Rollercoaster Advice | Summer 2022 Amusement Park Review and Ideas

[spacemt354]

Here are a couple of great in-depth park reviews, both of which offer excellent touring advice. Disregard my earlier advice and look to these instead; some of what I suggested (like using the Cedar Point lagoon entrance) is outdated now. You could probably scour his channel for some of the other parks you're visiting as well.

Cedar Point




Kennywood​

Some other good coaster YT channels are ElToroRyan and Airtime thrills, the former being more vlog style and the later being more informational

 

[Mickeynerd17]

Currently rolling through SLC on my way to Bryce canyon. Passed by Lagoon on the interstate and it looked cool!

For you east coasters, here's some mountains:

 

[D Hulk]

You never suggested you were doing the Utah National Parks! You should’ve asked among us who do hoodoos so well…

I do!

My nice Bryce advice is to check out the views along the Bryce Amphitheater. This offers something for every fitness level. You could stick to the rim trail near the parking lots and head out to Bryce Point, or you could descend into the canyon and see the formations up close. Drink lots of water, protect yourself from the sun, and be prepared for surprisingly high altitude and low oxygen. (Good advice for all the Utah Parks.) For every NP, the Visitor Center near the entrance will have up-to-date info on the trails, activities and more. In general, if you’re on the trails by sunup, you’ll enjoy better lighting, fewer crowds, and lower temperatures. Think of it like theme park rope drop.

Disney fun fact: The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon inspired Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain. (I even found a nearby site actually bearing that name!) Depending on your trajectory, you could head out to Monument Valley and view Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder as well.

Utah’s National Parks are fabulous, and a far more enriching experience than Lagoon no matter how fun it is. (And it is!) From Bryce, you can take the east entrance into Zion, stopping at the Canyon Overlook on the way in for a brief hike with amazing views. Or you could see the Grand Canyon’s under-explored and usually uncrowded North Rim. Head east to Moab, gateway to Arches, Canyonlands, and a panoply of all imaginable outdoor activities. I’ve spent weeks, even months, exploring this greater Four Corners wilderness. You’ll have a blast!

 

[Mickeynerd17]

R

You never suggested you were doing the Utah National Parks! You should’ve asked among us who do hoodoos so well…

I do!

View attachment 638562​

My nice Bryce advice is to check out the views along the Bryce Amphitheater. This offers something for every fitness level. You could stick to the rim trail near the parking lots and head out to Bryce Point, or you could descend into the canyon and see the formations up close. Drink lots of water, protect yourself from the sun, and be prepared for surprisingly high altitude and low oxygen. (Good advice for all the Utah Parks.) For every NP, the Visitor Center near the entrance will have up-to-date info on the trails, activities and more. In general, if you’re on the trails by sunup, you’ll enjoy better lighting, fewer crowds, and lower temperatures. Think of it like theme park rope drop.

View attachment 638564​

Disney fun fact: The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon inspired Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain. (I even found a nearby site actually bearing that name!) Depending on your trajectory, you could head out to Monument Valley and view Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder as well.

View attachment 638565​

Utah’s National Parks are fabulous, and a far more enriching experience than Lagoon no matter how fun it is. (And it is!) From Bryce, you can take the east entrance into Zion, stopping at the Canyon Overlook on the way in for a brief hike with amazing views. Or you could see the Grand Canyon’s under-explored and usually uncrowded North Rim. Head east to Moab, gateway to Arches, Canyonlands, and a panoply of all imaginable outdoor activities. I’ve spent weeks, even months, exploring this greater Four Corners wilderness. You’ll have a blast!

Thanks for the info! I've been at Bryce since yesterday, and it's spectacular! The imagineers did an excellent job matching the BTM rockwork to the real thing.

Did a 3 hour horseback ride through the canyon as well, which was exhilarating (but really hit my allergies hard ) I'd totally do it again!

Tomorrow I take off for Zion for a couple days followed by the grand canyon, four corners, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and then arches. Will keep you'll updated as it goes!

