downunder

^I rode Phoenix pretty much all over - front, back, everywhere. Like we've both observed, the ride experience can vary greatly over a period of time (generally worse, sometime better). I can only base my thoughts on my own experience. It's also worth considering that I was in a large enthusiast group, so they might have made sure it was cranking the day we were there. Impulse looks cool, it will be fun at the very least, hopefully I'll get to ride it someday and make a judgement about it. I've been to Europa Park a couple of times, lots of fun, lots to explore, and they also have tons of shows, though I didn't go to any. None of the coasters are top ten for me, but a few are very good like Blue Fire, Wodan, one of the Euro ones. Definitely a park with a lot of depth theming wise. Phantasialand has amazing theming, I've stayed at a couple of their hotels and they are amazing too. It had no rides which blew my mind, but the place was pretty.

^I really like IOA, it is so immersive, especially if you ride Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, that is like taking a shower with your clothes on. IOA has good balance of thrills and theming IMO. I find sometimes simple theming works really well, and creates a great experience. I've always admired how with just a few simple effects, Cedar Point manages to make every launch of Top Thrill Dragster seem like an event.

^Actually their new one looks pretty good too, so it might be two killer coasters. I was sceptical about Phoenix, but then I rode it, and it was ridiculous - like the last drop on Cyclops at Mt Olympus the whole ride. My experience of Phoenix (which was in 2008) was amazing and I rode it something like 30-40 times (there was night ERT). Sorry, you didn't have a great time on it, maybe it has off days, or maybe they fixed it between 2001 and 2008. It's a shame Knoebels is so out of the way, I'd love to go back there again. I've had similar experiences with coasters like Ghostrider, and Hades was amazing in 2007 and then when I rode it in 2012, it was the most heinous coaster I had ever experienced.

I enjoy all kinds of parks for different reasons, but I'd keep going back to a parking lot if it had tons of killer coasters. As a park experience (& one super killer coaster), Knoebels for me. I also love Cedar Point for it's wonderful location surrounded by water.

I hear publicly disclosing you're a coaster enthusiast can ruin your sex life (if you have one) lol. Poor girl, that's an awful injury.

^I agree, it has got a great layout, it's a classic. I only rode it once or twice in 2008, and it was like it was bouncing on the track at the bottom of the drops - the big saving grace was the heavy padding on the seats. I've been stuck on the lift hill and evac'd, no big deal - unless you're going to be late for the TPR tour bus LOL.

Having ridden Cyclone, they were saved from a lot of pain and misery by the ride breaking down where it did. Though I think Green Lantern breaking down the way it did was far more serious.

To clarify, Hades 360; the inversion was the only smooth part. The ride was absolutely horrifying in 2012, my coaster count is at 615 according to coaster counter, and Hades 360 was by far the roughest coaster I have ever been on by a country mile. I'm not exactly soft either, so I can't say I was being overly sensitive about it. The shame is when I first rode it back in 2007, it was absolutely brilliant, back row at night was mind-blowing. The other coasters at Mt Olympus weren't super rough last time I was there, nothing exceptional as coasters, except the last drop on Cyclops. I actually like Mt Olympus personally, there's cool go-kart tracks, and lots of them, the ten foot wave pool, indoor and outdoor water parks. It was fun, though it is out of the way. Avalanche was a bit rough, much better front row. It's a funny little park, Timber Falls.

^Thanks, it would be cool having something like Lightning Run zipping through the bush. Outlaw Run was $10 million USD, so it's in the upper end, but it's also one of the best coasters on earth IMO.

Ha, I was in Coffs last week, and I go there at least once every year, but I never go to the Big Banana - though I am too busy playing sport. Will be back for more sport in 6 weeks, but probably no Big Banana. Could be a cool little place if they build it up.

I'd settle for a decent coaster at Dreamworld, with the amount of money they've spent on coasters recently I think they could have done a lot better for the $$$ they spent. In non-enthusiasts eyes, they probably see Tower of Terror as the centrepiece, even if it is mediocre in the greater scheme of things -coaster wise. I think an Outlaw Run style RMC coaster or perhaps Kentucky's Kingdom's cheaper version of a mega-lite might be realistic.

Lol, I've been on a few wacky worms in Italy, fortunately coasters like iSpeed and Katun and the general wackiness of Italian parks made it worthwhile - I mean mixing an ancient Egyptian theme with the Terminator, that's wack.

