I liked Mystery Mine a lot more way back in October 2016, praising it as the 3rd best coaster at Dollywood. But after a reride in December 2017, I beg...
I liked Mystery Mine a lot more way back in October 2016, praising it as the 3rd best coaster at Dollywood. But after a reride in December 2017, I began to dislike this coaster more and more for some reason. I remembered the significant amount of headbanging, and how most of the ride, bar for the 95° drop and pair of inversions, is one massive “dead spot”. Headbanging is prevalent in the drop preceeding the first lift, and the jaunt succeeding the first lift. I often waited around 30-40 minutes for this coaster, and while it is a long ride most of it is spent meandering around the mineshafts (which are very elaborately themed, by the way). For me, the best moment of Mystery Mine is the hangtime in the inversions. This is a decent coaster that could be vastly improved with lap bars.
I love this coaster to death. Maybe it was that Phoenix was my 100th credit, or Phoenix shocked me by how strong its airtime was, or that this ‘40s wo...
I love this coaster to death. Maybe it was that Phoenix was my 100th credit, or Phoenix shocked me by how strong its airtime was, or that this ‘40s woodie only had one rough spot, but this coaster is my #10 overall — most notably besting all 3 RMC’s I’ve ridden so far (New Texas Giant, Lightning Rod, Twisted Cyclone). I had been told by a Pennsylvanian coaster enthusiast that Phoenix was overrated and that Twister was the real gem at Knoebels — but I found it quite the opposite. After a hot dog lunch, I got into line for my 100th coaster. There was only one train, but the Knoebels ride op crew dispatched that train within thirty seconds of its return to the station. The line was around twenty minutes long, even as I chose to wait for the front row (something I rarely, if ever, do on coasters) to commemorate this special occasion. I boarded the train, and was almost alarmed at how high the buzz bar was locked above my lap. “This is amazing!” I proclaimed to my Pennsylvanian cousin who was sitting beside me. We rolled out into the metal tunnel, somehow blocking all sunlight for a few seconds right before we ascended the chain lift. I could see the antique cars, band organ and a few other rides from here — I contemplated my life as a coasterfan leading up to this point, waiting for the true ride to begin — and then we were off! The first drop isn’t anything special, merely giving Phoenix some energy to work its magic with, as is the turnaround succeeding it and in turn the first half. I remember first feeling airtime through Phoenix’s very loose buzzbar restraints at the top of the second turnaround, which set the train up for the “Mayan hill” — a double up and double down in one. At the top of the “Mayan hill”, I was given my first taste of Phoenix’s insanity — and nearly stood up, instinctively clutching the buzzbar in hopes of safety. The next turnaround is the one rough spot on Phoenix, but it is astonishingly smooth considering the sheer age of this coaster. I mistakened the next four consecutive bunny hills to be a speedy little finale, but oh boy was I wrong; on every single hill, I was forced to stand up in my seat and sheer, childlike joy was injected into my veins. All too soon we rounded the final turn, which is the brake run, and Phoenix was over. This coaster is absolutely amazing.
Impulse to me feels like a Gerstlauer eurofighter done right. Gone is the bulky OTSRs which amplify the sometimes abrupt transitions into headbanging,...
Impulse to me feels like a Gerstlauer eurofighter done right. Gone is the bulky OTSRs which amplify the sometimes abrupt transitions into headbanging, replaced with comfortable lap bars — comfortable, that is, aside from the first drop. On the first half of Impulse’s vertical drop, you are flung from your seat with Skyrush-esque ejector air. This caught me entirely off guard, and I was more than a little surprised. But that all comes to a close as the lap bar slams into your stomach midway through your descent. The lap bar isn’t painful, per se, as this is the only moment where it could be considered uncomfortable — but it is not exactly enjoyable when it knocks the wind out of you. The rest of Impulse is made up of enjoyable hangtime — most notably on the inline twist at the end, not unlike a Gerstlauer eurofighter’s — a pair of intense helices and an overbanked turn.
All that being said, however, Impulse garners long waits throughout the entire day; it’s at the very front of Knoebels, and has a poor capacity. If you thought 3 trains of 8 people didn’t sound good, know that only one (1) is generally in service at any given time. The other two are stored via a clever switch track mechanism on the brake run. Knoebels does have efficient operations however. Overall Impulse is my 2nd favorite coaster at Knoebels (which is my favorite amusement park by the way), just behind the legendary Phoenix.
Galaxy Orbiter is a fun, family-friendly compliment to the insanely intense and thrilling Mindbender. Galaxy Orbiter is overshadowed by Mindbender, wh...
Galaxy Orbiter is a fun, family-friendly compliment to the insanely intense and thrilling Mindbender. Galaxy Orbiter is overshadowed by Mindbender, which in turn is overshadowed by the other major coasters on the other side of Canada (Leviathan, Behemoth, Goliath, etc.). This coaster offers some intense spinning (read: the wild mouse-style turns succeeding the first drop and the bit entangled within Mindbender’s superstructure), a satisfyingly long ride and even a pop of airtime or two. However, there are multiple “dead spots” in the layout, but they are to be expected with a coaster geared towards families like this one. It is also worth noting how this coaster practically gives a tour of Galaxyland, as it was masterfully weaved in and around most other rides and attractions in the park. Galaxy Orbiter is a great way to relax after the insanity of Mindbender, while still enjoying decent thrills.
For an older ride, it aged pretty well. The drops, duration and speed are pretty decent, there's a couple surprises thrown in there for good airtime a...
For an older ride, it aged pretty well. The drops, duration and speed are pretty decent, there's a couple surprises thrown in there for good airtime and the shoreline location of the bay is beautiful. It also has an interesting history, as it was declared by Elvis as his favorite ride. Nice little touch of theming for a smaller park. The jolt at the end of the ride is kind of controversial, it's a great airtime surprise, but man, is that bump violent. I think the capacity and lap bars are ok, but really the only negative is the awkward station setup, where passengers have to get on and off on the same side of the roller coaster. That's a pretty minor thing though and it barely distracts riders from the overall attraction. Plus there is never a really long wait for the ride.
A tacky wild mouse coaster with terrible design, operations, and theming. A one time fun ride if you have done everything else in the park, but Disney...
A tacky wild mouse coaster with terrible design, operations, and theming. A one time fun ride if you have done everything else in the park, but Disney should remove it with something better replacing it.
