Coaster reviews

Airtimes Fun Rattle Dead spots

I was a big fan of the original GCI. I want to start by saying that although this ride was very rough, I never had an issue with how comfortable it was. The millenium flyers that ran on Wildcat were padded very well, and that padding absorbed most of the roughness. Moving on to the ride experience, the prelift was fun. The hill had a tiny bit of weightlessness, and this section was pretty smooth. Wildcat's first drop had a very good gut punch, much like other twisting GCI drops. Unfortunately, this surprisingly good drop was preceded by a violently rough valley. After this, there was a pop of airtime into the first turnaround, which also, despite being pretty slow, jackhammered you pretty good. The drop off of the turnaround had some slight floater, as did the following hill. The transition into the second turnaround gave some good ejector, but the iconic following hill was just a dead spot. The turn afterwards (the one that passed right by the queue and under the break run) was actually very smooth. My favorite moment on Wildcat was by far the sideways ejector speedhill under the lift. This moment was extremely jarring in 2019-2021, but for Wildcat's final year, it was actually fun. It gave some very strong airtime and laterals for a traditional wooden roller coaster. This moment was followed by another shaky turn into an airtimeless airtime hill, which was followed by yet another shaky turn. The transition out of this turn actually gave some good floater airtime, and the twist into the final helix gave ejector. However this helix was unbearably rough. Sitting in the back row, you could see the train violently shake back and forth at the lowest portion of the helix. This turn is followed up by two airtimeless hills into the brake run. Overall, Wildcat was a very solid wooden roller coaster. The padding absorbed most of the roughness, and I'll always remember my winter night rides in the dark as we raced by the beautiful chaser lights. I miss this ride, I really do, but Wildcat's Revenge is an undoubtedly better attraction.

Airtimes Rattle

Wild Mouse has some good laterals, which is to be expected, but unlike the others, it's very light on the trims and actually has one or two moments of weak floater, so that's nice. Unfortunately, it's also pretty rough. I'm hoping Hersheypark will replace this with a custom family coaster someday.

Smoothness Too short

It's alright. It's probably the weakest Arrow Mine Train in the US but they keep it running smooth.

Inversions Fun Intensity Launch

Hydraulic launches make me irrationally anxious, but the rest of the ride is great. The inversions are snappy and Storm Runner features a few good moments of airtime. It also tends to be more reliable than other Intamin Accelerators. The audio was great before it went out of sync with the launch, so I have to knock it a few points for that. Overall though, Storm Runner is a very solid Intamin. It's miles better than Dragster.

Airtimes Layout Rattle Lap Bar

This ride is best when it's running slow. Past that, it's just too painful to enjoy. During early entry, I'll ride this in the front row middle seats and have a great time. But as it warms up it gets rougher and rougher and it's just too much. I think this is the only ride that I wish had trim breaks.

Fun Smoothness

It's a fun spinning coaster, and the theming definitely adds to the experience. I just wish that Hershey had a more creative family coaster instead of just plopping down a clone of a ride that already exists in the same state.

Theming Intensity Smoothness Capacity

This ride is AWESOME! Not only is the ride very smooth for a Vekoma Boomerang, it's CRAZY intense, and the theming and soundtrack add this extra layer of excitement that just gets you hyped to ride. Sidewinder was fun, but I am so glad they rethemed it and updated the chassis, it's just so much better now.

Fun Rattle Discomfort Dead spots

Lightning Racer's middle section is fun, as you quickly traverse multiple low-to-the ground turns and hills, but the first third of the ride is dreadfully rough and the last third is slow and dull. Lightning Racer seriously needs some Titan Track.

Fun Rattle Dead spots

Lightning Racer's middle section is fun, as you quickly traverse multiple low-to-the ground turns and hills, but the first third of the ride is dreadfully rough and the last third is slow and dull. Lightning Racer seriously needs some Titan Track.

