PKI First Time (Part 3: Coney Mall and BEAST AT NIGHT!)
Associated parks:
None
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Flight of Fear:
Talk about an annoying queue. The video they had playing for the ride was a joke. I might have liked it if I didn’t see it 5 times while waiting in line. Every time the lights went out EVERYONE screamed. This didn’t help the fact that I was with soaking wet girls with headaches running on 3 hours of sleep. We eventually reached the loading platform and chose riding partners. I sat with a friend in seat 1:2. On the next train, my other friends sat in 1:2 and 1:1. There was virtually NO line for the front.
The launch for the ride was pretty cool. It felt a lot more forceful than The Chiller (probably because it was done in the dark). The first couple of elements were ROUGH. The Cobra Roll and Sidewinder were very painful. Everything right before and after MCBR was okay. The train was shuffling a lot but fortunately we were equipped with lap bars. Once the train started to pick up speed again the coaster once again became rough. The corkscrew at the end was taken at a high speed but was anything but smooth. I was SHOCKED! I expected FOF to be an enjoyable ride.
Intensity: +4
Positive G’s: +4
Negative G’s: 0
Transitions: -3 (I take back what I said about Vortex)
Speed: +4
Overall Ride Rating: +1
Everyone was annoyed and running out of energy at this point. Luckily The Racer was next. I knew that would provide a low thrill, enjoyable ride… WRONG.
The Racer:
We entered the queue for the backwards train only to find it had JUST broken. We hoped right over to the forward side once we found out. We grabbed the last train and we were off.
The ride itself isn’t really rough but more abrupt is the word. I felt like my spine was going to emerge from my back. My friend sitting next to me was doing everything she could to keep her glasses on her face. There wasn’t anything too great about this ride. I’m kind of happy we weren’t able to get on the backward side.
Intensity: +1
Positive G’s: 0
Negative G’s: +1
Laterals: 0
Speed: +1
Overall Ride Rating: 0
I was getting worried at this point. My friends had really taken a beating and were about to give up. Although I thought Adventure Express wouldn’t be the cure, I wanted to try it anyway.
Adventure Express:
There was no line for this ride at all. I rode by myself on this ride in 2:3 while my friends rode in 3:1 and 3:2. I was very happy with the restraints on this ride. I was expecting to see something like that on the Runaway Train at SFGAdv. The restraints on Adventure Express were much more comfortable.
This is the BEST mine train EVER! Of course the transitions were rough but this ride was really thrilling! The themeing was great also. I was a little disappointed by the anti-climatic themed lift hill right before the station but overall, the ride was enjoyable. As we returned to the station my friends were all clapping. They were happy that they just rode a good coaster.
Intensity: 0
Positive G’s: +1
Negative G’s: +2
Transitions: -1
Speed: +1
Overall Ride Rating: +1
At this point it was time to compromise with my friends. If they weren’t going to let me get the credits for the four kiddie coaster, I at least wanted to ride all of the adult ones. The only one left was Face Off.
Face Off:
Two of my friends sat this one out. They had enough by now. I had been on a clone of Face Off before. Back in 1999 I had ridden Invertigo at PGA and really liked it. It was smooth and intense and the seating arrangements were an added bonus. The ride was just how I remembered. It was thrilling and being able to watch your friends while riding it really fun.
Intensity: +2
Positive G’s: +2
Negative G’s: +1
Transitions: +2
Speed: +2
Overall Ride Rating: +2
My friends wanted to ride Drop Zone again (this was clearly their favorite ride of the day), but the line had gotten pretty long. We decided to take a break and sit for a while. While we were drinking our Icee’s, we decided another ride on SOB was our next step. All of us really wanted to ride it again except for one of my friends. She thought the ride was really bumpy. I had never even realized that she was the one stuck above the wheel for the first ride. That thought had never even crossed my mind. Despite her warning, we headed to SOB forgetting about the “middle car” rule.
