06-07-2006, 09:41 AM
| | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Collegeville, PA
Posts: 53
| | | Midwest Coaster Trip- 6 parks in 7 days
Two friends, my wife, and I recently got back from a fairly big coaster trip last week.
We hit the following parks (in this order):
Cedar Point - 5/25
Kings Island - 5/26
Kentucky Kingdom - 5/27
Holiday World - 5/28
Six Flags St. Louis - 5/29
Worlds of Fun - 5/30
We flew from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, drove to Cedar Point and stayed the night in Breakers Express. Got up early, ate Breakfast at Hotel Breakers and entered the park (early of course) through the back entrance and got the closest parking spot imaginable.
Cedar Point was good as usual, but because Millennium Force was down it couldn't be great experience (luckily I've ridden it a few times before, otherwise it would have cast a shadow on everything). Blue Streak continues to amaze me. It's old, but fairly smooth and efficient. Nothing else to report except for the unholy down pour/tornado warning that sent us packing around 7pm, but that was OK because we got to ride everything except for Top Thrill, and since I rode Kingda Ka a few weeks earlier (the day its current troubles started) I didn't feel any pressing need to get on it.
We were expecting the worst at Kings Island, because we heard that Son of Beast was closed and three or four other coasters were down the day before. We arrived to find several coasters closed, but I didn't care because Beast was open and Beast was empty. That ride is so good, it may be the best coaster in the world, but I can't have it unseat MF because I couldn't ride it this trip. The romp through the woods combined with the ending double helix that just can't be topped. It's the only ride I'd consider writing a poem about. Fortunately, by the end of the day, all coasters were open. The Racer beat the living hell out of me. Then we find out that Son of Beast would be opening. Talk about a one-two punch. Son of Beast jarred me so much as to make me not want to ride it ever again, which pisses me off because it has all the elements any kick-ass ride should have. If not for the brain hemorrhaging roughness, it'd be a classic.
Kentucky Kingdom was quaint. It was a little different, but I don't ever have to go back. Chang was really smooth, and probably the best stand-up I've ridden. Thunder Run was an unexpected delight, a wonderful ride. T2. A travesty of a ride. I will never speak of it again.
Holiday World was the park I was most looking forward to mostly because of the Voyage. When I get to the ticket booth I see a sign that the Voyage would be closed for the day. My heart sank. To add insult to injury Raven and Legend took forty senseless minutes to get on, each. I say senseless because the brilliant people at Holiday World only had one train running on each coaster. I can't stand it when parks devalue my time enough to make me wait in nasty heat through some of the most confined and evil switchbacks I've ever seen. Luckily things started to look up after that. Voyage started testing, and shortly later we were on our way up the lift hill. This ride erased my desire to kick the owner in the crotch (yes, I know the owner is an old woman). What a wonderful, fast and frenetic coaster. I was equally surprised to find that the front had just as much, if not more, air time than the back. Just wonderful. It's too soon to name it the best, but that it even raises doubt in my mind is a very good sign.
Six Flags St. Louis. Oppressive heat combined with a park that is not very well maintained created an experience that left a bad taste in our mouths. We left the park by 3pm. Nuff said. All the coasters need paint. Screamin' Eagle looked painted, but on the ride you can see that they only bothered to paint the portion the public could see from the front of the station. Weak. The Boss was a very good ride, but only from the front. The straightaway at the bottom of the first hill is a nice and unique touch. The rip-off double helix to end the is irritating rather than thrilling. I won't even talk about Ninja.
Worlds of Fun ended our trip. Nice Park. Patriot is new this season. Nice ride. Very smooth. Very ordinary. This coaster does nothing new for me and I likes me my inverts. It's a good edition to the park, but offers the hardened coaster rider nothing impressive to blog home about. Oddly enough Spinning Dragons was the highlight of the park. Fun ride. Different. I dug it. A lot. As for the rest of the park? Mamba is a copy of Steel Force from Dorney (been there, rode that). Boomerang is, well, a boomerang, and should be melted down, immediately. Timber Wolf is scary in that I wasn't sure if the train would actually make it back to the station. I've renamed it the Lumbering Oaf due to its slow, plodding pace.
