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jzarley

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Everything posted by jzarley

  1. It's also not Summer...yet. ...or maybe, an announcement might not come during the day.
  2. ...especially if the timing of "Festival of the Lion King" and "Finding Nemo: The Musical" works out for you :-) I do have to question the appeal of CarsLand without Radiator Springs...yes, CarsLand at DCA is probably one of the best themed things I've ever seen done in a park, but without that big E-ticket attraction at the end of the street you don't have much more there than a food and shopping expansion. (Although, I was pleasantly surprised with Mater's Junkyard Jamboree...I think I rode it at least five times!) And while I agree that Test Track and Radiator Springs provide similar ride systems, the story and experience of the two are very different. (And, I think the same argument about similar ride systems could be made of Spiderman and Transformers at IOA and USF, or any one of the multiple "4D" movie experiences Disney repeats at each of their parks...)
  3. The more I see/hear from Matt Ouimet the more I like him...
  4. While technically accurate, "evacuated" seems an especially dramatic choice of words for the actual situation...
  5. ^ I'm not sure CP will ever beat Knott's in attendance (due to both their operating calendar and HUGE metro market they pull from...) I think your points might have some real validity if Kinzel was still in charge, but my gut-level is that Ouimet doesn't consider CP nearly the same "sacred cow" as the previous management...I think the strategy of the current management team is to maximize attendance/revenue at all/any parks--not to purposely position others in order to elevate CP (which may--or my not--have the intended impact anyway...) I do agree that putting in a duplicate coaster (i.e., Gatekeeper) at both parks would probably have a net/net impact on attendance between CP & KI in the opening season, since the thought process of the GP would probably be "it's just the same ride." I think the real business goal is to grow the attendance revenue of BOTH parks by encouraging visits to both (as is illustrated in another topic currently trending on this site...the addition of a combo KI/CP ticket on sale at Kroger...)
  6. So, I have absolutely no idea what the new ride will be...nor do I possess the mechanical expertise to compare the layout and types of footers and make educated guesses about what is being constructed (but, I'm really impressed by those that have that ability!). However, as a KI (and parks in general) fan, I can say what I'd like most to see built: 1) A B&M invert (I'm still bitter that our Top Gun ended up being an Arrow suspended instead of the B&M invert that the other Paramount Parks got at the time...) Even though there's nothing revolutionary about the design any more, some of my fav coasters (Dueling Dragons, Raptor, Montu) are of this type. Maybe something "biggest & fastest" of this type? A new "Bat" would be particularly nostaligic :-) 2) A B&M Dive Machine. While I can agree with the argument these are somewhat of a "one trick pony", there's nothing else like it in the regional market. (And, I can honestly say that SheiKra was one of the only coasters I can remember in the past 15 years or so that actually made me feel a little nervous the first time riding it...) 3) A Maverick-type coaster with a custom layout (first seat is one of my best rides on anything). Maybe they could return Action Zone back to the jungle theming of the old WAH era and make it jungle themed (as opposed to Maverick's western theme...) 4) A B&M Giga The thing I want to see least is a wing rider/Gatekeeper clone. Not that I have any thing against Gatekeeper or wing riders, my feelings on this are purely selfish--I'd like some variety between the two parks I visit most frequently (CP & KI). If KI and CP puts in duplicate installations (WindSeeker, Delirium--granted that one was under two different owners, so I can't blame CF for that), it makes the variety that I can experience as a park-goer more limited. It will be interesting to see if CF *finally* does use the "Banshee" name for something...instead of just their most frequenly used "teaser" name. Again, just my thoughts...I'm far from an expert (I consider myself more of a "discerning consumer" :-))
  7. Something tells me Terp doesn't know the hot dog dance song. That was the song my co-worker's daughter loved! "Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog" :-) Not great lyrics, but definitely catchy :-)
  8. Some thoughts on the report... 1) Cars Land was definitely worth the investment--an almost 23% increase in year-on-year attendance (and, it only slightly cannabalized attendance at DLP...just a little over 1%). That means that the Disneyland Resort (already one of the most heavily visited in the world) saw a 20%+ net increase. That's amazing for a "mature" market... 2) I'm surprised at how close CP's Soak City's attendance is to Zoombezi Bay's at the Columbus Zoo...I would have thought Soak City would have been further ahead of Zoombezi Bay. (Which, I guess is an indication of how well Zoombezi Bay--and the Columbus Zoo overall--is doing.) 3) What's attributed to the increase at USH (+15%)? The only thing I can think of is the addition of "Transformers" Thanks TheCrypt for posting--I enjoying reading this every year. (Even if the numbers aren't officially sanctioned...)
  9. It still never ceases to amaze me how EARLY kids become indoctrinated with Disney characters. My partner's great niece just turned ONE and she already recognizes Minnie Mouse (she even attempts to say something that sounds vaguely similar to "Minnie".) A former co-workers daughter could recongize Mickey at about the same age, and loved to watch (over and over and over again) some CGI Mickey and friends show on the Disney Channel. And, that's all without any significant (current) media presence--it's like its inborn or something... There's probably a lot of valid criticisms people can make about The Walt Disney Company, but you certainly can't fault them for the way they keep their intellectual property constantly promoted & relevant.
  10. There was a good article in last week's Time Magazine about the economics of stored value payment systems: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2144099,00.html EDIT--sorry, I was already logged in to Time's site and didn't realize this would ask for a login/subscription with the link...
