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CoasterJack

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Everything posted by CoasterJack

  1. I saw a bit more construction today on the webcam and I believe you're right. The concrete appears to be an orange-ish brown, a bit brighter than the color of the pathways of Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom. Someone has also been snooping illegally around the park during construction with a drone and the footage pretty much confirms this. Seems that the pathway at least looks to be done in time for opening...
  2. Also the fountains are on tonight, it's neat to watch them cycle with no one in the park
  3. I could see this being because of the Grand Pavilion opening nearby. But still, another loss for Cedar Point in my opinion, it always seemed busy. I always found it funny they had a Johnny Rockets when right down the midway they had Coasters, which is pretty much their own generic version of the same establishment.
  4. I can concur. I've seen photos on their Facebook page, as well as from other members of the community. I can confirm there have been crews working on the airtime hills for months now.
  5. 20 Years Later and the Premier "Comfort" Collars still aren't ideal. They pretty much gave Ice Breaker the same treatment by removing them and adding the "shin busters" with no foot room. One reason why I think if the park went with new trains, Premier still doesn't offer the best in terms of comfort.
  6. So I've been thinking recently after looking into KI ride statistics. Flight of Fear has always maintained a longer line over the years, even compared to the new flagship rides for the year. I feel like for an operations standpoint for a park with our attendance, it's always been a problem. Take for example, this average wait time chart from 2021: Now potential factors I've seen are that the trains are 2 seats across, only 12, so 24 riders per train. But also Backlot Stunt Coaster has 12 passenger trains. However, operations always seem to be on the slower side, mainly due to the awkward seat-belt positioning as well as tight rider position, especially for taller and larger guests. Additionally, on better days, I've sat in the station as we wait for a train to come from the exit station, and I'm wondering if an extra train would help. I get that new trains or a better experience might be hard to market for the investment. However, would new trains address the capacity issues of this popular attractions if they were less restrictive and were less difficult to load, or are there more factors affecting the ride's poor hourly throughput? Like if the park purchased 4 new trains, they could rotate one off for maintenance since it operates through winterfest, and then theoretically launch a train after the following train clears the brake run. However, this is all theoretical as 3-4 new trains is a hefty expense for a 27 year old ride, but also I think it would greatly improve the ride experience, operations, and new sleek space themed train design would look rather cool (love the current trains, but their plain matte color/design could look a bit more exciting).
  7. Yeah, I think the photos were taken from a drone or flyover of some point. Not gonna share any here (they can be found pretty easily online and would be against Terms of Agreement), but it looks to be a large metal triangle shaped metal structure that's being filled in behind the iron dragon station. It looks awfully coincidental that it's directly behind the dragster station, and it's a similar shape for a classic Intamin triangular footer used on their other taller spikes and coasters. However, it's all purely speculation at this point. Could just be drainage work, doesn't confirm any manufacturer. Mainly these photos have reignited excitement and speculation on the TTD project. It does look awfully convincing of a spike and swing launch though
  8. What Flight of Fear really needs is some new trains, those would do wonders to extending the life of that ride. They might be the worst in the park in my opinion
  9. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2023/03/22/leading-disney-ride-manufacturer-puts-itself-up-for-sale/?sh=5315ee52640e An interesting read for sure... Looks like the company involved with the design and engineering of Soarin, Test Track, Revenge of the Mummy, Adventures of Spiderman, the new Mario Kart ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and much more is in trouble after a few deals gone sour and overspending on certain projects. They also helped with the refresh and retracking of Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, and the Mark VII Monorail at Disneyland. They haven't been the manufactuer of choice for Disney for about the last 10 years, but still definitely a blow to the industry. especially if they just completed the most recent addition to Universal. It'll be interesting to see if they recieve any bids. List of the Attractions they've worked on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Structures
  10. So this summer the family is taking a trip up to the Breakers for a day trip at CP. The early entry ride selection was released recently and gotta say I'm a bit disapointed. While it will be nice to knock out Wild Mouse early, the fact that they're only offering two coasters for early entry and none of their flagship rides, I find a bit odd. I get that the Intamin coasters and Steel Venegence aren't the most reliable for opening on time, however I would always rush to the back of the park to drive and knock out Maverick, Millie, or Steel Vengence in the past. I could see them wanting to save on staffing and just opening the front half of the park, but it would be nice to at least have Raptor, Valravn, or one major coaster. I get that not every park offers early entry, but for a perk heavily advertised for hotel guests and platinum (and above) pass holders, I find it a bit of a letdown. It also makes me worried for KI since they haven't released their early entry ride list yet. But I have faith that the park will still offer a good selection. Any thoughts? Cedar Point Early Entry Ride List: https://www.cedarpoint.com/early-entry
  11. They just opened that location, I agree, it's definitely worth the trip. A sure blast from the past with hours of enjoyment
  12. I've ordered quite a few things from the online store (mainly posters and the train cutout assemblies). Every time it's been a safe, fast and pleasant experience. My only complaint is the shipping, which is a flat rate for no matter how much you order. So usually I just wait, and place an order of at least 2-3 things to make it worth the shipping fee. But overall, I'd say a pretty great experience, everything has arrived in good shape as well.
