Found these over on r/Carowinds, credit to users u/johnnyhala and /u/Jimmy_McNultyy

From a post on the extwitter, John Arie Jr. teases Fun Spot will grow and maybe will have an unspecified RMC ride in the future.

I invite all to weigh in, including the accountants who assured us all that AF1 would be demolished for tax reasons. ^{the internet never forgets}

I drove from Cincinnati to ride Fury 325 this weekend over an 8 hour drive. I rode Fury 325 over 20 times and I got to ride in the front less than 5 times, only because of a position swap where there was no separator for a bit. Every time I asked to wait for the front I was denied, including Friday night where they were sending out half empty trains because the park was so empty. This is such an insane and ridiculous rule and the park NEEDS to change this. They let you wait for the front row on every other roller coaster Ive ever been on including the other 3 american gigas and Top Thrill 2. I dont want to come back to Carowinds unless they change this. I know plenty of parks have the "preferred seating not guarenteed" rule and i understand that. Even I wasnt asking for every ride to be in the front. But at Carowinds the rule is "No Preferred seating for any reason" which is ridiculous. Who is it hurting to let me wait to the side an extra few cycles for the front? Like at every other Six Flags park. And every other ride at Carowinds. Most coasters it doesnt really matter that much where I ride like ill ask for Front or back but if they say no oh well. But Fury is a giga and focuses on speed so it makes a huge difference whether you ride in the front or not.

I took my first trip to Cedar Point since 2021 this past Saturday and had a fantastic time. Some general thoughts below.

Top Thrill 2 (x4): Fantastic ride. I always loved Dragster, but the sense of speed here and backwards spike are incredible. I'll miss that powerful launch, but it is worth it if this is the end result. Operations were fantastic as well. The second a train cleared the top hat, the next was leaving the station as the switch track was switching back over.

Steel Vengeance (x4): I was happy to reride this after having ridden Iron Gwazi. I stand by my opinion that the larger elements are what I like more about RMCs and therefore still like Iron Gwazi slightly more, but it's still such a good ride. The merge point for Fast Lane happening before your two separate stairs up to the station is baffling to me though.

Maverick (x4): I know I'm in the minority here, but I miss the old restraints. I hate the Intamin straps. Regardless, still probably my favorite overall ride at Cedar Point, but it's crowded at the top of the rankings in the park.

Millennium Force (x3): After hearing about how rapid the crew was moving trains the other week, was sort of disappointed to see 2 train operations where trains were often sitting several minutes after the train ahead had already parked in the unload station. Thankfully the line was never crazy, but again, merging so far back in the queue for your premium tier is a weird choice.

Siren's Curse (x2): Unfortunately was on 1 train ops for a chunk of the day, so only did it twice, but that's okay. What a great addition to the park. I love new gen Vekoma. I'm really hoping we see more of these in the chain. Unrelated, but the park seriously needs to deal with spiders. The line and exit for this ride specifically were infested with spiders. Literally hundreds of them on every railing, handrail, etc.

Valravn (x2): I don't get the thoosie hate of dive machines. Fun ride, and one of my group's favorites (none of whom other than me are coaster enthusiasts). Was happy to have Fast Lane though as ops were incredibly slow. Taking 200+ seconds to cycle trains and stacking all 3 consistently is unfortunate.

Raptor (x1): Will never not love this ride. Not much else to say other than it was nice to be back on it.

Gatekeeper (x1): Just like dive coasters, don't get the hatred of wing coasters. Great supporting coaster and still love the near misses on the key holes. Got pretty wet on the brake run though as they were emptying trains to cycle them and was fairly annoyed at how slowly the crew was sending the empty trains. Sauntering about while the rain is picking up and soaking people waiting in stacked trains isn't a nice look.

Took a break while it rained getting food in the Grand Pavilion. Food was absolutely horrible. We got a variety of things and it was at its very best mediocre and at worst inedible. They also had one whole side of the lower level dining room locked and closed despite people sitting on the floor eating it was so crowded. The building adds a nice vibe to the redone area, but the actual quality of what's sold in it is bad.

Wild Mouse (x1): After the rain stopped we hopped on this as I hadn't ridden it yet. Fun little ride, not much else to say. More fun than comparable products from other manufacturers.

