bkroz

Just when you think it can't get any worse. Looks like the horrific, abrasive Blue Sky version of the exterior was too ambitious to pull off in real life. Model revealed today: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/10/collectors-fortress-transformation-underway-now-as-guardians-of-the-galaxy-mission-breakout-prepares-for-summer-2017-opening-at-disney-california-adventure-park/ As if they don't understand that it's become a refrain of guests who're against this (most of them), they even quote Imagineer Joe Rohde in referring to it as a "warehouse, fortress-like power plant.” Disney does a pretty good job controlling and censoring comments on their Blog. Instead, check out the replies to the tweet linking to the blog: https://twitter.com/DisneyParks/status/783026531274600448 Unreal. Even understanding the corporate juggernaut that is the Walt Disney Company, I cannot fathom how they haven't backpedaled even a BIT on this. And still I say, this changeover is taking only 5 months to put in place. If it's easy to install, that means it's easy to UNINSTALL, too. If they said, "Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! will super-size Disney California Adventure's attraction lineup while we Imagineer a new Marvel super hero area for the park. But fans of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, don't worry – your reservation for an extended stay will be honored when the Hollywood Tower Hotel re-opens in 2020." It's already confirmed that Marvel is coming in a bigger presence, so let this be a holdover UNTIL the rest of the land is ready.

Every year I've visited this, I've been really impressed! And it seems like it only gets better every year.

Prices actually look equivalent to what they charge in their normal stores! Granted, that's still not cheap for grilled cheese! Maybe that's why all three locations here in Columbus closed mysteriously in 2015 after a year in the market. To be fair, Columbus also has a grilled cheese transplant from Cleveland called Melt Bar & Grilled that's the same idea (expensive grilled cheese) but the sandwiches are artsy fartsy, fully-loaded, knife-and-fork, take-half-home kinda fare. Melt also has that hipster chiq, must-try mystique that lets it fit in in the Short North Arts District (our OTR from what I understand) with its 20-something-magnet pub format vs. Tom + Chee's fast-food format. I liked them both. I'm a grilled cheese fan! I'm just surprised! I didn't know Tom + Chee was a big, franchised chain to begin with so when Columbus' locations all disappear, I just assumed the whole company had closed up shop. Exciting to see it at Kings Island!

Psychotic patients on the loose in mental institutions have been the narrative for haunted houses for a very long time, from Universal to Cedar Point. Haunted houses at these events are literally crafted to prey on sensitivities, fears, discomforts, and outrageous scenarios. Yes, a mental institution does record higher on the public's offense-o-meter and that's probably fair, but there's something inherently offense and uncomfortable about most of the exaggerated, gory, death-filled houses these parks put together. Hospitals haunted by dead patients, Louisiana swamps riddled with voodoo, the elite killing the homeless in The Purge, jungles filled with bloodthirsty natives, old west towns where mystical Native Americans and zombie cowboys battle... Each is, in its own right, hurtful to a community. I am shocked that Knott's created the attraction, but NOT because I find it in poor taste or an assault on my sensibilities. (Not that this gives me an extra vote, but as a licensed special education teacher as well as a family member and friend of individuals with disabilities, it doesn't offend me. I couldn't imagine being in Mr. Thomas' shoes.) I'm shocked that they created the attraction because they'd have to be ignorant to have missed the push back those Universal and Cedar Point haunts have earned in the very recent past. In any case, it's a slipp'ry slope from here. The last few years, we've seen a handful of attractions, haunted houses, and shows close at Halloween events due to their "controversial" nature. Is that a good thing? A bad thing? I couldn't say... I don't go to the "boo-fests." Never will. Which isn't to say I don't spend hours watching walkthrough videos of the gorgeous environments Universal and Knott's build in their parks. Seriously, they're an entire sub-genre of themed entertainment design that boggles the mind... and they're temporary! Or, they should be...

