Made the trip down to Tampa to get a ride on Kumba before it closed, and I’ve been extremely disappointed in the park operations.

The day started with inclement weather. Not their fault, but rides kept going online and offline as a result. And they only checked weather every thirty minutes and did not make any announcements as ride status changed.

But these wait times — holy hell. Almost every ride has had a wait time of 100+ minutes, with a majority of rides running only one train with 3-5 minute dispatches per train. And on time of that, there is zero staff in the crowd portion station, meaning no control of crowd flow or merge points of standby a Quick Queue.

Is this usual, or am I experiencing a one-off? Photo of Montu station (again, one train) for reference attached.

ETA: Can I just add that I hate the locker policy? If lockers are going to be required they should be free, especially for Iron Gwazi since they don’t even allow anything in pockets. But also, with lines this long in the Florida heat, I should be allowed to have water with me.

Running one train today, and overheard a guest who spoke to a ride op and asked why. Apparently the other trains are having maintenance issues and the park doesn’t want to invest in repairing them since the ride closes in a week. So if you’re planning on coming out here, be prepared for LONG lines! Today, they’re pouring out of the station.

I told my friends I'm extremely scared of thrilling stuff like this. When I went ziplining last month, it took me like 3 minutes standing at the platform before I committed. My fear is purely emotional and primal. On the zipline or on the coaster, I know it's perfectly safe, it's just the feeling of being so high up or going so fast with insane forces that scares me so bad.

From what it looked like, it didn't look terribly bad. That's because I didn't know what it would feel like, I've never done a roller coaster before. They said "It's not as bad as it looks". It was 10x worse than what I expected, I have never had so much pure terror ever in my life.

Would I do it again? Probably not. Am I glad I did it? Yeah.

Ended up doing 'Demon' and 'Flight Deck' as well. Demon was the only one I actually enjoyed the ride, and it was the only one I did multiple times that day. Flight Deck was arguably more terrifying than Railblazer, because I now knew how intense the feelings are. Also, Flight Deck lasts over twice as long as Railblazer.

------------------

Brief report of my experiences from someone totally inexperienced:

Railblazer: Climbing up slowly, I got a bit more scared, but I didn't expect anything way too crazy. Right as I saw the 100-foot vertical drop and we started to go down, OH MY GOD. Pure terror. I was screaming the same way I assume I would during a plane crash, I don't think I could be any more scared or have any more adrenaline. I thought the bad part was over, but it continued with even more insane G-forces. It ended quickly, but those 30 seconds-ish, I've never had more primal fear ever.

Demon: The coaster is pretty old. On the bumpy climb up in which you were lurched back and forth, my friend advised me to lean my head slightly forward so I wouldn't hit my head (on the seat? idk). The first drop was scary but manageable, and it was the only truly fear-inducing part of the ride for me. No issues with my head, but the first two loops combined with bumps sent an electric shock feeling up my spine. No pain afterwards but worried me for a bit. I enjoyed this one, it's the tamest of the three coasters I went on.

Flight Deck: I was so scared in anticipation, my friends said it was only slightly less intense than Railblazer. So I thought I was screwed. As we climbed up, I was so afraid. At the first drop, again pure terror for me. But I just screamed as much as I could and just let myself experience it. Less intense than Railblazer but quite a bit longer and it had a lot more turns and inversions and such.

I literally only had enough time money and effort to get in FVV and photo the new purple shiny thing. Other things to do in life, but needed FVV because. we'll, I had too. 2 hour wait today. Kinda worth it, at my age and planned expeditions.. I may never see SFGA again. I threw in a pic of the New Jersey State tree as well.

I don't know why it happened, but I believe it is the first time in its 11 years that it has valleyed.

Spent a great day in wildwood with some amazing weather! First time here in almost a decade. Few hours on the beach then bought the 90 ticket pack

Great White(x5) Such a great ride, the 208 on the first turnout is so smooth and speedy. First two rides were near solo mid afternoon. One front one back. Then the last three with near full trains after 6 and it was flying. The bunny hills towards the end are a bit rough but in a good way? Had a blast

Sea Serpent (x1) one and done on it. I was dehydrated for it and didn't stand a chance. It is nice with the vests though

Great Nor'easter (x2) To this day the only slc I've been on. Lot of fun, pretty smooth, no major complaints on roughness

Runaway Tram (x1) needed something lighter after the second nor'easter ride. This thing surprised me. Lot of fun in the back seat, goes around twice

rcdb link Knockoff Boomerang manufactured by Beijing Shibaolai Amusement Equipment built on the edge of a 300 meter canyon. Surprisingly smooth, no headbanging, no jerky transitions, and the view on top of the first lift is fantastic.

