View previous topic :: View next topic
Author	Message
Gunkey Monkey Site Admin User is Offline Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Posts: 861 Location: Cleveland, Ohio	Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:04 pm    Post subject: Kennywood Park - 6-20-08 · Quote I was debating whether to hit Darien Lake or Kennywood today and obviously from the title of this trip report Kennywood won. I will say that my day was, in a sense, therapeutic. It was exactly what I needed after the darkness we endured earlier this week. I arrived at the park a little after 10:30 and thanks to a co-worker who gave me a $10 off coupon last week it seemed I got a lot more bang for my buck.  While the park was open, the rides didn't open until 11:00. Since my beloved Bayern Kurve was taken out a few years ago I have started my day at Phantom's Revenge.  Everyone knows that Kennywood only starts the day with one train op on this ride. There was a line but it wasn't very long. I, unfortunately, had stood in front of a guy who was with a group of church goers and talking about different rides he been on like Drachen Fire and such. Someone asked about Pitfall and he was saying it's like the ride in Kentucky where a girl was killed. Someone in his group mentioned what had happened and then, like a moron, said "Yeah her legs were cut off and she died later."   I wanted to turn and tell him that the girl lived and told her story fairly recent while thinking "Come on, open the ride already." By the time we entered the queue and walked into the station, I ventured to the very back seat 7-2 (my favorite) and only had a one train wait.  The sound of the classic Arrow anti-rollbacks on the lift, the smooth and steep curving first drop, the lengthy 230-foot second drop through Thunderbolt, the high banked turn (one of my favorite parts) and the sweet moments of airtime on the final leg of the ride had put a very big smile on my face.   After Phantom I decided to go back to see if Exterminator was open but first I stopped at Pitfall since there was no one in line. Only two of the four cars were operating but it seems the other two cars have been parked at the top of the tower for quite a while now.  Not sure what's going on there but Pitfall was still awesome. I had the view that looked out towards Phantom's lift and Swing Shot.  Made me wish that Kennywood had some sort of observation tower because the view from up there is great. Exterminator was not open yet but a small line had formed so I went over and rode the Whip. Still a fun oldie but goodie. Exterminator still not open yet so I went over to ride Swing Shot. I don't remember fitting so tight in the seats and I know I didn't gain that much weight in the off season but I was still able to be secured in the seat. I still love this ride much more than Skyhawk. It may be smaller but it produces pretty much the same sensation and also gives a slightly longer ride than the bigger model to the west. Cosmic Chaos was nearby and I took a spin on that.  I like these Zamperla Disk-O rides but with not really having much in my stomach (I had a light breakfast before going to the park) the spinning did have a little affect on me.  After the ride I went and got an ice cream cone from the nearby Pagoda and that settled my stomach down. Since I was in the neighborhood I ventured over to Jack Rabbit and saw a little line had formed but I also saw no one at the Skycoaster booth nearby. I have always wanted to fly on KW's Skycoaster as that is one very big model.  The price had always been a little high for me but I noticed that single riders could fly for $24.95 (still a little high but better than paying $30 like most).  It was about noon at this time and I scheduled my flight which would be at 12:12. So instead of doing another ride I went directly over the Skycoaster entrance. I presented my ticket and I was on my way to get prepped for my flight. Riding Skycoaster was pretty much the highlight of my day.  As I was in the "box" getting hooked up to the cable the female employee said that I was brave for doing this alone. She had tried to get her brother to do it but couldn't. She asked if I was nervous and I said a little - it's been over a year since my last one (Kings Island) and that this one was probably the biggest one I've done. As I was slowly hoisted backwards I sort of freaked because there is nothing but water below me. As I lifted over the bridge there was a family of about six watching me - some even waved to me (I waved back). That climb backwards seems to take forever. Pulled the cord when directed to and flew over the bridge and the water, which didn't really phase me, it just happens so fast. When my flight was slowing down, I happened to glance at the same family on the bridge clapping for me. I had a pretty awesome feeling after that. Now fully exhilarated I hopped over to the Jack Rabbit. Running two trains, the line always seems to move. While a very tame coaster and one that really doesn't look like much, that explosive double dip put that big smile right back on my face again. I decided it was time to check out the new attraction for 2008, Ghostwood Estate. Built in the same spot as the old Gold Rusher, Ghostwood Estate, IMO, is a very well done interactive dark ride. The queue is directly under the loading station. Several guests enter a pre-show room where you meet the former owner of the estate, if I remember I believe it was Ken Ghostwood who comes "alive" in his self portrait.  He tells us of his estate and how many ghosts and lost souls have inhabited it and he wants us to shoot them out with our ghost blasters. So after a few minutes in the pre-show, we are led to the stairs that take us up to the ride platform. The cars seat four people (sort of like Gobbler Getaway at Holiday World) and the "ghost blasters" are like a laser pointed gun (when you shoot towards a target you see a red dot on the wall if you miss a target). This ride has a LOT of targets on both sides of the car and it is easy to miss a lot of the different props and scenes because you are too busy trying to hit the targets. Unlike Scooby Doo at Kings Island, there didn't appear to be any cheap cardboard cutouts in any of the rooms. My final score was 1200. I don't remember who did the ride for Kennywood but I think they did a fantastic job with it. I just hope that KW will take great care with it as I had already been disappointed in KI's Scooby Doo by the second season because targets didn't register and guns didn't work . I wanted to ride Ghostwood Estate again later on just to see all the scenes in more detail but the queue was full and I didn't feel like waiting. I was getting hungry (it was 12:30 by now) and I headed over to the famous Potato Patch for some delicious cheese fries. As I stood in line all I could think of was Ray P's pathetic excuse for cheese fries at CP a few weeks ago. For about $5.50, I got a fresh, hot, overflowing basket of fries and a small Pepsi. It made Ray's fries look like they belong in a McDonald's Happy Meal. And I might add there was a kid actually cutting the fries while I was in line. After some awesome fries I got went and rode Thunderbolt. Due to the no single rider policy I do not ride this coaster very much. They only ran one train. As I approached the ride op at the station entrance I told him that I was a single rider and he said that I could go ahead and line up and he'll find a partner for me and that if I didn't when it came time to ride, one of the two other ride ops will ride with me. So I got in line in seat 3-1 and right as the train was arriving, a single riding female got in line with me. Thunderbolt was running great. It was one of the best rides I've had on it in a while. Not to say that I didn't have good rides in the past but for some reason the ride seemed more "special". Could it be the ghost of Big Dipper took over my ride?   