#SheiKra

[avoyagetoarcturus]

SheiKra for CoasterMAYnia 2024 🙌💦

Like this post if you want a funnel cake, are worth $13.5 million dollars, sais parler français, or want to get yeeted down Boyoma Falls 🇨🇩

[hyper-coasters]

Wish I got the Gwazi train going by here, would have been a really cool shot.

[blitzcoaster]

Sheikra - Busch Gardens Tampa [November 7, 2022]

The lesbian coaster

[heartsoulrocknroll]

One month later, I have finally mustered the energy to write this trip report. After months of anticipation, I finally got to visit Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld Orlando. This was my first time to BGT. I went to SWO in 2011, but I have only very foggy memories of that trip. I was in Florida from the evening of Friday 2/10 to the afternoon of Monday 2/13. I did BGT Friday evening, all day Sunday, and Monday morning/afternoon. I did SWO all day Saturday. I was able to ride all the coasters, except Scorpion at BGT, which was closed the whole time I was there. Here are my thoughts and rankings!!!!

1) Iron Gwazi - 10 rides, including 3 night rides. MY NEW NUMBER ONE!!!! When I say that this is a life-changing coaster, I do not exaggerate. I have hyped this ride up in my mind for so long, and it still exceeded all my expectations. I expected it to be more intense than most of the other RMCs I have ridden, but my mind was still blown by the intensity after my first ride. I expected it to be ejector airtime city on this thing, but there is a greater quantity of airtime and more aggressive airtime than I could have imagined. I was flung out of my seat on the first drop and on that beautiful outerbanked hill following the drop every time. The barrel roll down drop is taken from such a height and at such a speed that it blows the one on Twisted Timbers, which I love with all my heart, out of the water. I hear people talking about sideways airtime on Fury, and I just think they’re insane. The wave turn on IG actually gives crazy sideways EJECTOR airtime. The stall on IG lasts longer than the one on Steel Vengeance, but surprisingly, isn’t as whippy. You get another great airtime pop on that last drop, then absolutely slam into the brakes. If you have ridden Steel Vengeance, you almost have no choice but to compare the two, and for my money, Iron Gwazi wins. If you have two similar rides, and one has a midcourse brake run and the other does not, the one without the midcourse brakes will usually win for me. Iron Gwazi is shorter, but its pacing is better. You are thrown from one element to the next in rapid-fire succession without a second to catch your breath, and that is one of the most appealing characteristics in a roller coaster to me. I cannot say enough good things about this coaster, and the fact that it is 9.5 hours away from me is eating me up inside. I cannot wait to get back on it. 

2) Montu -- 3 rides. I am a B&M invert freak, so this was my second most-anticipated ride of this trip. Again, it did not disappoint. I am so obsessed with this layout. Carowinds is my home park and Afterburn is one of the great loves of my life. Montu and Afterburn have nearly the same layout, so of course I am comparing them. Montu provides all of the positive Gs I love in an invert, with the gray-out-inducing first vertical loop, the foot-ripping batwing, and the whippy corkscrew. But it also throws in that nice, floaty zero-g roll for some variety. I appreciate the extra height that Montu has on the first drop, as well as the additional ride time you get from the second vertical loop, which is still intense and forceful despite coming after the midcourse brake run. But here we are, back to the “two similar rides, one with a midcourse and one without” issue. As a result, I think Afterburn still sits atop the B&M invert throne. It just feels a little better paced and a little more intense to me. But the rides are so similar, I can hardly even separate the two. I love both more than I can adequately describe.

3) Manta -- 3 rides, including 2 night rides. Manta was the second major thrill coaster I ever rode, with my first ride occurring in 2011. I remembered liking it, but now being 12 years older and an insane enthusiast, I am in love. After riding Nighthawk countless times, this B&M flyer is like a dream. This coaster has an excellent blend of intensity and gracefulness. I am obsessed with the pretzel loop. I love positive Gs, and being exposed to them while lying down is a whole different sensation that sort of blows the mind. Also, the inline twists and corkscrew are floaty and buttery smooth. This coaster also has fantastic interactions with the terrain/surroundings, including the dive off the midcourse toward the water (which results in a little splash if you are in the correct seat) and the following bit where the train flies right by the waterfall. I love everything about this ride, except being left hanging on the brake run for minutes on end when operations are slow.

