Delirium_Guy

Agreed! Adding shoulder restraints would greatly detract from the experience. For real, I dont think I've been on anything as exposed as that. As Interpreter said though, its definitely a well designed system. Its easy for people to get in an out of, helping out with capacity. Its very comfortable and very very secure. I would be QUITE happy if Cedar Fair were to drop one of these babies into Kings Island. Oh Snapper, we miss you too! You better join us on our Knoebels trip in October, we won't take NO for an answer!!!!! - Todd P.S -- Yes, only 35 minutes for Dragster.....they were cranking the trains out!

I am totally pumped to read that someone went to Waldameer! I've only been once, but I greatly enjoyed the place! I agree about the Log Flume, that thing was fantastic and I definitely remember getting soaked on it! I wanted to try to go back this year, but it just didn't happen. The great news is that they seem to have jumped over the final hurdle in the construction of the Ravine Flyer II. For those who may not know, CCI designed a coaster for Waldameer. It has been plagued with numerous legal issues from the campground owners next door to some environmental studies needed for areas that the coaster will be constructed in. Last I read is that its on schedule now for 2008. - Todd

Yeah, they have lost a couple rides. Lets compare though..... Since the Paramount take over, PKI has lost: Flight Commander, Sunshine Turnpike, Scrappy Slide, I believe Witches Cauldron, Antique Cars, Flying Eagles, King Cobra, KCKC, Skylab. Meanwhile, the Park has yet to expand. I actually didn't think I'd be sad to see White Water Landing go. I was wrong. I kinda missed riding it this trip! The new coaster, at least so far, appears to mostly be hugging the ground at all points. I'm wondering why it couldn't have been intertwined with WWL? Unless the new coaster will, in fact, interact with water at some point during its course. I think I will definitely agree with you on one thing though, CP is perhaps my favorite park to just hang out in after dark. I absolutely LOVE the light show that takes place on the lift structure of Millennium Force. I remember the first season we drove over to Battery Park across the Bay and just watched it for a bit. Again, its the little things that truly add up and make or break my experience in a park. They don't necessarily have to have the best rides out there, but if the fun and atmosphere are there I'm set. Unfortunately I don't get that from PKI anymore....... And to Avatar, I enjoy writing these trip reports. The experiences I have during the summer traveling with my friends to all these other parks are things that I hold very dear to me. I enjoy sharing them. Its also nice to show some on here that there are other parks that are just as nice if not BETTER than PKI. As I said in my TR, PKI used to be *the* park. It had so many Disney-esq qualities back in the day. Now, its just a cluster ****. Half theme park / half amusement park. It doesn't really have a true indentity anymore. That probably couldn't have been helped though, as many times as the Park has changed hands. Each one with their own vision of what the Park should be. - Todd