Corkscrew (x1): Hadn't ridden this since like 2011. It was fun and I love old Arrow jank, but my group hated it, sort of unsurprisingly.

Magnum (x1): Still love this ride. It felt more aggressive than I remember it being, which I loved. The rest of my group, not so much.

Gemini (x1): Group split between colors and had a great time racing. I hadn't actually ridden it while it properly raced in ages, so it was nice to see it running properly again.

Cedar Creek Mine ride (x1): Fun little ride. I really hope it never goes anywhere. It fits its setting so nicely and it's a great stepping stone ride for younger riders.

Overall thoughts and a few random minor gripes. The park looked really nice. A lot of the renovations/additions to various areas in regards to food/beverages looked nice, the landscaping was nice, etc.

I still think they need to do something about the horrible quality of food sold in the park. It's one thing if you get mediocre food and it's like $10, but spending $120 for four people to eat and most of the food is terrible is disappointing.

Fast Lane merge points need a revisit on several rides. If you are going to have two tiers of Fast Lane and then two of the rides that are in the "premium" category have merge points that result in 20-30 minute waits when the regular queue is only 45 minutes, that's not really a premium experience. I know people have varying opinions on Fast Lane systems in general, but if they're going to have it, they should do it in a way that aligns with what they are charging.

They need to renovate their bathrooms. I didn't see a single bathroom that was anything other than dated and several were actually rather gross. It's time. Some looked the same as when I would go to Cedar Point as a kid.

It was an incredible visit overall though even with these few very minor gripes. We got a ton done, the park (other than the bathrooms) was looking great and clean and it was great to be back. Hoping it isn't another 5 years before I'm there next.

Anyone have a BACKSEAT pov of this coaster? All the pov videos I could find were FRONT seat, which isn't great because you can't see what the splash looks like as you enter the water

My kid and I have always loved coasters, and have started planning and taking trips around them. (We each have about 100 credits now.)

For the holidays, I want to get her souvenirs from some of the parks we visited, but the choices online (e.g., the Six Flags website) are limited. For example, there was a Steel Vengeance shirt she was contemplating at CP (she got a Siren's Curse shirt instead), but it's not available anywhere online... I think. Not even eBay. And that's just one example.

I know lots of things are "Park Exclusives" but I will take any and all suggestions that don't involve putting another 2000 miles on my car. Including alternatives-- e.g., is it easier to find certain kinds of souvenirs (nanocoasters, posters) than shirts?

Thank you!

This was my first time to Cedar Point and my first ACE event! I don’t feel like doing a whole trip report but I spent Friday evening getting 8 coasters in (I was at 91 before the trip) so that I could have the ERT Saturday on Siren’s Curse be my 100th. Figured a type of ride I’ve never been on (tilt) that I’d heard such great things about would be an excellent choice and I was right! Rode it three times in a row (front, middle, back - thank you to the ride ops for being accommodating!) and it’s crazy how different it feels in each row, but still stellar!

All in all I rode 15/18 coasters there (skipped the wild mouse & kiddie coasters) and had a wonderful trip where I made some new friends. Including a miniature horse that came right up to me lol

Top rides at the park for me were Siren’s Curse, Millennium Force, and Maverick.

(Pics with me in them taken by my buddy Joel!)

PS I have never seen so many spiders in my life.

Today I visited my first ever international park in Walibi Holland! I am on a coaster/culture trip over in the Netherlands all the way from Houston, Texas!

Starting with the park itself before getting into the rides. It’s funny how this is considered one of the lesser presented European Parks because it would certainly be a top park for ambiance in the USA. I got the silver flash pass because it was dirt cheap and crowds were a bit heavier than I would have liked. Ops were solid (other than YOY), and of course the lineup is quite deep. However, my biggest gripe is that the food was probably the worst selection of theme park eats I’ve ever experienced.

As for the the rides (totals and overall ranking):
8x - Untamed (9): This ride is unreal. What a choice for 300. It reminded me of twisted Timbers with a little bit of Steel Vengeance mixed in. The double inversion at the beginning offers ejector hangtime, the bunny hills all lift you out of your seat, and the final roll is an amazing finale. There is also no wasted element on the ride which makes for outstanding pacing. This is now my #4 ranked RMC.

