Date Ridden: Dec. 31st of 2007. Times Ridden: 2 with once in the 3rd row from the front and once in the 2nd row from the back.
To begin with, nobody beats Disney for capacity. We started off Animal Kingdom by doing Dino-land and easing our way back to Everest. Julia and myself got our fast pass and then, since the line only said 30 minutes, decided to go ahead and ride it once. Within 20 minutes we were seated toward the rear of the train and ready. Later on when we used our fast pass we were on the ride in less than 1 minute as there was no one in the fast pass line. Disney rules for capacity always and forever.
As for the ride itself, I am hesitant to use the phrase "mine train" as the premise behind the ride is an expedition up to the top of Mount Everest that goes awry. However, the ride feel is similar to that of Big Thunder Mountain. I do not mean this in any bad way as I feel that Disney is the master of the mine train type of ride and this for some reason seems to have that type of feel, particularly in the very slow beginning. However, the rides theme is top notch and that slow beginning is necessary to what you will encounter later in the ride.
The dual lift hills take the train up very high and from the front offers a great view between the mountain peaks. This is at the point which the track has been destroyed by the Yeti who is angry over the lack of respect paid to his temple. Examples of this destruction can be found all throughout the area surrounding the ride. After the first third of the ride is over and you take the backwards portion through a switchback on the track and into the mountain itself, it begins getting a little more intense. The backwards potion stops you in the mountain where you can see the cut scene of the angry Yeti which is just a little too cartoonish. Still, it is very fun to watch and leads into the third and final leg of the trip which includes the dive down past the Yeti himself.
This creature is absolutely amazing as he seems very lifelike and extremely angry. The back of the train is better at this portion as you get a little better look at him while zooming past.
So anyway, whats the deal? Everest as a ride rates out as a 7 but gets a bump up for the attention to detail and the creature itself. When riding, try the front of the car first to see the views at the end of the first portion and then try any car toward the back giving you a longer view of the beast at the end of the ride. Disney coasters are always less about thrills and more about the experience itself. In this case, the formula works as the Mouse has a great ride at one of the weaker Disney parks. Everest gets a solid 8 from me and ranks # 2 behind California Screamin as my favorite Disney coaster.
When dealing with an invert made by famous coaster designers Bolliger and Mabillard, you know what you are going to get. The ride will be smooth, the inversions fun, and a wonderful overall experience. Those expectations are met with The Great Bear at Hersheypark.
Here at Coaster Reviews, we try not to review a coaster if we only have only ridden it a few times. Some coasters are instant hits (Cyclone at Coney Island), while others take time to appreciate. However, Great Bear is what it is. It is nothing different from any other typical B and M invert which is a good thing. While it may not jump to the top of the ranking it is still a fun ride with very few, if any weaknesses. The problem with travelling all over the country is that once you have ridden one of these rides, the rest seem very similar. For that reason, Great Bear seems to rank alongside the numerous Batman rides throughout the country instead of at the top along with Montu, Raptor, and Talon. It is a wonderful ride with beautiful landscaping and a smooth comfortable experience. There just isn't anything that really stands out.
When visiting the World of Chocolate, this is still a "can't miss" attraction. The lines seem to be fairly short here and Great Bear will give you a great experience. If you have never ridden a B and M invert before then you will be in for a great time. If you have, then you know what to expect. And that, coaster riders, is a good thing in this instance.
Date Ridden: 1 time in the front car of both sides in January of 2007 and multiple times in other cars in January of 2008. Times Ridden: 10 total (5 for Fire and 5 for Ice)
This past January was one of the most amazing weekends of coaster riding in my life. Guy and myself rode the famous Montu 10 consecutive times, spent about 45 minutes straight on the the Starliner at Cypress Gardens and then....well it is tough to explain. I'll just say that it is a blessing to have friends ready to attend these parks with and to enjoy all of the fellowship that goes along with it. And did we ever have something to talk about on our 8 hour journey back to GA.....without a doubt the most intense and scary coaster ride of our lives. If I have you hooked please read on...
Most everyone knows the concept of the Dueling Dragons at IOA. This unique attraction consists of 2 superb B and M inverts which duel at various stages through their rides. The two coasters combine to make my favorite attraction in Florida but each coaster is in itself a unique experience. I am going to try to review each coaster separately in order to focus on what each side.....fire and ice.......has to offer. With all of that said lets check out Fire first.
After driving all night and visiting Kraken at Sea World first (see Kraken review) we grabbed some lunch and headed out to IOA for about 5 hours of coaster riding. We were looking for a lengthy wait on Hulk (which is normally the most popular attraction at the park) and the capability to ride the Dragons numerous times since the line is normally short. Amazingly we were able to get 2 quick rides on Hulk and them moved to the back of the park where the line for the DDs was approaching 40 minutes.
Since this is a capacity machine with 4 total trains running, our wait was only about 30 as we wound our way through the lengthy que (wait times varied as I think they had some issues with the ride......we had 30 minute waits sometimes and would run around to get back in line and get straight on during others......it was really weird..we got in 8 total rides) and jumped on the fire dragon first. We rotated our rides back and forth on the two coasters but the ride I wish to focus on was our final ride of the night on Ice. I will get to that ride later.
After multiple rides, I think I prefer Fire slightly even though I will give both the same rating. With Fire you have a little more intensity and a little more speed without really losing anything in the dueling aspect. You get two superb duels with Fire (as opposed to 3 that are noticeable on Ice) and they are both excellent as you can see the riders below you on the zero g roll and the double loops sneak up on you a little more on this side. However, as the park was about to close, we were running around the line to get back in for hopefully one more ride. They had closed off the short cut, so we simply leaped the barricade so as not to have to run all the way around. We sprinted through the castle and into the loading area as the gates were popping open. We ran straight through and got on the last car. There were only 4 people on the front and the two of us in the back when a phone call came down to the operators and everything was delayed.
It had been raining off and on all day and we knew that storms were in the forecast but we had no idea that a huge thunderhead had blown up. Suddenly one of the ops stated that management said to go ahead and send the trains as the last ones of the day. We were pumped as they sent us out to the lift hill...and into an unbelievable experience.
For anyone who is reading this, I kid you not, it seemed we had entered a freaking hurricane! It was pitch black, the wind was gusting at unbelievable speeds, and it was absolutely pouring rain. I am still amazed that they sent us out into that. As we dropped down the lift hill, I had to pull my hoody over my face and keep my hands in front of my eyes because the rain was hurting so bad. If there was ever an actual battle between dragons, it could not have been more intense than that ride we received. The thunder was crashing, the lightening was flashing every few seconds, and the rain was a torrential downpour. I was simply trying to survive and praying that we would make it back to the station. It would not surprise me if someone lost their job for sending that train out. I doubt that I will ever have a ride that intense ever again. We left the park once this ride was over, walked to the car, and then drove into Orlando to grab a bite to eat. When we got to the restaurant, I actually took off my shoe and literally dumped the water out of it. It was totally insane.