Yesterday, we finally made our first visit of the season to Cedar Point. This time, we had a newbie with us. Our dear friend from the Candy store on International Street. Also in tow, James and Robb. Bonnie's reaction to the skyline of Cedar Point was priceless. Even after countless visits, I still love approaching the park. Hands down the best skyline there is. With all the coasters dotting the sky, its almost cartoonish in appearance....especially the profile of Millennium Force. We got a really late start, arriving at the Park around 1230. They were BUSY, not what we had hoped for. Despite the fact that there were A LOT of people there, the lines weren't horribly long......they were pretty evenly spread through out the Park. Our first stop was Dragster. Only waited 35 minutes for the ride, not bad at all! It ran smoothly and VERY reliable all day long. Super fun ride as always, you just gotta love that view from the top! Bonnie's screams all during the ride made it that more enjoyable :-) Feeling confident after her ride, the rest of the day was a piece of cake for her. We headed over to Magnum next. About a 10 minute wait for the back seat. Maggie never gets old for me. She is running beautifully this year. Smooth and filled with air as always, plus the setting out by the lake is always so gorgeous to take in during the run out. Heading back towards Frontierland, we hopped aboard Gemini for a quick spin. Again, still running smooth and just a ton of fun! We decided to grab a quick bite to eat. Corndogs and sodas in hand, it was a satisfying snack to tide us over until Johnny Rockets later in the day. I bought 4 corn dogs and two large sodas....the price was $13. NOT bad, considering at Rivertown Potato Works they raped me out of $12 for an order of fries, large soda and a cup of cheese sauce. Take a hint PKI, lower the prices. Next up was Mean Streak. Wha what?! 45 minute wait the sign says. Haven't seen a line for that baby, much less waited in one, in a LONG time. We skipped, thinking we'd make it back later. Cedar Creek Mine ride, again 30 minute wait, we skipped. At this point, it was definitely warm, so we rented a locker and got our drenchings on Snake River Falls and Thunder Canyon. I forget just how SOAKING THunder Canyon is with its waterfalls, it made for my second shower of the day :-) Of course, a stop to check out the new coaster under construction. The area of land is MUCH larger than I realized. They've got a nice portion of track in place already and I'm intrigued. Low to the ground, lots of directional changes, then the footers out in the Swan Lake. Can't wait to get the rest of the scoop on this one, looks like it'll be a fun one. We were in the area of the New-for-2006 Skyhawk. I wanted to check this out, just because so many of these things have sprung up this year. I really didn't know what to expect. First off, the restraints. HOLY ****! Lack of restraints, I guess I should say. A simple lap bar that fits over the contours of your legs. No handles to hold, really. Very exposed, very open. I heard a lot of people question this addition when they announced it. People were concerned with its similarities to maXair. Two completely different sensations. This thing freaked me out, loved it! The final two swings were superb. The first with us dangling face first 125 feet in the air with just that little lap bar. The second sending us skyward and nearly upside down (similiar to Delirium). We loved this thing. It wasn't so much intense, just darn scary with the openess of the car. We headed back for a night ride later on! We decided to head towards the front of the Park. By passing the hour + wait on Millennium Force, we took at spin on Wildcat and Iron Dragon. Wildcat was fun as always, though I don't care so much for Iron Dragon. I remember loving it as a kid, though now its just over shadowed by all the other big guys in the Park. We strolled down the main midway, taking in all the sights and sounds. Every where you look a coaster train whizzes by. The Sky Ride travels over head. The landscaping in the middle of the midway looked great this year. Why does this park always get flack for being ugly? I never have understood that. Raptor was promising a half hour wait, though it ended up being around 45 minutes. As usual, the line never stops moving here and is a testiment as to why they always win best capacity. The ride was running great as always. Can't believe that its 12 years old now, I remember riding it when it was brand new. Kinda makes me feel a tad old :-) None the less, it always delivers and yesterday was no different. Dinner at Johnny Rockets was nice. Again, why doesn't PKI have some type of sit-down table service restaurant? The place was packed. We sat outside, enjoying a nice view of Raptor. Of course no visit to Johnny's is complete without the servers coming out to dance on the midway for a song or two. Its the little things like such as this that sets an atmosphere and makes the visit just a tad bit more special. Next up Wicked Twister. Still love this thing and I would KILL to have one of these at PKI. The crew was flying. The train would stop in the station for no more than 30 seconds before its next dispatch. None of the queues were opened, but the line backed out to the entrance. 10 minute wait. Fantastic. I STILL haven't ridden maXair. Had planned to yesterday, but due to time constraints we opted to go back and ride Magnum again. At this point it was dark. Haven't ridden Maggie at night in a long time. Such a fantastic ride! This time, we all took turns riding the ejector seat 1.3. Definitely rougher here, but the air is incredible and always makes for a great ride! We quickly walked back to Skyhawk. Still freaky. The final swing skyward was a trip, as it was pitch black until you were angled back enough to see the lights of the other rides. Lastly, we hopped in line for Millennium Force a few minutes before the Park closed. 45 minutes later, we were climbing silently in the darkness to the top. This ride may not be a Superman, in terms of intensity and air time, but its just a fun ride all around. The first drop is simply stunning, even more so in the dark. It was running fast tonight though, so the airtime was more pronounced over the two hills leading to and from the island. It was a terrific way to end our way! The lines were longer than we had hoped, but we did a lot and had a blast doing it. Its easy to see why they have positioned themselves as a resort. I could easily spend two days there. There is just that much that can be done. The Park really is a beautiful park, I'm not sure why it always gets bashed on here for that? Its stunning at night, much more than PKI can even dare to think about. Little things like the lighting packages on the rides. Skyhawk and maXair both have this nice package on the vehicles themselves that just looks too cool. I love being on Magnum's lift and watching maXair swing up over the trees at night! Skyhawk had sets of red and white lights that would flash in sequence underneath each individual seat. As I said, this was Bonnie's first trip to the Point. She was blown away. The first thing she mentioned was how fast they were at getting people on and off rides. I'm always impressed every time I go. I'm not sure why they are able to do it, but it takes 5 minutes for the crew to dispatch a Face/Off train? Better yet, why the Italian Job crew often takes so long to load a 12 passenger train? Hopefully the influenes of Cedar Fair will rub off in that department. Hopefully the very conservative blocking methods implemented by Paramount will go away also. That alone would help things along. As we all were, she was also impressed with the shear number of rides. Contrary to what some may say on here, PKI doesn't even come close to offering the number of rides that the Point does. As we were walking by Wicked Twister, I was watching the Giant Wheel, Troika and Chaos. All rides that were relocated to this area when Millennium and Dragster came to be. I kept thinking that if they were at PKI, they wouldn't even be around anymore. Simply scrapped. Sad. I also find it amusing. PKI raised prices all across the board. The merchandise a bit more expensive. Admission prices increased. Food prices hiked up much like a Six Flags park. Then you have Cedar Point. Only $39.95 for a single day admission. They lowered their food prices this year. .25 cent cotton candy. Geez, which one is the better value? Three of us own Cedar Fair passes. Between the three of us yesterday, we spent less than $40 for the entire day at the Park. That included our lunch AND dinner at Johnny Rockets. Again, $12 at Potato Works. Hurts my head. I, personally, can't wait to see what Cedar Fair does with PKI. I definitely come down HARD on PKI, but I think it most certainly deserves every bit of it. Anyone who knows me well at all, knows how much love I used to have for the Park. It angers me horribly to see it running the way it has the past few seasons. While a lot of the beauty of the Park has been lost, I hope it at least becomes a somewhat fun place for me to visit again. I hope Cedar Fair eventually will invest in some quality attractions that PKI is so lacking in.

