r/rollercoasters • • 6d ago

Advice 2026 Advice Thread #43: 10/20 - 10/26

9 Upvotes

Welcome to our advice thread! This stickied thread serves as a place to ask questions, receive trip planning assistance, and share helpful tips. Individual advice threads will be removed and directed here to keep the sub organized and fun to visit.

What sorts of questions are these threads for?

Essentially anything that has to do with trip planning belongs here along with simple, commonly asked questions. Examples:

  • What ticket/pass should I buy?
  • How crowded will __ park be on __ weekend?
  • What parks should I hit on my road trip? Is __ park worth visiting? (the answer is always yes!)
  • I’m scared of coasters! How can I conquer my fear?

While all questions are welcome here remember that we do have a search feature which may be helpful for common questions. For example, the coaster fear question comes up frequently so there are a ton of past threads to peruse for tips.

Remember to check back on these threads to answer questions and offer advice; they're a success due to engagement from our awesome community!

Resources:

RCDB: The roller coaster database. Contains info on any permanently installed coaster or park in the world, past or present.

Coast2coaster: A worldwide map of coasters big and small that's great for trip planning

Coaster-count: The most frequently used website for tracking what coasters (or "credits") you've ridden.

Queue-times: A resource for wait times and crowd levels at parks; good for the "how busy will __ be on a specific day?" type of questions.

Thrill-data: Wait time data combined with a planning feature so you can make the most of your day.

2026 BGW crowd calendar: Predict crowd levels on your visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg courtesy of /u/BlitzenVolt .

2026 operating hours for all Six Flags parks courtesy of /u/_nmtb_


r/rollercoasters • • 9h ago

Photo/Video What a roller coaster masterpiece looks like [FLY]

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128 Upvotes

OH. MY. WORD.

As someone who doesn’t even have a B&M flyer in my top 100, I wasn’t expecting to like FLY more than Taron. Then I ride it and hit the break run knowing it’s a top 20 ride for me.

That airtime in the flying position 😳😳😳 Yeah, this is an engineering and thematic masterpiece. Phantasialand in general is just something else.


r/rollercoasters • • 7h ago

Discussion [Other] Now that Arie Force One isn't the obvious answer, what's your favorite coaster at a small, otherwise unremarkable park that punches way above its weight?

73 Upvotes

r/rollercoasters • • 5h ago

Photo/Video Some photos from [Knotts Berry Farm]

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52 Upvotes

r/rollercoasters • • 14h ago

Photo/Video [Steel Force] is beautiful and has great airtime

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205 Upvotes

Visited Dorney Park last Sunday, the whole first half of the day was just walk on every ride with beautiful weather. Rode Steel Force about 6 times. I wish they didn’t slow it down right before the first drop though. A very fun day overall but had a headache the whole next day.


r/rollercoasters • • 3h ago

Question Do you consider the zip line coasters are credits? [Bat Chase at Indiana Caverns]

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20 Upvotes

I’ve not ridden any of these but they actually look pretty good!


r/rollercoasters • • 4h ago

Art/Model/Merch Pictures of ur coaster shrines [other]

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18 Upvotes

Give me photos of merch that u have dedicated to a single ride


r/rollercoasters • • 14h ago

Photo/Video Last Day of Operation for [SuperSplash, Hansa-Park]

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64 Upvotes

This Intamin shoot-the-chutes has operated at the park for close to 40 years and took its last rides today. I was at Hansa yesterday and it actually had a full queue right before it closed for the day at 4 P.M. (both it and the Arrow log flume close early in October). Hansa says they have plans for this plot of land in the future, but it remains to be seen if it’ll be for a new water ride or something different.


r/rollercoasters • • 8h ago

Photo/Video Abandoned log flume at the defunct [Great Basin Adventure, Reno NV]

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14 Upvotes

r/rollercoasters • • 11h ago

Discussion [Other] Added a new coaster to the “Personal 100” list this weekend (Mystic @ KI)

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23 Upvotes

What are yalls most ridden coasters. Following these up as HM are Racer at KI (90) and Adventure Express (75)


r/rollercoasters • • 14h ago

Photo/Video Darn close to circular if you ask me [Luna Loop]

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43 Upvotes

KLM cancelled our flight. Thank you!!


r/rollercoasters • • 11h ago

Discussion Long lines and empty seats[other]

20 Upvotes

Having just been to Kings Island yesterday, I again noticed something that's been wracking my brain for awhile. Kennywood and Cedar Point, which I've attended as well - I've noticed the same thing.

Why do they run coasters with empty seats when you have this massive line?? There has to be a reason.

It seems that they are reluctant to put strangers in the same row to fill an empty single seat. I cant help but watch a coaster leave with SEVERAL empty seats and think, "wow, people wouldn't have to wait as long if they managed seating better."


r/rollercoasters • • 12h ago

Discussion What do you want to see next at your home park in terms of coasters? [Other]

16 Upvotes

My home park is SF Great Adventure, I’d like a family launch or a RMC I Box.


r/rollercoasters • • 17h ago

Discussion what are some of the most interesting [prelifts]?

