Spectrum91

^Oops, forgot about those. Fixed!

New for 2015: The Nation's Newest Rides and Slides This thread is a personal project of mine, alphabetically databasing all of the new rides and slides opening at amusement and water parks in 2015, from the massive coasters to the miniature children's rides. I'll continually update this post as new details are released and new rides are announced. If I'm missing anything, or you think there's anything useful that can be added or changed to any piece, please don't hesitate to let me know. Adventure City Anaheim, CA Rewind Racers - A family shuttle coaster manufactured by Gerstlauer. Adventure Park USA New Market, MD Wild West Express - A compact family roller coaster. Formerly operated as Windstorm at Old Town in Kissimmee, Florida. Adventureland Farmingdale, NY Turbulence - A $5 million Mack spinning roller coaster. Beech Bend Bowling Green, KY Air Race - A Zamperla air race Monster Truck - A children's ride Unnamed Swing Ride - A standard swings attraction Sizzler - A replacement version for an existing, similar ride Tornado - A replacement version for an existing, similar ride Canada's Wonderland Vaughan, Ontario, Canada Typhoon - A waterslide with oscillating funnels and hairpin turns Splash Station - An interactive children's play area Carowinds Charlotte, NC Fury 325 - A massive 325-foot giga coaster (the world's tallest) with an 81-degree drop and 6,602-feet of twisted steel track. The 3 minute, 25 second thrill ride will go under and over the park's new entrance plaza, reaching a maximum speed of 95mph. The attraction will be manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard and will be built on 8.4 acres between North and South Carolina. KICentral Thread SlingShot - A standard Sling Shot attraction that'll shoot riders 300 feet in the air. Casino Pier Seaside Heights, NJ S&S Double-Shot - A 120-foot S&S Double Shot. Cedar Point Sandusky, OH Rougarou - The former Mantis, originally opened in 1996, under a new name with a new paint job and new floorless trains. KICentral Thread Cincinnati's Coney Island Cincinnati, OH Unnamed Pendulum Ride - A spinning, swinging ride that lifts riders 35-feet in the air. KICentral Thread Unnamed Children's Bumper Cards - A miniature bumper cars ride. Darien Lake Darien Center, NY Brain Drain - A 70-foot slide complex with two launch capsules and 360-degree loops. Rolling Thunder - A Larson loop. Dorney Park Allentown, PA Cedar Creek Flyers - Larson Flying Scooters with eight 2-person tubs. Great Escape Queensbury, NY Buccaneer Beach - A re-imagining of the former Noah's Sprayground area. It will be themed to pirates and feature spray jets, water slides, and an enlarged pool deck. KICentral Thread Hersheypark Hershey, PA Laff Trakk - An indoor spinning roller coaster with sets and scenes lit by blacklights. The family attraction will twist through 1,400 feet of steel track, feature multiple high banked curves (the steepest at 85 degrees), and last 1 minute, 10 seconds. Holiday World Santa Claus, IN Thunderbird - A launched wing coaster (the nation's first) manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard. The $22 million thrill ride is the park's first major steel roller coaster and will hurtle riders from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, twist through 3,035 feet of track and four inversions, and stand 140 feet tall. The ride will also feature two "headchopper" keyholes, a signature feature of most wing coasters. KICentral Thread Idlewild Ligonier, PA Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood - A refurbishment of the former Mister Roger's Neighborhood trolley attraction. Kentucky Kingdom Louisville, KY T3 - The park's former T2 thrill ride, originally opened in 1995 and last operated in 2009. The 101.7-foot inverted coaster, manufactured by Vekoma, will now feature new trains. KICentral Thread Raging Rapids River Ride - The park's former river rapids ride Enterprise - The park's former Enterprise Skycatcher - A 130-foot ARM Rides Vertigo Cyclos - A swinging, spinning pendulum flat ride (a Zamperla 16-riders) Kings Dominion Doswell, VA All of the below attractions are part of a Water Works waterpark expansion. The first three are on the same 65-foot slide complex. Paradise Plunge - Three "drop chute" body slides from the top of a new slide complex. The slides will have a near-vertical drop and feature twists and turns in a translucent flume. Aqua Blast - A waterslide with four 360 degree spins across 449 feet of slide. Thunder