BoddaH1994

No, I want to know NOW.

Anyone else catch them welding at the bottom of the helix earlier? I didn't have time to screen shot it but it was very apparent and neat to see. Happened around 3:30 today.

Cool podcast! Some fun tidbits that never came up: The parade floats were made by 3DX and Kern. 3DX has a long history with KI and does amazing work. Kern is THE company when it comes to parade floats. You name a parade, they currently or at least have made the floats. This includes the Nickelodeon Celebration Parade. All of the parade floats for Carowinds' Winterfest parade were made by Kern. It's cool to see the companies continue to work together! The theme to Grand Carnivale was developed by Grammy Award winning composer Scott Erickson. @DeltaFlyer's speculation that the issues with lights and the fountain involved timecode are probably spot on. I heard rumblings that they had a plan to fix it. Let's hope for a great show at the end of the night in 2020! If I were a betting man, I'd say that you'll see even less blacktop and even more pavers in 2020. No mention of Pass Perks?

Any more info on the actual date of release? Also, has availability been established with vendors? Is there going to be both a physical and digital copy available? I'd like to purchase both if possible.

Sad. I really enjoyed this ride.

This is a more accurate representation of any “5 year plan” or expenditure cycle that KI or any park would use. So, for example, outward planning leads to more vagueness the further out it gets. So they have a relative grasp on what 2020 is going to look like but probably only have a vague formulation of what 2025 will look like. Especially since you don’t know the economic climate or the evolving wants and needs of the guests 5 years out. I remember asking when the park was going to get WiFi 12 or so years ago. The question was answered with a “yeah right.” Now the WiFi is a big deal, integrated into a lot of their marketing and social plans. Oh, and it costs millions to implement at a place like KI. So what I’m saying is that in 2015 they probably knew that 2020 was going to be a big expenditure year, but beyond that it was probably nothing more than loose drawing board stuff.

Can’t wait to see it!!

I don’t think media was there. They probably reported with park supplied content. A piece scheduled to be installed could be installed on time at 9:00, be delayed until 2:00, or not happen until the next day. The media doesn’t have time to sit around and wait for this. Don’t hold your breath for Vortex coverage too. It’s possible that Chopper 9 will do a fly over or a news station may sent a drone up but the park isn’t going to facilitate anything involving The Vortex.

The previous GM championed the idea of haunt attractions in which you can just turn the lights on and be ready to go. This was a time and cost cutting measure. The SOB station, being perceived as out of the way, was a good candidate to turn into a maze. I do not know how the new GM feels about this, but I can tell you that from a guest perspective you can tell that the look and feel of the park is more important to him. That’s why in the past few years you’ve seen things fixed, lightbulbs replaced, etc during the course of the season rather than just putting them off until the next year.** To me, a station like Vortex’s that’s out on the midway wouldn’t be conducive to what he’s trying to do. **All of this is speculation, however it should be noted that the GM is primarily responsible for the vision, funds, and resources available to the park.

Looks like the cover band that played at the park before entertainment was in full swing will be back. The lead singer also occasionally played Holly Holiday.

https://www.wlwt.com/article/kings-islands-carousel-ohio-river-share-history/30659151 Interesting: ”If you're wondering if you're riding one of the original horses that's now nearing 100 years old, look for a special medallion on the horse's head.” I

Pretty good view. Looks like the helix to nowhere.

No doubt they’ll do a first rider auction. Likely the evening of media day.

If Shakespeare wrote them, yes.

I don’t think it’s always bad: The Beast The Bat The Vortex ...but some make it sound sound like English isn’t your first language The Banshee The Son of Beast The Orion The Invertigo

Is Orion on schedule? https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2020/january/orion-construction-progressing-on-schedule

Unfortunately they had to choose and they went with kind of the obvious choice. ACE is the oldest, biggest, and has the best publications. With that being said, I have worked with ACE, GOCC, Coaster Crew, and many others. All of which are very passionate, wonderful groups. I would highly encourage you to find the one that’s right for you.

Allow me to pose the questions: How will this affect attendance at KI? Will it be more, less, or unchanged? If there was a drop, would Orion and Grand Carnivale offset that? Why? I have thoughts on the matter. I will share after I hear some of yours.

Nah, paramount was midnight. Cedar Fair made it 1am.

It’s posted. No more midnight closes Saturday in July? That’s a real bummer, the only one that’s a midnight close is July 4th. Midnight closes for Haunt too. All around pretty bad news. I wonder if this is a noise ordinance thing.

Haha not exactly! An announcement of a calendar... which we probably essentially already know since they released preview night on the web site and opening day via Christmas ornament.

News article on the last pieces being delivered. https://www.wlwt.com/article/last-truckload-of-steel-delivered-to-construct-kings-islands-first-giga-coaster-orion/30524445

That's not photoshopped?

I’m not an engineer. I was just told that having them bolted together is superior to welded. It’s how all these next gen trains are made. Probably because you can tighten a bolt but re-welding is an issue. Maybe someone else has more insight on that.

What about lights permanently strung along Coney Mall, like the Gemini midway? I've always thought that would add ambiance. The temporary stuff they do is cool. I'd like to see it all the way down the mall.