Date: August 21, 2004(Saturday)
Crowds- heavy(Very packed parking lot)
Time in park-10am-4:30pm and 7pm-10pm(9 1/2 hours)
Closed rides- None
Park hours-10-8
So, this being my 3rd trip to this park, I knew exactly what to expect. This day, my friend, me, my mom, my friend's family, and his aunt, uncle, and cousin went to the park. When we got to the park, they paid $4 for preferred parking and we headed up to the gates.
I love how the metal detectors are placed way ahead of the ticket booths, so that there isn't any total jam in waiting. We got right in, and my friend and I left the group to head for Mr. Freeze.
We got there and headed right into the very cold(very welcoming) station. It was completely empty and they were running 2 trains. We headed for the back row first and strapped in. Soon after, we were in the launch section. Then we went. 0-70mph in 4 seconds. Though not too intense, this launch is great. Then you head into the top hat element and you feel like you are going to just float out. It is a very neat feeling.(Great hangtime.) Then you go through a highly banked turn and head into the vertical 200 foot tower.(Which has lims to make sure you get to the top.) Then you go it all backwards. The ride is great and short and sweet.
When we got off, we wanted to ride the front row. So when we got off, we headed around in the exit and came back in through a gate that was open. We ran back up and got in the front row next. The front has great views and is very intense. Just so you know, the best way to enjoy this ride is to have your hands down, especially in the transitions. It can get extremely forceful the farther towards the front of the train you get. And if you have trouble fitting in seats(with the seatbelts clicking, I would prefer the second row of each car. It seemed to have longer seatbelts, because that is where larger guests were moved to ride.
When we got out of the front, we went to grab a ride in another row, but a very rude ride op yelled at us, and told us to leave the ride, even though no one was there. I realize they don't allow re-rides, but he didn't have to be so stupid.
Next, I went to ride the Boss while my friend waited(he doesn't like wooden coasters.). They were running 2 trains(3 later in the day) and I only waited 5 minutes for a front seat ride(Also it was 5 minutes to get to the station.) The ride was running horribly rough, but I still enjoyed my ride because it was very intense. The drops are pretty good, and the double helix was amazing. But I would not rank this coaster highly, to the likes of Viper, Avalanche, or even Blue Streak.
After I got off, I joined my friend for a ride on Xcalibur. We waited about a minute to get on. This ride is pretty cool, especially toward the beginning when the g's get totally wicked. This ride also has speakers in each car so you can hear the operator(who in this case, was getting everyone excited. He wanted his ride to be heard all around the park.) Next up was Highland's Fling, which is the exact same thing as the Orbit. We waited 3 minutes, to get on this ok ride. I like the Orbit better, and this one also makes very loud noises. It needs a rehab.
Now it was starting to get busy, so we checked out Ninja's line, which didn't seem to look too bad, due to a 3 train op. Even though they were stacking all 3 trains, the wait was only 15 minutes for a pretty cool ride. There is only one bad transition that hurts and the rest is neat. The head chopper after the second loop is also great.
At this time, we met up with the rest of the group and decided that we would see a sow after a few more rides. They had already ridden Scooby Doo, Collossus, and a few other mild rides. Now my friend and I went to Tom's Twister, not knowing what it was. All I can say is that this ride was a neat surprise. It sounds as if Cajun Cliffhanger was the same ride as this one and I never got the chance to ride CC. So we get in the vehicle and stand against the wall. The door closes, and we started to spin. Then the spinning got so fast, that we were pinned against the wall and the floor dropped. Some people were 'climbing the wall', but I had fun without doing that. Then it starts to slow down, and you slip to the ground. Then you get in the middle and the floor rises. We rode twice in 10 minutes and it has become one of my favorite new flat rides.
Now everyone wanted to see the 1:45 show of Looney Toons-We Got the Beat. I don't know how this compares to Great America's show, but this one truly was for the very young crowd. My friend's sister and cousin liked it, but everyone else wasn't all thrilled. I guess it was worth it for the air-conditioning though.
Now we went to eat at the Wok-N-Roll, where I had Sweet and Sour Chicken and water for 7 bucks.(Tip: Make sure you have your season pass whenever you buy food or souveniers. It can save you money.) The food was great and the service sort of was too.
