Manta - Sea World Orlando (October 2009)

Despite the fact that flying coasters are not my preference, Manta is the real deal.

Following up that statement leads me into what will be a very positive review concerning the latest and greatest thing to hit central Florida. We were in Orlando this past weekend (I am currently typing up this review from The Marshall House Hotel in Savannah, GA) with our main task being a sub-48:00 minute time in Disney's Race for the Taste 10K. That was accomplished on Sunday morning with a 47:50 in which I was very proud of. On Friday however, our secondary task was completed with two laps on Manta and # 3 ranking in the best new coasters of 2009 poll. It definitely lived up to that ranking.

Like most things in Orlando, Manta is not simply a coaster, it is a total experience. The line weaves in and out of the Manta Ray exhibit and is a 1st class aquarium all by itself. Their is a separate entrance for those only wishing to view the animals, but a large portion of the aquarium itself can be seen through the Manta que line.

I rode the ride once as a walk-on as soon as the park opened, then again at mid-day with about a 20 minute wait. I expect that eventually the lines will get massive as the ride is located very close to the front of the park entrance and has become the new icon at Sea World.

As for the ride itself, it has a number of unique elements despite its flying type. The first drop into the pretzel loop is surpassed only by Tatsu out west. It is much more intense than those inversions located on the various Superman clones. The g-forces provided by this inversion are very strong as you feel like your body is going to be sucked all the way through your seat. Manta also has two zero-g rolls with are taken at just the right speed to feel intense but comfortable.

The most unique feature the ride contains however, is the dip into the water following the mid-course brake run. I recommend the seat on the far ride (the first one as you entering the train) as you can reach down and fell the water as it blasts upward. You do get a little wet but it is a refreshing kind of wet without being drenched. The other seats do not offer this.

In conclusion, Sea World has a definite winner. The coaster is centrally located so it is easy to get pics of. It takes up a large area but walking paths are present directly under numerous parts of the ride. The ride scores somewhere between the Superman clones and Tatsu putting it at a solid 8.5. I will round up to the 9 however, due to the immersive themeing and fun ride experience. It is a can't miss while at Sea World.

Overall rating - 9.

Orlando United Tournament of Champions

I like coasters. I also like anything to do with tournament brackets. The link below combines the best of both worlds through a unique tournament designed to compare the top thrill rides (not just coasters) in Orlando, Florida....ie. the Theme Park Capitol of the World. Please register and log in to vote on your favorites. The registration process is very simple and they do not slam you with spam. The message boards offer some great discussion forums and the site itself seems to be growing rapidly. The match-ups only last for 2-3 days so the tourney moves quickly. Currently, the world's first Dive Coaster (Shiekra) is battling one of the top themed dark rides ever (Hollywood Tower of Terror). Register and vote as soon as possible. http://orlandounited.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=68

Kings Dominion Announces Intimidator-305

Ok I admit it.....I'm excited. I have ridden over 400 roller coasters in the last 3 years and it really takes a good bit to get me excited. Ok, maybe not......but this time I'm REALLY excited. The fact the second Giga Coaster in the U.S is being built a mere 9 hours from my house makes me feel very warm and fuzzy......and excited.

In all seriousness, this is going to be a great ride. The 300 foot drop on Millennium Force is my favorite element on any roller coaster I have ever ridden and this will be virtually identical. I am not happy with the restraints, but this coaster still seems to be a combination of Millennium Force and

Maverick which will make it a superb ride. While a majority of the coaster community seems disappointed that this ride did not top the record breaking stats they were hoping for, I think that Cedar Fair has designed another winner which will make Kings Dominion a destination park. I know one thing....I will be there next summer to find out for myself what this thing can do.

Boardwalk Bullet - Kemah Boardwalk (July of 2009)

I did something different...really different. Having travelled the country and ridden 401 roller coasters, there was still one area that I had not visited.....Texas. After returning from vacation this year, I decided to meet up with a travel group called Theme Park Review and spend 5 days in Texas at a very reasonable price. This was a superb experience that I will discuss in a later post, but the main reason I went was to ride this coaster.

