My first ever trip to SFGA

[dkny6363]

Thank you to all who gave me tips, or advice leading up to my trip. It was all very helpfull.

I want to keep my trip report brief as they are ofter very long and drawn out

From 10:30-Noon I did Movie town + skull mountain.

Ride #1 (Batman) Never been on a batman before. About what I had expected Very good, not great but really liked the intensity. Some later B&M models are too spread out and not intense. About as good as Great Bear, and Talon, but worse than Raptor.

Ride #2 (Dark knight) Wayyyyy better than expected. Wouldn't want to watch that preshow over and over but effective the first time. Ride was fun.

Ride #3 (Nitro) I think I built up in my head how awesome nitro was going to be. I gotta say I was disappointed in it. I've heard it can be hit and miss. Maybe I just caught a miss that day. No disrespect but Behemoth is 100% better.

Ride #4 (Skull Mountain) Better than expected but not too good.

From 12:00-1:30 We went to frontier adventures only to find Bizarro down temporarily

Ride # 5 (Runaway Mine Train) Again better than expected but park started to get busy and wait time was retarded for a mine train.

Ride # 6 (Sawmill Log Flume) Worst Log ride in the history of log rides.

From 1:30-2:15 Lunch at best of the west. Awesome food, and atmosphere. If the log flume is only standing for scenery for best of the west its worth it. Paying 25 cents to soak ppl. on the flume is a blast too.

From 2:15-3:45 Boardwalk as Bizarro was still down

Ride # 7 (Superman) Quite fun... My first real flying coaster. Kind of lack luster after the pretzel loop but good none the less. Makes me need to try tatsu!

Ride # 8 (GASM) Just terrable. Nice to look at.

From 3:45-6:00 Plaza Del Carnaval

Ride # 9 (El Toro) For anyone who thinks my review has been hash up to this point... El Toro is Far and away the best coaster I've ever had the pleasure of riding. WOW! Start to finish amazing. The part where it crosses over rolling thunder is unreal.

Ride # 10 (Rolling thunder) YUK!

From 6:00-7:00 Tiger Show. Pretty good show.

From 7:00-7:30 Coldstone... The girl working was so stupid but the ice cream was great.

Ride # 11 (Bizarro) Very Nice! Much better than Hydra. Seemed like a brand new ride. only dissapointment was the sound system wasn't working when I went. Really nice ride though. (off topic a bit.. is it just me or are cobra rolls getting a little tired?)

Ride #12 (El Toro #2) Front seat this time pitch black INSANE once again...

Summary.. Safari was fun, Park was a little busy for my likes... Disappointing Ka was broken... Some rides were worse than I thought, and some were better but the trip was deemed a success if for nothing else but the Awesomeness of El toro. Next time I'll come in the fall.

Peace!

[darkridedan]

I'm glad you had a nice time.

 The hit rides on NItro are some of the best in the country. Too bad it was miss-behaving.   

[armystrong62b]

Yea, Nitro has it's days. You definitely  have to get back to ride the back seat at night. Simply amazing, and the same with El Toro. Bizzaro was having sound issues when I went, but you cant really hear it unless your in the back, but its worth a listen once or twice. Glad You had fun

[themeparkrider]

Definatly try Nitro at nite. Guartenteed to be better. Im not trying to be mean or appinionated, but I honestly have to disagree with most of your impressions on the rides.

[Robert T Ackerman]

Glad you had a good time there. It's a shame you got Nitro on a bad day. That's my favorite coaster in the park, easily, but I haven't ridden it yet this year, so maybe it's different now.

I have to disagree with the flume. I really like it, sure it doesn't get you soaked like you'd expect, but it's so unique and riding through the woods is always a plus.

Thanks for the report.

[dkny6363]

The flume would have been ok but its soooo shaky being pulled up the hills. Plus I went to knoebels and Hershey the 2 days before and they both have awesome flumes. Only dorney's I have found worse.

I really wanted to ride nitro at night but it had been a long day and last second run from el toro to nitro at 9:55 wasn't in the cards.. Behemoth is better in the back too, and anything is better at night.

themeparkrider what impressions do you dissagree with? I'd like to discuss. I'm guessing GASM and rolling thunder.. am I right?

[nitrorox1414]

So Nitro .... not in top 10?

[dkny6363]

Not right now... Its weird how that can work though. After I rode Millenium Force for the first time I didn't love it and had it 7th behind alot of ok. coasters. After riding it again 3-4 times (most rides at night) It shot up to 2nd (now 3rd cuz of El Toro) So I think Nitro will get way up there as long as I get back soon enough. A possible trip to kings island, and holiday world next year might have something to say about that. Not to mention I'm going to ride Ravine Flyer 2 next month.

I've got Nitro #11 on my coastergrotto top 20 account. Behind seven 10/10's and then Raptor, Maverick, and Lightning Racer... all 9/10 for me. Now obviously I know Nitro is better than Raptor, and Lightning Racer but Its a favourites list not a best coasters list.

