coasterbill Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Great report! We hated Conneaut a few years ago and actually feared for our lives on Blue Streak but it looks like they're slowly but surely improving which is great to see. Waldameer is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operative_me Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Cool report. I am ashamed to say that even though I live 15 minutes from the Hofbrauhaus here in Cleveland, I've never been. Of course, I have Das Schnitzel Haus, University Inn (not really German but ethnic-y enough) and Baloton to pick from as well. Waldameer is an awesome park. I even enjoyed the water park quite a bit. There is enough to do there if you take your time to spend a day. And there's no such thing as too many rides on RF II. I know Conneaut gets laughed at but I am rooting for this little park. If I hit Mega Millions tomorrow night, I'll probably buy it lol. Too bad the Tumble Bug wasn't running, its much more intense than the one at Kennywood. Is that really a Toboggan waiting to be set up all the way back there? Nah, it was taken down a few years ago. No way that's going back up anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Another great update, Andrew! Count me in as another one that hopes that Conneaut can pull through. While it's no Knoebels by any means, it's very unique and weird...so that alone means that it needs to survive. I went to Waldameer one day a few weeks after Michael passed, just because I needed something fun. I got a Wally Card and did RFII twice...once in the front and back. Both awesome rides, although I completely forgot to take my pedometer off of my belt and put it in my pocket - gone. Stupid me, but RFII was still running unbelievable. So glad that they're taking good care of their royal gem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsupercity Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Where was that wooden Waldameer sign located at? Me and my wife always try to take a pic in front of park signs and we walked around for close to 30 minutes trying to find that sign. We had seen it in other photos. I just assumed it was removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Awesome report! I love Waldameer. I agree Ravine Flyer II has a great view, but I think the reason the front is the best seat is because the ending doesn't really do much in the back. At least up front you still get some pops of air. I need to check Conneaut out next year when I make it to Kennywood. One of my friends went on $5 day and encountered an hour wait for Blue Streak, but he too said it was running very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted October 19, 2018 Author Share Posted October 19, 2018 Hey Andrew, been working my way backwards catching up on all your reports. Can't believe I missed this thread until now. This seems like an amazing trip overall, and I'm all the more impressed it's been broken up with awesome tourist destinations such as PNC Park and Fallingwater. Great writeups, great photos! Can't wait to read more. I've never even made it out to Conneaut but man, it looks as if the park has clearly seen better days. I'd still love to visit someday if only to check out Blue Streak. Is that really a Toboggan waiting to be set up all the way back there? Yeah, when I go to a new place, I always like to see the place and not just a theme park if I can. Thanks, collective TPR intelligence on the Toboggan. It can rot, those rides are terrible. Great report! We hated Conneaut a few years ago and actually feared for our lives on Blue Streak but it looks like they're slowly but surely improving which is great to see. Waldameer is great. Thanks, yeah I do think Conneaut is on an upswing. Now, it is still in terrible shape; the paths are all torn up from roots, to the point where I stumbled a few times, and just about everything can use some paint. But, there is an optimistic vibe around that park that's infectious. I could tell they were really trying to do the best they could with what they have, and the guests there really seemed to be responding to that. Waldameer is absolutely a better park, there's no question about it. Just the fact that they consistently add new things is testament to its success. I'll be back in this area for Steel Curtain at some point, and it just makes so much sense to do Waldameer and Cedar Point at the same time. Cool report. I am ashamed to say that even though I live 15 minutes from the Hofbrauhaus here in Cleveland, I've never been. Of course, I have Das Schnitzel Haus, University Inn (not really German but ethnic-y enough) and Baloton to pick from as well. Waldameer is an awesome park. I even enjoyed the water park quite a bit. There is enough to do there if you take your time to spend a day. And there's no such thing as too many rides on RF II. I know Conneaut gets laughed at but I am rooting for this little park. If I hit Mega Millions tomorrow night, I'll probably buy it lol. Too bad the Tumble Bug wasn't running, its much more intense than the one at Kennywood. Is that really a Toboggan waiting to be set up all the way back