Date Ridden: June 18th, 2008. Times Ridden: 18 with 3 in the front seat, 3 in the back and every other seat at least once. I just returned from a 7 day, 10 park trip that took me from New Jersey, through PA, up to Canada and back across to Ohio. After being launched vertical by Farenheit, taken up over 230 feet on Behemoth, twisted all over Erie by the RF II, and amazed once again by the speed and smoothness of the coaster that started it all for me exactly 2 years ago (Millie at CP), I get home and what do i remember most about my trip? A 78 foot coaster built in 1948 and moved on 34 trucks to its current site in the 80's. Yep people, Phoenix is that good. In fact, Knoebels in general is that good. I will not go into the insane Skooters, the terrifying Flyer (I thought I was going to actually flip upside down), the sick Looper which made me feel like a mouse in a cage rolling around the track, or any of the other amazing things that happened to us in our 7 hours there. Yes, I ate a steak for 9 bucks that I could cut with a plastic knife, bought a sweatshirt for under 20 dollars, and ate a waffle ice cream which was the best 2 bucks I spent the entire trip. No, I will not discuss those things. I will give one of the greatest wooden coasters in history its just dues. Where do I start? Well, maybe after the first ride where I thought the coaster was great somewhere along the lines of Raven. That would be a great comparison for most woodies as Raven is solidly lodged at a top 10 coaster for me out of my now 276 ridden. However, having ridden only the middle of the train I had underestimated this little ride. I was soon to be amazed. I will not discuss airtime in this ride. That has been discussed in the reviews listed below. I will say that I counted 13 bits of airtime ranging from nice floater to hardcore ejector riding in the back seat and 12 bits in the front seat. The other cars had anywhere from 10 up to 13 in one of the other front seats (yep somewhere up towards the front....I forget exactly where). This coaster is about airtime, possibly the best you will find on any ride anywhere, but it has other positives as well. When entering the station on my first ride, I immediately noticed they were only running 1 train. With about 6 people per line, I quickly counted up a 20 minute wait which was not bad but I was hoping for more. In less that half that, I was on the ride and rolling through the opening tunnel. My fellow enthusiasts, in my humble opinion this is the best run coaster in the freaking world!! A simple buzz bar with no seat belts and intense airtime (sorry, I mentioned the A word)? A station crew that runs you through with record pace? I kid you not, on one ride I timed, the train was moving 12 seconds after the gates opened to let people on. What if you have caps, cameras or prizes? Just throw them across the train onto the concrete and pick them up when the ride ends. No locker nazis are present trying to wring another buck out of you. No bins are necessary. Just throw it down and pick it up later. There is no time for that crap...get on the Phoenix, pull down your buzz bar and ride!!! In reading over what I have written so far, this definitely does not sound like a polished review written by the secondary literature teacher that I profess to be. It seems choppy, intense, yet very much to the point. That I believe is what Phoenix is. At the Golden Ticket awards this year, sleek El Toro will probably walk in dressed in a a shiny new Pre-fabricated tuxedo, the heavily muscular Voyage will stroll in side by side with his short stumpy buddy Raven, and the new kid Ravine Flyer II will be over at the childrens table. Phoenix will be propped up in a comfortable pair of jeans, a cap on sideways covering his gray hair, and a Knoebels t-shirt purchased at a gift shop for 5 dollars. He will probably even be showing off his scars to the newbies from the "Great M

Very good wooden coaster, but I wasnt as big of a fan of it as others. Well the ride looks great and I love how Knoebels rescued this classic. The tunnel at the beginning was cool and all of the bunny hills gave great air throughout, especially the last few bunny hills that gave insane ejector air, but this coaster just wasnt as intense as other coasters Ive been on.

Now, I know I probably will be criticized for this, but the Phoenix isnt as good to me as it is for others. The rides history about being relocated is nice and you cant beat the rides price (I think $2.00). Thats the price of one kiddie ride at the carnivals I go to. Now the trains look nice and even better they have buzz bars. Knoebels moves the line quickly and I have never had to wait more than 15 minutes for a ride. I would have liked if there were seat-belts (I feel more secure). The Phoenix itself was decent. The drops were fun and the hills were good too. Now, I got tons of air-time and that usually makes a good coaster for people. However, I will say it up front that I think air-time is overrated and I dont look upon it as highly as others. Still, the Phoenix provided a good, fun ride. I would have considered giving this a 10 if it werent for the minor rattling I experienced in some of the seats at the bottom of some of the hills. This is one heck of a coaster that air-time lovers cant miss.

A solid figure eight coaster with a great dark tunnel before the lift hill. The airtime was excellent. Not quite a "5" in my view as it lacked the wow factor of other woodies like Bolder Dash, Astroland Cyclone, and El Toro.

So this is airtime. The hype for this ride is extreme; needless to say I had high expectations. After a four hour car ride turned into 5:30 hours due to me forgetting my Cedar Fair Pass, I was certainly ready for this world class coaster-or so I thought. The ride truly delivered everything I was hoping, and really even more.

