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The people that are getting mad at the park for not sharing pics are the same ones who got mad that the shed was a mystery....

https://ir.cedarfair.com/news/news-details/2019/Cedar-Fair-Reports-Full-Year-and-Fourth-Quarter-2018-Results/default.aspx Record full year net revenues and record attendance in 2018. Operating income was down 2% when compared to 2017 due to higher operating costs related to increased wages due to minimum wages increases.

1000 upvotes. It’s nice to see pictures, but they mystery behind what’s going on is keeping people talking. I believe that in the end we are all going to be pleasantly surprised! As someone who was there in the early years, the grandure of seeing the massive fountain headed up by the Eiffel Tower, surrounded by the European style buildings was magical! I think International Street is going to be the family meeting spot once again, and with the dancing fountains, people will be spending more time there throughout the day until closing. im excited, are you?

Steel Vengeance --- didn't operate as designed for most of the season as the accident, which led to one train op for a while, then 2 train and eventually 3 train (toward the end of the season) which led to long waits which also led to folks not going until all 3 trains were on the tracks. I had several folks share with me and publicly that they wouldn't visit until the ride was in full operation. Twisted Timbers --- also plagued by train issues which also led to long lines and not many folks coming until it was a consistent operation....this is also the park that their general area of folks don't show up with a massive new ride anyway.

Low ridership by itself isn't enough to remove a coaster. There has to be a number of other factors.

Thing about Arrows: Arrow ride attendance is really often not bad as they may seem. Pretty sure we've already established a bunch of time that Arrows often get shorter lines because of capacity and operations. Just take our own good ol' Arrows here as an example. Consistently on the higher side of ridership yet short lines. Even better example: Anaconda. Anaconda gets practically no lines and is pretty unpopular among enthusiasts. However it's consistently the fifth most ridden at the park, with 554k riders in 2017 and 541k in 2016. I just see Cedar Fair focusing on removing "trouble making" rides. Rides that break down a bunch, expensive to maintain, and don't have many parts around. I'm going to predict we're going to see some more Intamins and maybe Vekomas leave as well.

That is a gross generalization (referring to "no one rides them"). While we may eventually see some of the Arrow coasters disappear, I doubt we see all of them disappear. Many of the parks have a lot of Arrow coasters (Kings Island has three of them, and Cedar Point has five of them (Iron Dragon, Corkscrew, Magnum XL-200, Cedar Creek Mine Ride and Gemini)).

I'll give you a pass this time because you seem to be new but everyone knows I joke about B&M since I love Intamin lol its all good I know its a good investment.

I honestly like Raptor's roar. Imo it adds to the feel of walking Cedar Point's midway with that loud roar.

Just to give a noise comparison- Banshee (aka, track filled with sand) Great Bear (aka- completely hollow track and the greatest B&M roar of all time)-

I wouldn’t say getting a 30+ million dollar B&M is settling. At least we’d know the ride would be reliable & have high capacity.

It's funny that people think they deserve updates on progress just because they visit a park. They do not have to communicate with anyone outside of putting information on the website. So, I'm not sure how you think they are lacking in communication. They are constantly updating social media with information on different projects, their big focus on The Beast and of course Antique Autos. Why is it such a bad thing that they aren't releasing photos of the International Street project? Why can't they just let people see for themselves? Why should they cave to entitled enthusiasts who think they deserve whatever they want at the park?

I don't really see it hard to get parts for most of the coasters in the CF chain. There may be some one offs. I think its harder for them to get parts for some of the flats. That's why we see some of those being removed right now at CF parks. Yeah @Rivertown Rider I think with WT the only way that coaster leaves is if they need that part of land for something else. That has to coincide with maintenance as well. Rumors are that its going to be moved to another CF park and that may be the only reason it leaves?

Yeah I think coaster wise for sure. There would need to be maintenance issues to go along with low ridership. Also how easy is it to get parts?