Would it kill the Twitter crew to use an exclamation point or address a poster by name? Dead horse, I know, but every tweet from @KingsIslandPR sounds like a scolding in my head. Meanwhile, at Disney Parks... In any case, while I'm certain the park has the actual data that we don't, I do find it hard to believe that ridership was declining specifically and notably on the backwards-running side. Defies common sense, doesn't it? By the way, do they even race anymore? That, for sure, was one of my biggest stinks last few times I visited. Such an obvious, simple, natural thing being overlooked for what... capacity? As if Racer has a three hour queue and needs to forego its "selling point" to keep lines moving? Only thing stupider is when the lights are left on in the Backlot Stunt Coaster or Beast tunnels. C'mon...

Mostly wild, uneven terrain, right?

So if was changed to a Wreck It Ralph attraction, would it be the same attraction concept as Stich's Great Escape, I mean with animatronics and such? Nope. VR in the sense that you would likely put on a set of VR goggles like the new Six Flags coaster conversions (or more accurately, like Darren Brown's Ghost Train at Thorpe Park) with virtual reality simulating a race inside the Sugar Rush game from Wreck-It Ralph. People would likely be seated on motion bases. In my mind, I picture Universal's Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem with pods on motion bases around a room, but instead of a screen in front of you, everyone would wear their own VR goggles. That's just a guess!

So if was changed to a Wreck It Ralph attraction, would it be the same attraction concept as Stich's Great Escape, I mean with animatronics and such? Nope. VR in the sense that you would likely put on a set of VR goggles like the new Six Flags coaster conversions (or more accurately, like Darren Brown's Ghost Train at Thorpe Park) with virtual reality simulating a race inside the Sugar Rush game from Wreck-It Ralph. People would likely be seated on motion bases. In my mind, I picture Universal's Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem with pods on motion bases around a room, but instead of a screen in front of you, everyone would wear their own VR goggles. That's just a guess!

Have you been to Disney California Adventure? In 2012, the park got a billion dollars infused into it to turn its modern spoof of California into a storied recreation of the Golden Age of California. Its themed lands are a 1910s Pacific boardwalk, a 1950s National Park, a 1920s Los Angeles, a 1940s Hollywood. Tower of Terror was a linchpin of that narrative and continuity that bound the whole park together. The 190-foot tall 1920s Art Deco hotel sincerely looms over the park. It's gorgeous and it's a piece of the larger storyline of the park. That this Golden Age Californian park will now be lorded over by a (and I'm quoting the Imagineer responsible here) "warehouse power plant fortress" covered in pipes and tubes and satellite dishes and glowing neon emblems.... it's absolutely laughable. Sure, tuck a Marvel land away inside Disney California Adventure (or, y'know, put it in Disneyland's desolate and empty Tomorrowland.) As it is, this is your literal view upon entering Disney California Adventure. How do you suppose the Hollywood Tower Hotel becoming this... ...might change the larger feel of the park? A different discussion entirely, but evidence of the odd track Disney's on. To my estimation, the tables have turned radically... Disney is chasing Universal by doing what Universal does – cannibalizing its classics to insert flavor-of-the-month stories and IPs. They've seen how much success Universal has had with refreshing their entire ride lineup every decade or so. Tower of Terror is the biggest culprit. Also consider: Disneyland's famous Space Mountain became the Star Wars themed "Hyperspace Mountain" as part of a temporary Season of the Force Star Wars promotion. Problem is, the "Season" lasted for a year. Hyperspace Mountain finally closed, but only because the Halloween-themed Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy took its place last week. The Disney Parks fan community awoke this morning to the news that after Halloween, regular Space Mountain won't be restored... It'll be Hyperspace Mountain again. See also, the delightful Aladdin: A Musical Specular being replaced by Frozen despite tremendous outcry and overwhelming negative reception not from fans, but from the public. Or World of Color: Celebrate. Frozen Ever After at EPCOT I get, because Maelstrom was a tired attraction, even if it was a fan favorite. But Disney's new course is set. And it looks eerily like Disney's chasing Universal.

