KickTheSky 100 - KBF 8/14 - 8/15

ARRIVED: 10am 8/14

LEFT: 10:30pm 8/15

PARK APPEARANCE/ATMOSPHERE: This was by far my favorite park of the entire trip. It was a very well themed park with many interesting non-coaster activities to do and with two world class coasters in an already impressive lineup of rides. My favorite had to be the Ghost Town area of the park. It really makes the Southwest Territory at SFGAm look really cheesy (in some ways it is but you have to give 6Flags credit for doing it). I particularily liked the Calico Mine Ride and all the cute animitronics they had in there as well as the log ride(name escapes me) will all of it's wonderful theming. Getting robbed on the park's train was a neat touch as well.

RIDE QUEUE TIMES: Thursday the park was packed to the gills with Ghostrider never really under an hour and a half wait all day. Friday was a bit better with 45 minute Ghostrider waits. I never waited longer than 20 minutes for Xcellerator. I wonder if people just never got into the ride or what the deal was on that ride.

BEST EXPERIENCE: Ghostrider at night. Almost an equal to Legend at night. Just a suggestion, I found that the front seats of the back car are preferrable to the back car as it is a bit smoother and you get equal airtime.

WORST EXPERIENCE: Hearing about the stagecoach accident that happened a few days after I left. I really enjoyed that ride and I hope that it won't keep them from operating it.

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: Montezuma's Revenge. I wanted to dislike this ride so bad. I have so many fond memories of Tidal Wave and always wanted to believe that it would always be the best shuttle loop around. I was wrong.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Having to leave.

COASTER RANKINGS

WITHOUT FLAW:
Xcellerator: (82) This was easily my favorite coaster of the trip. It was also the one I was looking forward to the most. No anticipointment here at all. Now I am really looking forward to riding TTD and the new one Hershey is getting.

Ghostrider: (83) Another excellent ride at this park. Easily my number two wooden coaster between Legend and Raven. This coaster had great pacing, wonderful airtime and good laterals. My only complaint is the slowdown at midcourse, which Legend doesnt have and gives it the edge on this ride (although the drop from that slowdown is incredible).

REALLY QUITE GOOD:
Montezuma's Revenge: (84) I love Schwartzkopf shuttles. Short lines on this one made it easy to get several rides in. I love how Jaguar's track goes through the loop.

COLD FRIES BAD
Jaguar!: (85) I think I almost fell asleep on this ride.

Boomerang: (86) My second of these modern torture devices and not good at all. The only thing I liked about it was the color scheme.

JUST PLAIN AWFUL
None

MAJOR NON-COASTER ACTIVITIES:
As stated before, there is tons to do at this park besides coasters. I normally don't do shows, but I decided to do the Snoopy ice show just to cool off because it was extremely hot. It was a very well done show; one of the better park shows I have seen.

There are a couple of DDR third mix machines in the park that I played as well to get my DDR fix for the trip.

BEST NON-COASTER RIDE:
This one is hard to decide as there were so many great non-coaster rides here. I would have to say it is a tossup between the Calico Mine Ride and the Log ride.

OTHER COMMENTS:
I stayed at the Radisson next to the park and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made regarding a hotel. The service at the hotel was top notch, the walk to the park was probably shorter than those parking at the park, and the restaurant inside the hotel was also top notch. Who can beat having Snoopy shaking your hand every night for dinner and every morning for breakfast?

I was off to my next hotel on Saturday where I would be for my seminars which would be in the Anaheim area. Saturday is also part two of this trip report for Belmont Park!

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Bob Hansen
Resident Airtime Whore
*** This post was edited by Kick The Sky 8/22/2003 12:58:28 PM ***

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log ride(name escapes me) will all of it's wonderful theming.

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Sit...Sit...Sit...Sit down!

Perilous Plunge, anyone? Bob, did you ride it?
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Rob - Jerk/Loser - Standing up for the unfunny and unattractive. - Click here for details

Yes, I rode Perilous Plunge. Wasnt overly excited by it. The log ride I am referring to wasnt the Perilous Plunge, however, it was the themed one over by the Calico Mine Ride.

