Amusement/Theme Park, County/State/Country Fair, and Overall Ride thread

[Implode]

Right. The issue that caused the incident was a lack of proper inspection, which is basically what's caused most of these COVID era mishaps. But given that Intimin has discontinued hydraulic launches and similar rides owned by Cedar Fair are also closed, if they intend to reopen TTD in the future, these kinds of modifications are likely to improve reliability in general.

[Phoenix87x]

The issue that caused the incident was a lack of proper inspection.

Agreed and I would argue that this is the cause of most issues that go down. Now and again there will be unforeseen stuff, but complacency is definitely an issue at some places.

[El Barto]

Watched a video last night on the plausibility of converting TTD to a LSM launch. It would be possible, probably, but it would be a very different experience. In short, the hydraulic launch gets you up to speed in the first third-half of the track. The final two thirds/half of the track is needed to slow the catch car. LSMs can't come close to that sort of acceleration. To go that route the LSM motors would have to run the full length, and perhaps onto the hill itself. It'd be a slower, longer acceleration rather than a "shot out of a cannon" type of launch.

Another consideration is the cost of the two. LSM uses a ton of electricity, but there are no moving parts. The hydraulic launch was pretty complex, and parts were needed to be replaced constantly. Not sure how the two would compare cost-wise.

Also, and this is just my speculation, the new theming could be in place to protect people back in the station. Perhaps shoot people out of a fairly long tunnel. If it were a halfway tight fitting tube, and long enough, you could go from dark to light about halfway through the launch, which would be interesting and also protect people close to the launch (save for the riders  ). In any case, whatever re-theming they do should include adding a hill to the back run. I haven't ridden TTD, but I have ridden Kingda Ka, and that back run was better than the launch/hill, I though. Partly because the hill was fun, but also because you get to appreciate the speed without the acceleration.

[Implode]

Was it ElToroRyans video? He does such a great job at explaining the mechanical side of things I otherwise never really got to know.

[El Barto]

Was it ElToroRyans video? He does such a great at explaining the mechanical side of things I otherwise never really got to know.

Yeah, in this case he actually operated TTD for a spell (and KK for longer, I imagine).

[TheCountOfNYC]

Today was my first visit to Hersheypark in twelve years. After today, it just leapfrogged both Six Flags Great Adventure AND Cedar Point and is now my new number one favorite amusement park.

[Phoenix87x]

I always liked Hersheypark. haven't been there in a while

[Chino]

I discovered this subreddit this morning. Thought this would be a good place to share.

https://old.reddit.com/r/AmusementDark/
 

[Phoenix87x]

I discovered this subreddit this morning. Thought this would be a good place to share.

https://old.reddit.com/r/AmusementDark/

oh god 

[T-ski]

We’ve had a trip scheduled to Universal in Orlando for the last week of September for 6 months and it looks like a hurricane is expected to hit Florida at the same time. Awesome.

[Chino]

We’ve had a trip scheduled to Universal in Orlando for the last week of September for 6 months and it looks like a hurricane is expected to hit Florida at the same time. Awesome.

I had a trip to Florida planned in 2017 when a monster of a hurricane (Irma I think) was scheduled to hit. We ended up pushing the trip a week and landed on Monday shortly after the hurricane made it's last gasps over the coast. Disney was closed for that Sunday and Monday, which is apparently extremely rare. Someone at the park told us it was the first time since 9/11 the park was closed for more than a day. Anyway, Florida was decimated, but when Disney opened on Tuesday, it looked untouched. We went to Animal kingdom and it was deaaad. We didn't have to wait in line for more than 10 minutes for any ride except for the two new ones in Pandora, which were only 30-40 minutes.

If you time it right, a hurricane can make a trip to the parks awesome.

Edit: Cool! According to FB memories, that was 5 years to the day.

[T-ski]

We’ve had a trip scheduled to Universal in Orlando for the last week of September for 6 months and it looks like a hurricane is expected to hit Florida at the same time. Awesome.