Now we split from the group again and went to wait for Batman. The line was very long, but my friend really likes it, so we decided to wait. The line was about an hour for front row, but I guess it was well worth it. There were also people doing some weird flips on the silver bars, which made for some neat entertainment.
Next, we went back to the group for one more ride for the day. That would be Ice Mountain Splash, their double log-flume ride with a 20 foot drop at the end and a weird very slightly angled drop in the middle. I liked it and my mom actually went on it. And she's the one who freaked out and thought she was going to die on Superstition. Something funny is that at the on ride photo booth, there was a picture of a baby strapped on the front of the dad's chest. I can't believe the kid went on the ride. It was the show photo, so who knows if it was real or fake.
After that, I went to get some T-shirts from the Thrillseekers gift shop and we headed out to eat and go back to the house to rest. FYI, the Six Flags gift shop up front had bobbleheads. I didn't know this til after I left, but my friend is going to pick up some for me!
Later, we came back at 7:00 for the Weird Al Yankovic concert at the Old Glory Ampitheather. On the way to the back of the park. xcalibur was stuck partly out of the middle. They had maintenace all over. The concert was originally suppose to start at 6, then 7:30, and it finally started at 8. This concert was very neat, and we were in the 5th row in the yellow section(front middle). I came within 2 feet of him when he came into the crowd. I was never really a fan until now. He is very talented and funny. The place was packed. Also, I wanted a cup that he threw,so I could make money on E-bay
jk There was a lot of security too. Traffic wasn't too bad on the way out, but it was still kind of busy with people.
Date: August 22, 2004(Sunday)
Crowds: Light
Time in park: 10:30am-1pm(2 1/2 hours)
Closed rides: Xcalibur
Park hours: 10-8
I got up early again, and my friend and I were dropped off at the park at 10:30 and we got in quick to get to Batman:The Ride. The wait was 10 minutes for the back row. This crew was very slow, but the line still moved quick. The back row makes me black out which is awesome, but the front is more fun.
Next was Ninja, which was walk-on with 2 trains. It was running pretty good today. Next was River King Mine Train, which was 5 minutes for the front row. 2 trains were running. This ride is pretty boring, but the helix's and the final drop were great.(The line was full yesterday.)
Now we rode the Water Street Cab Company, which is your standard Bumper Car ride. The wait was a couple minutes for 20 or so cars running. The cars were slow, but I still had fun. Screamin' Eagle was up the hill, so I took a ride. It was walk-on for back row. This ride really needs some TLC. The train was shuffling and my back began to hurt. It was great at the beginning of the year, but now it just plain sucked. 2 trains were running.
Tom's Twister was over there so we hopped in for a ride. More wil spinning. Oh yeah!
Then we ate at a pizza place.
We headed over to Mr.Freeze next, and they were only running 1 train.(Probably due to staffing issues.) The wait was 10 minutes for another thrilling ride. While in the station though, I noticed that on the scrolling sign, they had phrases such as "Last train's launch speed was 72.8 mph" and "52.9 launches an hour"
I finished off my trip on the Boss, where 2 trains were running and the wait was almost walk-on. I sat in the back, which I felt was a little better than the front. The on ride photo was working this day, unlike Saturday.
Just a few notes:
1. This park needs a tall steel coaster that is a people-mover.
2. There is a dead end past Ninja. Remember that.
3. I heard Harry Potter and Wizard of Oz music. As well as "We like to party", but only twice the whole weekend!
4. The lighting on Boss, Screamin' Eagle, Batman, and Ninja are great at night.
5. The employees were wearing a wide variety of different shirts.
6. The porta-john for fright fest was teasing people near the Boss.
7. The flat rides were very popular, especially Scoobym which had a full queue on Saturday.
8. There were a lot of familys here.
9. I like this park, but it can get very hot here.
10. The waterpark is nice. Even though we didn't go there this time, but last time we did.
On the way home from St.Louis, we were stuck in heavy traffic. The South bound lanes were closed and we went down to one lane. Then I saw why. There was a horrible accident which resulted with 2 cars. The were both burned to a crisp and they had tons of emergency vehicles with semis stuck at the scene(because they couldn't back up). Body Bags were layed on the ground and they were taking someone out of the car. Blue tarps were raised too. It was a scary sight. Drive safe wherever you go!(5 lives were lost.)
Until Next Time......
No Rush Street Flyer? If you never went on it, I would tell you to. It's much better than the Trailblaizer.