What I love so much about COSI is how it defies the normal "science center" model of open floorplans and mismatched exhibits to instead place its components into themed, immersive, "Imagineering" style exhibits. I wrote an in-depth feature on COSI from a theme park fan point-of-view that I think is very cool. Basically, the museum takes this huge idea of "science" and divides it into these more concrete topics... Ocean, Energy, Gadgets, Progress, Life, Space, and Adventure (each exhibit with that one-word name), each in its own fully-immersive exhibit space. What I love about that model is that some of them are obvious (Ocean, Energy, Life, Space... obvious bits of "science") while the rest are less blatant, like Progress (the idea that things change, bringing hopes and fears), Gadgets (invention, innovation, simple machines, force and motion, and their role in science) and Adventure (the idea that science involves going out into the unknown and following the scientific method). Smart! Kids would often ask me why COSI doesn't have dinosaurs, and I'd think to myself that it just didn't fit that formula. Oceans, Space, Energy, Adventure, Life, Progress... Dinosaurs? I'm certain the new exhibit space will be fabulous. Seriously. A world-class dinosaur gallery with some fun interactive components. But it's certainly out of step with the rest of the building's built-out, Disney-style immersive worlds covering broad, abstract topics.

This is an interesting twist after recent rumors suggested a VR Wreck-It Ralph attraction would take its place. One would imagine that if that replacement were upcoming, they wouldn't bother switching Stitch to seasonal, but just trudge through until the new attraction could close it permanently. Though most here probably know, Disney Parks tend to almost unanimously agree that Stitch's Great Escape is the worst Disney attraction at any of their parks today. I wrote an entire in-depth Dateline Disaster: Stitch's Great Escape feature just a few weeks ago! (Great timing!) I think it's worth reading if you're into this sort of thing, but I'm biased!

COSI partnered with the American Museum of Natural History (from New York – the one with the big blue whale / Night at the Museum) to bring a permanent Dinosaur Gallery and a traveling exhibit space for AMNH exhibits. It's the first time they've ever partnered with another institution, to my understanding. Definitely will be a big draw (bigger than Adventure by exponents). Still sad to see a tremendously unique experience leveled. But, like so many changes happening right now, nothing can be done except to appreciate it while we can.

On January 1, 2017, the Adventure in the Valley of the Unknown exhibit at COSI in Columbus will close forever. The incredible 9,000 square foot exhibition is a fully self-contained tropical island under perpetual night skies, lit by torches and excavation lights. Inside, you're transported to the 1930s to become part of the Explorer's Society and their ongoing efforts to unlock the sealed Observatory of Knowledge. Guests then explore four areas of the Valley: the Well of Questions, Maze of Reason, Temple of Inspiration, and Cavern of Perseverance. In each region, they must find and awaken ancient stone Audio-Animatronics statues that hold the key to unlocking the Observatory and discovering the Treasure of Knowledge. Throughout the quest, living Explorers Society members from around the globe populate the island looking to solve the puzzle as well. Intrepid explorers can test their skills on a second "level" of the puzzle that takes 15 - 20 hours of deciphering, decoding, digging, exploring, and puzzling to uncover, making Adventure something like a living puzzle / video game / adventure / escape room. Easily on par with Disney's best Imagineering, this totally immersive, living world is one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring things in the Midwest and a total must-see for fans of theme parks, themed entertainment design, escape rooms, Indiana Jones, or puzzles. I encourage each and every one of you to visit (or revisit) the Valley of the Unknown ahead of its closing this holiday season. You can find more information on COSI's website and read my own in-depth analysis of the exhibit on Theme Park Tourist.

Just don't wear it into a maze. Seriously. I'd like to think that monsters are told that the "No Boo" necklaces are rendered ineffective in mazes and scare zones. To wear one to signal to the random walk-around characters, fine. But if you wear a No Boo necklace into a maze you've queued for and the monsters are instructed to respect that, it ruins the maze for everyone around you. Anyone know the policy on this? If you purchase a No Boo necklace, do they have signage to say "No Boo necklaces don't work past this point" at the entrance to mazes? Do the cashiers mention it? What are the monsters instructed to do when a No Boo necklace comes through the house?

