Desperado in Vegas

Lap bars for ME would definately help that coaster. The layout is interesting and has some fun moments, it's just the terrible restraints and headbanging.

Despie was..........OUCH. Enough said. ;-) Pretty intense, though. Jeff, Kristin, and I had a blast nonetheless! :-)

My fave coaster in Vegas was Speed, and is WORTH the all-day pass. :-P

Manhattan hurt, Canyon Blaster was boring (and hurt) and the High Roller almost put me to sleep.

Scream (although I am sure Insanity would of taken top place) was my fave out of all of them.

-Tina

*** Edited 4/26/2005 12:19:11 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I don't think that Primm will get rid of Desperado anytime soon. My one and only time there was this past June and the place was crawling with families (mine included). The three Primm resorts realize that their location on the Nevada border makes it a quickfix for folks on their way into (out of or in lieu) of Vegas yet they also have to provide enough entertainment for the kids to keep them separated from their parents long enough to hoodwink their money -- as adults only groups would have hightailed it the 40 miles to Vegas by then.

So the movie theater, flume ride, space shot, frog hopper, video arcade and Depsy -- they're not going anywhere. Maintenance? Well, it'll only get what it needs to keep it running safe (I swear that nearly half of the targets on the flume ride shooting gallery were busted).

I think it would cost more to remove Desperado than keep running it... plus with them making quite a bit per rider, I can't see it losing money.

It only runs once every 15 minutes or so unless the train is full. Which has been the case the last 5 times I've visited. There is no way this thing makes that much money.

If I were making $28 every 15 minutes from open to close, I'd be happy :).

Thats what they made on our ride in 15 minutes, and there were different people on it when we left so...

Desperado has alwasys been rough, but fun, that is the way I like it if you know what I mean :)

---

Absimilliard said:
Yikes! I think I must be the only enthusiast in the world to love Manhattan Express!

---

Fortunately, you're not. I'm one of the few (next to none?) that feel ME is the best coaster in Vegas (haven't ridden Desperado yet, however). Maybe I was blessed by getting a front-seat ride, which wasn't rough at all to me. I loved its unique elements, especially the twist-and-dive.

Then again, I Enjoy Togos® more than most. That's ok, I question my sanity sometimes, too. :)

"If I were making $28 every 15 minutes from open to close, I'd be happy"

$112/hour...(though I think it is probably less than this)

Out of curiosity... Does anybody know the cost to run something like this...? Besides the obvious staffing, you have maintenance and electricity, etc...

P.S. Obviously, there is more money to be gained at the casino while parents are gambling...

Actually, Vater, this was the first Togo that I didn't like.

But let me clarify:
I could like ME if I didn't pay $20 to ride. Put it in a park (and give me the 2 Long Islands I had just before) and I'd swear it was the second coming of Anton (blasphemey, I know). But after paying that much to ride a ride that was rough (and yes, that was still after 2 Long Islands), I didn't like it.

Jeffery-you're right, I was just making a point ;). I think it would be different if it were Millie or Ka or TTD or something, but I'd say that Despy is far past paid and was probably so when built. Like most things in Vegas, the coaster is a bonus 'comp' you get at the casino. The only ca$h they got outta us, though, was for the coaster and a few rounds of Tekken.

I'd have stayed longer if we weren't going to see Maroon 5 and Phantom Planet at USH that evening.

Desperado was the last arrow ride to be designed on the board. The transitions suck, especially after coming out of the first downdrop. If you watch video you can see people getting racked. the geometry on this ride is terrible in fact the Desperado chassis started breaking up within the first six months of operation and had to be extensively reworked. If you look at the desperado chassis you will notice huge gusset plates welded on the 2nd and 3rd chassis wings to help bleed off energy into the main chassis tube to help prevent cracking. And main axle spindle nuts are now "bearlock nuts" instead of fomoco nuts and a locking tab washer.I rode it last in 99 and it beat the crap out of me, it was like being in a slow motion car wreck.

I really like Desperado, even with the rough transitions and bumpyness. Whoever mentioned that a "defensive riding posture" should be maintained hit the nail right on the head. Holding the grab bar and bracing for the worst of it will really add to the experience. I ablolutely love that second drop, despite the fact that it feels like a bucking bronco.

If you happen to catch it on a day when the midcourse brakes are barely tapping, that second half is absolutely wicked.