Last Cred Review

[Nitefly]

 Skyrush.
Oh dear, what happened here, then? Really not very good at all, is it?
I realise I didn't get to ride this in it's heyday, I realise that maybe 10 - 12 years ago this was probably peak Intamin recklessness and I understand why those that rode it back in the day have a special affection for it, but now, riding it fresh in 2024, after a decade of Blitz coasters and RMC's, I'm struggling to find many nice things to say about it. Drop is fab, but the ride feels a bit short, not really that much airtime, not particularly intense and man, those wing seats are as rough as arse. Would struggle to crack my Top 5 at Hersheypark, let alone my Top 5 overall. First big disappointment of the trip. 6/10.

That’s exactly I felt.

It’s was undoubtedly an interesting / unique development in coaster evolution, peak at what it did at the time. But having missed the hype for it at launch and carrying no sentiment for it, to me it feels significantly outclassed by the new Intamins and RMCs to the point of it being unremarkable.

‘Jank’ and ‘unfriendliness’ does have its own special appeal and Skyrush did have that in stacks with the old restraints, I suppose. The lateral body movement possible was wild and had probably ‘enabled’ some mild injuries over the years… so that’s both a ‘yay’ and a ‘boo’.

Top, top theme park.

Yes

 

[JoshC.]

Skyrush.
Oh dear, what happened here, then? Really not very good at all, is it?
I realise I didn't get to ride this in it's heyday, I realise that maybe 10 - 12 years ago this was probably peak Intamin recklessness and I understand why those that rode it back in the day have a special affection for it, but now, riding it fresh in 2024, after a decade of Blitz coasters and RMC's, I'm struggling to find many nice things to say about it. Drop is fab, but the ride feels a bit short, not really that much airtime, not particularly intense and man, those wing seats are as rough as arse. Would struggle to crack my Top 5 at Hersheypark, let alone my Top 5 overall. First big disappointment of the trip. 6/10.

My heart broke reading this. I rode Skyrush 2 years ago and it was everything. Incredible first drop. Smooth. Buckets of airtime that would have yeeted you to Hershey. I wonder if the new restraints have had any sort of impact, or if it's just a ride which is a relic in some ways and won't cut the mustard with everyone.


I had similar thoughts about the trims on Candymonium though. However, after a re-ride, I realised that they were sort of necessary to stop the ride becoming a Skyrush II, and whilst they are noticeable, they don't actually affect the rest of the ride in a negative way.

 

[Howie]

My heart broke reading this. I rode Skyrush 2 years ago and it was everything. Incredible first drop. Smooth. Buckets of airtime that would have yeeted you to Hershey. I wonder if the new restraints have had any sort of impact, or if it's just a ride which is a relic in some ways and won't cut the mustard with everyone.

Yeah, I wish I could have ridden Skyrush in it's prime. I had the opportunity to come here 10 years ago when it was the newest coaster in the park, looked awesome it did, but I ditched it in favour of KD, BGW etc..
Shoulda done it when I had the chance.

 

[Nitefly]

My experiences of Skyrush are also from two years ago (old restraints) - same time period as @JoshC.

Beyond the change in restraints, has there been any material change in how it has operated since it opened?

If not, then I suppose it’s a ‘marmite’ / ‘YMMV’ ride in the current era for ‘new riders’.

 

[DelPiero]

My experiences of Skyrush are also from two years ago (old restraints) - same time period as @JoshC.

Beyond the change in restraints, has there been any material change in how it has operated since it opened?

If not, then I suppose it’s a ‘marmite’ / ‘YMMV’ ride in the current era for ‘new riders’.

OPs seemed a lot slower than my prior visits, so maybe they are delaying dispatch to allow the trains wheels to recover a bit more than before.
Main thing is the restraints/train weight has changed, only thing I can think of for the decrease in speed.

As you say, the lateral body movement was insane before, now there's barely any due to the seat change.

