Wrapping up my 2nd and final kings island day with a night ride on the Beast. Currently waiting for fireworks to end.
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Rollercoaster Advice | Summer 2022 Amusement Park Review and Ideas
- Thread starter Mickeynerd17
- Start date
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Just got home. Here's some thoughts on the major Lagoon coasters. I only got one ride each on Wild Mouse, Spider, and Bombora. No credit for The Bat and Puff the Fire Dragon. Wild Mouse is...a wild mouse 
A rather jerky one at that haha. I do rather enjoy the little house you go through on one of the final drops. Spider was a big surprise and the only supporting coaster I actively wanted to ride again but didn't because of the slow moving line. Probably the craziest spinning coaster I've ever been on and I'm stoked that there's a clone at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk when I eventually return there. Bombora is really enjoyable for a family coaster with some very solid theme, but it's basically a Flight of the Hypogriff/Nuthouse Coaster/Barnstormer clone that's a little taller and longer. With that in mind here's how I would rank the park's headliners.
Roller Coaster is a solid classic, with a bit less airtime than I was anticipating. I definitely prefer the Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz, but for a ride over 100 years old it still packs a bit of a punch regardless. I really love the sense of history the park has for this. My first couple rides on Wicked were somewhat weak, but man on that second and third day the airtime on this thing was REALLY popping. It's easily the park's biggest airtime machine when it's running at its peak. Colossus has easily the best laterals I've ever experienced, with the final super low to the ground helix and the dramatic swooping turn after the second loop being considerable highlights. It definitely makes me want to fast track a trip of King's Dominion to experience the true laterals king in Intimidator 305.
Cannibal...MAN, what a ride. EASILY worth the flight to Utah for, hands down. I adore how unique the elevator lift is, and the drop is just as crazy as I was hoping it would be. The elements are super graceful with my favorite being the weird three quarter loop/overbank thing you do right before the midcourse. The final helix weirdly reminded me A LOT of the Matterhorn with going around the waterfall and through a cave. I generally love the rock work on this thing, easily one of the best themed thrill coasters I've ever experienced (not at the same level as my beloved Mystery Mine though ) I'd have to think about where it fits in my overall coaster rankings, but it's definitely top five material with Mako being the only thing I can think of off the top of my head that actively beats it.
The two dark rides are a great way to round off the attraction line up but unfortunately they have some of the worst waits in the park between the high demand from families and low capacity. Of the two TerroRide for sure has the better effects since it was recently updated, but I FAR preferred Dracula's Castle which is a crazy mix of the Haunted Mansion portrait gallery, Snow White's Scary Adventures (a long mine section) and the Knott's Halloween overlay of the log ride (with the corny AAs)
The two biggest surprises and what really makes this park a must do for me were Lagoon A Beach and Pioneer Village. Lagoon A Beach isn't anything mindblowing, but it's easily the best waterpark within a larger theme park that I've seen. I love how apart from the rest of the park it is, with its own entrance and gift shop. Having a lazy river was a real godsend on Monday when the midways of the rest of the park were unbearably crowded. The slide selection wasn't great but it's awesome to have a couple extreme drop slides just there ready to be experienced. The one tube slide they have is probably the first "so bad it's good" waterslide I've experienced as it had these weird splashdowns throughout the layout that totally killed the momentum and made you bail out of your tube. There were like five of these splashdowns, each with its own lifeguard. I honestly think if Lagoon invested in a water coaster slide to replace this with it'd really send Lagoon-A-Beach over the edge to being a killer water park in its own right.
Pioneer Village...I wasn't prepared for this. Unpopular opinion, but I genuinely like it better than the Knott's Ghost Town. I was absolutely blown away by how many mini museums and themed set pieces this place has, and also love just how remote from the rest of the park it is. You can really get lost back there. I didn't even realize there was a whole other set of mini museums by the log flume until my last day. If anything else, the circus museum is NOT TO BE MISSED and has hands down the most breathtaking diorama I've ever seen in person. Seriously...If you go to Lagoon and are at all a fan of themed environments, DO NOT sleep on Pioneer Village. I'm actually surprised @D Hulk didn't hype it up for me more. It just totally fell into my wheelhouse. I also love the log flume (simply titled Log Flume) which I believe is one of the first of its kind in the country. The existence of Pioneer Village and Lagoon A Beach to me EASILY makes this a multi-day destination park and not a one day hit the coaster credits and get out kind of deal. I could honestly spend a whole other day just exploring Pioneer Village. There really is that much to see back there.