I gotta agree with you there! Actually, this policy of no filming the rides and taking pictures of the rides pre-dates Cedar Fair. This was actually a policy that was implemented by Six Flags. I'm not sure of the reasoning behind it and I agree that it is stupid. PKI sure has pulled some stupid stunts over the years as well. As for the Park not having any feeling or anything left, again, not a Cedar Fair issue. Six Flags pretty much took a fantastic traditional park and sucked any life it had in it. The damage has been done and as someone else pointed out earlier, the crowds are a clear indication of that. Its sad, I truly enjoy Geauga. They have a terrific line-up of rides and coasters. I wish Cedar Fair the best in turning it around, but its a long, uphill battle for them.

I'm not sure if its less of a budget or just the fact that they spend it on stupid other things elsewhere in the park. Anyone can look at the Park this season and tell that its not in the greatest shape. This is the worse I've seen PKI look. I just found out last night that a woman nearly broke her ankle after tripping over a pothole in Coney Mall? I've been told from several people that the big reason that Cedar Fair has canceled Winterfest is mainly because they have a lot of stuff planned over the off season. These changes are probably things that we won't even be able to notice though. For example, I-Street is slated to be nearly gutted out completely. The buildings are in such sad shape, completely infested with termites. These are the small things that have been overlooked during the "Paramount Era" and now have to be corrected. I dont' think it has anything to do with the actual people, I think they work with what they can. Again, I strongly suspect that a large chunk of that budget is spent on our most favorite coaster in Action Zone :-/ But you are right, neither PKD, Carowinds or Canada's Wonderland have ever looked like PKI. The theming has always been kept up and the Parks clean. Great America on the other hand......... - Todd