Falls - A tubed ride that ends with a series of intense drops. Splash Island - A new water play area for smaller visitors. Kings Island Kings Mill, OH Woodstock Gliders - A Larsons International flying scooters ride with eight two-person tubs. KICentral Thread Snoopy's Space Buggies - A Zamperla jump-around with six four-person cars. Knoebels Elysburg, PA Impulse - A 98-foot Zierer steel roller coaster with a vertical lift, vertical drop, and four inversions (cobra roll, vertical loop, inline twist). The 1,985 foot coaster will reach a maximum speed of 56mph. Knott's Berry Farm Buena Park, CA Voyage to the Iron Reef - An interactive, 4D dark ride. KICentral Thread La Ronde Montréal, Québec, Canada Maison Rouge - A year-round haunted house. KICentral Thread Lagoon Farmington, UT Cannibal - A $22 million, 208-foot steel roller coaster with a vertical lift, beyond-vertical drop, and a maximum speed of over 70mph. KICentral Thread Miracle Strip Amusement Park Panama City Beach, FL Starliner - A Great Coasters International wooden roller coaster, built to resemble the former John Allen classic that closed in 2004. The ride will feature a dragon-shaped tunnel. Mt. Olympus Wisconsin Dells, WI The Manticore - A 140-foot StarFlyer Orlando Eye Orlando, FL Orlando Eye - A 400-foot observation wheel. Quassy Amusement Park Middlebury, CT Frantic - A swinging, spinning flat ride manufactured by VISA International Collidoscope - Junior bumper cars Silver Dollar City Branson, MO All of the below attractions are part of the new Fireman's Landing, a new park area with a collection of family-friendly rides and attractions. Fire Spotter - A Zamperla Balloon Race Fire Wagon Frenzy - A Zamperla Crazy Bus FireFall - An S&S Double-Shot Tower Fireman's Flyer - A kiddie swing ride Up the Ladder - A Zamperla Jumpin' Star The Roundabout - A Zamperla Jump Around Firehouse Splash Yard - An interactive water sprayground Firefighter's Fire Drill - A foam ball play area Firefighter's Fire Escape - A large climbing structure Firefighter's Junior Escape - A soft play area for toddlers Six Flags America Upper Marlboro, MD Bourbon Street Fireball - A 7-story, 360-degree Giant Loop, manufactured by Larson International, Inc. KICentral Thread Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Vallejo, CA Dare Devil Chaos Coaster - A 7-story, 360-degree Giant Loop, manufactured by Larson International, Inc. KICentral Thread Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, TX Batman The Ride - A 4D wing coaster with a 120-foot elevator-type lift, two beyond-90-degrees drops, and magnetic fins that will flip riders upside-down six times. The thrill ride will feature Bruce Wayne and Batman themeing in its queue line, including the Batmobile and Bat-Signal. KICentral Thread Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, NJ El Diablo - A 7-story, 360-degree Giant Loop, manufactured by Larson International, Inc. KICentral Thread Six Flags Great America Gurnee, IL Tots Livery Surrey Carriages - A returning children's ride Red Baron Airplanes - A returning children's ride Lady Bugs - A returning children's ride 40th Anniversary Celebration - A season-long celebration that will include in-park festivals and weekly events, in addition to a complete refresh of the park's Carousel Plaza and Hometown Square. KICentral Thread for celebration and above. Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, CA Twisted Colossus - A re-imagining of the former Colossus wooden roller coasters, originally opened in 1978. The twin tracked thrill ride will be linked into a single, 5,000 foot circuit and the wooden track will be replaced by Rocky Mountain Construction's signature steel track, making it the world's longest hybrid roller coaster. It will also now feature two lift hills, 128-foot drops at 80 degrees, and 18 airtime hills, in addition to the first "high five" element in the Western Hemisphere. Other elements include a Top Gun Stall and a Zero G Roll. KICentral Thread Six Flags Mexico Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Sky Screamer - A 242-foot swing ride that will spin passengers around a 98-foot circle at full swing. The 2 minute ride will reach a top speed of 35mph. KICentral Thread Six Flags New England Agawam, MA Wicked Cyclone - A re-imagining of the former Cyclone roller coaster, originally opened in 1983. The new Rocky Mountain Construction thrill ride will feature 3,320 feet of twisted steel track, stand 10 stories tall, and reach a maximum speed of 55mph. It will also be the first coaster of its kind to have a 200-degree stall and two Zero G Rolls. KICentral Thread Six Flags Over Georgia Austell, GA The Joker Chaos Coaster - A 7-story, 360-degree Giant Loop, manufactured by Larson International, Inc. KICentral Thread Harley Quinn Spinsanity - A new spinning attraction. Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, TX Justice League Battle for Metropolis - A 3D interactive dark ride experience that will allow passengers to shoot physical and virtual targets in an attempt to save the city of Metropolis and rescue Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Supergirl. The 3 minute, 20 second ride will be a collaboration between several big name companies: Oceaneering will manufacture the ten motor driven, motion based vehicles, capable of quickly accelerating and stopping. The six person vehicles will also feature four ranges of motion - forwards, backwards, and side-to-side. Sally Manufacturing will create two animatronic superheroes, a Cyborg in the queue that will inform riders of the state of Metropolis and a Joker within the ride. Pure Imagination will create the 3D graphics and films, presented on eight separate screens, the largest being 30 feet wide. Lexington Scenic will create the physical sets. Alterface will create the interactive gaming elements. The whole attraction will be housed inside a 15,000 square foot space, formerly used for the park's Action Theater. KICentral Thread Six Flags St. Louis Eureka, MO Justice League Battle for Metropolis - A 3D interactive dark ride experience that will allow passengers to shoot physical and virtual targets in an attempt to save the city of Metropolis and rescue Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Supergirl. The 3 minute, 20 second ride will be a collaboration between several big name companies: Oceaneering will manufacture the seven motor driven, motion based vehicles, capable of quickly accelerating and stopping. The six person vehicles will also feature four ranges of motion - forwards, backwards, and side-to-side. Sally Manufacturing will create two animatronic superheroes, a Cyborg in the queue that will inform riders of the state of Metropolis and a Joker within the ride. Pure Imagination will create the 3D graphics and films, presented on eight separate screens, the largest being 30 feet wide. Lexington Scenic will create the physical sets. Alterface will create the interactive gaming elements. The whole attraction will be housed inside a 15,000 square foot space, formerly used for Scooby Doo Ghost Blasters: Mystery of the Scary Swamp. KICentral Thread Six Flags White Water Marietta, GA Dive Bomber - A body slide standing over 100-feet tall (the park's tallest) with a nearly 90-degree drop out of a clear, enclosed capsule with a trap door floor. Riders will reach speeds in excess of 40mph. KICentral Thread Stricker's Grove Ross, OH Pirate Ship - A standard swinging-ship. Universal Studios Hollywood Hollywood, CA The Simpsons - A large expansion outside the pre-existing Simpsons Ride that will feature several new dining options, including Krusty Burger, Luigi's Pizza, Phineas Q. Bufferfat's 5600 Flavors Ice Cream Parlor, Moe's Tavern, and Duff Brewery. KICentral Thread Fast & Furious: Supercharged - A new scene on the Studio Tour, housed inside a new 50,000 square foot building. It will feature the world's longest and most expansive 360-degree screen, spanning 400 feet in length and utilizing 18 4K projectors. The attraction will be part of a new nighttime tour offered at the park. Valleyfair Shakopee, MN All of the below attractions are part of a Soak City waterpark expansion. KICentral Thread Breakers Pipeline - Four 65-foot tube slides with "trap door" floors. Breakers Plunge - Two 90-foot speed slides. Barefoot Beach - An interactive splash pad nearly an acre in size. Waldameer Erie, PA Wave Pool - A $10 million wave pool with capacity for 1,000 people. Worlds of Fun Kansas City, MO Splash Island - A 4,200 square foot sprayground for smaller visitors. ZDT's Amusement Park Seguin, TX Swithback - An intense family wooden roller coaster with a 64-foot drop, 104-degree overbanked turn, and a forwards-and-backwards segment. The attraction will be manufactured by The Gravity Group. KICentral Thread Once again, if you see any attractions or important details I'm missing, just let me know and I'll update and add to this original post. I'll also hopefully get around to including links and images, although I don't want to clutter up this post too much.