First Drop Comfort Dead spots

Candymonium's drop is very good and the first and third hills have some good floater, but the trim breaks kill most airtime on the second and fourth hills. This ride is best in the winter when they turn the trims off.

First Drop Inversions Intensity Capacity

I love Fahrenheit, I think it's #2 in the park. The drop is very intense, it delivers a good gut punch and a pop of airtime to riders, the Norwegian loop delivers some crazy positive gs, the cobra roll is fun, although rattley, the corkscrews are two of the greatest inversions of all time in my opinion, and the final airtime hill is very strong. I have one complaint, Fahrenheit's capacity is DREADFUL. This line never dips under an hour, and on weekends, it can reach up to three hours. But aside from that, there's nothing wrong with this ride.

Inversions Location Intensity Dead spots

Lower-tier B&M invert. The setting is surreal and the inversions are whippy, but it's a tad short and it has some dead spots. I prefer Talon and Raptor, but I'd take this over a Batman clone. But I don't mean to sound negative, it is very fun.

Airtimes Masterpiece Intensity

When this ride was announced, I was a tad disappointed. It was impressive statistics-wise, but I was unsure that the layout would deliver. Well after a half a dozen rides on Wildcat's Revenge, I am convinced it is better than Steel Vengeance. It might be relatively short in comparison, but the power this ride has is unbelievable. It rips through every element at breakneck pace, especially later in the day. The airtime the second wave turn provides is stronger than any moment on Skyrush, and every other moment of airtime delivers incredible power as well. Not only that, but this might be the only RMC I've ridden that delivers great doses of positive g force. This ride is INTENSE. It has everything I could ever want in a ride, airtime, whip, hangtime, positive gs, and laterals, and you experience all of this is perfect comfort, as the lap bars have a lot more padding compared to the previous RMC trains. Overall this ride is a 10/10 for me, it might be my favorite roller coaster ever, it's just perfect.

Harness Intensity Headbanging

It's... Not bad? It's enjoyable? It has some really janky transitions but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The vests really help. I'd ride it again :)

Nice surprise! Pace Intensity

HOW IS THIS THING SO FAST? Compared to the 4 other Batmans I've done, this thing RIPS through it's course. This ride is addicting, fantastic job B&M.

Airtimes Comfort Intensity

Fantastic B&M hyper! This is by far my favorite B&M as of now. For a B&M hyper, the airtime is surprisingly strong, as are the positive Gs! Goliath even has some whippy moments! As with all B&M hypers, the trains are amazing and the ride is smooth outside of the first few valleys.

Launch

The launch is too much, I see why other might like that intensity, but for me it's just not enjoyable. The anxiety it causes me is just not worth it. I'm very excited for this ride to receive an LSM launch because I just can't handle the hydraulic one.

Comfort Fun Masterpiece Capacity

Absolutely awesome ride! Flying Turns was basically my childhood coaster, and it is definitely the best in the park in my opinion, and not just for sentimental reasons. Flying Turns is very smooth and whippy, and even pulls some good positive gs on some of the turns.

First Drop Comfort

For whatever reason this ride had a pretty good drop, it also rides fairly smooth. Besides that, this E&F Miler kiddy coaster is pretty unremarkable, but it's a kiddie coaster, and it does exactly what it's supposed to.

You get some good laterals on the downwards turn, but the ride is pretty janky through the station when the train engages with the lift. It was a lot better than expected but it wasn't great.

Fun Discomfort

It was ok. It was a lot jankier than Laff Trakk, and the brake runs would really slam you into the sides of the trains, but there's still some enjoyment to be found here.

Airtimes Comfort

This coaster was a lot better than I was expecting it to be! Some of the drops and hills gave some good float, the drops were decently thrilling, and it ran pretty smoothly. I really enjoyed this ride, so much so that I place it above Steel Dragon in the same park.

