139Signal27

It’s a term referring to full-time associates. Their name tags are gold instead of white.

You’re putting a lot of effort into this.

There’s no way you can know that absolutely no parts were sent to KI in 2003. Why would Chad make that up? Sure, some parts were kept in Canada, but to say that absolutely no parts were sent to KI in 2003 is silly.

I’m going to believe the official blog over a fansite every time.

I’m genuinely impressed with that blog post! That was an extremely interesting and thorough read. Keep more coming!

I don’t think the footings mean anything — they are probably already gone. If not, they probably will be once crews get back to work, or the park decided it wasn’t worth spending the money to remove them right now. I certainly don’t think this is the beginning of some great teaser campaign.

I haven’t been following this thread, so I apologize if this has already been discussed. Do you think the park will overhaul Urgent Scare to avoid the unfavorable connection it would have with the pandemic? Regardless of the facts, some will assume the park is making light of the situation. I wouldn’t be opposed (not because I am offended, but because I think it’s time for that maze to go). Thoughts?

The ride has been brown, and the cream is new. The question is whether it’s a primer or the final coat.

I hope the lighter color isn’t just primer. A little pop of color could help the ride stand out amongst the trees. I never would’ve picked that color, but I like the look lol.

I’ve been thinking about ride removals as well. With the manufacturer being long defunct and parts difficult to source, capacity relatively low and cycle time high, and being manually operated with three operators instead of a more cost-effective two, I think the writing is on the wall for Monster. It seems pretty logical to replace it with a more reliable, higher capacity, two-operator thrill ride. Maybe something like Flying Bobs, Tilt-A-Whirl, or Electro-Spin? When it comes to a Planet Snoopy renovation, I think the park will want to offset additional labor and maintenance costs by removing an existing attraction. The Character Carousel seems like the easy choice — anyone that can ride CC can ride the Grand Carousel, so why have two? Removing that ride would allow the park to freshen up the front section of the area with a new ride and some improved landscaping. I think something like a Balloon Race would be a good fit. I hope to see a water coaster come to Soak City soon to compete with Holiday World’s fantastic lineup. Whether it’s that or another multi-slide complex, I think one of the slides near the train station could be removed in the name of maintenance and staffing. I’m of the opinion that the rest of our coasters are safe for the foreseeable future (aside from any dramatic changes in maintenance costs or reliability). I do think there is a strong chance we could see serious investment in a few of the existing coasters — Racer and AE come to mind. I am not opposed to Racer getting a ground up overhaul from GCI with new track, trains, and ride controls. I think Millennium Flyers (possibly one side backward) with a variable speed lift would breathe much needed life into the old girl. As far as Express, there is such a golden opportunity to completely overhaul the thematic experience for a new generation. As we know, Arrow mine trains can run for over 60 years, so ours still has almost half its life ahead. These would both be more modest capital expenditures that I believe could drive strong ROI.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about “adjacent development” throughout the chain. Carowinds had a successful opening of their hotel last season, and Cedar Point just purchased another resort. If you look at all the parks, KI is one of the only without some sort of onsite accommodation. Like you pointed out, the park could leverage a hotel to expand its market reach and extend guest visits. Keeping it open year round would also diversify cash flow and help during the slow quarters. I also look at the number of offsite hotels that have popped up over the last few years as a signal of strong demand. If I were KI, I’d want a slice of that pie!

If you don’t keep updated on resources posted to the Cedar Fair Investor Relations website, you’re missing out on a lot of valuable information! CF is looking to spread out the time between major capital investments and focus more on limited time, immersive events. They have done market research that shows guests are looking for more than just big coasters. There also seems to be a focus on developing assets outside of the parks themselves. Based on information from that site, I don’t think we will see our next coaster until 2024 at the earliest. I wouldn’t be surprised if we go without a new coaster until 2026. In the meantime, I think we’ll see upgrades to Planet Snoopy, Soak City, and the addition of another family attraction. We will probably continue to see older attractions removed — I would get your Monster rides in while you still can. Other than new rides, I think we will see increased focus on events like Grand Carnivale. This year we could get the WF parade, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a Halloween parade is in the near future. As time goes on, I think they will get even more creative with new entertainment offerings! We will probably continue to see improvements from the guest experience side of things — new technology and whatnot. I think the app will continue to gain more functions as time goes on. Mobile food ordering is one thing that comes to mind. I don’t know if virtual queuing is something most guests would want, but I’m sure CF has at least looked into it. There also seems to be a good chance that KI will build an on-site hotel in the next 3-5 years.

We probably wouldn’t be seeing a giga. At least not in it’s current form.

A new drone video posted on another site seems to show Viking Fury in the midst of a repaint. If true, that’s some great news for a classic ride!

I doubt Drop Tower has been repainted. Surely someone would have snapped a picture of it being sanded and painted. That’s not something that just happens overnight. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t it just get repainted in 2014?