That's it for that trip. If you want to see a few pics and some more detailed info, I blogged about my experience just about every night during the trip. (http://thebagmeansyourmind.blogspot.com/). It is my personal blog, so this is the only coaster related stuff on there. Read from May 23rd on forward for all of the trip stuff.
Last edited by CrymeLord; 06-07-2006 at 09:57 AM..
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06-07-2006, 10:36 AM
|  | Corkscrew Poster | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Toronto Age: 38
Posts: 490
| | | My heart jumped when you mentioned that Voyage was down. Glad to see it opened later in the day. Here's to hoping that all is well with it when I am there next Tuesday.
As for PKI....wow several coasters down at once. I wonder what was going on? SOB doesen't surprise me. I will be there this weekend, and likely get my traditional single ride on it, and that will be all. Beast rules! |
06-07-2006, 10:41 AM
| | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Collegeville, PA
Posts: 53
| | | Why Rides were down at PKI
This information is from a park employee, and it's kinda funny/sad.
THe reason the rides were down is because of understaffing. We were told that the rides would open up once school let out, and sure enough, by four or five o'clock all the rides were running.
Going during the week before school is out looks like a crap shoot.
And it warms my heart to know that little Johnny has to finish his spelling test before coming to the park to take charge of my well being on Top Gun. |
06-07-2006, 09:44 PM
|  | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Louisville/Lexington Ky Age: 27
Posts: 98
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by CrymeLord This information is from a park employee, and it's kinda funny/sad.
THe reason the rides were down is because of understaffing. We were told that the rides would open up once school let out, and sure enough, by four or five o'clock all the rides were running.
Going during the week before school is out looks like a crap shoot.
And it warms my heart to know that little Johnny has to finish his spelling test before coming to the park to take charge of my well being on Top Gun. | Was staffing so bad they had to close their new and best coaster? Didn't they have enough to maybe shift people around to get it open? Seems kinda odd to me...but i guess I'm glad that it wasn't down for technical reasons, cause that ride is AWESOME!!
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06-08-2006, 08:44 AM
| | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Collegeville, PA
Posts: 53
| | | Define new and best. Italian Job (their newest) was open early. Beast, their best ride was open all day.
All rides eventually opened, but early on only the Beast, Italian Job, and Racer were open. |
06-08-2006, 09:42 AM
|  | M who? | | Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Kansas City Age: 22
Posts: 1,666
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by CrymeLord Timber Wolf is scary in that I wasn't sure if the train would actually make it back to the station. I've renamed it the Lumbering Oaf due to its slow, plodding pace.
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You should be kicked in the crotch for this comment.
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06-08-2006, 10:36 AM
|  | "Stairway to Heaven" | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: Harwood Heights (SUBURBIA), IL Age: 30
Posts: 6,481
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by CrymeLord Define new and best. Italian Job (their newest) was open early. Beast, their best ride was open all day.
All rides eventually opened, but early on only the Beast, Italian Job, and Racer were open. | I'll help clear up the confusion. He thought that you were talking about Holiday World having the trouble staffing and when he said the newest big ride or whatever, he was thinking ok The Voyage when you were actually talking about PKI having staffing troubles as shown by you finishing it off by mentioning Top Gun.
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06-08-2006, 01:01 PM
| | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Collegeville, PA
Posts: 53
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Lancelot You should be kicked in the crotch for this comment. | Maybe I didn't ride it at its best, but that train was really slow. |
06-08-2006, 01:03 PM
| | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Collegeville, PA
Posts: 53
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by coasterlove I'll help clear up the confusion. He thought that you were talking about Holiday World having the trouble staffing and when he said the newest big ride or whatever, he was thinking ok The Voyage when you were actually talking about PKI having staffing troubles as shown by you finishing it off by mentioning Top Gun. | Thanks. I guess I wasn't exactly clear on that. |
06-08-2006, 01:36 PM
| | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Louisville/Lexington Ky Age: 27
Posts: 98
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by CrymeLord Define new and best. Italian Job (their newest) was open early. Beast, their best ride was open all day.
All rides eventually opened, but early on only the Beast, Italian Job, and Racer were open. | Ooooohh...sorry. I thought you were saying the Voyage was down for staffing. Just a misunderstanding. 
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