This trip was like the inverse of my Dollywood trip. I HATED Tennessee as a state for reasons I don't feel like getting into here, but I absolutely fell in love with Utah. The mountain backdrop for Lagoon is freaking phenomenal and it's crazy to me how it's just ...an every day thing for Utah people. I'm now pretty damn thirsty for a national park trip, tbh. Whereas Tennessee I was expecting a lot of down home hospitality and Utah I was expecting a lot of right wing religious nutjobs, the complete opposite ended up being true. I thought for sure after my Tennessee trip that the Mormon thing would be a big factor in the overall vibe of the state, but the subject never came up once. One last thing I have to give props for is that even though the employees made me feel like an actual dinosaur for how young they were (Cue the Rugrats "babies in adult bodies" joke ) they were all incredibly friendly and welcoming. The park also might have the most impressive operations I've ever seen. The queue situation offsets that a bit, but MAN does the park consistently just pump out car after car on every major coaster with minimal loading times. I also love just home homespun the vibe of the park is, and how you can hardly tell where the park ends and the campground begins. Camping at Lagoon is now a bucket list thing for me.
A rather jerky one at that haha. I do rather enjoy the little house you go through on one of the final drops. Spider was a big surprise and the only supporting coaster I actively wanted to ride again but didn't because of the slow moving line. Probably the craziest spinning coaster I've ever been on and I'm stoked that there's a clone at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk when I eventually return there. Bombora is really enjoyable for a family coaster with some very solid theme, but it's basically a Flight of the Hypogriff/Nuthouse Coaster/Barnstormer clone that's a little taller and longer. With that in mind here's how I would rank the park's headliners.Roller Coaster is a solid classic, with a bit less airtime than I was anticipating. I definitely prefer the Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz, but for a ride over 100 years old it still packs a bit of a punch regardless. I really love the sense of history the park has for this. My first couple rides on Wicked were somewhat weak, but man on that second and third day the airtime on this thing was REALLY popping. It's easily the park's biggest airtime machine when it's running at its peak. Colossus has easily the best laterals I've ever experienced, with the final super low to the ground helix and the dramatic swooping turn after the second loop being considerable highlights. It definitely makes me want to fast track a trip of King's Dominion to experience the true laterals king in Intimidator 305.
Cannibal...MAN, what a ride. EASILY worth the flight to Utah for, hands down. I adore how unique the elevator lift is, and the drop is just as crazy as I was hoping it would be. The elements are super graceful with my favorite being the weird three quarter loop/overbank thing you do right before the midcourse. The final helix weirdly reminded me A LOT of the Matterhorn with going around the waterfall and through a cave. I generally love the rock work on this thing, easily one of the best themed thrill coasters I've ever experienced (not at the same level as my beloved Mystery Mine though
) I'd have to think about where it fits in my overall coaster rankings, but it's definitely top five material with Mako being the only thing I can think of off the top of my head that actively beats it. The two dark rides are a great way to round off the attraction line up but unfortunately they have some of the worst waits in the park between the high demand from families and low capacity. Of the two TerroRide for sure has the better effects since it was recently updated, but I FAR preferred Dracula's Castle which is a crazy mix of the Haunted Mansion portrait gallery, Snow White's Scary Adventures (a long mine section) and the Knott's Halloween overlay of the log ride (with the corny AAs)
The two biggest surprises and what really makes this park a must do for me were Lagoon A Beach and Pioneer Village. Lagoon A Beach isn't anything mindblowing, but it's easily the best waterpark within a larger theme park that I've seen. I love how apart from the rest of the park it is, with its own entrance and gift shop. Having a lazy river was a real godsend on Monday when the midways of the rest of the park were unbearably crowded. The slide selection wasn't great but it's awesome to have a couple extreme drop slides just there ready to be experienced. The one tube slide they have is probably the first "so bad it's good" waterslide I've experienced as it had these weird splashdowns throughout the layout that totally killed the momentum and made you bail out of your tube. There were like five of these splashdowns, each with its own lifeguard. I honestly think if Lagoon invested in a water coaster slide to replace this with it'd really send Lagoon-A-Beach over the edge to being a killer water park in its own right.