When comparing the two coasters, Ice offers a different layout with one extra duel (easier to see that is) plus a superb near miss with the castle wall as the coaster enters the cobra roll. I always pull my feet in much like I do on Montu with its near miss of the temple ruins. Ice is a little better at dueling as it has a longer run up at the double loops. It is much easier to see this inversion/duel on this side of the coaster.
Ice is still an intense ride, but it does slow down a little toward the end. There is one final duel in the last part of the ride that is much more visually noticeable on Ice since you are going slower (but by no means slow....Ice is still very quick all the way to the end).
Once again, while the front row offers the best visuals, you still get the dueling aspect in all seats as we rode in virtually every seat on the train. I really like the back seat on Ice as you get some great visuals of the other train going through inversions at numerous points throughout the ride. I would recommend on your first time through each side, go ahead and wait the extra time on the front car. After that, simply ride the first available row and try to get a wide variety of seats. That way one can get everything that this compact little ride has to offer.
Also take some time to hang out at some of the lookout points. This ride is almost as much fun to watch and appreciate from the viewpoint of a coaster enthusiast as it is to ride. It is amazing at some of the things this coaster does.
Whew, that took some time. I welcome comments or suggestions and highly recommend this attraction for anyone no matter how far you have to drive. Fire and Ice offer an experience that is impossible to get on any other ride in the world to the best of my knowledge. The attention to details is superb and all-immersive. I am a huge fan of fantasy literature as well (we high school English teachers tend to like that kind of stuff) and this ride gives the feeling that you are stepping back into the middle ages. I only hope and pray that they do not change ANYTHING about this ride when Harry Potter land comes. I enjoyed the books, but hope that IOA does not mess up the best themed ride on earth by trying to change it. I am somehow afraid they will though.
Ice and Fire get a solid 9 from me. Ride the front for a perfect 10 but good seats are located throughout the entire train. Go to Florida and ride this beauty. Now. Hurry!!
Date Ridden: Every summer since 2006. Times Ridden: 6
Corkscrew, located at the Coaster Capitol of the World, is a classic. It was the first coaster in the world to contain three inversions and is among the most picturesque rides in the world with its two corkscrews directly over the main midway. It is very well taken care of with a dark blue color scheme and three trains which run virtually all the time. The three trains make this ride a virtual walk-on regardless of how crowded the park is.
Alas, despite its positives, Corkscrew is a below average coaster. For some reason, the seats have a hump right at the neck which leads to a very painful ride. I don't think the ride has gotten rough just because of its age, I think it runs as well it did all those years ago. It simply runs the way it was built: not very comfortably.
That being said, you simply have to ride this at least once any time you visit the Point. It is a classic and not to be missed despite its rough sections and uncomfortable seats. Diving over the midway within a few feet of the people walking by is great fun no matter when you ride. I have found that the middle of the train seems to be a little smoother than the very front and very back cars. Regardless of where you ride, just make sure to give the old girl a whirl. The ride time is only a little over a minute and it is worth it to say that you have ridden the first coaster in the world with three inversion.
Date Ridden: Summer of 2008. Times Ridden: 2 with the best ride being in the very front seat for Guy's 100th coaster.
What the heck is a "Jo-Jo Roll"?
In preparing for our Summer of 2008 trip, I focused on a number of the newer rides as well as some of the more famous older ones. However, I did not pay much attention to what I thought was a small, compact floorless coaster located in Dorney Park and overshadowed by the likes of Talon, Steel Force and Voodoo. Hydra was that coaster.
First, let's have a little history lesson. Years ago, Dorney Park had a wooden coaster named Hercules at the exact location in which Hydra now stands. Hercules was a wooden coaster known more for its roughness than anything else. Many coaster enthusiasts enjoyed it but it was a little uncomfortable for the average park goer based on ride reviews I have read. I never had the chance to ride it. The coaster was demolished and replaced with a coaster named after the creature that Hercules destroyed in the Greek myths: The Hyrda. Hence the name, Hydra - The Revenge.
Now that we have the history lesson over, let's talk about the rides' signature element: that Jo-Jo roll. The only way to understand it is to simply see it. To the best of my knowledge there is not another inversion like this in the world. Dropping out of the station into the slow moving inversion with the absolute best hang-time of any ride ever is a different experience. After that, the journey up the lift hill, the first drop, and the other inversions are taken with that typical B and M smoothness despite the compact lay-out of the ride.
I liked Hyrda but the coaster still falls a little short of both Talon and Steel Force hence the lower rating. It is well above average and offers a unique experience for even the most seasoned coaster enthusiasts. Don't miss it when you visit Dorney Park.
As most coaster enthusiasts are aware, Ride of Steel at Darien Lake was formally Superman- Ride of Steel until Six Flags sold the park to another developer leading to the dropping of the Superman name. The ride was also given a new logo minus the "S" symbol. However, despite this name change the ride itself remains a wonderful ride and is consistently ranked among the top steel coasters in the world. It was also one of the coasters I was most looking forward to riding. Intamin, my favorite steel coaster designer, had already designed two virtually perfect rides (Millennium Force and Superman in Agawam) and this looked to be a very similar coaster. However, I was in for a disappointment.....and it had little to do with the coaster itself.
The problem with my Ride of Steel experience (and the reason this ride did not make my top 10) was this. Why would a park run two trains to improve capacity but refuse to allow people on one train so "it would not have to run half empty". That is the quote that I was given by what looked to be a park manager in a shirt and tie when asked why on a virtually deserted day in the park, along with two train operation, wait times were still over 15 minutes. Does running a train empty save more electricity than running one half-empty? On each ride on the empty train, the ride ops unbuckled every seat belt then buckled them right back before lowering the lap bar. It was among the most asinine things I have ever seen in my entire life. When we saw the park, I thought we would easily get 10 rides on this, their signature coaster, as well as riding everything else there. However, after 3 rides in 45 minutes with no one even waiting in line (sometimes they even held up the one train they were allowing people to board until more showed up to ride) along with our Motocoaster incident (see review) made for a poor afternoon and a virtual waste of 25 dollars.
OK, after that rant, how is the ride? It is wonderful. Some enthusiasts criticize this version of the ROS for having too much straight track but I feel that these portions are excellent for giving the rider that sense of speed that I love so well. The coaster is smooth with two great downward spiraling helices (not my favorite element on a hyper coaster but these are pretty good) and a wonderful finish with three great airtime hills. It was a little shaky at the top of the lift hill (not sure where the "shimmy" comes from but it was a little disconcerting the first time) but that did not detract from the ride.
The coaster is pleasing visually with the lift hill seeming to come straight up from the ground since it is in an area of the park that is slightly lower than normal when one first walks around to where the ride is located. There are no dead spots nor rough sections to speak of.