Thats the only reason for it, in my mind. I guess I don't understand why PKI operates one way but PKD operates another. The dispatches are so bad at PKI that the other night, they were running two trains, the second train had finished the circuit before they had even advanced the empty train into the loading area. I'm sorry, thats pathetic. We were all just in complete shock over the differences between the two. Just had a ton of fun on PKDs. The sound was SO loud, it was NICE to actually be able to HEAR the sound track for the ride......which isn't half bad if I do say so.

Bingo! Like I said, they do suffer from some operational issues.....but none of which are that bad. I'm absolutely in love with their International Street, i think its so gorgeous. They are certainly more detail oriented, for example making the IJ Midway an actual road with street signs and such. As for BGE's new ride, they applied for the rights for Griffon.....and also two other names Volataire & Iron Eagle. While I think its likely that Griffon may win out, at least I like it better, we'll find out August 23rd. Should be a fun ride, Busch doesn't disappoint to often. - Todd

Well, myself and the usual clan decided to go visit some family out in Newport News, VA......so of course this means the mandatory stop at BGW and PKD :-) Actually, on Saturday we did something out of the norm. Since we all have Busch Passes, we decided to check out Water Country USA! None of us had been there. I was very curious to check out one of Busch's water parks.....wondering if it would uphold the same qualities that both BGW and BGT posses. I can happily report that YES it does! Simply put, the most beautiful water park I've ever step foot in. THIS is what I envisioned Boomerang Bay to be, when Jeff was hyping up all the *lush* landscaping. Yeah, right. Just like BGW, Water Country is surrounded by tons upon tons of trees. The Park features hilly terrain as well. Whats awesome is that pretty much all of the slides utilize this feature and many are built into the hillside itself. Without stepping foot on one attraction, I was already blown away with the place. We only had about two hours to spend, so I didn't even come close to hitting all the slides. So I picked out the ones that looked the most interesting and off we went. First up was Aquazoid. Built upon a top of a hill, this thing is most impressive visual! Its very similiar to Zoombabwe at Holiday World in that you KNOW its there. Its massive. We loaded up in the tube and off we went. It was pretty speedy, had a lot of quick turns and was actually a pretty lengthy ride. The awesome part was that the slide was equipped with a lighting package! So at various points during the ride, the lights would flash and follow your raft along the way. Very very cool! Next up, Hubba Hubba Highway. What I assumed to be a lazy river, turned out to be a not so lazy river. Its not an action river, per say, like the one at Schlitterbahn which features waves. Its not a lazy river either. You don't float through this one on inner tubes, but rather life preservatives. At first I didn't get one, I just wanted to swim, but after a while I picked up one floating along the way. The current in this thing is FAST! Fast enough that its very hard to fight it and really takes a strong effort if you want to back track for any reason. Along the way, its themed with various fun road signs and water stunts. We took two spins around, you never have to get out if you don't want. This this ROCKED! :-) By this time, it was already late. We emptied the locker to head back towards the front end of the Park. The last thing we did was something along the lines of Hidden Rapids at the Beach. Part lazy river / part water slide. Perhaps the coolest thing about the Park was the fact that it had live entertainment in the form of a Survivorish type of show. It was decent and a nice way to end the short time we had in the park. Overall, its a darn good water park. Beautifully landscaped, dare I say better than PKI? Sad, but kinda true. I'm not surprised though.... Sunday we headed off to BGW. Not much new here. Park was crowded, but all coasters were at max capacity. We've been so many times to BGW that it doesn't matter anymore. We really just enjoyed the day strolling along and hanging out. Apollo was running better than usual, in the fact that I almost sorta liked it this time :-) Still a fun ride, taking fully advantage of its terrain.....and you gotta love that third drop out by the water. Stunning. Dar Kastle continues to rock my world. I still can't believe that they built this. Its definitely the most elaborately themed attraction outside of Disney / Universal. It could use a few more special effects in certain spots that are slow, but I have a feeling that more tweaking will take place with it over the off season. The changes that were made this past year made a huge difference, with an entire new scene added to the ride! We FINALLY got out spin on Alpengeist that night. It had an hour + wait most of the day, so we saved it for last. We decided to wait for the front row, knowing that closing was near and that they most likely wouldn't run the front seat line out. Ok, first of all, let me set this up. BGW has a policy that you can re-ride TWICE if no one is waiting for your seat. Keep this in mind. Closing