Roller Coaster

It’s Huge! Fun Spot Grows Up.

Whenever I’m driving back home to Orlando I know I’m getting close when I see the giant yellow billboards that exclaim “It’s Huge!” Fun Spot’s aggrandizing slogan has always been more of a source of amusement than anything, but with their latest expansion, the words are starting to make sense. Phase 1 of Fun Spot Orlando’s opened last week with the park rebranded as Fun Spot America at almost double the size. As with any park attraction, the road to the final product had many changes, additions, and cuts along the way. The only difference is that many of Fun Spot’s changes were made with already released plans. Let’s a take a look at how we got to the finished product we’re riding today.

The original park plan.
Photo from: http://parkrumors.com/fun-spot-expansion/

Our first piece of concept art comes from ParkRumors.com, who were one of the first on the case when Fun Spot began their expansion planning. I haven’t found this layout elsewhere online and judging by this being a picture of a plan, it’s easy to assume this never saw a public release. Still, it featured the first taste of expansion plans and how much the park was ready to grow. Key points here include the Ferris wheel perched atop the new park entrance to the north (photo left), the much expanded existing arcade building, the removal of all rides aside form go karts in the existing park area, and the Mondial Windseeker tower tucked in the elbow of the wooden coaster (presumably working more than Cedar Fair’s). In regards to the coasters, the lift on the Vekoma suspended runs towards the SkyCoaster, and White Lightning features the original, more traditional out and back layout from GCI.

Development Plan changes some ride positioning.
Photo from: http://parkrumors.com/fun-spot-expansion/

This development plan was also included in the same past at Park Rumors, but already shows changes from the concept art. All the rides have moved further north with the kiddie section being arranged as a separate cluster of rides. The parks existing arcade building does not show the expansion, though the Ferris wheel is still located on the new entrance building. The coasters remain in the same locations, but the Windseeker has moved slightly to a new circle of pathway.

Original Layout

Revised Layout

Somewhere between these leaks and the next official releases of concept art, the coaster changed dramatically. Fun Spot found some more money, presumably under couch cushions, and decided to improve their wooden coaster. Thankfully, there are two virtual POV videos on YouTube to compare! The original layout is much more family friendly with a diving first drop and mostly straight airtime hills afterwards. Between the video and the original concept layout above, you’ll notice a few small changes with some extra corners near the end. This ride doesn’t have anything particularly aggressive about it and would have certainly made a good family ride, but not the icon Fun Spot was looking for. Thankfully they took their extra change and invested in a brand new layout that included a much twistier out and back design that includes a full 90* banked corner on the turnaround. A double up and double down hill guarantee great airtime along the course. The virtual POV for this version confirms the additional airtime and layout nuances that come expected from a GCI these days.

GCI’s new layout for White Lighting. A nice twisted version of the traditional out and back.

New concept art shows modified coasters and rides.

After making the wooden coaster into a viable thrill attraction, the updated concept art released to the public shows a very different Fun Spot. The new White Lighting takes the place of the original while the Vekoma suspended rotates 180* to better place the overhead portion of track across the new plaza. The most noticeable other changes involve the Ferris wheel vacating the entrance building roof for its old home and the Windseeker tower disappearing completely. The Ferris wheel change is an understandable cut as the engineering to put a large wheel on top of a structure likely far outweighed the benefits of a cool looking entrance. Though this image only depicts Phase 1 expansion, the amount of rides is severely decreased.

Phase 2 includes the waterpark and some building expansions.

A very similar piece of artwork shows Phase 1 and 2 together. This layout includes the waterpark addition and building expansion clearly labeled as a phase 2 project. This plan reinforces the fact that many of the flat rides shown are placeholders—almost all the flats aside from the Screamin’ Swing have changed designs with this latest iteration. There’s no sign of the Schwarzkopf Enterprise that will eventually show up next to the music express.

Now that the park has opened, we can compare the existing to the last piece of concept art work. It’s a pretty safe bet that existing rides will stay where they are—concrete is a lot harder to change than a Photoshop file. The large elements of the built version match up rather well to the last piece of artwork. White Lightning turned out exactly like the plans and Freedom Fighter, the Vekoma, was also built as shown. Again, the only real differences are with the flat rides. Fun Spot was able to purchase Six Flags over Georgia’s enterprise and add it to the collection of opening day rides. It’s easy to expect that more rides are to be added with the phase 2 expansion… there’s certainly plenty of room.

This same first drop survived all iterations, but thankfully there’s a much better coaster after it than originally planned.

These pictures were taken before the Grand Opening when the station still needed some attention.

It’s great to see the old Six Flags over Georgia ride in a new home.

The restraints on Freedom Fighter really make the ride fantastic.

Even though it’s a stock layout, the ride seems very well suited for this location.

Fun Spot has a winner that I think they can safely call “Huge!” White Lightning is an incredible small coaster that is sufficiently thrilling while not isolating the family crowd. Airtime abounds, especially in the double up and down feature. While it’s not the kind of ejector air you’d find on something like Wooden Warrior at Quassy in Connecticut, it’s easily one of the top coasters out there for this size. Equally surprising is the Vekoma suspended coaster which features the company’s over the shoulder lap bar system. I certainly hope to see more of this type pop up—the upper body freedom combined with a smooth, intense layout make for a really great supporting ride.

Aside from the coasters, one of the most exciting things Fun Spot has done with this expansion involves concrete. No, really. Five years ago, Fun Spot was a mass of portable, off the shelf rides placed in the grass with a strip of asphalt or concrete as pathway. Now, they’ve started to install more permanent rides like the Schwarzkopf Enterprise and coasters with footers. But more than that, the new park pathways have decorative elements and concrete seating walls, a great sign that the park is building for the future. The Screamin’ Swing is already on site and seems to be ready for install at any time and the new go kart track is well underway. In talking with some of the park operators, they’ve said the owner would still like to go bigger. With any luck, the 220ft. Windseeker will return to the plan. This expansion is a step in the right direction for a small park looking to put their name on the map in a town full of theme park giants. The product they offer is uniquely their own in this market, and with some continued additions over the next decade Fun Spot could become a popular destination for locals and visitors alike.

Plenty of room to expand.

New coasters shine after dark.

Day 9

I’m currently typing this entry from 30,000 ft. somewhere over South Carolina. I realize as the days have gone on and I’ve become increasingly tired my blog entries have suffered from a technical standpoint. In the next few days when I’m more coherent I hope to go back and fill in the missed words and things that don’t make sense. Today we faced a choice as it was the only day without a pre-arranged plan. With Bobsleds closed at Seabreeze yesterday, one option was to head back for just that ride. Waldameer in Erie, PA was also considered, but quickly ruled out because of the distance. Lastly, we consider Darien Lake, a park we’d already visited a few years back, but one that had the most additional coasters nearby. In the end, volume one over the single coaster we missed, and by noon we were walking through the gates of park #17 of the trip.

Darien Lake is in the middle of nowhere. From our hotel in Rochester, the GPS took us on residential back roads through small town America. The park still has remnants of the former Six Flags ownership, though it is now run by PARC Entertainment. The parking lot was quite full for a Sunday morning, but thankfully queues remained average for coasters that ran primarily one train. It seems that waterpark drew most of the guests, something clearly recognized by the park in their recent additions. The last new coaster came in 2008 with the addition of the OCC Motocoaster, a stock model from Zamperla.

The star attraction in the park is Ride of Steel, an Intamin mega coaster. This huge ride looks like it has no business being in a little park this far off the beaten path, but apparently Six Flags management thought otherwise. The coaster and its mirror clone at Six Flags America have always been confusing to me. They are great rides in general, but about 1/3 of the coaster seems entirely pointless. After a great drop, turn, and ejector airtime hill, the coaster enters a wide, flat helix. Afterwards it runs along a piece of straight track before hitting another airtime hill. Next there is another long section of straightaway followed by another big helix before an airtime filed 3 hill finale. While the sensation of speed is something to be appreciated, the coaster is begging for a few more interesting features along the course. Regardless, the small lap bar restraints provide a fantastic feeling of openness and allow every bit of the strong airtime to be felt. Despite those sections, Ride of Steel still ranks as one of the better coasters of the trip.

It’s a shame the park lost the rights to the Superman name, because ‘Ride of Steel’ can really apply to almost anything…

Lots of airtime where there isn’t pointless straightaway and helix.

The same cannot be said for a few other coasters in the park. Predator, the park’s only wooden coaster has an abundance of great airtime, but also an abundance of potholes and spine-crushing bumps. This may rank as one of the worst large coasters of the trip. Predator has certainly deteriorated from my last visit. Viper, an Arrow 5 inversion custom design (the world’s first with 5 inversions) has also aged poorly with some very shaky moments through the inversions. After Dragon Mountain yesterday we had higher than normal hopes for Viper, but sadly they proved to be false. On a positive note about the coaster, the helix finale with an underground tunnel is still very enjoyable. The last of the less than pleasant coasters we tried today was Mind Eraser, the 2^nd Vekoma SLC of the trip. While I don’t believe it was as bad as the Mind Eraser as Six Flags New England, that’s similar to saying it’s better to only be partially on fire rather than fully so.

This looks nice, but looks can be deceiving.

Predator uses Holiday World’s old trains from Voyage.

Batwings look cool, but this particular one has a couple solid head smacks in it.

Why any park would buy one of these coasters is beyond me.

The last coaster we had time for during this trip was OCC Motocoaster, a Zamperla motorbike design. This was the first of the Zamperla bikes sold (it was the show model for Zamperla beforehand) and features a weird paint scheme of seemingly random yellow and white supports. OCC shares the same layout as Steeplechase at Coney Island, which we rode back on day 1. This ride reconfirmed our suspicion that the Coney Island model feels quite a bit faster and more intense. That’s not to say this ride isn’t any good—the launch and course are still pleasant and relaxing—more ‘fun’ than thrilling.

For what it does, the ride is a lot of fun.