 

[FistedColossus]

I rode Skyrush last October, so just before it closed for the refurb. It absolutely tried to kill me, was so happy it was as good as I'd remembered. So good in fact that I chose to marathon the back row rather than get a night ride on the excellent Wildcats Revenge.

I'll be gutted if the new restraints have killed it!

Also, pleased to hear the recent Phoenix reviews. Best woodie in the world

 

[Sticky_T_Wicky]

My heart broke reading this. I rode Skyrush 2 years ago and it was everything. Incredible first drop. Smooth. Buckets of airtime that would have yeeted you to Hershey. I wonder if the new restraints have had any sort of impact, or if it's just a ride which is a relic in some ways and won't cut the mustard with everyone.


I had similar thoughts about the trims on Candymonium though. However, after a re-ride, I realised that they were sort of necessary to stop the ride becoming a Skyrush II, and whilst they are noticeable, they don't actually affect the rest of the ride in a negative way.

If it makes your heart break less, I thought Skyrush was a gem for the reasons you mentioned when I rode it on June 18. These were all back row wing seat rides, 2x on left wing and 1x on right wing. I have heard that the new restraints have neutered the ride to an extent but I quiver to think what it would have been like with the old restraints if it is now neutered with the new restraints. Of the 69 (nice!) coasters I rode on my east/northeast US trip, it ranked right up there as one of the highest highlights alongside I305, Twisted Timbers, Pantheon, Wildcat's Revenge and El Toro.

 

[mewantcandy2]

Silver Dollar City

first visit today! reviews in order:

Thunderation: My new favorite arrow mine train. Uses terrain remarkably well. Set a great tone for the day - no complaints. 7/10

Time Traveller: I loved it. It reminded me of x2 in a way. Is it firmly in my top 20? Probably not, but the sensations were like nothing I've previously experienced. Spinning through the loop was probably the coolest moment. Launches could have packed a bit more punch. Second best ride in the park for me. 9/10

Outlaw Run: My first RMC woodie. I lapped it for about an hour. Awesome ride. My only complaint is the jolt to my back at the bottom of the first drop. I learned how to brace for it after the first go, though. I was not expecting RMC ride experiences to differ so much from i-box to wood. Even with similar elements the feel is definitely unique... I won't know where this ranks until the end of the week, but it is elite. My favorite feature was the banked drop under the lift hill midway through the ride. Worth the trip on its own. 10/10.

Powder Keg: The horizontal elevator-esque lift into launch was cool. Launch and top hat were also fun. That was about it, though. Mediocre use of the terrain and oddly banked elements, especially after experiencing the three listed above. Also, it's kind of long for no reason. No re-rides. 5/10.

Wildfire: Disappointed, and maybe because I was pretty excited for it. I still have Incredible Hulk firmly in my top 10, and I love Kumba. Wildfire was...not that... I found the layout boring and forceless. Even the use of terrain was underwhelming. Skipped re-rides. 4/10

Fire in the hole was posting a 90+ minute queue, so I skipped it. Unfortunately, time is a bit of a concern on this trip.

Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom tomorrow!

 

[toofpikk]

Day at Dollywood done today. Amazing park with some stellar rides… which leads me to Lightning Rod, our first and last ride of the day.
There’s a bizarre sensation a nerd gets, riding this ride, tensing at the base of the first hill ready for a launch sequence complete with surrounding audio… Only to be slowly, anti-climatically dragged up a lift hill.

Our first ride was so damn mediocre I couldn’t believe this was the coaster that people were so excited about riding just a couple years ago, even when it had a launch. How could a ride be so heavily neutered and still maintain its reputation? Dunno, but the forceless meandering that was going on during our first ride felt like a wooden reflection of Big Bear Mountain across the park.

After completing the park and revisiting later in the day, a back row ride sparked some reconsideration from us. The quad down suddenly had become a lot more fun, but the first portion was still underwhelming and to be frank, kinda rough.