[Millennium Force 44]

Thanks for the trip report. I know what you mean about Nitro, some days it doesn't do it for me while other days it is awesome. Either way though I like it better than Behemoth. I'm glad you liked El Toro. It is really an insane ride, I can't get enough of it. I'm surprised you didn't like the log flume. I actually really enjoy it when I do ride it. You are going to love Ravine Flyer II. It takes a few rides to really appreciate it so don't make any judgments right away. Also ride it at night- it's crazy!

[themeparkrider]

The flume would have been ok but its soooo shaky being pulled up the hills. Plus I went to knoebels and Hershey the 2 days before and they both have awesome flumes. Only dorney's I have found worse.

I really wanted to ride nitro at night but it had been a long day and last second run from el toro to nitro at 9:55 wasn't in the cards.. Behemoth is better in the back too, and anything is better at night.

themeparkrider what impressions do you dissagree with? I'd like to discuss. I'm guessing GASM and rolling thunder.. am I right?

I'm sorry if I looked rude, I wasn't trying.  You are correct, I like GASM and RT. But, every coaster has a bad spot and a bad train. Every one! So I understand, even if you did sit in the right spot, that we all have different appinions. No hard feelings. I must say, El Toro was good, but not best for me...

[rjholla2003]

No one should find your opinion rude unless they are insecure about their own.  No apologies necessary.  Nice trip report!

[nitrorox1414]

Wow its crazy..... i have never been on the log flume.

[themeparkrider]

Ill admit, its not that great. The one at Hershey is so much better. You get wet and its just about as long. Theres more scenery too!

[dkny6363]

The cool thing about coal cracker at hershey is instead of plunging into the water you skip across it.. Never seen that anywhere else.

Something I forgot to mention about my trip that I really liked is the job the ride staff does. Especially the guys working superman and El toro. All the ppl making announcements were good too. Good personalities! I especially like how after each ride they suggest trying something else out in the park and it's always SO random. Like "Hungry for a burger? Try Johny Rockets, or take a spin on Jolly Roger" I started a game where I would guess what they would recommend after the next ride and I only got it right once all day.

[Bubba Z]

Coal cracker is a hydroflume, not a regular flume. The park had one but ripped it out for wiggles world.  The flume at Dorney  is awesome !   See we all have different opinions.   

I like Nitro over Behemoth as well. While Behemoth has a nice  run out,  the return trip just slows down.  As where Nitro is a complete coaster start to finish. 

Goliath
Diamondback
Nitro
Behemoth
Raging Bull
Goliath/ Canada
Apollo Chariots

Final Answer, lol

[AV Matt]

Goliath
Diamondback
Nitro
Behemoth
Raging Bull
Goliath/ Canada
Apollo Chariots

Final Answer, lol

Almost right, Bubba. You keep forgetting how good Apollo is!

Goliath
Diamondback
Nitro
Behemoth
Apollo Chariot
Raging Bull
Goliath/ Canada

And GAdv's flume is fantastic, as is Dorney's. Hershey's can have great airtime on the water bunny hop if conditions are just right.

Don't worry about other people's opinions. They're all wrong.

[ChuckR]

Silver Star
Nitro
Apollo's Chariot
Raging Bull

I need to get on some more B&M Hypers...

[Robert T Ackerman]

Goliath.
Nitro
Apollo
Raging Bull

[dkny6363]

Hey BubbaZ I've got 4 questions/points for you AVMatt as well for some.

#1 Dorneys flume... It may be a nice ride but that shaking being pulled up the hill is a ride killer for me. Same with sawmill's hill's. Just ruins the ride before it starts.

#2 Behemoth... The return trip is the best part of the ride. At least if you are referring to the section between the hammerhead turn and the brake run. The hills in that section have insane air especially on the back (wing) and front (wing) seats. To play devils advocate just so I'm not a total "homer" on behemoth the helix section is weak the only good part about it is the way it transitions is the final big airtime hill... which is really only good in the front car.
Also the middle 4 cars make the ride uneventfully.. however ppl like us don't visit the middle of trains often; do we?

#3 B&M Mega Coasters Ranking... I haven't been on enough to rank them myself but i was surprised to see both you rank diamondback so highly. Did you 2 go together? cuz that would make more sense. I've been talking to alto of ppl about these rides lately and the consenses I've been getting is this most ppl think Goliath is the far and away best, Nitro and Behemoth are in everyone's top 4, Bull is almost everyones least favourite, and Diamondback ranges 3-6 but everyone seems disappointed with it. However most ppl I've asked are from Toronto and big Behemoth homers.

#4 Wonderland... So you 2 have been to my home park.. What did you think of our stellar list of below average - bad coaster collection? And soooo many to chose from. Let me know what you thought of the place. Most ppl like the flats, and the landscape but the coasters are just miserable. The woods used to be good, and Vortex is my savour. But Flight Deck, Skyrider, and most of all Time warp are just too much to stand. Anyways Hope to hear back from you 2. Sorry for being so long in the tooth but I got alot to say.