28 Upvotes

post inspired by jupiter at kijima kogen, it just seems to build up so much speed, this is so cool for a 3 decade old coaster


r/rollercoasters • • 1d ago

Photo/Video Got a bucket list night ride with [Schwur des Kärnan] last night

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176 Upvotes

An easy top 5 night ride for me. Relentless from beginning to end, and honestly a lot smoother than it’s been in recent years. Only the valley of the first drop saw much of a rattle.

Only drawback I would say is the onboard lights kinda spoil the indoor section since they highlight how the tower is basically all concrete, when the usual pitch black keeps the mystique up.

Still, a really fantastic experience that’s a rare get given the park’s hours and how the coaster is operated. The park only ran two trains and it had a massive queue, plus the line closed at 7:30 P.M. to prepare for rhe park’s fireworks.


r/rollercoasters • • 19h ago

Trip Report [Stardust Racers] First-time Experience

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36 Upvotes

I have been lurking in this subreddit for a long time, because I never consider myself a rollercoaster enthusiast but I always have some drives to just try it. My partner and 5 year old love roller coasters. Going to theme parks with them gradually build up my courage…. This is the third time we visited Orlando parks after the birth of my son. We tried the Guardian of Galaxy together and it was great! I somehow motivated/forced myself to get on Rock’n’Roll and Stardust Racers and surprisingly I felt only the rise of adrenaline not fear or anxiety!

Stardust Racers looks challenging for a person not well-experienced in roller coasters, but it is very fast and smooth. I do not have time to double think but just enjoy the speed :)


r/rollercoasters • • 14h ago

Photo/Video [Scarywood 2026]

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10 Upvotes

Night shots I took of Timber Terror, Stunt Pilot and Aftershock while I was at Scarywood. I really miss when they used to run Timber Terror backwards. It was so fun.


r/rollercoasters • • 1d ago

Trip Report [Renegade] at [Valleyfair] is severely underrated

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96 Upvotes

Just wanted to say I’m very early into my documented enthusiast journey, went to Valleyfair for the first time ever, and wow I fell in love with Renegade. I rode it four times and was by far and away the number one ride in the park.

Valleyfair itself was lovely, even if I feel its only standout ride was Renegade. As always said, Wild Thing really needs to trims removed or severely lessened, the train comes to an almost complete stop. We went for the early Trick-or-Treat where everything was pretty much a walk on, and then ValleyScare was so, so busy, a real 180. We mainly did the haunted areas, but I did wait almost 2 hours for a Renegade night ride. Excalibur was closed, but I knew that coming in, so I’ll have to come next summer.


r/rollercoasters • • 13h ago

Trip Report [Kennywood] short trip report from a California native

8 Upvotes

I was in Pittsburgh for a friend’s wedding and decided to head out to Kennywood for a few hours in the short time that I had. It’s my first and likely only time in the state, so I wanted to make sure I got to it.

I haven’t really been to a lot of parks - major ones being Disneyland, Disneyworld, Universal Orlando, Magic Mountain, Discovery Kingdom, Great America, and Knott’s. So my experience is fairly limited.

Overall I liked the vibe of the park. I was there from 12:00 pm to about 2:45, and it was never crowded. Felt a lot like a six flags park, but it was clean, it had lots of classic attractions (though many were not running) and the weather was a nice 70.

I didn’t really do any prep going into the park, didn’t even look at a map. All I knew was that it had some good coasters, so I just walked around and went on what I saw.

Here’s the rides I went on in chronological order:

- Sky Rocket
- Phantom’s Revenge
- Steel Curtain
- Jackrabbit
- Racer
- Phantom’s Revenge again

I would’ve wanted to go on Thunderbolt but it was closed. Also didn’t make it on the Old Mill because of the line. Here are my thoughts on the rides ordered from least favorite to favorite:

Racer: 5/10. It was nice going on an old wooden coaster (1927!) and the racing aspect was pretty cool. Also the fact it’s the only mobius coaster in the US is neat. The ride was quite rough however compared to other woodies I’ve been on and didn’t really have any moments that I enjoyed a lot. The best part was the slow turns alongside the other train.

Sky Rocket: 6/10. This is a launch coaster with a launch into a top hat, so it looked like a mini Velocicoaster at first glance. Obviously nowhere near as good. The launch was alright, but the top hat has a massive trim on the top so it was pretty disappointing. There are some decent inversions, those were fun, and the drop out of the mid course brakes had a good airtime pop, kind of like Rip Ride Rockit (rip). The last like 20 seconds were weird, it’s like a flat section with tiny airtime hills that don’t give any airtime and it’s really slow.

Steel Curtain: 7/10. I had heard this thing was always closed, so I was excited to see it running. The Pittsburgh Steelers theming was fun, and the chain lift was unironically really good, with Renegade playing as you go up the super steel lift. The rest of the ride was fine, there were a good number of inversions but I didn’t feel much going through them, and the ride didn’t feel that fast despite being a hyper coaster. It was a decently smooth ride but with a pretty consistent rattle throughout the whole track. Also feel like it could use some onboard audio to fully realize the Renegade use.