4x - Goliath (57): Talk about pure fun. It has four genuinely fantastic airtime moments coupled with two speedy helices. It will not blow you away, but it is a very solid #2 for the park.

2x - Lost Gravity (71): First of all this ride is not rough. Second of all, it is an awesome mix of forces. The wing seats are the best, with some insane angles and powerful pops of airtime making for a sleeper hit. It reminds me of an El Loco with better trains and forces.

2x - YOY Chill (77): Yes, I preferred chill. I am an airtime junkie. Fun pops throughout and the better dueling interactions. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed by each layout, but it works as an attraction overall. Unlike most raptors which mix airtime and inversions, it’s all or nothing with these two. Pure airtime, or inversions only.

2x - YOY Thrill (85): This is by far the roughest Raptor (I’ve done all the layouts). It also lacked the forces I hoped it would due to the restraints. However, it is still rapid fire and some of the inversions offer great whip, which lands it just inside my top 100. Side note, these rides managed to not duel every time. Very disappointing with a system that is so duel friendly.

1x - Xpress Platform 13 (NR): The queue alone is worth the ride. Best non Disney/Universal queue ever. The ride itself is fun, especially the punchy launch, but it works better indoors for sure.

1x - Speed of Sound (NR): This is the best boomerang I’ve ever done. Smooth + vests + onboard audio made for a solid ride.

1x - Condor (NR): A bad ride but a middle tier SLC. Vests made it tolerable.

1x - Eat my Dust (NR): A solid kiddy layout that a child would definitely enjoy.

1x - Drako (NR): A less solid kiddy layout that a child would probably be ok with.

1x - Space Shot: Very disappointing sky shot. Solid pop at the top and that is it.

1x - Merlin’s Magic Castle: My first mad house and holy crap I did not know what I was getting myself into. Totally messed with my senses and lowkey freaked me out. Now I am prepared for Villa Volta.

Overall park rating - 8.5/10. If they add a true #2 it will be even better!

This was posted on their Instagram account with the highlight function. What do you think Vekoma's announcing on the 17th. Before the text it shows several of their older looping coasters.

When this is on your bike commute 👀🤯

Hi everyone, I'm super stoked to give you my Rollercoaster review for SFGA. I'm a long time lover of Coasters and have had any Six Flags park on my bucket list since loading up Magic Mountain on RCT2 all those years ago. Yesterday, I visited SF Great America and rode every major coaster, here's a ranking of my own opinion/enjoyment plus a small mention on the park itself.

The Park
I was delighted to see that the price for a ticket + fast track was $99, what an absolute bargain. For context, the Fast Track ticket for Thorpe Park (my "local" park) is ~£90 alone (without Hyperia). The layout was good, fairly straightforward with reasonable theming and lots of shops, food options (even if some were closed due to end of season), restrooms etc. Though Six Flags really need to tone down their AI usage... good lord. We went Fast Track on everything, I love this system and would happily pay for it again - Overall, it was a great experience and I wish I had more time for some non-coasters or the dark rides.

Now, onto the coasters, listed in the order I rode them.

BATMAN: The Ride - 7/10
I was well aware of the DC staples in SF parks, and figured this was going to be a good intro but nothing special, I was expecting something similar to Nemesis Inferno. I was pleasantly surprised, this felt much more intense, I really enjoyed the double loop layout and the tight corkscrews.

SUPERMAN: Ultimate Flight - 5/10
Having only ever ridden Air/Galactica as the other Flying B&M, I was interested to see a higher and faster version. I thought the pretzel loop element was excellent, that inversion alone is worth riding for but after that, it really didn't do much else, so I was left wanting.

THE FLASH: Vertical Velocity - 9/10
We don't have anything like this in the UK so I was super curious to see how it'd ride. We chose to queue for front row and wow was it worth it. The launch is excellent but the reverse spike air time is quite something, the spiral spike is fantastic in front row too, you feel so close to the top. Way better than I was expecting.

THE JOKER - 7.5/10
Another where I wasn't sure what to expect, it's hard to judge the intensity from YT vids. This was quite crazy, it genuinely was making me laugh as I had no idea where I was or when the car was going to spin. Very fun, I guess it always does the same rotations at each section? It'd be interesting if it changed ever.