rolls around, the station empties out, except for those of us queued up for the first seat. They continue to cycle trains. Sure enough, they ran the front seat queue out! We hopped on. Had a superb dark ride on Alpie......just the three of us! That just doesn't happen very often! Kudos to the Alpie crew for a job well done! Over in New France, clearing is well underway for the new for 2007 coaster. I understand its to be announced in about 3 weeks. From all accounts, its a B&M Dive Machine. Having ridden Sheikra last Labor Day, I'm all for this. Its a fun, fun ride! The entire hill side surrouning Alpengeist all the way over to Nessie has been cleared. All that remains of LeMans is a bridge that the cars used to cross. While I'm sad to see them go and so many trees cleared, no doubt in my mind the area will turn out just as stunning next year with the new addition. Everything they do seems to blend in flawlessly, one of the biggest reasons I love Busch. The area that they built for Sheikra is beautifully done, can't wait to see this one! ON the way home Monday, we stopped by PKD for a few hours. Obviously we wanted to hit IJ for the credit. The Italian Job area is nice. The midway is painted to look like a street, complete with sidewalks and street lamps. The queue seems small, I'm sure its overflowed this season. They don't count off people in the station like at PKI, but rather you just wait for whatever seat you want. They were running two trains, which was fine since the line wasn't even across the bridge. So here are our thoughts: 1) First of all, PKI crew should go take a look at PKD's IJ crew! WOW! They were smoking the trains out. One big difference, they advance the train from unload into the station immediately following the other train that launches. At PKI, they seem to wait until it clears the parking garage. Why the differences in ops? 2) Wow, its August and their speakers STILL work! Guess the vandals decided not to stop at PKD this year. Best of all, isn't it shocking that you could actually HEAR the music?! It was loud and my god did it make one hell of a difference in the ride! 3) The helicopter scene. The train launches as the explosion happens, you can feel the heat from it as you launch through! It was actually IMPRESSIVE. Its literally about a 10 second stop, definitely shorter than your delay at PKI. 4) Wow, its August and ALL of the headlights and taillights were working! Shocking! 5) The boost out of the billboard. It is MOST CERTAINLY more pronounced than the PKI version, it actually launched us up and forward. Shocked the hell out of us it did. OK, so what just happened? We LOVED Italian Job....we actually wanted a re-ride. In general, the ride was a bit faster than PKI's....it was noticeable just watching the train crest the parking garage. Though it was a small difference, it made a difference through the entire ride. Best of all, it actually looks like it FITS in the park. Its wedged over by Anaconda.......unless on the tower, most of the ugly stuff is fairly hidden from most views. Yes, its still an ugly ride........but it doesn't stick out at PKD like it does at PKI. Props to PKD for keeping everything working! Volcano was up next. 30 minute wait. Always worth it. Super ride. Fast, smooth, intense, and boy do I love that feeling that you get when you blast out of the top of the volcano. You really ARE up there! Tomb Raider was great as usual. Nice program, all effects working still. Its a must ride everytime we go. Took a spin on Scooby Doo, still better than PKIs....I love the fact that the guns are laser pointers. Super easy to aim and easier to hit targets. Shockwave was running well in the back seat, made me miss King Cobra as it always does. Ricochet was a walk on, so a quick spin was taken......fun but braked way to hard. Hurler was OK. Better than last year but in need of some attention. Lastly, Drop Zone Stunt Tower. I just can't come back from PKD without raving over this thing. Efficient loading, very well organized. It still amazes me at how fast the thing gets you to the top. The drop is awesome, you can tell that the braking area is short than PKI's........the extra few feet makes a HUGE difference. We were all hot, it was miserable, so we decided to call it a day and head home. We've ridden everything before, so we weren't missing out on anything. Took a stroll through Old Dominion....passing the OPERATING Antique Cars and FLying Eagles. A quick trip up the tower and off we were. PKI still shines in terms of employees. I think both parks are split in operations. Some of the crews at PKD were really hustling, just like a few do at PKI. After this visit to PKD, I'm convinced that it truly is up to each individual park as to what they spend their budget on. In general, PKD is such a nicer park for me. The landscaping, ride placement like Italian Job, the over abundance of trees in the Old Dominion area. Its a beautiful beautiful park. I wish PKI would take the time to spruce up the areas that need it, fix the theming on IJ and Tomb Raider. Its just the little things that DO make a difference. INstead, we get stuck wasting money to keep that piece of **** in Action Zone in a semi-rideable condition. Please oh please let it see the wrecking ball soon.......then maybe the PKI that I know, love and remember may one day return. - Todd