Unfortunately plane flights dictated only a few hours at Darien, so a few flat rides wrapped up the final park of the trip. Darien is an enjoyable park, though one that feels like it’s been neglected over the years. Waterpark additions notwithstanding, the park could use a major addition, preferably a new caster to round out the lineup. For our trip, it was a little sad to end on a Vekoma SLC, but such is the way of things when you’re pressed for time. While leaving the park we checked out the pieces of Six Flags Astroworld’s old Intamin standup coaster that have been rotting across the street for several years. If anyone is to install this coaster, it looks like there would need to be some extensive refurbishment completed first.

Pieces of a forgotten coaster.

Tomorrow I will attempt to write an epilogue for this trip looking back at some of the high and low coasters. After 17 parks, it’s amazing how much variety is out there and how little things can make all the difference in terms of park enjoyment. For now I will give Canada’s Wonderland the Best Park Award (La Ronde for best new park), and Bizarro at Six Flags New England the award for Best Coaster. Thanks to everyone who has followed along and read the blog!

Up Next: Sleep!
Final Coaster List:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park
Ladybug Coaster, Zierer Family Coaster, Adventureland
Hurricane, S.D.C. Sitdown, Adventureland
Dragon Coaster, Church Wooden Coaster, Playland
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Wild Mouse, Playland
Super Flight, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Playland
Family Flyer, Zamperla Kiddie Coaster, Playland
Wooden Warrior, Gravity Group Wooden, Quassy
Little Dipper, Allan Herschell Kiddie, Quassy
Yankee Cannonball, Schmeck Wooden Coaster, Canobie
Untamed, Gerstlauer Eurofighter, Canobie
Canobie Corkscrew, Arrow Corkscrew, Canobie
Goliath, Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang, SFNE
Flashback, Vekoma Boomerang, SFNE
Pandemonium, Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster, SFNE
Great Chase, Miler Family Coaster, SFNE
Thunderbolt, Traver/Baker Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Bizarro, Intamin Mega Coaster, SFNE
Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum, Mack Wild Mouse, SFNE
Catwoman’s Whip, Zierer Family Coaster, SFNE
Mind Eraser, Vekoma SLC, SFNE
Batman: The Dark Knight, B&M Floorless Coaster, SFNE
Cyclone, Cobb Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Alpine Bobsled, Intamin Bobsled, Great Escape
Comet, Schmeck/Allen Wooden, Great Escape
Canyon Blaster, Arrow Mine Train, Great Escape
Steamin’ Demon, Arrow Looping Coaster, Great Escape
Cobra, Intamin Stand Up Coaster, La Ronde
Vampire, B&M Inverted Coaster, La Ronde
Le Boomerang, Vekoma Boomerang, La Ronde
Super Menage, Vekoma Corkscrew, La Ronde
Monstre (Track 2), Cobb Double Wooden Coaster, La Ronde
Dragon, Intamin Indoor Coaster, La Ronde
Goliath, B&M hyper coaster, La Ronde
Toboggan Nordique, Zamperla Wild Mouse, La Ronde
Monstre (Track 1), Cobb Double Wooden Coaster, La Ronde
Leviathan, B&M Giga Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Dragon Fire, Arrow Loop & Cork, Canada’s Wonderland
Vortex, Arrow Suspended Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Behemoth, B&M hyper coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Backlot Stunt Coaster, Premier launched coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Wild Beast, Summers Wooden Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Sky Rider, Togo Stand Up Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Mighty Canadian Minebuster, Summers Wooden Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Time Warp, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Dragon Mountain, Arrow Looping Coaster, Marineland
Lady Bug Coaster, Zierer Kiddie Coaster, Marineland
Silver Comet, CCI Wooden Coaster, Martin’s Fantasy Island
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Spinning Coaster, Martin’s Fantasy Island
Jack Rabbit, Miller Wooden Coaster, Seabreeze
Whirlwind, Maurer Spinning Coaster, Seabreeze
Predator, Summers and Dinn Wooden Coaster, Darien Lake
Ride of Steel, Intamin Mega Coaster, Darien Lake
OCC Motocoaster, Zamperla Motorbike, Darien Lake
Viper, Arrow Corkscrew Coaster, Darien Lake
Mind Eraser, Vekoma SLC, Darien Lake

Day 8

Our last full day of the trip was also one of the crazier travel days. We began in Vaughan, Ontario near Canada’s Wonderland, then drove to Marineland at Niagara Falls, crossed the border to Martin’s Fantasy Island, and then drove to Rochester to finish with Seabreeze. To me, it’s a wonder we got to all three places, let alone sufficient time in them. While it’s sad to see this as the last full day, the upcoming rest will be very welcome as I scrape the bottom of my energy resources.

In 2008, I tried on three separate occasions to ride Dragon Mountain at Marineland. The first two days it was down for maintenance. The third day the lady at the ticket gate tells me it’s too cold to run the ride and “why would anyone want to ride a coaster in this weather anyway?” Clearly she had not met a coaster enthusiast before. This time we were sure to check before entering, but on confirmation headed into Marineland for the first time. Straight away, our general opinion was one of confusion and amusement. The park is huge, and not in a packed full of things way like Canada’s Wonderland. In fact, you can walk for quite a while encountering nothing but trees and 40ft. wide pathways. Occasionally the monotony is broken with a medieval looking building containing a food stand, gift shop, or ride queue line. There is a large kids section in the front of the park and then a sprawling back area punctuated with rides or exhibits. It feels like they inherited a massive amount of land with the one requirement that it must be built on immediately. I will need to look up more history on this park later, but it was all very baffling.

They’re not lacking for space.

Robin Hood is not allowed to climb these rocks.

After a ¾ mile walk from the entrance gate (literally), we reached Dragon Mountain. Opened in 1983, this Arrow coaster covers over 30 acres and features an odd custom layout following the terrain of the mountains. The ride features two vertical loops and the world’s only bowtie inversion. It also has two fully underground tunnels, which are certainly an impressive feat. Though the track profile looks like it would be very rough and painful, the ride is surprisingly jolt-free and even a lot of fun. A twisting queue through rockwork leads to a dark and foreboding underground station that’s also incredibly quiet thanks to no music and very few other guests. The lift hill is big enough to require two separate chains. In the middle of the coaster is a helix that was meant to have a volcano façade around it. This was added in 2006, 23 years after the coaster was built. The ride was also to have a replica waterfall of Niagara Falls, but that probably won’t happen for another few decades at this rate. Dragon Mountain is hard to photograph from any angle thanks to the thick trees and overgrowth around it. On-ride, this adds quite a bit to the experience.

This is about the most of the coaster that can be seen in one shot.

Awkward banking that the train takes surprisingly well.

The dark cave station.

Most of the views of the coaster look like this.

The park’s other rides are largely miss-able (and also really far apart). They have a Huss Topple Tower that opened in 2008 before promptly closing indefinitely. The only other ride of note is Sky Screamer, a massive S&S triple tower on top of a hill. Like all things at this park, getting to the ride is a process… a long walk up a particularly steep path that curves around the mountain. Up at the top is a plaza with gift shop and food counter. The tower is one of the tallest of its kind and features both a shot and drop sequence, making the hike up the mountain almost worth it. If you sit on the correct side, there’s a fantastic view of nearby Niagara Falls.

A long, tiring walk to the top.

All the buildings in the park look like this. Pretty, but monotonous.

I was a little apprehensive to visit the park in the first place due to the controversy surrounding its animal conditions. There have been a number of stories about animal deaths and sub-par care. While I wasn’t able to see behind the scenes, I was happy to see that all the exhibits looked up to quality and were quite large. The two large pool complexes housed belugas and Kiska, the killer whale. It seemed that Marineland has provided quite a large amount of space for the animals, and they appeared to be receiving proper care. Kiska did look quite sad, though, being alone in her pool and lacking interaction time. The seal and sea lion pool indoors also seemed a little small, though with the number of animals it was probably about right. The best conditions seemed to be for the non-marine animals like buffalo, bears, and deer. The Deer Park section is a large walled area where guests can feed or interact directly with many deer. I certainly hope that the standard of care for the animals is to an acceptable level.

This bear was just enjoying the view.

Lots of elk.

The Deer Park area was a lot of fun.

For $8.50CN you could feed and touch a beluga.

Kiska looks a little lonely all alone, but she’s still an impressive animal.

Seals and sea lions asleep.

Marineland is quite a strange park. It almost seems amazing that they are still in business, but apparently they’re doing something right. At the back of the park there is a sign advertising the world’s largest aquarium being built. That was announced way back in 2003 and the most the park has to show is a big section of cleared land. If they’re going to build it, then it might take quite a while. The park did take longer than expected, but that was mostly due to having to walk about 4 to 5 miles to complete everything we wanted to see. Tiring, but strangely enjoyable.

Coming soon, but probably not.

One country and a world of difference away, Martin’s Fantasy Island is a small park on Grand Island above Niagara Falls. The park is tiny and essentially a fun fair type place with stock rides, no theming, and some picnic groves. The draw for this park was Silver Comet, a custom CCI wooden coaster. The park had a strange policy of loading front to back on the train (so the back seat was often left open) and an even stranger operating policy requiring the operators to lower your lap bar. I’m not sure if Martin’s is overly carious for liability reasons or what, but the rules are on the ridiculous side and mar what is otherwise a very enjoyable coaster with some great spots of airtime. A Zamperla spinning coaster completes the coaster collection. While this ride is not worth the admission, a few more rides on Silver Comet satisfied us enough to move on.

This is the biggest attraction in the park by far.

Poking up above the trees.

The spinning coaster was largely devoid of spinning.

Seems like everybody has a Star Flyer these days.

Concerning.

Seabreeze is one of the oldest parks on our trip. The small park in Rochester, New York is still family owned and well taken care of. Jack Rabbit is the main attraction, a 1920 wooden coaster built by John Miller. I’ve lost count of how many manually operated wooden coasters we’ve seen on this trip, but it’s fantastic to watch the operator still apply braking manually. The coaster runs trains by Morgan, which run fine though seem to take away from some of the historical feel of the ride. There’s a number of strong pops of airtime in the front seat, making it the best spot on the ride. While the coaster isn’t very long, it features a few airtime hills including a double down and a final drop fully enclosed in a tunnel. While not our top classic wooden coaster of the trip, it’s certainly up there.