I was really disappointed when we pulled out of the Darien Lake parking lot. What I had hoped would be one of my favorite ride experiences was spoiled by poor park operations and a "carnie-like" attitude toward one of the greatest steel coasters on the planet. I do give props to the ride operator who let us stay on and get a third ride since there was no one waiting on our seat. If not for him, it would have been 2 rides in 45 minutes with no lines. Unbelievable.
To all Darien Lake management personnel: take a trip about 4 hours south to Knoebels in PA and watch the crew run Phoenix. You can definitely pick up some pointers.
Date Ridden: Every summer since 2006. Times Ridden: 5
Blue Streak is pretty much the best woodie Cedar Point has to offer. It is a quaint, old out-and-back design that really only has one problem: the restraints. In the cars, it is still possible to see where the original one position buzz bars were located, but now they are gone with individual lap bars and seat belts installed. To me personally, this always causes problems with the trains.
To begin with, the cars were not designed to use the new restraints. The intent of the original ride was to give the rider that out of control feeling one gets on all of the great seaside woodies from years ago. The lap bars on Blue Streak are especially uncomfortable almost ruining the entire experience. I am not a large person (under 6 feet tall and around 165 pounds) but I feel crowded in the Blue Streak trains.
Other than this one problem, the coaster design itself is above average. The ride is not rough, the out-and-back layout is fun with pops of air on both the trip out and the trip back. The scenery is nice with a good view of Lake Erie. The coaster itself could just be so much fun set among all of the steel materpieces Cedar Point offers if only it had been left as it was originally intended to be: with buzz bar restraints and an out of control feeling. What could have been a top ranked wooden coaster is now merely average. I will continue to ride Blue Streak on each return trip to the Coaster Capitol. Howver, I will also continue to rue the day that Cedar Fair neutered their best woodie.
Date Ridden: January of 2007 and 2008 Times Ridden: 20 (yep....20) including 13 consecutive rides in 3 hours on 1-19-2008.
Happy Birthday to me on the best "non-gimmick" coaster in Florida!!! I was blessed to be able to spend the first part of my 36th birthday lapping Kraken on a cold and misty morning. And let me tell you, it was definitely worth the overnight ride from north Georgia to Orlando.
I remembered from 2006 that Kraken was an outstanding coaster, but riding something 13 times in a row gives one a greater understanding for rides that are this good. The pacing on this thing is simply perfect. The large drop into the vertical loop, the dive loop and the zero g roll lead to a virtually perfect first half. The drop off the mid-course brakes down into the two tunnels and the final corkscrew are superb. We even were lucky enough to ride on a virtually empty train in which the mid-course brakes did not kick in leading to an insane second half.
Add to that, the fact that it was so overcast and misty (it was impossible to even see the course layout from the top of the lift hill) led to some of the best rides I have ever had on any coaster. And amazingly, they were not even the best rides of the trip!! We had a wonderful journey to Florida and Kraken got us off to a great start. My only gripe was that for the first hour they were only running one train which led to 20 minute waits in between rides. Once the second train was added, the fun really began as everything else was a walk-on. Kraken gets a solid 9. Make sure to ride the front seat as without a doubt it is the best seat by far on the train.
Date Ridden: January of 2007 and 2008. Times Ridden: 5 with once in the front, once in the back, and three times toward the middle/back portion of the train. With the release of the new Hulk movie, I think it fitting to give this ride its review.
Living here in the Peach State of Georgia, coaster season closes in late October and starts back up in May. However, thanks to Orlando, I can get my coaster fix on each MLK weekend with a trip down to sunny Florida. I won't mention the humidity and spoil it for you.
IOA is one of our destinations each year with Hulk being the first ride we normally jump on in cartoon oriented Super-Hero Land. I, like most other enthusiasts, feel that B and M hit one out of the park with the creation of this green machine. However, I may be able to defend this ride from a different view point......that of the B and M computer geek designer. Read on as I sneak a peek inside his head.......
Computer Geek thinking aloud... "Ok, the Hulk is this gigantic green monster that is really intense. He jumps high, is strong, and can run really fast. But wait a minute....to start with he is this wormy-looking little geek scientist (hmmmm.....me?) until he gets angry. So, the ride should start off slow and then just go berserk when the geeky white dude turns big and green. Can we do that? Yep, we just need some tires and a propulsion system that shuts down half the power in Orlando when it launches."
Coaster Designer Geek continues to think...."OK, the insane launch out of the tunnel into the inversion....the dive into the mist....and the huge cobra roll. All that seems to be symbolic of the Hulks' anger. Now, what happens after he gets mad? Why, he calms down of course! So after the mid-course brakes we can design this ride as a snooze-fest symbolizing the return of the giant green guy into the geeky scientist once again."
End of Coaster Designer Geeks' thoughts.
In all seriousness, I like Hulk and give it a solid 9. It is a gorgeous attraction that is visible from anywhere in the park. I personally like the back of the train a little better since it seems the launch is longer so I would recommend riding there if possible. Also, the technology used for the launch still amazes me. I can't help but think of all those rotating Goodyears beneath the track each time I ride.
In summary, Hulk is a great coaster worthy of its top 20 ranking in many steel coaster polls. I personally like the Dueling Dragons better, but IOA does indeed have a solid trio of 9's making it a coaster lovers paradise.
Date Ridden: June of 2007. Times Ridden: 7 with one ride in Row 2, 2 rides in the very back, and the others spaced out toward the middle and back.
Where do I start? Ok, I guess I'll start with the crazy idea Guy and myself came up with in March of this past year. We had already ridden the famous Millennium Force and was bound and determined to ride what we called "The Number 1 Ride in the World". ROS continually defeats MF not only in the Golden Tickets but also in the much more accurate Mitch's Poll (an online coaster poll highly respected among enthusiasts) each year. We had to know what all the fuss was about.
So we came up with the idea of riding both coasters within a 12 hour span.
We started off leaving GA on a Tuesday night, driving all night to a small coaster place known as 6 Flags Great Adventure (sic) with a couple of "decent" coasters. I have done my El Toro and Nitro reviews so there is no need to get into them. Kingda Ka was great but still a slight disappointment in my book. Anyway, we stayed for 4 hours and then took off up the interstate with our google directions taking us to Agawam. In between, we worked our way across the George Washington Bridge in 5 O'clock traffic in which 12 lanes on one side of the toll booth were being funnelled into 4 lanes on the other side. We think of this incident fondly as "The GW Car Orgy".
This put us seriously behind schedule but we decided to head up to Superman anyway. By the time we got there, they were not even taking up money for parking anymore so with our passes riding Superman cost us nothing but gas to get up there. We were able to get in 7 rides in 90 minutes. We rode absolutely nothing else in the park. We did not even walk around the park. We went straight to Superman, rode it until they made us leave, and then made it out to our car. We then drove another 8 hours to Sandusky (where we stayed for a couple of days in an actual hotel room with a bed to sleep in instead of a car with duffle bags as pillows in the back seat).
