Amusement Parks and Roller Coasters

[Turbinator]

Just over 3 weeks ago I went to the Wonderland rode no less than 7 coasters, there where a lot more in the park, but the ones I went to I at least felt semi-safe on.

There is a hypercosater called Behemoth in Wonderland that uses the lap bar restraint, and I am never trusting my life to those again. The coaster is high, very high. And it has an almost vertical droop of 230 feet. I felt like I went outside of my body and went to heaven briefly on this thing. Never got back on.


The ride:

Thsese are the seats:

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These are the ones I did go on:

Flight Deck:

Vortex:

Dragon Fire:

The Bat:

Back Lot Stunt Coster

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For next year they are installing a gigacoster there is one in the States, called Intimidator 305. This one is going to be almost identical, with the small exception of it being 400 feet instead of the 305 feet that the one in the States has.

 

[iamwearingpants]

I freaking love coasters! I've been on atleast 15 different ones, and 4 over 200ft. My favorite is Nitro at Six Flags Great adventure. It's crazy, there's like a 200ft drop, and then turns and hills, and little bunny hops! it's a blast!
Then there's Kingda Ka, it's the tallest coaster in the world. (458 feet) I live 2 hours away, so I rode the thing and loved it.
Hershey is my favorite park though, it's got 11 coasters. (rode 'em all!)

And, you have a higher chance of dieing in a folding chair, so why not?

 

[SandroSalgueiro]

Oh. My. Probe.

I ought to try that!

 

[Codz]

I got some motion sickness from the first one...:blink:

 

[jimblah]

Water parks are for me..

http://www.rwsac.com/rides.html I love going to this one.. :rofl:

 

[Pablo49]

I live about an hour away from Cedar Point, regarded by a lot of people as the best amusement park in the world. Home of the Magnum, The Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster(like kingda ka, but a tad shorter), all former world record height holders. Also Maverick, a coaster with a beyond 90 degree drop (Solid lapbar with a rubberish shoulder restraint, has enough give to give you a scare when your weight is on it.) . Plus other great coasters.

If you are ever up in Ohio, you have to go there. Seriously about the only good thing we have here, besides Kings Island, another great park. (Worlds longest wooden coaster, and home to the only wooden coaster with a loop, until it killed someone =/)

Also, as iamwearingpants probably knows, rides like Kingda Ka and Top Thrill sometimes roll back when going over their main hills. One time I rode that and we rolled back, and it was amazing. They relaunched us about 5 minutes later and rolled back again. This time they came to inspect the ride, so they let our lapbars out and we sat there for about half an hour. Finally launched for the last time and made it, followed by cheers from the crowd that formed to watch. Quite the rush, and highlight of the day.

 

[PeriapsisPrograde]

Also, as iamwearingpants probably knows, rides like Kingda Ka and Top Thrill sometimes roll back when going over their main hills. One time I rode that and we rolled back, and it was amazing. They relaunched us about 5 minutes later and rolled back again. This time they came to inspect the ride, so they let our lapbars out and we sat there for about half an hour. Finally launched for the last time and made it, followed by cheers from the crowd that formed to watch. Quite the rush, and highlight of the day.

Why is that? The people on the ride don't make gravity accelerate them more, so it should ride the same way every time. I'd think the people on the ride actually help, by adding momentum.

EDIT: On second thought, it must depend on how the launcher works. If it accelerates the ride to the same speed every time, the extra mass helps. If it accelerates the ride with the same force every time, the extra mass hurts. Got it.

 

[Artlav]

Been in Paris Disneyland this july.
Overall impression is queues. 10 minutes of excitement, 6 hours of standing.
Worth it.

Space Mountain: Mission 2.
The train is tiny, the safety thing barely locked on, and i was hurtled from a cannon into a mad spin in the total dark.
Should be really fun if you fit into it, slightly scary if you don't.

On the other side of the park there was Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.
Being quite as good as the cannon, it had a tall voluminous train, and is also located off the main tracks, so the line is short. You hurtle through semi-darkness with rock music and multi-G turns. That was simply fun.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril coaster was meh compared to the other two. Not too tall a train as well.

