Scott And Carol Present - Six Flags Great America's Backwards Batman

 

At Six Flags Great America they were jealous of the attention that Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast was getting so they challenged the creative engineers of Bolliger and Mabillard to do something similar with Batman the ride. After 20 years of thrilling crowds forwards, a new chassis was provided and guests are experiencing this revolutionary ride in a new way. 

 

On Opening Day 2013, the park expected great interest, which they received. The line extended out of the queue, behind the concession stand, and partially wrapped around the East River Crawler. It was like 1992 all over again, when Batman could only be ridden at Six Flags Great America and extremely long waits were common. 

 

From this shot you can see the seats are the same, just facing in a different direction. Due to the length of the vertically dropping loading platform, one row of seats was removed for safety reasons. The sheaths covering the mechanical pieces on top of the train have yet to be returned to place, they serve more of a theming purpose instead of a operating one.

 

Watching the train climb the lift hill backwards seems so wrong, but once experienced it is very much a new ride sensation. The "g" forces on Batman always seemed the most intense of any B & M coaster to us, but we have not seen any hard figures to back up that statement. It is just a matter of personal perception.

 

Here you can clearly see the missing row of seats. Going backwards through a loop is one of the more rare, on roller coasters, sensations so it never fails to tickle our tummies. The last backward facing row gives a fantastic view of where you've been, along with a visual explanation of what just happened, but good luck explaining it to your friends.

 

The helices in the finale are both intense and exhilarating, but no cameras are available to catch the effects of the forces on rider's faces. Their classic design still makes for a great finish whether you are facing forwards or backwards.

 

It feels like a giant hand is doing things to the train when you can't see and anticipate the next ride element. For all of the hundreds of Batman rides we have experienced, this was the closest to those original rides back in 1992 when you did not know what was coming. 

 

Batman Backwards was so popular that it was still running the line out long after the park had closed for the day. We did not stay late enough for a dark ride but that combination has to be a fantastic experience. You can bet we will plan that for our next trip. 

 

As you fly through the course without seeing ahead it feels very disorienting, but in a totally great way. The twists, turns, loops, and barrel rolls mess with your perceptions a little bit as you watch the track behind you while you feel yourself moving in a different direction.

 

 

The first time on the backwards first drop the difference between what your eyes see and what your body felt gives you just a taste of what is to come during the ride.

 

For now, this is a unique ride sensation only available at Six Flags Great America, for a yet to be disclosed limited time only, here is a montage of video clips from our visit on Opening Day 2013. Many thanks to Brandon and the entire Batman Backwards crew for their help in bringing you this story. We can't wait to visit you again.

Cedar Point Releases GateKeeper Point of View Videos

With just five days left before the ride opens to the public, Cedar Point has released new point of view videos of their all-new Wing Coaster, GateKeeper.

As an extra special treat the park has filmed on ride videos from both the far front left seat, and also the far right.  Wing coasters have such wide trains that the ride experience differs considerably depending on which side of the train you're sitting on.

I've embedded the right side video above, it seems like that would be the seat I'd go for first.  That side has the 'curl under' at the top of the lift, and quite a head/foot chopper effect on the second pass through the keyhole elements.  You can see the left view video at the park's website, and evaluate on your own!

The ride's media day is coming up prior to opening day, so you can count on coverage of GateKeeper hitting the web soon - and here, too!

Dorney Park Opens for the 2013 Season

This past weekend marked the start of Dorney Park's 129th season.  That's a lot of years!  The park is having an 'off year' with no big new attractions, but they're by no means resting on their laurels.  There's plenty of special events, new entertainment and a nighttime celebration to look forward to this year.

One of the biggest changes this year Cedar Fair wide is the parks serving Coke products instead of Pepsi.  That means that all the park's signage and vending machines had to be swapped over.  That includes the turning logo at the top of Coasters Drive-In, seen above.  And by the way, I'm not sure that there could have been any more beautiful weather this past weekend!  Park management must have wished really, really hard!

With capital not going into a big attraction, there's numerous smaller changes around the park this year.  For instance, the former souvenir photo stand on the main midway is now a custom artwork tee shirt shop.  A new stand - matching the architecture of the entrance gates - has gone up right by the park's exit.  This is now the main spot for obtaining souvenir photographs and is probably the smartest location I could think of!

The park's Wild Mouse, built in 2000, has receive a brand new paint job.  Same colors as before, but the ride is now looking just like it did when it first opened!

The coaster has been a hit with families since it opened, and remains as popular today.  The park's main midway looks great with Talon freshly painted on one side, and the Wild Mouse on the other.  The trees that have been planted along the stretch are really filling in, too, making the area even better looking.

The former Red Garter Saloon, then more recently Game Day Grille, has been transformed into Chickie's & Pete's.  The popular Philly based sports bar has been in the park for several years now, but just as a food stand.  Now guests can enjoy the outlet as a full service restaurant.

The inside of the building has been heavily remodeled, and has a much more modern and visually appealing look.  Chickie's & Pete's famous Crab Fries and other treats are well known in the area, and there were many groups dining when this photo was taken - especially in the booth section.  I think this new location will prove very popular during the Summer.

Something new for Dorney Park, and I believe other Cedar Fair properties as well, is FastPay.  As the sign says, this is a cashless wristband system that allows guests to remove the need to keep cash or their card in their pocket during the day.  Especially useful in the water park, where it makes more sense to keep those valuable items in a locker.  The system doesn't start until next weekend, so I wasn't able to see it in action at all today.  I know similar systems are quite popular at other amusement parks, so hopefully it takes off for Cedar Fair as well.