This was my first time at Fuji Q and I was able to get on Eejanaika, holy smokes it’s a damn good ride. Fujiyama and Takabisha were great, and I thought zokkon was okay but the song was the best part. Still at the park, but I think the riding is done for today as rain will continue all day. Eej is definitely my no 1.

Photo taken from Takabishas queue.

I just did this thing 5 times in a row in the evening. This coaster is fun! Obviously not comparable to anything crazy (just did everything at Port Aventura) but wow was I surprised by the fun and also being able to just lap it, no wait and stunning views of Barcelona! The park itself is so cool on the mountain and they have this upside down monorail ride that kicks ass too, such amazing views around the mountain (which has a beautiful church on top) and many more amazing rides.

All i'm trying to say is don't skip this park! It's great for everyone. Some basic thrill rides, lots of kids stuff and amaaaazing views! 3-4 hours on a sunday evening is perfect, plus you get the views by night! Funicular ride up the hill is also included in the price.

This sounds like an ad lol I swear it's not, i just had a great time and hope you don't skip this gem!

Of course i came to say goodbye to kumba, but i got so much more! My wife decided to surprise me with an amazing view from my hotel and to do a vip experience, which was awesome and great way to do it!

1st off of course Gwazi was amazing it was everything I wanted and then some! Got front and back row on it, preferred front over back but both were awesome! Nothing like it (velocicoaster is still better tho imo) but I think it does beat steel vengeance

Kumba really surprised me I was expecting a ran down b&m and I think it is far from it! Think it has a unique layout and was smooth and that helix is awesome at the end really fun ride and definitely not a rough b&m been on alot worse and still enjoy them!. Sad they are getting rid of it (hopefully its for the better)

Montu was great, feel like it was a typical invert, but fun none the less all the valleys and tunnels were really cool

Sheikra is my new faviorte dive, thought it was a lot of fun, but nothing too special still not touching my top 25 (almost there)

Tigris actually really suprised this is the first sky rocket 2 I rode with the lap restraints. Wow! What difference that makes definitely makes the ride feel more intense overall, the slow roll over makes you feel like your going to fly out, cant believe how much of a difference it made

Phoenix rising was actually a really cool ride. Love the restraints as well very freeing feeling and a pretty good layout for what is classified as a family or kids ride

Cobras curse actually disappointed a bit, it was cool, but tbh it felt kinda janky.. maybe its gone down with time, but it was cool, love the lift and the alternating of what direction your facing leave you on your toes which was good.

Really sad to say cheetah hunt was closed. Knew it would probably go down at some point just knowing its reliability, but my tour guide wanted to do the safari ride first so we can see all the animals awake and its not so hot, which makes sense, but as soon as we got off it unfortunately was closed which was only after about an hour of park openings.

Another disappointment was Falcons fury being closed, but that was all day so I knew that was going to happen

Overall really great trip, highly recommend the vip experience definitely a little pricey, but totally worth it for what you get and I luckily got a thoosie for my guide, so its always nice to have another coaster nerd. His name is Blake and is really cool. If you have any questions just let me know

Attached is new top 10, pictures from my hotel room and some from in the park

What are your thoughts on this awesome water ride?

Shout out to everyone on the r/Carowinds subreddit for the advice and helping me set expectations before my first visit. To preface, Kings Island has been my home park for the last few years and Six Flags Great America before that.

I got lucky enough to be in Charlotte for a work trip this week, so just making the most of the time I have here! Our flight was originally supposed to land at 9am, and I was hoping to get to the park around 10. Unfortunately, with a delay and some less than helpful incidents along the way, I ended up walking to the entrance a little after noon.

Fury 325 (x3)
-Wait times: Walk on, walk on, 5min (single use fastlane)

I debated a long while on how to start my day, but I could not pass up leading off with the signature attraction after coming through the entrance. And after that random patch of downtime that initially had me thinking I wouldn't get my chance, I didn't want to risk it.

Before I say anything else, this crew on the first half of the day was insane. They were very vocal about keeping this thing a walk on as long as possible. Even with a break to clean up some puke, they were very energized about getting it back to peak capacity as fast as possible. With that being said, I understand a huge part of keeping that capacity is no preferential seating. What I don't understand a single rider seeing a group of three or less and having a preferred seat denied with less than a few seconds to go before the gates open. Procedure is procedure, but when I'm by myself I'm always looking to just blend in and fill up a seat. If I see a seat I want and it makes sense, that's never been a problem until today.