Besides coasters i'd recommend The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, where you sit in an "elevator" that is being yanked from under you faster than the gravity. It also does a bottom-top-down toss with several seconds of zero-G.
I honestly don't understand why kids were screaming on it.

 

[Pablo49]

Why is that? The people on the ride don't make gravity accelerate them more, so it should ride the same way every time. I'd think the people on the ride actually help, by adding momentum.

EDIT: On second thought, it must depend on how the launcher works. If it accelerates the ride to the same speed every time, the extra mass helps. If it accelerates the ride with the same force every time, the extra mass hurts. Got it.

The problem was resistance. When we went up the hill the first time, we were actually getting noticeably wet, from condensation on the tracks. I'm sure there are other factors (the ride rolled back a couple times while we were in line, even shut down for about 30 minutes when we were at the platform waiting to get on[that may have been when the condensation developed]) Also, about 4 people left the ride after the first launch, so the mass did change. But when we told the ride operators about the water, they confirmed that was the most likely reason.

Those rides also don't have much room for error. Even on a normal ride you are very slow at the top of the hill.

Besides coasters i'd recommend The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, where you sit in an "elevator" that is being yanked from under you faster than the gravity. It also does a bottom-top-down toss with several seconds of zero-G.
I honestly don't understand why kids were screaming on it.

When I last rode that a worker was coming down for his break and rode down next to me. The after ride pictures with an in costume elevator boy where really cool.

Also, I scream because I'm terrified of heights, even though it's so fun. :lol:

 

[iamwearingpants]

They actually had to have a sign saying that rollbacks are safe at Six Flags. But, of course, everyone in line was talking about them and how they would hit the cars in the station and everyone would die :dry:

When we were getting in line, it was worst part of it. I was drowning in sweat
Then we got in. I was thinking "Oh my god. Oh my god. ect.". And then I heard that pressure release that they do before they launch, and I was thinking bad words. But then it accelerated and I screaming the entire time. Then I almost cursed at the top of the hill, and when we went down I was like I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HEEEEERRRREEEEE! And then I stumbled off thinking what the heck I just rode on. And it was freaking AWESOME! :headbang:

 

[Scav]

And it was freaking AWESOME! :headbang:

I have to give another thumb's up to Cedar Point; that park holds a special place in my heart. I was there long before Millenium Force showed up, so my selection was somewhat limited.

Nevertheless, some buddies and I did the grand tour:

Raptor.
Blue Streak.
Mantis.
Magnum.
Mean Streak.

At that point, I was about ready to toss my cookies. Mean Streak certainly lived up to its name, after all. To be fair, though, I have to say I tackled that one in an exhausted condition, and on less than an optimized stomach.

I'm glad my buddies talked me into the next one: Gemini.

Easily one of the most beautiful rides I've ever been on, as far as ride quality-- steel rails on a wooden framework. It was like they had shocks from a Lincoln Towncar holding the train up. And the breeze over the camelbacks was phenominal -- it was the best natural antiemetic I've ever experienced.

Magnum was another treat. I went on by myself, so I was paired up with someone who looked very inner city. Friendly enough, though, and he carried the 'attitude' -- 'Yeah, I'm gonna RIDE this rollercoaster!' . . .

We got halfway up the lift hill, and I glanced over. He was noticibly concerned. Still trying to front his 'Yeah, I'm gonna RIDE this rollercoaster!' attitude. I gave him my 'Alright, if you say so!' smile. He shrugged at me.

We get a quarter of the way down the hill, and above all of the screaming behind me, I heard him whimpering and saw him holding on for dear life. I spent the rest of the ride laughing. :thumbup:

 

[Pablo49]

At that point, I was about ready to toss my cookies. Mean Streak certainly lived up to its name, after all. To be fair, though, I have to say I tackled that one in an exhausted condition, and on less than an optimized stomach.

I've rode that only once, and I felt like I was having a heart attack while riding. You couldn't pay me enough to ride that again. It's the only coaster there I won't ride.

 

[Turbinator]

I love that shaky hands, what the heck just happened, where am I feeling you get after you get off of crazy coasters. Just riding that adrenaline high. :thumbup:

 

[jedimaster1214]

I love that shaky hands, what the heck just happened, where am I feeling you get after you get off of crazy coasters. Just riding that adrenaline high. :thumbup:

:tiphat::tiphat::tiphat: Indeed!