Another go round all the park and we found ourselves at the foot of Lightning Rod one more time at about 9:40pm. One go in the back, one go in the front, see if riding in the dark after a day of good ops and super hot weather has given it a chance to almost impossibly warm up to a degree where these huge elements in the first half actually do something.

Lo and behold, Lightning Rod finally, absolutely kicked our ass. Barrelling down that first drop in the complete blackness of the smoky mountain valley is genuinely terrifying and we found ourselves standing up in our seats and flying through elements that felt dull and un-necessarily drawn out during our rides earlier on in the day. Still rough, but suddenly the ride had gained a tenacious personality that was seriously fun.

Coming off rejuvenated we went back round once more for a front row ride. In the front the roughness was vacant. That wave turn had me in hysterics. Sideways air time? Inherently hilarious. You get shoved through all the elements. And watching the fireworks across the other side of the park as we flew through the quad down; just me, my mate and 2 teenagers in the back, was probably the most magical night ride I’ve ever had on a coaster.

Lightning Rod ended up being a truckload of fun and a pretty unique ride experience for me. It’s just so unbelievably inconsistent and needs a lot of time to warm up. Nonetheless I’m glad I’ve been able to ride it, even if it’s with a chain and not a launch. PS you get a great view of the park fireworks from the ride, so unless you’re really into drones and pyrotechnics, I recommend a ride on LR instead

 

[mewantcandy2]

Happily exhausted after a day at both Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom!

Reviews in order

Holiday World

The Voyage: Wow…. A perfect rollercoaster. Arguably the best I have ever ridden. It has everything you can ask for - height, length, speed, power, airtime, unique elements…even the ride's sound hits. I was amazed by how the experience changed SO much depending on the seat. The front was almost glass smooth…a bit less airtime but an incredible feeling of speed. Back was reckless…almost too intense, thigh bruising at certain points. I rode a lot of great coasters today…this was vastly superior to any of the rest. 12/10

Thunderbird: Great ride, powerful elements, punchy launch… heartline roll at the end was cool. Liked it better on the right side than the left. Not much more to talk about. It's not a world-changer, but I have no complaints. 8.5/10

Raven: Caught me off guard. I was not expecting it to be nearly as fast or intense as it was. Surprising amount of airtime. Ripping through the woods elevates the feeling of speed. Second best ride in the park for me. 9/10

Legend: Only got it once due to one train ops. I think I would have enjoyed it more knowing where to brace. Helix section had crazy lateral gs, almost uncomfortably so. Still, excellent elements, pacing, and an overall solid ride. I need to give it another look. 8/10
---
Kentucky Kingdom aka the surprise of the trip.

Lightning Run: What is this thing?? Some of the most ridiculous ejector airtime I have ever experienced. Almost painful at times. Surprise outer bank hill mid-ride was the winning element for me. I checked RCDB after my ride, and it made more sense when I found out it was a Joe Draves design. Down a notch just because I don’t think it’s particularly dynamic, especially with Storm Chaser a couple hundred feet away. 9/10

Thunder Run: Another surprise. I was expecting close to nothing from this ride. Delivered quite well. Great pacing, some cool airtime moments. Pleasantly smooth. The layout leaves something to be desired, but that’s no fault to KK. Good job salvaging it. 7/10

Storm Chaser: Another close to perfect RMC. I was blessed to lap it for an hour with zero queue. Barrel roll drop is awesome, every element is unique and dynamic, pacing and design are as perfect as can be. Rides fairly consistently front to back. Hard to argue that it matches the level of Iron Gwazi, Steel Vengeance, or Zadra, but man did they make something awesome out of what was available to them. Only critique is that it dies a bit around the final helix at the end. 10/10

Kentucky Flyer: Hard to compare it against the larger format rides above but it did its job exceptionally well. Rating purely for ride style 8/10

Final stop at Kings Island tomorrow!