 

[oogie boogie man]

Did a 3 hour horseback ride through the canyon as well, which was exhilarating (but really hit my allergies hard ) I'd totally do it again!

Whoa, it sounds great. I definitely couldn't do a horseback ride though. I'm so big they'd have to shoot the horse afterwards to put him out of his misery.

 

[Mickeynerd17]

It's happening.

I leave tomorrow to begin this massive road trip. I'll be sharing my personal outsider opinions as I go along.

Pray that Lightning Rod is working. I've only got two days there.

 

[spacemt354]

It's happening.

I leave tomorrow to begin this massive road trip. I'll be sharing my personal outsider opinions as I go along.

Pray that Lightning Rod is working. I've only got two days there.

Enjoy have a great time! Take a lot of pictures!

 

[D Hulk]

It's happening.

I leave tomorrow to begin this massive road trip. I'll be sharing my personal outsider opinions as I go along.

Pray that Lightning Rod is working. I've only got two days there.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Very much looking forward to living vicariously through your updates and progress reports! Do you have an itinerary planned out? Also, too, how was the rest of your National Parks trip?​

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

I'll be going to Lagoon in two weeks as well, so I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted about that via this thread. @Mickeynerd17 it looks like Lightning Rod has been up about 85% of the time over the past seven days, so you should in theory be in good shape. Seethingly jealous but also stoked to get your feedback as someone who failed on my first Dollywood pilgrimage. Really excited to get your take on Mystery Mine and Blazing Fury as well. Those two really stand out to me as some of the best themed non Disney/Uni coasters I've encountered.

@D Hulk @Disney Dad 3000 right now my current credits count is 96. It would have been 97 going into the Lagoon trip if Sidewinder Safari weren't an operational nightmare. My first day of Lagoon will be Father's Day, and I'll only have about three hours there after flying in. Obviously I'm aiming to make Cannibal the big #100, so what do you think would be the best course of action to achieve that? I'm hoping I can crack out Roller Coaster, Wicked, and Colossus as the other big three headliners in the park, but I'm not that familiar with the layout and mostly just care about getting a Last Ride of the Night on Cannibal by the end of the night, so are there any of the lower scale credits you'd recommend to speed up this process? I know that the three I mentioned are in relatively close proximity of each other and each have decent capacity compared to stuff like Spider and the Wild Mouse, but any tips in regards to potential crowd levels or the layout would be much appreciated. Definitely intimidated by the holiday crowds and the infamously crowded midways.

 

[D Hulk]

@D Hulk @Disney Dad 3000 right now my current credits count is 96. It would have been 97 going into the Lagoon trip if Sidewinder Safari weren't an operational nightmare. My first day of Lagoon will be Father's Day, and I'll only have about three hours there after flying in. Obviously I'm aiming to make Cannibal the big #100, so what do you think would be the best course of action to achieve that? I'm hoping I can crack out Roller Coaster, Wicked, and Colossus as the other big three headliners in the park, but I'm not that familiar with the layout and mostly just care about getting a Last Ride of the Night on Cannibal by the end of the night, so are there any of the lower scale credits you'd recommend to speed up this process? I know that the three I mentioned are in relatively close proximity of each other and each have decent capacity compared to stuff like Spider and the Wild Mouse, but any tips in regards to potential crowd levels or the layout would be much appreciated. Definitely intimidated by the holiday crowds and the infamously crowded midways.

Three hours is extremely tight, and you'll likely encounter mad crowds. I practically had Lagoon to myself when I visited, but @MickeyWaffleCo. has more experience with a congested Lagoon.

Regarding park layout, Cannibal is on the extreme lower left (north) end, completely opposite from the adult coaster cluster on the lower right (south) side. You can take the chairlift ride between these extremes, which may or may not save you any time. The only other coaster near Cannibal is Jet Star 2, a vintage Schwarzkoff which requires two guests to ride; it cannot be done solo. Cannibal is - ahem! - a real people-eater , so its line moves quicker than Lagoon's other coasters.

