My cousin was graduating the Navy this past week. I woke up on Monday morning and decided to go. I went alone, but had a great time. Below are my reviews of rides, shows and overall.
RIDES
Batman: The Ride
-Rides: 8; Forward and Backward; both sides
-Comments: This ride was amazing. Very disorienting. If no one noticed, each side is different. The 'seat spin fins' are placed in different places on each side. I thought it was fine but heard several people say it was 'too much' for them.
Boomerang
-Rides: 1; Backseat
-Comments: Why did I do that to myself... Although I will say I prefer the updated train styles (@Carowinds).
Iron Rattler
-Rides: 8; Front, Back and Middle
-Comments: My first RMC. Very forceful and very smooth. Contrary to POV videos, it did NOT slow at the top of the lift. Sent the trains screaming down the first drop. The ride pacing is obviously interesting being built on the side of a cliff, but it makes it all the better. This ride is now in my top 10 at #7.
Pandemonium
-Rides: 1
-Comments: My first Gerstlauer spinner. Overall a very fun ride. I caught myself giggling??? anyway. Only able to ride once because I went to the park by myself and required 3 people later in the day. More comments on that below.
Poltergeist
-Rides: 3; Front and Back
-Comments: Been on Flight of Fear (KI and KD), but it was nice to really see the head choppers. Great Ride.
Road Runner Express
-Rides: 1; Back
-Comments: Fun little layout but was extremely rough. I???m talking Mean Streak was smooth as glass compared to this. I???m honestly wondered if there was a bad wheel.
Superman: Krypton Coaster
-Rides: 2
-Comments: Love the first drop on this ride. Nice slow turn and bank off the cliff into a forceful layout. My favorite part of the ride was the turn on and off the cliff (post loop). The banking dive back off the cliff was amazing. Very fun ride.
Scream
-Rides: 3
-Comments: Fun, however I haven???t been on a S&S tower ride that did both shot and drop. I do have to say I prefer this version to the ???one trick pony??? types.
SHOWS
A little pre explanation. I was obviously judging every detail of the shows. This is how this industry has taught me. These reviews are coming from a resort composer, arranger and performer.
Memphis to Motown ??? 4/10
I understand I didn???t go to the park during peak season but I wasn???t impressed with this show or the performance. This show featured 7 vocalists and a backtrack; this was your basic playlist show. The vocalists seemed reserved and didn???t sing to their full potential. It almost seemed like the show was above their heads. I hate to sound harsh and maybe it was just a rough run, but it was not good at all. Near the end of the show a few of the vocalists seemed a little more comfortable and tried to riff??? Several times in the wrong key. I???m not sure who or where the techs were placed but the balance was way waaaaaaay off.
Vinyl Countdown ??? 7/10
I was about 3 minutes late to this show because a park employee told me the wrong theater. I sat pretty far back but the venue was awesome for a theme park. This was a little better than the first show I saw. This is a combined show with multiple casts. I was entertained throughout most of the show; although this was another basic playlist show. I would suggest this show to people trying to get out of the rain or trying to see a show. Some performers were very good; some were out of breath from when I sat down to until the end. You could hear it in their voices and it ruined some songs; however overall a good show.
#ipop ??? 9/10
Now this was a great show. Your typical playlist show however, the performers were fantastic. The band was top notch. The vocalist were laying it out on the stage and it made it all the more enjoyable. This is the type of show I expect with a resort. I highly suggest this show to anyone who visits this park.
OVERALL
This park has a nice collection of rides and attractions. The newly refurbished boardwalk looks fantastic and the 3 new rides have been installed. I didn???t get many pics as my phone was in a locker at the time I walked through. Operations was above my Six Flags expectations, however still has much room to improve. Most rides were only running one train, however it was ok as the park was DEAD. A few of my biggest operation stand point pet-peeves were:
-Iron Rattler: Ran 2 trains all day however, midday only loaded one train even when a line formed. There were no mechanical issues, just laziness. I know because I asked.
-Batman: Operations on a rainy day is terrible on this ride. A minimum of 3 people per side was required to run and since it???s a dual loading station with 4 trains we had to wait for 12 people to dispatch. I understand that; but when you make people leave a line because there are only 45 minutes until closing, that upset me.
-Pandemonium: I went to the park alone. I understand they must adjust loading procedures when weather changes. Telling me I can???t join a group that is trying to re-ride is not cool. I obviously came in line alone, telling me I can???t ride rather than letting me take an open seat is just not right.
-Then there was the professionalism throughout the park. Talking to other ride hosts and not checking seats. Stuff like that. To the point of train stacking for minutes at a time.
The park was not very clean in many sections and trash cans overflowing. I noticed 5 cleaning attendants throughout my 6 hours at the park.
I definitely enjoyed my visit. The few food vendors I talked to had a smile and always greeted me. I can???t say the same for the rest of the park. I would recommend this park to families and thrill seekers.
I give this park a 7.5/10