homestar92

Funny enough, prior to the official announcement of Carolina Harbor, I would have been willing to bet a dollar to a donut that we were about to see the closure of Wildwater Kingdom, with its attractions being relocated to Carowinds for use in their waterpark expansion. In my mind, it made a lot of sense. Most of the attractions at WWK are things that were not present at Carowinds before the expansion, so it would have been a good way to add a bunch of new things to on the cheap to a park that is quickly growing into flagship-like size and status. I can't imagine that the idea of closing WWK and moving its attractions elsewhere hasn't ever been discussed. The fact that it is still operating seems, to me, to indicate that it is still profitable, or at very least, that they are losing less money operating it than they would moving the attractions or if they let that land and those assets just sit there.

Ugh. I certainly hope that Voyage doesn't get Timberliners. I actually kind of like it. It would be a shame if I couldn't ride it anymore. - homestar92, who really enjoys Arrows and Dinns but truly cannot fathom why anybody who's ridden a ride with them would ever want Timberliners on any coaster.

Quite a bit more than 5 miles, but allow me to make a different recommendation. Feel free to shoot it down if it doesn't fit with your schedule. Instead of staying in/near Doswell, stay two nights in or near Richmond. That puts you within an hour's drive of both Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens. Both parks are worth experiencing. You can visit twice the parks while only making one drive out to that region. I had a great experience at the Courtyard Marriott in Sandston, VA near the airport. I had originally booked the Motel 6 just up the road. The A/C didn't work and the clientele seemed... rough (they have a local police officer patrol their lot at night...). So we requested a refund and went up the street to the Courtyard Marriott, and it was a world of difference. Fantastic hotel, and from time to time you can catch a pretty good price online. If you definitely don't have time to do both parks, then sadly, I cannot offer any meaningful advice for accommodations in Doswell. But my recommendation would be to set aside the time and do both parks. Just do Kings Dominion first. If you went to Busch Gardens and THEN Kings Dominion, you may find yourself underwhelmed.

That picture really shows off what is definitely the best lighting package in the park. Of course, the new lighting package on Raptor is really great, too.

At a different Cedar Fair park, it's both!

In a small way you can: http://www.entertrainmentjunction.com/cincinnati_entertainment_and_attractions/coney-island "In a small way"

I'm not sure that it wouldn't be noteworthy. Look at a ride like Ravine Flyer II. It doesn't really do anything that other coasters didn't do already, but it's critically acclaimed due to its simply being a really fun ride. A ride doesn't have to smash world records or be *THE* big new thing in order to be hugely successful.

The part of me that appreciates history says HECK NO! The part of me that appreciates thrilling roller coasters says maybe... But I think the part that appreciates history wins there. Thrilling coasters can always be built without harming the classics. Either way, I think we could learn to take some of those changes in Stride. The coasters might even get a little more Soul.

I certainly hope that we have six flags over Coney Mall. We also might have Six Flags Over Coney Mall, but I'm on the fence as to whether or not the latter would be for the better.

I have, at various points, had zen rides on all of the Arrows at KI and a couple at CP (Mine Ride and Corkscrew, specifically). I enjoyed all of them. Except Mine Ride because, while that particular ride was no better or worse than any other ride on Mine Ride, I find Mine Ride in general to be about as interesting as a bucket of lukewarm dishwater. In response to jtro223's post above, row 5 and row 7 are not what you want. When we say 5-1, we mean row 1 of car 5 (which would be row 9 overall on the train). Likewise, 7-1 would be row 1 of car 7, or row 13 overall on the train. I have never noticed a discernible difference in ride comfort with regards to sitting on load or unload side of the train. I am squarely in the 7-1 camp, I think it is the most thrilling and smooth seat on the train. Many here prefer 5-1. I've met some people who swear by 1-1. Given that there is not a universal consensus, I say try them all. Vortex offers different experiences in each row, so try them out and see if you like one better than the rest. As another aside, in terms of ride comfort, I find 5-1 and 5-2 to be identical to one another, as are 7-1 and 7-2. However, for taller people, the back seats of a car have much less legroom and that is a problem for me. Don't know if it would be for you.

Well then... Guess I'll be going to Indiana Beach or Waldameer for all my walk-through dark attraction needs...

