dr_humor

I totally get it now. The 10 pm presentation is a funeral....or perhaps burial...for the of Son of Beast...and the Banshee rises up. I'm sure this thought was mentioned somewhere in this thread already, but I have neither the time or courage to find it.

No wonder it had problems opening up on time.

I officially cannot keep up with this thread. One last post and I'll sit back and watch until the 8th. And then try to keep up with the new ride's dedicated thread. All I can say is this: what you are in the midst of is a time that does not come around every day (much less every year) for what you consider your home park. Up here at Cedar Point, it had been awhile since we had the fun of guessing, hinting, etc. with Gatekeeper's arrival. It's Christmas eve at your park, and it's the "big present" you've been waiting for. So be excellent to each other...and enjoy the moment. What a great time to be a fan of Kings Island.

Bear with me here, but imagine having not looked at the thread for a few days, and finding this explosion. I think I can sum up what I have missed like this: 1) Official announcement 8/8 at 10:00 in Action Zone. I like it. 2) It will be a world-breaking coaster of some sort 3) Looks like a creepy theme/feel to the ride based off the announcement 4) And now blueprints have been found? My question is with these blueprints. I'm not calling them fake at all...my question is, where did they come from?

A dark ride. They want a family, as it will be a family-oriented attraction.

I think the key to a lot of this is not to over-think it. It's not like the park is playing some deep-thinking game of intrigue here with clues and puzzles to solve. Two numbers between 1 and 31. That means a date. You can make any calendar date out of two numbers between 1 and 31. Don's thinking of the announcement date. What is it? Well what do you get when an elephant mates with a rhioncerous?

They've actually never fixed the problem (meaning, they're actually still too heavy and cumbersome). If a boat is not loaded just right, it's in danger of capsizing, or at the very least, taking on a lot of water and slowing down even more. The boats also move through the course much slower than envisioned, and there is a significant jarring (and sometimes painful) bump at the bottom of both hills if one is sitting in the right spot. I certainly do not pretend to be an insider, but from what I have gathered from being a part of various discussions about this ride, this was essentially the "last straw" between Cedar Point (note; not Cedar Fair) and Intamin, and a lot of bridges were burned. Those bridges were already at least toasted. Hence, you will often see boats leave with rows unfilled, and often be told exactly where to sit, etc...and it's a nearly 6-minute agonizingly long, slow ride. Considering what it was designed to replace, Shoot the Rapids is a strikeout in my opinion. It's certainly not a family ride by any stretch of the imagination (see height requirements). But don't mind me. I'm in a hotel in Newport News having spent the past 4 days visiting the great Busch Gardens Williamsburg; it always reminds me of everything Cedar Point is not with regards to the word "family". Speaking of which, TTD, I looked for you in France all week...but found no "ginger kid" in a yellow shirt. Sorry I missed you! Especially since you work at one of my favorite parks.

Ah I simply cannot wait. I'll be in Walt Disney World for the first time as a father with our 2 and 6 year old girls, arriving about a month after this coaster is scheduled to open. I have a very good friend who is an "imagineer" who is working on this ride, and according to him, they are a bit ahead of schedule. The "tilting" cars will provide a great experience...now we just need a "Temple of Doom Mine Ride" (sorry...boyhood fantasy). I honestly don't know who is more excited...myself our the kids.

The only, only reason more B & M inverts have not popped up in the USA is because nearly every major park that features roller coasters has one. Or two. Which tells you something.

The log flume! Yes, it is wonderful, especially since I am still in denial over White Water Landing being removed from Cedar Point (not that I don't love Maverick). It's the University of Mount Union. I must say I'm a bit surprised to hear that some of the effects aren't being kept up, especially on an attraction that is all about...well...the effects. I suppose I shouldn't be so harsh on Cedar Point for "letting things go" from time to time. Hopefully there is enough there to make it memorable. Of course we have our first rides on Griffon to look forward to as well. So where might I run into you TTD? Do they let you out to roam the park? The closer we get to the trip I'll know the days we'll be hanging around.

