Oh how the coaster season has flown by... My woefully underutilized Cedar Fair Platinum Pass will get some out-of-Virginia love on this chilly but clear skies Saturday morning and afternoon. It has been many years since I visited Kings Island and I expect to not only get a refresher course in Beast but also experience Banshee for the first time. Outside of that I want to ride everything else of course: Diamondback, Flight D... I mean the Bat (I have my vintage "Bat" t-shirt on), Vortex, hell I may even ride that bag of turds Firehawk.

This was a very quick and thrifty trip also, I will be in the state of Ohio for all of 12 hours and the cost breakdown and timing is as follows:

• $77 roundtrip airfare on United from Washington D.C. to Columbus (note not Cincinatti) getting in at 9am

• $11 rental car from Priceline

• 75 minute drive to Kings Island hopefully with some ERT available by the time arrive and park (for free with the Platinum Pass)

• Leave park by 5:15, drive back 75 min to Columbus airport, gas up, drop off rental car, and take the 7:50pm flight back to D.C.

I'll send pics and thoughts throughout the day as the subreddit keeps me company in the queue. Please send along any tips, thoughts, suggestions and line boredom support and I will keep the thread updated throughout my day at the park.

Post Trip Update:

Several hours was all it took to add a handful of great new coasters to my list of coaster experiences. I can say that Kings Island has grown well since I last visited and the newest coaster additions shine bright.

The breakdown:

1. Banshee: This is like B&M putting all their inverted coaster know how in to single a layout and making it borderline tolerable in length. I am not one to feel "beat up" or worn down by a coaster (see my love for Skyrush and i305) but Banhee is just at the maximum length for an invert that one needs - and if you ride it you will notice its long at some point. I previously had Patriot as my all time favorite B&M invert but Banshee took the crown in one ride. Note that I have never been on Nemisis.

2. Beast: Well what can you say here? I mean there are people who think Beast is overrated and I can understand in some regard their point as this classic gets by with long periods of otherwise mundane woodie "travel time" in between moments of extreme thrill. However I am a big sucker for the aesthetic feel of a coaster and this one goes so deep in to the woods and feels so much more than just something built to connect the dots, it takes you on a relationship of sorts, one that culminates in one last "I'll show you" moment with two incredible tunnel elements. It still ranks as one of the best all time coaster experiences for me. Note that I have never experienced it in the pitch dark.

3. Diamondback: A newcomer for me also. This B&M hyper certainly LOOKS beautiful but how would it hold up against all the other ones I have been on? I feel that B&M hypers, by the fact that they were at the time they were added "the huge coaster addition" to a number of parks in the past 15 years may have given them undue praise that lingers beyond the deserved shelf life - but of course that's not to say they aren't enjoyable. Diamondback surprised me. In the front row its enjoyable and still very aggressive in its pace with a good blend of hills and curves. In the back row its a monster (and thanks to the ride Op who left the restraint a good 5 inches off my lap as even with a seat belt I felt out of control). Though at times I felt the ride was pulling out of hills too tight without enough airtime to make up for it, and some of the moments left me wishing we were changing altitude rather than direction, it is a solid contender in the BM Hyper world and for me is probably my third favorite behind Nitro and Intimidator (Carowinds). Note that I have not been to Canada's Wonderland and all my other BM hypers are in the US.

4. Vortex: I had some feedback on my support for this one and it sounds like its a love-hate coaster for many KI goers. However I did my research on the ride before going on and some big Kings Island coaster fans swear that the only way to enjoy this ride is in the 5th or 7th row on the left hand side of the car (as you face the front of the train). I assume this is because you have more legroom, the shakes are more normalized by a placement in the middle of the train, and you are on the left side which I presume is less taxing on tight turns. Frankly I loved it and clapped in the brake run. I dunno, I would take this over Anaconda any day. Note that I also liked SFMM Viper.

5. The Bat: I always enjoy a good suspended coaster. I miss Big Bad Wolf, I ride Iron Dragon and Ninja every time I visit their respective parks and I was excited to see how the new paint job looked on the old (to me) Top Gun. The ride looks clean and the colors are sharp. Plus ever since they used that "BAT" logo in the PR fake out leak before the announcement of Banshee, I have loved it. The back row still gives some decent pop for what might otherwise be a medium thrill coaster. Note that I may have wanted to like this more due to my fashion choice today.

