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EDIT 7/10/06:::i hiked the score up to an "8". this coaster gave me a great ride last night. its still bumpy and its still too expensive,but the speed, the forces, and the ambience was fantastic on a breezy summer night!:::::::::: heres my original review, which i dont feel like changing.::::: great white does indeed give the wildwood skyline its most significant boost in simulating nostalgia and the classic boardwalk experience. the elegant profile of the coaster towers over the huge white sand beach and really just floods the mind with romance. when i first heard about the great white i got rather excited and couldnt wait to get some negative Gs while smelling and seeing the big blue sea. but, im sad to say, as a whole, great white didnt do it for me. basically great white is modern coaster, embodying many drawbacks of modern rides and their presiding parks. my first reservation came when i got close enough to really look at the steel understructure. (EDIT 7/11/06 - the ugliness is vastly improved by seeing the ride at night, when it is dramatically floodlit) its quite frankly very ugly up close and it totally removes the "classic" feel of the ride. i understand that wood and maintenence costs are prohibitive, but how about a coat of white wash at least? the steel scaffold looks kind of like somebody started building a condo or something and ran out of money. my next reservation came when i saw the individual ratcheting bars and seat dividers in the trains. you mean me and my girlfriend dont get up close and personal on the turn-arounds like true lovebirds on yesteryears boardwalk coasters? what a drag. again, im not ignorant as to what is at stake nowadays at fun parks, but i cannot lie and not say that the ride would be so much more enjoyable with just a fixed bar and an unbroken bench. these reservations aside, there are some nice things going on with this coaster, though the ride itself has a few disappointments. the good first. the first drop is very fast and steep and simply awesome! in the rear car the drop lauches you out of the seat (as far as the stapled bar allows) and slams you back in with some pretty serious positive Gs on the pull out. i personally screamed quite a bit. the first turnaround is very fast and has strong lateral forces, which again, would have been delightful with a more traditional train seat design. the next portion of the ride is the dead spot of the whole course. the drops in and out of the second turnaround have no air, the turn lacks force, it seems to slow down generally and there are some bumps here which surpass the usual woody bumps and cross into crappy maintenence inspired curb jumps. i dont mind bumps like that, they actually make me laugh a bit, but in this case it made me feel that moreys doesnt give this ride much love, which bums me out. however, fortunately after another turnaround over the beach comes the best portion of the ride, the airtime hills. this is not outstanding negative G territory, but awfully fun and has some steep dips and decapitating cross struts. the double up is strangely uninteresting but the drop after the subsequent turnaround may be the best of the ride...its short but very sheer and goes all the way down under the pier. then the brakes. overall a fun ride but a bit bumpy in an unhealthy way suggesting to me that moreys cuts a lot of corners, cost-wise. my skinny body was born to bear the bumps and lumps of wood coasters so i didnt mind the rattling and jiggling. i didnt get any pain or headaches on my rides, though i noticed a few people holding their heads in pain. these were obviously mere mortals who lack the techniques for wood coaster enjoyment, but nonetheless telling that the ride will turn off some people. moreys just seemed to do a half-job with great white. its mildly nostalgic, but only at a glance and its not respectfully maintained. its also a pricey ride, o
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