First Time at PKI

Hello fellow enthusiasts. Two weeks from today, I will be fortunate enough to travel to PKI for the first time. I was wondering if there was any sort of advice or any recommendations that I should heed before embarking on my journey. I am also interested in trying out SOB. I'm tired of hearing complain that the ride isnt as smooth as miller light. I mean, I grew up with the Hercules as my local wooden beast, and if you never got the chance to ride Hercules, then you will probably have fewer back problems later on in life than me :-).

No advice, other than have fun!

If you could tolerate Hercules, then SOB is a piece of cake.

Granted, SOB is indeed rough. However, the ride is not nearly as intolerable as many will have you believe. It has become notorious simply because it is a coaster enthusiasts love to hate. You are best advised to sit in a non-wheel seat. It is definitely worth a turn, simply because it has what is, IMO, the best loop in existance.

The don't misses at PKI are.... Delirium, Beast, Tomb Raider (totally unique), Drop Zone, Racer, Flight of Fear, Carousel, Flying Eagles, Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle.

Things I would skip if short on time.... Scooby's Ghoster Coaster (unless you have 3 hours to spare in a queue.) Face/Off (unless you have another 2 hours to spare in a queue.)

Need a nice, mellow break during the day? Purchase a smoothie from the Paradise Island stand behind the Eiffel Tower near Rivertown and head over to the benches at the carousel. Grab a spot and chill.... the Carousel is one of very few that still use a live band organ. It is, IMO the gem of the park... historical and beautiful. also a great place to people watch. ;-)

Also, Bubba Gumps has the best key lime pie I have ever eaten.

Finally, take a spin on the antique cars... something tells me these may be on the chopping block someday.

Shaggy

*** Edited 4/23/2004 8:50:05 PM UTC by Shaggy***

Mmmmmmm....keyyyyy liiiiiiime piiiiiiiiie ;)

LOL, now you know where my priorities lie at PKI Moosh... smoothies, key lime pie and eye candy at the carousel ;-)

Shaggy

Excuse me while I hijack this thread..

I got to ride Hercules for the first time last year and I did not find it too rough. I only rode it in the morning and it was a bit rough in the middle and back, but the front was fine. I think it was kinda like Timberwolf as far as that goes. Maybe I got it on a good day or something.

[/hijack]

So long as the eye candy includes you, ya little hottie! LOL!

mOOSH [digging up an old inside joke]

I rode Hercules once and only once back at Coaster Con 4 years ago (Sheesh time flies!) and it is one of very few coasters that actually lived up to it's bad reputation.

I have a term I exclaim when I get off a coaster I don't care for and have no plans on riding again.... I simply say "Check!" and I don't look back ;-) Hercules got a "Check" before the ride was even half way finished. LOL

From what I recall, Hercules virtually stopped mid-drop (ala Mean Streak but even more dramatic) and the turn over the lake was brain rattling. I do not lament it's loss one bit. Out with the bad, in with the new I say.

I AM glad I got the chance to ride it though. If nothing else than for the notorious reputation it will always have. That, and the debates it will always sparks... much like SOB.

Moosh... you just couldn't resist could you? LOL. Speaking of carousels and hotties, did you see my new profile pic? Ha ha! Taken on Disneyland's carousel... talk about eye candy!

Shaggy
*** Edited 4/23/2004 4:52:43 PM UTC by Shaggy***

To add to what Shaggy said:

Don't forget Beastie, one of the best junior woodies around.

A non-wheel seat on Sonny is NOT *optional*, it's required....or you can simply put your chiropractor on speed-dial...;)

I love me some eye candy, but I'll skip the key lime pie in favor of virtually anything else...

Haven't ridden Delirium, but Drop Zone is my all-time FAV tower ride, shot or drop...

Also, if you're a *big kid* like me, DO catch a ride on Wild Thornberries River Adventure...just do it before the lines get long. :)

Not to further hijack this thread but my experiences with Herc were the same. While my first choice would have been for a radical overhaul/redesign instead of removal I understand Dorney's decision to do dump it. I suspect a new woodie will come eventually and if the word from my sources about the floorless' stats and features turn out to be correct there won't be any complaining ;)

And Shaggs...great pic! Seriously.

mOOSH

I can't imagine Herc being worse than SoB.

