Delirium_Guy Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 This past weekend, we decided to get our coaster season off to an early start! We being my boyfriend Robb and Coasterdime. What initially just started out as a weekend in Virginia Beach to visit Robb's cousin and a visit to PKD and BGW, snowballed into a 1900 mile road trip in 4 days :-) Thursday night we left Cincinnati, making a quick stop by Huntington WV to visit my parents for a few minutes, and arrived in Newport News, VA around 4AM. Just a few short hours later, we were back up and on our way to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Arrived at the Park around 11AM to non-existant crowds and a beautiful 75 degree sunny day! First stop of the day was on Lochness Monster. I still love Nessie. Great first drop over the water, perfect placement in the Park. Its not a thrill machine, but it still manages to give up a nice ride. We made our way up the hill after riding Nessie and entered the oktoberfest section, gearing up to ride Dar Kastle. Now, we were able to ride this several times last season and LOVED it. For 2006, BGW went one step further to ENHANCE and IMPROVE the ride. A whole new scene was added, the 3d effects greatly enhanced, more motion to the sleds and overall just a more fluid ride. Hands down, no question, the most elaborately themed attraction outside of Disney. Its refreshing to see Parks like Busch put the time and effort into making a TRUE immersive ride experience. We took several more spins on Dar Kastle through out the day, thanks to no wait. Next up, Alpengeist. I fell in love with this coaster again last season. The last half is still a shadow of its former self, thanks to the heavy trimming on the mid-course brake, but the first half still just cuts loose. The power through the inversions, especially the cobra roll, is just fantastic. Its always a reminder of the golden days of B&M....when they really just built balls-to-the-wall rides. Again, thanks to the crowds, walk on rides were plentiful all day long. We managed to take a spin on Le Scoot, the parks flume ride. It was a little more wet than I had remembered, but it was a nice day out and was a bit refreshing. Markings are already in the ground around the Le Scoot / Le Mans Raceway for the 2007 project. Its a fairly good sized area. Given the 210 height variance they were approved for, it seems as though something along the lines of Sheikra may be on its way to Williamsburg. Guess we'll find out soon enough. We snagged a free lunch, thanks to a prior incident we had at the Park last season in which we were given free meal vouchers. Delicious food as always at BGW and very filling. Next up, Apollo's Chariot. I've never been a big fan of this ride. Fortunately, it was having a very good day. Still not a favorite of mine, but it was enjoyable. It is way too controlled and the air is a bit to floaty for my taste. Setting is great and i love that drop out by the river! Last, but not least, a few spins on Big Bad Wolf. Still my favorite suspended coaster. Again, excellent use of the terrain and a setting that can't be beat. We actually spent a lot of time riding most, if not all of the flat rides and even took a spin on the quirky Corkscrew Hill 3D simulator attraction. Overall, another great day at Busch. Friendly employees, very efficient. Its still one of the most beautiful parks out there! We finished up Friday by having dinner with Robbs cousin before heading to bed. MYRTLE BEACH PAVILLION Saturday morning rolls in, we make a 350 mile drive south to Myrtle Beach, SC! Hitting up the Myrtle Beach Pavillion was high on my list of things to do this season and for two reasons: I had never ridden the Hurricane (2000 CCI) and this is the farewell season for the Pavillion. We arrived shortly after 3PM, again to beautiful sunny skies and 80 degree temps. Checked into the Best Western Carolinian, changed into shorts, grabbed the camera and took off down the strip! The Pavillion is a staple of Myrtle Beach. Its the first thing you see as you enter the area, its a landmark. However, they seem to think that plot of land is best suited for condos and other retail development. It was very hard to walk around the Park knowing what its future holds. Its the classic boardwalk amusement park. The atmosphere is just special. The sounds, the smells, the ocean breeze. Its sad that each year, more of these parks are going away. We bought our POP wrist band and headed to Hurricane. I had heard mixed things about this coaster. Some love it, some hate it. I've heard complaints of roughness, which I could understand since it uses those wonderful Gerstlauer trains. We took a spin in the back seat. A quick climb up the lift left very little time to enjoy the view. THe first drop was decent, a bit of air. Very little air on the outbound leg, strong laterals around the helix, a uneventful return leg (except one drop), and another helix with strong laterals. Overall, I was in the middle. It wasn't great, nor was it as bad as I was told. We later tried the front seat, wow, this thing comes to life in the front. Nice air on most of the hills, plus all the laterals of the helix. Its a solid B ride, but still not the best that CCI leashed out during their time. Two more credits to be had. Mad Mouse, the parks Arrow built wild mouse coaster. Very good, no braking....kills the mouse feeling