I’d say the main reason for their removal is high maintenance cost.

Pft. Intamin fanboy

That wasn't an ad. That was the content of my post.

You missed a real opportunity here to respond with "but you don't have to take my word for it"

I’m sure there are at least one or two more weeks before that happens.

They need a good soaking rain or something! I can't imagine it'd be a great job to clean those off.

looks like i may have to stop by and share the place on youtube

Looks like the Dayton location will be getting a coaster soon...I'm guessing a SBF Visa Group compact spinning coaster. https://www.dayton.com/places/scene-adds-new-tower-ride-and-roller-coaster-may-next/thanjEbquld0XnPcyaFAhL/ Looks like they are now projecting the Columbus location to open in the summer.

Railblazer was also specifically mentioned in previous quarterly reports. If I remember correctly, it opened later than expected.

It should also be noted that the trains used on both Steel Vengeance and Twisted Timbers were a completely new train design (from a technical standpoint) from RMC and they were the first coasters to use this design. Theoretically, this is what led to most of the issues. Unlike Twisted Cyclone at Six Flags Over Georgia, which had no major difficulties other than normal "wearing-in" new coaster hiccups. It was using the "normal" original RMC trains.

On the earnings conference call, they noted that season pass represented more than 50% of their attendance. They also touched on the loyalty rewards program. It will be tested at select parks in 2019, before a broader roll out in 2020. This program is encouraged to increase visits by season pass holders. $140-150 million capital investment anticipated moving forward. $140 million allocated for the 2019 capital budget.

That could be for brakes as well. There’s a lot of hydraulics involved in friction braking/mag fin braking. From what I recall, the early B&Ms weren’t filled with sand because they didn’t really foresee the noise issue. Raptor is one of the last ones to have no sand in it. Raptor is deafeningly loud. There’s no doubt in my mind that Banshee has sand in it. There’s no way to significantly dampen the sound with lighter trains/baffles inside the track or really any other design feature of the track. It has sand in it, for sure.

Very cool seeing all that old memorabilia! If you visit Coney, there is a cool museum set up just behind the Swing A Round. It has tons of cool stuff in there. It is actually right next door to the rides office.

30 dispatches per hour, 480 pph. That’s only twice the amount of a Larson scooter.

I am the blogger. The original train you see in that picture was a "prototype" or "concept" based on the initial theme KI had given PTC (a mining car.) It was displayed at IAAPA the fall of '78 and was the only one that had a light added to the front. At the time, the park had not chosen the final theme or name - that came in February. Because of indecision of theme on KI's part - the trains were built by PTC and shipped to KI having only been primed - not painted. When they arrived at KI that winter a final color scheme was chosen and the coaster team/sign department painted the trains and sculpted the logo in house. The logo was added for publicity purposes... so that any photos would indicate the name of the coaster. The park had learned this early on from the publicity they received when Racer premiered - which has always featured the name of the coaster. PTC has never painted The Beast's trains, nor were they shipped with headlights. In addition - remember that there were initially 4 trains, so several modifications were made after they arrived for testing.

Agreed, I think every B&M added to the chain have been a solid investment.

I love Rougarou's roar; it really adds to the theme of a beast on the bayou. On the other hand, Raptor's roar is way too loud!

I’m loving the nostalgia that is pushing a lot of their decision making these days. It’s slmist like there’s a slow return to some “glory days” ahead of us for a 50th celebration.

The park owes the enthusiast community absolutely nothing.

The park has been updating us quite a bit with news lately. Maybe they want to get IS to a certain point before revealing anything? Just because you feel the communication from the park is lacking does not give you justification to go sneak pics of the park by trespassing. Like @chugh43 says, when statements are made like that, it comes off as entitled and the park is less likely to want to do anything for enthusiasts. Everyone needs to keep that in mind when posting and deciding to do something that makes the rest of the community look bad.

Already being discussed here:

a real glockenspiel with projected seasonal projections would be better.