Airtimes First Drop Intensity

JESUS CHRIST, WHAT IS THIS RIDE?!?! This ride is a barrage of intensity, ejector airtime, and snappy laterals. My absolute favorite part of this ride and one of my favorite elements of all time is the snappy speed hill. I love this ride SO MUCH! It's easily my #2. Every hill has amazing airtime, every s-bend is a joy, and every turn tries to knock you out cold! You'll never feel faster than when you are darting around near the ground at 90 miles per hour! This ride is such a rush!

Airtimes Lap Bar Discomfort

This ride absolutely throws you. This ride has better airtime than the Phoenix in my opinion. Leap the Dips only has a few moments of air, but it's some of the best airtime you'll ever get on a coaster, mainly because the vehicle has no restraint. This ride isn't the most exciting, after all, it's the oldest operating roller coaster on earth, but it manages to hold up. Definitely give this historic coaster a ride. Just be sure to ride in the front row, unless you want your back blown out.

Discomfort

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Skyliner is a very solid PTC wooden coaster. It looks sketchy and mild off-ride, but actually riding it, the ride is fairly smooth, and has crazy airtime in the back row. The second half is pretty dead, but everything up until the 4th turnaround is very good. This is one of the better wooden roller coasters in Pennsylvania.

Airtimes

Very nice, fun family coaster. There's nice floater airtime on almost every hill, the ride isn't too rough, and the drops are decently thrilling. Don't pass this one up.

Airtimes Fun Smoothness

Wow this ride was running well this year! I wasn't a big fan of this ride last year, but after my rides this year, I love it! There are multiple great airtime pops going off the turnarounds and on the final run of hills, this ride has amazing laterals, and it's very smooth. Morey's has done a lot of retracking work on this ride recently, and you can tell. Great White is a very fun ride

Location Intensity Layout Rattle Discomfort

Great Nor'Easter is a fun ride, it has great positive gs, a good layout and some fun visuals. It isn't the most comfortable ride, however. If you had told me this ride had been completely retracked just 5 years ago, I wouldn't have believed you. It's still rather rough. The sea serpent roll, the sidewinder, the exit from the in line twists, and the final few dips are very jerky, and the ride is consistently rattley. The trains sort of help, they have vest restraints, so you aren't going to bang your head on anything, but the lap bar portion of the restraint will staple you, which can cause discomfort. Overall, I'd say Great Nor'Easter is a good ride, not perfect, but enjoyable. I'd say it's about on par with a Batman the Ride clone.

