larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002
Rank: Platinum Critic
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 6/1/2004 12:44:00 AM
Six Flags has great coasters and flats - unfortunately it also has the absolute worst customer service/ride operations. I was really surprised by the quality of the coasters. However some of the ride operators acted like tyrants. They were practically jumping on the restraints to puch them down as for as they could go. Guys - watch your privates.
Park opened at 10:30, a got there at 10:45. it's misting slightly the there are rumors that Superman: Ride of Steel is not running. In reality it isn't and neither are Batwing or Joker's Jinx, all because of weather. This has potential for a disaster of a road trip.
I go on Two Face first, the line is short and I know that boomerangs are slow loading. 10 minute wait. It has the typical boomerang layout but with more padding and it's an invert. A very good ride
Tower of Doom - it's only a 140 foot tower and the ride gets stuck when I'm at the top and it has to lower us down slowly after staying up at the top for about 3 minutes. No drop and then out of service
Wild One - an excellent out and back woodie with great air and lats in the final helix. The challenge anyone to keep they hands straight up in the final helix. A rode it 5 times throughout the day, never more than a 15 minute wait
Roar - they wooden twister and another excellent coaster. This ride was throwing me all over the place. I don't think any part of this track is straight. I rode this 5 times also. More about my last ride later.
Then I went for Mind Eraser and this stell invert was closed also. Oh now four of the steel coasters are closed.
I decide to get some food. Nachos with chili and cheese for $4.99, surprising they give you enough chili and cheese. Most parks are skimpy.
I start walking and see that Batwing is open, but I stop for the Alpine Bobs first. A disorienting himalaya looking ride with swinging cars.
The wait for Batwing turns out to be about an hour, very slow loading (5 minutes to unload and load) and only one car running. But worth the wait.
S:ROS was periodically running an empty car but the ride operator turning people away had no positive news, but there were ride ops in the load house (which I took as an opportunistic sign). A saw Mind Eraser was open so a walked back there again.
Mind Eraser - it was a walk-on but also the worst ride in the park. The first real "horrible" invert I've ever been on.
Time for some walk-on flat, Rodeo, Tilt-a-Whirl, then actually got on Tower of Doom.
I decided to camp out by Joker's Jinx and S:ROS. Joker's Jinx now has ride ops in the station and was testing. S:ROS starting testing multiple cars after each other so me and some others decided to form a line outside the corral. The ride ops tried to tell us that there was no guarantee it would open, but whenever I see a coaster train run three times in a row they seem to open the coaster and they did. I got on the second ride at 4PM in the last car and it was a good thing because the ride only ran for about 30 minutes before it shut down again.
I headed for Joker's Jinx with had just started running. This an Poltergeist at SFFT are clones. I'm sitting in the last car and the mechanics come and shut down the ride taking about 5 minutes before they unlocked our cars - so I never get to ride and am still 4 coasters short of 100 now.
Now let me tell you about my last ride on Roar. The train stop as it typically does before pulling into the station. and then nothing. we are stuck 50 feet outside the station. It took the mechanics and ride ops 20 mintues to get us off the ride. Now that's three ride that I got stuck on in one day. I've never been stuck on a ride before today.
Also rode one last flat, Iron Eagle, a unique Zarepela (sp?) that soins you around side to side and head over heels. A lot of fun but very tight restraints.
I'll give more details of each ride in the reviews I write up this week.
This park has a lot of potential w
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Swimace
Posts: 5916
Registered: 8/28/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
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6/1/2004 8:06:00 AM
Yeah, I may go there this summer with my swim team since we will be at a swim meet up in Maryland. Doesn't look like that great of a SF park, and it goes without saying that the service is pretty bad. Batwing, JJ, and S:ROS all look like pretty good rides.
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larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002
Rank: Platinum Critic
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6/1/2004 10:22:00 AM
Swimace - knowing that you haven't ridden too many woodies, these would be two nice ones for you.
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Swimace
Posts: 5916
Registered: 8/28/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
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6/1/2004 1:56:00 PM
Hey now, Ive ridden DBH and Gwazi, that's..........umm..........well.........a start
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larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002
Rank: Platinum Critic
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 6/1/2004 2:50:00 PM
Quote:
Swimace said:
Hey now, Ive ridden DBH and Gwazi, that's..........umm..........well.........a start |
I know, I realized you have already doubled your woodie count this year with DBH You have to start somewhere.
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Swimace
Posts: 5916
Registered: 8/28/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
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6/1/2004 10:44:00 PM
lol, yeah. I doubled it with one more coaster (If you count Gwazi as 1). Florida needs more wood, unfortunatly, it's hard to theme it. The only parks who could fit an appropriate theme to it is Busch (already happened) and Disney (fat chance). Well, I WILL double my woodie coaster count this summer at Hershey: LR, Wildcat, and Comet all look like fun
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Animan1
Posts: 5394
Registered: 5/14/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
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6/3/2004 10:09:00 AM
Nice TR, larrygator, detailed and interesting. Jumping on the restraints...
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