After Thunderbolt I decided to grab my camera from the locker and snap a few photos. I guess what I have learned the most after the Geauga Lake tragedy is that you can't take anything for granted anymore. So while I was happily taking some photos of the rides, scenery, and unique buildings, dark storm clouds began to come over the park. By this time I was in the Lost Kennywood section and felt a few drops come down as I was trying to take a shot of Phantom's Revenge and Swing Shot. I went to the nearby gift shop and that's when the deluge came. It was just bad for a little while, with a nice downpour, thunder, and bits of lightning. Thankfully it didn't last too long. As the rain began to lighten up a little, I tried to seek shelter towards Exterminator. Seeing that no one was really in line, I started to head to it. A ride op came out and said that while the ride was still closed you can still get in line.  I "snuck" into the building to find the queue almost full inside. I will have to say that waiting for Exterminator inside the building is one of the worst experiences for me. It seems cramped and the loudness of the clientele seems a bit escalated to me. Thankfully the ride was down for only a short time and the line actually moved. Despite what may seem like a horrible wait, Exterminator was a lot of fun. I just laughed through the entire spinning portion of the ride and thankfully it didn't seem like we spun too fast (I had two other people on the othe side of the car). But still give me the Maurer Sohne version anyday. The sun was back out again so I started taking more photos. By this time I decided to get my once-a-year treat - fried Oreos.  Fresh, hot, and absolutely awesome (though my doctor would disagree) and watched Aero 360 (I like this ride but was not in the mood to ride it today). Already about an hour after the last storm had passed and another bunch of gray clouds started looming over the park. Yes, another decent downpour greeted us at the park. So when this storm let up, I decided to try the Racer since with the last storm helped with me getting on Exterminator with a low wait, I'll do it. Now Racer is not a coaster I go out of my way for especially if there is a long line but sure enough the queue would only be about three rows full and I got in line despite the fact the ride wasn't reopened yet.  Again another short wait and the ride was running and I only had a two cycle wait (only one train on each side was running). On my ride, as we left the station, it started to sprinkle but it wasn't too bad on the ride. I sat in 3-1 on the blue train and I was very surprised by the nice pop of air time coming off the final turn before the final brakes. I do not remember that pop of air on any of my rides over the years. It was approaching 5:00 and I decided to go ride Phantom one last time as I was getting ready to leave.  I get to the entrance and they just begin to let people in the queue again. I got in the line that formed and soon I was in the station. By this time they were running both trains and as soon as it was my turn (I only had a one train wait and they already sent a train with riders on it), they shut the ride down due to inclement weather. Now mind you the sun was beginning to shine on the park but the ominous clouds just south of the park didn't look too good. So the ride would be down for about fifteen to twenty minutes.  They reopened it. I sat in 6-2 and had another wonderful ride on this coaster. I ended my visit on the Musik Express. The ride literally called out to me when I was taking photos of it earlier in the day. I had a great ride as it still runs almost like a new machine. _________________ On September 21, 2007, a historic 119-year old amusement park had been secretly murdered. Never forget it.
Back to top
Skyglider Thunder Falls User is Offline Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 757	Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 11:03 am    Post subject: · Quote Great way to close out the week.  And I'm glad I never said I would only go to another Cedar Fair park when monekys fly overhead! _________________ "It's a very special ride. We want to make sure it has a proper home." CF Spokesperson Robin Innes about the Big Dipper. Ohio and North America have few structures that rank as high as 12th oldest in the World.  Remember the Big Dipper.
Back to top
geaugalakeinexile Splash Landing User is Offline Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Posts: 107	Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:30 pm    Post subject: · Quote We must have passed each other in the park a few times. We were on queue for Racer when the first storm hit. It looked like one of the Skycoaster towers was hit by lightning. The Video screen in the Racer queue fried and the audio went nuts for a few minutes. It did not come back after the ride was opened. Kennywood is a great choice for a day trip. I can not drive to Darien Lake and back in one day and not get wiped out. Kennywood is a much easier drive. I'm sure that we will be going back soon. Does anyone know if the "Family Pack" of 4 tickets is a group of 4 that has to be used all in one day? Or, is it really just 4 tickets that can be used any time? That would lower the already reasonable price even further.
Back to top
Dominator56 Villain User is Offline Joined: 18 Jul 2007 Posts: 1211 Location: Akron, Ohio	Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:39 am    Post subject: · Quote Great TR Gunkey! I'm glad you had a great visit at Kennywood. All I know is they had such a positive atmosphere at the park this year. I think they are having a great year this year. _________________ Geauga Lake I will miss you!
Back to top
All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First

Geauga Lake Today and Forever (GLT) Forums are not affiliated with Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom or Cedar Fair L.P.  If you are looking for whats left of the official Geauga Lake website, click here.