Superman: ultimate Flight worth it?

It's funny how enthusiasts view these B&M flyers vs. how non-enthusiasts do. Most enthusiasts call them boring or only fun in the pretzel loop.

I can tell you that the rest of the parkgoers view things quite differently. I am speaking about Great America, so your results may vary on this, but in general, when people bring up coasters when I am around, they tend to ask if I have riden "that Superman ride at Six Flags" or "that one coaster where you fly.". There are lots of coasters in that park that enthusiasts will talk about first, however, almost everyone I interact with mentions Superman first.

I'm in full belief that Superman was a huge winner for Six Flags. People love it. People talk about it and for many it is their favorite coaster in the park.

One thing I have found about the S:UF coaster is that the ride varies dramatically based on where you sit. If you ride in the front, you seem to fall into the pretzel as well as feel a slight force on the following turns. If you are in the back, you get slammed into your set on the pretzel and seem to coast through the turns. Also, I have found that the farther back I sit, the more prone I am to that upset-stomach feeling.

All in all, I do like the ride, but I can’t remember the last time I waited more that 30 minutes for it.

Its funny how most of us are in agreement about S:UF ride experiences. Everyone mentions the pretzel loop then pretty much says "the rest of the ride does nothing for me." Haha Its quite true. I could give two rats about the ride but the GP absolutely loves it.

Kick The Sky, you're absolutely right. I get the same reactions/ responses about the ride. All they seem to want to bring up is the fact that "you lay down and its like your flying." haha welp if that makes you feel special and you'll wait 2 hrs for it then go bananas. The ride itself is mediocre at best. But thats what distinguishes us "coaster geeks" from the GP. We are critiqueing the ride experience. They are looking at what the ride does, not necessarily how good it is.

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DorneyDante said:
But thats what distinguishes us "coaster geeks" from the GP. We are critiqueing the ride experience. They are looking at what the ride does, not necessarily how good it is.

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That's one way to look at it, but I don't like the "we're better than them" connotations.

I see it as more of an example of how out of touch were are with what pleases the GP rather than vice versa. It doesn't matter how many coaster geeks say a ride is boring and it doesn't matter where if falls on any coaster dork poll.

What matters is the number of people lining up to ride and getting off happy. In that aspect S:UF is a clear winner and it's a great example of how little what 'we' have to say matters.

We also get around to a heck of a lot more parks and rides than the average theme park guest. Like a wine connoisseur, most of us have a developed palate (that's the correct spelling) of rollercoasters. There's also a bit of personal bias in there, too. It's all subjective.

This year alone, I've ridden coasters in 11 states (and this weekend, Geauga Lake will bump that up to 12). *** Edited 6/21/2006 4:53:59 PM UTC by Arson***

^Exactly what I was thinking. If you live in Iowa and the only park you visit is Adventureland, you might think Dragon is the greatest coaster ever. ;)

Enthusiasts tend to have vastly more experience to draw from, so rides have to "try harder" to impress us. *** Edited 6/21/2006 4:55:20 PM UTC by Acoustic Viscosity***

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Acoustic Viscosity said:
If you live in Iowa and the only park you visit is Adventureland, you might think Dragon is the greatest coaster ever.

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And for that person it is.

Doesn't this get into track record evny? Is one enthusiast 'better' than another because they have a bigger track record and have sampled more of the world's coasters?

We all know people who consider themselves enthusiasts and actively participate in enthusiasts activities on and offline who have ridden well under 100 coasters. We all know enthusiasts who do the same with track records of five or six hundred coasters. Is one opinion more valid? We all started somewhere.

Or what about someone like me? I don't credit whore much. In fact, I often skip coaster credits in lieu of time hanging at the park with the family doing other things (examples: In 4 full day+ visits, I still haven't ridden all of PKI's line-up, I only scored 5 or SFGAm's credits, etc.) So if I had jumped on every coaster I could and and my count was 50 or 60 higher, would my opinion be even more valid?

I dunno. If I owned a park, I'd rather have a ride that brings people through the gate, than one that enthusiasts vote high in their polls and talk positively about on message boards.

(Ideally I'd want a ride that does both, but if forced to make a choice...well, you know :) )

*** Edited 6/21/2006 5:09:31 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

What I find pretty humorous is how enthusiasts say things like, "the pretzel loop is fun but the rest of the ride is boring." I think back to when Stealth was built and enthusiasts were wishing that the coaster included less "inversions" (or whatever you want to call them on a flying coaster) and more "flying time". Many people were excited to see that Batwing and X-Flight featured an additional helix because it allowed riders to experience more flight! Now that B&M has designed a flying coaster that balances inversions and flight time, people are saying that the flight time is boring.

