RollerCoasters

Now that 2023 is coming to an end, what were everyone’s coaster highlights from the year? What was the best new coaster you rode this year? Did it dethrone your previous favorite? Were there any surprises? Is anyone still planning final trips before the year ends or ringing in the new year at a park?

This year, I was able to visit 10 new parks and ride 81 new coasters along with revisiting a few favorites from the past. Of these new credits, the best is Iron Gwazi (I know, not a very controversial opinion haha). In the same trip I got to ride Velocicoaster too and those became my new 1 and 2, respectively.

The best new park I visited was Hersheypark. I have been wanting to go to this park for years and had two unsuccessful attempts (including one earlier this year) due to weather or poor planning. Luckily this park’s top-tier coaster lineup lived up to the hype. A couple of coasters were closed including Sooperdooperlooper, but I was able to get two rides on Skyrush in a back right wing seat. I actually only thought Skyrush was okay after my first ride in the morning but I snagged another ride at night with a full train and it was a completely different experience with crazy intensity and airtime.

My biggest surprises were Screamin’ Eagle and Boss at Six Flags St. Louis. Those two coasters were much more intense than I expected. I swear I spent more time out of my seat than in it on Screamin’ Eagle. For Boss, it was a slow day so the train was only about half full. Despite that, it was still hauling. I can’t even imagine what a full train is like.

With the new coasters this year, my total credit count is now around 228. Next year, I’m hoping to visit some smaller parks such as Adventureland in Iowa and Indiana Beach along with a couple of Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks but no concrete plans yet.

KDfans have leaked information related to KD's Volcano replacement..... a B&M launched wing coaster.

A recent ruling is forcing Cedar Point to turn over all records relating to sexual assaults and the Top Thrill Dragster accident to local TV stations. This is the result of an ongoing investigation and the argument that Cedar Point Police were acting as a police department as a public institution. I expect a lot of interesting stories to follow in the next few weeks and months.

It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago that construction on the spike started and now here we are! I’ll definitely miss the original, but I’m still hoping to make it out to Cedar Point this year to ride its reincarnation. Hopefully we have a more reliable ride this time.

BGWfans is at it again..... They show a lot of evidence of what BGW is currently working on and right now their best guess is a family B&M.

The short trains are kind of hilarious but the ride looks great. I'm so glad to see this ride was saved from being scrapped.

This is almost as interesting as Good Gravy ;)

This is actually really disappointing for me and I think a lot of others. Comet is such a classic and the fact that it had Buzz Bars made it even more so.

20 inch wheels is all I'm really taking away from it..... well, that and how similar the restraints are to the new Intamin, S&S, Mack, and like everyone else lol

Richard Zimmerman becomes CEO and the majority of the company will be half and half. The new company will use FUN but will retain the Six Flags name.

(Sorry, the link may be paywall for some) The Wall Street Journal is not only reporting that the two park chains are potentially merging but are stating that the deal could go through as early as this week. Not sure how anyone else feels about this but I think this could really hurt the consumer..... sure, everyone wants to think about a unified season pass but the cost to the consumer would likely skyrocket and we'd see less competition which would likely mean even less major rides being built.

From the article: "An agreement could be finalized as soon as this week assuming there is no last-minute snag, according to people familiar with the matter. Cedar Fair is scheduled to report quarterly results on Thursday morning."

A shipment from Gerstlauer is on it's way to Dollywood and the HS code indicates it is roller coaster related. For me, the references to axles and 8 containers makes me think this could be new cars for Mystery Mine. Anyone else have any thoughts?

The tech looks really cool as does the resulting video clips and images.

I haven't read through all of this yet but after skimming it appears that Universal is getting a special tax district not long after Disney's was.... Well, I don't even know what to call that mess. It seems that this could be a "less-isolated" situation than Reedy Creek was but it's still enough to raise an eyebrow at.

EDIT: More information here that takes away most of the hype at the end: https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2023/10/11/orange-county-approves-special-district-tied-to-universal-s-epic-universe

The district will be limited in power and will not be able to adopt its own land development or building codes. It also doesn’t have its own police powers.

I've had one of my worst experiences in the last week ever in dealing with Universal Orlando. When I bought my pass last year I opted to do the FlexPay program - it wasn't even a month before I realized that was a mistake but the gravity of the situation didn't become as evident as it did in the cancellation process..... Actually, I didn't want to cancel but.... Well.

So halfway through my 12 month term I upgraded to premier at the park... I paid the difference of the 2 passes in full and then just continued to pay the monthly payment for the power pass that I initially got.... I had thought that the excess paid would be credited -- it wasn't. That wasn't the really upsetting thing.... The notification that my 12 month term was up was realized when my credit card was charged $80. In calling customer service to cancel they initially told me that I was unable to cancel because I entered a new 12 month term and I'd be able to cancel in November 2024..... I told them that's not what was indicated when I signed up because, as I understood out, I was in month to month terms. My ultimate goal was to cancel the Flex Pay but renew (at the renewal rate) a Power Pass via a one time payment.... I was told I can only do that if I stop by guest services...... An absolutely unreasonable thing to ask of anyone but especially someone that lives numerous states away. Incredibly the company that always had one of the best customer service teams of any major theme park became just like Comcast (who would have thought, huh?) and clearly didn't care in the slightest about their guest..... I was told to just keep my pass active until I could visit again...... Absolutely not an option at the higher prices.

