Las Vegas Area Attractions Discussion

^^The Magnum seat belt trick...? I know not to sit on a wheel seat for an Arrow Hyper, but don't know the seat belt trick.

Make the seatbelt as tight as humanly possible so you never touch the hard metal lap bar.

Phantom's Revenge Trains on Desperado would make a huge improvement.

With temperatures expected to be in the mid-40s to mid-50s, I reached out to Buffalo Bill's to see if Desperado had a minimum operating temperature.

And they messaged back that all their rides are closed until further notice. Can't say I'm surprised.

Edit- Their website has since been updated to say the same thing. Looks like I'll be missing out on Desperado this trip.

I reached back out last month since I saw rumblings on the net that Desperado may or may not have opened and got this. . .

So, word on the street is that Buffalo Bill's staff is giving mixed messages about the rides. A few people have called the casino and been told that all rides are no longer operational, while others have been told in person that the rides are just closed until spring.

With Desperado's operations being so sporadic, it sounds like it's time to pull the trigger on a Vegas/Primm trip if Desperado does open this spring. It'll be a good opportunity to also check out Adventuredome and the TOGO rooftop dumpster fire.

^^ When I called at the end of November, I got the response that they were closed for the season.

Primm Resorts seem to be doing everything in their power to eliminate what little business they had left. "Other entertainment options" don't exist unless you enjoy empty, quiet casinos and a few bargain-bin food options.

Cowabunga Bay Las Vegas is looking to reopen June 1!

They've got a great plan on top of their already better than most operating plans.

Is that confirmed or just wishful thinking? I live in Vegas and have not heard anything about it on the local news.

^Got an email from them earlier today about it.

So I just got back from a trip to Vegas this past weekend. I wasn't there for very long but I decided to hit up Adventuredome for a few hours. Here's my review!

The park itself is very quaint. Although it's a very impressive size for an indoor theme park, it doesn't feel all that big. That being said, I think the fact that it's indoors is perfect for its location in Las Vegas; I believe it was about 110*F outside the day I was there. The red rock canyon theming feels very well done, and the arcade games throughout the park made it feel like, well, a giant arcade, which I thought was cool.

Mask compliance was pretty good, I was never too concerned for myself. I went on a Monday, so the crowds were super light. That not only made every single ride a walk-on, but it also made it very easy to socially distance. Canyon blaster was only loading every other row, which was not a problem for operations at all as I got one or two zen rides. El Loco was filling up trains when they could. I was never paired with anyone to sit next to, but I wasn't alone on every single ride. I wasn't too concerned, however, since the seats are very large and act as a barrier between the two rows. On the flats they were doing a good job of leaving an open seat between different groups, although I think the op on slingshot got confused and put me next to someone I wasn't with.

As for rides, I got 7 rides in on Canyon Blaster, 8 on El Loco, 2 on Slingshot, and then 1 each on Inverter and Disko-O. I passed up Chaos because flats like that can do me in sometimes.

I'd heard good reviews of Canyon Blaster, but since it doesn't have any nostalgic value for me I wasn't overly impressed. It's good for what it is; definitely the biggest indoor coaster I've ridden. It's setting really makes you feel like you're flying through the course of the ride, and the interaction with the theming is well done. The whip over the drop is overhyped; I tried several different rows and wasn't terribly impressed with that moment. It's smooth for a 27-year-old arrow but definitely has its jerky moments. Some people say it's forceful; I wasn't too overwhelmed at all. Nothing like Vortex or Viper. One good surprise was the bunny hop after the loops; it actually gives really good airtime, especially in the third car (I tried just about every car on this coaster). Overall I gave it a 7/10; it's not a ride I would make a trip to go back to but it fits well in the park its in.

I was at an ACE event as a young enthusiast where some of the guys from Indiana Beach hyped up their new El Loco roller coaster. Ever since then I've wanted to try one but never had the chance until now. I'd say El Loco met my expectations; it didn't fall short but it didn't exceed them. The one disappointing thing is that it's not a smooth ride; I heard a couple of guests say they didn't want to ride again because it hurt their head. It's not terrible but it does have a couple of jerky moments. The first drop is very well done, in my opinion, it's perfect given its size. It feels just like Maverick's drop: really strong ejector airtime for a couple of seconds. That was by far my favorite moment out of any ride in the park and had me coming back for more. The rest of the ride does what it does well; the outer-banked turn and dive loops felt exactly like I expected them too. The first drop was really the only airtime of the ride, but there was amazing hangtime on both loops. Overall it felt like a mini Cannibal. I gave it an 8.5/10; it does what it does well, but doesn't really do anything too mind-blowing. I'd build one in my backyard if I had the money

