Cliff Notes:
Delirium is good, but needs to have 4 more giant swings. Many said it was too short.
KW was fun as usual. King Kahuna soaks people, didn’t ride it.
SFWoA was good, didn’t walk across to the aquatic side, too far. They need a mono rail.
TTD was down at CP, saw it test. Large crowds.

Let’s begin. The TR will focus mostly on wait times. I’ve done this trip before and been on most of the rides so I’m not going to list every single ride I went on or give a report on them.

06/13/03 Friday
Flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Columbus arriving Friday night June 13th. Drove to the Ramada Limited hotel located 5 miles south of the park. This is a great hotel, clean room, and it’s right across the street from a Biggs grocery store. There is also a Days Inn for the budget minded people.

06/14/03 Saturday PKI
Parked at the Paramount resort and walked the mile to the park. There is also a Showcase Cinema where you can park, just do it on the far side away from the nasty signs. First to the gate at 08:15am. They have a row of metal detectors outside the park now. They opened them up at 08:30am, and the main gates opened at 9am. The ropes leading to the rides dropped at 10am. While waiting in front of the ropes, people we’re freaking out watching Delirium. The ride is much bigger when you see it in person. One girl said, “I’m not going on that thing, I’d fall out.”, which could be used in the funny things people say at parks thread. So the ropes drop and most quickly walk to Delirium.

Delirium 8/10 – Bucket seats have a nice fit. The restraint is over the shoulder, comfortable, and I didn’t bash my head against it. There’s an info plate on the control room wall from Huss giving some stats. Says the top speed is 76 mph. The floor drops away, the ride starts to spin, and you’re off. The swings go higher and higher, the first few give you butterflies in your stomach. Then the swings really get higher, the bar is at 30 degrees. You feel the air rush past your face, and you’re really moving. Each time you get to the top, you’re upside down, and can see the ground. But there are only 2 giant swings, and then the ride comes down to a stop. What? That’s it? Yes, it’s over. They really need to add a few more giant swings, and possible make it go up to 45 degrees if they can.

SOB – Seems to be smoother than the past, but still has that basketball bouncing feeling. At least my ride was a walkon since I was in the park early, and they had 2 trains running which kept the line moving.

Drop Zone – Had a 30 minute wait early in the morning. The PKD version is better, but this ride still kicks butt. It only spins 1 time on the way up. From the half way point to the top, it’s not spinning. The drop is amazing, but cuts off at the point where it really gets good. This is why the PKD version is much better, you can feel the wind rushing past your head because you are going much faster for a longer drop.

That’s all the rides I’ll review. I didn’t ride TR TR, or the new kid rides, but did the other coasters. I went back to the hotel, rested, then came back that night. Drop Zone had a longer wait than Delirium when the park was closing. What does that tell you? Delirium needs to be longer.

I’d say the average wait time for most rides on this day was 30 minutes.

06/15/03 Sunday KW/SFWoA
Woke up early leaving PKI at 6:15am, arrived KW at 11:30am. I had to stop at Blockbuster on the way and get a discount ticket. Walked to the back of the park and got on Phantoms Revenge, 1 train wait, only 1 train running. Still the same ride, great, lots of air time, and the drop into the ravine is really something.

Walk on for Exterminator. And to think, I once waited 2 hours for this.
Walk on for Pitt Fall, twice.
Short wait for the Racer.

I stood and watched King Kahuna, but didn’t want to ride. The people we’re getting absolutely soaked. It’s a top spin, at one point it goes around 4 times forward. Each time it does, a bunch of water jets in the front of the ride shoot up 20 feet. It’s a wall of water, and the ride passes thru it soaking the people.

Ate the cheese fries, while watching a juggling show. Light crowds for KW, but it was father’s day.