I had a trip to Florida planned in 2017 when a monster of a hurricane (Irma I think) was scheduled to hit. We ended up pushing the trip a week and landed on Monday shortly after the hurricane made it's last gasps over the coast. Disney was closed for that Sunday and Monday, which is apparently extremely rare. Someone at the park told us it was the first time since 9/11 the park was closed for more than a day. Anyway, Florida was decimated, but when Disney opened on Tuesday, it looked untouched. We went to Animal kingdom and it was deaaad. We didn't have to wait in line for more than 10 minutes for any ride except for the two new ones in Pandora, which were only 30-40 minutes.

If you time it right, a hurricane can make a trip to the parks awesome.

Edit: Cool! According to FB memories, that was 5 years to the day.

We have 24 hours to make up our minds whether to go and I’m leaning towards no, as even if the system moves one way or the other it looks like rain outs everyday anyway. We’re big Harry Potter fans and I laughed when I saw the hurricane would be named Hermine (for those not familiar with Harry Potter, one of the main characters is named Hermione).

ETA: we first went down to Universal in February of ‘19 and the day we were to fly in to Orlando a TSA agent killed themselves at the airport thus cancelling our flight. It was a real fiasco getting things re-arranged for that. I’m starting to wonder if Orlando has it out for us.

[orcus116]

I'm just coming back from a week at Disney and we were fortunate enough to get on Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind twice. It's definitely topped Expedition Everest as my favorite coaster in the park and I'll highly recommend it to anyone even if your not a Marvel or GotG fan. For those not familiar it's basically Space Mountain mashed up with Rock'n'roller Coaster where the cars spin 360 degrees so you're banking tight turns sideways. Some might complain about lack of huge drops and loops but it's an indoor coaster and on its own it's incredibly fun, especially with the music playing. We got Disco Inferno and Conga which worked well but I was hoping for I Ran. Always next time!

[El Barto]

I hit Fiesta Texas over the weekend, since it'll probably be my last season pass. It really is an excellent park. It seems to fit in between the premier parks on the two coasts and the forgotten and neglected parks that make up the rest. It's certainly not MM or GAd, but it's a far cry better than most of the others. Iron Rattler is the best of the RMC conversions I've ridden by far. I also got to ride one of the B&M Dive Coasters. I'd seem them before and they looked kind of boring, but they're actually quite fun. Hanging down face first is always interesting, and because it's only 4 months old (and the park was closed for a couple of them) it's still absolutely smooth as glass. In this case even the theming was good for a SF park. Only knock I'd give the park is that Superman (B&M floorless) is getting pretty rough. It was one of my favorite examples of that type, and it's getting downgraded on my list. Interacting with a cliff face is still loads of fun, but the second half just beats the hell out of you.

Kind of a drag that Six Flags is going the direction it is.

[T-ski]

Been at Universal Orlando all week with the wife and kid and we did Halloween Horror Nights on Wednesday.

I love Halloween and all but standing in line for 90+ minutes, multiple times,  to see a <5 minute Haunted House that isn’t scary was not a good use of time or money.

The scare zones were pretty fun though.

[Phoenix87x]

I love those Halloween nights. They have been decent in NJ luckily.

Sorry to hear yours was kind of a bummer.

[Stadler]

...since it'll probably be my last season pass...

...Kind of a drag that Six Flags is going the direction it is...

Is the one the cause of the other, or something else (if you don't mind my asking)?

[El Barto]

...since it'll probably be my last season pass...

...Kind of a drag that Six Flags is going the direction it is...

Is the one the cause of the other, or something else (if you don't mind my asking)?

Absolutely.

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=46091.msg2913757#msg2913757

The pass that cost me $60 in 2001 was ~$150 in 2002. And while I'm generally close enough to several parks each year to make it pan out, there are other problems. Upkeep on the rides has been an issue, with many of them down extended periods and an uptick on, eh, incidents. Not adding new rides and neglecting the ones you have doesn't make me eager to continue being a patron. Also worth noting that he'll almost certainly unload some of the parks (including the one up the street from you). Fewer parks doesn't work for me, either.