I also had the chance a few weeks back to ride whatever the New York, New York hotel's roller coaster is called these days (Big Apple Coaster--thanks rcdb; the casino mostly just refers to it as "The Roller Coaster"). As someone who has a notoriously high tolerance for rough rides, I have to say this ride gets too much crap. It's got some fun elements and is BIG! Yes, it's rough and the restraints are uncomfortable, but if you can get past that, it has a fun second drop, gives cool hangtime on its weird togo dive loop, gives a couple of good pops of airtime, and has an impressively forceful helix. The setting is cool too; with Desperado closed there's nothing quite like it. You start the ride inside a nicely decorated Vegas casino, go through the elements in the Nevada heat, and then come back inside and get off like you never left the building. It's a neat experience. I give it an 8/10; if you get past the roughness, it's a well-rounded, well-paced roller coaster.

I live in Utah and make the drive to SoCal several times every year, passing through Las Vegas every time and usually stopping for gas and food. I'm surprised it took me this long to get the three Vegas credits. Unfortunately, I was by myself on all these rides. I didn't bother visiting the stratosphere tower or doing the zipline down Fremont street as I figured those would be more fun with friends, so I still have some things to go back to. Also, here's to hoping Desperado opens back up sometime. I actually have tried to ride that one a couple of times but it's always been down. Its future looks bleak but it looks like a really cool ride so I hope I get on it someday. Vegas is a cool city, and if you're in the area and willing to spend a few bucks I would recommend trying out the coasters!

Glad you got the credits! Being a chance rides fan boy the Adventuredome looks like my kind of place!

You should do the jump off the stratosphere tower. Wild!

You should do the jump off the stratosphere tower. Wild!

I second this. Best $120 I've ever spent.

Surprised nobody has mentioned it in this thread yet. Big Apple Coaster (or whatever the heck it's called) is closed December 7-23. Premier Rides has posted photos on their socials about sending out a set of trains, and there is a concept photo floating around that shows slightly-modified Sky Rocket trains themed to taxi cabs. Nothing official is announced, but this all seems to point to the coaster getting modified Sky Rocket trains that will be installed during this closure. And yes, there are comfort collars.

I won't post the concept photo of the trains (not sure who it came from, if it's credible, etc.). But interesting nonetheless. I'll be driving through Vegas in mid-January. I am curious if the ride experience will greatly improve or if they're just putting lipstick on a pig.

4 minutes ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

Surprised nobody has mentioned it in this thread yet. Big Apple Coaster (or whatever the heck it's called) is closed December 7-23. Premier Rides has posted photos on their socials about sending out a set of trains, and there is a concept photo floating around that shows slightly-modified Sky Rocket trains themed to taxi cabs. Nothing official is announced, but this all seems to point to the coaster getting modified Sky Rocket trains that will be installed during this closure. And yes, there are comfort collars.

I won't post the concept photo of the trains (not sure who it came from, if it's credible, etc.). But interesting nonetheless. I'll be driving through Vegas in mid-January. I am curious if the ride experience will greatly improve or if they're just putting lipstick on a pig.

I love Premier but I am getting Goliath at SFNE vibes lol. In all seriousness though I would assume it would improve the ride 

^I have the same thoughts. Every Premier Sky Rocket coaster I've ridden (including WCR and Full Throttle) run incredibly smoothly. The trains are cramped, but they seem to track extremely well. On the other hand, yeah, Goliath at SFNE sucks. I guess it's a coin toss.

Oh, I know about this, I just think it's crap so I didn't feel the need to post!  I am seriously taking a stand against those stupid Comfort Collars!!!!! They are not a safety device. They are uncomfortable, and further peoples own stupidity instead of educating the consumer/insurance/media whatever!  A company that was once at the forefront of REMOVING OTSR's is now proudly putting unnecessary ones back on. 

Also completely appropriate for a terrible coaster!

^Dare I say... could this ride actually be fun though, if they had trains that were more comfortable? I think the ride could be really fun...without all the pain. lol

21 minutes ago, COASTER FREAK 11 said:

^Dare I say... could this ride actually be fun though, if they had trains that were more comfortable? I think the ride could be really fun...without all the pain. lol

No.  The ride is rough as all hell, not denying that, but that's only part of the reason it is hated so much.  Everything after the twist n' dive is extremely slow and boring.  If they retracked the ride to go through the twist n' dive then immediately to the station we'd be good.  Unfortunately we have a ton of crawling, shuffling helices and bunny hops to dawdle through.

The first 1/3rd of the ride is gonna kick all kinds of ass with these trains, though.

So....

Guessing this is why it's delayed in reopening!  Possible derailment of the new trains!?!?

It seems like this refurbishment is going off the rails...

Wait, it derailed on the lift hill?  Of all places to derail, I wouldn't have guessed there.  I would have guessed that awkward second hill or something.