though by having banked turns. Last, the Little Eagle family coaster. Not much here, except cute theming :-) The Park is also home to two dark rides, the Haunted Hotel and Treasure Hunt. The Hotel has been at the Park for years, though it was recently updated by Sally. Sally also provided the shoot-out ride, Treasure Hunt. Not the best of the bunch, but two dark rides in one park is good for me :-) Again, the evening was spent riding random rides, before we headed out to Broadway at the Beach for dinner at Margaritaville. Yumm. SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA Sunday morning brough us another 350 mile trip, this time to the west to Six Flags over Georgia. It had been 6 years since my last visit. Georgia Scorcher was the new attraction. Honestly, we went to check out the new for 2006 Goliath (B&M Speed Coaster). I had no expectations for the Park or the ride. First, its a Six Flags and second its a B&M Speed Coaster. For those who know me well, know I've never been impressed with any of them. We pulled into the Park and financed the $15 parking fee. OUCH. We made our way to the front gate and were very impressed, at least visually. Goliath just trumps its way out of the park boundaries and plays with the entrance driveway, park gate, and Georgia Scorcher. Definitely a site. Goliath looked strange though. It had the pacing that no other B&M Speed Coaster had, my interest was peaked now....would it deliver? Made our way into the park and headed off to the left. Georgia Scorcher - B&M Stand Up - was first up. It was a walk on, but shockingly of all....TWO trains running. We nabbed our back seat ride. Wow. Forgot all about this one. Definitely the best of the B&M Stand-Ups. Great pacing, intense and just the strangest turns and changes in direction. We soon found ourselves in the Goliath entrance plaza. The snaked out into several queues, so we decided to come back a bit later. Both trains were running though! We made our way to Gotham City, the best of ALL the Gotham City sections in the Six Flags chain. Quickly we found ourselves aboard Mindbender, the Parks 1978 Schwarzkopf Looping Speed Racer. Again, wow. Two trains running, QUICK dispatches. Were we in a Six Flags park? We took off in the back seat. I didn't remember much about this one, of course it was the first time for James and Robb. We definitely came off with a smile :-) Good old Schwarzkopf. Intense loops that the train absolutely tears around, mixed in a killer helix and some EJECTOR air time....you've got yourself a great little ride here. Batman was right next door. Again, this has the best theming of any of the Batman rides out there. I've always been impressed with it. Two trains running, very fast dispatches. What was going on? THis was our third ride of the afternoon, they had all delivered. All trains running, quick dispatching and the employees were guest relating like no other. Asking the guests how their day had been, talking about Goliath, cheering the trains in and out of the station, and thanking everyone for coming out to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of Six Flags. We were all three VERY impressed. As usual though, Batman delivers. Old school B&M, quick inversions, fast pacing, never lets up until the brakes. At this point, we decided to wait out Goliath. What was posted as a 30 minute wait would have turned out to be 10....except someone got sick and shut the ride down for about 10 minutes. Aboard in the back seat, the train dispatched and headed up the S T E E P lift hill. It wasted no time, as we were soon up and OVER the lift. darn, nice air time! The drop is a little short, but it had to be due to location. The train raced up the second hill, then EJECTOR air all the way down! A curve to the left and we were racing over the driveway to the Park and headed for hill 3. Again, strong air coming down this one. Now, what I was most interested about.....the spiraling helix to turn the train around. Holy cow. The train flies over the crest of the hill, then you are almost IMMEDIATELY banked and pinned in your seat as you spiral down about 100 feet. After that, another hill with some nice ejector-esq air. Another highbanked turn whips the train around to head on home. 3 more bunny hops follow, all with serious airtime. Even the final dip into the brake run has air. I was FLOORED. Boys and girls, B&M are back. This is the first ride in about 5 years that I have been just bowled over by. This thing has the pacing of the Intamin hyper coasters. The airtime isn't quite as pronounced and severe as those, but this thing doesn't screw around. Again, I'm not a fan of Raging Bull, Apollo OR Nitro, but this thing cracked my top 5 steel. Its THAT good. Still in shock over Goliath, we continued our tour. Employees greated us in every gift shop, each ride, everywhere. What was this place? Next up was Superman:Ultimate Flight. I had ridden the one at Chicago, this was the original. Much nicer in Georgia, as it was built for the terrain here. Two trains running, quick dispatches, about a 20 minute wait. I liked this one a bit more than Chicago's, the Pretzel Loop is definitely more intense. They ironed out a bit of the force for the Chicago and New Jersery models. Definitely prefer these to the Vekoma flyers, the sensation of flying is just so much more effective I think. Great American Scream Machine was up next. I