Straight back from the entrance is the kiddie area which features two coasters: The Bat, and BomBora. The Bat has Lagoon's lousiest coaster capacity, so if you're rope-dropping then start there (unless they're doing staggered ride openings), then favor the other low-capacity rides like Spider or Wild Mouse. If you're arriving later in the day, the best capacity coasters are Wicked, Colossus, and Roller Coaster...which are Lagoon's best coasters after Cannibal. (I screwed up my coaster count, so Colossus is my #200. Happily, it's my favorite Schwarzkoff.) If you have more time to spare, and if you're rope-dropping, Terroride is a creaky old haunted dark ride near the entrance which opens early and gets long lines.

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

My first day of Lagoon will be Father's Day, and I'll only have about three hours there after flying in. Obviously I'm aiming to make Cannibal the big #100, so what do you think would be the best course of action to achieve that? I'm hoping I can crack out Roller Coaster, Wicked, and Colossus as the other big three headliners in the park, but I'm not that familiar with the layout and mostly just care about getting a Last Ride of the Night on Cannibal by the end of the night, so are there any of the lower scale credits you'd recommend to speed up this process?

Colossus and Roller Coaster are great high-capacity low-wait options to get to 98. Wicked tends to have an unbelievably long line (when I was there it was often longer than Cannibal), so unless you can tell that it’s not too busy, I’d just take a longer route and stop by BonBora on your way to Cannibal. It’s a short, sweet coaster that usually doesn’t have too long of a wait.

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

Cannibal is - ahem! - a real people-eater ,

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

Three hours is extremely tight, and you'll likely encounter mad crowds. I practically had Lagoon to myself when I visited, but @MickeyWaffleCo. has more experience with a congested Lagoon.

Regarding park layout, Cannibal is on the extreme lower left (north) end, completely opposite from the adult coaster cluster on the lower right (south) side. You can take the chairlift ride between these extremes, which may or may not save you any time. The only other coaster near Cannibal is Jet Star 2, a vintage Schwarzkoff which requires two guests to ride; it cannot be done solo. Cannibal is - ahem! - a real people-eater , so its line moves quicker than Lagoon's other coasters.

Straight back from the entrance is the kiddie area which features two coasters: The Bat, and BomBora. The Bat has Lagoon's lousiest coaster capacity, so if you're rope-dropping then start there (unless they're doing staggered ride openings), then favor the other low-capacity rides like Spider or Wild Mouse. If you're arriving later in the day, the best capacity coasters are Wicked, Colossus, and Roller Coaster...which are Lagoon's best coasters after Cannibal. (I screwed up my coaster count, so Colossus is my #200. Happily, it's my favorite Schwarzkoff.) If you have more time to spare, and if you're rope-dropping, Terroride is a creaky old haunted dark ride near the entrance which opens early and gets long lines.

So just to clarify, I'm going to have two full days after this so it's not like I have to cram everything into those first three likely crazy hours. It's mostly just to get a jump on the credits for the next day. I'm not going in with a do or die attitude of getting a Cannibal LROTN, but it's certainly going to be a fun goal to try and achieve. Absolutely plan on rope dropping the wild mouse on day two. It actually looks like a really fun credit with slightly better theming than usual. The Bat will likely be a one and done for me, so that will for sure be another early stop. I know about how Cannibal is on the extreme opposite end of the park, but I didn't know the chairlift connected the two sections. That's really great for me as it's one of the elements of the park I'm most excited about so having it be a valid transportation option as well will likely make this one of my go to's over the three days. TerrorRide and Dracula's Castle I'm probably looking more forward to than any coaster outside of Cannibal. You know I'm a sucker for old school dark rides.

 

[Mickeynerd17]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Very much looking forward to living vicariously through your updates and progress reports! Do you have an itinerary planned out? Also, too, how was the rest of your National Parks trip?​

EXCELLENT!!!

Particular highlights was my horseback ride at Bryce, The Narrows at Zion, my day hike to Indian Garden at Grand Canyon (and the GCRR because I love trains), the entirety of Mesa Verde (except cliff palace and balcony house because they were closed ), and the landscape arch at Arches.