The oldest coaster of the trip.

The Morgan trains look stupid in my opinion, but take the track pretty well.

Aside from Jack Rabbit, the only other coaster that was both running and not off limits (kiddie coaster) was Whirlwind, a Maurer Sohne spinning coaster. I’d never done an Xtended SC 2000 model, so it was interesting to try this more extreme version of the typical spinner. After three rides the overall verdict is possible, especially when you can sit on the side of the car facing backwards up the lift hill. Spinning is also largely dependent on weight which makes for wide variations in ride quality. In general, it seemed that once the car stopped spinning it wouldn’t get going again. On most rides, though, this happened late enough into the ride to not be a problem. Our main disappointment came with Bobsled being closed. This is easily the most unique ride in the park starting life as a junior wooden coaster before having a new steel track and additional structure added to it. Apparently the ride had suffered a mechanical fault earlier in the day and trains were just being cycled the rest of the evening. We’d like to try and go back for it tomorrow morning, though a lot has to go right for that to happen. Seabreeze was one of our favorite of the small parks, feeling very clean and wall cared for. I hope to see them continue to expand and maybe add another anchor coaster soon.

Whirlwind was a very enjoyable coaster.

Hopefully we can ride Bobsleds tomorrow.

This was a great log flume– it ran in a concrete channel cut into the ground, across a bridge, and through a tunnel.

The park maintains this automatic organ for their carousel. The whole area felt full of history.

Up Next: Tomorrow is still up in the air as to whether we’ll do a revisit of Darien Lake or go back to Seabreeze for Bobsleds. Either way, this will be the finale of a wonderful trip.

Coaster List So Far:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park
Ladybug Coaster, Zierer Family Coaster, Adventureland
Hurricane, S.D.C. Sitdown, Adventureland
Dragon Coaster, Church Wooden Coaster, Playland
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Wild Mouse, Playland
Super Flight, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Playland
Family Flyer, Zamperla Kiddie Coaster, Playland
Wooden Warrior, Gravity Group Wooden, Quassy
Little Dipper, Allan Herschell Kiddie, Quassy
Yankee Cannonball, Schmeck Wooden Coaster, Canobie
Untamed, Gerstlauer Eurofighter, Canobie
Canobie Corkscrew, Arrow Corkscrew, Canobie
Goliath, Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang, SFNE
Flashback, Vekoma Boomerang, SFNE
Pandemonium, Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster, SFNE
Great Chase, Miler Family Coaster, SFNE
Thunderbolt, Traver/Baker Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Bizarro, Intamin Mega Coaster, SFNE
Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum, Mack Wild Mouse, SFNE
Catwoman’s Whip, Zierer Family Coaster, SFNE
Mind Eraser, Vekoma SLC, SFNE
Batman: The Dark Knight, B&M Floorless Coaster, SFNE
Cyclone, Cobb Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Alpine Bobsled, Intamin Bobsled, Great Escape
Comet, Schmeck/Allen Wooden, Great Escape
Canyon Blaster, Arrow Mine Train, Great Escape
Steamin’ Demon, Arrow Looping Coaster, Great Escape
Cobra, Intamin Stand Up Coaster, La Ronde
Vampire, B&M Inverted Coaster, La Ronde
Le Boomerang, Vekoma Boomerang, La Ronde
Super Menage, Vekoma Corkscrew, La Ronde
Monstre (Track 2), Cobb Double Wooden Coaster, La Ronde
Dragon, Intamin Indoor Coaster, La Ronde
Goliath, B&M hyper coaster, La Ronde
Toboggan Nordique, Zamperla Wild Mouse, La Ronde
Monstre (Track 1), Cobb Double Wooden Coaster, La Ronde
Leviathan, B&M Giga Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Dragon Fire, Arrow Loop & Cork, Canada’s Wonderland
Vortex, Arrow Suspended Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Behemoth, B&M hyper coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Backlot Stunt Coaster, Premier launched coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Wild Beast, Summers Wooden Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Sky Rider, Togo Stand Up Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Mighty Canadian Minebuster, Summers Wooden Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Time Warp, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Dragon Mountain, Arrow Looping Coaster, Marineland
Lady Bug Coaster, Zierer Kiddie Coaster, Marineland
Silver Comet, CCI Wooden Coaster, Martin’s Fantasy Island
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Spinning Coaster, Martin’s Fantasy Island
Jack Rabbit, Miller Wooden Coaster, Seabreeze
Whirlwind, Maurer Spinning Coaster, Seabreeze

Day 7

As we near the end of the trip, it’s been quite obvious that we’re slowing down. Despite all that, we managed the ridiculous drive from La Ronde to Canada’s Wonderland, arriving around noon today. Canada’s Wonderland is my first repeat park (my first visit coming in 2008) with one notable exception: Leviathan. I’ve written about my feelings on this coaster before, especially in regards to why the ride is even here in the first place with another B&M hyper already towering over the park.

The entrance to the park got a lot more exciting this year.

Once again we elected to put larger ride counts over morals and bought the ‘Fast Track’ ticket, allowing us to have a shorter wait for many of the coasters and flat rides. This proved to be an absolute necessity for the park as it was jam packed. Lines for most coasters stretched nearly to the queue entrances. Paying the extra amount for the convenience of being able to ride faster and still choose which row we experienced was a good move with our limited schedule and limited likelihood of another visit anytime soon.

As it turns out, Leviathan would be my 300^th individual coaster, a feat that just shows how coaster riding has gone beyond just a hobby for me. From miles away, the coaster’s teal track is visible, an absolutely massive structure above the rest of the park. Taking a cue from Goliath at Six Flags over Georgia, the coaster actually runs outside the park’s entrance gate. This makes for spectacular visuals, both on and off ride. The coaster uses the traditional 4 across B&M trains unlike the tiered rows Cedar Fair’s purchased on their last three airtime coasters from the company. There are only 8 rows to each train which is strange because any other tall B&M runs 9. Thankfully, Cedar Fair park ride operators are some of the speediest around and can have a train in and out in about 40 seconds. This keeps the three trains moving and lines at their minimum. The coaster itself exceeded my expectations. While the back seat is incredible, the front is even more so. A long, but fast lift hill leads to a drop with incredible floating airtime. The rest of the course alternates with great moments of floating airtime and huge overbanked corners. Perhaps my only complaint with the ride is length. While it’s longer than anything else at Canada’s Wonderland (over a mile in fact), the coaster has such big sweeping elements that the coaster is over before it seems to really get going. Coupled with the fact that the brake run actually starts higher than Dragon Fire’s (the Arrow coaster) lift hill, I wished the coaster could’ve had one or two more airtime hills. But with all that said, it’s hard to complain about a coaster when it’s as good as Leviathan.

The train looks tiny as it ascends the lift hill into the distance. 306 ft. up!

Huge hills and big overbanks are lots of fun.

The major question after Leviathan is how does it compare to Behemoth? Personally I will take Leviathan just for the sheer speed of the ride. Behemoth has developed quite a rattle from my 2008 rides, though the coaster still produces the strongest airtime I’ve ever had on a B&M coaster. Behemoth also feels like a more complete coaster with lots of airtime hills, a midcourse brake run and a not insignificant section of corners and hills afterwards. I’d have to put these two coasters one after the other in my rankings list, though Leviathan gets the edge this time. Still, it’s weird having two of essentially the same type of coaster within one park. No complaints though, when they’re both fantastic.

Behemoth is slightly less so now with Leviathan. But 230ft. is still pretty big.

This has what Leviathan lacks: an ending.

After the two stars of the park, the coaster quality drops off dramatically. Coming in at a distant third is Vortex, the Arrow suspended coaster. These are getting harder to find, so it’s good to see the park still operating theirs. The ride seems to suffer from some serious pumping of the back car as it shuffles around in relation to the train. It’s awfully noticeable on the ride, though it doesn’t detract terribly much from the experience—the coaster is a lot of fun with some great swinging. After Vortex, the quality drops off even further. Backlot Stunt Coaster is the former Italian Job ride when the park was operated by Paramount parks. Now it’s been stripped of some theming and many of the effects have been turned off or aren’t working. It’s a fun family coaster, but that’s about all that can be said. More can be said about SkyRider, the park’s Togo stand up coaster, but not much of it is good. The ride suffers from some seriously bad transitions and uncomfortable restraints that add up to a very unpleasant ride experience. Slightly better, but still rough are the park’s two wooden coasters. Thankfully they both have some pretty decent airtime. At the bottom of the barrel is yet another Zamperla flying coaster (the roughest of the 3 so far) and one of the worst SLCs in the world.

Aside from Leviathan and Behemoth, Vortex is the park’s best coaster.

This cool mountain is the centerpiece of the park. It has a powered coaster running through it.

“Trick track is a great idea on a stand up coaster” ~said by no one, ever.

This is one of the more painful SLC’s we’ve ridden.

Oddly enough, many of the park’s flat rides outshine the coasters. They have an impressive collection including an Intamin drop tower, Huss giant enterprise, a Huss Jump II (only one in the world), a Mondial frsibee, a Mondial Top Scan, and a Mondial Splash Over (wet top spin). Along with lots of other rides, the park has quite an impressive collection to handle the crowds. The newest flat ride is a Mondial Windseeker, a 301ft. tall swing ride. The ride features great lap bar restraints and a smooth and comfortable ride up to the top. To me, it was more relaxing than anything and offered a great view of the sprawling park.

A great collection of flat rides. Sadly the Jump 2 looks more fun than it really is.

Windseeker is very relaxing.

Because of the sheer number of rides, cleanliness, and incredible speed of operations, Canada’s Wonderland is the park favorite of the trip thus far and will probably stay that way. Leviathan is an incredible coaster and there was nothing like finishing the park with two night rides in the front seat. For anyone visiting Niagara Falls or Toronto, Canada’s Wonderland is a great add-on day to the trip. I will happily come back though it seems likely I will continue to purchase the Fast Track pass if the lines stay as long as they were today.