Pioneer Village...I wasn't prepared for this. Unpopular opinion, but I genuinely like it better than the Knott's Ghost Town. I was absolutely blown away by how many mini museums and themed set pieces this place has, and also love just how remote from the rest of the park it is. You can really get lost back there. I didn't even realize there was a whole other set of mini museums by the log flume until my last day. If anything else, the circus museum is NOT TO BE MISSED and has hands down the most breathtaking diorama I've ever seen in person. Seriously...If you go to Lagoon and are at all a fan of themed environments, DO NOT sleep on Pioneer Village. I'm actually surprised @D Hulk didn't hype it up for me more. It just totally fell into my wheelhouse. I also love the log flume (simply titled Log Flume) which I believe is one of the first of its kind in the country. The existence of Pioneer Village and Lagoon A Beach to me EASILY makes this a multi-day destination park and not a one day hit the coaster credits and get out kind of deal. I could honestly spend a whole other day just exploring Pioneer Village. There really is that much to see back there.
This trip was like the inverse of my Dollywood trip. I HATED Tennessee as a state for reasons I don't feel like getting into here, but I absolutely fell in love with Utah. The mountain backdrop for Lagoon is freaking phenomenal and it's crazy to me how it's just ...an every day thing for Utah people. I'm now pretty damn thirsty for a national park trip, tbh. Whereas Tennessee I was expecting a lot of down home hospitality and Utah I was expecting a lot of right wing religious nutjobs, the complete opposite ended up being true. I thought for sure after my Tennessee trip that the Mormon thing would be a big factor in the overall vibe of the state, but the subject never came up once. One last thing I have to give props for is that even though the employees made me feel like an actual dinosaur for how young they were (Cue the Rugrats "babies in adult bodies" joke
) they were all incredibly friendly and welcoming. The park also might have the most impressive operations I've ever seen. The queue situation offsets that a bit, but MAN does the park consistently just pump out car after car on every major coaster with minimal loading times. I also love just home homespun the vibe of the park is, and how you can hardly tell where the park ends and the campground begins. Camping at Lagoon is now a bucket list thing for me.
MickeyWaffleCo.
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Indeed! According to Hulk it’s infamously known as the “Lagoon Roll.” I can appreciate the design and thought of it, but with my preference for positive G-force instead of airtime, I can’t say it’s my favorite part of the coaster
@TheOriginalTiki Did you do the rapids ride while you were there? If so, how was the wait? It was by far the longest line in the park when I was there last summer.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Rattlesnake Rapids was like the one BAD experience I had the whole trip. The line set up is awful. You exit the same tiny corridor you queue in, so the parties grouping together was nearly CONSTANT. Also the iconic rattlesnake sign was just inexplicably not there for some reason. 45 minute wait later, and the cast member tells me no single riders...I'm like...what. There were TONS of people riding on the individual seats by themselves. I'm assuming this is a capacity issue and they might not want to group strangers together for some reason even though that's been the practice on literally every other raft ride on the planet, but I did know that this park had some weird and cryptic management decisions so I just sort of walked away without raising a stink about it. The guy said I could wait for a party to volunteer to group with me but that was just a social anxiety (bleep) show waiting to happen. To add insult to injury, the freaking Dole Whip stand next to the ride was closed. Also the Lagoon roll is actually the two inline twists that go over the water. It's great, but the three-quarter loop overbank thing really feels like nothing else on the planet while the Lagoon Roll...while excellent, very much has the feeling of the Sky Rocket 2 barrel rolls. The Mosasaurus Roll on Velocicoaster though...yea, STOKED for that. I keep hearing "upside down airtime" and I just can't imagine what it actually feels like!Indeed! According to Hulk it’s infamously known as the “Lagoon Roll.” I can appreciate the design and thought of it, but with my preference for positive G-force instead of airtime, I can’t say it’s my favorite part of the coaster
@TheOriginalTiki Did you do the rapids ride while you were there? If so, how was the wait? It was by far the longest line in the park when I was there last summer.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
I REALLY don't know why Lagoon doesn't allow single riders on the Ferris wheel either, and was pretty bummed about that given how spectacular the views must be from up there between the mountain backdrop and being right next to Cannibal. Stuff like that and Jet Star are probably the primary motivation on bringing my grandma back with me. Perhaps as the first leg of a larger national park trip.