You've got a drone? Then why ride Soarin'? You can drive on the highway yourself. Why ride Test Track? You can also go to your local zoo or pet your dog. Why go to Animal Kingdom? You can ride at roller coaster at Cedar Point. Why go to Kings Island? You can watch behind the scenes features on your DVD. Why go to Universal Studios Hollywood? You can order a solar kit from Amazon, so Epcot shouldn't bother having educational attractions? With equal respect, I'm offering that theme parks supersize the experience you can get elsewhere. Their purpose to give immense scale and leave an impression. They're grand things, master-planned and designed and emotionally charged. You can read a fairytale on your own. Why go to Magic Kingdom? Sure, Epcot brings the story of transportation and communication and energy to life, but that shouldn't be any less valuable than bringing The Little Mermaid or Beauty and The Beast to life, in my mind. Not as sexy, but still fascinating and captivating if it's done right. And just like reading The Little Mermaid doesn't compare to stepping into Prince Eric's Castle in New Fantasyland, I'd argue that buying a solar kit to charge your phone is quite a bit different than going on a trackless, spinning dark ride where super heroes demonstrate the incredible power of energy and resources. That's not to say today's Epcot is a shining example of bringing the stories of earth, ocean, energy, land, communication, etc. to stunning, captivating life. It's not. It's a piecemeal park that's lost its identity. It's rudderless and has all but tossed its mission and purpose overboard. But the concept of an educational pavilion park, I would argue, is NOT fundamentally flawed. Yes, Epcot's origin, architecture, and (some of its) content is unfortunately rooted in its 70s design and 80s opening. But the formula of a park that inspires through entertaining isn't dated or pointless in my mind. (And having a park based on scientific concepts does NOT mean it will need totally overhauled every decade, either... But that's neither here nor there.)

A pretty thoughtless comment given the article linked to above that you're no doubt responding to. Imagine if your dog or cat was put to sleep and the entire world decided to make it into a meme and post "hilarious" hashtags, print t-shirts, spam every post you made on any social media site reminding you of it, and call out bro-chants. That would just tickle you to death, wouldn't it? Or would it be a thoughtless, juvenile, insensitive, and crass reminder of a sincerely terrible event? The people who, y'know, actually worked with this creature are pleading people to stop making light of it and to let them move on. Please help them with that. Put another way: grow up.

Been gone a while and searching by hand / using search didn't show anything. Is this already being discussed in its own thread somewhere? Cedar Point's Soak City is becoming Cedar Point Shores Water Park, complete with a few new slide complexes. https://www.cedarpoint.com/what-s-new/cedar-point-shores-water-park The name doesn't quite roll off the tongue (even just making it Cedar Shores would be an improvement in my mind). Would make more sense if it were wrapped into Cedar Point and included with admission. Could that be the end game? Either way, a great idea, and the concept art looks fantastic. In any case, it's funny to see Cedar Fair's new dedication to creating unique, personalized water park identities for its parks (Cedar Point Shores, Carolina Harbor) literally just a few years after sweeping through and identically naming so many of them Soak City. I'm all for it. I'd love to see ours rebranded as Royal Shores or Queens Harbor or something. Seems unlikely given the newness of Soak City, but still. The more the parks in the chain are empowered to reflect their own stories, atmospheres, auras, etc., the better. In my mind, Soak City is the Flight Deck of water park names. Fine for Knott's where it originated, but splashed thoughtlessly across properties since then. All images via Cedar Point's website.