Sure he has, just probably the great collections of wood coasters found at Holiday World and Indiana Beach.....you know wood coasters that are actually FUN and SMOOTH to ride 8-) Those people DO know the difference. Just listen to the chatter next time you head to Holiday World. You'd be surprised at the comments you can hear comparing the two parks.

Honestly, I didn't find Hercules to be all that bad! It was rough, but not anywhere near as rough as SOB. Same can be said for Mean Streak. Yes, it sucks......but I rode the backseat last season and was surprised that they have managed to work a lot of the roughness out of it. Now its just slow and boring :-) SOB has been horrible from day one. I certainly commend PKI for their attempts to make it a smoother experience for people, but I'm afraid they are just fighting a losing battle.

They may have hired RCCA to help construct the ride, but on EVERY piece of literature out there......Paramount Parks as the general contractor. Which means they ran the show. They made the cuts. While RCCA certainly hasn't built anything of notice, I blame Paramount Parks just as much as them with Son of Beast. Honestly, Paramount making cuts does NOT surprise me even the slightest. Just look at the additions the past 5 years or so and look at how cheaply they were done?

Hasn't enough money already been completely and totally WASTED on the ride to begin with? Just look at Hercules at Dorney Park. In case you aren't familiar, it also was a large wooden coaster (about 150) feet. It suffered the same issues that most of the Summers / Dinn mega wood coasters did. Cedar Fair solved the problem by tearing it down. I've always felt that SOB's days were numbered. I still think it'll be around next season, but I think under the Cedar Fair umbrella it has very very few seasons left. Like others have mentioned, the other wood coasters in the Park have suffered because of it. Racer hurt so bad the last time I rode it, I'm done with it for the rest of the year. Yes, wood coasters are suppose to be rough but they aren't suppose to INJURE people and have kids returning to the station in tears (i.e Racer). Here's hoping that the future is a bit brighter for maintainance of wood coasters at PKI.

I can tell you what a large chunk of SOB's problems have been. Paramount Parks as the General Contractor. In order to save money, they took the project on themselves. When it backfired, they tried to go after anyone they could. RCCA, the engineers, even the company that provided the "faulty" lumber. Of all the wood coasters that have been built, I've NEVER heard of "defective lumber" used as an excuse.....and CCI built plenty of rides that needed beefing up after the first season. Please cut the losses and end the SOB Saga. How many more millions will Cedar Fair invest in it? If they were smart, no more.

This is very troubling incident, but not the first time something of this nature has happened. I remember during the first season, it used to split ledgers for a bad habit. This is what would cause the ride to go down for days at a time. Then of course, there was the "jolt" at the top of the second hill which they tried to fix.......but its still there just not as bad. I think the Park is VERY fortunate that this wasn't worse than what it could have been. In all honesty, I hope that Cedar Fair ultimately decides to cut the losses and scrap the darn thing. Its been a headache literally from day one of its operation. The money that has been invested to keep it in a semi-rideable condition is absurd and could have been put to better uses to keep the rest of the Park from falling into the state that it is currently in. Sad to see this happen at PKI though. Accidents happen though.