wasn't a fan of this ride during my last visit, I'm still not. Two trains running again. Wasn't rough for me, just very uneventful. It looks like it should do SO much. Still looks beautiful over the lake though. We made our way towards the front of the Park and found ourselves next to Acrophobia. I've been curious about this drop ride since it opened. The seats are angled foward at 15 degrees so that you are facing the ground as you drop. I don't know how to describe this one. It was freaky during the drop.....and drop rides dont' phase me one bit. The employee was having fun with us though. As we neared the top, we started singing Chris Brown's Run It over the PA system. Except instead of saying "Run it, Run it", he said "Drop it, Drop it". It was hilarious and very refreshing to see them getting into it. Last, but certainly not forgotten by myself.....the Georgia Cyclone. This thing kicked my ass 6 years ago and I loved every second of it. I heard they had trimmed it a bit, so I was nervous to ride again. It was in my top ten wood, but would it still be that way? Back seat bound, we were off and out to the lift hill. A quick slow down while the second train approached the station, then we were up to the top. This drop is just wrong. Of course, if ya didn't know, this is a mirror image of the famous Coney Island Cyclone. The drop is steep and has a quick jog to the left during the middle of it. MAJOR ejector air. The first turn around kinda lulls you into a sense that everything is calm, then it all breaks loose. Pretty much each hill delivers extreme ejector air, with a little lateral mixed in. There are two trim brakes headed up two of the hills. It definitely has changed the flow of the ride, but it still owns you the whole way through. Still a favorite of mine. James and Robb didn't know what to say after it was over :-) We ended up RUSHING back to the Park the next morning for some more Goliath rides. The Season Pass ERT was canceled due to some severe storms that moved through the area, however the rides opened shortly after the park did at 10:15. Goliath and Superman ran two trains, everything else ran one. Thats all that was needed, lines were a walk on or 10 minutes at most. Dispatches with one train were very fast and really didn't make waiting all that bad. As crowds increased, trains were added when needed. It was a wonderful two days at SFoG. Its by far my favorite Six Flags. There really isn't a bad ride there. The coasters ran well, the employees were SOOO nice, park was beautifully landscaped, I even saw the GM (who used to be at KK) out talking with guests. Is this a sign of good things to come for Six Flags? I hope so. If this trend continues, Six Flags could once again become a leader in the industry and set the standard for all the others. They truly have a winner on their hands with Goliath. It compliments the coaster collection perfectly and really fits in with the Park. We definitely are going to be making MANY more trips down this season!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Nice trip report. Can only hope SixFlags learns from the class act they have in SFoG.. Mr. Shapiro are you listening. I love the B&M hypers and cant wait to ride this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 a. Glad you enjoyed Busch Gardens Europe (yeah, that's what they are calling that place now....kind of odd since it was once Busch Gardens, The Old Country!). I actually was there Saturday, and also was very impressed with Dar Kastle. When Busch does theming, they do it right. And they maintain it, too! b. Also glad you got to Hurricane while it's still there. For those headed down that way, don't overlook Swamp Fox at Family Kingdom, which is visible from the Hurricane! It's one incredible wood coaster... c. Welcome to the new Six Flags. So far, every Six Flags I have visited has seen this transformation. I might wander down to Kentucky Kingdom this weekend to see if it even carried over to there. The thing that has impressed me most about Georgia this season has been the park's incredible cleanliness and the amount of staffing and their attitudes. At closing time, the senior management stands at the gate thanking each and every guest for coming. They act like they mean it, too. Yes, $15 for parking is insane, but they are running trams, lots of them. I paid $10 to park at Paramount's Kings Dominion last weekend, and all I got for that was a receipt...and snarled at! d. Goliath sounds awesome...I guess I will find out soon enough...I have other plans for this Friday, or I'd be there this weekend. I'd have gone last, but I had to be at opening day at Great Adventure. There was NO way I was missing that. Kingda Ka was running, too...and I scored yet another front seat ride on that magnificient beast. It sounds as if y'all had a great trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Todd, Are you saying that your experience at SFOG is better than last time? Have they shaken things up to the point where there's hope, or has this park always been pretty good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Thank You For The Report! I been tellin ya'll that SFOG is not what ya would expect from a Six Flags park. I can pretty much guarantee that anyone that is a theme park/coaster/entertainment entusiast will not be disappointed with the experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium_Guy