Left KW and drove 3 hours to SFWoA arriving around 4pm. Parking was free at a huge shopping center across the street.
Walkon for X-Flight. This version seems to be faster than the versions at other parks.
Walk on for Serial Thriller, good ride, some shaking.
10 minute wait for BKF, great ride, finally a B&M coaster on my trip.
Rode Villain, S:UE was down but came up right as I was driving past it in my car.
Didn’t feel like walking all the way to the other side to do the aquatic stuff. Man, that’s a long walk, and my feet we’re tired. They really need a monorail to get people back and forth.

Drove the 3 hours to Breakers Express. In 1 day, I drove 550 miles. I went into 2 parks, and actually looked at all of the 4 I visited. I drove past PKI at 6am, went to KW, went to SFWoA, and saw CP that night as I checked into BE. A lot of driving, but worth it.

06/16/03 Monday CP
Got up early, was in the parking lot at 08:15am. The parking attendant gave me a little paper saying TTD would be down. I parked in the soak city lot, and walked over to the Magnum entrance. A few people we’re already there. At 08:30, the line got real long. By 9am, it stretched all the way to the soak city ticket booths, and thru the Magnum tunnel. Funny, there we’re 2 people in front of me with tickets, but no hotel pass, and they we’re first in line. I had an extra pass and gave it to them. Had I not done this, they would have been stuck, and they had been waiting before me. So to be nice to others, bring an extra hotel pass if you’re staying onsite. They put up a sign that displays the two rides that will be operating for the ERT. On this day, it was MF and Mantis.
They let us in at 9am, I jog past TTD, and keep going, it’s not up. The run to MF is long this way, people from the other entrances easily have us beat. This is not the way to go if TTD is down. Got to MF, went into the front seat line. Waited about 10 train cycles, but got my ride in the front. The bugs we’re out in force. So I held my hands in front of my face like Superman. It worked, I didn’t get nailed. I looked at the queue as we we’re making the final turn. The 1st queue block was quickly filling up, and by the time I got off the ride, the 2nd block was being used.

I passed on a re-ride and went to Mantis. 5 minute wait. At 09:30am, the GP is let into the park and they form lines to the other rides that will open at 10am, like Iron Dragon, and Wild Cat. It was now 10am, walkon for PT drop side, then shot side. Continued to Magnum for a walk on ride in 3.1. Continue to Gemini, only one side running. Rode Mean Streak, it was actually pretty smooth. The brakes we’re on for the first drop. Didn’t have that basketball effect shaking my head. Came off it with no headache and was pleasantly surprised. I actually liked the ride. Did the log flume, and walked up thru Frontier trail.

Got in line for Freeway at MF. Line was stretching from the booth to Frontier trail. It was 11:30am, and my stamp was for 5-6pm. They start distribution at 11am with the first time being 1-2pm, and they go fast. The guy has a clicker and changes the time as the stamps are given out. Jogged up to the front of the park, and got a Raptor pass for 6-7pm. WT had a ½ hour wait, I rode in the back. Went back to BE, took a nap, and came back to the park a few hours later. MF still had a 1.25 hour wait, and Raptor was 1 hour. Used my MF freeway pass, and got on the ride in 15 minutes. Rode Iron Dragon, 15 minute wait, fun. Used my freeway pass for Raptor and rode in the back. I was tired, and there we’re large crowds, left around 8pm.