Up next: Tomorrow is the last full day of the trip, but it might be too ambitious. The hope is to do 3 parks in a day, Marineland Canada, Martin’s Fantasy Island just across the border into the US, and Seabreeze in Rochester. If we’re not able to complete it all, Seabreeze can start the day on Sunday.

Coaster List So Far:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park
Ladybug Coaster, Zierer Family Coaster, Adventureland
Hurricane, S.D.C. Sitdown, Adventureland
Dragon Coaster, Church Wooden Coaster, Playland
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Wild Mouse, Playland
Super Flight, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Playland
Family Flyer, Zamperla Kiddie Coaster, Playland
Wooden Warrior, Gravity Group Wooden, Quassy
Little Dipper, Allan Herschell Kiddie, Quassy
Yankee Cannonball, Schmeck Wooden Coaster, Canobie
Untamed, Gerstlauer Eurofighter, Canobie
Canobie Corkscrew, Arrow Corkscrew, Canobie
Goliath, Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang, SFNE
Flashback, Vekoma Boomerang, SFNE
Pandemonium, Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster, SFNE
Great Chase, Miler Family Coaster, SFNE
Thunderbolt, Traver/Baker Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Bizarro, Intamin Mega Coaster, SFNE
Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum, Mack Wild Mouse, SFNE
Catwoman’s Whip, Zierer Family Coaster, SFNE
Mind Eraser, Vekoma SLC, SFNE
Batman: The Dark Knight, B&M Floorless Coaster, SFNE
Cyclone, Cobb Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Alpine Bobsled, Intamin Bobsled, Great Escape
Comet, Schmeck/Allen Wooden, Great Escape
Canyon Blaster, Arrow Mine Train, Great Escape
Steamin’ Demon, Arrow Looping Coaster, Great Escape
Cobra, Intamin Stand Up Coaster, La Ronde
Vampire, B&M Inverted Coaster, La Ronde
Le Boomerang, Vekoma Boomerang, La Ronde
Super Menage, Vekoma Corkscrew, La Ronde
Monstre (Track 2), Cobb Double Wooden Coaster, La Ronde
Dragon, Intamin Indoor Coaster, La Ronde
Goliath, B&M hyper coaster, La Ronde
Toboggan Nordique, Zamperla Wild Mouse, La Ronde
Monstre (Track 1), Cobb Double Wooden Coaster, La Ronde
Leviathan, B&M Giga Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Dragon Fire, Arrow Loop & Cork, Canada’s Wonderland
Vortex, Arrow Suspended Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Behemoth, B&M hyper coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Backlot Stunt Coaster, Premier launched coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Wild Beast, Summers Wooden Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Sky Rider, Togo Stand Up Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Mighty Canadian Minebuster, Summers Wooden Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland
Time Warp, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Canada’s Wonderland

Day 6

Before I get into the park comments for today, I wanted to make a few notes about travelling to Canada. As it turns out, we were sufficiently unprepared for visiting Quebec for a few reasons. First, we hadn’t changed any money (and our Canadian front desk employee at the hotel couldn’t tell us of any places to do that). Second, we knew no French in an area where it is the primary language. Thankfully, Quebec is suitably prepared for Americans like us. Today we encountered nothing but friendly people and places that accepted Visa. Crisis averted. Though as one last aside, pronunciations can be important. At the border, the crossing guard asked about our itinerary – “La Ron-d-eh” was met with a blank stare. After a couple seconds she finally realized we were headed to “La Rond” (pronounced in a great French accent).

A very classy looking entrance.

La Ronde is in a great setting—on an island in the middle of Montreal. Entry is via the Jacques Cartier bridge, an improve sight in its own right. After a bit of winding through some historic looking stone buildings and lots of trees, you reach the parking lot. Reminiscent of Dollywood’s parking lot, it’s about 5 spaces wide and stretches forever. A quick walk brought us to the main entrance. La Ronde started as world’s fair location in 1967. After the fair, the rides stayed and the park expanded before being bought by Six Flags in 2001.

Fantastic Looking Bridge

Our first impression of the park was one of beauty mixed with neglect. A number of buildings and queue areas sat abandoned and paint was peeling everywhere. We saw a gorgeous building labeled as a dolphin stadium that looked like it hadn’t operated in quite some time. Aside from the newest of coasters like Goliath and Ednor, everything was faded or peeling including ride track, trains, stations, queue lines, and buildings. Nothing seemed to be in bad shape, but it all just needed a good coat of paint and a few days of landscape work. That said, the park felt wonderful. It’s been hard to place exactly what is to like about the park, but it has an enjoyable atmosphere and feels like the history has been preserved (and there seemed to be a lot of that). Because of short park hours (11-8) and a fair amount of crowds, we elected to purchase a Gold Flash Pass to skip the lines. In general, I’m opposed to any kind of skip the line upcharge pass that rewards privilege but I suppose with enough want and a small enough amount of time I can be bought. (As it turns out, there would have been very little chance of finishing the park had we not bought the Flash Pass.)

Our first stop was Cobra, one of only 2 Intamin standup coasters left in the world. While it has the distinctive B&M box track spine, this is an Intamin design (though it has been said a young Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard worked on the project team as employees of Intamin. The first noticeable thing about the coaster is the awkward restraint design—even moreso than the Togo standup coasters. On one side of the seat, your arm goes around vertical bar. On the other side, a half shoulder restraint with lap bar extension completes the contraption. Any kind of restraint no matter how strange of a design can still be good if the track design is ok. Sadly that’s not the case here. The track layout is full of potholes, headbanging, and roughness. After the midcourse brake run, the ride sort of dies with a few meandering turns and long stretched hills as the train finds its way to the station. As it turns out, this part is rough too. I had really hoped to like this ride seeing as it’s one of only two left in the world, but the ride makes me hard pressed to put it anywhere from the bottom ¼ of the list this trip.

One of the best park locations ever.

In terms of Batman: The Ride clones, this is up near the top.

Thankfully, the B&M inverted coaster next door is a world of difference. A mirrored Batman: The Ride clone, Vampire is smooth and incredibly intense. Aside from the peeling, faded paint and overgrown plants, the coaster felt like it could have been brand new. Our flash pass got us right on and we were on the back seat within a few cycles. Continuing the coaster tour, we stopped at Le Boomerang. This was about what you might expect from a typical boomerang, though I didn’t find it as painful as most, especially Six Flags New England’s. It had a fair amount of bumping at the base of the cobra roll, but aside from a bit of back compression, the ride felt fine—little to no head banging throughout the entire trip.

Next we turned to Super Manège. A twisted track in a tight space didn’t instill a lot of confidence based on previous Vekoma designs. But in an unexpected twist, we couldn’t have been more wrong. The coaster ran smoothly through everything, including all the oddly shaped corners and corkscrews. Super Manège ended up being one of our favorite coasters during the day. It’s beyond me how that ride ended up being so smooth, but I’m glad to have it. We even rode it again later in the day, which is something very rare for anything made by Vekoma.

Smooth and fun, yet so faded.

Everything just needs a good coat of paint.

We had trepidation about the next coaster too—the massive Le Monstre double tracked wooden coaster. Designed by Cobb, the ride is massive and looks like it could be very rough. In another instance of good news, the coaster turned out to ride just fine. The Morgan trains proved a surprisingly smooth ride with the only bumps due to the ridiculous shaping of the track. To put it simply, there is no need to have a helix that undulates up and down the whole way around the corner. The main complaint about Monster was the entire lack of capacity. Each side ran one seven car train and climbed the lift hill at a speed that could easily be passed by anyone walking at a normal pace. These two factors combined for huge waits even with a small queue. Unlike a lot of double track coasters that follow the same general path, there is a fair amount of variation along the course. Track 1 (which actually opened a year after Track 2) was my favorite, featuring less ridiculous undulations and a great double down airtime hill in the middle.

The massive structure certainly towers over the park.

The trains weren’t bad, but like everything they were faded and chipped.

We were certainly glad to have the Flash Pass, though there were still a number of rides where the pass didn’t apply. Unfortunately, poor operations made for huge waits. The Zamperla wild mouse ended up being a wait of nearly an hour because the operators were incapable of dispatching more than one car on the course at any given time. Thankfully a lack of braking made that coaster pretty worthwhile. Also a long wait was Dragon, an indoor Intamin family coaster. We didn’t know entirely what to expect from the layout, but it seems to be a custom designed course with decent theming along the entire track. There are no large drops to speak of, which fits well for the family aspect, but makes the 30 minute wait disappointing. Also disappointing (but only a little) was seeing the park’s SLC closed for maintenance. This brought our total possible coasters down to 10 (counting Monster as 2). Bringing it down one further, the Arrow mini mine train is restricted to kids under 54” and accompanying parents—something that was not readily apparent on the sign and resulted in an unnecessary 20 minute wait.

There was amazing theming in this area of the park. I’m guessing this is circa the late 1960s during the fair.

It’s tough to wait so long for such a small coaster. At least it was fun!

The star of the park was the B&M hyper coaster Goliath. Though it’s one of the smallest of the company’s mega coaster collection, the airtime is fantastic. Goliath follows a very traditional layout with a big first drop and a string of hill out to a flat turnaround followed by a string of hills back. The ride is smooth and relaxing with great floating airtime on every hill. This coaster also had the best operations all day, running 2 trains (the only coaster doing so!) and having a relatively quick dispatch interval. Also a rarity in the park, the track is still bright and shiny with colors reminiscent of the Superman brand that could easily be applied if this park ever receives the Six Flags prefix to the name.

Lots of hills and lots of airtime!

With coasters out of the way we could focus on the large number of flat rides La Ronde had to offer. The newest ride to the park is Vol Ultime, a star flyer ride. Sadly the ride is just under 150’ tall meaning there isn’t much of a view from the top compared to the observation tower or even the Jacques Cartier bridge next to the park. Still, it provides a fun ride that was more relaxing than anything. The other non-coaster of note was the Minirail, a small monorail around the park. La Ronde’s 1.3 mile loop is actually a remnant of a much larger loop around the entire island that ran during the world’s fair. Build by the Von Roll company, the little track runs automated trains of 15 cars on a slow journey around the park, stopping at 2 stations. The ride was a fantastic piece of history and a great way to relax and see the park.