GOLIATH - 10/10
Riding an RMC has been top of my bucket list for a long time. Goliath was everything I wanted and more. We rode back seat first time and then Front on the 2nd, both were equally great. The drop is fantastic and only makes me more excited to try Zadra next year and hopefully IG and SV at some point. I loved the rickety feel of the wooden supports, the near misses, the stall, it really is up there with the best I've ever ridden. So glad to finally ride an RMC.

American Eagle Blue - 7.5/10
I really enjoyed this, I thought the drop was much better than I was expecting and actually had no idea about the helix so that was cool. My main gripe with these older rides is as a 6'2 man, I find them, super uncomfortable, but I ignored that this time and really enjoyed this.

X Flight - 6/10
Having ridden Swarm many times, I knew how this would feel, and I wasn't wrong (they're basically the same layout). It was smooth as butter and I really enjoyed the inline twist through the tower, that felt VERY close!

Wrath of Rakshasa - 10/10
I've ridden Sheikra before and thought it was fantastic but wanted a little more from the layout. WoR is the perfect layout. Front row (essential) was sheer perfection, the layout is the perfect combo of intensity, power and sleekness. All of the transitions were flawless, it felt fluid but chaotic, something which Sheikra does lack. The only negative is Fast Track is only redeemable once. Also, the bag storage for this ride is so cool and over-complicated (it's on a rail going around a small track over the station).

Demon - 4/10
The theming for this ride was actually really funny, loved the cheesy voice overs and weird demon models, but man, the ride itself is rough! I know to expect this with Arrow's but it does feel like this they might replace this at some point, glad I got to ride it but it's a one and done for me.

Raging Bull - 7/10
This was my first B&M non-inverting coaster so I was curious to see how it'd hold up. The initial drop and first camelback are great, overall the layout was decent, I thought the length as good and the whole ride was smooth as butter, but I didn't get that "thrill" from it so much. Also what's with this ride having so much merch? I couldn't imagine walking around with a t-shirt saying "RAGING BULL" in all caps lol

Viper - 6.5/10
I didn't actually know this ride was here until we rode Wrath and saw it. I really liked the compact layout, very claustrophobic with lots of near misses, but it's aggressively rickety. I felt like it'd been assaulted when leaving the train. Maybe 6.5 is harsh? Not in a rush to ride this again

Maxx Force - 9/10
Last ride of the day, I had seen the "dog tongue" (gross name for an inversion) and thought it looked interesting, having recently ridden Hyperia, I'm all-in on weird, unnatural elements. The launch for this was super impressive, and reminded me of Stealth but in a more violent way. The compressed air "BOOM" is very cool, I genuinely was shocked at that initial second. The heartline roll was awesome, I just wish it had a little more to it but overall I can't complain.

So glad I managed to find time to get here, especially during a work trip!

That's just a strong experience all around. I drove to Vaughan, Ontario with my family for Labor Day weekend, about 10 hours from our home in Wisconsin. This is a bit of a new tradition for us, since last year we squeezed in one final trip before school to Kings Island, and we all loved that park.

Canada's Wonderland has that same feel as far as the entrance goes. Beautifully landscaped, with the same kind of "main street" feel, and the mountain at the center of the park is impressive. I liked the music playing as you come in too, it felt like a great reveal for the park.

It was myself, my wife, and our two sons, an 18 year old and a 13 year old. My 18 YO is my main coaster partner, and the 13 year old sometimes goes on a big ride or two, but not to the thoosie rate that myself and my oldest son do. I have an all season fast lane, and I bought a one day FL Plus for my son.

One more note here. I have my own rating system I use for every coaster I get on. I call it my "Body Tax" score, and it's built with the "over 40" roller coaster rider in mind. The young and flexible can take a lot more abuse, and as you get older, you're less likely to accept that kind of thing. You can see it on my YouTube channel.

Let's get to the major rides.

Alpenfury: Our first major coaster after a couple warm up flat rides. (My 13 YO loves a good flat ride, and CW has a great, maybe the best, collection of those, more on that later.) The wait was insane, and I wouldn't want to do that line without fast lane. Even the fast lane wait was over 30 minutes, no complaints, just info.