I cannot say I am surprised, the ride has had significant downtime and been a maintenance nightmare. Whatever failed last year is obviously significant enough that it’s not worth fixing. This is one of the highest profile rides at the park and makes me wonder what other rides are no longer safe. Cedar Fair still has several other very expensive to operate coasters, how many other coasters are a significant failure away from being removed? How many other rides are being examined for removal due to maintenance costs?

I was reading through some of the responses Kings Dominion has gotten on FB over the removal.... Man people are such drama queens. I can understand being disappointed and even angry - but not to the point of getting verbally vicious with people you don't know over a coaster. Count me in as one that isn't surprised by the removal. Its always been "temperamental." It did have a good run - 20 years, that's nothing to sneeze at. Remember, if you took the collective total number of days "The Bat" at Kings Island operated it would amount to less than one season. Now "Volcano" gets to become one of those "There once was a coaster named _____ and I got to ride it" rides that will be ingrained into KD's history. Now, here's my personal feelings. I "liked" the coaster - but it wasn't the end-all-be-all. My reaction the first time I saw it being built was "They've ruined the mountain." They literally butchered the original "Lost World/Fantasy Mountain" structure to install it. On top of that, the ride's structure looked ridiculous IMO. They could have done a MUCH better job with the structure as to not obscure the mountain. It looked like scaffolding... like the mountain was in a constant state of repair. Also they lopped probably 20 feet off the top and removed the elaborate waterfall to install the blast hole - which really bummed me. The first time I rode it (I rode many times over the years), I was underwhelmed. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but I remember the general feeling was "That's it?" I remember being surprised that the initial launch was not what propelled you out of the top... rather it was just a launch into a long straightaway and then a wide turn behind it. It was back behind it that you realized they basically cut out the most of the back of the mountain. Imagine if the straightaway and turn had been enclosed! After the inversion out of the top, the ride slowed to a crawl. The barrel rolls were some of the slowest I've ever experienced and although fun, it wasn't necessarily "scary." But then, the coaster did a swooping, fast dive down into.... brakes.... wah wah. Everyone.... and I mean EVERYONE I rode it with over the years always said it was a let down - especially the ending. It's finale was on par with Adventure Express... a big build up to... the final break run. Now, you have to understand that the first time I went to Kings Dominion, the mountain was brand new... they were literally still putting the finishing touches on it. I was in awe of it - and I remember vividly how it looked and how amazing it was to look at. My parents and I waited an eternity to ride "Land of the Dooz." I wouldn't get on "Atlantis" the precursor to "Haunted River" (which I rode many, many times.) Also, my dad always told the story he waited for nearly 2 hours with me to ride "The Time Shaft" - only when we got there and I saw what it did I chickened out (I was 6 years old.) Finally, many don't remember that there was another ride on the right side of the mountain called "Mount Kilimajaro" which was a Bayern Curve that went in and out of the facade. That having been said, my opinion of Volcano was always kind of stilted because I missed the grandeur of the original Mountain. It was a good idea, in theory. And Lord knows by the time Volcano arrived the Mountain needed something (during the early Paramount years - it fell into such disrepair that it was embarrassing.) But in retrospect, I probably would have been more thrilled if they had just done a major refurbishment of the original rides. My biggest concern in all of this is that they will demolish the entire mountain. Sounds like they will. Knowing how badly it was kept, only to be gutted and ravaged by the installation of Volcano, I cant imagine it will be salvaged. That is what will really upset me. Frankly, when I think of KD, the Mountain always comes to mind... more so than their Eiffel Tower - because seeing it for the first time as a kid was such a "WOW" moment in my life. I guess I'm just lucky I got to see, ride and enjoy it in all incarnations. Finally - below is a write-up I did on another board many years ago when someone asked about the original mountain. It gives a bit of insight