And strangely, if his goal is to keep the riffraff out, he's going about it the wrong way. The basic season pass is still like $60. That's what makes it affordable daycare. It's only the passes that the bigger spenders will get that have increased in price so much. It's not the teens that will hit 5 different parks in a year, but the people like me, that he ostensibly wants more of.

[El Barto]

I love those Halloween nights. They have been decent in NJ luckily.

Sorry to hear yours was kind of a bummer.

I thought Fright Night at SFGAd was very good. After being infuriated the first hour or so I was there it turned into a very nice evening. That ugly green lake certainly helps with the spooky ambiance. 

I will say that SFFT had an interesting Fright Night setup. The theming wasn't so great, but they put on a fine fireworks/pyro/laser display at the end. They setup fireworks across three hundred or so feet of the cliff face that surrounds the back of the park, giving them a pretty wide launching angle. They also had a fireworks laden drone, which I hadn't seen before. Clever on their part, it also served a double purpose. It also discouraged people from getting into lines about half an hour before closing.

[bosk1]

Big breaking news from Disney:  Bob Chapek is out and Bob Iger back in as CEO. 

This is potentially huge, and I think it bodes well for the parks. 

I visited the California parks twice under Chapek's watch and was REALLY disappointed about who quickly the environment had deteriorated from what it was.  The parks just felt different.  A lot of the Disney magic was still present, but you could feel that things were different.  Both times, I encountered more cast members that were less friendly and enthusiastic than the norm established over the decades, there were a LOT more attraction breakdowns and closures, and things looked more run down.  I really hope Iger makes a concerted effort to restore the things that really set the Disney parks apart and made them something truly special. 

[orcus116]

Very huge news indeed. I'm hoping they overhaul their godawful Genie+/Lightning Lane reservation system and revert it somewhat back to the old Fast Lane system. It feels shitty to spend $100+ on a park ticket and only be able to get on 5-6 attractions in a day.

[Deathless]

Big breaking news from Disney:  Bob Chapek is out and Bob Iger back in as CEO. 

This is potentially huge, and I think it bodes well for the parks. 

I visited the California parks twice under Chapek's watch and was REALLY disappointed about who quickly the environment had deteriorated from what it was.  The parks just felt different.  A lot of the Disney magic was still present, but you could feel that things were different.  Both times, I encountered more cast members that were less friendly and enthusiastic than the norm established over the decades, there were a LOT more attraction breakdowns and closures, and things looked more run down.  I really hope Iger makes a concerted effort to restore the things that really set the Disney parks apart and made them something truly special.

I think a lot of fans share your sentiment but there is also concern because a lot of Bob I's focus/expertise seems to be more in the media realm than parks. Also while Chapek shoulders a lot of the blame many of the efforts in the parks were started or already underway during Bob Iger's tenure.

It should be interesting, and from a leadership perspective I am fascinated by who will eventually succeed him (the board announced he'll stay on as CEO for 2 years). Iger had a number of talented leaders depart because they weren't able to get that coveted CEO job. Is there another quality internal candidate in the pipeline or maybe they will bring in someone else? Maybe Bob has another acquisition on his mind? Hmm...

[bosk1]

Yeah, I hear you.  Regarding the second paragraph, while all that may be true, I think the one big difference between Iger's prior run and Chapek's is that Chapek made a LOT of employees really unhappy, which caused a lot of talented people to leave and caused a big change in culture.  As a guest, you could really feel that in the parks.  Even if none of the visible substantive changes that people are hoping for ever happen, just a change in the attitudes and enthusiasm of the case members, as well as just keeping things looking and running smoothly in the parks again will go a long way in making those parks feel special again.

