Michigan's Adventure - 7/1/14

My family was in South Haven for the 4th of July week, so we decided to make the hour and a half drive up to Muskegon and Michigan's Adventure.

The Good-

1. The crowds were actually not that bad for the 4th of July week.
2. Michigan's Adventure has Fun TV (like every other Cedar Fair park)!
3. Shivering Timbers is not as rough as I expected.
4. The conductor on the train is really great with lots of funny jokes and lots of energy.
5. Funnel of Fear (ProSlide Tornado) at the waterpark might be my favorite waterslide!
6. Almost of all of the employees were very enthusiastic and personal, but not too personal.
7. The speed slides were great and had no line all day.

The Bad-

1. Yet again, Michigan's Adventure has gotten nothing new, except for the dining plan and Fun TV that went to every Cedar Fair park.
2. The park opens at 11:00? That takes away the fun of arriving at opening and riding rides before all of the crowds arrive.
3. Michigan's Adventure got an invert since I last visited! Oh wait, it's an SLC. :-(

The Coasters-

Shivering Timbers: Wow! What a great ride! I did not remember the ride being as smooth or having as much airtime as it did. We rode twice: once in the middle and once in the second to back seat that we have recently determined to be the best on many coasters. That back seat especially had quite the ejector air! Also, my dad had a question. Is the trick track on the back part of the out and back new? I told him that it has been there all along, but he wasn't convinced.

Corkscrew: Well, what more can you say about a standard model Arrow Corkscrew. It's not smooth and it's over in 30 seconds. I can't believe I ended up riding it two times.

Wolverine Wildcat: This was more fun than I expected and very smooth for a woodie built in the 80s. We rode twice and I had no idea that there was a double up and a double down until I rode it the first time! We found this to be the best ride that our whole family could enjoy.

Zach's Zoomer: This ride used to be a favorite of mine back when I was a little kid, but now I can barely fit into the seats. It's still a fun little CCI that my brother thought was the best in the world before he rode Shivering Timbers.

Big Dipper: Chance Rides kiddie coaster that is not as good as other kiddie coasters I've ridden. The best kiddie coaster I've seen was Grover's Alpine Express at BGW.

Mad Mouse: It's an Arrow Wild Mouse that is lots of fun for families. Surprisingly, this drew the biggest line of the day which kept us from riding it twice.

Thunderhawk: Last, but not least, but still pretty close to least is Thunderhawk, the Vekoma SLC. It might have been a good decision by Cedar Fair to put it at Michigan's Adventure after its Geauga Lake days because of its compact layout, but I still don't like it because, as many before me have said, it's just so rough when compared to a B&M invert.

Overall, it was a good day with plenty of family fun at a park that I hadn't been to in a long time (7 years). Next up, Cedar Point later this month!

Michigan's Adventure gets what it needs to continue to be the most profitable park in the chain.

I'm not sure I understand how an 11 am opening deprives you of the fun of arriving at opening and riding rides before the crowds arrive? Arrive at 11 and ride the rides before the crowds arrive. Or are you saying the park was more crowded at 11 than you expected?

Sorry, I did mean that the park was more crowded at 11 and I know they get what they need to remain profitable, I was just doing a bit of wishful thinking.

maverick master said:

Shivering Timbers: Is the trick track on the back part of the out and back new?

Its been there since the ride opened.

^^^Yep. I was there the day the ride first opened to the public, and the trick track was there.

I don't think it would make that much of a difference if the park opened earlier. A majority of people go to the water park first, and since the water park doesn't open until noon, an earlier open time would just result in having longer lines on the ride side of the park. But, only for the first few hours of operation.

The ride side of the park really needs to be improved, adding a few thrill rides might create a nice balance to even out the crowds. But, that would be the only reason to justify an earlier open time. And, it is because they have not added a new exciting attraction to the ride side of the park in years. Lakeside Gliders is the only major new ride since Thunderhawk in 2008.

The parks current hours are fairly decent if you want to see and do everything in one day. However, if you spend too much time in the water park on a busy day, you might not be able to do everything. But, if you plan it right, you can easily do the park in just a few hours.

I always do all the rides I want to do first, then go to the water park for a few hours, then close the park riding the rides. I have only been there once, where I was not able to everything in a day. But, the park was crazy packed. And, don't be fooled, a weekday can be just as busy as a Saturday.

The busiest day I saw was actually on a Wednesday. But, the weather was perfect, and good weather brings out the masses. I was recently visiting the Saugatuck area, and a lot of the local state campgrounds ware sold out. So, I would guess that MA is having a good year.

As for the trick track, it has been there since day one. Though I think it would be very cool if they put a tunnel over it. I did a few back seat rides last year, and it was running crazy fast. I also found the Wildcat a lot smoother than previous years, but kinda boring.