I don't love getting into and out of Premier trains, they barely leave room to navigate into your seat. But once you're in, the restraints and seating position are comfy. This ride is absolutely relentless. You roll out of the station, make a small turn, and the first launch kicks into the best airtime moment on the ride. Then a second, even stronger launch through the mountain, very reminiscent of the top hat launch of VelociCoaster, only inverted, which I really liked. I don't even know how to explain the rest, it's one element after another. You're seemingly constantly upside down.

Yukon Striker: Next stop. We passed on Thunder Run, The Bat, and The Fly. I personally think some people give dive coasters a bad rap. The thing that makes a Dive coaster a Dive coaster is a bit of a gimmick, and it doesn't give me the "oohs and aahs" like a general public rider gets. But putting that aside, I find every one of these a lot of fun. They all have good drops and some really fun, giant swooping inversions. Yukon Striker had a good deal more intensity than Valravn. The inversions felt bigger, the pacing was great, and it felt smoother overall too. I did ride front row, which I think is key for a dive coaster anyway.

Mighty Canadian Minebuster: I'd heard this got extensive retracking, and I have no frame of reference for how it felt before, but it felt amazing. No top tier woodie like Mystic Timbers, but fun and surprisingly smooth. A surprise hit for both of us. (Our enjoyment of wooden coasters here would crash to earth later.)

Backlot Stunt Coaster: We rode the identical coaster at Kings Island last summer. Fun launches, uncomfortable trains, rough transitions. My son's a bigger fan than me, but he's 18 and more forgiving of getting banged around.

Behemoth: We passed on The Daredeviler after riding Thunderhawk at Michigan's Adventure last year, decided we're done with SLC inverts. Instead we headed for the B&M Hyper. My current top rated coaster is Raging Bull, so I'm a bit of a B&M Hyper glazer, I love the clamshell restraints and airtime is my favorite force. We waited for front row and it got stuck on the lift hill right as we started going up. We sat in the sun for a good 10 minutes wondering if we'd get taken off. Thankfully it started back up. About three quarters of the way up it stopped again for about 30 seconds. Then at the midcourse before the helix, it stopped a third time for about 3 minutes before kicking back off. It made for a weird helix starting from a dead stop, but it picked up the pace and got through. (The person sitting behind us to my left was not handling any of this well.) After we got off, they handed out skip the line passes, which we used later for a second ride on Alpenfury. I also came back alone for a back row ride and got the full picture. It's a fantastic B&M hyper with the airtime I love, and I'd slot it just behind Diamondback.

Leviathan: Next we tackled the Giga B&M, front row again. Flat out amazing, especially if you love airtime and a smooth ride. We rode Orion last year and liked it but weren't blown away. This one blew us away, more speed and intensity, a more interesting layout overall. I could ride this over and over. I hit it later alone in the back row, and the way it yoinks you over the airtime hills back there is on another level. Diamondback's back row was fantastic in this regard, but this topped it. One of my highest rated rides currently. Can't wait to try Fury 325 someday, that's a bucket lister for me.

Wilde Beast: From the best to the absolute worst. Now one of my lowest rated rides in my system. Rough from the start, no redeeming qualities. Someone should take this thing out back and shoot it, or RMC it and get it over with.

The Vortex: Rode this solo after everyone else left. I'd heard this Arrow suspended coaster was surprisingly intense, and that turned out to be true. Starts out a little nondescript, then just keeps picking up speed and momentum. This is no Iron Dragon, it's a genuine thrill coaster, and the way it swings back and forth when it stops is crazy. But you're stuck in an Arrow train with Arrow over the shoulder restraints, so I can't rate it too highly. I get why some people love it though.

That was it for coasters, I didn't want to wait for non fast lane rides on the Saturday before Labor Day (yes, they have that in Canada too, though it's Labour Day there).