4) Mako -- 6 rides, including 5 night rides. Now THIS is a B&M hyper!!!!!! The first drop gives excellent airtime, especially in the back row. The overbank following the first drop is nice and intense. But that first hill??? It is the most perfect floater airtime hill ever constructed. I don’t think that’s even debatable. It literally gives 5 to 6 solid seconds of airtime. I’ve never experienced anything else like it. The hills on the return run continue to provide good airtime, lifting you out of your seat for a second or two. The ending bit around the fountain provides a couple of fairly steeply banked turns that actually have the slightest bit of whip to them. This is simply a fantastic ride.

5) Kumba -- 3 rides, including 1 true night ride, with the other 2 being evening/almost-dark rides. Oh. My. God. My mind has been blown. Kumba is the prime example of the forcefulness and intensity that I love in a 90s B&M. The pacing is absolutely amazing. It is an inversion-packed layout that never lets up for a second. And every inversion delivers for me. Awesome positives from the vertical loop and dive loop, a super whippy zero-g roll, a nice cobra roll. The mid-course brakes do not hinder the intensity at all, as the second-half corkscrews still have great force to them. And I love the tunnel at the end, especially at night. This is a relatively smooth, well-maintained coaster as well. What a ride!!!!!!

6) SheiKra -- 2 rides, including 1 night ride. I liked SheiKra far more than I  expected I would after my disappointing experience with Valravn. Despite having a shorter drop and two fewer inversions, SheiKra is a much better ride, owing largely to the over-the-shoulder restraints, which actually allow for some airtime on the dives and don’t make me feel like I am going to suffocate. The 200-foot first drop is awesome, providing some good airtime on the way down. The Immelman gives good positive Gs. I particularly like the second drop into the tunnel. The splashdown at the end is a nice touch as well.

7) Kraken -- 2 rides. Kraken is very similar to Kumba, as it is also incredibly intense and well-paced with nonstop, back-to-back inversions. Additionally, Kraken's sequence of elements is almost identical to Kumba's, with the exception of a second vertical loop replacing one of Kumba’s corkscrews. Kraken gives great positives throughout, with all the loops, but especially the second vertical loop that goes down into a trench. There are several trenches on this ride, offering a lot of low-to-the-ground moments that add to the forcefulness. One of my favorite moments comes at the end, when you barrel through the tunnel and come flying out into that whippy corkscrew. It sort of depresses me to put Kraken below SheiKra, but I feel that I should for one reason. I hear enthusiasts bitching about a nonexistent "rattle" on B&Ms all the time, and to that I say, you haven't felt a rattle until you've been on Kraken in 2023. It holds this otherwise amazing ride back so much, it's depressing.

8) Cheetah Hunt -- 2 rides, including 1 night ride. After riding Maverick, I think it’s impossible not to be underwhelmed by Cheetah Hunt. With a bit more force in the launches and more whip in the heartline roll and banked turns, this would be an excellent ride. But as it is, the ride is still very fun. The three launches are fun (and necessary to keep the speed up as much as possible). The layout is interesting, with the big drop not coming at the very beginning of the ride. The heartline roll gives some hangtime, which is not really my favorite thing -- the lack of whip there is a real bummer. The banked turns that weave through the rocks and over the water are the best part of the ride. The hill after the third launch gives some decent airtime. Overall, the ride also makes great use of the terrain and surroundings.

9) Ice Breaker -- 1 ride. This ride is short, but still packs in some good elements. I like the backwards drop you get with the swing launch, although the vertical spike is extremely unimpressive and does not feel beyond-vertical, especially if you are sitting toward the front of the train. The best and most unexpected part of this ride is the surprisingly powerful ejector airtime, especially on the small hill just before the tophat, but also going over the tophat and on the small hills in the second half. I know everyone says it, but in this case, that's because it's true -- the comfort collars are garbage and really hold the airtime and the ride overall back. But this is still a good ride that I liked more than I thought I would.

10) Tigris -- 1 night ride. This is also a very short ride. Like Ice Breaker, Tigris provides that backwards dropping aspect, which is unique and fun. The slow heartline roll gives good hangtime, which again, isn't my favorite thing in the world. Going from the force of the launch that gets the ride up to max speed to the slow crawl at which the train takes the heartline roll is a weird transition. Nevertheless, the first half of the ride is pretty fun. The rest doesn't do much for me. Additionally, the comfort collar is even more obnoxious here than it is on Ice Breaker. It genuinely ruins the ride for me.

11) Cobra’s Curse -- 1 ride. Although this coaster obviously and purposely lacks in thrill, it is very enjoyable. I like the novelty of the elevator lift, and the spinning of the trains, although very tame and controlled, is a lot of fun. I wish the spinning lasted for the entire ride, rather than just the final third. The ride also provides really good views of the giraffes.

