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Epic Thrill Seeking Roadtrip

reddude333

reddude333

Giga Poster
My friend and I went on a 2.5 week roadtrip cross-country from Seattle, WA and ending in Sandusky, OH...and back. On the way we hit up Silverwood, Valleyfair!, King's Island, and, of course, Cedar Point. It most awesome experience of my life! At first we had a coaster count going but eventually, it was too overwhelming :--D I definitely recommend others go on trips like ours.
 
Sounds like a great trip!
Can you tell us anything about how the road trip went (trouble getting to the parks, how long did it take to drive to each park, etc.), what your opinion of the parks is, what the coasters were like & did you take any photos?
 
Well, we got Platinum Passes for Cedar Fair parks which only coast about $180 and got us into the three major parks for as many days as we wanted with free parking, early admission, discounts on food and merchandise. No doubt the way to go. Every park was amazing. The only one i had been to prior was Silverwood which is a small amusement park in Idaho. Note: they have a very unique coaster there named Tremors that goes subterranean at least 4 times, maybe 5. Driving in between was exhausting but we made due. Valleyfair i had never heard of but was way better than i could have ever imagined. Note: check out Renegade. We stayed there for most of one day. King's Island, considering it is one of the biggies in terms of amusement parks was somewhat of a letdown, but I think it was more because my friend had been there so many times that he wasn't as hyped as I was. Still had some world-class rides (Diamondback, FireHawk, The Beast [definitely not a let-down, though sadly no Son of Beast], Flight of Fear, and a great river rapids ride). Cedar Point, obviously the best of the best. Millennium Force was no doubt my favorite, but Maverick and TTD were great as well. Long lines (2-3 hours), hot weather (100+), and lots of water...most fun I have ever had in my life. The best park about Cedar Point is that every coaster there would be the main attraction at another park so I was thoroughly impressed by everything even though I knew it would be amazing long before setting foot in the park. Note: other great coasters at Cedar Point include Mantis, Magnum XL-200, and Raptor Note: Disaster Transport, while seeming lame, is very unique in that it is a free-moving bobsled/flying turns style coaster

If you have any more questions, ask away! :--D
 
I'm not sure what is up with Son of Beast haters but this is a coaster enthusiast site. If you aren't able to handle a few bumps and bruises, don't go on the ride. First they took out the loop for stupid lawsuit reasons and then they got rid of the whole thing for the same reason. There are posted signs. If you don't meet the qualifications, don't blame the park. Anyway, this thread is to discuss the parks and rides. I don't wanna make it a Son of Beast argument thread :-P
 
reddude333 said:
I'm not sure what is up with Son of Beast haters but this is a coaster enthusiast site.
Click to expand...
It is a coaster enthusiast site, which means you don't have to like every coaster either.

reddude333 said:
If you aren't able to handle a few bumps and bruises, don't go on the ride.
Click to expand...
SoB inflicted a lot more than just a few bumps & bruises. You would know that it you had ever had the displeasure of riding it.

reddude333 said:
Anyway, this thread is to discuss the parks and rides.
Click to expand...
If I'm not mistaken, SoB is a ride & we're discussing it. :wink:
 
I didn't ever get the chance to ride it, I'll give you that, but there are ways of fixing things that don't include taking out its defining feature and then disposing of it completely. I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I am too and I for one would have ridden it regardless of the repercussions. Once again, I didn't mean to bring much attention to that point in my description of our trip. Now that I think of it, I probably shouldn't have even mentioned Son of Beast.

Anyway, I wanted to address some of the other questions I neglected before. Getting into parks was hardly an issue due to platinum passes and early admission. I have a few pictures from the trip but nothing too special.

Please help: I'm having issues posting photos...
 
Since you're new to the site you won't be able to post photos until you have made more posts. Further discussions of SoB should get you there in no time. :wink:
 
I feared that was the case. However, if I am to discuss Son of Beast, I'd rather not do it here. No question it is a hot topic, at least in my mind. Thanks for the help. I would like to post a few photos once I am considered more legit.
 
Well what shall we discuss? It seems Son of Beast is a topic in which you are interested.. and being someone who rode it with the loop, without the loop, with the old trains and new trains.. I wouldn't mind discussing your viewpoints and my own right here. As ECG said, it will help your post count.

Of course, you could just spam the forums like most other noobs to get the limit.. but I wouldn't suggest that. ;)
 
I thought I would take the route of creating a thread to get more involved. I wanted to discuss more about things I could actually relate with...but Son of Beast is interesting too. Tell me what you issues with it are then. My friend who accompanied me on this trip had also ridden it at each stage and admitted it got rougher but he expressed great frustration with the park's neglect of it. It's funny that it's not on the park map anymore even though you can see it clearly and plainly considering it is one of the larger rides in the park. Also, wooden coasters tend to be more visible, don't you think?

P.S.: My friend also said it just wasn't the same after they took out the loop...and he meant that in a sorrowful way...
 
Out of 214 coasters, I can safely say Son of Beast, Wild Beast, Cobra, and Hurler are probably the four most unenjoyable coasters I've ever been on. They're more than just bumps and bruises.. And it's not that I can't handle them, seeing as Voyage is my number one coaster and I have five other wooden coasters in my top ten as well.
 
^What he said. The ride was simply flawed from the start.. something it couldn't recover from. Also, saying someone 'can't take a few bumps or bruises' simply because they don't like a rough ride is kinda stupid.. ect ect.

PS: Welcome to CF. ;)
 
@SnooSnoo: Thank you for the welcome. And I get what you are saying about the bumps and bruises, but I for one don't care if it's extremely rough. I wanted to ride Son of Beast, no questions asked. Yes, I understand it had flaws...maybe I am just being to emotion-based with my response, but I was truly disappointed when I found out it had been taken completely out of commission.

@UC: Thank you for such an extensive response. Also, it is refreshing to hear someone who, although acknowledging the flaws of the ride, can still see that it was probably a great ride. I have been on Mean Streak however and I can honestly say that although it was rough, I was truly disappointed in it for other reasons. It seemed to lack the airtime and overall speed (or perhaps average speed) of many other coasters. I'm not even sure how I would categorize it...not an out-and-back and not a twister really, somewhere in between? I understand that it was probably much different before there were major modifications made to it, change of trains, addition of brakes, and reinforcement. So I do understand, in that sense, why Son of Beast needed major refurbishing. It is an issue that has yet to be worked out with large wooden coasters. I think when it comes to woodies, I get more enjoyment out of a classic like Big Dipper (for out-and-back) but I really enjoyed Renegade too (which is clearly a twister).
As for cost effective, no doubt Kings Island took the right approach, I'm sure they were as reluctant as I would be to knock themselves out of the record books.

I guess all I can really say is that I look forward to the next wood hypercoaster and I have no doubt that that will be achieved, I just wonder how soon it will come. For now I will just have to deal with the fact one of the greats has managed to defeat itself...
 
All good points...except, I like having things just for the point of it being the best or being the only one of its kind. I just like the idea of a coaster rattling and rumbling down a massive hill with nothing between you and the tracks but the floor. Maintenance nightmare, perhaps, something that can't be overcome, I doubt. I'll be on the lookout for Intamin's PnPs. As of now they are my favorite coaster producer...I love their layouts, I love their restrain systems, I love their innovative ideas. But I'm all for bigger wood coasters...when the time is right though...
 
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