  11. Are you still planning the day trip to the Grand Canyon? If you can, avoid the bus tour to the canyon from Vegas if at all possible...it's basically eight hours on the bus & 90 min at the canyon. If I had it to do all over again, I'd rent a car and drive it myself...I hate to have anyone else controlling my itinerary (probably why I've never had any desire to go on a cruise :-))
  12. So, I can't speak for the accuracy of the comment, but someone posted on one of the other enthusiast sites that "Flaming Moes" were unlikely because apparently Florida's liquor laws prohibit flaming drinks! (Again...can't comment on the accuracy, but thought it was an interesting thought.)
  13. "Inside the Magic" took the park provided concept art and enhanced it by creating a short video out of it: http://www.insidethemagic.net/2013/05/the-simpsons-theme-park-expansion-announced-for-universal-orlando-with-moes-tavern-krusty-burger-duff-beer/ I like how the park concept art actually looks like the Simpsons cartoon :-)
  14. While once again this isn't a well kept secret to anyone who has been to the park in the past few months and witnessed the construction, Universal made it official yesterday: https://media.universalorlando.com/PressRelease/detail.aspx?id=34669&ct=27752 This looks like a fun, little expansion...a nice plus to be thrown in with Transformers.
  15. ^ I'm with you on the years all running together now, XGator!! I didn't necessarily make it to KI every season back then (or, even in recent years unfortunately), so it's very possible that the first year I was there that Vortex was as well may have coincided with when the water had been removed (and, I've just linked the two events together in my memory.)
  16. Your dad is correct...the station area and leading into the first lift hill sat over a pond. The water disappeared right around the time Vortex was constructed...I don't know if the two were related or not. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=8GLpfDtEetpZgM&tbnid=4HPcTL1k2f5ZpM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.KICentral.com%2Fforums%2Findex.php%3F%2Ftopic%2F21268-beast-with-water%2F&ei=wOOUUbO6H-SIygGiwIHYDQ&bvm=bv.46471029,d.aWM&psig=AFQjCNGDcua6W3ASNOgg5BOu4Jn-NSh9bA&ust=1368798524947397 Edit: I found this photo on Google images...not realizing it was from an earlier post on KI Central! :-)
  17. No construction pics, but here's an article on Kings Island's "new" owners (Paramount Communications--as it was called then) in Cincinnati Magazine back in April 1993, and the featured new attraction that year--"Top Gun" http://books.google.com/books?id=fx4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=%22cincinnati+magazine%22%2B%22Kings+Island%22%2B1993&source=bl&ots=inMlXnqXzB&sig=rNIeAhTEWi81suZZY3f9JCZewhM&hl=en&ei=DsluS4iZCNCn8AbGnfSPBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22cincinnati%20magazine%22%2B%22Kings%20Island%22%2B1993&f=false It's an interesting read...especially with 20 years of perspective now.
  18. Screamscape had a link to some updated news re: the proposed Paramount Park in Spain: http://www.murciatoday.com/-alhama-council-approve-paramount-park-murcia-licences_16547-a.html It looks like from a planning perspective it's ready to move forward...no details on the probably even more important component (financing)
  19. Thanks... that makes it quite strange that Six Flags are asking about adding an Iron Man attraction. It could very well just be for the purpose of attempting to value their current licensed IP (DC Comics) vs. a competitors (Marvel). A lot of seemingly strange things can be asked in the pursuit of data.I recently completed a survey for Universal Orlando which asked "were you aware that the Universal Orlando theme parks were not part of Walt Disney World?" and "were you aware that tickets purchased for Walt Disney World would not permit admission to Universal Orlando?" Which I thought was pretty strange...but, obviously that misconception must exist in the minds of some people (and, they're attempting to measure the extent to which that is the case...)
  20. I've always heard that DisneySea is probably the most elaborately themed park in the world--and from your photos, I can definitely believe it! A friend of mine is doing a long-term consulting project in Tokyo and has been wanting us to come visit him--after seeing your pictures of Tokyo Disney I'm VERY tempted now :-) Interesting about the signage being in English...I was at Port Aventura in Spain several years ago (back when it was owned by Universal) and the signs there were in English as well...
  21. ^ Although, interestingly, the Disney Parks (as an overall unit) are still humming along pretty well according to the Q2 results that were released earlier in the week...14% increase in revenue and a 73% increase in operating income (profit). Granted, they're attributing much of that to the way the holidays fell this year, but still... http://finance.yahoo.com/news/walt-disney-company-reports-second-201500006.html
  22. The rumors are (according to ThemeParkInsider, Screamscape, and a few other sources) are that the train's "windows" will actually be video screens on which the story of your journey (to Hogsmeade from London and vice-versa) will be projected, so you'll never actually see the real "outside." One of the sites (I think ThemeParkInsider) reports that there will actually be six different "adventures" that will randomly occur based on when you ride the train. The train station currently under construction in IOA (under the Dragon Challenge coaster) seems HUGE...much bigger than what I was expecting. But then I realized that they'll actually have to have full ticketing and gate facilities built into each depot to account for people crossing from one park into the other. (I have no idea how many people don't currently buy "park hopper" tickets at Universal Orlando, but I can only guess this will dramatically increase that number...) This entire expansion sounds incredible...the kind of thing we theme park enthusiasts live for :-)
  23. While this is probably the worst kept secret in the theme park world, Universal officially announced the new Diagon Alley/London expansion at USF: http://media.universalorlando.com/PressRelease/detail.aspx?id=1576
  24. Yeah, just got back from Orlando...I'm guessing I just missed the soft opening because it looks *very* close to being ready (from the outside at least). The music all around the show building is great...very immersive. It will be a great addition. Hopefully the official announcements for the Simpsons "Springfield" expansion and "London" side of Wizarding World will be coming soon. The local NBC station (WESH) was running stories (sourced by enthusiast websites no less) that the HP expansion would open in July 2014. (And, based on the current state of construction--that wouldn't surprise me.)
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