But our Flying Eagles were located elsewhere in the park before, where Dodgem currently stands today.

And yet another new one.In 2014, Universal Studios Hollywood removed the "Auctioneer" character from its Purge scare-zone after the mother of a 13-year-old girl was offended that her daughter and her friend were called "Slut 1" and "Slut 2" by a performer.Two news stories over the event: InsideUniversal.net - Purge Auctioneer Removed After Controversy Surrounding Explicit Remarks HollywoodReporter.com - Gloria Allred Demands 'Accountability' After Universal Studios Employee Allegedly Calls Girls 'Sluts' and 'Whores For anyone unfamiliar, the Auctioneer character played the "antoganizer" role frequently found at Halloween Horror Nights. It goes hand-in-hand with "Chucky's Insult Emporium" from last year, and as the name would suggest, the idea is to antagonize and insult the guests. Kings Island had their own version back in 2006 (Heckle & Howl) and again in 2007 (queue entertainment for Trail of Terror), although the latter was far more intense and drastically less funny than its predecessor.

http://rideaccidents.com/ Edit - Actually, now that I look at it, the site has done a horrendous job of staying updated, versus how frequently new stories were added in years past.

Page 7: "The Brady’s Visit the Flyers in 1974" The Brady Bunch actually visited and filmed at the park in August 1973.

Disney charges what people are willing to pay.

Or perhaps the park enforced that because the ride had a horrendous history of adults/teenagers misbehaving in the dark. Whether it be jumping out of the ride vehicle or engaging in sexual acts, it caused (and I imagine still causes) constant headaches, plus it resulted in constant security calls and frequently suspending ride operation. An adult/teenager would be far less likely to jump out or other activities if they're riding with a child, as the majority of those people would be riding for their child's enjoyment and not have any bad intentions.

Fun Fact: The inn used a couple double-decker buses to transport hotel visitors to and from the park. 1975. Double-decker buses used to transport hotel guests to the park. 1973. A clearer picture of the bus, taken from the Cincinnati Kids episode of The Brady Bunch. 2011. Here's a look at one of the buses a few years back, posted by KIC user 4runneradam in this thread. He said his boss had bought the buses from Taft and that one on of them was still parked on SR 32 in Mt. Carmel and the other was on his property. August 2012. Another look, courtesy Google Street View.

^I apologize if I stole your thunder or anything similar by posting them - I can remove them if you'd prefer to post them yourself. Something I find interesting in the second photo is the lack of any type of fence around the swimming pool. That'd be a serious safety violation for a hotel today, but was probably the norm back then.

And it's a very nice, detailed expansion. Plus, the number of food and beverage products directly from the show (Krusty Burger, Duff Beer, etc.) is phenomenal. I imagine it's helping boost dining sales at the park, just as Butterbeer did for Islands of Adventure.

Why should someone be punished if they can't afford an admission ticket to Magic Kingdom? That's unfair - just because they don't have the money, why should they be unable to visit the park? That's a ridiculous statement that wouldn't apply to anything and that's not what I was talking about. Of course you need money to visit the Magic Kingdom and many people do. I'm talking about those people who are already shelling out hundreds of dollars in tickets for their family to visit the park and then being told that they can't schedule FastPass+ as early as these other people because even though they had lots of money, they didn't have enough money. I feel like if you're already paying money to get into the park, then everyone who has paid for admission should have access to the same features when it comes to riding the attractions in the park you just paid for. Now, buying something extra like dinner with the characters or the VIP Tour or something like that, yes, not everyone is going to be able to have the same experience due to the money issue. And I wouldn't argue that just because someone doesn't have the money to eat with the Princesses or to take a VIP Tour doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to. Of course they shouldn't, because these are additional "premium" experiences that require additional upcharges - such as Cedar Fair and their FassLane. Just because you bought an admission ticket to Kings Island does not mean you are entitled to a FastLane wristband. This is a premium, upcharge experience. My opinion is that if you've bought admission to the park, then scheduling an attraction should be available to you. You should not have to wait to schedule just because you're not staying on Disney property. A Disney hotel has nothing to do with a ride at the Magic Kingdom or Epcot or wherever else. If I paid my admission to that particular park, then I should be able to access the scheduling for that park's attractions along with everyone else at the same time regardless of where you're staying. It's pretty simple really. Everyone who buys a ticket has equal access to schedule a FastPass+ on a first come, first serve basis. It's so simple it's scary! No, it is not a ridiculous statement. You're complaining that it's "unfair" that someone can't do as much (reserve rides earlier, etc.) as someone with more money. But that's how things work, just like someone with some money can visit Magic Kingdom, while someone with no money cannot. The same rules apply inside the park, which you noted: someone with more money can dine with Cinderella, someone with less cannot. Similarly, someone with more money can pick Space Mountain 90 days early, someone with less cannot. And as an incentive to stay on property, or to spend more, Disney is giving priority scheduling to those who do, versus those who don't. Which is a fair, logical business decision. It's a simple decision actually. It's so simple it's scary!