Airtimes Comfort Masterpiece

Rollo Coaster really surprised me, I avoided watching the POV before riding it, because I wanted to be surprised, even if just for a family PTC, but I knew the ride was small, old and consisted of mainly some shallow dips and turns, so you can imagine my expectations weren’t high, but I was going on vacation a few minutes from Idlewild and I figured what the hell, wooden coasters are exceedingly rare nowadays, why not run in, grab the credit and leave? I rode Rollo Coaster FIFTEEN TIMES. THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVED IT. Let’s work through the Rollo Coaster experience, shall we? It’s nestled in a corner of the park across from that funky wild mouse, with the station at a weird angle compared to the other buildings and pathways. When you walk up to the entrance, you’ll see a sign that says “Weight per row may not exceed 265 pounds”, which is heavily enforced, and they will weigh you every single time. You’d think that with the coaster being a walk on, and you being the only person who’s ridden it in 20 minutes, they’d realize that you have not gained 130 pounds since the last time you rode, but whatever. Unfortunately, this policy makes it virtually impossible for two adults, heck, an adult and a child to ride in the same row together. So after they confirmed that I, a 5 foot 4 tall 16 year old did not contain a black hole’s worth of mass that pushed me over the limit, they allowed me to choose whatever row I wanted, and unfortunately you can only sit in the left side of the car if you are alone, which I don’t understand because the unbanked downwards turn turns left, and considering it would be a lot more comfortable in the right and there are no other considerably strong lateral moments, this policy makes no sense. Speaking of the trains, let’s talk about these things. hOlY sHiT gUys! IdLeWiLd HaS a wOoDeN WiNg cOaStEr! In all seriousness, these wing, flap things, whatever they are, although they look like the person designing them was under the influence, didn’t bother me. They are angled outward so you don’t bang your head on them or anything, you can put your hands up and you won’t notice them and the only thing they affected was your view from the back of the train. This train may look really wonky, but I actually quite liked it. You can definitely tell that they were only made three years ago, as the padding is still intact and hasn’t been beaten down at all, so sitting in these trains feels like sitting on a couch. I had to look again when I first saw these trains, they have a 2 bench first car, and then three single bench cars behind it. Sorry, what? If you wanted single bench trains that you can’t stick your arms horizontally out of, you could have just gotten Timberliners. Also, I’ve heard people complain about the seatbelts, as if that’s something that affects the ride at all. (Spoiler alert, it isn’t) Ok, I should stop stalling and get to the ride experience. If you watch a POV of Rollo Coaster, you’ll probably come to the conclusion of, “Oh, Boulder Dash kiddie coaster”, and then move on to watching a more interesting POV. But I’m excited to announce that this ride does in fact do things. After a slow left turn out of the station, you rocket up the 15 second long lift hill, before going down a twisting drop that gives you a fun swooping sensation mixed with a little bit of thrill, this is where you realize just how smooth this ride is. Rollo Coaster is like, ungodly smooth for an 80 year old wooden coaster. And you can see it too, the track is very clean and smooth looking, and the metal running plates looked fairly new and none of them were rusty. I don’t know how Palace Entertainment maintains their wooden coasters so well, but whatever they're doing, I hope they keep doing it. The second twisting hill doesn’t really do anything in terms of airtime or laterals, but maintains the smoothness and gliding sensation, same with the subsequent turn, which I love, but for those of you who aren’t pleased by the sheer novelty of moving at a speed on a rolling coaster, the next hill gives some floater/lifter airtime that is about the strength of a B&M hyper hill. This is where the ride gets crazy, you plunge down the hillside into a hill that delivers an uncharacteristically strong ejector moment for a family PTC. Imagine one of Phoenix’s hills, but shorter, that’s what this feels like. I love this moment, especially in the front row, but it still gives great airtime everywhere else in the train. This ejector hill is followed by a snappy lateral valley turn that is a little rough, but it's still very smooth for a wooden coaster, and still smoother than literally any moment on Wildcat. You rise into a slow paced flat turn that gives you a little breather and an opportunity to appreciate the fact that you are in the gorgeous Pennsylvania wilderness, before the ride descends back into madness with an unbanked turning drop down the hill that delivers some sustained laterals that will try to bend you over sideways, preceded by a hill that provides a pop of floater for those up front over the crest and a pop of floater for those in the back down the descent, and some weak sustained floater for those in the middle. Now, this is where the ride dies a little. The return trip of 4 hills doesn’t provide anything in terms of force, but the ride is still going at a moderate pace and these still manage to be entertaining, and it helps that this is the part of the ride where you are in the thickest part of the woods. After this mine train section, you slide into the final brakes and into the totally unnecessary unload station that kills dispatches. I’m sure this was great when Rollo Coaster had two trains, but now with one train, it just means you’re going to be waiting an extra thirty seconds each cycle. My favorite row was by far the front, it's smoother up front and the elements are a lot stronger. In terms of ride atmosphere, this ride nails it in the head, right between the eyes, I love the nostalgic energy this ride radiates. The woods exacerbate the feeling of nostalgia and make the ride feel isolated. Rollo Coaster gives you this great peaceful escape feeling. For a family wooden coaster, I’d say it's on par with Oscar’s Wacky Taxi, maybe better. Definitely better than most wooden coasters I’ve ridden, twice, three times its size. This ride is ten times more intense than Lightning Racer and even smoother than Phoenix at Knoebels. I swear, I love every PA family wooden coaster to death. Oscar’s, Flying Turns and now this have all blown me away. Overall, wow! 9/10, great airtime and setting, I could ride this masterpiece all day.