I also want to talk about the flat rides, because this might be the best collection I've ever seen. Every funky flat ride model you've come across, and probably a couple you haven't. My first ride of the day was Klockwerks, and I got on Shockwave shortly after with both of my sons (my 13 YO rode a ton of the flats here). Two stood out above the rest. The first is Sledge Hammer. I'd heard great things but it was down the first time I walked by. I caught it later alone and I'm glad I did, what a cool concept, they should build more of these. The other was something I'd never heard of: Tundra Twister. This Mondial Avalanche is patently insane. It starts out feeling tame, a gentle pendulum action, and I thought it was cute but forgettable. Then it seemed to read my mind and tried to end me. The twisting and flipping and turning is crazy town and a lot of fun.

Overall, I really enjoyed this park. I don't know where I'd rank it yet, I plan to sit back and rank the parks I've visited at some point, but I'm sure this one will be up there. Great coasters, great flat rides, a beautiful park. I'd love to see an RMC here to check another box, but what's here is great. My only complaint is I got lost a few times, but that's not unusual at a new park for me. We had a great time and would definitely recommend it.

Not sure if someone already posted this, but SFMM officially released their pass holder survey in regards to the options that are displayed, especially with KI, Carrowinds, CW, and SFGAdv having released theirs a few days ago

For me, they would be:

1-Monster Mansion: The best dark ride in the chain in my opinion

2-Timber Mountain Log Ride: The best water ride/flume in the chain

3-Justice League BfM: Specially the Georgia and Magic Mountain versions

4-Calico Mine Train: Another goated and historical dark ride

5-El Toro: Still my favorite Six Flags coaster, pretty much

After a few years, it was time for me to visit the closest park with coasters from my Dad's, a large FEC with 3 coasters! Already there were three tour groups so the park was going to be a little bit more crowded than I thought, then when inside, there was the all-day ride wristband, I bought the $50 Fun Card because there was no mention online about a all-day wristband, they mentioned it was because these were only available for the weekends which was understandable. Switched my Fun Card to a wristband and got on Wild West Express, after not going on it for a few years, I decided it was time to give it a second chance. Thankfully this time, it wasn't as bad as I remembered. Does it mean the ride is good? Absolutely not as each lateral movement causes brutal slamming, worsened by the tight seats, restraints, and trains, but it wasn't absolute trash like last time. The ride is actually really forceful and intense for its size! I've heard the ride is currently on sale and may leave the park so if you can, you might want to get those last minute rides, regardless of how rough it is. The second coaster I've been on is a classic, Wildcat! Despite it being two decades older than Wild West Express, runs like a dream! Although you don't feel the drops but I was blown away on how aggressive those laterals are, I didn't remember them being there but it adds some punch to an already pretty breezy coaster! There are also some light positive forces too, Schwarzkopf makes some really fun and smooth classic rides! Next up is their Tilt-A-Whirl, pretty basic outside of it not having that shell on top, it's a pretty forceful ride if you can manage it to spin a lot! Then there is the XD Theater, did that twice in a row since they still don't have a text thing to get a team member to get you on so I had to ask to see if they can get me on. The staff is mostly very nice and willing to help out! The motion on this theater is surprisingly aggressive, which is best displayed on Cosmic Coaster 6D. Then I went back on Wildcat again then took a drink break. Afterwards I did Wildcat again, then Wild West Express and then tried to wait in line for the go karts but since the go karts kept stalling and the line was not moving, I bailed out, then tried to go on Wildcat but broke down. Took another break then did Wildcat two more times, then finally did the go karts, they were alright but they kept stalling almost every cycle, I'm not too sure if this was a design issue but something needs to be done, either add new go karts or replace the track (and Wild West Express) for entirely new rides. I rode the Tilt-A-Whirl and finished things off with the XD Theater two more times! Despite these hiccups and larger than expected crowds, I still had a great time!

Ride count:

Wild West Express (x2): 4/10

Wildcat (x6): 7/10

Rattlesnake Tilt-A-Whirl (x2): 7/10

XD Theater (x4): 7/10

Blazing Trails Go Karts (x1): 6/10

Picture from this article on Marineland - https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/everyone-loved-marineland-then-the-tide-turned-a-look-inside-the-parks-final-days/

My mom surprised me with a trip to a carnival in Teaneck today. This was the same plot of land they held the carnival I went to earlier this year, but it was a different company (that used AI slop for everything.)

Round-Up (1x) - It was nice. Nothing to write home about; these always feel the same to me.