Favorite park: three way tie between Bryce, GC, and Mesa Verde

Least favorite: zion
I say this because zion was PACKED and there wasn't really much else of note outside of the narrows (views were gorgeous though). Camped at Watchman and we kept getting blasted by music from the bars in Springdale across the river, but it didn't dampen our spirits too much.

Also, I feel like an idiot because we totally had time for Lagoon but I didn't realize it was on the way.

 

[tcool123]

Currently rolling through SLC on my way to Bryce canyon. Passed by Lagoon on the interstate and it looked cool!

For you east coasters, here's some mountains: View attachment 638554

Me who is from Miami trying to comprehend how those things from Expedition Everest got bigger and multiplied

 

[JokersWild]

For you east coasters, here's some mountains: View attachment 638554

As someone from The Adirondacks I'm offended.

 

[Mickeynerd17]

Flew out today! Got a beautiful 4 mountain view out of Portland this morning.

College stuff is happening the first few days, then I hit SFOG.

FYI, if any of you are in GA and are CFA fans, stop by Truetts Luau!! The inside looks like Disney's Polynesian Village and you can get a frosted pineapple. Super delicious. It's in Fayetteville.

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

There was a situation that came up when I was in the Atlanta Airport flying home from Dollywood and the flight I was on was trying to give away tickets to a red eye flight to the same destination since the plane was overbooked. If I wasn't traveling with my grandma, I would have been SOOO tempted to leap on that as an excuse to make a quick stopover at Over Georgia during the layover. I think an Over Georgia trip is pretty damn imminent with the absolutely BONKERS RMC the Atlanta Fun Spot is building just down the road. That thing absolutely has the potential to sneak to the top of the US coaster peak and dethrone the current Mount Rushmore of SteVe, Veliocicoaster, Iron Gwazi, and Fury 325. So many stupidly insane looking elements on that thing.

Lagoon update: I realized Wicked has single rider, which I will most certainly eye to see if it'd be worth doing. I think Bombora is the more likely of the two after cracking out Colossus and Roller Coaster as the first rides of the night. It will all depend on how far from the station that WIcked single rider line actually is. Might actually be worth it to rope drop Wicked for a few rounds one day and then rope drop the lower capacity family stuff another day just to get the credits. By all intents and purposes I can't really see any of them besides maybe Spider being more than one and dones. Meanwhile, Adam the Woo's new video has me STOKED for the park's dark rides!!

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

There was a situation that came up when I was in the Atlanta Airport flying home from Dollywood and the flight I was on was trying to give away tickets to a red eye flight to the same destination since the plane was overbooked. If I wasn't traveling with my grandma, I would have been SOOO tempted to leap on that as an excuse to make a quick stopover at Over Georgia during the layover. I think an Over Georgia trip is pretty damn imminent with the absolutely BONKERS RMC the Atlanta Fun Spot is building just down the road. That thing absolutely has the potential to sneak to the top of the US coaster peak and dethrone the current Mount Rushmore of SteVe, Veliocicoaster, Iron Gwazi, and Fury 325. So many stupidly insane looking elements on that thing.

Lagoon update: I realized Wicked has single rider, which I will most certainly eye to see if it'd be worth doing. I think Bombora is the more likely of the two after cracking out Colossus and Roller Coaster as the first rides of the night. It will all depend on how far from the station that WIcked single rider line actually is. Might actually be worth it to rope drop Wicked for a few rounds one day and then rope drop the lower capacity family stuff another day just to get the credits. By all intents and purposes I can't really see any of them besides maybe Spider being more than one and dones. Meanwhile, Adam the Woo's new video has me STOKED for the park's dark rides!!

I caught Adam's video too. Those dark rides were a trip!

 

[Mickeynerd17]

Today's the day!

I'm off to SFOG this morning and the goal is to get on every coaster at least once. We'll see how I do.

I'll rank the ones I got to either tonight or tomorrow with a review for each. Stay tuned!