The reason I said Son of Beast, is a friend of mine called after hearing it on radio. I just watched Channel 9 News at 6. It is CONFIRMED that the accident did take place on Son of Beast. They showed a train stopped on the lift. Reports so far from people that were on it, say they felt a big bump and the train came to a complete stop. The news is reporting that as many as 25 people have been taken to hospitals for treatment, mostly reporting back and neck injuries. I don't want to speculate, but I can only assume that it was the train that was out on the course that caused the issues, not the parked train on the lift hill. This one will be interesting to watch unfold........ - Todd

Anyone heard of this? A friend called. It was on the radio that there was some type of accident on the ride, requiring people to be carried away on stretchers. WCPO's website is listing that there has been an accident at the Park, but no other details were given! I'm sure more news to follow....... - Todd http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/07/09/..._island_ax.html

Once again, Dollywood continues to impress. They have really built up their collection over the past 5 years or so! Tennessee Tornado, Thunderhead, now the Mystery Mine. FINALLY, a Eurofighter in the states. I've read nothing but positive reviews from EVERYONE who has ridden one! If their spinning coasters (WoF and Mall of America) are any indication, it'll be a total blast to ride!

My biggest problem with Tomb Raider comes when the brakes are applied to lock the gondola in place. For example, after the ice scene and the gondola flips forward to begin its dive. There is a very pronounced jerk there and a few other places in the ride as well. To me, its a little painful, but can be dealt with. - Todd

darn you :-) Now THAT is what truly impressed me with Tomb Raider when it opened. They really did do an excellent job with it. Sadly, and we all knew it would happen, they let it go down the tubes.......just like Italian Job. Actually, I think Italian Job is the worse of the bunch. It never really fully functioned with all its theming :-) I'm astonished that the helicopter scene still works. None the less, man I miss the early days of Tomb Raider.

Indeed a very nice article! I'm very much fascinated with the Flying Turns, definitely should be a very different experience from the modern steel versions we have now. If anyone can do it and do it right, it is Knoebels. What a gem that place is. - Todd

Or the one installed at a certain park in Atlanta, Georgia, near a WooferBear... Goliath, I think it is called. Now Interpreter, you know how I feel about Goliath. Its simply a stunning and fantastic ride! As much as I'd love it to be at PKI (it may actually get me to VISIT the park again), PKI would find someway to ruin it. It would be trimmed to death with most of the forces taken out of it. I agree though, KI needs a large steel coaster.

Scooby does have a pre show. You just need to look up! I realize that, its just terrible. :-) - Todd

While I haven't ridden Rumbler yet, I've ridden the Millennium Flyers on Roar, Thunderhead and Lightning Racer. By far, the best wood coaster trains on the market. Too bad GCI only sells them with their own rides. They are a work of art. Hey Reclaimer, about your comments about the props on Gobbler Getaway. They ARE animated, they were all working early in the morning. We were told that the main compressor broke at some point, which is why NOTHING was moving later in the afternoon. So never fear :-) - Todd