I won't say that the B&M Superman flying coasters are balls-to-the-wall intense from beginning to end but I can appreciate the balance. Zig-zagging back and forth is kinda fun- it's FLYING on a FLYING COASTER. Imagine that!

Further proof of the value of the enthusiast opinion, Rob. ;)

I still don't understand why so many enthusiasts demand a ride to be thrilling. What's wrong with a ride simply being fun?

Gonch, I think it's a matter of people not really knowing what the hell they want! ;)

I agree that a ride doesn't have to be thrilling. People claim Nitro isn't as forceful as the Intamin Superman rides (and this is NOT directed at you Gonch, I promise)... why does Nitro have to be forceful? Can't it be FUN? Phoenix isn't intense- it's fun- and people seem to love that thing.

But if you skim my SFGAdv TR, I admit to Nitro winning me over a bit.

I too, think I fit into the "like rides that are just fun" category, but I also think that for many enthusiasts (myself included to a degree) it is the thrill that's fun in the first place.

Fun is the whole point. S:UF is not really that fun outside that Pretzel loop. There's nothing after it but a few sweeping turns and a jokingly slow inline twist. Granted I believe the S:UF in Georgia is set up the best by far (Landscaping, terrain, and extra theming) out of the clones or near clones, but Tatsu and the Vekoma ones have a bit more umph that makes them more entertaining. In my opinion.

And in response to Gonch's credit whoring post, do you really have more "experience" if you've ridden 20 boomerangs, 10 SLC's and 10 kiddie coasters? Does that really give you more refined taste?

Wow Gonch... sounds like Nitro is starting to win you over. Glad that you're finally starting to experience what some of us have been telling you about.

I won't say that having ridden a ton of cloned coasters gives you a more refined taste, but there is something to be said for many different experiences. It makes you more credible if you say something like, "All Boomerangs are crap", or, "Morey's SLC is better than most." To say that kind of thing having ridden one or two examples isn't really accurate.

I dont know about you guys but personally I enjoy the Superman rides for two reasons, the pretzel loop and holding my hands up and imitating Superman (excpet with my legs crouched of course) :). Is the ride fun, yup, is it in my top ten, nope, but barring a 2+ hour wait or me running out of time its a must ride at SFGAm everytime I go (falling behind Raging Bull, Viper and B:TR in pecking order.)

I'm all about "fun" coasters. Some of my favorites are the Disney mountain coasters, wildcats, flitzers, mine trains.... I think Iron Dragon is a fun ride and hope CP never gets rid of it. Millennium Force is fun, despite the fact it doesn't do much. The Superman flyers are so-so on the fun for me. The pressure on my shins/ankles is uncomfortable, so it's hard to enjoy the ride for what it is, but I manage to enjoy it.

I think my "experience" post was misinterpreted. I fully agree that for "that one person," Dragon is the greatest. It's not that they don't know better. It's a unique experience to them. In general, I think having more experiences in life just changes the way you look at all things. You might decide you like something even more after sampling the inferior competition or you might decide it just doesn't hold your interest like it used to compared to the superior competition.

Food Example: Perhaps you think Taco John's has the best tacos. Then you finally go to Taco Bell and try their tacos. You decide these are so much better. Then you go to Taco Casa and try their tacos. "Wow, these are even more amazing!" Then you go back to Taco John's and have your old favorite again. "These just aren't that good anymore." The opposite of that scenario could happen as well. You decide, "Sure enough. Taco John's is da bomb!" Or you might decide all of them are equally fantastic.

Hmmm, not sure if that helped or not. :) *** Edited 6/21/2006 7:41:52 PM UTC by Acoustic Viscosity***

Well, to me all coasters are fun - even ones I hate. I guess when we rank coasters or say "this one is boring" - it is all relative.

IMO no matter how big or fast a coaster is its still just another roller coaster. I ride them to have fun and to me SUF is fun just like every other B&M I have ridden. 3 years ago at Coaster Celebration I got to ride SUF 15 times without getting off, all in the backseat and I thought it was a great ride much better than the Vekoma flyers which I ride once and I've had enough.

Some might argue SOB, SLC's, etc are not fun. I myself enjoy them. :)