Shaggy

I believe, once disassembled, the chassis for coaster trains may be sent off property to be inspected via ultraviolent scanning. At least they used to be back in the Paramount Days. This serves the purpose of finding potential issues such as hairline cracks in the frames, or compromised welds/joints. They may now be able to do so on property, but back 20 years ago - I was told they outsourced it to a company that had the ability to "dip" them.

While attendance is currently "up" at the Disney parks - I wonder if that is due to some sort of knee-jerk Covid syndrome. No doubt the price hikes appear to have had little effect on attendance, but the real test will be in coming years. Parks are still rebounding from the Covid pandemic - meaning a lot of the high attendance could be attributed to families postponing their trips/visits until now. However, given the lackluster reviews Disney parks are getting from guests these days (too crowded, bad merch, food quality poor, customer service in toilet, lathing of Genie +) that could cost Disney in the long run. Guests flooding the parks now may walk away with a general dissatisfaction and a feeling of no value for their money. In addition, price hikes may limit the frequency of return visits. A family that visited every two years may now only be able to afford a trip every 5 years. Families that visited every 5 years may not return for another 10... etc. I was at WDW this past April. I can attest firsthand that the quality, and overall enjoyment of the parks just wasn't where it needed to be. For the first time in 40+ years of attending Disney Parks, I left with a "meh" feeling. Also, for the first time in 20 years I stayed off-property (because on-property room rates were literally jaw dropping expensive.) I can count on 3 fingers the amount of merch I bought - and those were purchased at Disney Springs (in past trips, I have been forced to have merch items shipped to me because there were so many to choose from.) I encountered not one, not two, but three ummm.... "lackluster" employees. You could tell they were not happy in their jobs and were blatant in their bad attitudes with guests. Frankly, one particular cast member at the Liberty Tree Tavern should have been fired on the spot. And I have to tell you, Genie+ - while good in theory - essentially serves the purpose of ruining your day. At least one (or more) persons in each party spends all day navigating their phone - its confusing, aggravating and frustrating. The sad thing is, they have forced it on guests - so they have no choice other than use it.

Hallelujah!

A birdie told me there might be event more fun things on the way. Save your $$$. LOL!

The latest merch offerings... CoasterDynamix Statix Models of Beast & Racer trains! If you want them, you'd better snap them up - these sold out when they offered The Beast & Diamondback versions several years ago. This version of Beast has the updated (original) color scheme. The earlier release was all red.

A Chick-Fil-A . LOL ;-)

I bought both pins, of course - I will complete the entire collection no matter. I figured they'd go the Crypt route rather than TR:TR. I know firsthand the "hoops" they have to jump through with the Paramount licenses (more about that at a later time.) I was actually hoping for more with the Delirium pin. I had expectations akin to the Viking Fury pin with a swinging gondola. A little disappointed that there's no articulation. I've really enjoyed this series - overall very happy with all the pin releases. Its also been fun guessing, then finding out each week what the new releases are. (Although the cost of S&H for each release is ridiculously astronomical.)

With the renewed focus on food offerings at KI - and the tremendous strides they have made - it would make sense that the park may want to downsize the amount of chain, non-KI offerings. I can only speak personally, but when I go to parks - I'd much rather eat something unique to a park rather than stand in a ridiculously long line at a Subway or Chick Fil A.

Isn't the KI location one of the top selling Chick-Fil-A's in the state? Seems I read that somewhere.

My issue is the removal of the pieces from the metal plates. The instructions tell you to just use a pair of nail clippers. Yeah right. How the heck do you get those in the slots to cut the tabs? I’ve also tried x-acto knives, wiggling the pieces back and forth, using wire snips etc. It’s still hard as heck to get the pieces separated. I get aggravated because by the time I get them off I’ve distorted or bent them in some way.

More than likely accessibility has a lot to do with it. Skyrides such as CGA's were installed before being wheelchair and motor-skooter equipped were law.

