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 Gurnee, IL must be closer to the sun than the rest of the world. The humidity turned all of the members of our group into soggy monsters within minutes of our arrival. So our first order of business was to find Captain Crunch and beat him down. We stayed across the street at the Comfort Suites but decided to drive to the park anyway and we managed to fit 38 people into a Grand Marquis (more like 7). When we saw how many people had beat us there we opted for the preferred parking, which was only an additional $5 on top of the original $15. When you split it 38 ways it comes out to just over 13 cents per person. The preferred parking was right up front near the main gate but getting to it was actually a challenge. We were told to drive all the way up front and then turn left and drive to the end. Once there we were fenced off from the preferred lot and left scratching out heads. We later learned that we had to drive back to the back of the parking lot and find the tiny entrance to the magical lot. If you decide to make use of the preferred lot be sure to get extensive directions from the gate keepers.
It had rained pretty much all morning so when we go there at noon we thought that the park would be pretty empty. The parking lot indicated that we were wrong and that people in Gurnee love humidity. Since there were so many cars in the lot we figured that fast passes would help with lines. For $15 you get 4 passes that will give you front of the line access to a handful of rides. This park knows how to move people through a line but some of the more popular rides still had over an hour wait.
The park was plenty clean and well landscaped. The employees were helpful (except for the parking lot people) and the other guests in the park were friendly. We only are lunch in the park and the prices weren’t bad but the cheese burgers at the Farmer’s Market were horrible. Hard buns and cold greasy meat patties make for an unpleasant lunch experience. The cheese fries from the same place were excellent though.
Ride Reviews
Whizzer: 5 out of 10
This was the longest line that we waited in at 1 hour and since it was the ride of the day we thought that we were in for long one. The ride was fun and made great use of the surroundings. Whizzer is a great family ride and this probably explains the line.
Viper: 7 out of 10
This is a top notch wood coaster and provides it’s best rides near the front of the train. I was surprised by how long it was, it just kept going and going. It featured several air-time hills, multiple head choppers and smooth track. This was only a 15 minute wait.
Raging Bull: 6 out of 10
They should probably change the name to Raging Brake. There was 3 or 4 brakes scattered throughout the ride and they absolutely kills the train’s momentum. The initial drop was great and there were still several good parts to the ride so I can only imagine what it was like before the brakes were installed. We waited 20 minutes for the 2nd row early in the day and fast passed our way onto the back of the train late in the evening. The back of the train was a much better ride.
American Eagle Blue: 5 out of 10
After only a 15 minute wait we were on this massive wood coaster and racing the red train. The people in red train were lacking in skills so I knew that we would win. We were told that this ride was recently re-tracked and the semi-smooth ride likely confirms this news. The ride was fun but after looking at the size of the structure I was expecting more of a thrill.
American Eagle Red: 5 out of 10
We decided to give the red side a chance to win one so after a 10 minute wait was hoped on and took an early lead over blue train. The first race was somewhat close. This race was a disgrace to blue trains everywhere. The people riding in the blue train should avoid racing coasters in the future.
Iron Wolf: 2 out of 10
If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all. 10 minute wait.
Vertical Velocity: 6 out of 10
We fast passed this one as well and went straight to the back of the train. There was a lot of vibration on this one and I don’t remember this on any of the other Intamin inverted shuttle coasters. Even with the vibration it still provided a great rush. Getting stuck at the top of the back spike for a split second is best part.
Superman Ultimate Flight: 7 out of 10
This was our second installment of SUF and it was just as good as the first. The g’s through the pretzel loop are unreal and the rest of the ride is kind of blaa. We fast passed this one twice and the actual line was between 30 and 45 minutes each time.
Batman: 6 out of 10
This was our 4th attempt and an inverted Batman ride but this is the original and it rocked slightly harder than the other versions. My feet were numb half way through the ride from all of the g-forces. The fast pass got us past a big chunk of the line but we still had to wait in the tunnel that goes up to the station. This tunnel is in serious need of some fans. The air was stagnant and with the tropical conditions outside it made for some ripe smells.
Demon: 3 out of 10
This was only a 10 minute wait and I’ll wait 10 minutes to ride just about anything. Demon was fun and even had a couple of interesting tunnels. One included lights that changed colors. I was expecting a lot of head banging on this arrow looper but it wasn’t bad at all.
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