Shayne
04-19-2010, 05:04 PM
Well today was a more interesting trip for me than the usual. For starters, it was the beginning of a new long awaited season. This season however was going to be different. In the past, I had noticed that I would eat, sleep, and dream coasters for the entire off-season util I finally get to a park, but that was not the case this year. I was going with a new girlfriend as opposed to my old long term girlfriend who I liked to refer to as my coaster bunny. So what did this mean to me, well it was a big test. I had no idea how I react to the difference and whether or not my love of coasters and parks would be impacted.
The day started late with us not getting to the park until about 12:30. The weather turned out to be cold, cloudy, with sporadic rain. This was great for lines as the park turned out to be dead however made for a miserable day comfort wise. Our first move was to head over to Thunderbolt as it generally gets long lines by mid-day due to consistent one train operation. After about a 20 minute wait time we were ready. We hop on in the last row and the anticipation kills me until we're finally dispatched and we ascend the lift.
Thunderbolt notes- Horrible capacity, period. I can only ride this ride maybe twice a year due to their inability to run 2 trains. The ride seemed rougher than in years past. Nothing to cry home about. It is a must ride for anybody who visits the park rarely. 6.5/10 Reasoning is because of the classic nostalgic feel the ride gives you and not merely on the thrill.
From here I was still wary about whether or not my love for the rides had dissolved so we put it to the test. We headed to the one and only Bizarro to see where I laid. The walk down the stairs into DC Comic land had given me butterflies which were a great sign. After about a 15 minute wait we boarded the middle car right behind the audio box.
Bizarro notes- Very slow crew with a one train operation which for anybody who knows me is my pet peeve. The ride offered slow pacing, not quite valleying slow like it had done a week prior, but it was noticeably slower than last year. Still leaves me the that Wow feeling after the brake run every time though. Truly is the perfect coaster. 10/10
The walk back up the stairs led up to scream on the way towards the north end. Scream had a 3 or 4 cycle wait with only one tower running so it wasn't that bad. We sit down and to my disappointment it was running on Space Shot mode. Sigh, I guess you can't win them all.... The north end landed up upon what was probably the most anticipated ride of the day. The Cyclone was a classic that has been self butchering since it's opening in the 80's. What do I mean by self butchering? For once, I'm not blaming Six Flags for the lack of repair to a wooden coaster. They usually don't maintain them properly however the Cyclone has done the job for them. The structure was not designed properly to handle the heavier PTC trains that it runs which has caused damage to the track gauge. So where is this all leading me you might ask? This leads me to the massive re-tracking work that was done for the new season.
Cyclone notes- One train operation again left me aggravated after dealing with an about 30 minute wait on a dead day. After the drop I remembered that I was in for a rough ride, but as soon as I hit the former problem spots of the ride I noticed that the re-tracking was amazing. I believe that not only did they re-track the ride, but that they also re-banked the ride on the final turn around after the trim brake. This left me with a much more enjoyable ride than in the past. Great job Six Flags on this one. Major points for reviving a dying woodie. Overall ride left me with a 7/10
Without dragging this PTR out too much longer, the only other major rides ridden besides quite a few re-rides were Batman and Houdini the Great Escape. Houdini was fun and disorienting however had many effects not functioning.
Batman notes- This is probably the first time I've ever seen one train operation on a B&M coaster EVER?!? I just wanted to stress that because I have never seen that on a B&M. It left me with another sour taste in my mind. Ride was still great and intense. Unfortunately I find this ride has always left me wanting more. Overall 6/10
Great day in the park on what was a miserable day.
The day started late with us not getting to the park until about 12:30. The weather turned out to be cold, cloudy, with sporadic rain. This was great for lines as the park turned out to be dead however made for a miserable day comfort wise. Our first move was to head over to Thunderbolt as it generally gets long lines by mid-day due to consistent one train operation. After about a 20 minute wait time we were ready. We hop on in the last row and the anticipation kills me until we're finally dispatched and we ascend the lift.
Thunderbolt notes- Horrible capacity, period. I can only ride this ride maybe twice a year due to their inability to run 2 trains. The ride seemed rougher than in years past. Nothing to cry home about. It is a must ride for anybody who visits the park rarely. 6.5/10 Reasoning is because of the classic nostalgic feel the ride gives you and not merely on the thrill.
From here I was still wary about whether or not my love for the rides had dissolved so we put it to the test. We headed to the one and only Bizarro to see where I laid. The walk down the stairs into DC Comic land had given me butterflies which were a great sign. After about a 15 minute wait we boarded the middle car right behind the audio box.
Bizarro notes- Very slow crew with a one train operation which for anybody who knows me is my pet peeve. The ride offered slow pacing, not quite valleying slow like it had done a week prior, but it was noticeably slower than last year. Still leaves me the that Wow feeling after the brake run every time though. Truly is the perfect coaster. 10/10
The walk back up the stairs led up to scream on the way towards the north end. Scream had a 3 or 4 cycle wait with only one tower running so it wasn't that bad. We sit down and to my disappointment it was running on Space Shot mode. Sigh, I guess you can't win them all.... The north end landed up upon what was probably the most anticipated ride of the day. The Cyclone was a classic that has been self butchering since it's opening in the 80's. What do I mean by self butchering? For once, I'm not blaming Six Flags for the lack of repair to a wooden coaster. They usually don't maintain them properly however the Cyclone has done the job for them. The structure was not designed properly to handle the heavier PTC trains that it runs which has caused damage to the track gauge. So where is this all leading me you might ask? This leads me to the massive re-tracking work that was done for the new season.
Cyclone notes- One train operation again left me aggravated after dealing with an about 30 minute wait on a dead day. After the drop I remembered that I was in for a rough ride, but as soon as I hit the former problem spots of the ride I noticed that the re-tracking was amazing. I believe that not only did they re-track the ride, but that they also re-banked the ride on the final turn around after the trim brake. This left me with a much more enjoyable ride than in the past. Great job Six Flags on this one. Major points for reviving a dying woodie. Overall ride left me with a 7/10
Without dragging this PTR out too much longer, the only other major rides ridden besides quite a few re-rides were Batman and Houdini the Great Escape. Houdini was fun and disorienting however had many effects not functioning.
Batman notes- This is probably the first time I've ever seen one train operation on a B&M coaster EVER?!? I just wanted to stress that because I have never seen that on a B&M. It left me with another sour taste in my mind. Ride was still great and intense. Unfortunately I find this ride has always left me wanting more. Overall 6/10
Great day in the park on what was a miserable day.