Ok how about the ride? It is as great as everyone says it is. It offers unbelievable airtime, particularly in the back seat. It is smooth as silk. The pacing never lets up from the first drop into the tunnel, all the way through the airtime hills going back, around the helix, into the mist-filled tunnel and over the camelback humps at the end. It is virtually a perfect ride with a wonderful view of the park (it was the only way we were able to see the entire park) and the river. We wanted to ride the front but with our limited time along with the huge line (about 20 extra minutes) we decided to get as many laps as possible. Plus on Intamin hypers, the second seat is almost as good since the seats on the back rows of each car are elevated. We were in the line for the 3rd seat but ended being offered the seats in the second row due to a group wanting to ride together.
My favorite part of the ride is probably a part however that does not even contain any airtime. The helix that takes you on a dive into a refreshing tunnel of mist was probably the part I looked forward to the most on each lap. As far as airtime, which is what the coaster is about, the hill on the way back from the overbanked turnaround which takes your picture (I dont remember if it is the 2nd or 3rd) has the sickest amount of the entire ride. You are absolutely ejected from your seat on this portion.
In conclusion, Superman ranks in my top 5 (although it is virtually tied with Millennium Force in my opinion...it may even be a little better but read my MF review and you can see why I list it as # 1) and deserves its Golden Ticket. Intamin has a winner with this one without a doubt. I look forward to getting back up to Agawam and checking it out again.
So far, Coaster Reviews has analyzed some of the best rides in the world. Well, believe it or not, there are some bad rides out there. This is one such example.
The concept is unique. Time Warp (aka Tomb Raider until Cedar Fair bought out the park and eliminated the Paramount names) is a flying coaster which only holds 4 people per train. The ride itself never actually stops so loading is an adventure in itself. You, the rider/victim stand in a certain location and hop aboard as the train moves slowly by you. The ride op then slams it shut and away you go. The lift is different in that it sends you in a circle taking the train up to the top before it is finally dropped onto the course. Up to this point, the ride has not been great but not bad either. That is about to change.
Time Warp is really uncomfortable and I could not wait to get off of it. Your head constantly bangs into the side of the restraint, the inversions are among the most painful out there, and there is not one single comfortable moment once the ride starts its descent. From a distance, Time Warp looks like a fun little coaster that has some different elements. On board, it is a torture machine that no one on the Coaster Reviews staff will ever ride again.
Time Warp is well below average. I would recommend the video below being as close as anyone ever gets to actually riding it.
Overall Score - 4 for the unique elements. The ride quality would actually be a 2 or 3.
Date Ridden: Summer of 2008. Times Ridden: 3 with the best ride being in the front seat.
Talon, an inverted coaster located in Allentown, is among the most underrated coasters built by famous coaster designers Bolliger and Mabillard. When talking about inverts, most coaster enthusiasts start with Montu down in Florida and progress on to the gigantic Alpengeist in Virginia and Raptor in Sandusky, OH. However, Talon holds its own with each of those mentioned above and even has some elements that the staff at Coaster Reviews actually think are better.
To begin with, it is silky smooth with not one single instance of uncomfortableness. The twisting drop is wonderful, particularly when taken in the front seat as the train drops and seems to actually skim the ground. The inversions are taken fast and quick with the zero-G rolls being the best elements on the ride. Most inverts offer a cobra roll which is by far my least favorite inversion. Talon does not have one including an extra loop and high speed helix instead along with an Immelman maneuver as well.
The color scheme is bright and easy to see from most areas of the park and the ride is very popular. Dorney also does a good job of running two trains which keeps the line moving quickly.
On my first to visit to the park, I was looking forward to riding some of the other coasters but Talon really blew me away. Despite limited time, we jumped back in line and waited a little extra on the front seat. It was fun with an unobstructed view and the feeling of the wind hitting you in your face. Despite many enthusiasts views to the contrary, I found it to be a unique experience with a different layout from B and M's other inverted creations. This is a very strong ride at a park with a number of really fun and different coasters including the massive and smooth Steel Force, and the compact floorless Hydra. I found Dorney to be an outstanding park. Obviously, Talon was one of the reason why.
Date Ridden: Summer of 2007 and 2008. Times Ridden: 4.
Volcano is an interesting coaster located about 8 hours northeast from my home in the northwest corner of Georgia. It is one of the world's only inverted launched coasters and hits my top spot for favorite inverted coaster. It lands solidly in the Coaster Reviews Top 20 with a number of very unique elements which I will attempt to explain below.
The beginning of the ride is quite possibly the best start to any ride in existence. A 0-70 MPH launch out of and around the man-made mountain (it actually used to be home to a Smurf ride before it was re-designed) and then back into the mountain and another launch 90 degrees straight up and out of the volcano with fire roaring around you!!! Now that is creativity and Intamin (designers of the Coaster Reviews # 1 ranked coaster, Millennium Force) dipped into their back of tricks to pull this one off.
Next, the three barrel rolls while the train flies around the mountain are taken at such a slow speed that the hanging sensation is heightened, making the riders feel like they are about to fall out and tumble down the mountain more than 100 feet below. These are three of my favorite inversions (despite not being the greatest inversion fan there is) found on any coaster.
Lastly, there is a large banked drop at the end where the ride dives back into the mountain and comes to a stop. While an overlooked portion of the ride, this is a great ending to a very thrilling experience.
Despite it's many exciting features, there are a few issues with Volcano that bump it down a point. To begin with, due to the short layout of the course, there are only two trains which hold 16 passengers per train. While not a capacity nightmare, get ready for a 45-90 minute wait due to this fact plus the rides popularity. Secondly, and I've already mentioned this, the ride is a little short for a truly world-class coaster. I do not mind short rides if they are thrilling, and Volcano certainly is, but another 1,000 feet of track would bump this monster up immensely.
One final recommendation would be to definitely ride in the very front car. Of my four rides, two have been in the front and one of those was at night. Being launched with nothing in front of you but air was a great experience. Also, as is normal on inverted coasters, the view from the front is totally unobstructed making for a better visual experience.
In conclusion, Volcano is the top coaster at Kings Dominion and a truly world class ride. It does not get the respect it deserves in many coaster circles due to its short length. However, it is fun, exciting, and a total "blast". There is nothing like being shot out of a volcano to close down a great day of coaster riding.
A quick congratulations to Darien Lake. No, not for building an outstanding new ride although the Orange County Choppers Motocoaster is not bad. No, I congratulate you on building a coaster in an area of the park virtually impossible to find. Well, maybe not impossible but you definitely outsmarted two coaster enthusiasts from Georgia.