Having two Gravity Group woodies in my Top 10, I had high hopes for this creation and was not disappointed. Now don't get me wrong. The Bullet is very intense and has suffered some ridiculous abuse in the form of Hurricane Ike. No coaster should go through what it has faced. Yet still, the coaster has character and I thoroughly enjoyed my 10 laps in two days.

What is character? Can we give human characteristics to inanimate objects like amusement park rides? Here at Coaster Reviews, we do. To us, the ride is an experience. Some may be smooth, some rough, and some intense. The key thing is that we like rides that give us memories and the Bullet does that.

The first section of the ride is typical Gravity Group intensity with a very twisted track which takes the riders within 30 feet of the water. There are a couple of very intense sections of track which border on roughness. It is common knowledge that the faster this thing goes, the smoother the ride. I think my better rides were the night rides we took following the storm that blew in. I also enjoyed the morning rides but they seemed a tad rougher.

But what the heck, the ride is fun. It has a gorgeous backdrop, a great layout, and some intense airtime segments and laterals. It is not the greatest coaster in the world but still gives an unrelenting ride. That is what a wooden coaster is about......and oh yeah....it has character.

It gets a solid 8 from Coaster Reviews.

Hades Review - Wisconsin Dells (July of 2009)

Hades was arguably the coaster I was looking forward most to riding this entire summer. I currently have 11 coasters which I have given a 10 ranking to and fully expected this Gravity Group creation to make it # 12 and mix up my top coasters. When we pulled into the parking lot, these feelings rose a couple of notches to near certainty.

The park was very crowded but most of the people seemed to be headed for the water park so we got in all the smaller woodies first and then doubled back to Hades hoping the line had shrunk a little. We were wrong as a 45 minute wait awaited us since one train operation is all the park offers on each of its coasters. We ended up getting a next to the back seat ride and off we went for what I hoped to be an unbelievable coaster ride.

I was wrong.

To begin with, the pre-lift hill section is very overrated. It is cool dropping out of the station, but there is not any airtime and the train just seems to meander along to the lift. The drop off the lift hill and through the tunnel is superb. The typical Gravity Group forces are present as you speed under the parking lot, out into the turn around, and back down through the return trip. However, I faced another issue here which totally destroyed the ride experience for me: the lights in the tunnel were on! I could not believe it. I had heard rave reviews about the total blackness and the out of control feelings one faced when navigating the 90 degree banks in pitch blackness. Alas, that was an experience I missed out on.

Finally, we crested the hill exiting the tunnel and dove into a very long curve in which the train jackhammered so violently that I took an instant headache. The jackhammering continued around the entire curve and up into the final section leading to the station. It was among the roughest sections of any coaster I have ever experienced.

Needless to say, I was disappointed. We left the area, finished the other coasters in the park, bought a few souvenirs, and then ambled back to Hades. I decided to wait through the hour long ride again and get another ride near the front of the train to see if the experience improved. I'm sorry to say that it did not.

Still, despite these negatives, Hades is a good coaster. It is by no means one of the top 10 coasters on the planet as it consistently ranks in the Golden Ticket Awards. I think the enthusiasts who continue to rank it so highly rode it many years ago and have not been back to see it in it's current state. It scores a solid 8 but is well below every GCI woodie I have ridden and it ranks at the bottom on the 4 Gravity Group coasters I have been on as well. The tunnel sections are great with that wonderful swooping motion that good woodies have. However, the addition of the lights, the weak pre-lift section, and the horrible curved section drop it a couple of notches in my book.

Shivering Timbers Review - July of 2009

Whew again! I just finished two unbelievable coaster journeys and am need of some serious rest. Guy and myself travelled over 2,000 miles hitting some great parks up the east coast with our main goal of trying out the new Bizarro themed coasters. I will write up that trip as soon as I can find my zip drive with our pictures on it. In the meantime, I'll review the best ride I had on my trip with Julia through the midwest: Shivering Timbers at Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon, Michigan.

It has been said on my websites previously, but this coaster is one of the most aesthetically pleasing rides in existence. It runs virtually the entire length of the parking lot and is all you see when you first pull in. Unfortunately, it is the only reason for visiting the park as all the other coasters are clones or very poorly designed. Fortunately, Shivering Timbers is good enough to be considered a destination coaster.

