Goliath (La Ronde) Impressions...
I don't have time to post a full trip report, but i'll post my review on Goliath.
When we arrived at 12:30ish the ride was broken down for awhile (the gate was closed for the ride, but people were still in the main line as well)... but it opened up about 30 min later from what I could tell. The line when we arrived was only in the station, and down the steps a little bit... and the line was about 20 min for the back (the same as all the other lines). The line kept growing as time went on, and eventually they put a second train on, in which 1 train waits, and eventually, walk-on's, were abundant.
The queue is nicely set up (WOW are there a LOT of railings, which i *HOPE* will never be used... there are SO many) and the station looks very nice and so does the "woody" logo.
Took my first ride in the back seat, and was amazed at how fast the lift was. I used to think S:ROS's lift was fast... but then i rode MF... but this (seems) to go even faster. The lift takes like 10-15 seconds. Before you know it you're looking down at the massive first drop (or in the back, getting flung over like a ragdoll :))
The first drop was fantastic... i'm used to the Intamin hyper drops which are amazing, but seems to (careen? -- probably not the right word) out rather quickly... IE: the drop is steep but the falling sensatiosn end quickly because the point where it straightens out is rather long.... -- however this ride you just seemed to keep falling... and falling... and you wonder when your going to stop feeling the floating sensation because it keeps going. A major plus.
After the first drop it's just up... down... up... down... up... down... up... down...
If I could describe this ride in one word, it would be: GRACEFUL.
No real forces to be had, which was kind of a let down for me (but in a way, a little expected)... I was expecting there to be air up and down the hills while in the back, but depending on where you sat, you would only get floater air for 1/4 side of the hill [either going up, or going down... -- not both)... where as on a ride like S:ROS, you are out of your seat from 3/4 up the hill, and 1/2 down because of the steepness and speed). I have a feeling if Intamin made this ride it would be INSANE (i'm picturing S:ROS SFNE's back, run), but not all rides can be perfect :)
I rode about 8 times during the day, in various sections of the train, but much preferred the back... for the first drop.
The GP seemed generally pleased with the ride, but there wasn't anything that really "took your breath away" except for the first drop, so reactions at the end didn't seem all that exciting or energetic since it just kind of "ends", unlike other rides that give you a fantastic finalle. It's just a repitition of the same thing over and over, which would have been OK provided there were some real forces, but it was just a "ride" with "floaty" sections, and nothing more. Perhaps if the last hill was "smaller" or had more speed than all the rest, and give people a "surprise", it would make the ride, overall, that much better. It's more of a "family" ride, and it seemed a lot of adults enjoyed this ride because it was fun, but not too over the top.
There is one cool 90 degree diving turn which feels really neat as well, which i also enjoyed.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good ride and I enjoyed riding it, but I guess I was expecting a bit more. :) -- i also think the train could have went through the course a wee bit faster.
One thing I didn't enjoy was *every* single ride op, there were about 5 different once i can remember, would put ALL of their weight into EVERY restraint and put as MUCH force as possible. "OWWSS!" and "WHAT THE HELL's!? [in french of course :-P] were abundant in the station. A push down is fine, but what they were doing was outrageous IMO.
So overall, It's a good ride for the park, but I'd much rather ride Le Vampire in the back on the outside seat... personally... so that is what I did most of the day :).
And there ya go.
I ended up getting a little sick after a ride on the (huss breakdance?) and all rides after that I was a little woozy on [i never get sick from coasters], and was burping every 3 seconds. Maybe because of the little bit of drinking the night before? Not fun. I always seem to get that way for the first trip-of-the-year's, though, so maybe it was just a coicidence. I'm turning into one of those people that need to take dramamine before going to parks... I miss the days of being a kid and being able to hop over queue lines and could ride anything as many times as i wanted. Now i feel like an old fart :P.
Oh, and don't try to ask any of the stands for a cup of water... they won't give you any. (we tried about 6 places). And good luck finding any of the water fountains :-P -- if i get a chance i'll post up a full trip report, because there are some other great rides and experiences i'd like to talk about.
// Alan "give me the automones tamponeuses" J.
- *** Edited 5/15/2006 6:34:09 PM UTC by SFDL_Dude***
Cobra really hurted... I hope SFDL never waste any money on rebuilding B:TE...
Can La Ronde change the braking on the trims?
Random: What exactly is "breaking in"?
La Ronde 2006!
G O L I A T H
Can La Ronde change the amount of braking that the trims produce?
SFDL Dude, how would you compare it to S:RoS? I've ridden both, and I presume you have aswell, and I'd like to know your imput, thanks! *** Edited 5/15/2006 7:04:14 PM UTC by Canadian Dude***
La Ronde 2006!
G O L I A T H
Still, if the locals love it...
DWeaver said:
Seemingly another example of how B&M's seem to vary from coaster to coaster, and I'm convinced it's not an accident.
Which begs the question, why? Why would they ask for an ass kicker in GA but go more "family friendly" in Canada?
JC
In other words, the same crowd would be just as likely to get on one than the other, so what's the benefit of having the less aggresive coaster? Are people really more likely to come back next year for the less agressive ride?
I would point to the coasters at Holiday World as an example. These are 3 of the most kick-butt coasters in the entire world and yet I see 6 year olds riding right along with their grandparents. I think what exactly makes a ride "family friendly" is much less easy to define as some park execs (or enthusiasts) may think.
On another thought, how exactly does B&M even quantify this? Like, they say to the park "Ok, we can make this like...an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10, or we can make this a 4. What do you want?" I just don't understand how that sort of thing goes from discussion and then into the design itself. *** Edited 5/16/2006 2:11:14 AM UTC by matt.***
Some parks just seem to get a little nervous when it comes to g forces, and they'd rather play safe than sorry.
Still, it sounds like a good ride!
Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."
SFDL_Dude said:
and was amazed at how fast the lift was. I used to think S:ROS's lift was fast... but then i rode MF... but this (seems) to go even faster. The lift takes like 10-15 seconds.
Well of course it felt like it only took 10-15 seconds to get to the top. The ride is only about 170 feet tall. ;)
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