Posted April 6, 2006 Author Share Posted April 6, 2006 Todd, Are you saying that your experience at SFOG is better than last time? Have they shaken things up to the point where there's hope, or has this park always been pretty good? The Park itself has ALWAYS been good, its the service that has always been lousy. It was a COMPLETELY different experience. Quite honestly, its the best experience I've had in ANY park outside of Disney. The three of us were soo disappointed and sad to leave. From all the reports I've read, similiar experiences are happening at every Six Flags park. The thing that impressed me, they really followed through on the characters appearing in the Park. We saw no less than TWENTY DIFFERENT characters out. The most impressive, Batman & Robin.......standing watch at the entrance to Gotham City. Funny story about that. We jokingly picked up some Junior Officer stickers that they were giving out to the kids. James had the sticker on when we had our pic taken with Batman and Robin. Batman approached James and asked if he had seen anything suspicious around Gotham today. seems silly, but its THAT kind of guest interaction that really stands out and makes it a great experience for the guest. I'll put some pictures up of the Park whenever I get a chance. Seriously, get to SFoG and ride Goliath. My top 5 steel hasn't changed in 6 years, this baby jumped to my #3 spot, MILES ahead of Millennium Force and most of the Intamin hypers. Superman at SFNE remains at #1 and Phantom's Revenge still at #2. - Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 I actually got my butt over to Six Flags today to process my season pass. OK, now for me to speak very posetively about Six Flags, it's a rarity. Anyway, I can't speak highly enough about Goliath. It truely is an amazing ride. I've not been on another coaster that gave you that type of Air Time. It was truly a great experience at the park. From the ride up on through. We got to the parking lot and the person manning the booth was friendly and on top of things. I asked about buying a parking pass and she explained that it was up at the Will Call Area and explained precisely how it was done an processed. (Not Just The buy it up front that I was expecting.) We went up to the main gate and had the passes processed. There was a long line but we were not in there for any longer than 5 minutes. Then it was off to the gate and the metal detectors. Ugh, I have a chain on my wallet and apparently that is not allowed this year. Sooooo, I went and had to drop the wallet off at the Jeep. The thing is, the girl that was checkin me in was so nice and friendly, I didn't even really mind going and dropping it off. Then back to the park. What I found was that Every Ride looked like it had a fresh coat of paint. No fading on anything? All new umbrellas and canopies at all the stands. (It just seems as if they dumped a lot of money into the park this year.) Could this be a park that had financial issues? It certainly does not seem it on the outside. The way the park was staffed - I can never (not even when I worked at Kings Island) remember seeing a park so well staffed. Every register at every stand/game and shop were manned. There was ample security and associates just walking around. The characters were at every point in the park. It was a short trip - Only road Goliath, Batman, Superman, Monster Plantation (similar to what Enchanted Voyage was) and the Mine Ride. We didn't see any of the 5 shows that were already open this season. Anyway, that's what's happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 You MUST see the shows. The R and B show is among the best I have seen in a park. And did you notice that EVERY restroom is attended ALL the time? I, too, am amazed at SFOG this year. At SFGAd this year. Even with SFKK, though not quite as much. I guess soon I will find out if I am as amazed with SFA... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 You MUST see the shows. The R and B show is among the best I have seen in a park. And did you notice that EVERY restroom is attended ALL the time? I, too, am amazed at SFOG this year. At SFGAd this year. Even with SFKK, though not quite as much. I guess soon I will find out if I am as amazed with SFA... No kidding! They had ecology people that were walking around with disinfectent bottles and cleaning things. What are your thoughts on this Interpreter. They are staffed better than any park (Even Disney) than I have ever seen. And honestly, the prices were not too expensive. A buger combo thingy for $6.99? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 I have been WELL pleased with Six Flags Over Georgia this year. I have been there like four times, which is for me some sort of record. Been to Great Adventure once, and to Kentucky Kingdom. And this weekend, I am going to SFA, and I intend to hit Six Flags Over Texas soon, as well as Great Adventure again. There is an excellent chance I will be at Magic Mountain in July. I only have so many park visits in me. I have yet to make a second visit to any Paramount Park this year, though I do intend to get back to Carowinds. That all being said, it's early. Let's see if the staffing levels and enthusiasm hold until, say, July. And the Papa John's Pizza at Six Flags is NOT reasonable. $6.99 for a slice of pizza is absurd. (The cheesebread is usually only $2.45 at the parks, though; and quite the steal by comparison). The Panda at SFOG is also very good and reasonably priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The New England Snapper Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 Great trip report Todd! I miss you guys so much and I'm glad you guys had a great time! Goliath does look very nice and I cant wait to ride it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium_Guy Posted May 1, 2006 Author Share Posted May 1, 2006 Great trip report Todd! I miss you guys so much and I'm glad you guys had a great time! Goliath does look very nice and I cant wait to ride it! Hey Snapper, we miss you just as much buddy! You just take good care of my baby Superman up at SFNE, we'll be up to visit the two of you real soon :-) Following up with a few comments from earlier, my positive experiences at Six Flags have continued. We went to SFKK last week, WOW! The Park looked nice. Employees were the friendliest I've ever seen there. ALL rides were operating, except Roller Skater. Two trains on Chang and T2. Crews were fast, efficieient. What the hell is going on with Six Flags? Someone gets it. Like Interpreter said, I hope this lasts through the season. The changes are wonderful and really have set these Parks at a higher standard....honestly one that I'd like to see some others follow. I can't believe i just said that. SFoG is a jewel, I can't wait to head back down and tackle some more Goliath rides......ooooh and Mindbender is running FANTASTIC this season!!! - Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The New England Snapper Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Great trip report Todd! I miss you guys so much and I'm glad you guys had a great time! Goliath does look very nice and I cant wait to ride it! Hey Snapper, we miss you just as much buddy! You just take good care of my baby Superman up at SFNE, we'll be up to visit the two of you real soon :-) Following up with a few comments from earlier, my positive experiences at Six Flags have continued. We went to SFKK last week, WOW! The Park looked nice. Employees were the friendliest I've ever seen there. ALL rides were operating, except Roller Skater. Two trains on Chang and T2. Crews were fast, efficieient. What the hell is going on with Six Flags? Someone gets it. Like Interpreter said, I hope this lasts through the season. The changes are wonderful and really have set these Parks at a higher standard....honestly one that I'd like to see some others follow. I can't believe i just said that. SFoG is a jewel, I can't wait to head back down and tackle some more Goliath rides......ooooh and Mindbender is running FANTASTIC this season!!! - Todd yeah i cant wait till u come up! We can go to Laronde and ride there goliath!!! That would mean so much if you really did come up! You guys can stay at my house when you come up! Take care!!! Ive already have been on the num #1 Steel coaster 2 times! bc i havnt had more than 2 hours to myself! Im working my ass off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Let's just hope that the moral of the story is that if you put real heart, hands and mind into a park, you can turn it around overnight. ...Either that or it'll be a financial disaster to staff all of those people. Let's hope for the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersNSich Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Let's just hope that the moral of the story is that if you put real heart, hands and mind into a park, you can turn it around overnight. ...Either that or it'll be a financial disaster to staff all of those people. Let's hope for the first. If I'm paying $15 to park, $40-$50 to get in, and $10 for pizza and drink, I sure hope the park is well-staffed. I hope the new potential owners of KI staff the place better - they could use greeters at ride entrances to speed up loading (a.k.a. height check in advance). Nothing pains me more to pay a lot for a light meal, and to have to wait for one unenthused employee to run the cash register for a long line of people. Six Flags parks are turning the corner - my visits to Kentucky Kingdom and St. Louis have shown they're dedicated to improving the guest experience. For the most part, coasters running multiple trains, plus restroom attendants, clean pathways, and downright friendly employees. Hell, I saw a cleaning staff at SFStL doing a cheering routine! The new Bugs Bunny National Park (kids area) was nice. I wish I could make it down to SFOG soon for Goliath and much more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 If ya can, you really need to make it down to Georgia. You're not often gonna here me give such an absolutely ringing endorsement of any park but going to this Six Flags park is really worth the time and money. I really and honestly do not know how they've pulled this transformation off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The New England Snapper Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 MEOW WTF ur stupid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 ^ He's spamming the forums. He posted Meow on like 10 posts already. Back on topic. Nice trip report. I'm glad you all had fun, I can imagine that you all were tired. That's alot of parks in only a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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