No. Coaster landmark status is not in any way affected by trains. Any coaster could be chosen as an ACE Coaster Landmark, even steel coasters (Maggie is a Coaster Landmark, for instance). ACE Coaster Classic status, however, is dependent on the design of the trains (and other factors). The Beast, in its current state is already ineligible for this award due to its having backrests, individual lap bars, individual seatbelts, and seat dividers. Woodstock Express once was eligible, and had the award, but changes to the trains (individual seat belts, I think?) revoked its eligibility and ACE rescinded the award. My first experience with Timberliners and my first experience with Millennium Flyers occurred on the same day earlier this summer (on Hades 360 at Mt. Olympus and on Renegade at Valleyfair! respectively, earlier this summer). The Timberliners offered one of the most uncomfortable coaster experiences I've ever had, with the restraint pressing HARD into my hip bone on both sides. And I'm a skinny little dude. I'd hate to imagine the discomfort for a larger person than me. The Millennium Flyers were nothing short of fantastic.

On opening day, the Crypt's actual sign on the entrance to the ride was uncovered...

As an enthusiast, I certainly like the variety too, but the general public doesn't care. To them, a Coaster is a Coaster. Average Joe Schmo can't distinguish a B&M from a Chance Morgan and likely can't distinguish an RMC from a woodie (even RMC struggles with that...). All they see is a Coaster, and parks like KI have more of them. Now, I do think KK is basically ready to be competitive with Holiday World, on the ride selection front anyway. Customer service is not yet on par with HW, but there are very few parks where it is. But in terms of rides, the two are basically competitive. Especially since, in my purely anecdotal experience, the general public seems to greatly favor steel coasters over woodies. And KK DEFINITELY has Holiday World beat in the steel Coaster arena.

What I wouldn't give for a Bayern Kurve. Or a Tumble Bug. Coincidentally, two things that can be found at the finest amusement park on the planet.

^^Wow, look how red Diamondback was. So different from the horrible color that it's faded to... At least it isn't pink... Yet.

My mom also called me to let me know that I had received my pass in the mail (I'm living in an apartment now, but I had it sent there because I was still living with my parents when I bought the pass). I know with absolute certainty that it will be used twice at least - once on opening day (or Storm Chaser's opening day, if they do not coincide) and once on June 4th when I have tickets to see Phantom of the Opera in Louisville. Maybe a third time, depending on if I decide I want to go see Phantom again the next weekend. I have a possibly unhealthy obsession with that particular musical... And of course, it's very likely I'll use my pass more often than that. Having an RMC within a couple hours drive is going to have a certain allure that I doubt I'll be able to resist.

No SIX Parks are in particularly close proximity (I think SFGAm is closest?) but a former SIX park that is soon-to-be home of an RMC coaster is reasonably close. Ah, who am I kidding, I think we can barely call that place competition in its current state.

I'm just hoping it's here for its 30th anniversary... Not to be a Debbie Downer, but that is never a guarantee. I see no evidence to indicate that it's going anywhere any time soon, but it's definitely never a guarantee.

I can think of at least one Force that I would surmise ranks below Steel Force in Terpy's book. If this is the case, I myself cannot comment as I haven't ridden Steel Force... But I've never ridden a Chance/Morgan hypercoaster (or Hyper GT-X) that I didn't love, so my assumption is that I would enjoy it greatly.

I closed my season, as always, with a ride on each of the Arrows. This year, the last one in that rotation was The Bat.

Ownership of the rides on the property, if KK went under, I assume would be a messy situation. Particularly Storm Chaser, with parts of it being new and parts having been on the property previously. If this assumption is correct, that could complicate any sale of rides that might happen.

My feet can drag on Flying Ace in one particular spot, on the turnaround coming out of the station and turning toward the lift hill (the catwalk under the ride begins its incline ever so slightly earlier than the track does, it seems). Since it's just that one spot and I have several inches of clearance throughout the course of the ride, I won't refrain from riding it, but with us having another full-circuit Invert now, I rarely see a reason to spend my time riding it...

Total visits to ANY park: 69 (if my math is right) Total different parks visited: 17 Parks I visited (number of visits next to each park): Carowinds - 3 Busch Gardens Williamsburg - 1 Kings Dominion - 1 Kings Island - 41 Cedar Point - 4 Stricker's Grove - 3 Kentucky Kingdom - 5 Holiday World - 1 Indiana Beach - 1 Kennywood - 1 Conneaut Lake - 1 Waldameer - 1 SFGAm - 2 Little Amerricka - 1 Mount Olympus - 1 Timber Falls Adventure Golf (yes, I count this!)- 1 Valleyfair! - 1 Number of parking lots visited without entering park - 1 (Coney Island) Number of new credits: I don't even keep track anymore. A lot. Now-defunct coasters ridden (this year): Two (Thunder Road at CWi and Shockwave at KD). Maybe four, depending on what happens to CLP. I don't keep individual ride counts, but my most ridden by far was Vortex. Second was likely Thunder Run.

I mean... It can't be worse than a certain other New York-inspired ride...