Excalibur is the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in Maine.
This Custom Coasters International creation is the signature attraction at Funtown U.S.A.
and it’s a very underrated coaster.
This ride has a lot of similarities to another award-winning CCI in Holiday World’s Raven.
Both coasters have excellent settings in the wood, some powerful drops, and great laterals.
And after the retracking Excalibur received last off-season, it is running better than
it has in almost two decades.
So in this video, I will review Excalibur and explain why this coaster should get more
attention.
Maine is not a particularly strong state for roller coasters.
Palace Playland had some wood coasters in the early 20th century, but by the mid-1990s,
the only coasters in Maine were portable clones.
That all changed in 1998 when Funtown U.S.A. built Excalibur.
Custom Coasters International was the foremost wood coaster designer in the 1990s.
CCI built a reputation for delivering awesome layouts for low prices.
This made them an attractive option for small parks like Funtown U.S.A.
But there was one downside to CCI, their maintenance.
While the coasters started smooth, the company was known for using cheap materials.
This combined with their often aggressive layouts led to many of their coasters getting
rough over time.
And Excalibur was no different.
The ride was quite smooth when I first rode it in 2002, but it gradually got rougher over
the next decade.
Excalibur was never a ride that was rough start to finish.
Rather, there would be specific sections of the ride that would really shake you up.
In 2019, that section was the third hill that runs under the lift hill.
That element was brutal.
Fortunately, this was the section Funtown retracked during the 2019-2020 off-season
and the coaster ran better than it has in 2 decades.
The only slightly rough patch was at the base of the first drop, but it was far milder than
the rough patches this coaster had in past years.
Beyond the superior comfort, Excalibur also seemed to run a little faster since the ride
tracked more cleanly.
Hopefully, Excalibur keeps running like this going forwards!
Excalibur stands 100 feet or 30 meters tall, reaches speeds of 55 mph or 89 kph, and travels
2700 feet or 820 meters of track.
And the coaster’s presentation is great.
The ride’s lift hill runs alongside Funtown’s parking lot, which builds anticipation for
guests as they arrive.
And honestly, that’s your best vantage point of Excalibur.
Very little of the coaster can be seen from the midway as it travels out into the woods.
This setting is one of the strongest aspects about Excalibur.
The proximity to the trees enhance the speed by day and by night, much of the layout is
pitch black.
This is one of my favorite night rides.
But beyond the ride, Funtown built a themed land around Excalibur.
As the name suggests, Excalibur is themed to King Arthur’s legendary sword.
The coaster is the lone ride in a Camelot area.
There isn’t Disney levels of theming, but it’s a step up from what you’d expect
from a family park like this.
And it culminates in the coaster’s station which is a fanciful castle.
It looks good from the outside and the interior features some little touches like a draw gate
and knight.
Typically, you won’t have to wait long for Excalibur.
While the park only has one 24 passenger train for Excalibur, it’s usually a one or two
train wait most days.
And that can even be the case on weekends.
The longest line I’ve ever encountered for this coaster was a 20-30 minute wait and that
was on a random Monday this past year.
Excalibur’s queue is split into three separate lines.
You have separate lines for the very front and very back rows, and then a third row for
all the other rows.
On those days when the park is busy, all 3 lines tend to fill evenly.
So I do not recommend waiting for the very front or back when that happens.
You can instead get the second row or second to back in a fraction of the time.
On most days, the front or back is only an extra 1 or 2 train wait.
On those days, it’s worth it.
I like the front and back cars evenly on Excalibur because they both have their standout elements.
In 2021, Excalibur ran fairly smoothly.
But in other years, wheel seats, or the back of a car, would be noticeably shakier.
So just keep that in mind if the ride gets some rough patches again in the future.
This is also why I recommend holding onto your restraint once checked by the employee.
Otherwise the lap bars on these PTC trains can lower during the valleys.
Excalibur begins with a slow straightaway out of the station and then it dips downwards.
You then quickly round a sharp unbanked turn that leads into the lift hill.