In the end I was forced to cancel my pass.... But ~~Comcast~~ Universal had one last trick up their sleeve. You can't cancel FlexPay over the phone.... It has to be done in writing and you are responsible for continuing to pay until they get around to canceling your pass which meant I ended up paying another $80 payment.

All said and done I completely pissed away $160 and received absolutely nothing in return..... And if/when I want another pass I have to pay full price.

As much as I love Universal these little Comcast games keep creeping in..... I suppose it's been a miracle that Universal survived as long as they did without Comcast dictating stuff but it feels like that's starting to change with this and the mandatory mobile ordering (requiring you to install an app that hoards data from your phone).

I’m a little late with writing and posting this, but hopefully you like trip reports here!

Since I have a couple of friends living in the Salt Lake City area, I finally made it out there see them and visit Lagoon for the first time over Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, Primordial wasn’t open yet despite my best efforts in going late into the operating season. It was still a great weekend at the park with minimal lines on Sunday. Overall, I was very impressed with how well the park is run. Ops on all rides were really efficient with consistently fast dispatches.

Cannibal (x2) This was the ride I was most excited about, and it was a blast! I rode once just after park opening and once towards the end of my visit (back row both times). The elevator lift and first drop are certainly the highlights of the ride, but I also loved the hang time in the opposing heartline rolls over the water.

Jet Star II (x1) I finally rode a Schwarzkopf Jet Star for the first time, and it’s a great compact coaster. It packs a bigger punch than I expected with some good laterals. The kid in me also likes the old Schwarzkopf spiral lift hills having grown up with Whizzer at Six Flags Great America.

Bat (x1) Not too much to report on this one, but I have always thought Vekoma suspended family coasters are good for broad appeal and this is no exception. It’s a smooth ride that is a great fit for the park.

Rattlesnake Rapids (x1) This one obviously isn’t a roller coaster, but it was a pretty warm day so a splash of cold water felt really nice. I’m always pretty unlucky on rapids rides, so I was drenched for a while after getting off.

Wicked (x1) Like Cannibal, I was excited about riding Wicked as well. The launch was pretty forceful with some solid airtime going off the top hat into the first drop. Unfortunately, the ride really loses a lot of steam after the trims with the second half of the ride really crawling to the final brake run. This one reminds me of Sky Rocket at Kennywood, which I feel has the same problem.

Colossus (x1) Classic Schwarzkopf loopers are always fun, and it was cool to see one at this park alongside Jet Star II. Good positives in the vertical loops and great headchopper moments going through the structure as well.

Spider (x1) This was a fun spinning coaster that is similar to the Gerstlauer spinning coasters. This was my first Mauer spinning coaster, and it’s hard to say which I prefer.

Roller Coaster (x1) Overall a tame ride, but also certainly a historic one (102 years this season!). The station house reminded me of the wooden coasters at Kennywood with the original styling, and the Millennium Flyer trains were interesting given that I’m used to those being on much twistier GCI layouts.

Wild Mouse (x1) This is mostly a standard issue wild mouse with a run drop into a tunnel in the second half of the ride. Not much else to say here, but it was at least refreshing to see 4 cars cycling the layout at once compared to the terrible dispatches I’ve experienced on wild mouse coasters at Cedar Fair parks.

Finally, I ended my visit with a ride on each of the scary dark rides. Pretty good theming in both, and the jump scares got me as well. Afterwards, I left the park mid-afternoon to get some food and drinks outside of the park. I probably will want to go back eventually for Primordial, but for now there are plenty more coasters to ride at other parks.

Not only do they preserve old rides you can't find anywhere else but they remember the history and what we've lost. Its not complete yet but the Joyland sign is a fitting memorial for a park lost and this ride's former home.

I know many absolutely love the Halloween events but I'm curious if there's anything else specifically that people love? For me, this time of year is great at parks because of the weather and days shorter (night rides!).

My partner and I will be visiting Dollywood for the first time in October. We are going for two days. What would you recommend we do? What's the best show? The best ride? The best food? Any cool hidden nooks or crannies?

There was an electrical fire at Kennywood last night (Sunday night) during a private event for Highmark. Damage isn't known but the park did say they will be opening for Phantom Fall Fest / Fright Nights as scheduled.

It's been the joke for years..... Dollywood is just gonna give up and make the launched wooden coaster (that isn't even a wooden coaster anymore) a chain lift coaster......

Well... it's happening. The launch will be removed in favor of a "high speed chain lift"

In addition to the article, Dollywood posted a video on Twitter regarding this change: https://twitter.com/Dollywood/status/1701611625071919200?s=19

I've never been so happy to hear a rumor was false regarding the Titan Track on Wildcat..... According to Lake Compounce's website they are bringing in Gravity Group to restore it. I'm seriously looking forward to this.

Six Flags Great Adventure is getting a Vekoma Super Boomerang for 2024. I've been looking forward to one of these for a while now but, man, that capacity in such a large park is a bit concerning.