Prowler Opening Day, Worlds of Fun

It was a very early morning for Paul, Bond and I as we drove on a reasonably scenic, but very boring road across Missouri. Daylight illuminated a partly cloudy day on which the sun never truly shone through the clouds.

This was my first trip to Worlds of Fun, and it was no coincidence that this was on the opening day of Prowler.

We arrived at the park around 9:30 am. We headed in the gate and over to Prowler where we waited in a short line as the opening ceremonies and ribbon cutting were conducted. The riders who had bought the first seats in the auction got their rides, and then it was time for us. The queue area was filled with only a couple hundred people or so.

Soon we were in the station where an employee was assigning seats, but taking a few requests if you were nice. This continued throughout the day, and at some point a single rider line appeared. As with Diamondback a few weeks ago, the line was used efficiently by the seat assigner to fill empty seats.

Our first ride was near the front of the train, row two, I believe. We rolled out of the station and picked up a bit of speed as we rounded the left turn and shot up onto the lift chain. To the right we got our first good look at the track heading out into the woods.

Leaves were just starting to grow on the trees, so we could see a lot of the track. This will change quickly, though, because in only a week or two full foliage will hide much of the layout. This will make it harder to see what's around the bend during daylight, and will make the track area even darker at night as the trees block ambient light from the parking lot, etc.

To the left the curving drop and the first "bump" could be seen, and the track disappeared under the lift. Going over the top is tons of fun. The track banks sharply to the left, and it feels a bit like the track is falling over. Acceleration is fast, and then we are slammed into our seats with positive G-forces.

Over the first bump we get a little bit of air, but it is nothing compared to the off-the-seat time that comes as the train flies over the second hill and down near the ground. It is at this point that the on-ride photo is taken, and it just gets wilder from there on.

I won't describe every twist and turn because I don't want to ruin the surprise, and because I simply can't remember them all. There is not a straight piece of track on Prowler until the brake run.

Airtime moments abound, I think I counted 15 or 16 times I was significantly off of my seat during the course of the ride, including the first drop. At a couple of points sharp turns follow airtime moments, so just as you land back on your rear, the train yanks you to one side. Make no mistake, this animal bites! These sudden turns are hard to see if you're sitting in the back of the train, so beware - you will be tossed around!

The turnaround is fast and forceful, and then comes a wonderful stretch of twists, turns, airtime hills, and lots of speed, all flying through the woods. This part really reminded me of the Voyage, albeit at a lower speed. A powerful right and then left hand turn brings riders into the brakes, where they can try to figure out what just happenned to them! I was trying to figure that out too, and that's the mark of a great ride.

Prowler is smooth and powerful, and it really picked up speed throughout the day as it warmed up. By the time it got dark, it was flying. I tried the very front seat and was rewarded with a fantastic ride with lots of airtime and a great view. In the back the airtime and turns are more intense and harder to see and anticipate.

I loved both front and back, and the middle was great too. The Millennium Flyer trains are beautiful and supremely comfortable. I love not whacking my thighs on lap bars that attach to the side of the car, and the seats are padded and comfortable.

This is not a long ride in terms of duration, but it packs a great punch, and is tremendous fun. I'd say it was the right length - not so short that it is over before you expect it, but not so long that you're wondering where the end is.

Night rides are AWESOME, and should only get faster, darker, and better.

So, what would I compare Prowler to? Well, the pacing of the elements and some of the elements reminded me of the Voyage at lower speeds with a bit less intensity, with some of the elements of Evil Knievel thrown in.

How did I like it? I was smiling and clapping after every ride (9 total), riding with my hands up the whole way. Doing this the first time I rode in the back resulted in me getting tossed around unexpectedly, so watch out!

Photography of this ride will be tricky. As the leaves grow out, much of it will be hidden, and getting action shots may require a long lens. The leaves will also cut down on the light and cast shadows.

A final story - after it got dark I was waiting in the single rider line, and a guy walked up the stairs wearing cowboy boots... with spurs on them. As it turned out, the seat assigner paired us up, so I can officially say that I got to ride a coaster with someone wearing spurs. How many of you can say that? He was a really nice guy, and had a blast on what was his first ride.

There you have it, Prowler is fun for families, enthusiasts, and cowboys. I can't wait to ride it again when the trees have all of their leaves.

The rest of the park

Lines weren't very long, though the Timber Wolf line was moving very slow due to a slow crew and one-train operation. Detonator was a walk on early, but the line moved slowly later on with another slow crew leaving empty seats, which frustrated me because I was a single rider for a while when Paul and Bond went off to do their own thing.