PS. I'm off to wonderland tomorrow for 2 behemoths, a stunt coaster, and a sledgehammer except sledgehammer will in fact be broken again.

Peace

[Bubba Z]

#1 I feel all convery belt flumes are shaky even large Intamin  raft rides , idk.

#2 I liked Behemoth a lot I just think that helix does kill the speed of the ride.  I would love to go back and ride it more, we only ended up getting two or three rides on it.  Maybe I caught it on a bad day who knows.  like Apollo's Chariot every time I go.

#3 Goliath@SFOG Hands down is an incredible ride.  Yes,  we went together to KI.  I liked Nitro better after my first lap,  Then we rode the last train back row.  winner DB!

#4 Sledgehammer looks awesome , ride cycle not that impressive.  Which is good because I hate spinning.  The coasters are average but the park has a lot of them.  The  wood does suck , but Thunder run, Vortex and  Behemoth are great rides !  Oh, you also have the best Italian stunt job back lot coaster ever made! Hands down better than KI or KD's 

Overall the place is beautiful and I really enjoyed the Haunt as well.

[AV Matt]

#1 I have to agree that shaking on flume conveyors is nothing out of the ordinary. It's been part of the experience since the beginning. Sometimes it's extra annoying and even I shout out "WTF?" but Dorney's and GAdv's don't bother me at all. Two of the best flumes ever IMO. Bubba and I didn't get on any water rides at Wonderland unfortunately.

#2 Behemoth. Starts out great then starts to lose points on every trim brake on the return trip, then it hits the poorly placed block brake and it's game over. The ride would be better off only running two trains and having no block brake, or at least do it Magnum style and stack two trains at the end. Magnum is still the best three-train hyper coaster out there for its pacing alone. And the lack of a block brake (a dead spot) is the reason why Goliath over Georgia is the best B&M hyper IMO. Pacing makes or breaks a ride, as does the restraint (why I loathe Intamin's stapling rides).

#3 Diamondback is great until it hits the block brake trim and then it ranges from pretty good to ok for the second half. But its placement in the woods helps make up for its other shortcomings. The splashdown has no baring on my opinion of it. I would prefer another hill myself.

Goliath over Georgia is clearly the winner of the North America bunch. Nothing else matches its pacing and intensity. After that, Nitro, Diamondback and Apollo are all very similar to me, then Behemoth and finally Goliath La Ronde and Raging Bull are about even at the bottom.

Again, I don't care if a ride has a few amazing moments if it has bad pacing and/or a bad ending. And I am a backseat rider because I like the feeling of getting yanked down big drops more than the feeling of popping up at the top of hills in the front seat. So if a ride requires you to sit in the front to get any airtime (like Goliath La Ronde), it won't win me over. Goliath SFOG, Nitro, Apollo, and Diamondback all have great final drops that put an exclamation point on the ending. The other rides end weakly and leave me disappointed. Just a personal preference.

#4 Yes, Bubba and I went to Wonderland and La Ronde together last fall, as well as Marineland (Dragon Mountain rules!). And we went to Kings Island together last month. Vortex is the best ride at Wonderland without a doubt. I could ride it all day and not get bored. Italian Job is great as always. Then Behemoth, then Thunder Run (too bad it's powered, but fun none the less), and then Skyrider (I like Togo standups because I am sick and twisted and can fit into the restraints ok). I could care less if I ever ride any of the other coasters there ever again though. Sledgehammer was pretty lame but looks amazing. I don't think we rode anything else. The park is absolutely gorgeous though and some of the haunts (before it got busy) were FANTASTIC.

Have fun. Tell Vortex AV Matt says hello.

[dkny6363]

I'll be sure to, but it'll have to be the front seat as that is the only seat I ride on Vortex. It's too bad you never rode shockwave (flat over by the fly) It's easily the best flat in the park. The water rides are no good either. They only have a big splash flume, and the white water canyon is the dryest in the world I think. Speaking of canyon rides thats the one thing I loved at Dorney. So friggin wet its unbelievable. How does Congo rapids stack up with others. The lines were so long the day I went. Marineland??? Nobody goes to marineland. Unless you like animals and bad smell. I haven't ridden dragon mountain since I've become interested in rides alot but I do remember it being reasonable.. Better than dragon fire, GASM, Or viper (darien lake). There was a rumor years back that is wonderland would pack up all their rides and move them to marineland Niagara Falls would pay their electricity bill forever. But thankfully it never went though. Would have been one hell of a move.

[dkny6363]

Ps. about sledgehammer... its working with about a 99.3% downtime in July. lol

As well whats with you 2 and thunder run? It's unique but so i skull mountain. haha

[AV Matt]

Both coasters are fun, but Thunder Run is powered. Skull Mountain is all about the first drop in the back seat. And Thunder Run is in a frickin' mountain (with a suspended coaster on top of it) and not a shed with a rocky facade.

[Bubba Z]

The train just seems wicked fast and the light show was awesome inside.