06/17/03 Tuesday CP
This time I parked in the front row in the main lot, and walked to the marina entrance, 3rd in line. They let us in at 9am, was about 10th in line after the run to MF. Didn’t feel like waiting for the front, so I rode in the back. Now this is what bummed me a little. They we’re still testing with the water dummies as everyone ran up. The first ride actually happened at 09:08am. The queue was quickly filling up. I was in the back, then got in line again. The line stretched from the entrance, to the photo shop and back to the entrance. Once inside the queue, I was in the 1st block, which was full. Wait was about 30 minutes, was in the middle of the train. By the time I got off the ride, the 2nd queue block was practically full. It was like the 2000 year days, when MF was the big thing. The crowds all went to the same ride, which is MF, Raptor, and WT.
Went over to PT, rode the drop side, then WT. Went to the front of the park, and got in line for the freeway for Raptor. The passes went fast at 11am, mine was for 1-2pm. Went over and got a pass for WT, also for 1-2pm. Why didn’t I get MF? Because I had a plane to catch, and couldn’t wait for 2pm. If you’re going to use freeway, you need to be standing there at 11am, get a stamp, then run to the next ride you want, and get a stamp, because the ride time is changed as the stamps are given out, and they go fast. By 11:30am, most rides have a time of 6-7pm at night. When you use your freeway, the op cancels it with a black ink stamp.
Went out to my car, got my camera, came back in and took pictures. I look up at TTD and the lights go on, yellow, yellow, green, and then I see a train go up, wow. TTD was testing, walked over and saw a few runs. You can get right up to the fence and you’re only about 5 feet from the train as it’s about to launch. Many people got in line, but I never saw anyone on it. Took the camera back to the car, went in and got my ride on WT at 1pm. Over to Raptor for a front seat ride using my freeway, and that was it. Freeway get you on the ride in 15 minutes. A light drizzle of rain started, and clouds we’re moving in. Got in my car, drove the 3 hours to CMH, and flew home.

The crowds for CP we’re big, lots of people there to ride TTD, but of coarse it was down. So they all headed to MF and Raptor, like the past. I’d have to say, that TTD is bringing in the crowds to CP like a few years ago when MF was the big thing. How can I say this? Because I went to CP last year and crowds we’re not as bad for the morning MF rides. If TTD is down, then the other rides have long lines. As a hotel guest, you’ll get 1 ride on MF when the park opens, and then the queue will fill up. It’s nothing like last year where I got 5 rides on MF in the morning. The hotel pass gets you 1 ride on MF, a 30 minute re-ride, a few short waits for other rides, and then the crowd is there. But this head start on the crowd is well worth it. Of coarse, with TTD back up, this will change, but I’m just giving you an idea of what I saw with TTD down. I’d expect that a hotel guest may get a short wait for TTD, which will be worth it, then a head start on the other rides.

The bugs, gosh, if there is anything CP can do about the bugs, then please do it. They don’t bite, but they’re everywhere, thousands of them. I mean, certain areas of the park have more than others, like the train station next to the log flume. Wonder if they can spray the ground or something.

I was expecting ride ops to staple people, but I was surprised to see them just making sure the restraints we’re in the proper position. On all rides, I put my seat belt on tight, and the bar all the way down, and they could see that. They pulled up on the bar if it was in the proper position. I had no problems with the ride ops, they we’re all friendly.

The end.

I couldn't do that...I tend to try to give each park two days...not two parks in one day...damn.

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phantompenguin

Good report, I found a lot of it interesting since I'll be leaving for three of those parks on my Midwest/Southern circle trip. The other two are SFStL and SFKK. The lines were very short it seemed for a Saturday at PKI. That's good for me since I'll be there on a Monday. Does Delirium really move that fast? I guess I'm a little scared how the lines at CP will be, if they were that long on a Monday. We'll be there on Thur. July 3rd and Fri. July 4th. Hopefully TTD will be up so I can ride it again and that way other lines will be shorter.

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I want to go to John's Park.

I just got back from a very similar trip, PKI,CP,KW,BGW

About King Kahuna when I was there, June 10th I think you were not getting wet at all, I know what your talking about with the jets in the front they must have recently raised them or something, its a very fun ride. When you went to PKI what was the longest you waited when I went there was no wait for any ride inculding Drop Zone. When I went since there was no lines I was basically able to experience all the rides from every row and SOB is actually somewhat smooth from the front and second row the rest are terible though. I also was at CP the day Dragster closed June 4th I think and I got there an hour too late!!

I'm the same. I could do The Fun Spot and Indiana Beach in one day but my paents don't want to. I couldn't do TWO LARGE parks in one day. I plan on (and have in the case of CP) doing all large parks (CP, SFGAm, PKI) over two days. Although I've also done SFA and PKD in one day.... Still couldn'tve done both in the SAME SUN!!!! Although I'm dreaming about doing stuff like that in the future (after high school)...

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