Rivertown Rider

Great trip report. If you had gotten to ride Nighthawk I think that would have probably been your least favorite ride in the park as it is pretty painful.

Here is the link to the permit https://www.bsaonline.com/CD_PropertySearchDetails/PropertyRecordDetails?recordKeyType=4&recordKey=e12f4947-8331-4ea2-b9c7-ae6f00a93cb2&uid=2714

Some pics I took this weekend as they now allow you to take photos from the Giant Wheel.

^ I didn't see one.

The most depressing sentence in park history is found at the end of the 2004 stone.

I finally got to ride it yesterday and in the places where it was re-tracked it is running the best it has in years. The double helix which was my favorite part back in the day and had become pretty uncomfortable for me over the last several years it back to its greatness again. I was in a wheel seat but look forward to riding it in a non-wheel seat. I definitely give the park a lot of credit for investing the money in re-tracking this and Racer over the last few years. They are both must-do rides again and that is saying something for the two oldest "big kid" coasters (not counting Woodstock Express) in the park. As I write this I am kind of surprised that the third oldest "big kid" coaster is AE.

I thought Tower Gardens was really well done. Some additional pics.

Yeah I agree. I wasn't thinking about the limited launch areas.

At 8:31 of this video. With him saying International Street I take that as ET. For what it's worth I'd be very surprised if we got our next coaster before CP, Wonderland, and Carowinds but with the chain being desperate to sell passes anything is possible.

According to Mike Koontz at Coasterstock the drones will be on the right side of the tower so it isn't them.

I do think this Zamperla Tea Cup would be a good addition for a Keggers style addition (the one that looks like Spinning Barrels) in the Slingshot space. https://www.zamperla.com/products/tea-cup/

I like Inside Universal a lot. It is laid out very similar to this forum and has a lot of good information.

@DonHelbig and team did an excellent job as always. I thought the guest speakers were great both days. Mike Koontz Q&A is always a highlight. I enjoy how candid he is.

I doubt it would be soon. I figure next year makes the most sense for a Planet Snoopy addition and feel even more strongly about that after hearing Mike Koontz talk about wanting to update Boo Blasters during Q&A yesterday at Coasterstock. One thing I will say thought if they wanted to put in something like a new Keggers or a Musik Express they could probably have that installed pretty quickly.

It is not listed under the rides on the KI website anymore which seems like it confirms the removal. That whole area along with the area between AE and the Freestyle location would work well for some flats. Bringing back a Keggers style ride and putting in a Musik Express would really help that area especially during Winterfest when it is such a dead area of the park.

Both The Racer and Tower Drinks queue changes are long overdue so it is exciting to see the park make these updates.

I get down to Dollywood several times a year and wouldn't say that I have noticed a ton on maintenance issues with Firechaser. Even if it does go down it is usually a quick fix. Lightning Rod and Mystery Mine are much bigger maintenance issues there. I really enjoy Firechaser. The only issue with Firechaser is that it is low capacity. It only runs at max 14 per train so only 2 more than BLSC. If they could figure out either running 4 trains or getting the capacity per train to 18 or 20 it would be a great fit for KI.

I would be more interested in CF acquiring the SW parks just because I think the current CF leadership does a great job and think Mike Koontz has been wonderful for KI. I can certainly see where the merger makes sense from a geographic standpoint but I would be sad for KD.

I do like the Planet Snoopy overhaul in 2023 rather than Soak City. It makes more sense to add that area along with an indoor restaurant / show area sooner rather than later especially with the success of Winterfest. My ideal buildout would be: Move the existing Flyers over to Coney Mall. It gives an additional family flat in that area of the park. I agree that is probably time for the Whirlybirds to go. They could remake that area a bit and it would probably save on maintenance costs as well. Add some additional family flats like the Whirlybirds teacup ride other parks have. The dining area can go where the existing petting zoo is. They can move the Peanuts show that is in the KI Theater during Winterfest and put another show there. Then it would make sense to do Soak City in '24 which is likely a cheaper buffer year for the new coaster in '25. It sounds like Knott's is getting a new coaster very soon and I would expect CP to get their next coaster in '23.

I would love to see them do a Blazing Fury style dark ride / coaster themed to Phantom Theater in the Crypt building. It could easily be themed to an old mining town theater.

I would be curious to know how the park finishes attendance wise for the year because I think this has to be the most successful year they have had with Winterfest based on the number of people that have been there.

I got hit by someone's lighter on Millennium Force this summer. Luckily it didn't hurt me or anything.

I drove to one of the fresh repaved spots yesterday and it was in great shape. They also did a great job on the striping as well.

The two best bathrooms in the park are the ones over by Invertigo and WindSeeker. They also have consistent hot water. And if you want to see sketchy restrooms go to Camden Park.

Does Timberwolf look a little bare or is it just me?