We waited for the front seat on Timber Wolf, and it turned out to be much less rough than the sign (posted in the station) or Paul indicated it might be. That was a pleasant surprise. I then headed to the top-spin nearby, and Paul got some nice photos of me on the ride while being dangled upside down. The ride had lots of flips, and I enjoyed it.

With Bond along for the trip, Paul let me use him to score Wacky Worm credit. Instead of "Wacky Worm" I will call the ride "Whacking Knee" because that's what I did on the ride - I kept banging my knee into the front of the car.

The Spinning Dragons coaster (much later in the day) had many empty seats, but the line was moving along and I enjoyed the ride quite a bit. We had some good spin going, and there are lots of sudden drops on the fun layout.

I tried out the Boomerang early in the day. I didn't find it too rough, but it definitely scrambled my brain after three inversions in reverse. I was surrounded by scream high-schoolers on this ride, and they seemed to have a good time. Credit scored.

The Prowler crew was absolutely doing a superb job getting people on and off of the trains. Some of them were literally running to get trains dispatched. I don't think they could have done a finer job. The Patriot and Mamba crews were also doing good work, and the line was moving nicely.

Patriot was wonderful, in the back and the front seat. Once again I was completely surrounded by screaming teenagers, and it was the loudest train I can recall being on. I plan to catch quite a few more rides the next time I'm there.

Mamba was a lot of fun, especially in the back seat. The view of Kansas City was excellent, and I enjoyed it on five rides total. The airtime was not as strong as other rides, but the helix was powerful and fairly smooth. I will get a night ride next time.

We had a great all-you-can-eat buffet lunch for about $8 or $9 with a season pass deal or a ticket-and-lunch deal, and then we rode the train to take Prowler photos and let our meal digest. At that point the battery in my camera went dead, and I just enjoyed the train ride.

Overall, I liked the park, and the rides and food were great. I am happy to be returning for an ACE event in June.

We saw Dick Kinzel and company walking around the park during the day, no doubt checking on the new ride and other things. Since I didn't talk to him, I will suggest one improvement here - larger bathrooms. One stall per bathroom is not enough, and the super-loud hand-dryers make it absolutely deafening. Take a page from Kings Island's book and super-size the bathrooms.

The only other annoying thing this day was common at many parks - line jumpers. Paul had a run in with the angry father of a line jumper, and in the Prowler line between 9:30 and 10pm I got to yell at two girls who simply ducked into the queue rails and got in front of us ("Hey - NO WAY!! Get back in line! You heard me - NO!"), and a girl who wanted her boyfriend to jump and catch up with her ("No, your boyfriend can't jump, but you can go back to where he is in line" - angry stare follows, but she finally relented.) Neither attempt was successful.

Bottom line, the rest of the season I'm yelling at line jumpers. I enjoyed it.

Paul and Bond had a great time. Bond liked Mamba, Timber Wolf, and Prowler, and he even had his hands up most of the way on those. Paul and I talked the whole trip home, and that kept me alert and enjoying the drive. Bond was out like a light after we made our first rest stop a few miles from the park.

After a long day and ~25 rides, I had a great day. Enjoy the photos. -Mike

I'm already POed! There should never EVER be any question as to whether you get to sit where you want to sit with a coaster that has queue gates. You shouldn't have to be nice. After you've waited in a long line, you ought to have the option of sitting anywhere you want on the entire train, communication free. If you have a coaster that the line ends with a gate and someone lets in a stream of riders to fill whatever rows are empty, fine. The queue gates, on the other hand, are supposed to allow riders the option to choose his or her own seat. Seat assigners are not only annoying BS, but they COMPLETELY defeat the purpose of the queue gates. They're also extra WASTED money that Cedar Fair has to pay for an employee to do what the general public could do on their own usually more efficiently.

I'm kind of in Cedar Fair annoyance mode at the moment, so it's officially time for me to get to some other parks. After Ride Warriors, I'll be ready for Hershey and Knoebles. I'm just sick to DEATH of annoying policies, bs, and trims.

Now that I feel better, nice TR, Mike. I'm looking forward to catching some more rides with you soon. I'll e-mail you soon about Spring Con plans.

Excellent TR MIke.
You always write a very detailed Report.

Brian

Mike you forgot your trip on the Wacky Worm!!!


Oh I put some pics up on my quick TR here.

Have Fun

Paul

I was tired last night.

OK, I added the Wacky Worm, a bit about my line jumper smackdown, and lots of photos. Enjoy. -Mike