I am going to PKI in May as well. I haven't had the chance to go there since SOB was bran new, so I am very excited to say the least.

PKI is my favorite park. It holds a special place in my heart, probably because the big coasters there where what started my obsession in the first place.

SOB was the worst coaster experience of my life. It made me believe that I was going to be seriously injured, and it was at least twice as rough as any ride I have had on Herc. BUT...

I keep reading that the ride was improved; that it isn't as rough as it used to be. Unitl I heard that, I was never going to ride it again. Now I am going to give it another chance to be friendly. If CoasterBuzzers are saying that it isn't as rough as Herc was, than it can't be all that bad.

But enough about SOB-PKI is really in a league of it's own. Even other Paramount parks do not compare to it's quality and attraction lineup. It was great durring my first visit 18 years ago, and it is even better now. It just KEEPS improving.

Shaggy, I would also fit Top Gun and Adventure Express in there as don't misses. Top Gun is really out of control and even though it does have a clone, it is very unique. Adventure Express is the last, and best Arrow Mine Rides ever built, and it's theming is WAY COOL. The only negatives I can think of about these two rides are Top Gun's laocation and short ride, and Adventure Express's secret hidden entrance and the ride's anticlimactic ending. They still are two of my favorite rides though.

My only advice, Mr. Zwerin, as with any park advice I give, is to take it easy and just let the experience happen. Too many enthusiasts run as fast as they can from one coaster to another without really letting the theming do it's thing to them. Take your time to look at the landscapes. Sit on a bench and eat some cotton candy.

But most importantly, have a GREAT time.

...Did I almost finish a PKI post without talking about the BEAST? If you ride only one coaster at PKI, ride the Beast. It is the most legendary wooden coaster of our time. It is a slightly rough ride, but just let it do what it wants to you and you'll be fine.

If you take out the "A", it spells "BEST", so that proves tht the ride is better than all.

*** Edited 4/23/2004 6:14:44 PM UTC by dexter***

I took a friend to PKI for his first visit, and he liked Tomb Raider so much, he bought a season pass so he could come back and ride that thing like crazy. I'd strongly reccommend the middle of the car seat on SOB though. That train does shuffle quite a bit. Make sure to ride Beast during the day and at night. Two seemingly totally different rides... (except for the layout.)

Hey Dex...just an small, nit-picky FYI: Road Runner Express, the mine train at Fiesta Texas was the last mine train Arrow built.

http://www.rcdb.com/installationdetail265.htm

mOOSH

...and a Darn Good One, too.

Okay, one of the last, rather. Thanks for the info Mr. Moosh. I was unaware.

I really love AE. It makes me hope S&S will be building some mine trains in the future. I know...whatever the parks ask for. If I owned a park, that would be one of the first kind of rides I would build.

Back on topic, be sure to ride the Beast at night; no matter what you thought of it during the day. Also plan to power ride said coaster that night once you have taken your first night ride because there is very few coasters that can deliver a ride better then this big monster at night.

Adventure Express is actually my favorite coaster in the park, let alone fave "mine train".

As far as SOB, I really doubt I will ride it again unless I take a couple of painkillers beforehand. OUCH!

But dont' take our words for it Ryan......do it and enjoy yourself! You will love it.

I would go immediately to the Action Zone area (where DZ, Delirium, SOB, Top Gun, and Face/Off are) before the crowds get too nasty. Delirium seems to have the fastest lines though, even on the busiest days. The head back to The Beast and Tomb Raider as Tomb Raider tends to get crowded very quickly.

-Tina

To contradict Tina, if you are looking to pad the track record, go hit the Ghoster Coaster and the kiddies first, then move to RIvertown, and Coney mall. By the time you get to Action Zone, the people will have moved out of that area and you can get in some shorter lines.

I usually go with joe's plan sans the kiddies.

I wouldn't worry about getting it all in, but going counter-clockwise does help.