As for El Toro, I'm torn on the issue. I battle over which I prefer, it or Voyage. Voyage gets the nod for length. El Toro is short, but does it ever deliver. Its the most explosive air time on ANY coaster I have EVER ridden. Its absolutely amazing. - Todd

When you pull up to the parking tolls, be sure to get in the far left lane. Look for the signs that point you back to the resorts (Camper Village, Marina, Breakers). You'll be driving along Perimeter Rd which circles the entire park, so you'll get a nice view of pretty much all the coasters. Once you get around to Magnum, there is a security booth. Just before that there is an entrance to the Soak City parking lot, then there ya go. - Todd

Well, can't vouch for the front entrance, but the procedure at the Magnum gate is that you must go up to the ticket window and tell them you have a KI Maxx Pass. At this point, they will open a door to the left marked Employees Only and you will go in to present your pass. All they do is have sign your name and check the box for the Park that you are from. Its a simple process, though it'd be nice if it were like Six Flags....where your pass scans at the turnstyles at ALL parks. Its the same process for those of you who currently work at KI, you will need to do the same thing. I'd highly recommend parking at the Magnum gate. Its a quick and easy walk back to Maverick from there, although Magnum is always so tempting just sitting right there :-) - Todd

Well, from what I can interpret from your post.... Maverick can't really be compared to Mystery Mine. Mystery Mine is a great attraction which focuses more on the theme and story. That ride is just a blast, but not so much intense. Maverick is just intensity all the way through. The first drop was quite the experience and I thought the "beyond vertical" part of it was a lot more effective than on Mystery Mine. Again, I'm a huge lover of MM too but the two rides can't be compared. Funny thing is, you say some place Maverick as their new #1 coaster. My #1 steel coaster has been Superman Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England for 7 years now. Nothing has came close to even bumping that baby out of the way. Right now, I'm honestly having to reconsider that myself. Maverick really is THAT good. I can see why some may not be Firehawk fans. Me personally, I've always loved the ride. I think its running quite well at KI, if only they can get both trains up and get the kinks worked out. Its a great addition and the crowds really seem to be eating it up. - Todd

Well, yeah! Actually, James and I were discussing that last night....we actually DID enjoy the queue music just for the fact that it kept with the theme and kinda built an anticipation for the ride. Ryan, yeah, you should have gone....I thought you were looking a little sick before we left yesterday morning. Surely you couldn't have been too useful at Best Buy. Never fear, I'm already cravin' some more Maverick so you'll get your ride! - Todd

Amazed at the quick opening of Maverick, another trip to the Point was in order.....and fast. So yesterday we left around 630AM, bound for Sandusky yet again. We made a lot of pit stops, so we ended up arriving around 11AM. On the way in, we noticed a lot of buses in the lot so we feared a busy day. We also noticed one of the Maverick trains sidelined as we drove aroudn Perimeter Rd. Let me start by saying that i had little expectations for Maverick. I thought it'd be a fun little ride, the layout certainly seemed pretty cool. I didn't have it pegged to have a lot of intensity to it. I couldn't have been more wrong. We hopped in line around 1130, the queue was almost completely full. The sign promised a 1.5 hour wait, but it didn't matter.....we wanted to ride. They've utilized the old exterior queue for the former White Water Landing. This itself was a fairly large queue. The old loading station for White Water has been turned into a second queue house for Maverick before climbing the stairs into the newly built station for the ride. Through out the queue, western music is piped in. All upbeat. It really sets the mood for the entire area and builds the excitement as you wait to ride. The entire station area and exit area are both VERY well done. Nicely themed and very neatly done. After about 45 minutes of waiting, we were actually almost through the queue. With 5 trains running, the line REALLY moves! They were consistantly hitting their interval as well. This was the first surprise....12 passenger trains CAN be a capacity machine. Unfortunately as we were about the start the climb up, the ride went down for about an hour. We chose to wait. It did re-open, this time with all six of the trains and we were quickly queued up. My first ride was in back seat of the Sam train......the other trains being Ben, Beau, Brent, Bart and Bret. I pulled the harness down and we were dispatched. We hit the base of the lift and we were launched up the lift hill. Its so funny because the train hauls serious butt up to the top. Having ridden Mystery Mine and already having experience a beyond vertical drop, I really thought I knew what to expect. Holy cow. You get YANKED over the top and get some SERIOUS ejector air over the first drop. All hell breaks loose at this point. It was here that I encountered my only head banging, despite my previous thoughts about the second half of the ride. The train barrels through the canyon much faster than I thought and before you know it you are heading over the first speed hill. Again, SERIOUS air time....absolutely on par and equal to the air that you get on the Ride of Steel coasters. WOW! Another quick turn and up into the first half of the Horshoe Roll. This element is taken at a great speed. Its actually really graceful and you get an awesome float as the train flips around. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I was going to. At this point, the train barrels around the next turn and enters the tunnel. The tunnel is themed to a rail road crossing, complete with the signs and whistles. The train VERY smoothly slows down but then without warning gets a HUGE burst of speed from the launch. It reminds me of Volcano's rolling launch....only a hell of a lot more intense. The tunnel itself is lined with lights that change color and flash before you burst out into the daylight. The climb out is lined with mag brakes, which I had heard slow the train pretty well. You could feel them, but before you coudl catch your breath you were diving over the water and into the new S-Curve. Honestly, now I understand why the heartline was removed. The train flies through the section at an unusually high speed....it has to be booking at 50+ still at this point. The rest of the ride I feared was going to suck with the OTSRs, but it was actually SMOOTH. its hard to describe what happens, as the entire last part of the ride is a blur. The Stengel Dive near the end was absolutely breathtaking and the very last air hill was once again loading with serious air time. WOW. Maverick is an OUTSTANDING ride IMHO. Its taken a lot of my favorite moments from Intamin rides and put them in one ride. Its non stop from beginning to end and there is NO chance of catching your breath. It somewhat reminds me of Voyage in this aspect, just balls to the wall intensity all the way through. The launch is amazing, the air time extreme, the pacing is relentless and fast. Its definitely my favorite ride at Cedar Point.....don't worry Magnum we still love you too. Amazingly, the ride also ranks among my top steel coasters EASILY. We got 4 rides through out the day. I'm very impressed with the capacity the ride is capable of producing. The rest of the Park was actually pretty empty. We waited about 30 minutes for both MF and Dragster. We took a spin on Magnum near the end of the night, since it is still operating with only one train. Ride was funning fabulous as it always does, only with the trim brakes turned on in the pretzel loop (wonder why). We rode all the coasters actually except for Mine Ride, Wild Cat and Iron Dragon. Even took a spin on Thunder Canyon, god it was cold. Another fantastic day at the Point. Maverick rocks! - Todd

I certainly hope so. Just two weekends ago, I popped up for a bit and it was raining. Still rode the rides. While I can't confirm, I'd be willing to bet that this new policy went effective yesterday following the incident on Maggie. It was just so weird seeing the coasters sit silent while it just barely sprinkled. - Todd