there? Nah, it was taken down a few years ago. No way that's going back up anywhere. Agreed on all points, and thanks for the info about Toboggan. I actually was disappointed about Tumble Bug, but I got to do everything else, to it's fine. Good deal for $10. Another great update, Andrew! Count me in as another one that hopes that Conneaut can pull through. While it's no Knoebels by any means, it's very unique and weird...so that alone means that it needs to survive. I went to Waldameer one day a few weeks after Michael passed, just because I needed something fun. I got a Wally Card and did RFII twice...once in the front and back. Both awesome rides, although I completely forgot to take my pedometer off of my belt and put it in my pocket - gone. Stupid me, but RFII was still running unbelievable. So glad that they're taking good care of their royal gem. That's great. Sorry you lost the pedometer, but yeah RF2 doesn't hold back. They were issuing strong warnings on their station spiel, things like "You WILL LOSE loose articles brought on this ride." Where was that wooden Waldameer sign located at? Me and my wife always try to take a pic in front of park signs and we walked around for close to 30 minutes trying to find that sign. We had seen it in other photos. I just assumed it was removed. East of the ride wristband booth is a row of abandoned games booths. Go past that and down a gravel path for a while toward the lake. There will be one random hot dog stand for some reason, and just past that is that sign. Because Conneaut Lake Park. Awesome report! I love Waldameer. I agree Ravine Flyer II has a great view, but I think the reason the front is the best seat is because the ending doesn't really do much in the back. At least up front you still get some pops of air. I need to check Conneaut out next year when I make it to Kennywood. One of my friends went on $5 day and encountered an hour wait for Blue Streak, but he too said it was running very well. You should go! Just go on a $10 day, I've seen reports of those $5 crowds...ouch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dombot Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Nice report! Waldameer looks awesome, RF2 is really high up on my bucket list and the entire park looks great as a whole. Seems to be one of those rare places that everyone seems to like no matter what. Conneaut looks... like a park. They're getting there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted October 20, 2018 Author Share Posted October 20, 2018 Nice report! Waldameer looks awesome, RF2 is really high up on my bucket list and the entire park looks great as a whole. Seems to be one of those rare places that everyone seems to like no matter what. There's a lot to love. It's small, but what they have is all good. They take care of the place, and Presque Isle is just a beautiful area naturally. Conneaut looks... like a park. They're getting there. Lol, exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted December 16, 2018 Author Share Posted December 16, 2018 Day 9: Back with a Vengeance I guess I'm Dan Carlin now. You wait months for the next installment, it shows up when you don't expect it to, and it's full of way more information than you cared to know. This was my second trip to Cedar Point, the first being in 2016, and I had way more fun this time. Cedar Point is just so huge, the first time it was fun but overwhelming and exhausting. This time I went into it with a good idea of what I liked and what I didn't, and could just enjoy the day a lot more. Philrad71 had also made independent plans to be at Cedar Point on Thursday and Friday of that week, while I went on Friday and Saturday. So of course we made plans to meet up on Friday. They slept in a bit, so I started my day rope dropping the new hotness! That walk along the beach is fantastic! Really glad I came for the new attraction, it totally lives up to the hype. What? A roller coaster? Yeah, it was all right, I guess. Okay, fine. Yes, I will admit I am a tad excited to be riding the best RMC. Steel Vengeance totally lived up to the hype, and that's significant at Cedar Point, where literally everything gets way overblown to the point where people can't even enjoy a good roller coaster like Gatekeeper just because it's not as intense as Maverick. Steel Vengeance does everything RMC has ever done except a barrel roll drop. It goes on forever, and it keeps its intensity the whole time. In fact, I think I like the bunny hops at the end the best of all. On to Maverick next for a super short wait on early entry before grabbing my Fast Lane Plus and meeting up with Phil and his parents. I met up with them around Millennium Force for a great back-seat ride on the very best roller coaster. This ride is amazing in the morning, but b-b-b-baby y-y-y-you ain't seen nothin' yet. Time for lunch! The food trucks were out, and I had a slice from the Cameo truck. It was $8, but also a quarter of a pizza, so that was great. On to Melt for some good local brews and also a cool old map of the park. Loved Valravn in 2016, and it was great again this time. We went on it several times. Helped that Fast