Not too high, but still a cool ride.

This was my favorite park transportation system of any place I’ve been.

La Ronde’s major surprise for us came with the food. Instead of the standard Six Flags faire of Johnny Rockets, hamburgers, and chicken strips, La Ronde had a huge selection of great food. From poutine to crepes, there is plenty to enjoy all around the park. It seems like these are outside restaurant groups contracted to offer their food at the park, but whatever the case I could have easily spent a few more days just eating my way around the place.

Lunch time! Awesome food all around.

Despite faded paint and poor operations, La Ronde had a classic charm that couldn’t be ignored. It bumps Canobie as the favorite park of the trip and one I’d like to head back to sooner rather than later. With only 9 hours to experience the park, we felt like there was quite a large amount that we didn’t get to see and do. It all started with a world’s fair, but the park is still packed full of interesting things.

Up next: We’re partway into the longest journey of the trip… it’s nearly 3AM in Trenton, Ontario. Tomorrow is another hour or two to Canada’s Wonderland for Leviathan!

Coaster List So Far:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park
Ladybug Coaster, Zierer Family Coaster, Adventureland
Hurricane, S.D.C. Sitdown, Adventureland
Dragon Coaster, Church Wooden Coaster, Playland
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Wild Mouse, Playland
Super Flight, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Playland
Family Flyer, Zamperla Kiddie Coaster, Playland
Wooden Warrior, Gravity Group Wooden, Quassy
Little Dipper, Allan Herschell Kiddie, Quassy
Yankee Cannonball, Schmeck Wooden Coaster, Canobie
Untamed, Gerstlauer Eurofighter, Canobie
Canobie Corkscrew, Arrow Corkscrew, Canobie
Goliath, Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang, SFNE
Flashback, Vekoma Boomerang, SFNE
Pandemonium, Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster, SFNE
Great Chase, Miler Family Coaster, SFNE
Thunderbolt, Traver/Baker Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Bizarro, Intamin Mega Coaster, SFNE
Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum, Mack Wild Mouse, SFNE
Catwoman’s Whip, Zierer Family Coaster, SFNE
Mind Eraser, Vekoma SLC, SFNE
Batman: The Dark Knight, B&M Floorless Coaster, SFNE
Cyclone, Cobb Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Alpine Bobsled, Intamin Bobsled, Great Escape
Comet, Schmeck/Allen Wooden, Great Escape
Canyon Blaster, Arrow Mine Train, Great Escape
Steamin’ Demon, Arrow Looping Coaster, Great Escape
Cobra, Intamin Stand Up Coaster, La Ronde
Vampire, B&M Inverted Coaster, La Ronde
Le Boomerang, Vekoma Boomerang, La Ronde
Super Menage, Vekoma Corkscrew, La Ronde
Monstre (Track 2), Cobb Double Wooden Coaster, La Ronde
Dragon, Intamin Indoor Coaster, La Ronde
Goliath, B&M hyper coaster, La Ronde
Toboggan Nordique, Zamperla Wild Mouse, La Ronde
Monstre (Track 1), Cobb Double Wooden Coaster, La Ronde

Day 5

After the less than stellar operations and employees of Six Flags New England, we hoped that Great Escape could redeem Six Flags. The park isn’t ‘flagged’ and still operates as just Great Escape, but the Six Flags presence is still prevailing. Thankfully, the crucial bits that brought New England down were minimal here. Nestled in the Adirondacks, Great Escape is a medium sized park with 5 main coasters and a number of flat rides. If it weren’t for the advertisements on *everything* (a montage post on this to follow!) and crappy music playing through the park’s sound system, you might not be able to tell this was a Six Flags park. It’s pleasantly themed and shaded with lots of trees throughout. The park layout is rather oddly shaped making for some difficulty navigating at first.

Nicely landscaped.

Stop number one was Alpine Bobsled, one of only two remaining Intamin bobsleds in America (now that Cedar Point has sent theirs to the coaster beyond). The peeling paint made this coaster look like it might not have long for this world, but at least it was operating which is something I understand to never be a certainty. The 8 row trains had a row roped off in the back (weight issues?) so it ran with only 6 people per car. Thankfully we reached the coaster early enough in the day to avoid long lines. It’s nice to see little theming touches like the bobsled cars themed to different countries. After riding Disaster Transport I hadn’t had extremely high hopes for the coaster, but it turned out being a lot of fun. The ability to see the track ahead made the coaster more thrilling, especially as the car fishtailed into each brake run. On a few of the transitions I’m relatively certain a wheel or two was up off the track. It’s a shame more of these coasters didn’t find their way into parks but seeing the line later in the day and listening to some other guest comments as the car slammed into the final brakes makes me wonder if I’m in a small minority.

It’s the same layout as Disaster Transport, just much better now that you can see where it’s going!

There were tree trains running today– United Kingdom, Jamaica, and Italy.

The painting along the sides of the trough was cool, though quite a few large chunks were missing.

Comet was up next—another pre 1950s wooden coaster to add to the list this trip. The coaster began its life in Canada at Crystal Beach. The lift structure and station were made from salvaged pieces of the infamous Crystal Beach Cyclone. After Crystal Beach’s closure, Comet came to Great Escape. Though it was three times removed, it’s still fun to be able to claim we’ve ridden a piece of the Cyclone. Thankfully, Comet is great in its own right. The double out and back design has its share of rough spots, but also a large amount of fantastic airtime. This is easily the best coaster in the park from the front or back seat (though I preferred the front). It’s strange seeing such an old wooden coaster with a steel structure, though it didn’t hinder the classic wooden feel of the ride.

Comet is awfully hard to find– all the way in the back of the park and beyond the waterpark.

According to the sign, this station also comes from the Crystal Beach Cyclone.

Lots of airtime and maybe a little back pain.

Taking an interlude from coasters, we explored the park to see what else might be worth visiting during our visit. Because it’s not a large park and we had a full 8 hours or so, there was plenty of time to do whatever the park had to offer. Perhaps the most interesting discoveries were small fairy tale props and storylines… some kind of neat, some just terrifying. Way back in 1982 the park was operating as Storytown USA, built around Mother Goose fairy tales. It seems as if Six Flags has kept up these theming elements to various degrees of quality and hilarity. The Alice in Wonderland section was particularly notable and not in a good way.

Fiberglass Alice is awfully terrifying…

…made even more terrifying that the leg just ends there.

Eight of hearts is looking a little slow.

Zombie cat may attempt to eat your soul.

Continuing to more modern pursuits, we queued for Canyon Blaster, an Arrow mine train that began life back in 1972 at Opryland in Nashville. After rotting in a field in Indiana, Great Escape installed the coaster in 2003. As far as mine trains go there’s not much to this ride. One lift leads to a short meandering path to another lift that leads to a 2 and a half spiral downward helix. The ride is barely long enough to warrant one lift hill of size let alone two. We also ran into our first operational ‘issue’ of the park where Flash Pass users were allowed to occupy our seat for two trains in a row beforehand despite the information on those passes clearing stating otherwise. Thankfully, an extra 5 minutes wasn’t going to kill us.

Sadly this is a large portion of the layout. Nicely themed at least!

The entirety of track post lift #2.

With the boomerang out of commission (sad because we can’t count it, ok because it’s a boomerang) and the kiddie coaster for those who remembered to pack a kid, we rode Steamin’ Demon, the final coaster on the park. Sadly, this ride could certainly be described as steaming, just with other things afterwards. An Arrow loop & corkscrew model dating all the way back to 1978, the coaster certainly feels all of those years as the train fails to correctly navigate into and out of the corkscrews. For some odd reason we elected to ride twice, but we can now safely say it’s a pretty poor coaster not only in the back but also the front.

Pictured: Pain.

For a short layout, it manages to pack some jolts in there.

With the coasters out of the way we elected to try several of the flat rides. Sasquatch is the park’s newest attraction, 2 S&S towers with one shot and one drop. The shot types are generally average, but we very much enjoyed the drop side. The park’s rapids ride also ended up being an enjoyable surprise with a long and somewhat wet course. Thankfully I escaped mostly dry though I realize that’s not the reason you ride these things. The park’s log flume was especially good, featuring a long course around the back of the building that formerly housed a Schwarzkopf Jet Star coaster. Sadly, that is no longer with the park, but the flume still circles around it before ending with a few enclosed corners with a few scenes of animatronic loggers. Our favorite flat ride, however, was the Huss built Condor. These rides are getting harder and harder to find because of their age, but they still deliver an intense experience not matched by many newer flat rides. The manufacturer plate that said Huss was located in West Germany made it all the more interesting. Because of the lack of queues throughout the park, we rode Condor 4 times before the end of the day.

Located right up front, Sasquatch is the park’s newest ride.

Though not a big drop, the interior theming made it a lot of fun.

The Condor was great! Perhaps the third best ride after Comet and the Bobsled.

As mentioned, the lines were light, which I suppose makes sense for a Wednesday in late August. The operators also helped move any lines along. Also, guests were allowed to wait for any row on all the coasters except the Arrow corkscrew—what a novel idea! On the whole, Great Escape was an enjoyable park. With the boomerang in operation there are a fair number of rides to be had. The waterpark is extremely large and features a number of slides including a new Proslide Kraken Racer. I’d have liked to take some time for the waterpark, but that would have required a few hours we didn’t have. Without something new I’d be hard pressed to make the trip back to Great Escape, though if I’m in the area I would certainly stop in for rides on Comet if nothing else. And after the issues we ran into yesterday, Great Escape certainly boosted the Six Flags brand in our book.

Up tomorrow: La Ronde. We’re just outside of Montreal for tonight and looking forward to our third Six Flags park in a row. Sadly neither of us speak French, so tomorrow could be interesting!