[ReaperKK]

I just got back from Islands of Adventure, first visit since I moved out of FL to NC. I rode Velocicoaster and I gotta say it's been a long long time since a coaster has given me a rush like that. Everything from the harness to the theme to the ride elements was just next level. I still can't stop smiling. For those that haven't ridden it, if you get an opportunity to please do.

[Cool Chris]

Big breaking news from Disney:  Bob Chapek is out and Bob Iger back in as CEO. 

This is potentially huge, and I think it bodes well for the parks. 

I visited the California parks twice under Chapek's watch and was REALLY disappointed about who quickly the environment had deteriorated from what it was.  The parks just felt different.  A lot of the Disney magic was still present, but you could feel that things were different.  Both times, I encountered more cast members that were less friendly and enthusiastic than the norm established over the decades, there were a LOT more attraction breakdowns and closures, and things looked more run down.  I really hope Iger makes a concerted effort to restore the things that really set the Disney parks apart and made them something truly special. 

Just saw this and got back from Disneyland a few weeks ago. I hadn't been since I was a kid but I was thoroughly impressed with every part of the whole experience. From the park itself, to the logistics, to the cast members, I thought it was an A+ presentation all the way around. Two rides did shut down when we were in line for them, and I saw two other rides that were closed, but I noticed all four up and running either later that day or the next.

Very huge news indeed. I'm hoping they overhaul their godawful Genie+/Lightning Lane reservation system and revert it somewhat back to the old Fast Lane system. It feels shitty to spend $100+ on a park ticket and only be able to get on 5-6 attractions in a day.

We didn't sign up for Genie+ or Lightning Lane and I never thought waiting for rides was onerous. By my count (I am writing a journal of our trip) we went on 12 rides the first day, and 9 the second, and that includes seeing the Parade and a Royal Theater play both days, plus standing in line for the princesses at Royal Hall.

[El Barto]

I just got back from Islands of Adventure, first visit since I moved out of FL to NC. I rode Velocicoaster and I gotta say it's been a long long time since a coaster has given me a rush like that. Everything from the harness to the theme to the ride elements was just next level. I still can't stop smiling. For those that haven't ridden it, if you get an opportunity to please do.

That looks like a helluva ride. I bet the launch into the second lift hill is a hoot.

It's an interesting time for coasters. Most of them are pushing new ideas. Some for better and some for worse. The single rail coasters don't work for me. The new dive coasters are a hoot, though. Only a few parks are wiling to push old ideas into better places, like that Velocicoaster thing, and it's great when they do. My problem is that I can't justify going to a park to ride one great coaster. I have to stick with parks with plenty to choose from. Looking at the Ohio-Chi parks pretty soon, but those will mostly be old ideas done well. Nothing particularly creative like that.

[TheCountOfNYC]

Just got back to my hotel after my first trip to both Florida Universal parks. Today was possibly the single most amazing day I’ve ever had at an amusement park. Universal takes everything that Disney World does and does it better. I didn’t even go on everything at both parks, that would be impossible to do in one day, but I hit everything I wanted to, and all but one ride was great. Velocicoaster is my new number one roller coaster, and as much as I dislike JK Rowling and therefore try to avoid engaging in anything Harry Potter related, I can’t deny that Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is an incredible ride, and it also found a place in my top ten coasters. I’ve been on vacation in Florida all week, and while I loved Busch Gardens Tampa and had a great day with my family at Sea World, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure are just on another level. I only left the parks two hours ago and I’m already thinking about when I can go back. Islands of Adventure specifically is probably my new favorite amusement park. It was the perfect way to end an amazing and much needed vacation.

[El Barto]

Anybody here been to CP lately? I'll be hitting it (and KD, and SFGAm) pretty soon, and I'm not sure what to expect. It'll be on an early June Thursday, so it shouldn't be all that crowded, but you never know. What I'm curious about is if popping for their hotel for the one hour early entry would make sense. There are a lot of rides, so hitting Maverick and Millennium Force before lines get long couldn't hurt, but if it's deserted it might not be necessary.

