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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/02/2017 in all areas

  1. The old script logo has been in use since the late 70s, so it is definitely time for an upgrade. I am not sure how I feel about the logo. I liked the new logo that was somewhat rolled out last year (see my avatar). I do not like the fact that the C and I are not capitalized, but I realize that is the in thing with logos. I get where they are coming from naming the pool area as Sunlite Water Adventures. The pool is called Sunlite Pool, but they really didn`t have a name for the water area, which includes Typhoon Tower, Pipeline Plung and the Twister water slides. Kind of marketing it as a water park. I like the theme they are going with too. I have known for a while that the bath house was going to be renovated. They could certainly use some freshening up. They last had a major renovation way back in 1991, 26 years ago. So they are definitely due for an upgrade. The tiki head on Typhoon Tower was actually removed before the end of the season last year. I like how the new look on the tower will tie into the theme in the rest of the mark. I think they may have overhyped this a bit. Hopefully the rides side will see some additions in future years. (They are repainting the Airplane and Helicopters kiddy rides, which look absolutely stunning, both of which are/were painted in house by one of Coney`s ride mechanics, who also painted the turtle parade, and Frog Hopper rides the last couple of seasons). I am still hoping they get a new wooden coaster one day, but not sure when or if that will happen. I am excited for this season at Coney. This will be my 16th season working at Coney. Hopefully I will see some of you out there.
    5 points
  2. I am really looking forward to this season! I caved in and bought a gold pass this year for the first time since 2012. I am definitely going to be visiting the park a lot on the weekdays and hope to meet some fellow enthusiasts!
    4 points
  3. As of the writing of this post, the Ohio Department of Agriculture is responsible for approving the operation of amusement rides in Ohio. Because I don't want this post to be cited as a definitive source of information in school papers, news articles, or court proceedings, I'm not going to say anything more than that. If you're curious about the regulations concerning ride clearances, I'd start there. You may be surprised by what you find online.
    4 points
  4. Talking about The Beast, I think we'll be able to see Mystic Timbers from the second lift hill, then going down like we see Diamondback and the Eiffel Tower! That will look great at night!
    4 points
  5. Thunder Road at Carowinds had the chips stacked against it for decades. As the park developed, it's odd placement became a barrier to growth of the water park. (It was actually the 2nd coaster scrapped for the water park expansion through the years.) Ironically, Ocean Island (the original Carowinds water park name) was the first water park I ever discovered INSIDE an amusement park. (I found out about it when I picked up a Carowinds brochure at a tourist center in 1982 as my parents and I traveled through NC/SC on our way to Disney World.) When the rumors persisted about Thunder Road being removed - I consistently thought "Nah." But then the boom was lowered. I have to say that scared me quite a bit for Racer. However, I pray that Racer's historical significance, coupled with the fact that the real-estate it occupies isn't restricting growth of the park's attractions, will keep it there for a long long time. If I could wave a magic wand at KI, it would be a complete Coney Mall overhaul including a multi-million dollar Racer restoration (Rebuild of final bunny hills, complete re-tracking, re-paint with the original Red, White and blue paint scheme, new trains etc.) That section of the park is perfect, and desperate, for a facelift harking back to old school days. Add in lots of new (old) flat rides, scrap the un-used buildings and take it back to it's glory days.
    3 points
  6. ^If you see a 40-year-old woman with black pigtails, men's cargo pants or shorts, and rainbow colored shoes, please feel free to say hi to me! Once they open for weekdays, that's when I'll be going. And welcome to KIC!
    3 points
  7. Tickets purchased and confirmed. Set up for 3PM Beast Tour. And now, we wait
    3 points
  8. I feel like there is plenty of room in that spot for it still though. Understand taking it down for construction, but wish they would have put it back up when they were done.