The layout is very simple with lots of huge hills and some very strong airtime. This ride is not super smooth like some of the newer woodies out there, but is instead a powerful ride along the likes of Ghostrider out at Knotts or The Beast at King's Island. It is not rough, but the forces it puts on your body are very strong. I rode the back seat once, three times in the middle part of the train, and lastly on the front car. The front is by far the best with both the most airtime and the smoothest ride. The back was good as well but a little rougher, particularly at the bottom of the first hill. In addition to the large hills, there is also a very fast helix at the end of the ride and a section following the turnaround called a "Trick/Track" which is unique to this coaster. It is a very effective element where each side of the track dips at alternate times causing the train to sway back and forth. This is one of the best segments on the ride and fits in well with the other elements.

In conclusion, Shivering Timbers deserves its top 10 ranking among woodies. I rate it as a solid 9 and place it at #18 overall out of my 400 coasters ridden. It is well worth the effort it takes to get to the park.

Theme Park Battles - Cedar Point vs. Magic Mountain

Welcome to another new series here on coasterreviews.net. The other night I was watching Spike's new show "Deadliest Warrior" (a nerd show if there was ever one) and a random thought crossed my mind. Theme park enthusiasts are always ranking coasters and parks so how do some of the parks actually stack up when compared directly with one another? I know that in the past both Cedar Point and Magic Mountain were in a race to see which park could put together the most extreme coaster line-up. Magic Mountain seemed to forfeit their bragging rights when tearing down the Psyclone and taking down Flashback. But, lo and behold, by building the new Terminator ride, they are now up to 16 total coasters which is only 1 behind Cedar Point. However, the question is this: Which park has the best line-up of coasters? This post will compare a coaster from one park with its counterpart from the other park in order to determine........Who is Deadliest!?.....no wait a minute.....I mean....Who is the most extreme!? Please keep in mind this is not an analysis of each park as flat rides, water rides, shows, food, etc are not a part of the evaluations. This post will deal only with the coaster line-up each park possesses.

Hyper/Mega Coasters - Magnum XL-200 (CP) vs. Goliath (MM). Although these coasters fit into the same general category, they are very different. Magnum is the best airtime coaster at CP while Goliath is almost totally devoid of any airtime. However, it does have the "Helix of Death" which is among the most intense elements on any coaster ever built. Despite its age, I still prefer Magnum, particularly as the final ride of the night in total darkness with no trim brakes. Plus, it has a much better view. Edge - Cedar Point.

Inverts - Raptor (CP) vs. Batman- The Ride (MM). While I love the Batman rides (there are now over a half dozen of them throughout the U.S.), Raptor is just a better coaster. It is longer, more forceful, and much more respected among enthusiasts. I like the fact that Batman does not have mid-course brakes which leads to excellent pacing, but I like Raptor better. Edge - Cedar Point.

Stand-Up Coasters - Mantis (CP) vs. Riddler's Revenge (MM). In my humble opinion, this is a simple case of a good stand-up coaster versus a bad one. Riddler's Revenge is much bigger and smoother with some unique elements while Mantis is simply an ear-banger. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Launch Coasters - Top Thrill Dragster (CP) vs. Superman: The Escape (MM). I love both of these coasters as they are both intense yet smooth. Both are themed up well and are normally among the most popular rides at each park. I give the edge to TTD simply because it is taller, faster and contains the Top Hat which is preferable to simply dropping backwards like Superman. In its defense however, Superman was the original Intamin launch coaster that ended up being a direct forebearer to rides like TTD and Kingda Ka. Edge - Cedar Point.

Big Woodie - Mean Streak (CP) vs. Colossus (MM). This took some thought as both coasters were among the biggest and best when they were orginally built and have currently come under attack from the coaster community due to deterioration. However, CP is re-tracking Mean Streak making for a much better ride while MM has simply let one of the two tracks of Colossus rot. This past February, I actually did not feel safe riding it due to the horrid condition of the track. It still offered a decent ride but I have had some outstanding Mean Streak rides despite its supposed roughness. Edge - Cedar Point.