  13. This is really shaping up to be another great season. I know maybe not the extent of the 50th season celebration, but still! A entire new land (with two rides), Adventure Express enhancements, at least 1,000 feet of retracking, new paint job on Diamondback, the return of the nightly drone show. Most parks would love to receive at least two of these in a given season. While everyone loves a new coaster, KI is really making a strong well-rounded recovery by focusing on so many different aspects of the experience. Can't wait to see what else is in store!
  14. The first year I purchased a gold pass was 2012, and the sign was still in operation at that time. I remember seeing Drop Tower was closed for the day. I wanna say 2013 was the last year, as they added a souvineer cup stand/advertisement with the Banshee logo on the background in 2014 that was blocking the sign (which was turned off), and then it was removed shortly there after.
  15. Personally, while I'd love a huge RMC, I think it would require too much tree removal around The Beast, vs something smaller like a multilaunch would still allow most of The Beast to remain hidden. I think a ground up RMC would be better to run behind Banshee in some of the old Safari land.
  16. Also, hopefully this will lead to fewer spills in the station bins, which would be a true blessing for ride ops and park goers.
  17. I love B&M coasters, they are always crowd pleasers, and the last three installed at KI have been amazing, but they just aren't that intense. Sure Banshee maybe a little, but we need something with snappy transitions and a bit more intensity from the modern era. I love Flight of Fear, but design has improved so much in terms of launches, transitions, elements, *cough *cough comfort . If Cedar Point isn't working with intamin on TTD, then I'd rule out a modern blitz, as much as I'd love to see one. Also a new generation Vekoma would also be a great fit for The Vortex plot, but I just see a low probability of that happening. If KI could get B&M to bring the sit-down model from the grave, maybe a hulk style launch coaster that packs some intensity like their old school elements, along with some modern ones, but that would be an insane amount of $$$ for Cedar Fair.
  18. I could be mistaken, but isn't that just the gravel lot they used to launch and land the drones from the Fireworks and Fifty show? I can't remember the gravel plot was in that specific location or if it was more in the middle of the plot, but I remember it being approximately that size.
  19. I'd be curious as well. Considering the direction they've been going with IP related rides, they might try and assemble a completely IP themed park. Personally, I've always enjoyed their park original ride themes better. When my favorites come to mind (Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Pirates of the Caribbean, Expedition Everest ,etc.), they all were created with an original idea or story, rather than being built around an existing stories. I also agree with the Half-Baked Problem. With the increased price in everything, and considering the last few parks (California Adventure, Walt Disney Studios, Animal Kingdom) sort of feeling lacking at first, that leaves myself a bit worried about the outcome of a new park.
  20. I think a City Walk sort of area with a hotel and some restaurants would be nice. Only problem is Liberty Center being located not too far away, so you'd have to make sure that you'd be catering with different options than what's already offered. Like if you bought the old Kings Island Inn area and ran a shuttle, it might work. I mean if you wanted to go the full 10 yards you build a man made water canal for boats and shuttle people. Definitely could turn it into some sort of shopping district/attraction destination. I just don't know if the demand would be there besides like Western & Southern tournament days or peak days in the summer. I just don't know something of that size could sustain itself realistically. If we're talking realistically, a reasonably nice hotel right off the exit where the Laser Craze is currently located. Good proximity to the highway, more affordable than the Great Wolf Lodge, but a bit nicer than some of the surrounding offerings, maybe even get a partnership with the park or something.
  21. I was on an early morning rollback earlier this year, and to me, it felt as if the launch was choppy (I'll explain). The initial launch out of the station was normal, but while usually the acceleration is smooth and gradual, it felt choppy as if some of the LSMs pushed it, but almost like a few didn't engage with the train and it like coasted the middle of the launch portion without any acceleration before hitting the end of the LSMs and getting one last push from the set of LSMs at the end. It was odd because I only notice it only certain days, and even if I ride it multiple times in one day, it's different every time. Don't know if its on a train basis or case by case basis. Same thing though, some days they wouldn't be loading the 6th row or the entire back car, which kills capacity on an already bad ride in terms of rider capacity. The backwards helix is quite entertaining though, makes that intense element even more exciting, certainly not a family coaster when you experience a rollback though. I'm curious, has anyone else felt this quick last burst at the end of the launch compared to past years?
  22. That's a perfect way of putting it. While it never had the level of the Orlando Parks, for KI, it's always had its charm and beats many attempts made by other regional parks. Also, Arrow Mine Trains have always had their charm, but I feel Adventure Express takes this another level with it's theming and character. While maybe not a Beast level night ride, the terrain style coaster gives amazing night rides. I hope KI can bring back some cool lighting effects on the tunnel, as well as on the arches, but at the same time the dark forest atmosphere is part of what makes it an interesting night ride
  23. I think you might be referring to the loop that was played on the stretch of track before the first tunnel. If so I think I found the sound at 0:20 of this video. I believe there was a rainforest style loop that played up until a few years ago including a bunch of various train whistles and sounds. Rainforest Sounds Loop
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