Coaster List So Far:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park
Ladybug Coaster, Zierer Family Coaster, Adventureland
Hurricane, S.D.C. Sitdown, Adventureland
Dragon Coaster, Church Wooden Coaster, Playland
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Wild Mouse, Playland
Super Flight, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Playland
Family Flyer, Zamperla Kiddie Coaster, Playland
Wooden Warrior, Gravity Group Wooden, Quassy
Little Dipper, Allan Herschell Kiddie, Quassy
Yankee Cannonball, Schmeck Wooden Coaster, Canobie
Untamed, Gerstlauer Eurofighter, Canobie
Canobie Corkscrew, Arrow Corkscrew, Canobie
Goliath, Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang, SFNE
Flashback, Vekoma Boomerang, SFNE
Pandemonium, Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster, SFNE
Great Chase, Miler Family Coaster, SFNE
Thunderbolt, Traver/Baker Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Bizarro, Intamin Mega Coaster, SFNE
Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum, Mack Wild Mouse, SFNE
Catwoman’s Whip, Zierer Family Coaster, SFNE
Mind Eraser, Vekoma SLC, SFNE
Batman: The Dark Knight, B&M Floorless Coaster, SFNE
Cyclone, Cobb Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Alpine Bobsled, Intamin Bobsled, Great Escape
Comet, Schmeck/Allen Wooden, Great Escape
Canyon Blaster, Arrow Mine Train, Great Escape
Steamin’ Demon, Arrow Looping Coaster, Great Escape

Day 4

On paper, Six Flags New England should be the best park of the trip to this point. 11 coasters and a number of flat rides make up our first of the larger corporate parks. Unfortunately, we also encountered a lot of baggage that goes with these types of parks. As such, Six Flags New England ended up not being our favorite park of the trip thus far, though it did manage to be a lot of fun.

An entrance befitting of a New England park.

We knew it might not go so well when we saw streams of people pouring into the gates after only 30 minutes of being open. I had to get my season pass processed, which thankfully took barely any time and also earned the distinction of being about the most efficient thing at the park. We were surprised to find that our first coaster of the day already had a line of about 45 minutes when we joined the queue. ‘New’ for 2012, Goliath is a Vekoma giant inverted boomerang moved here from Six Flags Magic Mountain. While I wasn’t thrilled to make this our first ride based on previous experience with SF over Georgia’s version, I wanted to get it out of the way before the line built up even further (which it did later). In a move that I wish most parks would adopt, the ride used a single rider line about halfway through the regular queue. This allowed us to skip a few minutes of waiting and hop right on. Though certainly not a great ride, it was better than Georgia’s and not actively terrible. It must have been some manager’s brilliant stroke of genius to bring this ride to the park—a place that already has a regular Vekoma boomerang. It was even more of a smooth move to place the two side by side. While we wondered where the wisdom was in that decision, we rode the regular boomerang and encountered our first issue with employee operations. The ride operators were loading the train from back to front. With no one in line behind us, we asked to ride in row one, but were quickly and somewhat harshly told that we had to sit in row 3 and choosing seats was not an option. While I understand not being allowed to choose seating locations to speed up dispatch times, there was no one in line and our simple request would have caused no ill effects. A boomerang is a boomerang, but we would have at least liked the front seat to give it something interesting. Unfortunately as far as boomerangs go, this was pretty terrible. To finish our round of low capacity rides, we took a spin (literally) on Pandemonium. I find these rides to be a little lacking, but this one had good spinning and was more enjoyable than most.

It looks a lot cooler than it really is.

The boomerangs are right next to each other. I suppose it’s a good way to keep things organized…

Pandemonium has good spinning depending on how it’s balanced.

With three of the lower capacity rides out of the way, we tried Catapult, one of only two S&S Sky Swats in the world. They are notable for their unreliability and according to a lot of reports their painful ride. Thankfully both of these seemed not to be the case today. Though it is a second hand ride coming from the defunct Six Flags Astroworld, the ride looked great, ran the entire time we were in the park, and was a ton of fun. The ride experience is different to many flat rides I’ve encountered and though the cycle was very short, I found it to be a great ride.

Watch the shoulders!

Continuing back to coasters, Thunderbolt was up next. Not only was it our first wooden of the day, it was also the oldest in the park (1939). Here we encountered our next unpleasant employee experience. The ride operators let guests into the loading gate area in groups the size of a train. We ended up being the first in our group and were chatting with the employee about the front or the back being the best airtime. When it was time to be let into the gates area we looked at him and said “well, I guess we’ll try the back.” He watched us enter the back row area while letting other guests in. The ride controller, however, had the employee stop the line until we moved forward and occupied each seat in succession. This would have been fine except for the fact that the operator told us nothing of this rule beforehand and we missed out on a front seat ride because of it. Communication is not hard; allowing guests to choose their rows is even less difficult. Good customer service can go a long way. Unfortunately for Six Flags New England, it works in the opposite way as well. While the ride itself felt very classic, there wasn’t terribly much to it. That is not to say Thunderbolt wasn’t fun—mostly I just had hoped to experience it from either the front or back.

They certainly had the ‘old’ feeling down. It could have used a coat of paint.

Still miffed about our Thunderbolt experience, we decided to tackle what was sure to be the best coaster in the park—Bizarro. Originally opening as Superman: Ride of Steel, the coaster underwent the Bizarro changeover for the 2009 season adding effects and repainting the track. Unfortunately many of these effects weren’t working, notably the on board music and flame effects. Seeing as the ride is clearly most popular, a one hour and a half wait was expected. Less expected were the poor operations that saw a train waiting in the brake run for minutes on end at times. Thankfully for us, guests are allowed to choose their seats on this ride (a novel idea that works just fine here). The back seat of Bizarro is truly incredible. Airtime abounds on a long layout with intense corners and misty tunnels. There may be a little rattle on the train, but nothing that detracts from the experience. There’s a lot of good to be said about the ride which may have single-handedly saved our day.

Great first drop! All kinds of airtime.

This almost makes up for everything else in the park. Almost.

With the lines as long as they were, we moved quickly to wrap up the coasters. The wild mouse with the longest name ever ended up having the fastest operator of any coaster in the park. Multiple cars running the course at the same time kept the lines moving in what otherwise might have been a nightmare wait with only the 4-seater cars. This is not a problem for Catwoman’s Whip, a Zierer that features a hilarious 20 cars seating 40 people. The question remains, however, what kind of ride is this for children?? (see picture below)

The most unnecessarily long name ever.

This kids coaster is potentially PG-13.

Continuing the whirlwind of final coasters, we next stopped at Mind Eraser, our first Vekoma SLC of the trip. While not noted for their smoothness, this model was especially bad, with head bashing all around and a lot of words not suitable for children coming from the seats behind us. Once and done could never have been more applicable. Thankfully, Batman: The Dark Knight provided a great respite. Though nowhere near any of the other Superhero theming, Batman provides a strong anchor to the far end of the park. This B&M floorless coaster is on the smaller side, but still squeezes in 5 inversions and some fun cornering. Unfortunately we once again encountered ridiculous seating assignments. The operator would not let us stand to the side for front seat, despite only one train of riders ahead. As a small consolation we were able to do the back row, which was still enjoyable enough.

It certainly looks pretty, but that’s about all that can be said.

Though a little faded, Batman is a great coaster in a small space.

Our last coaster was another wooden ride; this a Cobb design from 1983. The ride has undergone some reprofiling over the years and it is possible to see the track from the previous edit underneath the current first drop track. We had quite a lot of time to wait too as the coaster was only running one train with dispatches that were…lacking. About 45 minutes of waiting and we were finally able to enter the station. To our surprise we could actually pick seats! The back seat ended up being a great choice with one of the strongest sections of airtime I’ve ever experienced just off the first drop. Though somewhat plain afterwards, one more pop of airtime later in the layout solidified it as the best wooden coaster in the park over Thunderbolt.

You can see where the coaster used to go right below its current track.

I hope this footer wasn’t important.

The last bit of questionable park operations came while attempting to ride the Penguin’s Blizzard River rapids ride. Also nowhere near the superhero area, the ride looked fantastic- well themed and very wet. Unfortunately we saw no lockers, so I decided to ask a ride operator where we could secure our loose articles. Though I should have expected the answer, I received a resounding “you have to take everything with you.” Awesome. A quick glance at the map showed the nearest locker to be half a park away at the entrance. Since we were pressed for time, the ride received a pass about how a number of coasters had mandatory lockers but the one ride that really needs them had nothing remotely close.

To finish up the day we took one more spin on Bizarro, this time in the front seat. I didn’t realize it could get better than the back, but apparently so. The airtime felt even stronger in the front and the night enhanced the sensation of speed. Without this ride, Six Flags New England would be a very different place. Because of Bizzaro, SFNE is now a park I will be sure to stop by if I’m ever in the area. While great rides can certainly make up for bad experiences, it can’t completely erase them. We had a lot more issues at this park than any of the previous, leading us to pick Canobie as the top dog for yet another day. Six Flags New England could be very nice. The park has great theming and a beautiful setting. Many of the rides are great too. But the park is suffering from too much corporation and not enough good old fashioned managing. Far too many advertisements cheapened what would otherwise be a very nice place. Ride operations and employees brought it down even further. It’s not too far gone, however, and I’m hoping that they can turn it around again soon.

Neat details!

A great design for a themed drink cart.

False advertising.

It’s good to know these crackers and so intense.

If you’re a porcupine or about to eat everything, this is the hair product for you. Also the fact that it’s called Schwarzkopf is hilarious for coaster people.

Once more shot of Bizarro being fantastic.

Tomorrow we are off to Great Escape in New York. Also a Six Flags park, we’ll be looking to see how a smaller, non-branded Six Flags park compares to New England.