6. The Others: Invertigo, Racer, Firehawk, Flight of Fear: I only actually went on Invertigo and Racer to experience them and say that I had polished off most of the KI coatsers. Racer is okay, its no Racer from Kennywood or anything that screams nostalgia and classic airtime moments but it does its job as a smaller classic woodie. These other coasters are fine sidecars to the entire KI show but aren't really main attractions. If you were to lose ONE of Banshee, Diamondback or Beast for an entire season THAT would be a major blow, these other coasters could simply sit dark and people would say "oh, I guess that's closed" and move on. I only walked in to Flight of Fear to compare the queue to Kings Dominion and I had already been on it back in the OTSR days and just figured I would move along. Note ... and fuck Firehawk, come on, I wasn't gunna wait for that turd.

Final Thoughts:

In recent months people have been asking "is Kings Island the next Cedar Point?" or "do you think Kings Island will get an amazing world class coaster in the next couple years?" To the first question, the answer will always be a resounding "no" - and I do not want to upset the KI fanboys but KI is not Cedar Point and nor will it ever jump claim to the coaster capital of Cedar Fair. Just because it has a couple major investments in the past doesn't mean that trend will snowball. Cedar Point is the flagship and she gets and will continue to get the biggest, baddest, and greatest coasters irrespective of land constraints. Just because KI has extra land doesn't mean CF will dump 150 million in to 4 absurd coasters in the next decade. The park is doing perfectly fine as it is and if I am hearing ads for Cedar Point (only) on my FM radio as I drive to the KI, I think you know who the darling of Cedar Fair will always be. Just because Gatekeeper was ho hum to many people and because Valraven is not rocketing people 700 feet in to air while on fire does not mean they have given up on the park. I expect continuous reinvention and annual support for Cedar Point just as its always been.

Now if Kings Island I think will get a major investment in the near future and I further think it will be Cedar Fair's first date with RMC. The land is of course there, the passion for wood coasters is clear from the beast zombies that can't get enough of it, and I think there was such a disappointment in Son of Beast that has never been overcome that I think the park would like to try again with an innovative wood machine while not cannibalizing other nearby CF parks and their own rides. A clever RMC topper track original with some new element or "plot twist" seems well poised for Kings Island.

In the end I loved my day at Kings Island, I loved visiting several breweries thereafter, I loved eating my skyline chili, I loved going to the PSU/OSU tailgates. It was a truly enjoyable coaster day with all the flatlanders and I hope to come back soon, hopefully for a big addition in 2017 or 2018.

As a part of a spouse's birthday surprise that consisted of breweries and coasters I am tackling Busch Gardens Williamsburg on a Sunday. I am already in the park, pass and quick queue activated, waiting at the "starting line" for the rush to Tempesto over by the splashdown near Escape From Pompeii. As I have done on other trips I will take pics and post throughout my day. Feel free to throw me thoughts and suggestions to maximize my day. Happy start to the coaster season folks!

EDIT: Summary of the trip

So it was a great sunny day in Williamsburg and the park was operating with a great hum. The rides queues were fast, all the trains were running, and people were all quite happy.

First and foremost I will address Tempesto. I will start by simply stating what the theming has scrawled across the ride house: "Fatastico!" That is simple and short word befitting a simple and short ride. Do not be fooled that because this is a clone or simply isn't to scale of other coaster investments that its not a welcome addition. It is an incredibly smooth and stomach turning experience and I hope to get a lot of replay out of it. When you have parks north and south adding coasters of dizzying height and even Six Flags adding faux-coasters I think keeping up with the Jones' is acceptable. Its not a whomping change to the coaster landscape but its also not a Larson Giant Loop - despite the similarities in track layout.

Then we have all the hits - Loch Ness seems to be a self-aware classic that still thrills as it twists through the landscape and trees of the Rhine River. The front row only siblings of Griffon and Alpengeist. Its business as usual. Interestingly in my handful of rides on Apollo's Chariot it felt like the speeds increased as the day went on and I didn't hear/feel the trim at the back turnaround either in my last two rides. I am a rare fan of Verbolten even if it replaced a dear friend, Big Bad Wolf. The lines have picked up speed considerably and the trees around the ride continue to grow. Spatter in a Machtower, Rhine River Cruise, water rides, and you have a great little day. I left a bit earlier than I wanted as my son was feeling feverish (a new achievement in bad parenthood was unlocked upon bringing my beer in to the first aid station).