Lane Plus made it a walkon in the back two rows and a one train wait in the front. That with a 45 minute standby line. At the moment, though, we were not going to be riding Valravn. Is it down? Yeah, that's an evac all right. Turns out every ride was down, because the power went out! I forget exactly the reason, but the whole peninsula had lost power, except for critical systems like cash registers. What else do you do when the power's down? Head back to the RV for a beer! I hadn't seen Lighthouse Point before, so it was cool getting to walk back there. It's a really nice campground that goes well with a Southern Tier 2XIPA. All right guys, power's back on; it's time for the single sh*t parks give about anniversaries! Gemini is a fantastic coaster. It's one of the ones that I was most looking forward to riding, and I hope they keep it around for a long time. So much fun. Train time! I love the Boneville area, makes this one of the very best park trains. We kinda just walked around riding whatever. We made sure to get on the Skyride and Cedar Downs, Blue Streak, and of course the phallic, 17 second adrenaline rush that is Top Thrill Dragster. So. Tall. So. Very. Tall. Goodbye, Witches Wheel, I barely knew ya and never rode ya. We ended the day as one should, on Millennium Force. It was a great end to a great day. I had done nearly everything that I wanted to, a lot of it multiple times. Thanks Fast Lane Plus, and thanks Phil and fam for an awesome time. Day 10: Shore Shot The next day I planned to spend the morning at Cedar Point Shores. There was a storm a'brewing, but there was also beer a'brewing, so I knew I'd be aight. I again parked up front and walked along the beach, this time carrying waterpark gear. I rope dropped Steel Vengeance again, and while queuing ran into the very same people who were illegally filming at Kings Island! They were illegally filming at Cedar Point now! Steel Vengeance and Maverick were every bit as good as they were the previous day. I actually lucked onto a front row ride on both from spotting a person riding solo and joining them. Then I got my waterpark gear out of the fluffy bunny by Steel Vengeance and headed across the road. I absolutely loved this waterpark. It was really cool climbing to the top of each slide complex and looking out over the lake. Plus they have just the best lazy river. I went around and around that thing, almost as much as Kings Island's. I did have one slight mishap; I cut my finger on the handrails and got to experience Cedar Point's excellent first aid! They had me bandaged up and back at it no problem. It was then that the storm rolled in, so I hit up the bar. I had heard reports of excellent Mai Tais, and the reports were not wrong. Once the rain let up, I went around the lazy river a couple more times then headed back into Cedar Point. I first went to Magnum, noticing it was a pretty short wait. Still ended up taking about 20 minutes or so, and I was looking at the wait times on the app of over an hour for some rides, so man, was my day gonna suck. It was nothing but standing in line over and over again the rest of the day and I rode like 2 things. Yeah, screw that. I went straight over to the gift shop by Top Thrill Dragster, paid for a Fast Lane Plus, and plopped my ass on Top Thrill Dragster about 5 minutes later. Whoosh! Wheee! Oh god this is high up. And just like that, it's over, attend to your wounded, count your dead. Absolutely love that ride. It is still intimidating, and I get a nervous excitement every single time. Keepin' it gate. Keepin' it max. Keepin' it ravn. Keepin' it millennial. Best. Coaster. Ever. I then headed to the back of the park to end my second day just like the first. I will say one thing for the no phone policy on Steel Vengeance: The whole queue was chattering in a way I haven't seen in years. People were talking to their neighbours; what else are you going to do for a half hour? I happened to be right next to a family of 3, an older couple and their son, who was about my age. With my being solo, we agreed to be a group of 4. They were really cool people, and since we all wanted to reride Steel Vengeance immediately, we ended up in line together for another half hour. They invited me to follow them over to Maverick next, and since they were cool people, I agreed. We rode that twice before saying our goodbyes. They finished the night on Maverick while I went back to my favourite, Millennium Force. Best. Lighting. Ever. No, thank you, Cedar Point! Absolutely. I will be back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Zo Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 We ended the day as one should, on Millennium Force. Is there really any other way to end a day at Cedar Point? Great post and another fun photo update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Great report, Andrew...it was a blast meeting up with you that day! Found this on my phone and thought I'd share...hope that's ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 Of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 Great report! I think this is the only Cedar Point report I have ever seen that includes