Coaster List So Far:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park
Ladybug Coaster, Zierer Family Coaster, Adventureland
Hurricane, S.D.C. Sitdown, Adventureland
Dragon Coaster, Church Wooden Coaster, Playland
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Wild Mouse, Playland
Super Flight, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Playland
Family Flyer, Zamperla Kiddie Coaster, Playland
Wooden Warrior, Gravity Group Wooden, Quassy
Little Dipper, Allan Herschell Kiddie, Quassy
Yankee Cannonball, Schmeck Wooden Coaster, Canobie
Untamed, Gerstlauer Eurofighter, Canobie
Canobie Corkscrew, Arrow Corkscrew, Canobie
Goliath, Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang, SFNE
Flashback, Vekoma Boomerang, SFNE
Pandemonium, Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster, SFNE
Great Chase, Miler Family Coaster, SFNE
Thunderbolt, Traver/Baker Wooden Coaster, SFNE
Bizarro, Intamin Mega Coaster, SFNE
Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum, Mack Wild Mouse, SFNE
Catwoman’s Whip, Zierer Family Coaster, SFNE
Mind Eraser, Vekoma SLC, SFNE
Batman: The Dark Knight, B&M Floorless Coaster, SFNE
Cyclone, Cobb Wooden Coaster, SFNE

Day 3

It’s 1:30am and I’m packed full of soda, but it was another great day. Today involved the largest amount of driving yet due to the change of plans I mentioned yesterday. Because Lake Compounce had both of their wooden coasters closed, we elected to try our luck at Canobie Park in New Hampshire, the nearest park of comparable size to Lake Compounce. There may not be too much wisdom in making a change that involved a 3 and a half hour detour one way and 2 and a half hours back, but we didn’t want to waste the day after completing Quassy.

Quassy gets its name from Lake Quassapaug, the body of water that the park borders. Thankfully for us, they changed the name in 1982 to make it more easy to pronounce. The park has always been aimed at young children, though we came here for one reason: Wooden Warrior. There were some raised eyebrows when the park contracted Gravity Group to build them a family coaster. The same people who brought us the massive Voyage at Holiday World now churned out a tiny layout with a 35ft. lift hill. By all experiences this is something that would normally be a once and done ride. But Gravity Group managed to turn it into something incredible. There’s airtime everywhere, even the little dip before the main drop. And not just little pops of airtime- Wooden Warrior provided strong, sustained airtime. We’ve come to the conclusion that this has been the best ride of the trip thus far, even beating greats like the Cyclone. It’s certainly amazing to see what can be done with a small lift hill. I would love to see more rides like this pop up elsewhere. Aside from the wooden coaster there was not much else to keep us entertained. We took a spin on the Allan Herschell kiddie coaster (that also had some little pops of airtime), the paratrooper flat ride, and two different mat slides. The second of the mat slides even managed to cause the first injury of the trip… letting your arm touch the sides of the trough is not a wise decision. It would be wonderful to see Quassy continue to expand rides to the caliber of Wooden Warrior. A sign indicates their waterpark will be getting a Proslide Bullet Bowl next year, which will be another great addition. We managed to rack up about 8 rides on Warrior before heading out—not because we were ready to go but because we had a long drive ahead of us. If I’m ever in the area again, I’ll be sure to stop by Quassy.

Something else for the nightmares. It can join that Caterpillar from Playland.

In case you forget which was to go, this arrow will help (on ride taken with permission).

A tiny first drop, but already loaded with airtime.

Part of the triple up, which has some of the strongest airtime for the front seat.

This kiddie coaster certainly had a sense of history to it, though that was about all!

This might be somewhat accurate actually.

These small parks have been all about the creepy storybook characters so far.

This slide was great, though I now have about a 4 inch long strip of rug burn on arm. Oops.

Our three hour drive through three states ended at the front gate of Canobie Lake park around 5pm, leaving us 5 hours to explore the park. Since it was a last minute addition we went in cold, knowing nothing of what was their aside from the 3 main coasters. As it turns out, the park was incredible enjoyable and probably the nicest park as a whole on the trip. The first order of business is always to check off each coaster once. It’s clear this park is popular judging by the length of the queues—our first wait for the Yankee Cannonball coaster was nearly 30 minutes. Thankfully, it was well worth the wait. A Herbert Schmeck designed coaster, Yankee Cannonball opened in 1930 at Lakewood Park before making the journey to Canobie in 1936. The coaster still runs great—there are some expected bumps along the way, but the airtime is strong throughout in both the front of the train and the back. Sadly we weren’t allowed to pick seats as we’d have liked to have tried the very front or back. Regardless, where was did get to sit was impressive enough. It’s debatable if this could beat Wooden Warrior or not, but at the moment I’ll still give Quassy the edge. Untamed was next, a Gerstlauer Eurofighter 320+ model that opened last year. A beyond vertical drop and 3 inversions are squeezed into a tight little layout. Canobie did a great job in theming the ride with rustic architecture and coaster supports painted like birch trees. The ride itself operates how most Gerstlauers tend to do: smooth on the straights, rough on the corners. There were some pretty nasty jolts throughout leading me to hope they would consider replacing the trains with lap bar only models at some point. Our last new coaster of the day was Canobie Corkscrew, a classic Arrow corkscrew coaster. This ride started life in Chicago and actually happens to be one of the earliest modern inverting coasters. Canobie seems to be in the process of repainting it, though I hope they can finish at the end of this season as it looks a little strange now, being about 5 colors that randomly start and stop. The ride itself has some pretty bad jolts along the way, but nothing you wouldn’t expect from a ride that’s 37 years old.

It’s good to know that they’re ‘Just for Fun’.

Yankee Cannonball’s lift.

Curved brakes! A hallmark of many classic coasters.

Eurofighters are fun– if only they could resolve some of the roughness.

These drops might be a little gimmick-y, but they’re certainly fun.

Great theming in the station!

Plenty of jolts in the transitions, but a fun ride with a fair amount of history.

Starting and stopping with the paint ended up for some strange looking track.

Aside from coasters, the park has a great collection of flats. The Frisbee was not as good as Adventureland’s though it featured similar strange artwork, just at the beach this time. A scrambler inside a dome provided some great memories of Shake, Rattle, and Roll at Six Flags over Georgia. This version used strobe lights and disco balls to create some cool effects while spinning. We also finally found a somewhat passable dark ride. The Mine of Lost Souls had its moments of enjoyment and is actually something I wouldn’t have minded riding again if we’d had time. Sadly time was our enemy and though it was a full 5 hours, the lines were long enough to prohibit us from much else aside from their log flume, an extra ride on Yankee Cannonball, and two more on Untamed. Overall, Canobie was a fantastic little park and one which I could have easily spent a few more hours exploring. Charming theming and atmosphere combined with fun rides made for a very worthwhile journey north.

These giant food stalls were all over the park– reminded me of Roller Coaster Tycoon!

The Frisbee was not as good, but the people on the murals were still hilarious.

This was actually pretty decent… compared to the others we’ve ridden recently.

One final parting shot of the Cannonball.

Now we’re back two hours down the road near Six Flags new England—our first solo park day tomorrow!

Coaster List So Far:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park
Ladybug Coaster, Zierer Family Coaster, Adventureland
Hurricane, S.D.C. Sitdown, Adventureland
Dragon Coaster, Church Wooden Coaster, Playland
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Wild Mouse, Playland
Super Flight, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Playland
Family Flyer, Zamperla Kiddie Coaster, Playland
Wooden Warrior, Gravity Group Wooden, Quassy
Little Dipper, Allan Herschell Kiddie, Quassy
Yankee Cannonball, Schmeck Wooden Coaster, Canobie
Untamed, Gerstlauer Eurofighter, Canobie
Canobie Corkscrew, Arrow Corkscrew, Canobie

Trip Report! Day 2

Today has been less of a marathon than yesterday, but still packed full.

Stop 1 was Adventureland in Farmingdale at Long Island. While small, the park was surprisingly nice and warranted about twice as long as I had allotted. In terms of coasters there’s nothing terribly notable—a Tivoli medium family coaster and an S.D.C. Hurricane. Both were fun, though the Hurricane was expectedly shaky. The rest of the park, though, was incredibly enjoyable. Full of trees and pleasant theming, Adventureland struck a perfect balance of a kid centered park where adults can still find fun. Of note, the park’s Frisbee (an interior facing design) had some of the most insane rotation I’ve ever experienced on a pendulum ride. This was easily the most intense non-coaster ride of the trip so far. Crocodile Run was another favorite, a Zierer Wave Racer that featured some great theming and a waterfall obstacle (point of interest: this was *far* better than Legoland’s version because it seemed like the park considered the surroundings and played to the strengths of the ride). A large custom log flume design rounded out the major attractions. Smaller but equally as notable, the parks small drop tower looked like a standard frog hopper but actually tilted during the ride, adding an extra dimension of enjoyment to an otherwise small ride. On a lighter note, Adventureland’s dark ride ended up being a source of much amusement. Clearly imported from Germany (all the painted signs on the façade were German), the ride was named Rickshaw Spirits and featured an Asian type ‘horror’ theme. I use horror lightly, however—the ride was mostly low budget props with spotlights. Aside from that small amount of tacky, the park was an unexpected gem and one that I would certainly stop by again if I’m ever in the area. I could’ve spent an hour or two more exploring and riding minor rides, but Playland was calling and seemed to need the majority of the day’s time.

A tilting drop tower added a new dimension to this type of ride.

After a while, riding personal ‘firsts’ becomes more and more of a stretch. This is my first Zierer Tivoli Medium model.

Thank you operator for being wonderful.

The Hurricane has quite a bit of rattling, but is still a fun, zippy little coaster.

Rickshaw Spirits was perhaps one of the lowest quality dark rides I’ve ever seen inside. Outside, it was a great mix of imported German fair ride and family-friendly touchup.

This was the most intense Frisbee I’ve ever experienced—the rotation was incredible.

Also incredible were the murals on the sides of the ride that included such classics as this pink pants breakdancing guy and the guy with the shirt that says ‘Frisree’.

These Zierer water rides are great. Interactive and also pretty thrilling. In some circumstances, also wet!

Going back all the way to 1928, Rye Playland is another piece of New York history. Full of fantastic art deco architecture, the surroundings look like they were pulled right out of history. There is a traditional bath house and an ice rink in what looks like used to be a dance hall (this park will certainly warrant more history research later!). There’s an interesting mix of old and new rides, some of which feel very at odds with the clean white and green deco buildings. Dragon Coaster is the park’s classic 1929 coaster, a Church design. The sprawling layout is built in several layers and just seems to keep going. The ride, however, ended up being somewhat on the disappointing side. I went into the day with high standards, but sadly the ride lacked any real strong airtime. Operators were required to push the lap bars down to a crushingly tight position. This is not to say the ride wasn’t enjoyable. As a whole, Dragon Coaster was great, just not up to the high standards I had anticipated. To the extreme opposite side, I had nothing but low expectations for the second Zamperla flying coaster of the trip. Unfortunately, the ride delivered with a layout full of head and shoulder pain. Once was quite enough. Aside from coasters, the park had several dark rides including the classic Old Mill which has been operating since 1928 as well. The cheesy animatronics were a sign of the ride having gone under the knife somewhat recently. It seems changes were not kind to the ride—there’s not much to get excited about. Of interest to me was how the layout of the boat ride ran mostly underneath the coaster with scenes interspersed throughout. It was a great use of space!