    3 points
  9. Not exactly what you are looking for but Google images turned up a few examples of clearance testing MF back in 2000(??) and Seaworld's Manta more recent. I guess each park (or manufacturer) has their own method. Source:... http://www.coasterbuzz.com/CoasterPhotoPhotoImage/200 http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=204&linkid=4696
    3 points
  10. No sense in coming off argumentative matt112986. Everyone has their opinion no mater what another posters opinion is on a coaster or park. That is why we have a forum, to discuss different perspectives and opinions. Differences are a good thing, not bad. Back on topic, it seems from the poll results Vortex is much more liked than I originally thought. That is some cool data to see.
    3 points
  11. You bring up a very good point--if the maximum number of Fast Lanes the park will sell in a day doesn't change, then the number of people in the FL queues won't be any worse than what we've seen before on the busiest days of the year. Hopefully, they won't change those maximum daily FLs numbers. If they leave that alone, then I'm okay with the idea of season-long Fast Lane.
    3 points
  12. I like how in the Press Release it says: "This new brand strategy will set the stage for the growth and development of Coney Island over the next five years." Press Release: http://www.coneyislandpark.com/pdfs/Coney Island Announces Monumental Rebrand.pdf
    2 points
  13. HAHA I'm losing it that you called me Dictator!
    2 points
  14. Still hoping they get rid of those two islands outside of Reds Hall of Fame Grille to help alleviate that bottleneck now that an additional major coaster is gonna be right there.
    2 points
  15. Seems Coney Island is jumping on the logo change bandwagon--and in my opinion, it is a downgraded logo. I do, however, like the brown circular portion that helps envision an island.
    2 points
  16. This is from a friend Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    2 points
  17. You will have a difficult time finding anything. Almost everything related to theme parks is regulated at the state level. So it ranges from states where almost anything goes to states which have very strict set in stone rules.
    2 points
  18. I've said this on another thread but I'd love to see a Pony Express type ride added to the park somewhere in Rivertown. The actual Pony Express ride itself doesn't take up that much space at Knott's and it would give people the sensation of riding a horse. Though this isn't likely, if they could install a coaster like Mystic Timbers in such a tight space I'd like to think they could do anything if done well.
    2 points
  19. I wish we got some string lights overhead on the midway to give it a more fair feel.
    2 points
  20. Keep what you have. The more variations on a "roller coaster" a park has the better. Sure, it's a little rough, but what the heck do you want - it's a friggin' roller coaster!
    2 points
  21. So the new Eye of the Storm sucked you in at KK? J/K I have heard great things about their coasters besides T3. I hope to visit there this coming season. Hey whatever floats your boat, I have never seen such dedication to Vortex, besides maybe by VortexBFFforever.
    2 points
  22. Wow. Wow. Okay, first impressions: That is stunningly cheap. Like, mind-blowingly cheap, or "ditch the pricing integrity; get people to spend money"-kind of cheap. Here are the prices: Kings Dominion: $115 Carowinds: $125 Dorney Park: $99 California's Great America: $89 Valleyfair: $89 Let's talk comparisons: At the Six Flags parks in New Jersey, Texas, Massachusetts, and Georgia, all-season The Flash Pass will run you from $349.99 to $399.99. And that's on sale. Later in the year, it will jump up to $799.99. And that's for the Gold version, not the Platinum that gets you near-instant access to rides and is the only one that gets you on the newest or most popular rides. You still have to wait some amount of time with Gold. And that amount of time is changeable by management as the park gets busier. This is Fast Lane Plus, which gets you into a shortened queue whenever you want, regardless of how many Fast Lane-wearing friends you bring with you. And hey, for just $115, why WOULDN'T they have all-season Fast Lane, too? This add-on is almost half the price of the pass that gets you into all Cedar Fair parks. Did I mention that there is literally no metering of the Fast Lane queue, by the way? If there's room for you to stand, you're in. You can't even pay for that kind of service at Disney, regardless of whether you're a one-day ticket holder or an annual passholder. Universal handles their system similarly to Fast Lane, including season-long Express Passes--but the only annual pass that has it costs $489.99, doesn't let you use it till after 4:00pm, and limits you on which attractions you can use it on (i.e., not the super-popular ones.) The single-day Express passes, like single-day Fast Lane, seem to be priced at a price that will sell them but not detract from the standby guests' experience. By comparison, Fast Lane Plus at Cedar Point on July 4th will run you $108. This is only $7 to $17 cheaper than all-season Fast Lane Plus at Kings Dominion and Carowinds, the latter of which is poised to become the Cedar Point of the South and needs to have a solidly positive reputation as it reinvents itself. The pricing is more understandable at the smaller parks, but it still seems dangerously cheap. If these things are going to be sold this cheap, they NEED to be very, VERY limited. If this is an attempt to bring the same perceived value that FastPass brings at Disney parks, I think this is a dangerous line they're tiptoeing. Too many of these things sold is going to bring the sorts of wait that food service has had at KI recently to Fast Lane queues. That's not a best day experience. I'm trying not to overreact or be melodramatic about this. I'm not opposed to front-of-the-line options at all--in fact, they've improved several of my visits to multiple seasonal AND destination parks. I am just very concerned that these season-long ones will be more available than they probably should be, especially with how many I expect they'll sell at these price points. At least introduce some blackout dates or something. Wowee.
