Michigan's Adventure 6/20/15

Arrived at MiA right at opening Saturday morning. I had never been there before and other than Shivering Timbers and an old Geauga Lake ride, i really had no idea what was in the park or what to expect. First ride we hit was Wolverine Wildcat. Not a bad small coaster, but one train operation was painfully slow and ride operators were in no rush. With maybe 100 people in line it was a 25 minute wait, not a great start.

Next was Shivering Timbers. Only about a 15 minute wait, but could have easily been half that, but, again, ride operators were having full conversions and meandering the station when the train was there waiting to be checked/dispatched. I rode 2nd row and it was a really good ride; a little rough on the bottom of the first hill and my back didn't like the trick track, but it was good. After Shivering Timbers, we caught the little train over to Thunderhawk. Another short line. I opted to ride back row for this one and absolutely loved it. rode again in 2nd to last row and it was just as good. The near miss before the inline twist was my favorite part.

As it was getting pretty toasty outside, we decided to hit the water park. Overall it was good, the main wave pool is pretty intense at the deep end and the slides are fun. Our longest wait of the day was for the Funnel of Fear, but it was still only 40 minutes and was worth it.

After the water park and a bite to eat, we tried to hit Thunderhawk again. As we were in line for the next train, the operator made an announcement that the ride had gone down for mechanical issues. After this we hear one of the workers on the platform scream "Where is the other train???" This is one of the most nerve-racking things I've ever heard at an amusement park. Luckily it was just a panicky worker and the car was stopped near the top of the lift hill, but she definitely got everyone's heart pumping for a second. Since there was a train stalled with people on the hill, we decided to forego that ride and head back to Timbers.

For this ride i wanted to ride last row, and boy was it an improvement. I rode again and last row. Again amazing. Being launched over those hills was incredible and definitely bumped up the ride from riding in the front. After that we grabbed a ride on the Sea Dragon (Pirate Ship) *yawn*. We were nearly wiped at this point but decided to see what lines were short and ended up at Corkscrew.

Corkscrew was the worst. Line of maybe 75 people and we waited 35 minutes! one train, but it shouldn't have mattered on the 30 second ride. The ride operators would take 5 minutes just to dispatch a train. I would have been OK with it if the ride was decent, but i guess its my own fault for seeing the ride and still getting in line.

After a quick stop at the Ferris wheel (my girlfriend's favorite) we called it a day. All in all we were in the park about 7 1/2 hours and did everything we came to accomplish and had a relaxing day. Ride operators seemed to have a relaxing day as well based on their speed, which is the only real negative i had about the day. Don't know that i will make the trip again anytime soon (3-4 hours) unless they get a new ride, but it was fun to experience "Pure Michigan" for this weekend.

It's a great little park well-suited to its market: an add-on for people vacationing in West Michigan. It's not a destination park. Shivering Timbers remains one of my favorites.

The Wildcat is a lot better than it was, and has received some new track in the last few years. But, a second train would be nice. With waits being as long as 2 hours, you would think the new owners would update it. I usually find the ride ops at MA to be fairly fast. Maybe they are killing time to sell more fast lane tickets.

My last rides on Shivering Timbers were also pretty decent. But, riding in the back seat on both woodies can have good days and bad days. On ST it's anywhere from smooth sailing to an earth quake. The double helix at the end is mind numbing on a bad day. I have received bruises while riding ST, and one of my friends returned to the station with a bloody knee. But, it's still one of the best wooden coasters out there.

As for the corkscrew, if the line is out of the station, the wait is usually a half hour. But, I have seen it with a full queue. Typically the longest coaster lines are the Wildcat and the Mad Mouse. Close to 2 hours. The only other long lines are for the water park rides. When Grand Rapids first opened, we waited 2 hours and 45 minutes in line, with a full Queue. The Funnel of fear is usually around 2 hours. So 45 minutes is a short wait.

I have also waited 50 minutes for Thunderhawk, but, that only happened once, with only one train running. If both trains run, the wait is usually only 15 minutes. Which is great for a coaster it's size.

That is still the only positive part of Michigan's adventure. Very little waiting in line. But, I think I am going to wait for a new ride before I go back again. A new thrill ride or coaster is long overdue.

Well! I, for one, am shocked to hear that out of you!

Ben.gifford1 said:

After the water park and a bite to eat, we tried to hit Thunderhawk again. As we were in line for the next train, the operator made an announcement that the ride had gone down for mechanical issues. After this we hear one of the workers on the platform scream "Where is the other train???" This is one of the most nerve-racking things I've ever heard at an amusement park. Luckily it was just a trick question as there was no other train.

This is how that would have gone the last time I visited Michigan's Adventure.