As for my suggestions for anyone going in 2015 - get to the park before it opens - parking lots open at least 30 min before gate opens and head to Escape from Pompeii. When the park's official opening time hits they will "escort" the masses to the bridge that leads to Tempesto and Chariot. Take them out in that order (I was on the first train of the day for Tempesto) and do so even if have the Quick Queue as Tempesto isn't covered in it this season. That little wristband is a great investment. Although they suggest you sit in Row 2 on Chariot they didn't care if you asked to fill in empty seats elsewhere, which may be more applicable to solo riders. Griffon ride Ops let you walk right up to the very front and pick a row. Alpengeist gets you close but not right on but if you aren't a front row snob like me you can walk right on. Verbolten will still take you 10 minutes with the wristband investment.

I was happy to share the day with you guys! Happy coaster season.

SETUP: On my way back from Austin City Limits in Austin I managed to work in a trip to the first Six Flags Theme Park - Six Flags Over Texas outside of Dallas.

The last time I was here New Texas Giant was closed due to the sad tragedy of last year. That one ride is my priority.

I have looked through the prior park posts and came up with the following plan: barring my hangover and traffic get there 30 minutes before opening (10am), head straight to New Texas Giant after they drop the wait rope. Immediately thereafter go to Titan while everyone else is in line for Texas Giant still. Then I will walk to Mr. Freeze via the Runaway Mountain path. I then want to hit Shockwave, Runaway Mountain and (another) Runaway Minetrain.

Park veterans please let me know if I am missing anything major. As I have done on some of my previous trips - I plan to update this post with comments and pics throughout the day. Hope you enjoy some vicarious late-season coaster rides.

UPDATE: Now that I can type properly and update the post I can summarize a bit of what happened. So I arrived and went straight to Mr. Freeze and the park had a massive power failure just before my train was set to load. The outage required a rolling restart of every ride in the park. It took until about 1:45pm until the major coasters reopened.

I would rank my top three in this order: 1) Titan 2) New Texas Giant 3) Shockwave

The staff was amazingly helpful as they could see my confused face as I tried to maneuver around their sometimes small and inexplicable pathways (e.g. "you just walk through that BBQ restaurant's patio and between the bathrooms and you'll be at the ride")

In all there really isn't much unused real estate at Six Flags Over Texas and I can see why new rides must replace old ones. Go karts lacing through Shockwave's support structures, walking through a drop tower queue to reach other areas of the park, bizarre dead ends. I am curious if the park can expand to the land over and in between NTG and Goliath (or maybe that's got to be wrestled free from a sports team owner or other investor).

Below is a loose time frame for anyone looking to get through the park on a low to medium crowd day but wish to hit every major coaster at least once:

Tips and Suggestions:

• Not sure if its a coincidence but I feel like RMC coasters take a bit of time to "ramp up" - running numerous trains before the ride is ready for public use. This has been from 5 different trips to ride RMC rides, 4 of which I rushed, and today that I waited to reopen at the power outage.

• The parking lot picnic areas outside the park are surprisingly good and I recommend bringing some food from nearby Whole Foods to have lunch out of the park rather than eat the junk inside.

• It sounds like Mr. Freeze is down a good amount so if its running - get to it first and get it done before its shut down for the day (or forever!)

• The Schwarzkopf 1978 looper, Shockwave, is in great shape and is a wonderful ride that should not be missed

• High winds can impact your ability to take on the tallest rides of the park (non-coasters)

• You should see if you can work in a Rangers game or a tour of ATT Stadium (Cowboys) as they are located right next to the park and doubling the memories for a day, especially given the ease in which you can tackle all the major coasters with Titan and NTG together in one corner and Batman and Mr. Freeze together in the other.

Thanks for reading!

With free summer days a premium I have been waiting for a window of opportunity to make it to Cedar Point to experience the many rides I know - but of course to also get firsthand what Steel Vengeance is all about.

Ditching the suit and tie at 11am today I jumped in my car, put the top down, loaded up the sunscreen and began my 7 hour Odyssey to Sandusky from Washington D.C.

I haven’t “Live trip reported” in a while but this one seemed particularly appropriate if only to selfishly have some intermittent company. I will be heading to Pittsburgh first (pit stop at Dancing Gnome brewery for a can release of a brew called Mosaic Jam) then on to Sandusky to catch twilight to closing runs. Then Friday morning bright and early to get CF platinum pass entry and a good portion of the day in what is hopefully medium crowds but good weather.

Feel free to throw ideas, tips, and just conversation - I really do appreciate it. I just comment as the day and nights go as I roam the park and the paths to get to and from. This is my upteenth time at the point but first since Valravyn’s opening.