    2 points
  23. I think this would be an extraordinarily bad idea for KI. Remember what it was like when all renewing passholders got a single free one to use on something like one of six days? Remember how the regular line and Fast Lane ended up being about the same? Even though there is supposed to be a daily limit on the number of Fast Lanes? That was only 1/6 of people who had renewed early, not including new pass sales, etc. I suspect it was as though maybe 1/10 of passholders had a Fast Lane on each of those days. But most of us didn't care because it was free. However there were also some people who paid full price for their Fast Lanes (and probably tickets) on those days, because they didn't know about the copious free ones handed out. I bet that is money they will /never/ be willing to pay to Kings Island again, if they even come back. Now imagine this is pretty much every day, all season. Passholders have paid extra money to stand in line with mostly the same season passholders they would have likely otherwise. But, people paying full fare are going to be upset, and likely not come back again to spend nearly the same amount in one day at the park as some season passholders do all season. Right now, it is good for the park to have season passes relatively cheap, because when we fill the park, it makes regular guests (and a handful of passholders) much more likely to pay quite a bit extra to shorten their lines. However, if we start filling the Fast Lane lines too, it doesn't make anyone happier (including the season-long Fast Lane purchasers), and loses that extra potential big money from daily Fast Lane sales. So, unless the sale of these is limited to maybe 500, and/or priced a lot higher than a single day's Fast Lane (like, at least 5X), it would be a very poor financial move for a park like KI that is already so heavily passholder populated. I absolutely love KI and I want them to do well financially, even if it means losing something that might make things a little better for me. But I don't think it even would be a pleasant experience for the people who buy in. I think it is throwing away big potential money in return for trying (and likely failing) to make enthusiasts happy. I know personally as an enthusiast (with season-long dining added) I probably end up costing the park money over the course of the season. I don't want the park to fail because they've added more perks for jerks like me!
    2 points
  24. It is called a mid course tunnel on KI's site. http://mystictimbers.visitkingsisland.com/explore-the-woods/track-layout-and-stats
    2 points
  25. On one hand, it's a highly visible ride with good capacity. It's almost iconic within the park. On the other hand, it's not the smoothest ride out there, and the section of the park it's in could use some revitalization. We've already seen Shockwave and GASM get scrapped, and rumor has it SFMM's Viper may be on the chopping block. Large Arrow loopers just don't age well. If they can make better use of the land, well, I won't stand in the way of progress.
    2 points
  26. I'd rather see flats go into other areas of the park....I don't want to see Rivertown being over saturated with rides.
    2 points
  27. From what I understand, it was a maintenance nightmare because of the nine-flip ride cycle it operated with following the license drop and complete de-theme. Those nine flips were seemingly necessary to make it worth riding without the TR theme to support it. But had Ouimet been around then, there might have been an attempt to retheme it in a way that it could work without having to run a ride cycle that basically tore the ride apart, and so it might have survived a little longer.