the water park. Admittedly it looks pretty solid now that they added that drop pod tower but I can't bring myself to go there considering all the coasters next door. While I prefer Steel Vengeance, Millennium may be the better choice at night. For one, it's awesome breezing around the island. Two, Steel Vengeance has killed that ride's line at the beginning and end of the day. I worship the magic gate now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 The waterpark is pretty solid. They have one of everything, and the slides are huge. Definitely fits CP's MO of having the biggest and craziest rides. I rode Steel Vengeance, Maverick, and Millennium Force after dark, and all three are fantastic night rides. It's just that at the end of the night, when I have to pick one last ride, that ride is always Millennium Force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 Good stuff, Andrew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 ^^ I agree, Andrew! There is simply nothing better than ending the day at CP with an awesome night ride on MF. If one can score a front seat ride, even better...as long as one has the patience to wait it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted December 23, 2018 Author Share Posted December 23, 2018 Indeed. Well, this update takes far less patience, because it's already time for... Day 11: Indiana Dreamin' Just like in 2016, I finished my Cedar Point trip with a visit to Indiana Beach. That's mainly because it's only an hour detour from the most direct route back home from Sandusky, but a little bit because I missed out on two rides last time: Rocky's Rapids and Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. There's not much to the log flume, but it still does the job quite well. Log flumes are good as long as you have water in it *cough cough cough Magic Mountain cough ahem*. Phew, sorry about that coughing fit, I must be coming down with the black lung, just like the miners who work under Superstition Mountain. Yesssss! Nailed the segue! Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain is a unique ride. It's a little bit dark ride, a little bit coaster. I got to ride backwards, which is pretty trippy with all the tight turns. Really great. I took advantage of an offer only good in August that if you buy a 2019 season pass, you get to go once in 2018 for free. Bonus, the season pass is exactly the same price as a one-day ticket! So yep, I have an Indiana Beach season pass next year, and since Six Flags Great America has that new coaster next year, I think I'll drop by for a bit. Other than that, there's not much that's changed since 2016. The park looks a lot cleaner, and I just enjoyed doing all the same things as last time. Cornball Express is still an airtime buffet, Fascination is still fascinating, Steel Hawg is still twisty, the haunted house is still creepy, the pirate dark ride is still bizarre, and the skyride over the whole park is still allowing photos. Hittin' the beach! I've not been on this bridge before. Last time I parked on the north side. Finally getting to ride this! Hmm, I don't think they're now serving anything.... Finally got on the log flume too! This is Coasterbill's happy place. It is, in fact, a bar in a Skyride station. I found my beach in Indiana! See? It's a beach. A...lake... beach. Yeah. And down there is the #1 reason to come to this park. Pirates of a Small Indiana Lake. Hey, they've got a new coaster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Great report! Were all of the coasters actually operating? I really liked the atmosphere of Indiana Beach, but 5 of the 6 coasters were closed by nightfall when I visited last year. Hoosier Hurricane ran like a champ, but Steel Hawg was evaced off of the midcourse, Cornball operated for a half hour total, Lost Coaster gave up at the end of the night, and neither Tig'rr nor the kiddie coaster even opened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted December 23, 2018 Author Share Posted December 23, 2018 The small kiddie coaster was closed, but that was it. That alone was a major improvement from 2016, when several major rides were closed. Apex is doing a good job so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 That's a positive. Maybe I'll stop back in after HoliWood Nights this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9Armgeddon4 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Awesome report. I love the skyride and dark rides at this park. I used to go to the park a lot when I was younger but only recently made my first visit in a while last summer. Personally I don’t think the park ever should of added that new kidddie coaster but instead kept Galaxy. The Dragon Coaster was closed the entire day during my visit last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 Texas 2019: Remember the Orcas! Day 0: Ooooooooooooooklahoma, Where They Don't Maintain the Roads at All 2019 was an incredibly busy year for us, and though we did get to squeeze in a vacation in May, I haven't really had a good chance to sit down and write. But hey, since we're all suddenly less busy now, it's the perfect opportunity to