spacemt354
Chili's
The mosasaurus roll is one of the best coaster elements I've experienced - it literally feels like you're being dropped in the lagoon!Rattlesnake Rapids was like the one BAD experience I had the whole trip. The line set up is awful. You exit the same tiny corridor you queue in, so the parties grouping together was nearly CONSTANT. Also the iconic rattlesnake sign was just inexplicably not there for some reason. 45 minute wait later, and the cast member tells me no single riders...I'm like...what. There were TONS of people riding on the individual seats by themselves. I'm assuming this is a capacity issue and they might not want to group strangers together for some reason even though that's been the practice on literally every other raft ride on the planet, but I did know that this park had some weird and cryptic management decisions so I just sort of walked away without raising a stink about it. The guy said I could wait for a party to volunteer to group with me but that was just a social anxiety (bleep) show waiting to happen. To add insult to injury, the freaking Dole Whip stand next to the ride was closed. Also the Lagoon roll is actually the two inline twists that go over the water. It's great, but the three-quarter loop overbank thing really feels like nothing else on the planet while the Lagoon Roll...while excellent, very much has the feeling of the Sky Rocket 2 barrel rolls. The Mosasaurus Roll on Velocicoaster though...yea, STOKED for that. I keep hearing "upside down airtime" and I just can't imagine what it actually feels like!
MickeyWaffleCo.
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Ah my bad. Must’ve misread your post
DOLLYWOOD
This park was absolutely wonderful and distinctly reminded me of late 2000s early 2010s WDW in its overall atmosphere. Everything was clean, maintained, and the staff was very friendly (loved the "have a blessed day").
The most fascinating thing about the park was the fully functional church with nondenominational service on Sundays INSIDE the park. The church was very rustic and had cloth drapes that looked like stained glass windows on the inside. I 1
Also, I did have the cinnamon bread, and it was amazing, especially with the apple E1butter. I'd highly recommend it.
For the coasters, the big standout was Lightning Rod for obvious reasons. That one coaster carries the whole park and cemented my love for RMCs. Glassy smooth and completely relentless on the airtime hills. The launch up the hill isn't bad, but once you get going it starts wailing at your body in a fun way. Definitely a must-do in my book.
Although Lightning Rod carries the park, the other coasters are by no means any lesser. Tornado was a wonderfuly boost of adrenaline with its loops. The restraints are a bit cumbersome but the ride in general wasn't painful. Wild Eagle was exactly as described: if Soarin was a Rollercoaster. I got front row on that baby and it was magnificent. There was a spiral towards the end that gave me some brain slosh but nothing I couldn't handle.
Mystery Mine was.....
uh....
interesting.
Very bulky, cumbersome restraints and a bit painful on some of the turns at the beginning. I understand why people say the first half is awkward, because that's really the only way to describe it. The vertical chain lifts wigged me out at first, but the vertical drop was just fine. Overall a great coaster, but it's down on my list because everything else was just top-notch.
The last notable coaster was Thunderhead. HOLY COW. That thing was INTENSE. When riding this I didn't think all GCI coasters were like this, but after Mystic Timbers I know that to not be true. Extremely fun coaster but it really beats you up. Re-rides are tough on this one but doable if you can handle it.
I overall loved this park and can't wait to visit again (especially if they add to their lineup!)
9/10
RANKINGS:
1. Lightning Rod
2. Wild Eagle
3. Tennessee Tornado
4. Thunderhead
5. Firechaser Express
6. Dragonflyer
7. Mystery Mine
8. Blazing Fury (only because it's barely a Rollercoaster. I loved the ride).
This park was absolutely wonderful and distinctly reminded me of late 2000s early 2010s WDW in its overall atmosphere. Everything was clean, maintained, and the staff was very friendly (loved the "have a blessed day").
The most fascinating thing about the park was the fully functional church with nondenominational service on Sundays INSIDE the park. The church was very rustic and had cloth drapes that looked like stained glass windows on the inside. I 1
Also, I did have the cinnamon bread, and it was amazing, especially with the apple E1butter. I'd highly recommend it.
For the coasters, the big standout was Lightning Rod for obvious reasons. That one coaster carries the whole park and cemented my love for RMCs. Glassy smooth and completely relentless on the airtime hills. The launch up the hill isn't bad, but once you get going it starts wailing at your body in a fun way. Definitely a must-do in my book.