    2 points
  28. Hey guys, I went ahead and sketched up my own "ideal build-out" of Kings Island. If you follow my Theme Park Tourist articles, I designed an ideal build-out of Disney's Hollywood Studios a few weeks ago. The purpose is basically to imagine your perfect version of the park - to balance it, theme it, and give it a stellar line-up of attractions. Of course, even in an ideal setting you want some sense of choices being realistically possible in terms of space and time and even budget, but is this a potential path for the park? Eh, probably not. It's just fun to think about. The direction I took the park mirrors my own interests and priorities, as you'd expect. I won't go into exhaustive detail on the things that remain the same or only change slightly. Instead I labeled the things that are different. First of all, I used the park's existing layout (and many of its themes) for the most part and divided it into seven themed lands: Tower Street, The Woods, Coney Park, X-Base, Seven Hills, Planet Snoopy, and The Grove. Some things barely even need mentioned, like Boo Blasters becoming "The Great Pumpkin Adventure" (a non-shooting dark ride), the return of the Tower Gardens, or that I've had trees planted almost everywhere (and definitely around Diamondback). For larger version, open this in a new window. The Woods (formerly Oktoberfest & Action Zone) The Woods is a new, huge area created by combining Action Zone and Oktoberfest and more or less unifying it into a mythological forest. Guests enter The Woods from Tower Street by passing under a short tunnel of twisted vines. Within are three sub-sections differentiated only by their style. A German sub-section (occupying the space formerly its own land, Oktoberfest) contains The Curse of DarKastle 4-D motion-based dark ride cloned from Busch Gardens Williamsburg, with a new showbuilding constructed between The Racer and Flight of Fear. The ride's exterior - like Busch Gardens' - is a snowy German castle facade with antique brass towers that drip and mist in the sun. The ride is entered via an overgrown garden courtyard with a stone wolves statue in the center. While the exterior is just a facade, it gives a castle backdrop to the entire German sub-area (previously Oktoberfest). Adventure Express remains but has been renamed Verlorenschiene, which means Lost Railway. Of course, it gets cosmetic upgrades and a new lease on life as a wild mine train through collapsing tunnels. Festhaus remains, but it contains an Oktoberfest-themed show. The building itself is covered in crawling vines (including the still-broken glockenspiel -- now part of a story) as part of the misty, dark atmosphere of The Woods. DarKastle exits into Der Marktplatz, a German-themed store with authentic German gifts and DarKastle merchandise. Hanks becomes Brezlen und Bier, serving fresh pretzels, pretzel sandwiches, and beer complete with a patio for relaxing. Rounding the corner is the second sub-section within the Woods, based on United Kingdom myths and legends. Delirium remains painted black and gray, placed inside a Stonehenge-type circle of standing, mossy rocks arranged around it. (Trying to think of a fitting rename for it... Deliria seemed like a nice twist, but is that too close to diarrhea? Somethin Druid-related? Mystic-related? Ideas?) Obviously Banshee remains, as does The Bat. The third sub-section is a sort of exotic amalgamation of ancient worlds... Part Congo, part India, with misty jungle paths, toppled statues, broken pillars, and torches. Drop Tower is renamed Dyaus Fall, named after the Hindu god of the sky. The path leading to it is lined by broken pillars that progressively get taller and taller leading toward the massive 300-foot drop ride, which fades from stone grey on top to teal blue on the bottom. Invertigo is renamed CobRa, with a massive stone cobra right in the cobra roll acting as the ride's marquee and scaffolds built around the maroon-colored ride as if supporting an archaeological dig. The style of Chessington's Disk-O (above) gives a good idea of the stone serpent feeling I'd be going for. Obviously all paths lead to TOMB RAIDER: The Ride. Hey, it's my park. This, of course, would be a more traditional Top Spin, not the Giant variety, but otherwise a very similar (if not improved) experience. Coney Park (formerly Coney Mall) Of course, the first step in Coney Park is a complete face lift. Racer is redone in its red-white-and-blue color scheme, with crisp white paint. It's Coney Park's main visual draw, just as it was in the 1970s. The coaster and all of the land's flat rides receive matching incandescent bulbs strung across paths and in trees. The idea is to turn Coney Mall into a turn-of-the-century boardwalk-style land with a reverent and romanticized style. Backlot Stunt Coaster is replaced with Steeplechase, a Zamperla launched MotoCoaster with horse-shaped trains. The coaster launches from Backlot's launch area (obviously new track and infrastructure) and immediately blasts up and around (just like the new Coney Island's Steeplechase) and begins a winding, surfing race. After an over-banked turn over the