as to it's original history. The mountain was not built for "Volcano." It was there for many years before the roller coaster was added. It was originally built for the 1978 season. It was called "The Lost World: Fantasy Mountain." and when it opened, it had 4 rides. Those rides were "Professor Backenforth's Journey into the Land of the Dooz", "Time Shaft","Mt Kilimanjaro" and a dark boat ride called "Journey to Altlantis." -"Land of the Dooz" was a family themed ride in which you rode a train through the mountain and past various animated scenes. -"Time Shaft" was an indoor Rotor. A Rotor is a round room in which guests enter, it spins, they stick to the wall and the floor drops out beneath their feet. This ride was unique because it was all the way inside the mountain and had an elaborate lighting and music effect system. -"Mt. Kilimanjaro" was a Bayern Curve that ran in and out of a side portion of the mountain. A Bayern Curve is a bobsled-type attraction that was popular many years ago. It is a simple idea where you sit in a train of cars that traverse a circular track. As the ride continues, the bobsled picks up speed. -"Journey to Atlantis" dark boat ride they had only lasted the first season. It was changed for 1979 into "The Haunted River" which was a heavily themed scary boat ride excursion into various haunted scenes. It ended with a big splash down drop outside the mountain. In 1984, "Land of the Dooz" was changed into "Smurf Mountain." It still used the same train and course, but the Smurf characters were put in place of the "Dooz" characters. Although I am not exactly sure when, in the 1980's "Mt Kilimanjaro" also disappeared. You can still see where the ride existed though. It is the grown-over portion of the mountain nearest to the entrance to the Flight of Fear plaza. By the mid 1990's the "Haunted River" and "Smurf Mountain" were worse for the wear and were closed. Some of the treasure relics of "Haunted River" were moved into the re-themed "Yogi's Cave" in Hannah Barbera Land. The queue for "Smurf Mountain" and "Haunted River" were combined to form the queue for "Volcano." The station for "The Haunted River" is now the "Volcano" exit and gift shop. You can still see where the boats flowed through a trough up to the station. PKD has an original "Haunted River" boat permanently placed in that area now. All the skeletons from "Haunted River" were used as decorations in the exit. The entrance and tunnel that led guests into the mountain and to "The Time Shaft" was widened and opened up and became "Volcano's" launch tunnel. The old station you see is probably the one that is pretty high up in the mountain and was actually not a station. Rather it was there for decoration only. On a similar note, you can still see the tracks from the old "Dooz" and/or "Smurf" ride when you are in the station of Volcano. If you look up the side of the mountain where the small waterfall is, you can see where the tracks were simply cut off with a blowtorch. Finally, when "Volcano" was added, quite a bit was chopped off the top of the mountain's peak in order to widen the opening for the coaster. I would say a good 15 feet was removed. Prior to "Volcano" the mountain did not shoot fire, but rather had a wonderful large waterfall from the very top. Really, the mountain is a shell of its former self. Although I like Volcano and think it is fun, I personally think it ruined the look of the mountain. Volcano has way too much scaffolding supports around it and obscures the mountain itself. The designers should have spent more time and attention and used as few supports as possible. Finally, "Lost World: Fantasy Mountain" was the initial "test" for an even larger mountain project that the original owners of the park were planning. They were in initial design stages for Canada's Wonderland in Toronto. That park's signature piece is a large mountain built in the very same manner (although about 3 times the size) as Dominions. The difference was, when Wonderland's opened, there were no rides housed inside it. That has now changed over time.

Would love to see this, but I find it unlikely. 1. It would be expensive in today’s world and I don’t see them making a real, true investment in a dark ride. 2. Maintenance is a continuous investment with this moreso than some others and with the current dark ride in a perpetual “kind of working” state even with very few complicated animatronics so either the expertise or the investment isn’t available or important to them. 3. Let’s not kid ourselves - you’ll get your Planets v Zomies-esque thing soon enough, but the next ride going into the Boo building is going to be something Charlie Brown related with similar props and actions to what’s there now.