Why should someone be punished if they can't afford an admission ticket to Magic Kingdom? That's unfair - just because they don't have the money, why should they be unable to visit the park? KICentral has dove into this discussion time and time again. And the truth always pops up: The more money you have, the more experiences and the better treatment you can afford.

Here's a couple pictures of the inn from August 1972. They were originally posted here by KIfan73, although I'm unable to find the original topic or posts. EDIT - Here's the original topic for the below photos: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/20506-ki-history-photos-merry-christmas/ The 120 room inn was also heavily featured in both The Brady Bunch and The Patridge Family episodes shot at the park. I'll try and post some stills from these episodes later today.

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It's not so much the same pirate is used, but that animatronic was just rebuilt, versus custom making a brand new one. Same with the grandma in Haunted Mansion being the grandma in Carousel of Progress.

If they're anything like the wait time signs in front of several of the coasters... ...then no, I highly doubt they'll be accurate.

If any one was curious, here's the answers I've came up with. What year did Ferris Wheel open and close? The Ferris Wheel opened in 1978 and last operated in 1990 or 1991 (I'm learning towards the former). Regarding the ride opening in 1978, it does not appear as though it was planned to be a new attraction - the 1978 park map still lists Bavarian Beetle in that place, but photos from that year show prove the steel roller coaster was actually removed. Was Shake, Rattle, and Roll ever officially called 'Troika'? I haven't yet found a definitive answer on this one, but it was for sure Shake, Rattle, and Roll by 1979. What year was Zodiac removed? Zodiac was removed after the 1986 season, although I have strong suspicions it did not operate in 1986. This goes against some old web posts, including KICentral's own timeline, but I am very certain of these dates. What year was The Bat's final year of operation? I still haven't gotten a clear answer on this, but I'm overall confident it last operated in 1983 before sitting dormant for most/all 1984 before being removed. With those mostly answered, I now have a new question that maybe someone can help me with... What day did Racer's construction start? A few weeks ago, Kings Island tweeted: However, last year on September 17 the park posted on their Facebook: I'm thinking the Facebook post may have been posted later in the evening and the time zone the profile was listed on was already past midnight, dating it to September 17. I'm not for sure though, and any earlier mentionings of the coaster's construction would be helpful.

^A lot of articles state otherwise. For example, from here:

I tried clicking the link to read the information, but was instead taken to a mobile website. When I clicked "Full Site", I was taken to the website's home page and couldn't easily fine the details.

Actually, the park technically did. From here, Don Helbig said...

You're joking, right? You seriously believe Boo Blasters is an improvement over Scooby-Doo?

Here's a new one to possibly add: In 2014, Universal Orlando removed the "Human Sacrifice" show from its Bayou of Blood scare zone. Official reason was to use the actors to fill the scare zone better, unofficial reason is that there were a multitude of guest complaints about the content of the show. Here's a video. As it's a human sacrifice, it may not exactly be safe for work (duh). You've been warned.

This point in the season, many employees are returning to college or elsewhere. This means there is a wave of new employees to replace them who are still adjusting to the job and learning the ropes. Hopefully important policies, like whether or not drinks are included with a meal plan, are learned sooner than later though.