The Interpreter

In what way? Tell me it made money and I will ask you how you know. From what I saw and have read, I can't see how it could possibly have made even a dime, at either Paramount's Kings Island or Carowinds. Many nights it played to virtually empty houses. There was even a very embarassing article in The Charlotte Observer with the title "Walking In An Empty Wonderland."

Just because something is announced by Owner A doesn't mean that Owner B will be doing it....

Paramount Parks is owned by CBS Corporation. EVERYTHING is for sale for the right price in that environment. I think you can see why. Would you sell me your wristwatch for four dollars? I didn't think so. What if I offered you $40.000? What if the buyer of the parks agrees to buy them ONLY if Addams Family rights come with them, and the buyer offers several times what the parks are worth? Just as KECO got Kings Island back from Lindner so they could sell to Paramount, a way would be found to get the Addams Family rights to the buyer....

It's a public forum. Always assume you are being watched. You are, you know....

Until the final deal is cut and the announcements made, no one knows what rights will or won't go to the buyer (if there is one) or if the buyer will want to keep those assets, if they get them. Speculation. That is all there is right now. Speculation.

I am told that there will be fireworks for the Fourth of July. That is all... And as I posted earlier, do NOT assume Winter Fest will be happening. NO ONE knows.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d.../602010400/1003

It's a fun little coaster!

You'd probably be more upset if you knew HOW I knew that...

As Delirium_Guy pointed out this morning, this is a year that the Paramount Parks are officially for sale. Any reasonable thing that can be done to make the parks' books more profitable before the sale may very well be. Attendance figures aren't the major goal of theme parks. Making money is.... If people weren't spending much that last hour or two, and no one new was coming in, they may well find that closing earlier reduces costs without overly reducing revenue, or perhaps without having any measurable effect on revenue...

As to Uncle Henry's earlier comments about Gemini, there are those of us here who happen to LIKE Gemini. What coasters one does or does not like is hardly an indication of moronhood. Besides, Gemini is a ton of fun, almost never has a significant line due to its VERY high capacity, and is a great coaster(s) to start the young'uns out on. Some of us wish PKI offered a similar ride... Appleda, you might want to ride the High Speed Thrill Coaster at Knoebels....and ride the back seat of Beast when you are about 30 years older than you are now...

If you think PKI got its hours cut back, look at how many weeknights that Carowinds now closes at 8! http://www.carowinds.com/visit/visit_calendar.cfm

And that coaster, if I'm not mistaken, is Rudy's Rapid Transit at Santa's Village, Jefferson, New Hampshire... It's a Zierer.

It's been done. It's called Kingda Ka. Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey. Great ride, and about as reliable as Dragster, even less so at first. I think you've seen the last of those types of big coasters....

Thank you! I am glad it wasn't a snake!

I see hourly capacity, but no riders since opened. What you see, anyway?

Not to be the skunk at the Sunday School picnic, but I also would not assume the new owner (if there is one) will continue with Winter Fest, especially if it wasn't profitable last year...

I wouldn't be doubting that NC was scaled back. Remember, the parks are FOR SALE. Would you increase investment, keep it the same or reduce it where you could if you were selling something YOU owned? Think about it...

Actually, I understand the major reason they switched to Gerstlauer had to do with the fact that for some reason or other they could no longer get PTC trains. It was easier for Denise and company and less damaging to business to tell people and parks that they CHOSE to use Gerstlauer trains. Yeah, sure. About like someone chooses to heat their house with wood after the natural gas is cut off for some reason.... Where CCI's did later appear with PTC trains, the parks most often had purchased them directly from PTC. As for CCI building low cost coasters, the parks got what they bargained for. They were willingly buying low cost up front. CCI COULD build long lasting rides, or they could build economical first cost rides. They bid the latter, thinking that if the parks wanted more they could always add to the cost later. Meanwhile, their major competitor built far fewer rides that cost quite a bit more but have lasted far better as well. And SOME CCI's held up well...like Boulder Dash and Ghost Rider...coasters where the parks or local codes required them to build them to a higher, and more costly standard. Needless to say, they cost more than the 'standard' CCI construction methods.

If run like they are other parks (Cypress Gardens, for instance), they are a lot of fun. But they are no more of a roller coaster than, say, a Tilt-A-Whirl could be called a roller coaster. Interestingly, a lot of people who love coasters don't particularly like these things. If you don't like spin-n-pukes, the chances are more than even you won't care for this either...If you do, it is a good ride...

The changes to the preshow film were more extensive than that.... Sigh.

With all due respect, Toomer was brilliant. He took coasters where they had not been before. Without him, we probably wouldn't be where we are now. Besides, one word: Magnum. Ahhhhh.

Uh, Mr. Stupendous, the preshow HAD to be changed and was. The editing is VERY obvious.

Uh, I meant technical difficulties with the website OR intentionally having fun with the website.... Then again, who knows?

That settles it for me (I think). I vote for either technical difficulties or "Website Follies."