Well, this is my first attempt at a trip report, so maybe I'll keep it short.
My dad and I were visiting my relatives, who live near Kennywood. We had been there for almost a week, and hadn't really done much and I was getting bored, so we went to Kennywood (but since I was there, we *HAD* to go!). This was my second visit to Kennywood, the first was in 1999 when Steel Phantom still existed and Exterminator was new.
We arrived at the park about 5 minutes after it opened. I noticed a lot of school busses in the bus parking lot, and a lot more cars entering the parking lot than my first trip. It seemed like it was going to be pretty crowded, and it was hot, but that didn't bother me. Maybe the crowds were big because the park had been closed the last few days because of the infamous storm, which had apparently knocked trees down all over the area. Anyway. we bought our wristband, and my first instict was to head straight for Phantom's Revenge. Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet. Apparently, there was a problem with both trains. So, we walked to Lost Kennywood and headed towards The Exterminator. On the way, I saw the damaged Whip. The roof was completely removed, and the ride looks badly damaged and torn apart..... Anyway, on to
The Exterminator
Rating: 8/10
Wait: 0 minutes
Probably the best Wild Mouse in the world. I don't particularly care for Wild Mouses, but this is about as good as they get. The ride is greatly enhanced since most of it is in pitch black darkness. There wasn't as much theming as I remembered. Have some of the effects broken?
After The Exterminator, we headed to...
The Thunderbolt
Rating: 9/10
Wait: 15 minutes
I had forgotten how much fun this ride is. Good ammounts of air time, and lots of lateral Gs - something most new woodies don't have. This is a classic and really does deserve the attention it gets, unlike rides like Blue Streak, which is old and a classic, but not that great of a ride.
Next, we headed over to... uh... I forget. I think it was..
Aero 360
Rating: 7/10
Wait: 20 minutes
Not much to say here. Its really not all that different from the Kamakazi at carnivals, but the floorless design makes it better.
Up next, was...
The Racer
Rating: 6/10
Wait: 10 minutes
The Racer is cool for its unique feature: that its one continuous track. I tried explaining this to my cousins, but they didn't believe me. and they've been on it many times!!
So we chose the blue train because my cousin would have whined if we didn't. It lost big time.
The Racer is fun, but pretty tame, and the race elements aren't as good as they are on newer racing coasters, such as Gemini.
After the Racer, we played some games, and then headed over to...
The Jackrabbit
Rating: 3/10
Wait: 10 minutes
The Jack Rabbit, IMO, is a pretty worthless coaster. Its famous for its age and the double dip, and nothing else. You get a LOT of air time, but its only for a second before you slam back into your seat. That second of air time is not enough to make this a good coaster, IMO. The rest of the ride is outdated, slow, and boring. Again, thats just my opinion.
After the Jack Rabbit, we headed towards the Old Mill area. I played the MTV drum machine in the arcade, and since I really am a drummer, I knew what I was doing and showed off. Hehe, it was cool. Then, after buying a drink, we hopped on
The Old Mill
Rating: 6/10
Wait: 15 minutes
This was my first time riding The Old Mill. Being a fan of dark rides, I enjoyed it, even if only for the relaxation of it and cheesiness of the scenes.
Getting off The Old Mill, we headed back towards Phantom's Revenge again, but made a few stops on the way. First, I saw the damge of The Paratroopers, the only other destroyed ride in the park. It looks beyond repair. Anyway, Phantom's Revenge wasn't open yet, so we rode a few flat rides. I'm not going to rate them because they're the same ones we've all ridden tons of times at nearly every park (bumper cars, Enterprize, ect). After enough flat rides, we ate at...
Potato Patch Fries
Rating: 6/10
Most overrated fries ever. These fries are good, but nothing special. Six Flags and Cedar Point have better fries.
When we finished our fries and drinks, my relatives didn't want to ride a thrill ride because they assumed they'd throw up. We all know that usually doesn't happen, but I went along anyway. We took a walkthrough on...
Noah's Ark
Rating: 7/10
Wait: 20 minutes
Like I said before, I'm a fan of dark rides, and this one has some great, old fasioned fun. Its a good classic dark ride combined with funhouse elements with a cool finale. Very fun, for me anyway.
We then headed over to Lost Kennywood again, and rode the swings (sorry if I'm forgetting the real names of these flat rides) and Wipeout, followed by...
Pittsburgh Plunge
Rating: 6/10
A standard, small water plunge ride. You don't get wet enough, and it needs a bridge to stand on to get soaked on.
FINALLY, Phantom's Revenge opened! I rushed over to get in line before the rest of the park realized it was open...
Phantom's Revenge
Wait: 40 minutes
Rating: 7/10 ..somewhat disapointing..
What would normally be a 20 minute wait was doubled because of annoying one train opperation, which forced me to listen to that awful music they play in the queue line.
I'd take Cedar Point's 80s pop music over this! But after 40 minutes of that, I got on. The trains are nice and big and comfy, but I don't like the restraint system for some reason. The ride would be improved with open air cars. We departed the station and climbed the sloow lift. The first two hills were pretty much exactly like they were on Steel Phantom. They're pretty good. After the first dive under the Thunderbolt, I lost track of what happened. I remember a series of tight, fast turns with lots of positive G forces, which reminded me of MF's overbanked turns, even though these weren't overbanked. Up to that point, the ride was very good. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rest. The finale is a series of, well, pathetic bunny hops that are horribly paced, IMO, so they give very little air time and *slam* you down into your seat and lap bar. Phantom's Revenge is probably the most mediocre *new* coaster I've been on in awhile. It lacked that "Wow! I've got to ride this again!" feeling. I liked Steel Phantom better, actually.
After riding
PR, it was now 3:00, and we had to leave because my cousin had a softball game. I didn't care though, I had already ridden everything I wanted to ride. It was a hot, sticky, crowded, but enjoyable day. The end. Sorry if this was a lame trip report!
Kennywood 6/10/02 
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