Well, FINALLY, after being delayed and delayed, we finally made it to Holiday World to check out Voyage. Last season, our experiences at Holiday World weren't all that great. I've been going to the Park for about 8 years now, last year was just different. It felt like a lot of the charm was gone, the employees not as friendly as usual, we just had bad days there. We arrived about 10 minutes before they opened, crowds were light. The ropes dropped and we headed down into Thanksgiving. Now, let me just start by saying this. I'm VERY happy that the Park has prospered and grown like they have. The Koch's are truly good people and have worked so hard at making the Park what it is. Its definitely unbelievable to look back at when I started to visit and Raven was *the* star attraction. Moving on, I have to say, I feel that the Park took on a bit too much this year. While I understand the concern with capacity and I appreciate the efforts made, I feel that a lot of quality was sacrificed to do so. I expect that from PKI, not Holiday World. The Thanksgiving section is bland, with very little going on to even make you think you are in a Thanksgiving themed area. Obviously Voyage was first up. Our first ride was in the back seat. I had watched the POV video, followed construction with pictures, all that fun jazz. I thought I had an idea of what to expect, but god was I wrong. I'm not going to go into a detailed blitz about the ride, others have already done so. The Voyage is something that can't be believed after your first ride. Still today, it seems like it just isn't possible. They truly have built the ultimate coaster. I've never seen a ride keep its pace like that. The first out-bound leg is going UP hill, yet the train continues to pick up speed. The use of the terrain by use of the tunnels is simply brilliant and VERy effective. The first three hills are loaded with airtime, preluded by a SPECTACULAR first drop.....perhaps one of the best on any wood coaster I've ridden. The turnaround is a blur. I experienced some of Gravity Group's tricks on Hades last year, but they went beyond those on Voyage. The mid-course brake is actually a welcomed relief and the only chance you have for a breather. From here on back to the station, its nothing but direction changes, quick pops of air, insane speeds, trick track and more. It has some of the most abrupt changes of direction that I've experienced. The train hits the final brakes at close to 50MPH......on a 6500 foot ride! The engineering is amazing, the design unbelievable. Its a freak show. Perhaps, though, a bit too much. I feel that it may go a bit beyond what it should. Its not a ride that a lot of people will be able to handle more than once. Its a physically exhausting ride. I'm a very seasoned rider, as anyone who knows me will tell, been on close to 400 coasters now. Voyage is almost too much. We rode about 3 times in a row last night before close, another ride would have been it. I urge anyone who can to go ride it this year and enjoy it! Its an experience, thats for sure! As I said, almost 24 hours later, I'm still trying to process the whole ride. Gobbler Getaway. Something that the Park was in desperate need of...a dark ride. I loved it. Sally has some tweaking to do yet, but overall I was pleased. I read on here that someone thought it was a cheapened version of Scooby Doo, which I don't get. I MUCH preferred Gobbler Getaway to Scooby. Props to Sally and HW for coming up with a totally original storyline and ride. The pre-show was a treat, something that Scooby lacks. We made our way out of Thanksgiving, giving the new Bahari River a glance. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting and I definitely think the Park should have held off a season before building it. It just doesn't look like it fits. Still, Splashin' Safari is a great water park......definitely the best in the region. A large collection of slides, definitely a better collection than Boomerang Bay. We took our usual spins on Freedom Train, Liberty Launch and even made our way over to the Howler for a few spins. Lines were non-existant thanks to the storm that made its way through around lunch time. Speaking of food, it always boggles my mind at how cheap it is. I spent around $20 yesterday in food. I had pizza, corn dogs, two orders of fries, some chocolate from the fudge shop, fried oreos. Tell me how much I would have paid for that at PKI? Unbelievable :-) Legend was running slow. Even so, I've never been a Legend fan. Its like Shivering Timbers......too much of one thing. Shivering Timbers is nothing but hill after hill after hill of air time. Legend is nothing but laterals....with one or two pops of air mixed in. Raven is where my heart will always lie. Its been my baby since the beginnging. It wasn't running as hot as it used to last year. She's flying beautifullly this season. The track work on the Lake Rudolph turn made a huge difference. The S-Curves following *The Drop* could use a little work, but its still smooth as glass. Back seat still surprises me with its airtime. Raven is just a fun ride. No matter where you sit. Its speedy, has great air in the back and just kicks it. Its short, but sweet and it put the Park on the map. All in all another great day at HW. We were headed to Beech Bend but decided to stick it out for some more Voyage. Beech Bend is coming soon, Rumbler looks like a darn fine little ride. Our next little trip is heading out to Branson to hit up Silver Dollar City, WoF and SF St. Louis. - Todd