Little Woodie - Blue Streak (CP) vs. Terminator: The Ride (MM). I love Blue Streak. It reminds me so much of the Lake WInnie Cannonball that I had so much fun on when I was smaller. We even rode it 10 consecutive times last September and had a blast. But let's be realistic. Terminator is going to be in the running for Best New Ride this year and will probably be ranked among the top woodies in the world very shortly with its twisted lay-out, on-board sound system, and tunnels filled with mist. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Inverted Boomerang Coasters - Wicked Twister (CP) vs. Deja Vu (MM). This is a very even match-up with two very similar coasters. WT starts with a launch out of the station while Deja Vu pulls you back up to a height of almost 200 feet before dropping you at a 90 degree angle. I like both coasters but prefer Deja Vu because of its immense size and initital drop. It is also a coaster that can be ridden anywhere on the train while WT is much better on either end. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Basket Rides (also known as suspended coasters) - Iron Dragon (CP) vs. Ninja (MM). Hmmmm....two oriental based rides. Both are located in the middle of their respective parks but are beautifully landscaped with trees and water. Both are very similar but the main difference is the way each coaster ends. Ninja simply stops and is pulled up a lift hill to the station. Iron Dragon dives into a mist filled helix over the pond with some pretty intense laterals. Plus everyone knows a dragon could kill a ninja. Edge - Cedar Point.

Mine Rides - Cedar Creek Mine Ride (CP) vs. Gold Rusher (MM). Now I have had some excellent rides on the CCMR particularly during Halloween when the entire ride is blanketed in mist. However, the Magic Mountain version is much faster and longer. It is also spread out on the side of the mountain making it landscaped much better. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Unique/Intense Steel Coasters - Maverick (CP) vs. Tatsu (MM). Wow! These two rides are among the best in the world and neither park has a coaster to match the other so I put them together. Tatsu is the best flying coaster on the planet with the most intense element (Pretzel Loop) that I have ever felt. It is enormous as well standing well over 125 feet tall and seeming much taller at times. Maverick won Best New Ride of 2007 with its dual launches and crazy airtime filled hills along with its steeper than vertical 1st drop. This is so close that the coaster reviews staff does not agree on which coaster is the best. Guy prefers Tatsu, but since I am writing the review, Maverick gets the edge for one simple reason....I had rather sit down than fly on my coasters. Edge - Cedar Point.

Old School steel loopers - Corkscrew (CP) vs. Revolution (MM). This is an interesting comparison. Revolution was the first coaster ever with a veritcal loop while Corkscrew was the 1st coaster ever with three inversions. Both coasters are well maintained and beautiful. Corkscrew is a Cedar Point icon with its twisted inversions directly over the midway. Revolution is also gorgeous flying through the trees and around Tatsu with a great lead up to the loop. I bet that last rise before the inversion scared people to death when this thing was first built. It's a tough call, but Revolution is much smoother now and a much more enjoyable ride. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Sit-down steel coasters - Wildcat (CP) vs. Viper (MM). This is really not even close. Wildcat is a fun little family coaster which has some pretty fast elements but Viper set the inversion record when it was first built. Inversions are not really my thing but Viper is one of the better sit-down loopers I've been on. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Family Coasters - Woodstock Express (CP) vs. Canyon Blaster (MM). I am sad to say I have ridden both...more than once. Woodstock Express is much better because it is longer and much more family friendly with its on board video cameras. Edge: Cedar Point.

Kiddie Coasters - Junior Gemini (CP) vs. Thomas the Tank Engine/Goliath Jr. - Neither park will let me ride either of these so no one gets the point. Edge - Even.

Random Match-up - Gemini (CP) vs. Scream! (MM). I had no other coasters to match these two against so they ended up against one another. It is difficult to compare an older racing coaster with the best capacity in the world that was once the tallest and fastest coaster built against a newer floorless B and M design. Nonetheless it had to be done. Despite Gemini being a fun ride and Scream being built in the middle of a parking lot (with the lines still present in under the coaster), Scream still gets the edge. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Whew! If I have counted correctly, we have now looked at 15 coasters with each park getting the edge on 7 with 1 tie. That leaves the signature coaster from each park which will be the decding vote. The final match up is:

Signature Coasters - Millennium Force (CP) vs X2 (MM). Wow. Both of these coasters currently reside in my Top 10 and each offers soemthing totally unique. If a 300 foot drop at over 90 MPH with over a mile of track is your preference take MF. If you had rather listen to an awsome soundtrack while riding a 4th dimension coaster which drops you over 200 feet at a 90 degree angle face down, then X2 is your thing. There is no wrong answer but readers of the site know that Millennium Force ranks at the top of my list, as well as # 2 in the world according to the Golden Tickets. Edge (and winner) - Cedar Point.