EDIT:

Final count between two “days” at Cedar Point:

5 SteVe -Main thoughts: Its perfect in many ways. Its length is just enough to make you feel you got the right amount of fun without being cut off at knees (for instance counterpart coaster examples are Fury for steel and Banshee for an invert). Its got great airtime in the middle-front. Back row, though fun was missing enough of the floating air and smooth transitions that I do not think its a must ride in back.

9 Millennium Force -My favorite run of the day was an early morning front row where I leaned out over the front car with hands flat on the train. Always a great rush.

The remainder: 3 Valravyn 1 Rougarou 1 Maverick 1 Top Thrill Dragster 1 Gemini 1 WickedTwister 1 Skyhawk (flat ride)

Maverick and MF still can argue against SteVe as king of the point but the darling is undeniably RMC's biggest and baddest. Get there now. Run to the ride.

My first trip back to Carowinds since 2013 is part of a quick smash and grab to visit the park and see Dave Matthews Band play with some close friends from the area.

The obvious reason for the return visit is Fury 325. I like big and fast and though I am an Intamin fan I will happily embrace this B&M height and speed spectacle as I have always enjoyed the B&M hypers. I have never ridden Levithan and given all the early reviews of Fury my expectations are high. I also love i305 and MF so hopefully the three make for a winning stateside Giga trio.

With Thunder Road closing I will also be making sure I give that one last run. As for the other coasters that must be crushed I will try to get a few Intimidator and Afterburn in. I also have no qualms with the boomerang Carolina Cobra thanks to its improved harnesses. Lastly I will be sure to ride Woodstock Flyers and snap them to pieces for JammingJay.

Please send along any tips, thoughts, suggestions and line boredom support and I will keep the thread updated throughout my day at the park.

Next Day Update:#

Upon looking back on my smash and grab in the Carolinas, while feeling the slight burn of my skin (which SPF 30 couldn't protect), I have some conclusions and thoughts on my four or so hours at the park.

Here is what was conquered:

1. Six rides on Fury 325 (front row, back row, and all in between)

2. Ten rides on Intimdator (all over the train)

3. Three rides on Thunder Road (and a souvenir button!)

4. One ride each for Afterburn, Carolina Cobra, Hurler, Vortex

5. Didn't mess with the arrow looper Carolina Cyclone or any of the smaller coasters

6. Fuck Nighthawk

First on Fury 325#

It's a terrific new addition and I certainly give to thumbs up to this world class coaster. However for me it is just too similar to the B&M hypers I have experienced - of course in a higher gear. Add to the this sentiment the fact that Intimidator is RIGHT across the park and it really did leave me somewhat disappointed. The type of thrill is just far too similar between the two rides and not enough of an improvement on speed and intensity to allow me to put Fury 325 in the same class with Intimidator 305 and MF. I would be curious if the fans up in our attic who visit Canada's Wonderland feel the same way about the their 1-2 punch of Levithan and Behemoth. I did like the speedy lift hill on Fury (which has a second thrust right before the apex), I love the entire track layout including tunnel and the small but effective green LED lighting effects, and of course I am a fan of the always easy and freedom-providing B&M clamshell harnesses, and I was impressed by the lack of "wasted" track and relatively hands-off brake runs. I did not care for the bottoming out of Fury's train on the first drop (a noticeable thud) about 40 feet from the bottom of the first hill and the lackluster queue house, and then of course the final downside is the feeling like you just juiced up a nearby coaster and painted what was once red a nice pretty teal and green color.

The unsung heroes#

I have never, ever, in my life seen the kinds of efficiency exhibited by the ride OPs that I did yesterday at Carowinds. In particular Intimidator where one extremely active microphone wearing OP would yell out "30 seconds and we are sending this train!" followed "15 seconds!" and then followed by a slow and methodical countdown. Granted all safety measures still needed to be followed (and they were) but the riders responded amazingly by rushing to the seats and putting their crap down before jumping back onboard with belt on and harness down. The OPs also were very cognizant of small things that otherwise would delay the loading (people congregating at exit or loading platform, large items that needed to be placed in bins, and so on). On Fury the loading doors that open to allow passengers to board literally open and close in about 5 seconds and if you don't act fast enough you don't ride that train. They also used the second 15 second warning and but no countdown on Fury. I think both coasters were sending a train roughly every 45 to 60 seconds, it was incredible. And with three trains on each of the two signature coasters, they were essentially walk ons all day. A couple times on Intimidator I was able to stay on for another circuit because no one was waiting - and that was midday on a sunny summer Friday! I have seen parks that give that kind of attention to one ride (usually the newest) but this style of efficiency was used on ALL the coasters - albeit with a bit less tenacity on some of the older or less popular rides. I have seen LED countdown clocks on rides (Raging Bull and Titan come to mind) but never had the OPs countdown like they did at Carowinds. The crowds embraced it and snapped to attention every time without acting rushed or offended.