In all seriousness, we visited Darien Lake after spending a half day at Canada's Wonderland on our 10 park quest this summer. We encountered some overcast weather and were hoping to ride everything in the park at Darien Lake before the storms hit. We got in everything including 3 laps on Ride of Steel. However, there were no park maps present so we were trying to figure out which way to go and simply could not find the entrance to the Motocoaster. Just as an FYI, it is located up the steps behind the Boomerang. A police officer was posted there for some reason so we thought that area of the park was closed. We went all the way around the lake and made it to another closed gate which they would not let us enter, so we had to go all the way back around the park. It was really confusing but was probably more our fault than anything else.
Now after all of that rambling, how was the ride? It was good. The unique motorcycle style trains were comfortable and the ride was fun. The launch is good as are the quick turns. However, the Motocoaster is mainly a family oriented ride and should be rated as such. It is by far the least thrilling of the parks coasters but is also the 2nd best one there I feel due to its smoothness and overall experience. It is a wonderful addition as the park seems to be gearing more for the family type atmosphere which I have no problems with. I thought about an 8 here but will stick with a 7. It is a great ride for what it does but does but that is about it. Just don't get lost. The lake does not look that big but walking around it three times is still not much fun.
Date Ridden: Summer of 2007 and Spring of 2008. Times Ridden: 1 in 2007 and 12 in 2008 for a total of 13.
Once again I find myself reviewing a quaint old woodie.
First of all, the Dipper is good. During our visit to sunny San Diego last year, our time was limited and I was only able to get 1 back seat ride. I was impressed but I knew that we would be back so I held off my review.
After 12 laps, I can say that this coaster definitely deserved the reprieve it received. There is absolutely no way this thing should have been demolished or, even worse, left to rot as it was being left to at one point. Is there tons of air time? No. Is there a 150foot first drop? Uh...no again. Are there lots of fun laterals, a wonderful opening tunnel, small pops of air throughout the ride, and short lines? Yes to all of the above. As you can see in the picture, I had my own personal ride with no one else even on the train.
Despite not being tall, the first twisting drop gives a great hanging experience from the front and some floater air in the back. The ride has absolutely no rough spots to mention and is pleasant from beginning to end. And the location.........
You guys who read my reviews understand how important the surroundings are to my ride experience. The Dipper gets props here for its gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean mere yards from the park. The scenery is a definite plus.
OK, how good is the ride? I personally think its a notch below the Santa Cruz Giant Dipper. I could see myself going with a 9 here but decided on the 8 since I think it is on a peg below its northern counterpart. If you visit Belmont Park, go ahead and buy the unlimited rides wristband. It is around 30 bucks and you can get numerous rides on the Dipper with the ops not even making you get off if no one is waiting on your seat. The park also has some small bumper cars and a few flat rides as well. There are enough things to do to spend a few hours there. I personally rode everything I wanted and got my dozen rides in around 2 hours. We overall had a great time riding this piece of coaster history. And dont forget to check out the original car located in the gift shop. Now that would have been fun to ride in!!
Led Zeppelin is a very cool experience at one of America's newest theme parks.....and let me stress the word "theme". Everything about Hard Rock Park screams Rock and Roll from the rides to the giant Gibson guitar. Led Zeppelin is located in the "Rock and Roll Heaven" area and does an excellent job as the park's signature coaster.
To begin with, other than the pre-show, which gives a little info on the band (I don't want to give away too many details), this is a very ordinary coaster. It is aesthetically pleasing situated out on the lake, is smooth with no rough spots or ear-bashing, and is fun to ride. However, it is geared more to the average park goer than the enthusiast as the long pre-show makes re-rides virtually impossible even on slack days like when we were there.
The first drop is good with a decent loop and an outstanding zero-g roll above the lake. That is about it though. There are really no bad things to say about LZ, but it still seems like an above average experience with only a half-finished coaster.
While we had a good day overall, the park seems to be struggling in its first season. I feel they are going to have to decide on whether they are going to be a family destination or a hang-out for the teenage crowd. As it currently is, attendance seems to be down, and while that is good for the enthusiast, it is bad overall for business. I wish Hard Rock Park the best. They have some very unique coasters that are not overly thrilling but still fun. Led Zeppelin is the closest they have to a true thrill ride despite its shortcomings.
Overall Score - 8
Check out this off-ride footage from the first ever ride on Led Zeppelin.
Date Ridden: Summer of 2008. Times Ridden: 2 with once in the back and once in the front.
Twister is a great example of a wonderful ride overshadowed by another more famous ride at Knoebels. And while Phoenix is worth of a 10 and solidly located in my Top 10, Twister is a great ride as well.....just stay toward the front of the train.
Our first ride was in the back and it was surprisingly rough. The intensity level was high, but there were enough rough patches on the course to make the car uncomfortable in a bad way. On a good wooden coaster, one is prepared to be bashed back and forth a little. However, our first ride, while not horrible, was much less than expected. After a few laps on Phoenix, Guy and myself went back to Twister and waited a little extra time on the front. That made all the difference.
Our front seat ride was a solid 10. The coaster offers a number of unique elements including two lift hills going in opposite directions taking the train to its highest point. The drops were smooth, the laterals fun and quick, and the airtime solid. There were no uncomfortable portions of the ride. Even with our 18 laps on the Phoenix, this was possibly one of our best rides of the day.
When visiting Knoebels, do not forget to hunt down Twister. It is located in the back area of the park and is very much overshadowed by its more famous counterpart. However, it is a wonderful ride not to be missed, as long as you ride in the front part of the train.
Date Ridden: Summer of 2008. Times Ridden: 2 (Very back car and 2nd to back...we had no choice in where we sat as the ride ops placed each pair of riders in a stall).
There seems to be a war of sorts and it will be decided this September. I will take a moment to expain.
Back in 2006 when I first began riding coasters on an obsessive basis, the Gravity Group designed and built the Voyage, a landmark coaster that has ascended to the throne as the Top Wooden Coaster in the World according to many enthusiasts. In 2007, Intamin, king of the steel (and some would say wood as well....El Toro anyone?), coasters built Maverick, a technological marvel which continues to climb the lists of great steel coasters and tops many lists of well-respected critics. Alas, Maverick won the Best New Coaster Award when the Golden Tickets were announced much like the Voyage did the year before.
Now in 2008, the contest has begun. The Gravity Group completed the great Ravine Flyer II while Intamin has answered with their newest creation, Fahrenheit. Fahrenheit contains a number of unique elements including the 90 degree vertical ascent, the steeper than vertical drop, and a number of unique inversions amidst its twisted lay-out.
Let it be known, I respect coaster designers who try something unique. Intamin has really stepped out of the box with some of its latest creations and for that reason they rank at the top of my favorite coaster designers. Many enthusiasts prefer B and M, but each ride they have built seems to be a virtual clone (not in design but in similar elements) as the one previously built. The hyper coasters offer similar layouts with virtually identical forces and I expect the new hyper at King's Island to be the same despite the "water element". Intamin is constantly pushing the limits and trying different ideas. Does it work for them?