And don’t be fooled, this turn actually gives some laterals.
And it’s just the appetizer for what’s to come.
As you ascend up the lift, it’s impossible to miss the sign at the top.
Per the king’s order, guests are told not to stand up.
And that’s one of a few awesome signs around Excalibur.
My favorite though is the sign on the fence surrounding the attraction.
Rather than saying “No Tresspassing” like most parks, the sign says “Is There Life
After Death?
Jump This Fence and Find Out”.
It’s a seemingly unthinkable sign to see at an amusement park in America in 2021, but
I find it pretty funny.
But back to Excalibur.
Once atop the lift, you turn slightly to the left and then descend down a 82 foot or 25
meter tall drop.
This is one of the steeper drops you’ll find on a traditional wood coaster and it’s
great too.
The drop plunges into the woods and the back cars offer great floater airtime the entire
way down.
The pullout is currently the one shaky spot and it’s also where the on-ride photo occurs,
so the reactions this past year were priceless.
That’s followed by a sizable turnaround.
The entrance into this element gives a powerful pop of ejector airtime up front.
Then like many CCI turnarounds, it dips down and up, so it delivers great sustained laterals
throughout the turn.
And if you’re up front, those laterals are extra sweet since they start while you’re
still levitated out of your seat, so you’re thrown to the side.
Then the drop off the turnaround gives good floater airtime for those in the back.
You then zip around the third hill, which gradually turns to the right as it passes
under the lift hill.
In the past, this element was riddled with jackhammering.
But in 2021, the element rode much smoother and faster.
The minimal banking resulted in some strong sustained laterals and the resultant drop
even gave some weak floater airtime in the back.
I never remember the laterals being this strong in my prior 2 decades riding Excalibur and
that airtime moment definitely didn’t exist, so this is some of the best evidence that
the retracking worked wonders.
That’s followed by a speed hill.
This element delivers strong floater airtime throughout the train, but the hill is a little
stronger in the front car.
You then zoom around another awesome turnaround.
Those up front get another strong pop of ejector airtime into the turn.
The entrance into this turnaround is so sharp that even those in the back get some weak
floater airtime.
Then you get some more strong and sustained laterals since this turn also dips down and
up.
The exit to this turnaround starts by gradually banking to the left, which produces some decent
laterals.
But they’re especially good in the back since you’re whipped down this drop.
Once the drop straightens out, it offers a weak pop of airtime for those in the back.
You then rise up a sizable hill, which offers weak floater airtime for those up front.
And this is the last airtime moment on the ride.
But Excalibur compensates by dialing up the laterals even further.
The next drop is almost entirely unbanked and curves towards the ground, which forcefully
pins riders to the side of the train.
Excalibur then rises up into a 270 degree helix.
This element looks awkwardly tall and rather slow off-ride, but the helix’s compactness
and lack of banking delivers some of the best laterals of any coaster.
They’re super strong and very sustained.
Excalibur then dips down and up.
I do wish this drop offered airtime.
Instead, it just offers two great headchoppers.
Exalibur then rips around one last turn, delivering another strong burst of laterals, before slamming
to a stop on the brakes.
So what would I rate Excalibur?
I would give this CCI an 8 out of 10.
This is a very good wooden roller coaster.
It does a little of everything.
It has a top notch setting in the woods.
It has good pacing as every element either delivers airtime, laterals, or both simultaneously.
And those laterals are among the best of any coaster.
Every single turn will slam you to the side of the train.
And thanks to the recent trackwork, Excalibur is running smoother and faster than it has
in a long time.
My 2021 rides may have been worthy of an 8.5 or a 9, but I went with an 8 to take into
consideration my past rides as well.
Hopefully, Funtown can keep this coaster running like this because Excalibur feels out-of-control
and offers a little bit of everything.
So those are my thoughts about Excalibur at Funtown U.S.A.
What are your thoughts on Maine’s only wooden roller coaster.
Have you ridden this coaster?
I would love to hear your thoughts about this ride down in the comments.
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Thanks for watching!