GL: Steel Venom is Working: 7-9-04

My brother and I got to GL about 6:15p, and SV is finally working.

We rode it 5 times. Then we rode Thunderhawk twice, the Dominator twice, RWB twice.

I rode Villain 3 times, while my brother rode Double Loop.

Then we closed out SV 11 more times.

I'm very happy my favorite coaster at GL is working again. 3 of those 16 times we rode it, the holding braking didn't engage. But other than that it was working great.

Also, it seems strange to have a nearly dead park well into the busy summer season.

Any comments on this?

I have ridden SV quite a few times this year. All times I have been riding it, the holding break has been on. Rumor has it, they couldn't get SV to work without the holding break. From what you say, it sounds like they have...which would be a real bummer.

My biggest complaint...when I'm the only one even near the ride, on the ride, only one even close to the que...ALLOW ME TO RERIDE!!!!!! I took 10 laps on the ride, by myself, with no one else...yes 10 rides actually I think two had another couple. But they even then wanted to reride. Last year it was great being able to reride. If people were in the line for our seat, we just simply moved to another seat to allow them in the one they wanted. Yeah, I know the whole park policy thing, but it gets pretty annoying sometimes.

They really need to take down the old SUE theming, change the colors, add a new BIG sign, and then it will feel different, right now it just feels like a 1/2 running SUE to me. Though admittedly the crew does a very good job.

It's park policy, tough.

Even if there was just one person in the queue walking towards the ride, you technically just cut in front of them. Get out, and walk around again... Americans need more exercise anyway.

Oh don't give me that ;) If you wait for the gates to CLOSE and there are empty seats you are in no wrong and you did not cut in front of anyone. I just fought this battle along with others when this policy was trying to be put in force at Six Flags New Orleans this year but we defeated it. Exercise? Don't you think 10 laps around the line is a little much? That's like exhaustion if you're trying to make it on for the next cycle.

I agree, that policy is silly, wish they would get rid of it! Adventureland still lets you reride contnously, and there is no reason why other parks can't follow suit. I'd like to know what happened to cause this rule to be put in place at Cedar Fair parks.

Kara has mentioned that the turnstiles will read incorrectly if you re-ride. Not that someone couldn't go turn it for you or whatever (and not like they're that accurate, ever).

Policy is policy though. I definitely see a lot of "high intensity" poaching on V2 SFMW at the end of the day when half the train is scrambling for the 4 poachable seats after each ride.

I agree that poaching shouldn't be allowed, but re-riding under extremely empty conditions should be ok. Does it really matter to gauge capacity/ridership in extremely uncrowded conditions?

I agree with Cameraman. It was ridiculous at Mt. Olympus to have to get out of the coaster and walk around the whole que when NOBODY was in line and the park was dead.

If you let people re-ride in the same seats, they're going to start poaching different seats. It's like a natural law or something. If the station starts filling up and some current riders' row is taken, they will go find a new empty row. It's really not enforcable.

The problem is that, even if the station appears absolutely dead, you run into trouble if half the train wants to poach/re-ride and there's 1/4 of the train empty. Do you just let them free-for-all? Do you draw out of a hat? Also, many times, someone will poach and then people will come up through the queue and have to wait a cycle (which can take quite a while on some rides) because people have already poached all the rows.

I'm not saying I don't poach. I'm just saying I understand why some parks make it a "no-matter-what" policy. There're way too many situations in which a problem will occur and way too few benefits (save for the few people who really really marathon rides). *** Edited 7/12/2004 5:06:46 AM UTC by ApolloAndy***

I was at the park last Tuesday and the holding brake was on the entire time (9 rides). I had one complaint about the ride too - I always ride in the furthest back seat available, but I had to quit every 3 rides and go walk around for a while because the vibration in the train began to injure my ah ... family jewels? I noticed that in general, at least last Tuesday, the wheel maintenance cycle was either right at its end, or has been completely neglected because every single coaster was in miserable shape. Dominator was rattling, Villain was unrideable, Thunderhawk was very uncharacteristically SLC-ish, and as I said, SV jiggled the jewels too much for my liking. Other than that, can't beat hte lines, and although there aren't many people through the ride turnstalls, the waterpark had good attendance still late in the day on a Tuesday, so I'd say the park's in good position financially (at least, not LOSING money)

Dominator has always rattled through the corkscrews. SV seemed kinda rough on the launch. My boyfriend finds it interesting how the ride is operated... His face during the holding brake was hilarious.

I like how she casually slides in the 'boyfriend' bit. But that's okay. Once a Stalkette, always a Stalkette, right? ;)

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ApolloAndy said:
Kara has mentioned that the turnstiles will read incorrectly if you re-ride. Not that someone couldn't go turn it for you or whatever (and not like they're that accurate, ever).

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I suppose that's what she's been taught.
Just because it's CP policy doesn't make it CF policy. That's all I'll say for now.

-'Playa *** Edited 7/13/2004 5:59:37 PM UTC by CoastaPlaya***

You aren't jealous or anything, are you? ;)

No more than you are of the other two Stalkettes.