Yes it does but unfortunately they do not win the Best New Ride Golden Ticket this year. Fahrenheit ranks 2nd above Behemoth and Led Zeppelin (I have not ridden the new Evel Knievel wooden coaster) but well behind Ravine Flyer II. Farenheit is a superb ride with great elements and a unique lift hill but it falls slightly short this year. There is nothing wrong with 2nd place, Intamin coaster builders. Keep thinking outside the box and giving us great rides!! Fahrenheit definitely is!!
As most people know, this giant green monster was built a few years after Top Thrill Dragster in order to eclipse (by very small margins) the world records for height, speed, and length of drop. While KK may be 4 mph faster and 20 feet taller, those are the only areas in which it ranks ahead of TTD. Let me explain.
To begin with, the ride itself (and granted I only rode this coaster once in the 2nd seat from the front) seems much more "loose". The train seems to shake and rattle a little on the launch (which is great by the way) much like Dragster does when riding in the back. The coaster itself is just not as smooth.
Second, the view at the top is nowhere near the view that Dragster offers. The woods of New Jersey are not as beautiful from 400 feet as picturesque Lake Erie. Although the stay at the top is very short, the view itself should be an important part of any ride that is this tall.
Third, the theme and colors of the ride are inferior. Kingda Ka is big, green, and situated in a isolated location of the park. Dragster is located on the main midway of Cedar Point.
Last, and most damaging, the ride has OTSR's. That keeps it from being as comfortable and even leads to some slight head-banging on the spiral drop from the top hat.
Overall, while this is the tallest and fastest coaster on the planet, it offers a slightly inferior experience to Dragster and maybe even Xcelerator out at Knotts. I will still give it a 9, although it is probably more like an 8.5. Maybe with more laps I can get a better feel of what this coaster has to offer.
Overall Score - 9 (Rounded up from 8.5)
Check out some off-ride and on-ride footage of Kingda Ka below,
Times Riden: 12 Dates Ridden: Summer of 2006, 2007, 2008.
Are you ready for Top Thrill Dragster? While this ride has been often criticized for being too short (approximately 15 seconds), the simple fact of the matter is that it is currently the 2nd tallest and fastest coaster in the world. After riding it for the first time back in 2006, it immediately landed at # 2 in my overall rankings and stayed in my top 5 for a long while. Recently, after riding Kingda Ka and Xcelerator, the novelty of the launch and speed had worn off a little and this ride dropped a little in my view. However, this past summer we waited the extra time for a front row seat around 11:30 PM and the result was a great experience.
The speed seems much faster when sitting in the front with nothing in front of you except the track. The visuals are better and you seem to hang over the top hat before plunging back down the 420 foot drop.
This ride is constantly compared to the two coasters I listed above and I believe it is much better. The main advantage Dragster has is its simple restraint system consisting of a seat belt and lap bar. Your entire upper body is free giving one the impression that they are actually flying.
Yes, the lines are long and the ride itself suffers more downtime than other coaster I am aware of, but riding TTD is an experience like no other. All things considered, it is not the complete experience that a B and M hyper coaster offers, but after my front seat ride I am placing it at # 10 in my list as well as bumping it back up to my 3rd favorite steel coaster.
Date Ridden: Labor Day of 2006 and 2007. Times Ridden: 8 in all areas of the train.
This finishes up my tri-fecta of reviews concerning the great woodies at Holiday World. While the Legend (based on Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) is my least favorite of the three, the term "least" truly does not apply. The Legend is simply a big, long, fast, hard ride throughout the woods of Santa Clause, Indiana. The ringing of the large bell in the station house, the slow climb up the lift hill, and finally the howl at the very top through the speakers right before you take a twisting dive straight into oblivion are signature moments for this coaster. All of these items are small touches which take the Legend to the next level.
Every seat in the train gives a great ride with the front being the best for visuals and the back being more intense with more airtime. For some reason, I find the middle of the train to offer the best combination of elements and a remarkably comfortable ride through the park.
The only problem the Legend faces is its two neighbors on either side (The Raven and The Voyage) which make it a very overlooked ride. To me its a similar ride albeit a better one than Ghostrider at Knotts and the legendary Beast at King's Island in Ohio. In any other park, the Legend would be the primary attraction around which thrills could be built. At Holiday World, this is just a 3rd great wooden coaster.
Also, for some reason the lines are always the slowest here despite the normal two train operation. The Voyage lines are normally longer but quicker and the Raven line is always quicker despite normal one train operation there. I really can't explain that.
At all 4 of my visits to the park, we waited 10-15 minutes for Raven, around 15-20 minutes for the Voyage, yet wait times for the Legend have always fallen in the 30-45 minute range hence the lower number of laps I have taken on it. It's still definitely worth its ranking (consistently in the Golden Ticket Top 10) and I look forward to more trips to one of my favorite parks.
Overall Ranking - 9 (Fast and Intense). Ride the Legend below.
Date Ridden - Labor Day of 2006 and 2007 Times Ridden : 11 in every seat imaginable including a final ride at night on the front.
The Raven is a great ride. Some people feel that it is overrated or too short but the fact of the matter is that this is a wonderful little coaster. It is much better ridden in the back when its signature 60 foot drop in the middle of the course hits you by surprise but our final ride of the day in the front was also wonderful.
Flying through the woods with the wind in your face in pitch black darkness with no clue where you are going is just a great feeling (bordering on nirvana) for a coaster enthusiast. That ride for me, despite lacking the insane ejector air that the back seat offers, was probably a perfect 10. It capped off a a great day of hanging out with friends, riding all the great rides in the park including the Legend (review coming later) and the Voyage (still great despite the mid-course breaks).
Holiday World is a wonderful park and all three of their coasters deserve the high ranks that they receive. I can even see how pure woodie fans would prefer the Raven over the Voyage as you simply feel that you are riding a piece of "old-fashioned" perfection. The Raven is and probably always will be a wonderful ride at one of America's great family theme parks. And its resume is fairly impressive as well. You did read the picture correctly as this small little ride was ranked as the Best Wooden Coaster on the Planet for five consecutive years. Even though it is not close to ten years old, it still ranks in the top ten each and every year according to the Golden Tickets voted on by park enthusiasts. Do not miss out on this outstanding example of coaster design proving that you do not have to build a coaster 400 feet high in order to have a great ride.
Date Ridden: Summer of 2006 and Fall of 2007. Times Ridden: 10
The Voyage is a wooden coaster with steel supports desgined by a coaster company known as the Gravity Group. It consists of over 1 mile of track, a number of 90 degree banked turns, 8 tunnels, a fly-through station element (where the train roars through the area where patrons are standing in line......at a safe distance of course) and features a triple-down element (three consective small drops which produce massive airtime) in total darkness. Oh yeah, it's also the greatest coaster in the world.