Son of Beast (2nd Ride):
This time I rode alone. I sat in 5:2. Two of my friends sat in 5:1 and the other two sat in 6:1. Let’s just say that the overall impression of the ride after that point was a little different. Everyone hated it. They said that if they rode the ride over the wheels the first time that they would not have wanted to come back. I again loved it (but I was in the middle of a car). I never got to experience Son of Beast above the wheels so I guess I’ll never know what it’s like. I can assume though. My friends who were totally in love with this ride before were now in pain. I just feel bad for my friend who got stuck above the wheel both times. So overall, if you ride in the second row of any car, there should be no problem. The ride is smooth and intense and there should be nothing to complain about (besides the lack of airtime and if you are tall, which I am not). As for the seats above the wheels, I can’t comment on that.
Now it was time. We had 30 minutes left at PKI and I knew I would probably never be coming back. It was unanimous. Everyone decided it would be great to have a night ride on the Beast. I knew it was something we HAD to do.
The Beast (NIGHT Ride):
There wasn’t much of a line but it seemed to move very slowly. One thing I noticed was that even though you can pick early on whether you want the back or front, there is nothing stopping you from changing your mind when you get to the train. Regardless, we decided we had to sit near the back. Fortunately for us, we all rode in the last car. Once the ride started I was OVERWHELMED with excitement. This was it… a night ride on The Beast. I didn’t know what to expect. The lift hill was VERY slow and just heightened the anticipation. Once we finally hit the top it was 9:01. The sky had finally turned black and it was time to start the ride.
The ride is COMPLETELY different at night. It’s in the woods so you can’t see anything. The tunnel on the first half (not at the bottom of the first drop) was amazing. It was PITCH dark and seemed to last forever. By the time we reached the second lift hill I was overly satisfied. The disappointment I had felt from the first ride was now gone. Soon we were at the top of the second lift hill. Slowly we turned left and picked up speed right before… TRIMS! Those darn trims are really strong. After finally getting off of them if felt like the train was THROWN into the helix. It was SO intense and you couldn’t see a thing in those tunnels. It was a heavenly experience and I was so happy I got to share it with my friends. It is something I will never forget.
Quick Ride Summary:
Drop Zone: Scariest ride at the park.
Son of Beast: AMAZING if you sit in the second row of a car.
Top Gun: Slow and short but a fun ride.
Delirium: What a unique ride.
The Beast: Disappointing first half but incredible helix.
Tomb Raider: The Ride: Awesome themeing and a well choreographed ride.
White Water Canyon: You better want to get drenched.
Vortex: Rough but not as rough as…
Flight of Fear: Very disappointing. Maybe if we didn’t wait for an hour…
The Racer: It LOOKS tame.
Adventure Express: The best mine train ever.
Face Off: Smooth and intense. Much better than a boomerang.
The Beast at NIGHT: Heavenly.
My firends used one word to describe PKI. That word was brutal. It's not what I was expecting but we still had a great time! I'll miss you PKI! *** Edited 5/3/2004 1:59:00 AM UTC by rentzy17***
I think that I need to ride SOB both over the wheels and in the middle just to see what the big fuzz is about. I've been on my share of rough woodies (Herculies, mean streak, wildcat, PREDATORyuck) and do not think it will be a problem. I am also looking forward to Top GUn actually. I have always loved the suspended coaster concept and think that a good one is hard to come by. Since many people think that Top Gun is one of the best suspended coasters ever built, I am interested to see how it compares to Big Bad Wolf.
Racer, I just can't do backwards. Hurts. Though, I really think I've become immune to the pain on rides since I've just ridden them so much.
During the morning we got lucky and didn't have to wait long for anything. The same thing with the evening rides. I never mentioned that our SECOND ride on SOB was a walk on. The middle part of our day (Part 2 of my TR! Check it out!) was where we encountered the biggest lines.
Plus, we went during Boy Scout and Girl Scout weekend. BELIEVE ME, it DID make a difference. They were EVERYWHERE!
*18 days till my trip with a bunch of whining girls*
For example, last time I went to SFGAdv. my goal was to get on all 12 coasters. I succeeded. This time I look forward just to riding The Chiller and Nitro over and over! I can't wait!
Oh, and watch out for those wet girls. It sounds appealing but believes me, it's not.
You think FOF was rough? You should of rode it several years ago when it still had the OTSR's.....MASSIVE PAIN is an understatement. Now it's just the screaming brats that's painful....;-)
PKI's lines in the summer can get pretty nasty, including May since all the school field trips are going on. The best time to visit is in April. Opening weekend was DEAD!
Glad you had a great time and I am sure you will be back someday.
-Tina
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