formerly-Happy-Days-restaurant, the train hits a final boost that propels it up and around the ride, where it re-uses Backlot's splashdown style and hits the brakes. The ride is, of course, all white and strung with the same chaser lights as the rest of Coney Mall, and all the trees around it sparkle and glow at night. In other words, it would have the really beautiful, classic look of the coaster at Luna Park, but amid trees and gardens instead of a parking lot. I think it's a really nice replacement for Backlot, and one that doesn't require the intense effect maintenance. The other new addition, replacing Vortex (sorry guys) is Kings Mill Run, a launched Zierer family coaster. Yes, based on Verbolten. This coaster departs from Vortex's former station down a slope and meanders through the tree-lined paths, eventually stumbling across an old-Ohio covered bridge. The train passes over the bridge, then comes into view of the Kings Powder Company, a large, brick-facade manufacturing plant. The train launches up and into the building, which is on fire. The massive showbuilding for the coaster is dark with the trains racing around flames, fog blasts, and old industrial manufacturing machines. The train comes to a stop in an attic full of creaking, flame-glowing wood as a final burst of fog signals a 20-foot vertical drop track. The coaster then advances out of the building and hits a second launch, bursting up into a massive over-banked turn (about where Vortex's Batwing is) then flies down to the water, splashing in a lagoon and spraying water onto burning trees (visible from the path... sort of the ride's signature moment), passing under the covered bridge from the ride's intro, blasting into an Immelmann, then racing through The Racer's structure for a turnaround where Action Theatre once stood. X-Base Now its own land, X-Base gets a Chance Unicoaster called Mission Control wherein riders can control how their ride spins and flips along the flat-ride circuit. Firehawk is officially branded Operation: Firehawk to play up the actually-well-designed storyline of it being human flight technology testing. Maintaining the barbed-wire fencing (separating the entry path from the flat ride) and the incredible blue lighting at night, I think this land would really tell a full story. Add in a few P.A. announcements paging government officials and a few flashing red off-limits lights and you've got a stellar land. And yes, I added a bathroom. Seven Hills (formerly Rivertown) Named after Cincinnati's nickname, this early Ohio settlement along the river gets its theme restored and touched up, with woodcarving and local craftsmen selling their wares. No Three Point Challenge. Sorry. Only big change would be Mistrie Mining Company, a 3-D interactive dark ride modeled after Wonderland's Guardian. It would be a family coaster re-using the queue for The Crypt (obviously redesigned as a mining operation) to tell the story of Mister Moses Mistrie, whose mining operation was supposedly on cursed land (not a stretch either, given that building's history). Given that the drop-track is utilized on Kings Mill Run, Mistrie Mine instead features a motion-simulating finale leading to a backwards dive swooping dive out of the ride building. The Grove (formerly Picnic Grove) Simply built in the area formerly used for the Picnic Grove (and retaining a few shelters for special events) this wooded land features three much-loved rides: a Ferris Wheel, the Flying Eagles, and a Parachute Drop. All are designed in vintage style. The Grove is supposed to just be a sort of enchanted-looking glen - peaceful, and vintage, sort of removed from the hustle and bustle of the park, all with white lights and simple paint. There's also a Pavilion-style restaurant that can be rented out for special events. Conclusions You guys know I'm a sucker for immersion, story, and theming. What I've done here, I hope, is to give the park distinct and identifiable lands and settings, most of which are rooted in Ohio history. Like a Disney park, the lands are of idealized and romanticized times and places, with rides being logical and telling stories, even if only through their atmosphere and surrounding elements. Is it perfect? No. But what it does do is refresh two coasters with more fitting and modern replacements (Vortex -> Kings Mill Run; Backlot -> Steeplechase), add four dark rides all of different styles (Tomb Raider, Great Pumpkin Adventure, Mistrie Mining Company, DarKastle) and bring the park five new, fresh flat rides (Tomb Raider, Ferris Wheel, Flying Eagles, Parachute Drop, Mission Control). Actually some pretty modest changes for an ideal build-out. Kings Island is already a well rounded park. I just added emphasis on the things I enjoy. I did not turn Kings Island into a Cedar Point, and I didn't want to. There is no Wing Rider over the entrance and no giga coaster. Nothing wrong with having them, nothing wrong with wanting them. My focus was on themed lands, family rides, and atmosphere. Yes, to the extreme. But still. I know these things are hard to visualize, so let me know if you have questions, and definitely tell me what you think!