Also, anybody know if the food from Frontier Fest is any good? Another perk from the hotel route is free drinks and a bunch of food coupons for FF.

[WilliamMunny]

Anybody here been to CP lately? I'll be hitting it (and KD, and SFGAm) pretty soon, and I'm not sure what to expect. It'll be on an early June Thursday, so it shouldn't be all that crowded, but you never know. What I'm curious about is if popping for their hotel for the one hour early entry would make sense. There are a lot of rides, so hitting Maverick and Millennium Force before lines get long couldn't hurt, but if it's deserted it might not be necessary.

Also, anybody know if the food from Frontier Fest is any good? Another perk from the hotel route is free drinks and a bunch of food coupons for FF.

That's my backyard! If you can, I would definitely opt for the early entry...the park fills up quick (I've never seen it deserted, even on a weekday), and even when it 'appears' to be dead, the line-waits tend to balloon.

My advice...go into the park early, and head straight to the back (where the waits will be nil).

[El Barto]

Anybody here been to CP lately? I'll be hitting it (and KD, and SFGAm) pretty soon, and I'm not sure what to expect. It'll be on an early June Thursday, so it shouldn't be all that crowded, but you never know. What I'm curious about is if popping for their hotel for the one hour early entry would make sense. There are a lot of rides, so hitting Maverick and Millennium Force before lines get long couldn't hurt, but if it's deserted it might not be necessary.

Also, anybody know if the food from Frontier Fest is any good? Another perk from the hotel route is free drinks and a bunch of food coupons for FF.

That's my backyard! If you can, I would definitely opt for the early entry...the park fills up quick (I've never seen it deserted, even on a weekday), and even when it 'appears' to be dead, the line-waits tend to balloon.

My advice...go into the park early, and head straight to the back (where the waits will be nil).

Great. Thanks for the input.   

[El Barto]

That's my backyard! If you can, I would definitely opt for the early entry...the park fills up quick (I've never seen it deserted, even on a weekday), and even when it 'appears' to be dead, the line-waits tend to balloon.

My advice...go into the park early, and head straight to the back (where the waits will be nil).

You were right on pretty much all parts. Managed to get Millennium Force, Wild Mouse, and Maverick out of the way by about 1015. That helped. Added bonus is a great parking spot.   

Now that I've been to both I'm pretty confident saying that Magic Mountain kicks the living shit out of CP, but that's only as a park. No theming, poor layout, and ridiculous wait times. As for coasters they're not too far apart. I haven't tallied it all up, but CP might have a slight edge there. And in truth, King's Island is probably a better park, too, despite falling short in the number and quality of coasters (though The Beast is, well, a beast if you ride it after dark).

A lot of the most famous rides were pretty underwhelming. I honestly thought MF was kind of boring, and while Maverick is a great idea, the seats are just miserable; didn't like it. At the same time, I've ridden a good number of RMC conversions, and Steal Vengeance is easily the best of them. Fantastic ride. The mandatory lockers kind of pissed me off, though, and because of a snafu cost me a fair amount f time to get my stuff right. Highlight is easily Gatekeeper, which might be the best steel coaster I've been on. I road it twice, once from each side, and it was fantastic both times.

So far, I've probably found my new favourite woody, RMC hybrid, and steel coaster this week. Not too bad.

[ReaperKK]

Tomorrow I'm heading to Carowinds for the first time, I've lived in Charlotte for 6 years and the park is less than 10 miles away and I've yet to go. I've heard great things about Fury 325 from ElToroRyan so I'm hyped to get on it.

[WilliamMunny]

That's my backyard! If you can, I would definitely opt for the early entry...the park fills up quick (I've never seen it deserted, even on a weekday), and even when it 'appears' to be dead, the line-waits tend to balloon.

My advice...go into the park early, and head straight to the back (where the waits will be nil).

You were right on pretty much all parts. Managed to get Millennium Force, Wild Mouse, and Maverick out of the way by about 1015. That helped. Added bonus is a great parking spot.   