Epcot does not need thrill rides, but that's beside the point. I'm all for updating Epcot and keeping it fresh and exciting, and thrill rides can be a way to do that. However, the park has a very unusual, brilliant, and thoughtful purpose – a permanent World's Fair of idealogical pavilions, each focused on a single overarching topic of science, technology, innovation and industry: OCEAN, LAND, IMAGINATION, TRANSPORTATION, SPACE, LIFE, ENERGY, COMMUNICATION See Test Track as an example of a 21st Century solution for making a TRANSPORTATION pavilion a stand-out; Spaceship Earth as a cornerstone of a COMMUNICATION pavilion, with an in-depth ride through the history of communication; Living With the Land, even Soarin', are phenomenal anchors for the LAND pavilion. Similarly, an ENERGY pavilion can and should be anchored by an exciting, informative, and high energy dark ride. I imagine it with trackless vehicles through a blacklight comic book world examining how fossil fuels, wind power, hydro power, and more work and how they affect our world. Off the top of my head, how about energy super heroes using their abilities to combat a super villain named Blackout? With a post-show exhibit where you can test what it's like to harness energy to create your own super powers. There! Easy! Done! An exciting, thrilling ride packed with original characters that educates and entertains. But that's not what Epcot is for anymore, and it sucks.

Well you might see it differently once you're older than 10. I sincerely can't work out the complexity behind you accusing me of trying to shut down anyone I don't agree with and two minutes later, returning to the thread to shut down the SAME POSTER by calling them a child. You are truly a Trumpian wonder!

That's... really not worth saying. If you wanna talk about it, maybe open a new thread to talk about how an international destination park owned by a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate is better than a regional amusement thrill park. But why sign up here at this Kings Island fan site and start out with a post like this? Certainly doesn't fit in this thread, either. Imagine if, in real life, people were having a face-to-face conversation about bats and roller coasters and capital investment and you walked up out of the blue and said out loud: "Hi everyone. Nice to meet you. I just wanted to say, every Disney Park is better than every park you're talking about." Okay, Kanye... That'd probably kinda kill the buzz and ruin the conversation, huh? Odd. bkroz, who's separately wondering if you've been to Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris which is, by far, not as good as most Six Flags, Cedar Fair, or "family parks." A conversation for elsewhere. Welcome to KIC! ... I think.

At least Vortex is rough in the way that steel coasters are rough: odd transitions, some "snaps" in the physical track, inversions designed before computer simulations could predict forces, shuffling trains... Mean Streak is downright dangerous. Talk about jackhammering. Risk level 11 for sure.

Third time in 24 hours that this post can serve as a reasonable follow-up to something DontWantToWait42mar0 says. DontWantToWait42mar0, yet again you post about The Racer being on the chopping block and relate it back to Mystic Timbers. We get it. You're baiting us. It's not going to happen.

In all my years going to amusement parks, I've maintained that I would never be the person to suggest someone skips a ride. I just can't stand it when someone says, "I've never been to Kings Island! What should I do on my first visit?" and people say, "Skip Backlot Stunt Coaster, don't bother with The Bat, skip Vortex," etc. You just never know what someone will enjoy, what will make them happy, and what could change their perception of parks forever. So in all the years that friends, family, and acquaintances have come to me and asked what they should do at a new park, I've never told them to intentionally skip something. Seems like the wrong perspective anyway, to begin with. I think Mean Streak would be the exception. Last time I rode (2012) I said "Never again." And now when I visit with first-timers, I tell them, "Ride it if you want. I wouldn't." And I don't. In my opinion, it's MUCH more violent than Son of Beast was. More than aggressive. It's an assault. Absolutely unenjoyable to me, and I'm not quick to label a coaster rough. I am not at all sad to see it go. All I can say is that it feels like a towering, giant, wooden coaster does fit perfectly up there on the edge of the peninsula looming over Frontiertown. I'd like to see that in the future. A steel coaster just wouldn't feel the same in terms of creating a mountainous backdrop to the park.

BEFORE YOU REPLY TO THIS THREAD, consider this thing I have already said about a similar post he made in an unconnected topic:

^ Good example here. Pops into a thread to rehash the unpopular things he's already said elsewhere. Will say anything to start an argument. Posts the same things over and over, sometimes as new threads that literally get locked and it doesn't slow him down or soften his delivery. A contrarian – always has the opposite viewpoint of whatever a majority of others think. Ignores follow-ups to his post. (In other words, he doesn't say something controversial hoping it'll to start a worthwhile conversation, to learn something new, or to see how others feel. He says it just to stir the pot. Once he's said it, he flies off to another thread to post something else irritating.) This is a troll.