    1 point
  29. Want to be among the first riders on Mystic Timbers? Here's your chance!
    1 point
  30. I'm only 5'10, and if I put my hands up, I can probably easily hit the top of the helix tunnel.
    1 point
  31. Every park has a five year plan, right? Rest assured we will see future investments in the park, both on the rides side and the Sunlite Water Adventure.
    1 point
  32. A giga coaster is a coaster between 300 and 399 feet tall, the original is Millenium Force.
    1 point
  33. I mean, technically, on almost any woodie with rails, you could touch the railing at almost any point in the ride if you chose to
    1 point
  34. It is a capacious miracle, that Banshee! It's funny that the number I threw out there that I would be ok with KI selling is exactly how many KD is supposedly going to have I had no special info, I promise
    1 point
  35. Might as well. Every time I was at the park last year it had less than 20 minute waits.
    1 point
  36. I rode it as T2, it was ok. Not a reride machine. I will give T3 a chance for sure.
    1 point
  37. Still believe it's going to be a warehouse/storage building for all things Winterfest.
    1 point
  38. Well it depends on which tunnel you're talking about. And the scar on my wrist suggests they didn't feel the need to run clearance tests on the helix tunnels at that stage of tort law (still my fault for having my hands up)
    1 point
  39. Oh yeah I think they tunnel will be completed later on.................speaking of test runs without a tunnel
    1 point
  40. The entire midway from Racer to WindSeeker received pavers in 2011.
    1 point
  41. They might have to run clearance tests before finishing the tunnel.
    1 point
  42. I thought you were questioning SonofBaconator not the parks description. New Twitter pic
    1 point
  43. I imagine the tunnel is one of the last things to be completed. Btw why do we specify midcourse tunnel when its the only tunnel on the coaster? [emoji14]
    1 point
  44. I hope The Vortex never goes. Sometimes old is good! There is just something about sitting down on an old arrow looper. Long live The Vortex! On a side note its hard to believe that Flight of Fear is only 6 years younger than The Vortex.
    1 point
  45. I thought this was a neat find and one that many here would appreciate. A friend of mine set up a dealer booth this past weekend at the Cincinnati Comic Expo and someone brought in these two old KI parking signs. I considered purchasing one, but they are massive. He may still have then, so if anyone is interested, contact me and I will hook you up with the seller. Enjoy!
    1 point
  46. Personally, I find the lack of a wild mouse a bigger hole in the line up than a giga.
    1 point
  47. I wonder if it will be the same effects during the day and night. For example if I ride MT during the day and see what's in the shed, will the train behind me see the same thing? Same goes for the night ride. Will every ride see the same thing? I always thought the affects would alternate like per cycle like on Verbolten.
    1 point
  48. One of the best first drops in the park. Visualy awesome. I still think the arrow trains look awesome. I would hate to see it go. I also think B&M has made such smooth coasters, it has made rougher ones built by hand using paper and pencil seem more rough that really has not changed that much. Not putting down anyone who does not like it. I just think smoother coasters make it seem worse.
    1 point
  49. Make it so my feet don't hurt so bad when I walk from slide to slide in the waterpark.
    1 point
  50. Some drones work part-time...
    1 point
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