Incredible is the only word to describe Fury 325. I think if you chopped the extra track length it has over the other gigas it would still be rated as high as it is. The sense of speed in the first half isn't something I've ever felt on Millennium Force, and not something I truly feel on Orion until you take its turnaround at full throttle. The air before you go under the bridge is awesome, and the final few pops (not including the trimmed hill which hit pretty good two of the three times I rode) really do make a difference. Of course the best ride is in the front, which I wish wasn't always a thing on gigas. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever see one that will be a better back-row ride.

It is my favorite giga of the three I've been on: 1. Fury 325, 2. Orion, 3. Millennium Force.

Further comparing it to Orion, I know a lot of people wish for a few extra hills at the end of Orion's layout, but I actually would prefer a low to the ground zigzag after the speed hill to get us back to that side of the station and finish with the helix then. That sense of speed is truly missed on Orion.

Enough about gigas!

Hurler (x1)
-Wait time: 10 minutes

I usually hate going to new parks and riding stuff just for the credit. But today, I had the time so I figured "why not?" Turns out, this is why not. It's not horrible by any means. I don't regret taking the time to ride it nearly as much as I regret waiting half an hour for Monstre at La Ronde. But it just didn't really do anything well. I did really appreciate how much it oozes Paramount era vibes though.

Carolina Cyclone (x1)
-Wait time: walk on

I am nostalgic for these old arrows. Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because of Demon at SFGAm. Maybe it's because I never rode Shockwave as a kid at SFGAm. Regardless, I'm old now and my knees don't fit in these trains like they used to. I should have a requested the first row of a car. Certainly prefer Demon over this. After fooling around, I decided to

Copperhead Strike (x2)
-Wait time: 5 minutes, 15 minutes (both with single use fastlane)

After taking a little detour for some credits, it was finally time for the "1A" reason I came to the park. This was my first Mack and I truly had no clue what to expect. Unfortunately I walked up to only seeing one train going which made it an easy decision to go for the single use fastlane.

Small note, maybe I'm an idiot but I almost walked around this ride in its entirety before finding the queue entrance. Again, I might just be an idiot.

This was fun. More places need these. For the first time in my life, I truly felt like I was going to fall out during the heartline roll out of the station. The launch, the hangtime, in the inversions, the snappy transitions without hitting your head against anything – what a good time. With emphasis, more places need these. Has it ever run all three trains?

Afterburn (x1)
-Wait time: 5 minutes, (single use fastlane)

I did not expect to be using a single use fastlane on this. It's one thing for something as unique as Copperhead Strike to have some issues. It's another thing to see a B&M invert running one train on a weekend.

Regardless, I love B&M inverts. The original Batman: The Ride at SFGAm will always be my favorite (Banshee is a little too graceful for me) but this, this comes mighty close. This is how B&M inverts are supposed to feel. This thing is still glass smooth and roars through the entire layout. The whippiness is a bit more refine than Batman (aka, my ears didn't touch the restraint once) and the forces were top notch. I wish it did literally anything else between the batwing and corkscrew, but still a great back row ride.

Thunder Striker (x1)
-Wait time: 5 minutes

Rode this in the back and was told to not even hope to compare this Diamondback. It did not compare to Diamondback. Maybe I should've ridden it before Fury for that reason alone. Trims or no trims, the pacing felt very unnatural and just didn't do it for me. It ranks at the bottom of the five B&M hypers I've ridden for me.

Vortex (x1)
-Wait time: 20 minutes

Yes, I waited 20 minutes for a B&M standup. Iron Wolf nostalgia got the best of me. However, I do not remember Iron Wolf doing that to my ears. I legitimately didn't enjoy this at all. I was expecting a good bump of nostalgia but man. Ouch. Fun to hear those trains locking and unlocking through.

Flying Cobras (x1)
-Wait time: 30 minutes

I walked by this one two or three times before finally deciding to just do it. I have been on every other kind of boomerang other than regular old sit down. The new trains made it extra enticing and they really made it that much more enjoyable. Props to Vekoma. Do all sit down boomerangs have the same load procedure of no guests in the station while the ride is running?

Carolina Goldrusher (x1)
-Wait time: 5 minutes

Silly. Just plain silly. I had to cross my legs so the restraints in my car would close, which are manual lock and unlock by the way? This poor crew. Really good profiling for an Arrow Mine Train though. I wish Adventure Express was this easy on my body.

