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Post by thomp836 on Jul 10, 2009 21:05:48 GMT -8
Hello everyone,
I'm hoping to do a coaster trip out to the pacific northwest from Michigan sometime this year and Silverwood is definitely my top reason for doing so. Since I doubt I'll have another chance to return any time soon I wanted some advice to make sure I get the most out of it, and I figured you guys were probably the best people to ask...
First, I was wondering if anyone can comment on how well Tremors has been running this year? I know the park is advertising that this is the ride's 10th anniversary, but has that included any re-tracking or train rebuilds? I'm not just asking about smoothness, but also speed. My home coaster, Shivering Timbers, has really been lagging behind in the finale these past years despite still being relatively smooth, and many other CCI coasters I've been on recently seem to have a difficult time pacing over many of the air hills. It would be incredibly helpful to know if I should postpone my Tremors pilgrimage for another year if it's not running in top ten form.
Second, how reliable is Aftershock? My reasons for concern probably don't need to be explained.
Third, what are the crowds and lines usually like? I'm thinking of visiting on Friday, Aug. 28th or Sunday, Aug 30th, is one day normally more crowded than the other? How long are lines normally for the wooden coasters? Aftershock?
Fourth, does anyone know of any cheap hotels in the area? The sponsored links on the Silverwood page are all $100+ a night and are clearly aimed more at creating large packages for vacationing families rather than a single, economy-minded coaster nerd simply wanting to get as many re-rides on as little sleep as possible; quality is not a concern. Are there any other discounts I might not be aware of, $40.00 does seem a little steep for a park of Silverwood's size.
Thank you all very much for any input or any other suggestions, I look forward to hearing your responses!
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Post by 65skylark on Jul 12, 2009 12:40:51 GMT -8
Unfortunately, I have not been able to make it to Silverwood this year. As of last year, Tremors was running pretty solid as far as pacing. It has gotten a bit rough over the last few years compared to when it first opened. As far as I know, there has not been any major re-tracking or any train re-builds. As far as it running in "top ten form" I would say, no. Top 20, maybe. Timber Terror (basically a small Shivering Timbers as you are probably aware) still rides great as it doesn't have the size and speed that ST has, so it doesn't take nearly the abuse.
As far as all the reports I have heard about Aftershock, it seems to be doing relatively well as far as up-time. I think wind has been the biggest factor with its operation.
The crowds are usually better on a Sunday than a Friday. Lines for the woodies can get a bit long in the summer because they only have one train per woodie. Aftershock has terrible capacity and Corkscrew isn't much better. The nice thing about Silverwood is that the water park is included with admission and really eats up a lot of people during the middle of the day. If it is a warm day, lines shouldn't be too bad for the coasters in the afternoon because there will be a ton of people at Boulder Beach.
Durring the summer there really aren't any cheap hotels in the area. There is a Super 8 right at the exit you take off I95 to get to Silverwood that is really cheap in the off season but I think it's around $80 a night during the summer. There is also a Howard Johnson that I haven't stayed at not too far from the park that is usually cheaper than most of the rest of the hotels in the area.
Area Burger Kings have discount coupons. $40 is a little high if yo are just doing Silverwood, but when you add the water park it really isn't a bad price at all. Plus their parking is cheap compared to most other parks. Or at least it was as of last year.
It is a fun park, but it is small. I'm not sure if it is worth the flight just to that one park, though. What you need to realize is that the Pacific Northwest is HUGE and very spread out. Silverwood is at least a 5 hour drive from the next closest park. So if you plan on doing the other parks over here, plan on LOTS of driving. The Portland area has two small but unique parks in Oaks Amusement Park and Enchanted Forest. They are close together and can both be done in one day. The Seattle area has Wild Waves which has nothing unique to offer at all and Fun Forest which is just a permanent carnival next to the Space Needle. The Puyallup fair is great and has an excellent woodie but won't be open. Playland in Vancouver, BC is home to a great old woodie that rivals Tremors and TT, IMO.
That's pretty much every park in the Pacific Northwest.
Hope that helped a little.
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Post by Bud Parsley on Jul 13, 2009 9:02:25 GMT -8
As Skylark mentioned, Tremors is a bit rougher than it used to be on a couple of turns, but nothing I would consider unbearable or even painful - just a bit rough. It's still a great ride running at a great speed and a ton of fun. And as mentioned, Timber Terror (which I personally like better than Tremors) is an AWESOME out and back with a ton of air time and a great ride as well.
I don't know about Aftershock this year - calicoaster can help us there - but last year it was much more reliable than it had ever been at Six Flags. My understanding was that when there were problems, they were fixed quickly. Remember this is a smaller park and having a ride like this down is a HUGE gap in the day of the average guest - much more so than at Six Flags - so Silverwood does a good job of getting it up and running.
