Michigan's Mis-Adventure - 9/11/04

Count me as another who was disappointed by Michigan's Adventure.

First of, I just don't *get* Shivering Timbers. Everyone said its an airtime machine. Certainly not on the day I went. Not only that but it was pretty rough. Without any airtime, I'd say that pretty much invalidates the layout of the ride, making it rough, boring, and horribly predictable. And that trick-track... evil.

IMO, Wolverine Wildcat ranks pretty close to SFMM's Psyclone. That ride has more jackhammering than a construction site!

Typically, small parks make up for their lack of rides with an abundance of atmosphere and charm (see IB, HW, Legoland, etc.). Michigan's Adventure has no landscaping, lackluster employees and a lot of rides that look like they are a part of the county fair circuit.

All in all, not up to Cedar Fair's standards my any means, and its something that an S&S drop ride or Intamin Impulse probably won't fix.

Actually, I liked the trick track ;)

I got 20 laps on ST last season but haven't had a chance to visit the park this year. The turnaround is a tad rough but that helix is really something. I definitely held on whipping through that blender! I also thought that trick track was cool. The food choices were few and far between on both of my trips but I still thought it was worth it because of ST. I would put up with a lot of crap as far as the rest of the park is concerned as long as ST is open with a 10 minute line. I'm sorry you caught it on a bad day redman.

On the bonus weekends comment, I think this was already covered, but weekends after Labor Day that are not Hallowweekends are called bonus weekends. In some cases there is limitd ride availability, but in most, restraunts and shows close. Usually it is the basic food stands that stay open, because that is what most people eat and there are a limited number of customers. I can't get my favorite turkey legs at VF early or late in the season, but I don't really blame the park for that.

Wooden coasters can have off days due to other factores besides just temp. Maybe the fact that the trains are not running all week has something to do with it. I don't know. All I know is I have got ho-hum rides on ST and I have had blow-your-socks-off rides on it and you will be cheating yourself if you don't try to get the latter some time in the future. I was planning on going this weekend but I'm sick as a dog.

I was at Michigans Adventure this year and thought Shivering Timbers was one of the top 5 wood coasters of the trip. Considering how high he rated some of the other coasters I'm finding this opinion a little suspect. The real problem with that park, I thought, was how little there was outside of Shivering Timbers. The other coasters are pretty much horrid. But then again, that was ok as long as we could ride Shivering Timbers over and over again, which we did.

The mouse there, incidentally, is near a kiddie coaster. So you're giving a kiddie coaster a 7 out of 10 and ST a 5 out of 10? That's pretty weird. Same for liking Wildcat more then ST. It's not like Wildcat is a smooth wood coaster ride at all, so I'm not sure why you objected so to what you perceived as rough on ST but not on Wildcat.

I also notice that an actual kiddie coaster was given a 7 out of 10. If you dislike ST so much for being rough, and love kiddie and family coasters so much, perhaps you should stick to those kinds of rides?

Uhhhhhhhh, cuz you rate a mouse for being a mouse and not a wooden out-and-back, that's why. Cuz you rate a family woodie as a family woodie and not a world-class CCI, right?

I'd rate VF's WT harshly, too--because I'd rate it against other hypers I've boarded.

I'll tell you something else. I've never had a rough ride on ST and it still doesn't dent my top ten woodie list. Why? Because I've had better. Much better and plenty of it. The more true world class woodies I've been on, the lower ST sinks IMHO. Sorry.

-CO

(whose home park isn't the center of the universe either)

rdreaming...you rate your coasters your way, I'll rate mine my way.

I rate coasters for what they are. The mouse and Zach's Zoomer were good fun coasters. They got a 7. I have given 7's to other more "intense" coasters (for example, B:TR, and IW at GAm). That does not mean I think they offer the same ride experience...it just means that they offer an average ride (Think "C" in school).

Now if I was RANKING rides, I could see your point. But I was rating them. Two entirely different methods.

If I had to RANK (which I do not do because I find it hard to compare rides of different genres) the same coasters would fare much differently. Take this example of JUST GAm and MiA. Wood coasters would start at Viper, Eagle, Wolverine, Timbers, ZZoomer.

Steel coasters would go SUF, RB, BTR, V2, Whizzer, Ragin Cajun, Mad Mouse, Demon, IW, Corkscrew, Big Dipper, Spacely's.

Do you understand what I mean now?

wow...it is amazing how rude some of you are!! Thanks for saying "It's always been a crappy amusement park" and "the jourdons didnt have the money to get there coasters retracked professionaly". It helps us remember why we sold!!