How is Curse of Darkastle? (sp?) My wife and I went to BGW as part of our honeymoon, and that was the year before this was built, so there is quite a bit new for us to explore. I'm very excited that our 1.5 and 5.5 year old girls will meet all of their Sesame Street friends. What I remember most about BGW is just how beautiful it is. To me, it's almost like Disney married to Cedar Point; a near-perfect blend of theme, charm, and thrills.

Grizzly is a highly underrated coaster in my opinion. From my perspective, anyway, I rarely hear anyone talk about it, but it's a great ride. I just had to chime in as in a couple weeks we are making our way to Williamsburg for a conference, and we plan on hitting up BGW at least a few times with the girls. I'll definitely be on the lookout for the (insert dramatic music here)...ginger kid.

Why would a woman that pregnant be in a line for Firehawk?

I've never met Don, but I like him.

I'm a professor of clinical and abnormal psychology, but my therapeutic degree is a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy...and during my training I specialized in child/adolescent psychopathology...so now I teach courses in that as well as therapy and general mental illness...although my favorite course to teach is the Psychology of Humor. (hence the name...my research is in...well...humor.) And you're correct; the idea was to make the diagnosis more inclusive, so when you hear that the rates of autism are skyrocketing, it does not mean that there is suddenly "more" of this disorder, there is simply more diagnosing going on for various reasons.

Depending on the degree of autism, of course. Currently, we cast a net that's way too wide (in my professional opinion...in case you're wondering, I'm a therapist and professor that specializes in child psychopathology, so I find this thread particularly interesting), For example, if you were ever diagnosed with Asperger's, guess what? "POOF", that has magically become autism in 2013, but it's a "better safe than sorry" approach, of course. In the past 5 years, I've actually been asked by at least half a dozen parents to switch their child's diagnosis of a learning disability to a diagnosis of autism. Why? They can get mandated support from the schools with that diagnosis that they can't get with others. This is not an uncommon situation doctors and therapists find themselves in. Frankly, I've never done it, so they move on until they find someone who will. One thing we know for sure is that early intervention is absolutely key, so part of this wave is so that kids that can benefit from early intervention can get it. It's such a broad, broad, spectrum, it's nearly impossible to have a blanket, catch-all policy in my opinion. What struck me was someone's comment about a ride e-stopping and everyone being forced to do a walk-down. If someone's autism is so severe that they honestly could not stand to be in a line for more than a few minutes, what on earth would you do in that situation? You could very easily be putting your child's life (and the life of others) in serious danger. I've never though twice about someone with a disability going ahead of me on a ride, or being put on a train in "my row". In fact, I typically make a point to smile and make a kind gesture, as I'm sure they get faced with their fair share of dirty looks throughout the day. I'm just relieved no one on here has said the word vaccine yet. I still meet parents who have more faith in Jenny McCarthy than medical science. And no, you absolutely cannot compare someone with autism to someone with ADHD or back issues. Such a statement reflects a misunderstanding of the issue at hand. An older child with a more severe case of autism could become a very real danger to him or herself and others in an emergency situation. note; part of this was cut/paste from my posts in our discussion at coasterbuzz of the same topic.

I actually enjoyed the diversion, upstop...it made me laugh. Even if it was just laughing on the inside.

Upstop...you just confused me. What did you just post?

I only rode Hercules once, but I often wonder if my memory is tainted...it was still new (1990) when we were there.

From a distance, yes. I think I saw a test dummy cry once.

But his corporation built Hercules But hey...you can't hit a home run if you're scared to strike out, right?

