Coaster reviews

First Drop Fun Ejectors Rattle

Epic ride featuring possibly the greatest drop of all time. Great airtime and I didn't think the trains were too bad.

Fun Harness Ejectors

In the back, this was one of my least favorite coasters ever. In the front... Just... Wow... I was expecting Iron Rattler to be the best ride in Texas. If not that, then New Texas Giant, Boardwalk Bullet, maybe Texas Stingray. After riding Steel Eel in the front, I can confidently say that this is my favorite in Texas. What a ride! I love Steel Force, especially in the front, so when I got a very rough ride in the back on Steel Eel, I figured I should ride up front, since not only is Steel Eel smoother in the front, it has better airtime up there, too. But when I went to go give it a reride, it broke. And it stayed broken for another 2 hours. I figured I should get one more ride before I left the park. And as I was going to leave, I noticed it running with riders. I grabbed a quick front row ride, and I was blown away. Smooth, sustained floater on every hill. I love Gemini, and this felt identical to that ride. The weird, old fashioned, steel coaster airtime with a lap bar that sits inches above your lap is my absolute favorite type of airtime. Steel Eel is incredible. Don't skip out on a front row ride.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Smoothness Too short

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

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.

Airtimes Fun

I haven't ridden Twisted Timbers in a while, and I'm itching to get back to it. This was my first RMC and I was blown away by the incredible airtime, pacing and inversions. Truly a complete package.

Airtimes First Drop Layout

In 2024, Hersheypark made the best modification to a roller coaster in the entire history of the amusement industry. With the new lap bars, it is finally possible to appreciate Skyrush's intensity, laterals, airtime and speed in perfect comfort. Skyrush went from the middle of my rankings to my top 10 overnight. After 12 years of wasted potential, Skyrush is finally great. Bravo to Hersheypark for actually listening to their guests and making much-needed modifications to their rides.

Airtimes Fun Harness

It took me a couple of years to "get" Phantom's Revenge. However, after my visit to Kennywood in July of 2024, I can happily say that I get why people love this ride. The first third of Phantom's Revenge is very underrated in my opinion. The first drop is actually has a great gut punch, the straightaway has a great sense of speed, and the rise into the first hill has good floater airtime in the front row. The second third of the ride takes things up a notch. The 228 foot drop off the cliff is a very fun moment, you fly over the top of the hill and you plummet past the ride's station, through the structure of Thunderbolt, before rising out of the wilderness into a sweeping, lateral filled turn. You twist the opposite direction and as you pass through Thunderbolt for a second time, the train thunders over a powerful speed hill, within Thunderbolt's structure. A fast-paced turnaround past the Turtle sends you into the ride's best and final third. Four back-to-back airtime hills launch you into your minimal restraint with an intensity rarely found outside of an RMC. After a very fun low-to-the-ground turn through the woods, you unbank into an insane double-up before slamming into the break run. The elements and forces speak for themselves, Phantom's Revenge is insane. The track is glass smooth and the trains are some of the best trains on any coaster.

Pace Masterpiece Layout

Steel Vengeance should be perfect. It has unreal height, speed and length for an RMC Ibox coaster. And honestly, I would say that it IS perfect. However, the one thing that holds Steel Vengeance from ascending my top 5 is the layout. Hear me out. I slightly prefer Wildcat's Revenge to Steel Vengeance. Wildcat has not the speed, height or length of Steel Vengeance, but it has the superior pacing and layout in my opinion. Steel Vengeance has breaks in the pacing and the layout tends to be repetitive, whereas Wildcat's Revenge features a layout full of unique elements and a variety of forces. That being said, this is a minor complaint that is only relevant because the coasters in my top 10 are so close in quality. Steel Vengeance still has some of the best elements ever built. The tophat and the outerbank especially stand out for me. Every single bunny hill from start to finish is spectacular. I love the inversions, I love the headchoppers, I love the drop, there's nothing I don't love about Steel Vengeance. Besides the wait time.

Airtimes First Drop Intensity

Project 305 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 after the camelback. I love this ride SO MUCH! It ranks within my top 5 easily. 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. My only complaint is the harsh trim 2/3rds of the way through the layout.

Airtimes Comfort Duration Reliability

Massive intense inversions with the world's most comfortable trains? Yes, please. S&S nailed this prototype hyper coaster, and ever since I rode opening week in 2019, it has been my favorite coaster. No RMC or Intamin can dethrone this towering, multi-looping monstrosity for me. Every single trait that can make a coaster great is featured on Steel Curtain. The sense of height and speed is greater than any other coaster I've experienced. The trains are, in my opinion, the best trains on any coaster. Steel Curtain has multiple moments of fantastic airtime, including one of the greatest camelbacks I've ever experienced. The inversions are either positive G heavy or extremely whippy. Steel Curtain is a long ride, but the pacing never lets up. Steel Curtain is flawless in my eyes. Joe Draves is a goddamn genius and I'm so happy that he is now the man in charge of designing layouts for RMC. Hopefully S&S can fix Steel Curtain's atrocious reliable issues. I honestly don't know how it's possible to design a ride this flawed in the age of computer aided design.

Airtimes First Drop Fun

Maverick is my favorite coaster at Cedar Point. All the elements are fantastic, but it's the non-stop pacing of the entire ride that really makes it so incredible. This is about as perfect as a coaster gets.