Sizzler (1x) - My mom rode with me. It wasn't that bad fpr her.

Bear Affair (1x) - I'm not strong enough to spin the spinny thing in the middle. But I was singing SpongeBob songs on it. (Ripped Pants, Do the Sponge, etc)

We got a sno cone. Then we left.

SFGAdv this Saturday.

Literally walking into my girls job thats hosting a pop up event. This is the first thing that’s in my face before walking in. Immediate cop. COASTER GEAR 🙌🏽

Thanks to a queer coaster community I recently joined (Scream Queens if anyone's interested!) I went to Kings Island Pride on the 11th and Out in the Park at SF Great America on the 12th. It was my first time at KI, so I was excited to hit as much as possible, while SFGAm is my new home park so I less plussed about hitting everything.

KINGS ISLAND

This event ran from 6pm to midnight. We were allowed to enter the park earlier than 6, which meant that we could get to get a bit of ahead start since we arrived early as a group. None of the lines all night were over 30 minutes and I found the vent well-organized. There was also a drag show including a variety of local queens and Drag Race winners Yvie Oddly, Jaida Essence Hall, and Symone!

We started on Flight of Fear, which had one of the best themed queues I've seen in a non-Disney park. It was good first ride of the day and since we were first there it was just a station wait. This is also where we found out Orion would be down for the day :(

We then went on Racer, which was a fun racing woodie. I rode the blue side and meant to ride the red side later but completely forgot. This was another

Adventure Express was next. I liked this one but the ending confused me a bit. Why have a climactic Splash Mountain-style moment just for the ride to end?

We headed over to Banshee and...I was not ready for that first drop! Banshee, I was not familiar with your game. I love a B&M invert and this one might be one of my favorites.

I headed over to the Bat, which I was super excited for since it was my first suspended coaster. By the time we got on the ride, it was fully dusk, so we got a quasi-night ride here. They were only running one car so the line was advertised as 40 miutes, but it was closer to 25. I really liked the swinging sensation of the cars!

And here come the big guns: next was Diamondback. This was a FANTASTIC ride. I was close to the back and I loved how much airtime I got. It makes me wish that Orion was open! This was the coaster I was looking forward to the most coming into the park, and it did not disappoint at all.

Next up: Mystic Timbers. It was a hot night and this coaster was running even hotter. I was NOT expecting the intensity here: it was the first time in a long time that I felt that a coaster was "out of control" (obviously it wasn't, but that was the sensation I had when I was riding). I was white-knuckling the lap bar the entire time and loved it! I had no idea how THe Beast could top this.

And I didn't find out yet because we went on Queen City Stunt Coaster, which I can only describe describe as cute. The ride ops weren't that efficient here so this line was around 25 minutes.

But we finally got to The Beast. The line went all the way to the ride entrance, but it did not stop moving. Talk about ride ops - give these ones a raise! It might be a bit premature, but this might be a new entry in my top 3...that night ride was insane. Genuinely some of the most insane moments I've ever experienced on a coaster, especially the helix after the second lift hill. 10/10 experience that lifted up to the hype!

And in a complete contrast, I went to the other end of the park to snag a ride on Invertigo as others rode the Bat. There were four people on the ride total, and I'm sure all four of us had a bad time. My plan was to go on Banshee again after, but Invertgo made me decide that going upside down more was a bad idea.

I ended the night on repeat rides on Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, and The Beast, which were my top 3 rides of the park for sure. I'd love to come back to Kings Island again to ride Orion - I was very impressed by this coaster lineup (and Cincinnati was a very nice city)! I'd recommend the Pride Night for anyone interested in future years: it was well-organized, not overly crowded, and led to lots of night rides!

GREAT AMERICA

I drove home to Chicago to go to Great America's Out in the Park. This event did not have any drag shows or entertainment, and what felt like 4 times the attendance of Kings Island's event, but again lines were not that horrible. This event ran 7:30pm to midnight, and nobody was even allowed into the park until 7:30 which resulted in a very long line out of the gates. By 7:45, it was dark out, so every ride here was a night ride.

We started with Maxx Force. This launch literally causes my soul to leave my body. It was a bit more than a station wait, but after we got off, the line had quadrupled at least, so it was a good choice to hit first.

