Associated parks:
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We got to the park at about 9:30 and got in line to enter the park. We had already bought tickets through AAA, so we did not have to wait in the ticket lines, which were very long. I went with my brother(RagingBullet) and my aunt. Now if you were wondering about the Superman reference in the title, here is the explanation. While we were in line to enter through the main gate, we noticed they were playing movie themes. But one movie theme made my brother and I look at each other instantly. It was the Superman Theme! Since SFGam is our home park, we have already heard this song WAAAYYY too much this season. So we immediately felt back at home when we heard that song.
We entered the park at 10, and got to the gate by Spongebob 3D. We felt this was the closest gate to XLC. We had a very nice chat with the security guard. I asked for some advice on which rides to ride first and so on. He suggested XLC and Volcano. Which was pretty much the plan from the get-go. Then I asked him how he liked the rides here, and get this...He's never rode any of the rides there! I couldn't believe it. Anyways, enough of the boring stuff...
We got to Hypersonic XLC at 10:30 just to find an employee not letting us into the line. She said that the ride is not open yet, but will open soon. Sure enough 10 minutes later, it opens. We got on the first train of the day, back row. Now I have not had a chance to ride TTD yet, but this 80 MPH launch is pretty powerful. Afterwards all I could think about was, 40 MPH faster!!! The ride was good, but it left me wanting more. I hate when that happens. But still a great ride.
Next, we headed over to Volcano. We waited about 30 min. in a very nicely themed line. The whole area around volcano is just awesome. I had no idea what to expect from this ride. WHAT A RIDE! I love both launches, and WOW how smooth! This ride popped directly into my top 10 list.
Then we rode FoF. This ride was BRAND new last time I was at PKD, and I believe it was called Outer Limits. I waited about 2-3 hours for this ride in 1996. And on Friday we waited no longer than 15 minutes. GEESH! The launch didn't seem like much after we had ridden XCL. And for some reason the coaster seemed very slow. The new lap bars are awesome. I also noticed that we almost stopped midway through the ride. I don't ever remember braking so heavily like that back in 96. But my memory isn't THAT good.
The only other ride I'm really going to talk about is Rebel Yell. My new favorite woody! What an awesome ride. We rode it backwards in the Back row. Which in essence would have been the front if the train were going the correct way. Blah blah blah. So much airtime! Biggest surprise of the day! I also noticed the new plaque in front of the ride given to the park by ACE. Really cool stuff. Anyways, this ride just knows how to produce!
Other rides:
Drop Zone (Great drop, better than the giant at GAM, but not that big of a difference)
Grizzly (The only ride we rode more than once)
Hurler (OUCH!) What weird banked turns!
Shockwave (Good airtime, great helix)
Anaconda (Can you say Sloooooooow)
Avalanche (I NEEDED to ride this. I miss Rolling Thunder at SFGam, and needed closure. LOL
Ricochet (My first Wild Mouse, no biggy)
My Final comments would be that this is a great park full of 3 great launches. A negative would be how bad the ride ops were on the flat rides. They took forever to check lap bars. They walked from cart to cart as if they had big weights attached to their feet.
Good rides: Volcano, Hypersonic XLC, Drop Zone, Rebel Yell, and The Scrambler
Bad rides: Hurler, Anaconda, and whatever the name is of that d*mn Pirate ship. I hated that thing. It wasn't as bad as Power Dive, but still, I left with a headache.
I will be back to PKD though! GREAT PARK!
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If you haven't rode Raging Bull in the back row you haven't lived. The feeling on that first drop cannot be explained in words!
I also noticed the sign over by Rebel yell just before entering the line (forward side) & think it adds a nice touch,as does the landscaping around DZ & triple spin looks good along the main midway as well.
The name of the pirate ship is Berserker,I take it you rode it & didn't like it due to the god awful restraints (2nd most painfull safety system in the park next to Shockwave's)I've ridden it once myself & hated it just as much as you did...if not more.
Ricochet's a fun little coaster but the only problem I had with it is the final brakes,they are too sudden & forceful & while riding in the back it can cause you to really slam hard into the lap bar.
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PKD 2003 - Drop Zone Falls!
If you did see me,I was the one wearing a white Volcano T-shirt,black shorts & a blue fanny pak,one of my friends was wearing a Gwazi T shirt & his girlfriend(visiting from Florida) was wearing a Dueling Dragons T shirt.
I still have yet to post my TR (why bother posting it when no one seems interested enough to read or reply to it?) on coasterbuzz or SFN,but I did post one over at thrill network so you can read it over there & I may post one later today if I've got time on the buzz as well as over at SFN.
The only inversions I managed to get in on the trip were on V:TBC,which for some reason is becoming somewhat of a headbanger lately,oh well better luck next year.
2 1/2 hrs for log flume?!? I would have just left and went home. I dont think I have ever even waited more than 10 - 15mins for drop zone, and no more than 1 1/2hrs for Hypersonic (front row ride).
Was there some sort of event or a bunch of groups there?
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1. Millennium Force
2. HypersonicXLC
3. Alpengeist
Longest wait I had was about 20 minutes for Volcano, and about the same for Hypersonic's front seat.
Hypersonic's launch is insane, Volcano's is good, but the second one I could barely feel. FOF underwhelmed me. It was good and all, but I was expecting better.
I loved Rebel Yell too! The back (well, front) of that backwards train, when coming off the turnaround had some of the most intense air I've ever felt.
That, coupled with it being a walkon, and the fact that the cute girls running it had the hots for me (I guess it's the Canadian accent), kept me there a lot longer than I should have stayed (I must have ridden it a good 30 times)
It was very weird for me though, as it was the first other Paramount park I'd visited (besides my workplace/homepark), so everything seemed eerily familiar, yet different too. I couldn't get over that their Whitewater had no turntable.
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"Is this a rollercoaster?"
What, you didn't feel the second launch?! Put your head foreward and it'll knock your head back :)
As for rebel yell - I usually skip it. In 2001, rebel yell was fun, but starting last year it has gotten really painful (or so I remember it to be) so I usually leave my wooden hunger up to grizzly and hurler.
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1. Millennium Force
2. HypersonicXLC
3. Alpengeist
Going into the far turn the train did catch some major air for a few moments though & it felt as if it would fly off at any second (of course that wouldn't really happen) but it sure as heck did that time.
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