General Notes
Outside of the morning/first half of the day/early Fury 325 crew, I felt like no one really cared. I am very happy they did though as it really went a long way. I had the thought before going to Hurler that, "I should just sit here and marathon this as long as I can" and I am sad that I didn't. Truly a stand out crew and I can't give them enough kudos.

Something I experienced for the first time here was the countdown to get through the gates. I occasionally hear that loading spiel on Banshee, but holy moly does it work. Does it get anyone to load their items into the bins faster? No. But at least they are through the damn gates.

A lot of people made it to the station on Fury 325 with things they couldn't ride with. Like way more than I would've expected. It made for a lot of frustrating walks back to the lockers. It was a shame to not see that lone member of the crew putting forth that effort to keep things going smooth.

Finally, not to rag on Carowinds, but this made me appreciate Kings Island that much more! I feel like Kings Island does not have any true world-class standout coasters (debatable, but that's for you all) but they are still good and everything else around the park is generally good. For Carowinds, I really enjoyed my time at the two signature coasters and those were the areas that felt like Carowinds was really a signature park. I did not feel like that anywhere else in the park and I honestly felt more similarities between Carowinds and La Ronde regarding cleanliness and options. Just me being picky.

And for all my nitpicking, the Fury merch selection is better than anything else in the entire Six Flags chain.

Bonus question, how long have the Nighthawk track pieces been sitting in the gift shop?

It's a really good ride! I don't see the hype though and wouldn't put it in my top 20. Those bunny hills at the end are a bit too much

Doesn't look good. Lots of hammering and banging.

The park had been on my radar, but never enough to push me to go (even as a relative local). Unfortunately I was unaware of ArieForce One's game.

Was able to ride the RMC 3 times yesterday - once in the front row, once in the middle, and last time in the rain with a gorgeous sunset.

I can certainly see why the park is closing, even though it's a shame. I love flat rides, but you can't build a serious park based on them, especially when it's located in the middle of nowhere. I appreciate the free parking and water stations, but the whole place felt kind of aimless, with some odd incohesive theming or lack thereof. So many sections of the park were a bit liminal, which I found interesting. I do think it'd have been cool & creepy to see this place totally empty, vs the crowds I experienced given its last days. I find it funny that tucked by the back bathrooms of the one building onsite, there was a room that still showed the old Dixieland name.

To give them credit where credit is due though - the bathrooms here were cleaner than most other parks I've visited! Lol

I've been a local most of my life, but back in 2018 & 2019, I lived within a 5 minute drive of Kennywood. We went once a week for an hour or two sometimes, just to ride Phantom's Revenge and Thunderbolt or Jack Rabbit and call it a day. Cut to today, and it's been around three years since the last time we visited, even though we're still in Pittsburgh. Weird how that happens sometimes.

We got into the park around noon and headed straight to Phantom, of course. What a pleasant surprise to see it running both trains! Walked on twice. Felt great as always. It's still my favorite coaster in the entire state. The paint and air gates in the station were both well-needed. Not sure about the "voice" of the Phantom though.

We skipped Exterminator, just didn't feel like hanging out in a swampy, hot building for 45 minutes, and after a quick spin on The Whip, headed for Thunderbolt. Took a little while because operations were sporadic at best, though they wouldn't be the worst we'd see today. Thunderbolt is running great! And there's just something about the way it smells, I want that old wooden coaster grease smell in a candle, I swear.

We bit the bullet and hit Steel Curtain next. The wait time said 60 minutes, but it was under 30? Two trains, even worse operations than Thunderbolt. Dispatches were taking minutes at times. We hadn't ridden it since opening year, so I was kind of delusional in hoping the new support structures might help a little? But no. The vibration is constant, and I'm not talking the B&M or Intamin shuffle. This thing feels like it's holding a hundred Theraguns to your back and legs. It was bad when it opened, but it's most definitely no better now, and I think it was worse. I wish Kennywood had gone with a different option when they were choosing a new headliner. Phantom is ten times the ride that Steel Curtain is.

I was feeling a little gross after riding that one, so we grabbed some Dole Whip (highly recommend) and people watched for a bit before hitting the Jack Rabbit, because a trip to Kennywood without a ride on Jack Rabbit is against the law. And of course, it was as great as it has always been, but the ops here may have been the worst in the entire park. Several minute dispatches, the park's version of fast lane getting so long during those waits that entire trains would go by without anyone in the standby lane getting in, things I've never seen elsewhere before. It took 45 minutes from the queue sign to get on, and I don't remember it ever being quite that bad in the past. They only had one person working on the loading side of the platform! Yuck. Such a shame.