Check the park's website for help with crowds - if it is a special event weekend, it will be a mess. If not, you should be just fine. The lines for the coasters are a bit slow due to the one train issue, but in the evenings they tend to thin out.
You will not find cheap hotels in Coeur d'Alene or the surrounding areas in the summer. This is a resort area. End of story.
That's about it. I would say that - especially if you plan to do the water park - Silverwood is definitely worth the trip. Even if not, it's a great park with several must-do rides and some great entertainment (DO NOT miss Nick Norton's magic show).
If you end up taking the trip, let us know how it goes!
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Post by thomp836 on Jul 13, 2009 19:54:17 GMT -8
Hey, thank you both for your advice. I'm actually thinking I might move my visit to the Monday after that weekend, hopefully crowds will be more sparse than the weekend (I tried checking when the area schools would be back in session but no luck...), that's about as late as I can since I've got to be back in Michigan for college myself by that Wednesday. Are night rides possible in that part of the country with a 9:00pm closing? Michigan is way far west to still be on Eastern so I'm not used to the sun going down until like 10:00, but I checked and apparently the civil twilight for Coeur d'Alene is about 8:00 (not sure how that's even really possible just thinking about it in the abstract but I'll buy it) 65skylark, I actually am planning on all those other parks you mentioned, plus Galaxyland and Calaway... pretty much everything except for Puyallup.  And yeah, no doubt that will be a lot of driving. By the way your hotel and Burger King advice was very helpful. Sounds like I shouldn't be too worried about Aftershock, either. I'm setting up my own site for various reviews and coaster analyses, so I'll be sure link my Silverwood and the other reports back here when it's all done with. Thanks again for the replies both of you! |
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Post by SoCalCoaster on Jul 25, 2009 20:50:21 GMT -8
Tremors: The train is actually rebuilt every year during the off-season. The same goes for Timber Terror, Aftershock and Corkscrew. I'm assuming it also applies to Tiny Toot. As for retracking, Tremors and Timber Terror are retracked anually as well. This year Tremors is running very well. As far as I know, it hasnt suffered from any downtime at all this year, thanks to our great maintenance crews who work on it daily. Tremors is a great CCI, and the best woodie I've ever ridden. I can assure you it is running in it's top ten form. If you do make the pilgrimage, be sure to try to catch one of the last trains of the night in the back. The train running hot + a heavy, full train makes that baby fly at night.
Aftershock: Concerns totally understood lol. Just remember, we aren't Six Flags. While yes, Aftershock has had it's downtime, it runs so much better than it did in it's former life, and I'm pretty sure it runs better, and pulls more people in than it's sister down in Valencia, as well as it's other sister in Spain. I'm on Aftershock pretty much daily, and this season it seems like a long period of downtime is extremely rare for the ride. If you do make it out to Silverwood, I wouldn't worry about downtime, nor lines for that matter. We load up riders and send out the train in a fast manner at Shock, so the line empties out quickly. Thanks to the 32 seats and a great crew, Aftershock becomes a people eater. A little tip, the usual quiet time for Aftershock is around 3ish to 6:30ish.
Crowds: See above for Aftershock. As for the woodies, the lines stay pretty long in August. This year though it's been pretty hard to tell. The lines have been fluxuating so it's hard to give an approximate estimate when there is a quiet time for them. If I had to say though, 3ish is a good guess. Thunder Canyon has a long line all day until close to night time, just throwing it out there. Corkscrew's lines usually are never long, nor do they ever get outside of the station, let alone the bottom of the stairs leading up to the station.
Prices & Hotels: Try looking for some hotels in the Post Falls and Hayden areas. Don't even try the Couer d'Alene area, as all of the hotels there are high. There are a few campgrounds in the area you can try which are free of course, but I'm not too versed on where they are. As for discounts, I believe local area Subways, Burger Kings as well as Costco's have discounted tickets, but if I were you i'd look into that a bit further as I'm not all that sure.
Hopefully this answered all of your questions! If you do come out to the park this year, let me know so I can look out for you.
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Post by 65skylark on Jul 28, 2009 17:03:31 GMT -8
I can assure you it is running in it's top ten form. You can not in any way assure it is running in top ten forn unless you rode it ten years ago and every year since. That's not ment to be an insult, either, just a fact. Your deffinition of re-tracking must be different than mine, too. They do not re-track the coasters every year. I'm sure your right about the trains. Silverwood is a GREAT park at maintaining their woodies, but, Tremors is not the coaster it was ten years ago. Still a great ride, but I think you would find "most" enthusiasts would not consider it to be running in top ten form. But, "top ten" is a very subjective term. Bottom line, it isn't running as good as it was the first few years it was open. |
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And yeah, no doubt that will be a lot of driving. By the way your hotel and Burger King advice was very helpful. Sounds like I shouldn't be too worried about Aftershock, either.