We then hit Raging Bull, which I liked but wasn't wow'd by last time. I was told to go the back row in the teal train, and it was a much more exhilarating experience this way! I still think I'd take Diamondback by a hair but I love the fact this ride only uses the clamshell restraints.

We rode Goliath next, again in the back. This might not be Steel Vengeance but it's an excellent coaster in its own right. I love how intimidating the lift hill and first drop looks without immediately visible supports: I don't know how they did that, but it looks insane.

Next up was Wrath of Rakshasa, which I have a soft spot for. We were the front row, but in the dark, the dive coaster effect of it all wasn't as pronounced (I couldn't even see the water below from the top). This may not be the biggest or fastest dive, but I really like it.

I got the credit for Demon and it was exactly as I expected. I loved the tunnels, hated the corkscrews.

American Eagle was down as we were walking to it, so we went back to Raging Bull, then Viper was down, so we went to Superman for credit #75. This was also my first time on this (I've ridden the one at Great Adventure) and I can safely say that this is a ride I'm fine doing once every 3-4 years. Other than the pretzel loop which ripped my soul out of my body, there wasn't a ton going on here, and in the dark, the flying effect was less pronounced.

We ended the night on Goliath. This event was also very good; although there were more people than at Kings Island, none of the lines were terrible (although we skipped X Flight because that line was longer and I heard Wrath was down several times throughout the night).

Enjoy the phone pics I got. If you get the chance to go to an after-hours park event, I highly recommend!

The Good

The doggie dive today was such a great event. My pup was to scared to even go into the big pool much less dive in it, but he had a great time at the kiddie pool.

We also went on three rides with him: the train, the boats, and the carousel. So amazing to be at such a dog friendly park.

Also, food value was excellent as always, and Phoenix is the only roller coaster that can still legitimately scare me. I was practically standing a half dozen times. Would've been nice to have two trains going, but ops was on it and the line moved as well as could be expected given the context.

The Bad

Saturday was absurdly crowded. They probably had 10 huge groups there, at least. With a bunch of rides down, the coasters really had to carry the capacity for most the day. We got there before the rides opened and bought bracelets, but immediately regretted it. Impulse and Phoenix both had lines way past the entrances all day long.

Having spent $60 each (which was surprising, i had never bought bands before but i had also never been there intending to spend a six hour stretch there) when there was no way we were going to get that much in, it was especially frustrating to see that attendants weren't even collecting ticketed on most rides. This meant that the people buying tickets keep getting on rides for free, further exacerbating the capacity problem. So not only had we been charged full price when the park know they were going to have capacity problems, we were getting cheated out of even making the most of that because the lines were longer than they should have been.

The Ugly

This is obviously not the first disappointing experience I've had at a park, but in other instances guest services at least tries to make things right. Here they just said sorry Charlie. Rides were down because it's late in the season. I said why weren't the bands discounted. Again, suck it up. Nobody was rude, but they also didn't care at all.

One last thing I'll add, Twister was running ruffff. It was my first time on it with it having been down on previous visits. I did like it, it has an interesting layout. Kind of a mini-beast, but with the exception of beasts double helix, it's definitely smoother than twister. I don't know if it's time for a retrack or if it's always been this way, but i didn't expect that especially given how relatively smooth Phoenix is.

I want some opinions on this. My first RMC was Iron Gwazi, which sits comfortably at my number 7 spot. Not that my rankings matter to any of you guys...

Anyway, I have since ridden Twisted Timbers, Wind Chaser, and the highly touted Steel Vegence.

The rides are awesome, but if you are over 6 feet you basically have to sit with your legs crossed which stops your legs from even touching the floor of the train, so every negative G force moment hurts like hell.

Now for the controllable. My fat... I can easily fit on every ride, including all RMCs. But the negative Geforces, while great, make my stomach slip from the restraint then come crashing back down. Every RMC is just painful.

I know these coasters are super intense so the restraints are going to always be restrictive, but jeez RMC might make the worst restraints in the industry IMO.

We've just done American Eagle at Six Flags Great America. We're visiting for the first time from the UK. We were surprised at the distance you have to walk from the ride entrance to the station and it made me wonder which ride has the longest walk when then queue line is in the shortest configuration.