In looking at the Coaster Reviews Top 20 you may wonder why if this coaster is so great it ranks 3rd. Why not 1st? Well, if you read my reviews of Millennium Force and the Coney Island Cyclone posted back in July, you will understand why. However, as far as rides go, the Voyage is the best there is. It is fast, smooth, intense and fun which is everything a great coaster should be. In its opening year, it won the Golden Ticket Award for Best New Coaster in 2006. It also placed # 2 overall, behind only Dollywood's Thunderhead, in the Best Wooden Coaster category. In 2007, it supplanted Thunderhead as the Best Wooden Coaster on the Planet. I fully expect the awards to continue to pile in for this monster in the middle of Indiana.
Unfortunately, the Voyage has had a few problems during its 3 years of operation. After its first year, a large portion of track had to be replaced because the intense nature of the ride was causing significant deterioration leading to a very rough ride experience. For a while, the train would come to complete stop in the center of the course at the brake run before picking up the speed needed to complete the course. According to sources, this problem has been solved and the ride is running in its full glory this year.
The video below is straight from the Holiday World web site and gives a great view with minimal shaking from the mounted camera.
Date Ridden : Summer of 2007 and 2008 Times Ridden : 3 including front row far left (the best seat on the train I think), back row far left and the very middle of the 2nd row.
This was the final stop of our Golden Ticket Top 10 Steel Coaster Tour. When we planned this trip out in late 2006 we knew BGE was necessary due to Apollos Chariot. We had already knocked out Montu at BGA, Goliath at SFOG, Nitro at Great Adventure, Superman ROS at Agawam, Millie, Maggie and TTD at CP, and Phantoms Revenge at Kennywood. Alas GeForce overseas will have to wait until later. Getting Griffon was a bonus, particularly for me since I loved Shiekra down in Florida.
First, by all means, if it is operating use the single rider line. When we were there the regular line was backed up to about a 1 hour wait. We rode twice in 15 minutes using the SRL!! The first time we sat right beside each other on the front row in the two far left seats. The second time we were on the same train again and Guy got the front row far left seat that I got the first time. I was placed in the back row far left seat. Using the single rider line you are virtually guaranteed a seat in the outside part of the train since most people just get on and board all the way down whatever row they are in. Use the single rider line to your advantage to get on quicker and in a better seat.
Like Shiekra, Girffon is smooth as silk. I absolutely love the feeling of hanging over the side and looking straight down 205 feet. I know these rides are short, but for some reason they are extreme thrills for me and I always leave them with my adrenaline pumping. AC and Alpie are probably better overall coasters here, but they just do not pump me up the way Griffon does once the ride is over. It was the same way for me with Montu being a better ride down in Florida but Shiekra really being my favorite of the two.
How does the coaster rank? Dive machines are heavily critiqued by enthusiasts as gimmick rides but if dropping me straight down at a 90 degree angle 205 feet is the gimmick then I guess it gets me. I hope to get back up there and get a couple of more laps. Just remember to use the single rider line!!!
Date Ridden: July 4th, 2008. Times Ridden: 3 including a ride in the front seat at the very end of the night in pitch black darkness.
I absolutely love coasters that offer a unique experience. The more I ride, the more I find myself preferring coasters with what I call "character". as opposed to gigantic steel coasters with loops and huge drops. For that reason, woodies now take up approximately 75 percent of my top 20 and Boulder Dash is a perfect example.
I had read the reviews and watched the videos so I knew this was a "terrain coaster". using the wooded area on the other side of the lake as part of the overall experience. However, I really did not know this thing was actually built on the side of a mountain!! The lift hill takes you up that mountain. As you rise, you look over and can see the ground not 2 feet below you despite the fact you are rising approximately 100 feet. This is a true "mountain". coaster. However, this is definitely not just a gimmick ride. There is a great first drop, unbelievable airtime on the trip out including some serious ejector at one point, and the ride back to the station featuring the triple-up and insane drop where your picture is taken. I think this is the most complete wooden coaster on the face of the earth. There are no steel supports, no pre-fabricated wood, and this thing was not built back in the 1920's. It is a good ride simply because it is well-designed, long, unique, and fun. I would have to look but I think this is the ride that dethroned Raven's 5 year run at the top of the Golden Tickets back in 2004.
Lastly, all three of my rides were from the middle of the train up. The line breaks in half at one point with half going to the back and half going to the front. We intended to ride the back first, but there was a line there and an empty seat toward the middle so we jumped on there. We then intended to ride the very front car but once again we walked into an empty third car and dove on. Our final ride, we waited a little extra for the front and it ended up one of my best experiences on a coaster ever. It was fast, out of control, and crazy with the total lack of lights anywhere on the track.
It has been said that the back is a little rough and that Boulder Dash runs much better after the track has warmed up. Well, we caught it exactly right. As the most "complete, all-wooden, non-prefabricated" coaster I have ever ridden, it gets a perfect score.
Date Ridden: June 18th, 2008. Times Ridden: 18 with 3 in the front seat, 3 in the back and every other seat at least once.
I just returned from a 7 day, 10 park trip that took me from New Jersey, through PA, up to Canada and back across to Ohio. After being launched vertical by Farenheit, taken up over 230 feet on Behemoth, twisted all over Erie by the RF II, and amazed once again by the speed and smoothness of the coaster that started it all for me exactly 2 years ago (Millie at CP), I get home and what do i remember most about my trip?
A 78 foot coaster built in 1948 and moved on 34 trucks to its current site in the 80's.
Yep people, Phoenix is that good.
In fact, Knoebels in general is that good. I will not go into the insane Skooters, the terrifying Flyer (I thought I was going to actually flip upside down), the sick Looper which made me feel like a mouse in a cage rolling around the track, or any of the other amazing things that happened to us in our 7 hours there. Yes, I ate a steak for 9 bucks that I could cut with a plastic knife, bought a sweatshirt for under 20 dollars, and ate a waffle ice cream which was the best 2 bucks I spent the entire trip. No, I will not discuss those things. I will give one of the greatest wooden coasters in history its just dues.
Where do I start? Well, maybe after the first ride where I thought the coaster was great somewhere along the lines of Raven. That would be a great comparison for most woodies as Raven is solidly lodged at a top 10 coaster for me out of my now 276 ridden. However, having ridden only the middle of the train I had underestimated this little ride. I was soon to be amazed.
I will not discuss airtime in this ride. That has been discussed in the reviews listed below. I will say that I counted 13 bits of airtime ranging from nice floater to hardcore ejector riding in the back seat and 12 bits in the front seat. The other cars had anywhere from 10 up to 13 in one of the other front seats (yep somewhere up towards the front....I forget exactly where). This coaster is about airtime, possibly the best you will find on any ride anywhere, but it has other positives as well.
When entering the station on my first ride, I immediately noticed they were only running 1 train. With about 6 people per line, I quickly counted up a 20 minute wait which was not bad but I was hoping for more. In less than half that, I was on the ride and rolling through the opening tunnel.