...and Six Flags once had a proposed park on the table for the Fresno area and then went silent on the idea. https://thebusinessjournal.com/six-flags-over-fresno-negotiations-to-bring-amusement-park-are-real/ https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/digital-exclusive/whatever-happened-to-six-flags-in-fresno/

This is all posted by memory. I might have missed a thing or two, but you'll get the general gist. There was originally a bell sound and a long train whistle when you entered the first tunnel. This tunnel was supposed to be a like a "dynamite" tunnel I believe - with kegs of black powder in it. There was also mist (not fog as some seem to think) along the section of track just after the train left the station and passed under the queue line bridge. It was sprayed out of misters hoses attached to the side of the track. You would then drop out of the mist down and into the first tunnel. There were animal sounds, most notably monkeys. I believe the second tunnel used to have a long snake in it, and of course always had the spears darting in and out of the "ruins." There were some smaller cobras that used to move around too. There was music/creaking sounds played on the first lift. The third tunnel was the "lava" tunnel and had a flickering/glowing red light effect and (I think) more mist originally. The final tunnel, obviously had the "now you will pay" statues. But the main effect was at the top, there was more mist and the large figure was animated with glowing eyes, and he tilted the basin he is holding and a minor amount of water poured out onto riders. The mist at the beginning and the water pouring onto the train at the end disappeared about the same time, I believed it had to do with rusting track. Back in 1998 they had to replace a few sections of track - which I think they have done again since. Its important to note, however, although most of the theming has gone by the wayside in the past 30+ years, it was never on par with something like Big Thunder Mountain etc. The theming on AE was always sparse, and you went by it so quickly a lot of it got overlooked by riders. Shaggy

Thank goodness. While I appreciate that others (families) may have enjoyed it... that show was bad. I remember being glad that I had ear muffs with me.

What's always amazing to me is how the original Coney Mall, at Cincinnati's Coney Island, was essentially only about 3/4 of the length of the current Coney Mall at KI. It was wider, of course, but for those that went to CCI and then went to KI when it opened, it had to seem huge. I've always wanted to take the time to try and do one of those "overlays" to actually see how they measure up.

I have always found it very difficult to put into words the "feel" that KI had in the '70's & '80's. Its like there needs to be a new word created to encapsulate it all. The park was, indeed, magical back then. There was a mystique to it, and excitement, a vibe. As a kid, just riding down the interstate and seeing the Eiffel Tower in the distance sent hearts racing. Going there was on the same level as Christmas morning. That having been said, although they can never replicate that same feel (so much of it had to do with the era, quality of life, and general persona of the public then), I do think that current management has made great strides to bring back certain components that made KI great all those years ago. It has a much better "vibe" than it did, say, 15 years ago.

I rode the Zodiac at Kings Island several times, as well as the one (Giant Wheel) that was at Hersheypark. (Trivia - all of KI's promotional materials for the addition of Zodiac in '75 used images of Hershey's Giant Wheel.) Although it was always closed when I went to the park prior to its removal, there was a triple-arm version at Great America in Chicago (Skywhirl.) They removed it for Deja Vu'. My fondest memory of the Zodiac at KI was riding it to see "The Bat" from the air. My Dad and I first rode it specifically so I could get a better view of the coaster. What sticks out in my mind about the ride experience itself was that the "barrels" needed a paint job in those later years. They were held on to the arms by chains - so that was a bit unnerving. There was a pole that ran down the center of each barrel with a metal wheel - much like spinning teacups - that allowed you to rotate. But the barrels were hard to turn and they didn't rotate that quickly and made a "sqeeeeeak." There were also legs on the bottom of the barrels that would "scrape" the concrete a bit when it reached the ground. The ride cycle was a long one - because they had to fill and lock each of the tubs one at a time on the loading side - much like how long it takes to load and lock the Scrambler and/or Monster. The ops used a "key" to unlock each barrel like they do skyride tubs. Finally, the ride was essentially a walk-on at anytime. I don't ever remember a long line. The wait was akin to the wait for Eiffel Tower. Since it was more of an "observation" ride rather than a "thrill" ride, it wasn't a big draw. Before I knew better, I always thought they had taken Skyride Tubs and built the ride - LOL. They looked the same to my young, untrained eyes back then. I recall the barrels on Zodiac being fairly wide - each held at least 4 people.

Here’s the big question. Will Rinkel’s Rock be relocated to the new entrance plaza, or stay put where it’s been for 30+ years?

Nope - that's the queue line for Cargo Loco.

My favorite part is that it is a nod to KI's second season flat ride additions. They are essentially installing 2 "new" flats in precisely the same spots that they added Bayern Curve and Flying Dutchman in '73. Its a great move, and shows that the park intends to take steps forward while keeping one foot in it's historical past. Great addition.

The point here is, that doesn’t seem to be controlled demolition. It appears something fell on it.

I looked, but didn’t see any related posts…. If so, I’m shocked no one here has posted about it: Grizzly at KD

Its instructions for the landscapers. Mo Hr