Although Lightning Rod carries the park, the other coasters are by no means any lesser. Tornado was a wonderfuly boost of adrenaline with its loops. The restraints are a bit cumbersome but the ride in general wasn't painful. Wild Eagle was exactly as described: if Soarin was a Rollercoaster. I got front row on that baby and it was magnificent. There was a spiral towards the end that gave me some brain slosh but nothing I couldn't handle.
Mystery Mine was.....
uh....
interesting.
Very bulky, cumbersome restraints and a bit painful on some of the turns at the beginning. I understand why people say the first half is awkward, because that's really the only way to describe it. The vertical chain lifts wigged me out at first, but the vertical drop was just fine. Overall a great coaster, but it's down on my list because everything else was just top-notch.
The last notable coaster was Thunderhead. HOLY COW. That thing was INTENSE. When riding this I didn't think all GCI coasters were like this, but after Mystic Timbers I know that to not be true. Extremely fun coaster but it really beats you up. Re-rides are tough on this one but doable if you can handle it.
I overall loved this park and can't wait to visit again (especially if they add to their lineup!)
9/10
RANKINGS:
1. Lightning Rod
2. Wild Eagle
3. Tennessee Tornado
4. Thunderhead
5. Firechaser Express
6. Dragonflyer
7. Mystery Mine
8. Blazing Fury (only because it's barely a Rollercoaster. I loved the ride).
I've got definite rankings on Kings Island I'll share soon, but I've got my first Cedar Point day tomorrow, so I'll get back to you all on that soon.
ThemeParkPriest
Well-Known Member
What a coincidence…I’m here too (I was planning on meeting up with James G from the forum, but he is having a tough start to the day)! If you see an Augustana basketball shirt around, that’s me. Enjoy the day…It doesn’t seem too busy!
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Last edited:
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
For those who missed it, here's my two Lagoon vlogs!
Dragonflyer was a more comfortable experience overall for me. I'd rank Mystery Mine higher if the restraints weren't so bulky and the first half was done differently.
Back car of Steel Vengeance is literally the craziest experience I've ever had. Wow.... 
Also, I've 100% fallen in love with Magnum. The vintage 80s spaceship vibe with the old Arrow mine train cars/roughness is incredible. Airtime hills are painful in a fun way (if that makes sense).
It was moderately crowded today but not bad for a Friday. I'm worried about Saturday though. Going to try some rerides on Millenium and Maverick (loved both of those!).
Also, I've 100% fallen in love with Magnum. The vintage 80s spaceship vibe with the old Arrow mine train cars/roughness is incredible. Airtime hills are painful in a fun way (if that makes sense).
It was moderately crowded today but not bad for a Friday. I'm worried about Saturday though. Going to try some rerides on Millenium and Maverick (loved both of those!).
spacemt354
Chili's
Congrats on #100! That's awesome - I'm curious if you've had time/thoughts on like a top 10 or 25 list all-time?
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
I'll most likely do a proper top 20 list once I get back from my Orlando vacation in September. Velocicoaster and Iron Gwazi are obviously both pretty world class and I except both of them to be solidly in the top five.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Glad to hear you liked Magnum so much. I know stuff like Maverick and Steve are more world-class, but given the hsitory and the...like you said...80s spaceship vibes, I think that might be THE most anticipated for me. The fact that it's not a big headlining coaster thus easier to marathon certainly helps with the anticipation as well.Back car of Steel Vengeance is literally the craziest experience I've ever had. Wow....
Also, I've 100% fallen in love with Magnum. The vintage 80s spaceship vibe with the old Arrow mine train cars/roughness is incredible. Airtime hills are painful in a fun way (if that makes sense).
It was moderately crowded today but not bad for a Friday. I'm worried about Saturday though. Going to try some rerides on Millenium and Maverick (loved both of those!).
spacemt354
Chili's
I'm curious what your #1 is right now?
This thread and @D Hulk 's trip has inspired me to take some time before next year to explore other theme parks - I've got a list but want to hit the 'top' coasters.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
spacemt354
Chili's
Awesome! Dollywood is on the list of places within a day's driving for me.My top five currently looks something like this (From #1 to #5)
Here's mine at the moment (my list is less than 1/2 of yours I'm at like 35 coasters)
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