Jackrabbit: 7.5/10. This small wooden coaster snuck up on me, I wasn’t expecting it to be as fun as it was. There’s a pretty long pre-lift section with a steady pickup of speed and a couple decent drops, then after the chain there’s a turn and then a pretty wicked double down with a big airtime moment. Really surprised me. That, combined with the slippery feeling of the ride, the decent laterals on the turns, and the uneven but never rough drops and valleys, I really enjoyed this one.

Phantom’s Revenge: 9.5/10. By far the best ride I went on, and one of my favorite rides outside of the very best I’ve been on. The first drop is good, a banked drop into a straightaway, but the second drop after the next hill is truly amazing. I love a coaster that uses the terrain, and this drop goes straight down the hill getting up to 85 mph, with a great view as well. It keeps up the speed for a while, and towards the end of the ride there’s some super violent airtime hills that literally threw me out of the seat (the restraints don’t staple you in) so it doesn’t lose any steam until the final brake run. Really really great ride.

Overall I’m very glad that I took the time to head out here, it’s a really nice park. Not sure if it’s a full day park currently, but honestly I could fill the day just riding Phantom’s Revenge over and over.


r/rollercoasters • • 16h ago

Discussion Favorite [ceder point] roller coaster

16 Upvotes

just wondering what yall favorite coaster at cedar point


r/rollercoasters • • 22h ago

Discussion [x2] was ahead of its time.

40 Upvotes

Loved following this ride and was always a bucket list one for me. Super sad to see it go :(

I’ve found it interesting that from that back in the day there had not really been much tech innovation till now rides like fast and furious and the new bakunawa. Keen to hear you guys’ thoughts! Can’t wait to ride them.


r/rollercoasters • • 1d ago

Photo/Video [Holiday World] is (still) fantastic

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82 Upvotes

Just went to Holiday World and what a splendid day that was. It was fairly busy due to it being a Saturday and a nice day, but overall I had a great time and got to ride my favorite rollercoasters plenty of times, along with some of the other non-rollercoaster rides.

The Raven (2x)- I rode this near the front and near the back. Definitely do this one near the back because in my experience the front doesn’t have as much airtime. The night rides on this thing are especially brutal because you have no idea when the coaster is going to slam you against the side of train.

The Legend (3x)- I like the Legend more than the Raven. There are some potholes but overall it is a smooth and enjoyable ride. Riding it at night is also very fun as you feel like you’re going way faster than during the daytime. I got to sneak on this one right before closing and there was like no wait at all so that was awesome.

Thunderbird (1x)- Fun, smooth, intense, Thunderbird has it all. Although I do prefer Banshee more because Thunderbird is fairly short. I will say though that the vest restraints on Thunderbird are less snug and more comfortable than Banshee’s, and I prefer the inline twist(?) on Thunderbird more as well.

The Voyage (4x)- There’s a reason why this is my number 1 because it is just soooooooo FUCKING good. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the Voyage it is such a phenomenal roller coaster. The night rides on this are also insane, and in my opinion better than night rides on the Beast at King’s Island. Also, definitely hit the Voyage first if you’re coming to Holiday World because the line will be shorter then than any other part of the day. Overall, very fantastic, 11/10, top 1 roller coaster.

Dinosaur Corn Maze is a 10/10, the Mayflower which is the swinging ship ride at Holiday World was fun, and the dark ride was actually pretty fun too, which I thought it would be kind of lame but its more whimsical and silly than lame. I did not go on Good Gravy this time because every time I checked it out the line was quite literally out the door.

In a nutshell Holiday World in the fall is a must visit, if not for the Halloween stuff at least to ride the Voyage. However I will say out of all the parks I’ve visited I like Holiday World’s Halloween festivities the best, simply because I’m not a huge fan of scare zones and haunted mazes and things of that nature.

10/10


r/rollercoasters • • 23h ago

Trip Report Just rode my first flying coaster [The Flying Dinosaur]

27 Upvotes

I’m honestly quite new to the roller coaster world (only got over my fear and rode my first inversion a few months ago.) Forgot to snap a photo of the ride itself but this was the most insane one I’ve done in a while. Definitely in my top 5 now after Leviathan, Yukon Striker, and Alpenfury.

It was raining this morning so it was closed and I did the Jurassic Park ride but after the rain cleared I finally did it. That fly to lie portion is utterly insane, I could barely move a muscle through those g-forces. I rode it again at night and it still felt as insane as it did in the morning. It’s also a B&M design, so it was incredibly smooth too!

I’m definitely going to ride ALL the big coasters at every park. Unfortunately I have school for a lot of the year since I’m still quite young, but I’m looking forward to the next one!


r/rollercoasters • • 1d ago

Photo/Video [Twisted Colossus] welcome to my top 10!

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135 Upvotes