I’m still trying to process how I feel about Playland. The entire area is dripping with history from the old rides like the Derby Racer (the only ones left are here and Cedar Point) and Dragon Coaster to the great art deco architecture and art nouveau style fonts. But that said, it also seemed a little sad. Paint and stucco were cracked and peeling and the whole park felt like it had been neglected for a little while. All the buildings felt like they were frozen in time while the rides developed around them. In general, there just seemed to be a prevailing sense of foreboding about the park—not so much that it could be living on borrowed time but more to the sense of losing its historic identity of general upkeep is not maintained. In short, the park could use a refresh! That said, the general atmosphere felt like what I might expect an old time seaside pleasure resort to feel like. There’s boating, picnicking, ice skating, swimming, rides, food, and entertainment. I would like to see the park replace some of the carnival type rides, with things more befitting to a park of Playland’s value. I can hope it will be around for years to come.

Playland has great classic architecture.

This tower is at the end of the long midway that runs down the center of the park. At night the top decoration illuminates like a lighthouse.

This looks a lot like the Bioshock lighthouse from the video game, doesn’t it?

Just what this classic view needs: Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men.

The Derby Racer is one of only two left. This one also has a fantastic wooden dome built over it.

Dragon Coaster was a lot of fun, just lacking in the strong airtime you might expect from some of these hills.

The layout is gorgeous, however, and feels like the type of classic wooden coaster you wouldn’t see designed these days.

Playland also features this unfortunate piece of steel.

Please enjoy while this haunts your dreams.

The Kiddie Coaster is a 1928 wooden coaster. Sadly it’s restricted to kids only. Playland didn’t return my e-mail to inquire about riding it, so perhaps next time!

Coaster List So Far:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park
Ladybug Coaster, Zierer Family Coaster, Adventureland
Hurricane, S.D.C. Sitdown, Adventureland
Dragon Coaster, Church Wooden Coaster, Playland
Crazy Mouse, Zamperla Wild Mouse, Playland
Super Flight, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Playland
Family Flyer, Zamperla Kiddie Coaster, Playland

Up tomorrow: Our original plan for Monday was a visit to Quassy and nearby Lake Compounce as we worked our way towards Six Flags New England. Unfortunately Lake Compounce posted on their twitter that Wildcat had been shut down for the season and Boulder Dash was having it’s lift motor replaced over the next 3 days. Unexpected maintenance issues are understandable, but our desire to visit the park and miss out on the two most interesting things pushed us to make some changes. Of course the logical decision was more driving! Tomorrow we will still begin with Quassy, but then make a 3 hour drive to New Hampshire to visit Canobie Park. Afterwards we’ll turn around and come 2 hours back the way we came to end up at our hotel at Six Flags New England and get off track. If our plans hadn’t been crazy enough to begin with, we’re certainly getting there!

Trip Report! Road Trip Day 1

Day 1:

I’ve been up for nearly 24 hours now, so please forgive me if this is a little on the short side (for me anyway). From a trip planning side, it’s sometimes worth considering spending a little more for the added benefits of airports closer to your first destination. We chose LaGuardia for the cheapest flights, but after 2 hours of being stuck in Manhattan traffic and driving right past Newark, I don’t think I’d have minded paying the extra 30 or 40 bucks. More importantly, to parks:

Holland Tunnel: Poor Choices

Our first destination was Bowcraft. The park was very small catering to a pretty young age group. Crossbow, the Zierer ESC coaster feels a little out of place because of its size. Sadly, it was closed—our first ride disappointment as early as the very first park! Apparently they’ve been waiting on parts all season which have just arrived and the ride should be opening in the next day or two. Sigh. Such is luck! We settled for the kiddie coaster, a rough and shaky Wisdom rides model. We were treated to a jarring four laps. Because we had tickets left, the tilt-a-whirl seemed the most thrilling of the remaining rides, so we took a spin on the classic fairground type. The park itself seemed well manicured and taken care of, though there were a lot of fiberglass animal and storybook character figures that look to have seen much better days. To me the park seems to be a place that was in the dumps for a while but is slowly coming out of it. That’s good news and enough to warrant a trip back at some point to check of Crossbow.

A big coaster for the park size. Just a shame to miss out!

This has maybe seen better days. On the other hand, possibly not?

Keansburg Amusement Park was the next port of call. The main attraction here was a Schwarzkopf 65m Wildcat model. Since Cedar Point removed theirs this season, there are now only 4 left operating around the world. The coaster had the particular quirk of non-functioning block sections meaning there could only be one 4 person car on the track at a time. That combined with other questionable loading procedures led to unfortunately long wait times. We were also able to check off the Miler kiddie coaster that was a good three laps of bumps. It’s beyond me why companies couldn’t make smooth kiddie coasters. You’d think you would want to start kids right. Keansburg is also home to an Eyerly Loop-O-Plane. These rides are about as classic as they got, not to mention incredibly unsafe looking. The type debuted in 1929 though I couldn’t find this particular model’s date on the nameplate. The ride itself was fun, though somewhat terrifying for the jolts and bar cutting into your abdomen. It’s good to ride the classics. The other notable ride was a Chance Rides Chaos, one of the few still operating after so many closed due to what I believe were safety issues. That was certainly a lot of fun and about as crazy as I had hoped. The park itself was unfortunately pretty janky (to use a technical term). It felt very much like an old school boardwalk type park mixed with a permanent fair. With the coupons received for parking, we got to sample fried Oreos as well as snow cones (though buy 2 get 1 free might have led to something of a sugar overload). There were a lot more little food outlets and rides, but we needed to get moving so we left for Coney. Of note, however, is their waterpark looked quite enjoyable and seemed to be worth a visit if there had been more time.

The first big coaster of the trip! Definitely a classic. (onride photo taken with permission.)

These trips involve riding *all* the coasters.

The Loop-O-Plane felt like it might fall over at any minute. Part of what made it excellent.

There is no ‘Coney Island Park’. Instead, the area known as Coney Island is divided into multiple vendors who run attractions. In 2010, the Italian rides manufacturer Zamperla signed a 10 year lease to operate parks at Coney Island. They currently run 2 areas, one called Luna Park (using the same logo as the famous park of old) and Scream Zone. All the rides are from Zamperla’s product catalog. ‘Credits’ from either of these parks can also be used to pay for the famous Astroland Cyclone (otherwise it’s $8 at the booth). Also in the area is Deno’s Wonder Wheel park which, as the name might imply, has the world famous Wonder Wheel. This Ferris Wheel has cars that slide along an oblong track depending on the orientation of the wheel and swing out when they reach the end. It’s certainly an exciting feeling especially when the little car swings out over a whole lot of nothing. Sadly the wire mesh everywhere was too small for any real good pictures. The ride itself was a lot of fun and as much as Disney’s California Adventure might try to replicate this one, nothing will beat the Wonder Wheel.

The old parachute tower still sits down the strip a little. It’s absolutely gorgeous steel work. I hope to see it restored one day.

The Wonder Wheel is a great take on the traditional Ferris Wheel.

For being essentially stock rides, Luna Park and Scream Zone were very enjoyable. Both parks were clean and well maintained and seemed to have generally friendly employees. The ride themselves were also much more fun than expected. The notable exception was Soarin’ Eagle, the Zamperla flyer relocated from Elitch’s in Denver. This model is renowned for how bad it is and this ride certainly didn’t hold back. To the contrary, the Steeplechase motorbike coaster next door was wonderful. The launch felt faster than the similar model at Darien Lake and the train flew through the layout taking turns at quite a speed. A few pops of airtime made this a coaster worth re-riding. The standard spinning coaster also added some new excitement by allowing the cars to spin the entire course and not just the second half as is generally the norm. Perhaps the ride of most interest was the Air Race, an insane spinning flat ride which not only rotated around a central point but also flipped riders on arms sticking out from the center. I hope to see more parks buy these in the future—Zamperla is onto a winner.

‘Another coaster to the list’ is maybe the best you can say for this ride.

Steeplechase was surprisingly fast. A great ride.

The Air Race was the most intense ride at Luna Park.

Astroland is no longer a park, but the Cyclone still operates under that name. This National Historic Landmark is celebrating its 85^th birthday this year. The ride spawned many Cyclone knockoffs at parks around the world and became the standard for tight wooden layouts in a small space. The coaster features padded seats that feel almost like couches. When you get out onto the ride, however, you find that you need all that padding and a little more. While the first drop was relatively smooth, the troughs of the rest of the hills had large potholes causing quite a bit of jarring. In the back seat the coaster is very rough and does a good job compressing your spine a few inches. That said, the ride is fantastic and lives up to all the hype. It’s great to see a classic still going, much less still running as well as the Cyclone. We happily rode 3 times and I would’ve done more were it not for the exorbitant price. Overall Coney Island in general became the highlight of the day and a great experience in general.

The ride is still all hand controlled with a number of big levers. Also not the lack of air gates as a safety barrier!

A fantastic, if rough, ride.

Coaster List So Far:

Dragon, Wisdom Rides Kiddie Coaster, Bowcraft
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Keansburg
Wildcat, Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Keansburg
Cyclone, Keenan Wooden Coaster, Astroland
Sea Serpent, Miler Kiddie Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Soarin’ Eagle, Zamperla Flying Coaster, Scream Zone
Steeplechase, Zamperla Motorbike Coaster, Scream Zone
Tickler, Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, Luna Park
Circus Coaster, Zamperla Family Coaster, Luna Park

Up tomorrow: Adventurland & Playland Park!