I have about a half hour drive to

This is the cart you ride in: (riding on the far ends are a real trip...)

Apollo's Chariot:

and the Loch Ness Monster:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luZwK-ZdB58&feature=relmfu"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luZwK-ZdB58&feature=relmfu[/ame]

I'm deathly afraid of roller coasters, so i haven't rode the Griffon, nor Alpengeist. I can ride the Loch Ness Monster no problem, but i only ride Apollo's Chariot if on a dare, or if i'm forced to by my friends

I even got to fly over Busch Gardens in a rented Cessna with my Grandfather for a birthday present; THAT was a real treat. (and inspired me to learn more about flight; which also got me to search google about it, which also led to me finding Orbiter (so good comes to better!) :thumbup

 

[Turbinator]

For those that are scared of coasters, what is it about them that scares you?

For me, the number one concern is the safety of the restraint devices that make sure that you stay on the coaster. This is why I absolutely hate getting on coasters with only the lap bar restraint. As long as the coaster has the full over the shoulder restrain, I'm all good. Even if it goes trough the stratosphere.

I am not going to lie, the height and the huge drops do give me the chills, however they do not stop me from getting on the coaster. They are what make them fun in the end, when you get off the ride, and kiss the ground.

The lift-hill is the scariest, because you go up very slowly, and have lot's of time to contemplate the height and your upcoming fate. Everything else is OK because you are moving very fast, in many cases to fast to think. That's where that "what the heck just happened" feeling comes from.

My favourite elements are the drop-hill, inverted loops, and high G turns. I love the drop-hill and that feeling you get in your stomach where you drop down many magnitudes faster than gravity. It feels as if you get pulled out of your body and float above for a few seconds. The best way to deal with this feeling is to take a very deep breath just before the lip of the drop, and then exhale during the entire drop. Inverted loops are fun because you get pushed in to the back of your seat, and it feels like the world is turning around you, and you are standing still. High G turns are fun because who doesn't like the experience of weighing more than twice their normal weight?

 

[jedimaster1214]

For me, the number one concern is the safety of the restraint devices that make sure that you stay on the coaster.

That ^^^ pretty much sums it up...

I have the fear that the only thing between safety and falling 100s of feet at high speeds to my death is some pieces of metal and plastic.

Yeah......no thank you.

I have less of a fear of Roller Coaster than when i was younger, cause IMO weightlessness + double G turns and flips + high speeds = astronaut training

 

[Turbinator]

My favourite safety restraints are the large and thick over the shoulder ratcheting bars + the seatbelt that connects to the bar. So you have the big bars that hold you in place with no way of slipping out. Then the bar itself locks with a ratchet, and can not be opened until the ride comes to a stop. And on top of that, the seatbelt is there just in case the ratchet fails, and it never does.

 

[Pyromaniac605]

I've been basically scared to death of roller coasters all my life, but it's never been the restraints that scared me, for me it's the heights and the g-forces.

I've only ever been on a roller coaster once in my life... an I'll admit I was scared at first, I was slowing going up to the top, trying not to look down, realising that I had to come down eventually looking at the track that waited ahead etc. but by the time the coaster was going down the hill I didn't care, I had a ton of fun.

(In case anyone was wondering [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_Runner_Rollercoaster"]this[/ame] is what I went on. )

 

[Pablo49]

For me, the number one concern is the safety of the restraint devices that make sure that you stay on the coaster. This is why I absolutely hate getting on coasters with only the lap bar restraint. As long as the coaster has the full over the shoulder restrain, I'm all good. Even if it goes trough the stratosphere.

At this one park in PA they have a old wooden roller coaster. (Cedar Point fans will recognize the name, Blue Streak. This is like an Older and larger version that's super fun) A few years ago they replaced the new cars with the original cars from the turn of the century. You are held in by a loose and worn out leather strap, that only has 3 settings, so it's always loose. You can come waaay out of your seat on that ride, but you couldn't pop out since it isn't loose enough for your legs.

Nothing is like the scare you get when you feel like you are standing on a sit-down coaster.

 

[Turbinator]

Worlds fastest coaster, check out their faces during the launch:
I would LOVE to go on this.