12) Sand Serpent -- 1 night ride. This is the standard wild mouse layout, with all the lateral-filled tight turns and almost-painful dips that make these rides good fun. 

[mikewheelerfan2022]

Omg. I just had my first lucid dream in years! I rode Sheikra at Busch Gardens lol

[winterpartystarter]

All gifs gathered from Pinterest except for the SheiKra off ride gif. That can be found here. X

[johnychen]

VR 360 5K Sheikra Roller Coaster On Ride Front Row POV Busch Gardens Tam...

[thebatfliesagain]

Maverick, Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH)

Dominator, Kings Dominion (Doswel, VA)*

SheiKra, Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA)

*formerly at Geauga Lake (Aurora, OH), moved in 2007

mickey’s dick smasher

🎢 💥 🎢 💥 🎢 💥 🎢 💥 🎢

[incorrect-theme-parks]

Cobra’s Curse: You either buckle down and do your work or you’ll end up at McDonalds. SheiKra: We're going to McDonalds if I don't do my work? Cobra’s Curse: NO-

[th3swarm]

watching otbh across lake garda knowing thats gonna be me in a few days 👁👁

[thybrotherskeeper]

*pROJECTS THIS INTO YOUR BRAIN*

https://youtu.be/paUww0Pso_k?si=_e5_ppJqhCUC1SfK

*He blinks a few times, taken aback mostly by the projection itself than the experience*

[Oh. That was. Entertaining.]

[retrowave-racer]

Coaster Maynia 2024 Day 29 - SheiKra

“Divelves are an earth born humanoid species with long pointed/angular ears and features, and tend to be incredibly tall. Their hair grows fast and long, twisting around their bodies and seeming to stay in place, almost by magic. They are an uncommon people to find, but easy to identify with their stark features.

Shivika was a confident and brave Divelf that found herself affected by the anomalies, giving her the power of flight and to create whirlwinds as she twisted through the air. She took advantage of these powers and used them to not only fight those that threatened her people, but also create energy to power various devices with wind power. She knows Odin Yin, a fellow Divelf who is a bit shorter than the average male of his kind, and tends to tease him a bit about this fact, but it’s all in good fun.”

Was drawing her design from scratch initially when i got the strangest de ja vu and then I remembered…I have always had a design for her! Tried to pretty much keep her as she originally was, with the change of making her hair follow the direction of the track a bit more and adding some neck feather decoration. Had to redraw an old illustration as well that I did when I first ever drew her, which involved her being taller than Odin! I have finally decided that Odin and her are a specific species, not sure on the name but I cant think of anything else at the moment. Just know they are a humanoid race, but not humans! They aren’t aliens though, as they are an earth born species!

@coastermaynia

[hyper-coasters]

After SheiKra's mid-course break run, it dives down a second 90° drop into a tunnel before turning right into an overbanked turn before the rides splashdown.

[tacoma-narrows]

Dorney Park! - 5/19/21

Decided to not let this trip report have a two week long gap like my Great America post did, so I'll write it out now!

Made my first trip of the year to Dorney Park this past weekend! I went by myself for about 5 hours or so and got on everything I had wanted to ride. Lines were very minimal, with the longest (not accounting for a short maintenance delay) being maybe 20 mins. Got a bunch of re-rides on the park's major coasters and I'm sure I'll be able to get more later in the summer, since Dorney is my home park lol. But here are some pics I got, and then like for my Great America post, thoughts about my individual rides will be below them!

Here's my breakdown of what I rode!

Iron Menace - Coaster Credit #169! (Rode twice) I am so glad Dorney finally got a brand new coaster after so long! Their last new coaster was Stinger in 2012 (which was a relocation, and closed in 2018), and their last custom built coaster was Hydra way back in 2005 (Possessed, opened in 2008, was also a relocation). I really liked Iron Menace for what it was though! It looks absolutely FANTASTIC for it's plot of land, and it's directly in front of you as you drive into the park. Makes for a fantastic first impression! The ride itself was pretty much what I expected (in a good way), it's definitely the weakest of the three dive coasters I've ridden, since it doesn't have the scale of Valravn and Sheikra, but I thought it had some fun elements and some surprisingly strong positive forces. The main downside is that it's a short ride, at only maybe 40 seconds or so after the drop. But all things considered, I think it's a great fit for Dorney and I LOVE it's theme! The Steelyard area around it looks pretty good as well! Currently, I have Iron Menace at 56th in my rankings between Flight Deck at California's Great America, and Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure, but that could be subject to change once I decide if I like this or Hydra more lol.

