Trip Report May 1-3

[Thrillrider]

Hi All,

First of all, thanks again to those of you who provided some great advice about the park!

My fiancee and I flew up from Philly Friday after work and the flight was really bumpy (think of your average back seat ride on SOB). We flew into Columbus rather than Cincinnati as the flight was much cheaper. Anyway, the weather was HORRIBLE when we arrived. It was pouring, and it pretty much rained for our entire trip down to Mason. We were extremely worried about the weather over the weekend as rain was predicted pretty much the entire time. As it turned out, other than Friday night we didn't get a drop all weekend and it was actually quite pleasant! I had not planned on stopping at the park, but it was 9:30 PM and I thought maybe we could run in and catch at least one ride. At this point it was a light drizzle, so we parked and ran into the park. I was delighted to find Diamondback open in walk-on conditions, so we took a ride in the back row - fantastic! My fiancee wanted to ride The Beast so we went back there but by the time we got back there the rain had picked up again and they closed operation of the coaster for the rest of the evening.

Now I liked Diamondback, but the both of us really love The Beast. Therefore, on Saturday morning we went straight back to The Beast for a marathon session. We actually stayed over there from about 9 AM to noon, and logged about 15 rides (we had a total of 29 over the weekend - yes we did keep count in true coaster geek fashion). The park didn't seem too bad for a Saturday and I think the dismal forecast may have helped with that. I hardly saw any families all day but the park was filled with teens and pre-teens. This was the case both Saturday and Sunday. It wasn't a problem, but I never heard so many people screaming. I am not talking about on the rides, but screaming to each other on the midways, etc. Alas, it was just teens being teens and at least the park wasn't packed. Sunday the park was much less crowded and we had walk-on conditions for the Drop Tower, SOB, Flight Deck, etc.

OK, so it's been a few years since I've been to this park and have a question - what the heck is up with Adventure Express? I am sure this is probably documented somewhere on these forums, but why are all the figures broken?? One thing that drives me crazy is when parks (other than Disney/Universal) add rides with theming and after the first year or two let it all go to hell. At least some of the noises throughout the ride were still there (monkeys, creaking wood, etc.). Also, when did the Drop Tower start rotating on the way up? I thought this feature had been down for a few years?

Over the course of the weekend, we didn't bother with Flight of Fear or Firehawk. We've ridden Firehawk at Geauga Lake, and Batwing is not too far from us at the Six Flags park in Maryland. The lines for both of these rides were the longest in the park both days (time-wise, not necessary length wise). It is amazing how popular the Flight of Fear is at this park. The one at King's Dominion is usually empty! This is probably due to the placement of the ride at a dead-end in the corner of the park, while the KI version is close to the main midway and now has Firehawk right next door.

Anyway, it was a great weekend at a great park. I wish it was closer to home for more Diamondback and Beast rides!

Alan

[standbyme]

Alan,

Thanks for the trip report! 29 rides on The Beast...wow!

I have not been to the park this year yet...so I can not answer your Adventure Express question...but I have been reading lately that some of the effects aren't working...that bugs me too!

See ya,

J.D.