Phoenix begins with a long, pitch-black, tunnel-turnaround before the lift, which I had probably read about somewhere before, but I wasnt expecting it. This is a perfect way to build anticipation before the ride. After a modest lift hill, the first drop is pretty good, and leads to some nice airtime going up the second hill. The first two turn-arounds provide good lateral Gs without a hint of roughness in my opinion. But really, the ride is all about the seemingly never ending small bunny hops that produce some outstanding ejector airtime. To illustrate, my thighs were no where near the buzz bar, however, on just about every bunny-hill, they ended up pressed up against the bar! I was literally flying out of my seat, and the airtime is sustained, not just quick pops. The ride is also tremendously paced for a smallish, 78 foot tall coaster, as the airtime and speed just seem to keep picking up steam toward the end of the ride! On my first ride I was literally laughing and smiling the whole time, as well as holding on for dear life-really what riding coasters should be all about. The third seat is known as the "ejector seat" for a good reason, as it was even better than the back for me. Phoenix is just outstanding, clearly my top ride. It is simply hard to fathom that a coaster of this quality is nestled away in an 80-plus-year-old park in the middle of the mountains.

The Phoenix is my all time favorite. It has a great drop, and the bunny hills give you amazing air time, to the point where you are nearly flying out of the seat. A great wooden coaster, but it can be painful, particularly in the back!

Well, add me to the long list of fans the Phoenix subscribes. Reading about, its every bit as good and airy as I expected. I found after a few rides that the third row in my opinion is the best.

In my relatively short tenure as a coaster dork this has been one of my most sought after credits from nearly the beginning. The Phoenixs reputation among enthusiasts seems mythical, almost to the level to which the Cyclone is elevated. And I had little reason to doubt the praise.
Im an airtime (Substance A, henceforth) junkie. Speed, directional changes, the out-of-control sensation, et al are all great, but ultimately Im in this for the negative-g experience. I think this also applies to a healthy number of fellow "out-of-town roller coaster weirdos". The Phoenix simply has Substance A in spades. There is not one dead hill. Each hill dishes out an ACE-gravy-buffet-worthy fix of precious Substance A. And the needle doesnt fall out of your arm until you bounce back into the station, cozily elated from one of the best coaster experiences known to Homo sapiens.
The particular variety of Substance A that the Phoenix is pushing is not of the same amped-up vein that the insane Mexican newcomer over in that South Jersey swamp peddles. But it is quality, pure and unstepped on, just the same. The Phoenix could be described as a "giggle machine", as the experience seems tuned in such a fashion to deliver uncontrollable laugher. What more could relatively self-respecting Substance A addict ask for?
On a more serious note, I have nothing but praise to the Knoebel family for resurrecting this gem. The love and care that they inject into this classic is nothing short of commendable. And further hats off to them for running this ride properly; with buzzbars and no seatbelts.

Recently I rode Phoenix and it forever changed my perspective of airtime. Before riding I had heard many good things about Phoenix but I had also heard many people call this ride overrated. So I decided to go in with no prejudgments. I was completely blown away by the result. After riding El Toro the previous day I didn’t think any coaster would come close for a very long time. Phoenix proved me wrong. This classic woody is practically flawless. This ride brought me the greatest amount of airtime I have ever felt. Phoenix deserves a perfect 10.

Even in my primordial and blissfully naïve enthusiast beginnings, I was fully aware of the existence of the Phoenix...an elusive relic of an era displaced by fancy twister layouts and superfluous inversions. It looked so simple in photographs...so unsuspecting. And yet the hype was monumental, and promises of airtime galore were rampant. Well let me tell you, this ride does not disappoint, and I give a hearty thanks to the Knoebel family for resurrecting this gem out of the smoldering ashes of demolition.

The ride begins brilliantly by plunging into an inky-black tunnel prior to the lift hill. Such a fantastic way to kick off an epic ride. After rounding a bend, the darkness gives way to sunlight, and the comfy, seatbelt-void rolling stock begins to ascend the lifthill. As for the layout itself, it is extremely straight-forward. There really isnt anything all that impressive about it at all --- a very subtle, modest, and unpretentious double out-and-back.

The airtime this ride delivers, however, is staggering to put it lightly --- a hefty dosage of euphoric standing airtime on pretty much every bunny hill with some killer ejector airtime tossed into the mix on the double-down element. The double-down happened to be my favorite part of the ride, recalling memories of the Jack Rabbit at Kennywood. The negative gs produced in this element are massive. Following some solid lateral gs on the final turnaround, its onto the homestretch. This wild race back to the station is superb with the most catastrophic amount of airtime Ive experienced in one series of bunny hops ever. Period.

I guess what I am getting at is that Phoenix is an enlightening experience that all coaster enthusiasts must have a taste of before they die. The back row undoubtedly provided the most ejector/floater airtime, but the front seats produced bizarre floater air that forced riders forward in their seats...really a strange sensation that is worth a spin or two. I much preferred the back row, however.

Regardless of where you sit, Phoenix is truly a legend of a forgotten time, and for only $2, anyone can magically be whisked away back to the glorious golden age of roller coasters. If you ask me...its worth it tenfold