Steel Force - (Rode twice) I'd heard during the park's Winter Chill Out event back in March that they we're speeding up the chain lift on Steel Force this year since (I believe) they had gotten a new lift motor or something to that effect, so I was excited to see how it rode this year. I didn't really notice a significant difference in the speed or airtime, but that wasn't a huge deal to me since I really enjoy Steel Force. A lot of people give it and the other Morgan hypers flack for not having any airtime, and I just don't see that. I always get tons of air over this hills, especially on the return trip. Then the double helix turnaround acts as a good change of pace with some good positives. So Steel Force still retains it's place as my favorite at the park.

Thunderhawk - (Rode once) Thunderhawk is a ride that's had my opinions on it change a lot over the years. When I first rode it the first time I went to Dorney in 2012, I did not like it. I remember it being really rough and uncomfortable. Over the last few years though, the park has been doing a really good job taking care of it and it's running really well now. My ride this time had surprisingly strong airtime, which I was not expecting. The main problem I had this time, and why I only rode it once, was because I got stapled BAD and the surprisingly strong airtime made for a rather uncomfortable experience lol. But for a ride that's celebrating it's 100th birthday this year, it's still really solid I'd say.

Hydra the Revenge - (Rode twice) Hydra is such a weird little ride but I love it. Lots of funky inversions, especially for a floorless coaster, and you gotta love the hangtime on the jojo roll out of the station. It's running a little shaky this year but not too bad as long as you keep your head forward, as is the case with a lot of B&M loopers. That's nothing new for Hydra as well, since in my experience it's always had a bit of a rattle. I love how dynamic its forces are though between hangtime, airtime, positives and a little bit of whip coming down the first drop in the back row. At the moment, I'm not sure if I'd take it over Iron Menace as my third fav in the park, so that's something I'll have to think about next time I'm back there lol

Talon - (Rode once) I really enjoy Talon as well, which finds itself as my second fav in the park after Steel Force. Very snappy and forceful inversions and it still runs pretty smooth. I especially love the super intense high banked turn right up against the ground towards the end of the ride. The one thing that's a little disappointing is that the park took out the signs underneath you as you go up the lift hill. They were spaced out and said thing like "Going up" "No turning back!" "Getting closer..." as you went up the lift hill, with the last one at the crest saying "Goodbye!" as you go over the drop. They didn't affect the actual ride at all, but I thought they were a funny little thing the park decided to put in. They may have removed them prior to this year, since I didn't go to Dorney a lot between 2020 and now, but this is the first time I noticed it at least. Anways, gotta love Talon, real solid invert all around. I would've rode it more than once, but it got a bit of a longer line towards the end of my visit that I didn't feel like waiting in lol

Possessed - (Rode once) I've never been a huge fan of Intamin's Impulse coasters, and I've always thought Possessed was just kind of okay. It's got a fun launch, and since I was sitting towards the back row, the feeling of height looking straight down on the vertical back spike was pretty cool, but other than that, the ride doesn't do a whole lot for me. I wished the holding break on the vertical spike still worked like it used to, that would make the ride a bit more unique at least, but it's still fine enough without it.

Other than the coasters, I rode two other rides, both of them being drop towers lol. One was Dominator, the park's 200 foot S&S drop tower. I rode the shot side that blasts you up to free fall down and I thought it was way more tame than I remembered, which was unfortunate. Then the other drop tower I rode was Demon Drop, which is one of the very few rides out there that still kinda wigs me out lmao. Something about the moving forward from the lift shaft to the drop track and the fact that the ride looks, sounds, and feels like it's made of sheet metal still kinda gets to me lol. I love it though, and for as rare of a ride that it is, being the last of it's kind in the country, if it's running, you gotta give it a ride.

So overall, I had a fun time at Dorney! It's not the biggest or best park in the world by any means, but it serves its purpose as a regional theme park well and offers things that are fairly unique from other area parks like Hersheypark, Knoebels and Great Adventure. Once the waterpark opens for the season (they were having their season passholder preview day when I was there), then it becomes more of a full day park, since their waterpark is really solid. So I'm sure I'll get back later this summer and you'll get another post full of my ramblings lmao.

[buryymeinblack]

Hey! Those coasters are Maverick at Cedar Point, Dominator at Kings Dominion, and Sheikra at Busch Gardens

I LOVE YOU. MY SAVIOR

[johnychen]

Sheikra Roller Coaster On Ride Front Row 4K POV Busch Gardens Tampa 2023...