That was a long post but hopefully someone out there enjoyed it. One coaster that was left out was Cedar Point's Disaster Transport which did give them another slight edge when tallying the results. Both parks are great and no enthusiast can go wrong with visting either of them. Check back in a couple of weeks for more Park Battles with two family owned parks containing some of the greatest wooden roller coasters in the world matching up against one another.

Tatsu - Six Flags Magic Mountain - CA

This is a different kind of roller coaster.

Tatsu is without a doubt, the most intense flying coaster ever created. It is far from the standard B and M model they have used at numerous Six Flags parks around the country. This is one of the most creative coasters on the planet and is a definite "can't miss" ride for any enthusiasts.

Having said all of that, let me now say this. Tatsu is not one of my favorite coasters. I totally respect the unique elements and creativity that went into this monster, but I still prefer to sit in my coaster trains, not fly. I like the feeling of airtime more than inversions and in a flying coaster, the inversions are what make them special.

I have three laps on Tatsu with hopefully a few more coming up in October. This past February, the station was virtually empty so we could have ridden it as much as we wanted. However, after putting 10 laps on X2, we were physically unable to take the famous Pretzel Loop on Tatsu more than twice. When you take into account those two coasters plus the helix on Goliath, you have probably three of the most intense coasters on the planet.

So in conclusion, Tatsu grades out as a solid 9 and is by far the best flying coaster I have ever ridden. The argument could be made to give it a 10 as it is the best of its type but, as I said earlier, flyers are just not my thing. One piece of advice. Looking at Tatsu from ground level does not do justice to its immense height. When going up the lift hill while laying face down, it looks as if the train is over 500 feet high. Only people who have ridden it can truly appreciate the size and intensity of this coaster.

Diamondback - Kings Island (5-2-2009)

I made it!! A weekend that had been placed on my calendar 6 months in advance finally came to fruition and was totally perfect.

While riding the newest B and M hyper coaster at the location of one my Top 20 (The Beast) coasters was the main goal of my weekend, I did have a little other unfinished business in the city of Cincinnati: setting a marathon P.R. at the Flying Pig Marathon which is one of the top ranked marathons in the world. My plan was to drive up Friday night, visit King's Island and ride Diamondback on Saturday morning, pick up my running packet and some race gear on Saturday evening, run the race on Sunday morning under 3 hours 50 minutes and make it back home that night in order to sleep and head to school the next morning. Everything worked out perfect.

Now, you are not here to read how I ran a 3:45:47 crushing my P.R. by over 7 minutes, or the great pasta dinner the night before hanging out in downtown Cincy listening to a live band and stuffing my face with carbs for energy the next morning. You want to hear about Diamondback and I will do my best to describe the experience.

To begin with, I really want this to be a good review since I can find virtually nothing detailed so far about this coaster online. If you are interested in making a trip to visit KI, then maybe this will give you some information you can't get anywhere else. If so, tell your friends about the site. Our readership is growing but we are still looking for more activity from enthusiasts like YOU!

Now, on to the coaster. Getting straight to the nuts and bolts, Diamondback scores a solid 9 just like every other B and M hyper I have ever ridden. It has some positives as well as some negatives which are basically divided up into the two halves of the coaster itself. The first half is impeccable. I think the first drop is the best on any B and M coaster. You exit the station and go straight up the lift hill ala Millennium Force but not nearly as quick. The drop is steep and fast and leads into two other unbelievable airtime hills before hitting the hammerhead. The third hill is the best as I counted 8 seconds of airtime on that hill alone. Due to the speed of the train, the hammerhead turnaround seems to be more forceful than the one on Nitro. It is here however, that Diamondback begins slithering toward mediocrity.

