TombRaiderFTW

^^ Same here! I honestly expected Wasteland to be in front of Mystic Timbers, and I imagined it would have been paired with a zombie overlay. A little disappointed, but that's okay. I'm sure Haunt will be great nonetheless.

I would love for more wooden coasters to have buzz bars... but, consider: 1. How many NEW wooden coasters are opening with buzz bars, and why is that number what it is? 2. Where are the coasters currently operating with buzz cars located, and why are they where they are? Answer both, and you'll know why it hasn't happened already. (I'm not trying to be difficult... As an engineer, I just don't want to put that much design-related info out there with my name on it and then have someone use it as gospel somewhere...)

I actually just bought Planet Coaster the other evening. It's definitely got a refreshing artsy-ness to it. I'm still trying to get the hang of it, but it feels a lot more accessible to casual users than NoLimits. I thought the partnership with Cedar Fair was very interesting... I wonder if this will become the new industry "thing" to do. I feel like Planet Coaster doesn't have enough of a following for this to become a regular occurrence--but then again, I wouldn't have thought it had enough of a following for this sort of partnership to ever happen.

A couple things (all of which are my opinion and none of which are based in insider information, so don't take any of this as gospel): 1. Dimensions was essentially a prototype version of Origins. It had a similar progression to this year's show, but a different setting (replace the ferrets with clowns and replace the mystical jungle theme with a generic "cirque show" theme--and the clowns are "interrupting" the show when they're on stage.) Origins, in my opinion, was better, as the clowns got a little annoying after a while. It honestly felt like they were distracting us, the audience, from seeing a bigger and frankly better show. Cirque Canadien was literally Origins with a Canada-ized theme--the ferrets were raccoons, a large portion of the rest of the cast wore flannel, and the soundtrack was geared more towards Canadian folk music. Between the end of Dimensions and the opening of Cirque Canadien, Wonderland's theater was not used for cirque shows at all (that's where their dog show went.) 2. It should be noted that several of the shows that have taken place in the Kings Island Theater over the last ten years have had two-season runs. If it were up to me, Kings Island would permanently have a cirque show in its lineup for years to come. But since it's not, I'm not sure I'm holding my breath for a 2018 cirque show. 3. Origins is currently showing at Kings Dominion. If the trend continues, we'll see it at Carowinds and Kings Dominion next year, then Carowinds and Dorney Park in 2019. EDIT (after a like from MDMC01): I forgot to add: Cirque Canadien also was touted as being part of Wonderland's celebration of Canada's 150th birthday, which lasted throughout July. It only had a one-month run. I'm not sure I'd count it as any indicator that cirque shows will continue beyond Origins.

The Antique Cars rumor came from Screamscape.

^ I mean, they haven't done a FULL Topper Track re-track, but they have done some partial ones. At one point, Rattler, Georgia Cyclone, and Tremors all had Topper Track. To my knowledge, Tremors still does. I *think* Le Monstre might have it too, on the first drops?

It looks like the words are actually horizontal, but the shed itself is sloped downhill like any other coaster brake run. Since the words and the shed aren't parallel, it makes the words seem crooked. Technically, the shed is crooked one here, haha.

When I was there earlier, I don't think it was playing. I didn't make a huge point to listen for it, though.

Came across some really interesting videos of Kings Island in 1979 that I thought I'd share. The first: The Beast's opening day, with interviews and several off-ride shots (including the pond under the queue and a close look at Beast's original trains) The second: aerial and in-park views of the park, including a look at Wild Animal Safari, Tumble Bug (!), and a VERY interesting series of shots of streetmosphere in International Street and Coney Mall. (How naked does International Street look without all the trees! And yet, it's got a TON of charm.) I don't really have much to add to this--I just know that many here reminisce about the park as it originally was, and I don't think anything has ever really brought the "old days" into perspective like these two videos. So, I thought I'd share!

You were warned: cheesiness ahead. The end is nigh. Bittersweet. Sad it's over. Happy that it happened. Thankful that it has inspired new ways for me to grow and new hobbies to follow. Full of awe at the stamina of the performers--they've performed with compounding vigor and passion from the start. Introspection about how I've changed since 2014 and (cheesy as it sounds) how cirque has been part of that. I want to grow to be that intentional and persistent in what I do. Time will tell if cirque continues to exist at KI--whether it does or not, I'm so happy to have had the experience. Thanks for the memories, KI and Haut-Vol.

Since it hasn't been quoted here, here's an example of that kind of statement from Sandor Kernacs, Intamin's US President, in relation to a fatal accident on Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England in 2004: http://articles.courant.com/2004-05-04/news/0405040040_1_roller-coaster-lap-bars-or-seat-superman-roller (Just a hint: it's zero.)

Except... doesn't Cedar Fair's Kings Island have a history of unambiguously teasing their new coasters? Not to mention starting visible work (as in preparing ground, cutting down trees, etc.)? Has that happened this year? Unless you're not talking about a giga in 2018 specifically--in which case, I agree.

I don't think it's necessarily a sequel--I think it's just a reusable theme. It worked in Ohio and KI and KD don't draw customers from the same market, so why not reuse it if the park's theme allows? It's not the worst theme a ride's had before. (I'm looking at you, Stitch's Great Escape.) I find it interesting that Twisted Timbers has no shed. I wonder why that is... TT and MT have the same core backstory, except one's in a lumber company and the other is in an apple orchard. Maybe KD didn't want TT to be seen as a poor man's Verbolten?

Regardless of what CGA and Knott's bring to the table, that's a really strong series of additions for 2018. Even more impressive is that literally every park that isn't KI is officially getting something. (And we may still hear something yet!) Just one thing... The RMC at Cedar Point. That name gets a pretty good cringe out of me. Definitely not my style, but the ride itself looks phenomenal. All things considered, it'll be great. I'll just have to call it "Fred" or something, haha.

Carowinds confirmed in the Facebook comments for that post that Woodstock Gliders will be relocating within the park... Alas.