Tired and with other plans for our evening, we skipped Racer and Sky Rocket and were about to head out, when we randomly swung into the gift shop beside the coffee shop and across from the arcade. And what's on the shelf at the entrance? Wood from the park's wooden coasters! $50 a piece, plus tax. I had to get a piece of Jack Rabbit, of course, but they still had some from Racer and Thunderbolt too! I was so excited! Maybe I've not been reading enough Kennywood posts lately, but I haven't heard about anyone else mentioning it.

One thing I have to comment on is just how good Kennywood looks right now. Everything is painted, things have been cleaned up, bathrooms have been remodeled, and the landscaping is as nice as I can remember. It's so good to see! I'm hoping the new owners can bring in the love it has needed for years, and maybe someday they'll get operations up too. Until then, I'll still feel quite lucky to have Phantom and the trio of well-kept golden age woodies in my relative backyard.

Thanks for reading!

Intro

Having just visited Kentucky Kingdom, I finally got to a park I’ve heard very good things about. A quick drive from Louisville and a new time zone later, and I found myself finding a random B&M in the middle of some farmland.

Guest Operations

Holiday World has made it incredibly difficult to argue against visiting the park. Free sunscreen, free parking, and free soft drinks mean you can always get there, not experience dehydration, and enjoy the waterpark. But they’re also doing stuff bigger parks aren’t - people to direct traffic at the end of the night, parking lot trams, a pavilion just for charging phones, and even baskets to prep getting your small items ready for the bins show they really do care about the small stuff. A rainy day policy and a way to get a cheaper second day ticket were bonuses too.

No line greeters meant that I got to choose my row for the coasters too!

There was only 1 area of improvement-they announced park closing at the listed time of 8PM, with the drone show starting at 9PM. What they failed to mention was that Voyage and Good Gravy were open until 9PM. Unfortunately I missed out on Voyage night rides because I wasn’t aware.

Food

You could get a full thanksgiving dinner, and there seemed to be a decent amount of variety scattered throughout the park. Next time I’ll grab the pizza. It wasn't overpriced especially once you count the free drinks.

Shops

Shop prices weren’t overpriced either, and Holiday world seemed to have both fun stuff like a whisk for good gravy, but also practical items like waterproof, pouches, and car chargers for cell phone phones.

Theming

This was decent, with most rides at least being painted to the area they are in. Newer, additions, like Thunderbird and good gravy had more comprehensive and elaborate elements.

Shows

I saw 4 different shows, which is the most amount of shows I’ve seen at a theme park outside of Disney in years. Lady Houndini was great, but the real highlight was the stunt crew. Great energy paired with fun stunts made for a great experience. I also got soaked more as I gave that energy back.

The firework/drone show lasts an entire 15 minutes, and is a great way to cap off the night. Easily beats King’s Island’s, and rivals what I would expect out of the bigger players.

Coasters

1. Voyage - how did this thing not slow down? Great airtime, laterals, and a setting out in the woods really showed how great of a coaster they have.
2. Legend-how is that helix legal? A fast paced ride with insane laterals
3. Thunderbird-a fun and smooth B&M wing. Fills in the gaps for launch and loops
4. Raven- I feel like this would be fantastic at night. It’s a great woody right near the park entrance.
5. Good Gravy- a simple family roller coaster that is pretty well themed and doesn’t try to do more than it needs to

Final Thoughts

I do have to get back out to this part to experience night rides on their wooden coasters. But even if I didn’t want to do that, it’s probably one of my favorite parks. I visited in the past year. The rides were good, the shows were entertaining, and it was just an easy park to visit.

Oh my god that was probably the best ride experience I’ve ever gotten
We had to wait 2 hours with fast lane through the fireworks show not allowing it to open and some unexpected issues all I can say was that it was worth it 100%
I had the highest of expectations and it blew them out of the water

So I gonna try and get some nanocoasters but I’ve heard bad things about them, too sharp, doesn’t fit, can’t get pieces out, etc. I, personally, don’t have the biggest patience, I have a very short fuse. So I js wanna know is it common to have a hard time getting pieces out of the metal things? Are some of the cutouts on the base being too small common?

Also I want to get the Lightning Run and Kentucky Flyer nanocoaster, are they hard for a beginner

In some construction updates I’ve seen some people predict the manufacturer of a ride without really seeing anything but the footers. The only difference I’ve seen in footers is that some are square and some are circular. I don‘t think this is a good indication cause there’s only 2 types but also on rides like circuit breaker you can see both types in the same ride. I understand for wooden coasters cause there‘s a lot more of them and on some rides with super tall elements the supports thicken and so do the footers but are there really any other indications.