The media will look for ways to beat this up - Riders Barely Escape Movie World Murder Machine. I'm just glad everyone got out alright, and I guess the facts will come out in an investigation.

Noxegon, I never cease to be amazed by your adventures to get credits. Glad you had a great time downunder. I went to Luna Park Melbourne in January and I didn't think it was especially bad, just extremely light on for anything to do. I had a look at my coaster counter list and I've been to 130 parks that have coasters, but I can't say I've been to Conneaut Lake level park yet, just some parks that were rather short on attractions. Castle Park in Orange County struck me as being rather ordinary because 2 of the 3 coasters weren't running. Hades at Mt Olympus gave me a mugging of the kind I've never experienced on a coaster before, though the park had some fun stuff.

I can barely remember it, but I did like it. My most clear recollection is thoe really sharp hairpin bends and bracing mysel for them. I really hope they do something with that area with a similar theme, that would be cool.

I thought it was an interesting ride. I remember riding it muliple times in the afternoon, when boredom started to reach desperation levels at Dreamworld - it kept me a little interested (back in the day I had a holiday package so I had to wait until the bus picked me up). I'd really like to see a new ride in that style being added.

I've done the starline tours thing, it works. SFMM will be open daily when you go, though the Starline tours might not operate on weekdays due to low demand outside of summer. Knott's is not far from Disney and worth a visit if you haven't been before, it will be open weekdays too, crowds should be non-existent. Universal Studios is worth a visit also.

^^Beat you to it with Efteling LOL. Yes, they are getting a dive coaster. It's such a a landscaped park, so much vegetation, you can get lost in a place like that - in a good way.

Wow, what a trip, I've been to all those parks except the Kiwi and SF ones. Glad you discovered some of the hidden gems, Vortex at CW was absolutely insane at night when we did an ERT session on it - the cars were swinging madly from side to side after we hit the brake run. I agree with you on Blue Streak, it's a good one, I ride it multiple times when I visit. No surprise to see the Voyage is painful as usual, it was brutal when I rode it in 2007. Magnum used to have much better airtime, but since they changed the brakes at the turnaround, much less so - in the early to mid noughties it was an airtime monster and 1.3 was truly the ejector eat. Wasn't fussed on Gatekeeper, but I love Maverick - or Mavershark, as the ride ops dubbed it during our ERT during Discovery Channel shark week. I haven't been to DCA since 2001, even though I'm in the area every year, rather sleep in after Knott's Scary Farm - shame on me.

^Only a couple, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers, I'm usually distracted by other things when I'm in London so it's difficult to visit any parks. I'd love to go to Blackpool, but I just haven't had time.

^Agreed, the coasters are terrible, but the SCAD tower, absolutely terrifying. RCDB still has the hansa hyper for 2015, but it wouldn't surprise if it was delays. I was practically drooling over the survey markings last year, looks like a good one.

^And I totally agree. Bandit was horrible, you'll be lucky if you're not finding parts of your spine in the toilet bowl when you take a dump after riding that. I just went on Coaster Counter to check out if there's any parks I've been to that I forgot that are worth mentioning (wow, I've been to 130 parks that have coasters). A few other notables: Efteling - quite a pretty park with OK coasters. Hansa Park - quite a good park, also getting a monster Gerstlauer hyper this year. Farup Sommarland - very nice park, some good coasters, and free shootin range where you shoot air rifles. Tivoli Frihden - average park, but it has a SCAD tower, which is absolutely terrifying. Legoland Billund - very good Lego Park and Polar X-plorer is a very surprising coaster. Fun haunted house too. Phntasialand - can't remember if this was mentioned, amazing theming.

^^I was referring to the MoviePark in Italy, but I've also been to the Movei Park in Germany. I would say the German one is better, but I wouldn't go out of my for either, Van Helsing at MoviePark Germany was well done.

^Movie Park is just ok, no coasters of any significance, just some really bizarre and quirky attractions. Plus they have a water park that looks like it has some fairly lethal slides.

^Yeah, the guys who own Gronalund also own Kolmarden. I congratulated Mattias the owner personally when I was at Gronlaund (they were lovely to us) on purchasing the best coaster in the world, really loves the amusement park business. ^^LOL, I'll copy and paste that to my mates in England who were planning on going - they were thinking of hring a car.