When leaving the hammerhead and heading up the next hill, a trim brake kicks in which slows the train noticeably. There is no airtime whatsoever leading all the way up to where the mid-course brake kicks in which brings the train to almost a complete stop. The drop off the mid-course brake area is well below average and leads into another hill and helix before the splash down which is simply another way of slowing the train before cresting the final hill and hitting the final brake run. If you were counting, that is four brake runs in the last half of the ride which totally kills any momentum the first half had built up.

If you are an OCD coaster enthusiast (which I define as having ridden or being dragged along on over 100 coasters) you will probably be disappointed with Diamondback. The general public however, totally loves the ride as it is like nothing in Ohio with its smoothness and perfect first half. If visiting, take advantage of the single rider line which is run perfectly. I was able to get 5 rides in an hour while the normal line seemed to be about a 45-60 minute wait if not longer. The station crew was doing an excellent job of running all three trains so this thing is a people eater. The new open air trains (identical to Behemoth) are an advantage as I was able to get two second row (which are actually the same as front row) seats plus three rides somewhere in the middle. As a single rider you do not get to pick your seat but the shorter wait time is well worth it. I never got near the back but some people said you actually get wet back there on the splash down. I can neither confirm nor contradict that but I did not see anyone get off the train wet.

In conclusion, despite the negatives King's Island is now a destination park. With a world class woodie, a flying coaster, a launch coaster, an underrated sit-down looper, a racer, and the worlds tallest and fastest woodie added to this hyper coaster, it is a park to visit for an entire day or more. If you are on your way to Cedar Point from the south, do not forget to stop in on your way to visit this park. It will be well worth your time.

Final Rating - A solid 9.

Review: X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain (CA)

The ceremony is about to begin! Let me say that if you have ridden the original X but have not been back to Magic Mountain for the upgraded X2, you are missing one of the best rides in the world.

Back in 2006, I took my first trip to California in 7 years and visited a number of theme parks with Magic Mountain being the primary destination. I enjoyed X a great deal as it was totally unlike any coaster I had ridden. However, at the time I was probably around only 50 coasters total so I did not recognize how unique X truly was. I ranked it an 8 and left it out of my Top 20.

Fast forward to February of 2009. After a very disappointing day at Knotts with both Ghostrider and Xcelerator not running, we were hoping for a little more fun at a park I had not had very good experiences at. Magic Mountain had always been crowded with many of the rides down. Not this time. The lines were non-existent, all the coasters were running and X had been upgraded to one of the best coasters in the world.

When riding X2, you get an entire sensory experience. The huge flat screen in the station, the dual loading X cars, the creepy soundtrack (hence the first line of this review) in the station as well, and the fast loading ride ops. All of these things set the mood for the ride experience that is about to come. Once you are loaded (I prefer the inside seat since it seems a little smoother), the sound system begins with a wide range of music starting with Harry Connick (I think) and randomly jumping to artists that vary from Metallica to the Beastie Boys. The experience is totally indescribable.

I will suggest the front seat which gives you an unimpeded view of the 90 degree 200 foot drop at the beginning while going down face first. That is one of the best first drops on any coaster ever. After that, the ride is completely crazy with a total of 3 inversions (I think), a fire element toward the end, and a completely warped ride experience. We were lucky enough to get in 10 rides (yep 10) with the last 9 without having to even leave the station. I have heard that lines are normally in the 2-3 hours range so I believe we hit it on a good day. The ops were not making us walk around the station since the lines were so short. We had a blast riding X2 however we did run into a problem after about 6 laps. We started hurting.

That’s right, pain became a problem. My back and head were both killing me as well as my neck and shoulders. This is not a coaster that people (my age at least) can continually loop. The intensity of the ride makes it great fun for a couple of laps. And despite the ride being smooth, the elements simply make it a coaster that pushes the limits to what a human body can take. From now on, I will be satisfied with a couple of laps each trip.

As it is, X2 scores a 9 and ranks # 11 on my list of all time favorite coasters. It is unique and offers an unparalleled experience. It is without a doubt a destination coaster that no enthusiast should miss. And now, about Tatsu……….