There was one removal this year, the Thunder Creek Speedway.  The park's go-karts are still there (seen from Steel Force), but it does not appear there is any plan to reopen them as they are off the park map and website, and the ticket booth and sign are long gone.  Several other Cedar Fair parks have also removed their go-karts this year as well.  The entrance to them was next to the Swan Boats which were removed previously, so now the entire area is blocked off by a fence (above).

Dorney Park continues to celebrate their big rides' birthdays, which is great in my opinion.  This year marks Thunderhawk's 90th season, quite an accomplishment!

There's a lot of new wood on the structure again this year, but not a full re-track on any sections that I could tell, though I missed out on a ride today. 

Speaking of rides, the park was doing a really great job with operations today, and I'm going to assume that is with minimal staff at this time of year.  The coasters, aside from Thunderhawk and the two shuttle rides, had multiple trains on and the ops were keeping things moving at a quick clip.  Nice to see, especially considering the park wasn't packed and it would have been easy to slack!

Later this Summer the park will open All Wheel Sports, their new extreme sports show inside the Good Time Theatre.  I'm looking forward to this one, and I love that it will be in the nice, air-conditioned building.  Without much research done, I believe that this show has been performed outdoor at other Cedar Fair parks, so it will be interesting to see it adapted to an indoor setting.

Just to check in on the gigantic, odd, circle pavement beyond Stinger - yep - it is still there.  Personally I believe that a certain tall ride was planned for the spot but probably cancelled when they gave the chain a lot of trouble last year.  Totally a guess though!  If plans have changed I hope something can be figured out for the spot.  I'll gladly suggest some Larson Flying Scooters!

With new entertainment and the Summer Nights of Celebration - with fireworks - still coming, there's plenty to look forward to this year.  Plus, at the end of it all will be Haunt VI, already being advertised in the park in a couple spots.  Don't get me wrong though, Haunt VI will be cool but I'm in no rush to get there, I'm looking forward to the Summer too much!

From The Vault: Six Flags Great America 2001 Brochure

I'm on a bit of a roll with featuring brochures of Six Flags parks during the Premier Parks building streak.  This one is another great example of something that I doubt we'll see again soon, and definitely fits in the vein of over-spending.  Let's take a look at Six Flags Great America's 2001 brochure!

Six Flags Great America was the happy recipient of a large chunk of capital in 2001.  As the front of the brochure proudly states, what was added was both record breaking and history making for the park.  As a pretty clear hint, photos of both new rides can be seen behind that text.

The park built two different full sized roller coasters in 2001.  One was a Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang, called Deja Vu, a mighty and impressive looking ride that stood over 190 feet tall and featured vertical lift hills.

The second ride was an Intamin Impulse coaster named V2 or Vertical Velocity.  Using a launch at almost 70 miles per hour the coaster sent trains up two tower spikes, one of which included a 360 degree twist.

With the addition of the two new coasters the park featured a total of 12, with "six miles of spine-tingling coaster track" as the park pointed out.  Four water rides, three children's areas, ten shows and plenty of other rides - there is much to see and do according to this spread. 

Its still pretty amazing to me to think that Premier was adding two huge coasters into one park at once - and at others even more than that.  Most parks now would be super-happy to receive even one of the two rides added, and would probably have to wait another 4 years or so for another one.  Not two at a time!  Granted it was a fantastic time for fans of coasters as they were popping up everywhere, but I think it spoiled a lot of fans, too!

Take a Spin On Juvelen at Djurs Sommerland

Today was the opening of Djurs Sommerland's new coaster, Juvelen or 'Jewel,' and the CoasterClub Denmark was there and filmed a point-of-view video of the new ride! They sent notice of the new video, which shows off what they describe as an "extreme family coaster," and I thought you all might enjoy it.

The ride was designed by Intamin, and features two separate tire driven launches to get the train moving at 53 miles per hour.  And for a launched coaster you'll notice that the ride duration is longer than average, obviously in part to the 3,280 feet of track.  It's not tall and doesn't feature any inversions, but the speed and family-friendly layout will make this ride quite popular, no doubt.

The trains are themed as ATVs, and the overall theme is a jungle adventure.  You'll notice that the start of the ride actually features a dark, special effects section - but with the camera on the first car it is hard to see just what takes place.

Djurs Sommerland is also home to another Intamin ride, Piraten, a mega-lite for which many people rave.  Jewel marks another ride that will elevate the park's reputation even further!

April 2013 NewsPlusNotes Poll Results

Yes, me too!  Wait I'm already at the results, I need to introduce the poll first.  In April 2013 I asked you guys if you won free plane tickets and could make the trip to one of the world's most desirable theme park resorts, which would it be?

One of the choices I selected for the list stood out high above the others, and that's the Tokyo Disneyland Resort.  Yes, me too!  Now that works better there.  The Japanese version of Disney parks feature some of the favorites we've experienced in North America, combined with some other crazy, high tech, enormous budgeted attractions that personally leave me drooling.

Our number two winner was Europa Park in Germany and since we have a lot of ride fans as readers I can't blame that choice, either.  Europa Park combines beautiful theming with unique rides that go far beyond just showing off what Mack is capable of.  From a B&M Megacoaster to a highly rated Great Coasters International ride, it's got a lot to offer.  Plus several resorts are included in the grounds, so it would make a great getaway!

Third and fourth place were very close, and they went to PortAventura Resort in Spain and the Disneyland Paris Resort in France.  PortAventura is another park that has expanded greatly and now offers so much more than a day trip with coasters, it continues to polish the resort experience it offers.  And Disneyland Paris is nothing if not beautiful - I'm sure that would rank higher if something was finally done about that Studios Park...

This month's poll is now live, check it out over on the left!