Now that I've been to both I'm pretty confident saying that Magic Mountain kicks the living shit out of CP, but that's only as a park. No theming, poor layout, and ridiculous wait times. As for coasters they're not too far apart. I haven't tallied it all up, but CP might have a slight edge there. And in truth, King's Island is probably a better park, too, despite falling short in the number and quality of coasters (though The Beast is, well, a beast if you ride it after dark).

A lot of the most famous rides were pretty underwhelming. I honestly thought MF was kind of boring, and while Maverick is a great idea, the seats are just miserable; didn't like it. At the same time, I've ridden a good number of RMC conversions, and Steal Vengeance is easily the best of them. Fantastic ride. The mandatory lockers kind of pissed me off, though, and because of a snafu cost me a fair amount f time to get my stuff right. Highlight is easily Gatekeeper, which might be the best steel coaster I've been on. I road it twice, once from each side, and it was fantastic both times.

So far, I've probably found my new favourite woody, RMC hybrid, and steel coaster this week. Not too bad.

I’m happy it helped!

And I agree with pretty much everything you wrote…King’s Island is a great alternative and highly recommended to anyone in this part of the country looking to spend a day or two riding coasters.

You know, there was a time when Cedar Point reigned supreme (back in the ‘90s), largely bc they were the only game in town. Hell, they had 19 coasters at one point and held most of the records, but the competition has totally caught up.

Having been there too many times to count, I may have lost perspective, but today, CP feels claustrophobic and overpriced. I absolutely respect anyone who loves the park, but it’s no longer the yearly trip it used to be for my family.

[El Barto]

Wrapped up the coaster part of the trip with SFGAm in Chicago. Not a bad park, and it's an interesting change from a couple of Cedar Fair parks. Insofar as coasters go, it has all the usual suspects, but all just a little inferior. I love a B&M hyper/giga, and there's just wasn't up to snuff. Their wing coaster was half the size of Gatekeeper. Their RMC conversion woody was short and boring. For the most part the rides are fine, just underwhelming when compared to better examples.

Two exceptions, though. The compressed air launch from MaxxForce really is something else, and I'm pretty sure they're leaving some speed on the table. You can feel the acceleration drop off before you hit the hill. And the cannon sound when it launches is a hoot. When it comes to being launched straight into a hill, Full Throttle (SFMM) is better, but I actually preferred this to Kingda Ka (and presumably TTD, had it been open). And I actually found Final Flight better than Tatsu. You've still got that monster pretzel roll, as hardcore as coaster elements get, but the rest of it is less chaotic, so you can appreciate what's going on.

Probably added 33 coasters to my roster this trip, and it's been a hoot. Found some new favourites, too.

[Grappler]

Wrapped up the coaster part of the trip with SFGAm in Chicago. Not a bad park, and it's an interesting change from a couple of Cedar Fair parks. Insofar as coasters go, it has all the usual suspects, but all just a little inferior. I love a B&M hyper/giga, and there's just wasn't up to snuff. Their wing coaster was half the size of Gatekeeper. Their RMC conversion woody was short and boring. For the most part the rides are fine, just underwhelming when compared to better examples.

Two exceptions, though. The compressed air launch from MaxxForce really is something else, and I'm pretty sure they're leaving some speed on the table. You can feel the acceleration drop off before you hit the hill. And the cannon sound when it launches is a hoot. When it comes to being launched straight into a hill, Full Throttle (SFMM) is better, but I actually preferred this to Kingda Ka (and presumably TTD, had it been open). And I actually found Final Flight better than Tatsu. You've still got that monster pretzel roll, as hardcore as coaster elements get, but the rest of it is less chaotic, so you can appreciate what's going on.

Probably added 33 coasters to my roster this trip, and it's been a hoot. Found some new favourites, too.

Wayta be about 5 miles from my house.   

I haven't been to Great America in about 20 years and there have been a lot of changes to the rides since then.  Glad you had fund there!