malem

^ The lot was closed this past weekend due to PointFest, but I don't see why it wouldn't be open for the rest of HalloWeekends. On the subject of Early Entry, they were trying a new system at the Resorts gate last weekend, positioning the checkpoint just past turnstiles and letting guests walk back to rides immediately without waiting on a rope drop. This seemed to be a better way to manage the crowd, and it eliminated the running of the bulls.

Even a valid beef with another user doesn't relate to a rattle on Banshee. Posting media owned by others without attribution is a plague on social media, and you're right to call it out when it happens. I'm glad that you're watermarking most of your photos so that others can't claim them as their own.

They do Early Entry on HalloWeekends Fridays. The park opens tonight (and every Friday night of HalloWeekends) at 5:00pm for Cedar Fair Platinum passholders & resort guests, or at 5:30pm for Cedar Point Gold pass holders. I plan to get there around 4:00pm today to beat the traffic getting onto the peninsula. Fridays aren't as bad as Saturdays. They're generally busier than they used to be, but it's impossible to say how crowded the park will be on any particular day.

The announcement details and videos are up: https://buschgardens.com/tampa/roller-coasters/iron-gwazi/ https://seaworld.com/orlando/roller-coasters/ice-breaker/

If you have a Cedar Fair platinum pass, you can get in at 5:00pm Friday for Early Entry. Cedar Point gold passholders can get in at 5:30pm. HalloWeekends is usually pretty busy; I'd suggest getting to Steel Vengeance and Maverick as early as possible. Dragster isn't currently on the limited list of rides operating on Friday nights, so it might not be open.

For awhile, the souvenir cups kept getting bigger each year (to ~32oz iirc) to offer better "value" with $1 refills, but they also encouraged a lot of wasted drink. The 24oz bottles in recent seasons are a more appropriate serving size, though the season or all-day paper cup refills are infinitely better for the same price.

Not every milestone rider is tracked down and congratulated, even at Kings Island. It's also possible that the 10 millionth rider didn't want his/her picture taken.

Tonight is the annual Pride Night private event at the park. Honda has the park tomorrow, and Sunday is GE Day. Next weekend P&G has the park for their Dividend Days event.

The coaster has been found. No arrests have been made as of yet. https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190906/roller-coaster-ride-stolen-from-union-county-recovered

For anyone who missed out on last year's $10/hour opportunity, Six Flags is repeating the contest at their parks this year. https://patch.com/new-jersey/brick/six-flags-coffin-challenge-back-2019-fright-fest

This takes joyriding to a whole new level. Stealing something as conspicuous and distinctive as a roller coaster doesn't seem to make sense, but criminals usually aren't the brightest of individuals. Hopefully whoever owns this ride is able to recover it.

The upcharge rides are partly spectator attractions. I remember watching people ride Xtreme SkyFlyer when I was 10-11 years old, thinking they had to be crazy to do something so insane. Capacity math precludes these being included as part of general admission. Xtreme SkyFlyer would probably benefit from being moved to a more crowded midway, but then guests couldn't ride for $5 on slow days.

ERT will be 30 minutes before the park opens, on Mystic Timbers and Diamondback. Tonight shouldn't be too packed with the limited hours.

^ SeaWorld San Antonio (which has yet to officially announce) is getting the GCI; SeaWorld San Diego is getting the Dive Coaster. RCDB is good for keeping it all straight. https://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&op=2020

Renewing still gets you the free Fast Lane Plus wristband and bring-a-friend ticket, but that deal for new passes was only valid for the weekend of National Roller Coaster Day. The prices haven't changed as of yet; they usually stay the same until the end of the fall season. In some seasons, platinum pass add-ons have increased in price during the fall.

The free bring-a-friend ticket can be redeemed directly at the turnstiles when you show up with your friend. If it's not on your pass when it's scanned at turnstiles, Guest Services or a ticket window should be able to help you.

Saudi Arabia itself is almost certainly footing the capex bill, so funding shouldn't be an issue. Six Flags seems to be on board for IP and operations, similar to the China parks that are under development.

You can upgrade paid tickets (including Kroger tickets) at the gate by paying the difference. If you plan on going again by the end of next year, it might make sense to upgrade all the way to a 2020 Gold pass. Complimentary tickets, which are sometimes used for promotions, have different rules and don't have any value toward a season pass.

The South Padre Island park, which wasn't purchased by Cedar Fair, has announced its new name: Beach Park at Isla Blanca.

The scare zones have become more intricately themed over the past few seasons. Since the areas are open to walk through, they handle a lot more guests than a maze can.

A user on Twitter posted an image of the modified seat back. I know you're joking, but for the record, parks don't allow employees to comment on incidents, especially those that could be legal matters. That would be a job for the professional ride inspectors.

Kings Island has still been adding Haunt attractions each season, but the focus has shifted more torward scare zones.

Racing to Steel Vengeance, a lot of runners give out near the train tracks.

On Banshee, flip flops are the only item allowed to be left in the station. I've seen them make people put their (closed) shoes back on to keep those from cluttering the station floor.

Engineering the ride to "add 13 feet" just to keep enthusiasts from arguing about the definition of a giga would be pretty silly.