My fellow enthusiasts, in my humble opinion this is the best run coaster in the freaking world!! A simple buzz bar with no seat belts and intense airtime (sorry, I mentioned the A word)? A station crew that runs you through with record pace? I kid you not, on one ride I timed, the train was moving 12 seconds after the gates opened to let people on. What if you have caps, cameras or prizes? Just throw them across the train onto the concrete and pick them up when the ride ends. No locker nazis are present trying to wring another buck out of you. No bins are necessary. Just throw it down and pick it up later. There is no time for that crap...get on the Phoenix, pull down your buzz bar and ride!!!
In reading over what I have written so far, this definitely does not sound like a polished review written by the secondary literature teacher that I profess to be. It seems choppy, intense, yet very much to the point. That I believe is what Phoenix is. At the Golden Ticket awards this year, sleek El Toro will probably walk in dressed in a a shiny new Pre-fabricated tuxedo, the heavily muscular Voyage will stroll in side by side with his short stumpy buddy Raven, and the new kid Ravine Flyer II will be over at the childrens table. Phoenix will be propped up in a comfortable pair of jeans, a cap on sideways covering his gray hair, and a Knoebels t-shirt purchased at a gift shop for 5 dollars. He will probably even be showing off his scars to the newbies from the "Great Move of '84".
And without a doubt, he will be just as good as he always was.
Overall Score- 10 (Perfect)
Ride Phoenix below......however no video does this ride justice.
Date Ridden: October of 2007. Times Ridden: 2 with one ride in the second to front and one ride in the second to back.
Hmmmm......where to start. With 3 of my top 5 steelies, Intamin is among my favorite coaster designers. I could not believe the fact that Disney had combined forces with them to produce a thrill experience at one of their most definitely family-oriented theme parks. However, they obviously did and the result is an outstanding ride.
We hit Screamin first thing and got on with about a 10 minute wait, then grabbed a fast pass for later that day. The ride is a capacity machine like most Disney rides as the line virtually never stops moving as they load and unload you. One thing I really liked was the velcro pouches in front of you in the cars where you could put your stuff. That in itself saves time as people do not have to cross the ride to put up their stuff or give it to a ride op. I really don't understand why Cedar Fair and 6 Flags do not make use of that feature.
The ride itself is smooth, fast and comfortable. The launch is just fast enough to be thrilling without being scary (TTD and XCelerator still make me nervous after about 10 rides apiece on each). The ride is extremely lengthy and the second time we rode the music blaring through the speakers was beginning to get on my nerves.
I feel that Disney rides are simply experiences. I can ride Millenium Force or Apollo's Chariot all day, but usually one ride on any highly themed Disney ride is enough since they focus so much on the experience and less on the intensity. They seem to lose a little after the initial ride. I love Screamin but if I never get another ride on it that will be ok. It is a great steel coaster with the feel of the appearance of the old woodies from the past. It's a superb design by Disney and well worth a trip just to ride it....once. :)
Date Ridden: January of 2007 and 2008. Times Ridden: 4
Ok, I admit it. I love gimmick coasters. There..I said it and I feel better. I love Top Thrill Dragster and Xcelerator (launched coasters that shoot you out instead of using a lift hill), Dueling Dragons (two seperate coasters that "collide" at certain points), and now Sheikra and its counterpart Griffon at Busch Gardens Europe located in Virginia. These two coasters are known as "Dive Machines". Watch the video below and you will understand why.
When visiting theme parks I prefer coaster rides to anything else there (except maybe the potato patch fries in Kennywood and the Skooter Bumper Cars at Knoebels). My favorites are obviously the wooden coasters with airtime and laterals. But I also enjoy the "thrill" rides that are present at each park. Sheikra fits into that latter category. It is an unbelievable thrill ride/
Sheikra scores in the 9 range because its gimmick (90 degree 200 foot drop) is totally insane. Who cares about the rest of the ride after that drop which takes your breath away? The ride has other redeeming qualities such as the drop off the mid-course brakes and the Immelman inversion (named after a WWII fighter pilot maneuver) but this ride is all about the first drop.
I have been privileged to ride this thing with the floor and without and can say that I prefer it floorless. And keep in mind, regardless of what the ride ops say, the front row is still the best. You are not riding Sheikra for airtime or laterals, you are riding for the view and the best view by far is up front. When riding make sure you get a front seat, pererably on one of the ends. Those seats make for a much better experience.
Also keep in mind, that Sheikra is the most popular coaster in the park. Montu is a much better coaster and is only a 10-15 minute wait while you may be waiting 30-45 minutes (or even longer) for Sheikra due to its being the newest ride in the park.
Sheikra is a wonderful experience that will leave you breathless the first time you get on it and hang over the edge waiting to drop. Its all about the dive!!
Welcome to Coaster Reviews! Here you will read detailed descriptions of some of the best (and worst) coasters in the world today.
I'm Shane Tucker, an educator in Summerville, GA and this is the web blog I've been saying I was going to build. Roller coaster riding became an obsession of mine in June 2006. I have since ridden over 400 coasters and hope to share some of my experiences, rides and crazy coaster-related trips with anyone who happens to stumble onto this site.
Please send along any requests (rides, parks, etc.) that you may have or feel free to leave us a comment.
Thanks again and enjoy!!
(Check out my ride list and Top 20 by clicking the picture above.)
The Coaster Reviews Staff
Coaster Reviews Photographer/Editor - Guy Chambless (Check out Guy's Ride List and Top 20 by clicking the picture above.)
Photographer/Significant Other - Julia Beavers (Check out Julia's Ride List and Top 20 by clicking the picture above.)
How Coaster Reviews rates coasters.
When rating coasters, Coaster Reviews uses a very subjective rating scale. Each coaster is rated on many factors but the overall ride experience is weighed the most heavily. While super-smooth coasters such as Apollos' Chariot at Busch Gardens Europe and Montu at Busch Gardens Africa are among the best designed coasters in the world, they do fall short of ride experiences such as the Cyclone at Coney Island. Coasters are given a score between 1 and 10 with 7 being the score of an average adult coaster. Most smaller family coasters will score in the 5 range with junior coasters (I have ridden way too many of these) scoring in the 3 range. Keep in mind, however, a great ride experience can boost a score substantially.
Current Top 20 Coasters
1 - Millennium Force - Cedar Point
2 - The Cyclone - Astroland
3 - The Voyage - Holiday World
4 - El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure
5 - Superman Ride of Steel - Six Flags New England
6 - Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce
7 - Ravine Flyer II - Waldameer Park
8 - Goliath - Six Flags Over Georgia
9 - Phoenix - Knoebels
10 - Thunderhead - Dollywood
11 - Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point
12 - X2 - Magic Mountain
13 - The Raven - Holiday World
14 - Volcano - The Blast Coaster - King's Dominion
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