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Bob Hansen
Resident Airtime Whore

That's the Timber Mountain Log Ride, one of the best there is.

Boy, Chris, I agree there! That thing is a blast!

Bob, you didn't like PP? Hmmmm.... I would understand it if you rode it prior to the change in harnesses, but man, I still thought it was really intense. Granted, you really have to want to get wet. ;)
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Rob - Jerk/Loser - Standing up for the unfunny and unattractive. - Click here for details

i didnt even want to get wet when i rode PP and it was the most amazing water ride experience i had ever had....even with the crazy harnesses. to me it felt sort of like a millennium force water ride, that drop was just as insane as millenniums! maybe not as tall but who cares that thing was crazy, lol.

when i went last year xcelerator wasnt up, it was actually up earlier in the day before we got into the park, but when we got in, it broke down, just our luck. and after X being closed at sfmm the day earlier...i was pissed off.

But after riding ghostie at night, i forgot about everything and was just as happy as anyone could be. ghostie was the highlight of the whole trip...and same with knotts, i liked ghostie better than goliath, and knotts better than sfmm.

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KTS - I wholly agree with you on the Knott's > SFMM theory. I really don't like to share my opinion around here because it always turns into a "well, you love Cedar Fair so much more than Six Flags, don't you" flamewar.

If you want to really enjoy Knotts, go anytime between December - May. Even the day before Coaster Solace last year (granted, a Friday during Feb.) was completely empty, save for a few early arrivals.

And Xcelerator does absolutely rule. I don't know if it's better than TTD, but I seem to remember the experience more fondly. There are a number of factors that could have contributed to that, though.

...not the least of which is the line...

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"Well, I'm sure I'd feel much worse if I weren't under such heavy sedation." - David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
http://www.loopscrew.com

I-Nar, havent really made any theories in this thread about Knott's > SFMM, then again I do agree with it wholeheartedly. I would rather spend another few days at Knotts than at SFMM any day. The employees were much friendlier, their ride operations were better, I really didnt get stapled like the horror stories said, and there was just so much more to do. Like many who read these boards, I am more of a park enthusiast. This park had a lot of great things to do. SFMM had a lot of nice coasters that were run poorly and not much else. Anyways, I dont want to start a flamewar here either over which park is better.

I am really seriously thinking of flying out for Coaster Solace now. Just because of the level of service I got from the park and the great time I had would be enough to get me to cough up 300 bucks to fly out again. I would fly out for Knotts, and Knotts only. That is how good of a park it was. And the level of service at the Radisson would guarantee my return to their fine establishment as well.

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Bob Hansen
Resident Airtime Whore

Solace is easily worth the trip. I really had a fantastic time last year, and the park really put on a good event for us. Highly recommended. Throw in a side trip or two to Disneyland & DCA, and that's a golden weekend.

DCA was wonderful. I was mildly disappointed with Disneyland, as will all be revealed whenever I get the gumption ot finish my trip reports for all the darned parks I visited. DCA might just be worth another visit though. Easily my second favorite of the trip. I really liked the theming in the Paradise Pier section of the park.

When is Solace this upcoming winter, BTW?

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Bob Hansen
Resident Airtime Whore

It was March 1 this year. I'm thinking Solace will be around the same time next year.

3 of the 4 past Solaces have been on the first weekend of March. The second one was in January (BRRRRR!)

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Mike Miller - Si-Si-Si-Sit Down!

Go to the solace. You will love it. I went last year and had a great time and am planning on going again this year. The customer service was even better than it usuaually is and they were dispatching trains on ghostrider so quick they sometimes had to wait for he second one to come in the break run.

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I hope they kill that iron yuppie. Thinks he's so big. The great homer simspon

I there's a pro to the harness on PP (heh heh I said PP). Sometimes people try to hide from getting so soaked by bending at the waist and putting their head to their knees so the water just hits their backs. Thise way more reluctant people, esspecially your own friends who don't want to get soaked, will get soaked. Then you can point and laugh at them.
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"Adventure, Excitement. A Jedi Craves Not These Things."