Mean Streak...where to begin? First, I rode it back when it opened after a 3 hour wait in 1991. CP built this for one reason: to have the tallest, fastest wooden coaster on the planet. It was an intense fun ride that never let up. That experience lasted a couple seasons, when the maintenence costs skyrocketed as it was literally tearing itself apart. CP's answer? Trimming the first drop. To death. Yes...as you fall down the first hill, your journey is immediately halted (literally) by a powerful trim that slows the entire train to a crawl down the first drop. The result is that the train is slowed so much, it has just enough momentum to get you over the first banked turn, but it's going so slow it jackhammers and also loses any hope of giving you any airtime. I would not say it's as painful as it is boring, but it is certainly uncomfortable. The retracking has actually done nothing for the ride (I gave it a couple whirls as late as 2 weeks ago just to see). Honestly, Mean Streak just stands a symbol of failure, much like SOB did for me at KI. It's a neutered version of itself with the trim on the drop, and belongs to a family of coasters that were all doomed; the Dinns. If I were you, go ahead and ride it just so you don't leave not knowing. As much as I complain about it, I still ride it once a year "just to see", but then go home saying "ok, never again". The bottom line? Just not a good ride whose time is limited at the point. And no, I don't dislike it because I think it's the "thing to do"; I wish it was a worthwhile ride, but it's simply not....in my opinion. Great trivia. A must ride.

I would have to agree...the view of the lake is simply breath-taking. By the way, from the top of Magnum on a clear day, you really can see Canada from across the water. Knowing you're a KI regular, here's another suggestion (nudge nudge). You've ridden Flight Deck, no doubt...so Iron Dragon may seem really "meh" to you...but only if you ride it during the day. If Iron Dragon is on your list (and why not...it's not terrible...it's just no Flight Deck), save this for a Front Row at night. It doesn't totally redeem the ride, but it easily boosts this ride from a 4-5 star ride to a 6-7. Are you writing all this down? Make sure they find the Family Care Center in Planet Snoopy. We also have a 1 and 5 year old, and it's a wonderfuk place with AC...and a room designed specifically for mothers to breast-feed, diaper-change, chill out (they play Charlie Brown cartoons all day inside for the kids). We spend a considerable amount of time there with out little ones.

Yep, 1-3 is the fabled "ejector seat" of Maggie. Just don't be frightened when you look at the loading platform and see chaos when bording Magnum. The vast majority is waiting for the front seat (for good reason), but 1-3 usually has a rather small line as people are scared off by the mob up there. Another "favorite seat" at the park of mine is the very, very back of Wicked Twister. The line is usually short as people mob the front, but you get the most "twisty time" in the back, and you also technically get launched "higher" than any other car on the train. My wife introduced me to this one, and I've haven't strayed since. And Terp is so right about Maverick. It's a wild, fun ride anywhere, but for me the wait for the front on this one is well worth it (the same is now true for Gatekeeper for me as well). I hope it goes smoothly and it's up and running for ERT for you...it should be at least one of the days. With two days, I would take a deep breath and count on getting on most everything you want to. Very unfortunately, SkyHawk has been down since opening day, waiting on a part, so it is very likely you may not get a ride on this. There is no word on when it is going to open. Very happy for you! There is something magical about being with someone who has never observed the skyline of CP in person for the first time...so I can't wait to hear about your experience. I think your Thursday will be a great day at the Point. Crowds are still not at peak, and Thursday is generally a very good day in the park. A little hidden gem for you; take a spin on Cedar Downs Raceway (it's a "fast" merry go round)...it's a little known flat, and I've honestly never seen one outside Cedar Point. Of course save this for day 2 when you're satisfied with getting all your rides in. And if I absolutely had to force you to do one thing before you leave on Thursday night? Millennium Force at night, in the dark. It's a religous experience...trust me. Get in line as the park is closing. Have fun!

Hank, if memory serves me correctly, somwhere in the neighborhood of 20 - 25 million was reserved for Gatekeeper. It's actually a very good question and a baramoter for what one can expect. I have not heard any details about the specific budgets for 2014.