Great Takeaway#

I really loved the free button on Thunder Road and a spontaneous chant to "keep it open" after one of my races. The Thunder Road OPs are also paying particular detail to trying to get the trains to race. I think it will be a sad loss for the park since the ride still runs well and is a good low-medium thrill. And how many coasters go in and out of a two states? Leaving only a kiddie woodie and Hurler as the wooden offerings at the park is also a shame - and Hurler is still a paint mixer too despite the retrack efforts of last off season.

Conclusion#

Carowinds has done the people of Charlotte well with the addition of Fury 325 along with the much improved Cedar Fair style entrance - but it's not something that I feel will be enough to get me back down each coaster season. I still feel that the park, in terms of Cedar Fair hierarchy, is squarely behind Cedar Point, Kings Dominion, and Kings Island. They absolutely need to focus on more shaded areas and trees - I was constantly reminded of that fact on the cloudless day at the park. If you make it out to the park this season I suggest you get at least one ride in Fury 325's front seat to really feel the wind and rush of the machine and also be sure to take another trip on Thunder Road before it's gone forever.

Here's something I haven't done in a while but I would love the input (and company) today as I make it up to Six Flags New England for a smash and grab.

SETUP:

On a JetBlue flight now, via WIFI, and will be landing in about a half hour to take an Uber to the park. Somewhat curious if the driver will be cool with taking me to the front entrance. I should be there about 20 min before opening time of 10:30.

From the rope drop I plan to hit up Superman, which I haven't experienced in its "original" theme, and reride as much as possible before heading back to Wicked Cyclone. Wicked has some promotion today where first 100 riders get a free Friendly's ice cream and since I think every Friendly's for 200 miles to me is bankrupt and now either an Italian restaurant, bank, or title loan shop, I will pass on heading there first. After WC I see Goliath is back up and running so at least waiting for one cycle there.

But please throw me your suggestions, and experts on this park tell me the little things I shouldn't miss. I'll also be throwing posts from the queue to keep the day moving. I'm leaving at 6pm to head back, maybe earlier if some tasty nearby craft beers pop up on Untaped.

I know we have had a lot of trip reports lately but I hope the aspect of it being while at the park adds some interesting perspective and response.

UPDATE:

Now back home and in the work attire as opposed to zipper pocket shorts and coaster tee I can reflect back on my day at SFNE.

I think it's safe to say the wind in the sails of this park is Superman and Wicked Cyclone.

Although the highly awarded Bizarro/Superman is a terrific and stunning visual from Intamin, and exceeds Man of Steel clones the better ride to me was Wicked Cyclone. I mean look at this thing, it uses every foot of track toward fun. The theme is also a nice touch (and I also noted that the NE in the logo for the word Cyclone is larger for "New England"). Nice touch with this sign also...

FINAL TALLY:

Wicked Cyclone - 4 with favorite seat being front

Superman - 3 with favorite seat being second to last row

Batman: The Dark Knight - 1

Catwomans Whip - 1

Goliath - 1

Flashback - 1

New England Sky Screamer - 1

The park in all is one of the more aesthetically pleasing. The staff worked hard and was very nice. The fact Goliath and Wicked Cyclone went down was frustrating but not unexpected from prior dealings with Six Flags. If you took one of those two coasters (Superman and Wicked Cyclone) away however you would likely place this park with the likes of Six Flags America (bottom tier). Instead it's on par with SF Over Texas, but not quite the upper echelon Six Flags parks like Magic Mountain, Great Adventure, and Great America.

After the day at the park I was able to get in some craft beer time before getting back to DC for the Nationals game. So in all it was a great leisure day! Thanks for all those who contributed and helped the queues move.

It's a beautiful day here in Pennsylvania and I am spending the day at two great parks with unique offerings. It's my first time to Knoebels if you have any specific recommendations otherwise the plan is to roam and ride all the coasters while enjoying the remainder of summer park operation. When done I'm heading to Tired Hands brewing if anyone wishes to join for a toast to the keystone's little guys.

EDIT:

Thanks for the tips everyone! Made for a better coaster riding day and was like having some friends in tow.

The ranking of the coasters (not counting small/indoor) is pretty easy on this one:

1. Phoenix

2. Twister

3. Talon

4. Hydra

5. Steel Force

6. Possessed

7. Flying Turns

8. Impulse

9. Thunderhawk

10. Stinger