catch up. Thanks, Covid-19! This was the first time the kids had been to Texas, and the first that my wife and I had been together (though we had both been there separately before we met). What a good opportunity to re-visit one of the most fascinating of the fifty United States. Texas is the home of stars at night which are big and bright, multi-lane freeways that are eternally under construction, and some of the world's best theme parks. So we made like a fellow Missourian, Daniel Boone, and headed to San Antonio! The trip began as every trip to Texas begins, by driving through Oklahoma. I have nothing but the highest praise for Texas roads--they absolutely do it right in every way. So how the hell does Texas' next door neighbour--and most culturally similar state--have the worst roads? Not since the Oregon Trail have visitors feared losing an axle. Get it together, Oklahoma. It didn't help that at the time we were going--Memorial Day Weekend--US 69 was flooded at Eufala Lake, so we had to go all the way to Tulsa and take US 75 south instead. It added a little to the trip, but I got to see a part of Oklahoma I haven't seen before. And by that I mean I saw a couple of combination gas station/casinos I hadn't seen before. After bouncing along what passes for a major highway and wondering just what our toll is, in fact, paying for, we came across two beautiful signs. The first said 'Welcome to Texas"; the second, "Whataburger." If you've never had a Whataburger, it's a Texas-based reasonable facsimile of halfway decent road food. The burgers are somewhat similar to Sonic's, and the sauce is fantastic. Overall, it's really just a fast food burger, and expectations should be set accordingly, but when we saw that orange-and-white building, we had to make it a priority to get some Whataburgers and Dr Peppers. Cause we're in Texas now, y'all, that's why. We stayed at the La Quinta across the street fro Six Flags. This was the view from our window. Day 1: A Business Proposition We woke up to the Judge outside our window and headed downstairs for some Texas-shaped waffles. Every single hotel we stayed at in Texas, four of them all total, had this Texas-shaped waffle iron. A huge part of Texas culture is reminding you every single second of Texas culture at every opportunity, and even when there isn't an opportunity, they'll make one, just so you don't forget you're in Texas. Good morning, Judge! This morning the plan was to visit the Perot Museum. I had been to the old Dallas Museum of Natural History when I was a kid, but hadn't been to the new location yet. We're a pretty nerdy family, and they have some awesome science stuff, so it was a must. We drove to Centerpoint Station near DFW and took the train to downtown Dallas. The Trinity Rail Express (TRE; and yay for using the E in Express) is a double-decker passenger train that goes between Dallas and Fort Worth. It was really comfortable, and easy to buy tickets on the app. We got off near the basketball arena and walked over to the museum. It's a really striking building, and a wonderful new home for the Dallas Museum of Natural History. Why is it called the Perot Museum now? Well, it was a business proposition, see. Ross Perot gave a whole bunch of money to the museum, and in return, they stuck his name on the building. Brought to you by Munsenwear. After spending all day in the museum, we took the trolley out to Shake Shack. We had never been to a Shake Shack before; this one is actually the closest location to us. It was great! A bit pricey, but absolutely worth the price. The shakes are legit. After dinner, we popped in to Six Flags for a couple hours in the evening. It wasn't too busy, and we managed to ride Texas Giant, Titan, Shockwave, Pandemonium, and Riddler that evening (NTAG and Riddler multiple times). Great little preview day. And now, let me raise a glass to the late, great Humperdink's. I found that place thanks to the TPR people, and as it turns out, I was one of their last customers too, as the Arlington location closed just a few weeks later. They had some good house beers, including the stout pictured below. It was a fine way to finish a day at Six Flags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Great report! I love how the hotel offers better views of Judge Roy Scream than you get inside the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Woo-hoo...a new report from parks that I have never visited! Hope you're doing well, Andrew...things are going as good as they can in KC. Looking forward to seeing more and perhaps someday I might be able to get back into doing some old TR's of my own. It would be a great way to pass the time...I miss doing that and reading other folks TR's on here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsupercity Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 I was just at Six Flags over Texas in Feb and all the roads around the park were under construction. We stayed at the hotel next to yours. Comfort in across from the Judge. Ours did not have a Texas shaped waffle iron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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