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The store clerks.

Last Saturday was Kings Island's final midnight close of the 2014 season, and several from this site came to enjoy a fantastic day at the park. It did get crowded, but there was plenty of fun to be had even without Fast Lane and without waiting in excessively long queues. (None of us wanted to wait more than 30 minutes for anything. And we didn't.) I arrived at the front gate right at 9:30am and had time for 2 rides on Banshee and 1 ride on Drop Tower before the park opened. Afterwards, I enjoyed minimal waits in the rest of the park for the next ~1.5 hours. IAmABanshee arrived around 12:30pm, headed to Action Zone for a locker, and bought Fast Lane Plus immediately upon seeing the crowd there. He had little time at the park before work and wanted to make the most of it. We met in the station of The Racer after I waited ~20 minutes, then we rode Adventure Express and Congo Falls together with minimal waits. He walked onto Banshee and had ~10 minute Fast Lane waits on Diamondback and The Beast. At 2:25pm, a strong pop-up storm affected the park. Intense rain and some impressive cloud-to-ground lightning came out of nowhere. Rides immediately shut down and wouldn't start re-opening until ~3:30pm. This unfortunately cut IAmABanshee's day short, and I took the opportunity to eat at Hank's Burrito Shack while watching guests on the midway run for cover. I then got in line for The Beast just as it reopened and waited about 30 minutes. After the weather moved out, more KIC members found each other. By the end of the night the group consisted of jcgoble3, DontWantToWait42mar0, Kat, Aaron, Goki32, MDMC01, Beast Man and me. (Unfortunately silver2005 couldn't make it due to a car problem, and Ryan was absent. Devan and Jon ditched us for Cedar Point.) Even though the park became rather crowded, we decided against Fast Lane. As thousands of guests corralled themselves into full queues, we took the time to enjoy other rides such as WindSeeker, Adventure Express, Vortex, Dodgems, Congo Falls, and The Bat. After a couple hours of riding together, we headed to the Kings Island Theater for Cirque Imagine. After the show, we ate at The Chicken Shack - which tasted much better than it did in May and June. I hadn't seen Cirque Imagine since mid-June, so some more recent changes were new to me. The Hand2Hand act is one of the best of the performance, and the increased roster adds a lot to the show. Of course, it ended (as usual) with a huge standing ovation. If you haven't seen Cirque recently, make sure to get to the park before it ends on August 17! Of course, the best part about staying until midnight is getting lots of night rides! In order, we did the following after dark as a group: Viking Fury Grand Carousel White Water Canyon International Street viewing of extended fireworks Vortex Vortex (re-ride) Adventure Express Racer Banshee Race For Your Life Charlie Brown Beast - last train of the night White Water Canyon is an excellent night ride. You can't see where you're going, and rapids take you completely by surprise. Kat stayed behind with plenty of quarters, and some of us taunted the tower operator. We got what was coming to us and were soaked the rest of the night, but it was very much worth it. Vortex and The Beast were especially great, with thick fog covering the area under clear skies. It was my best ride on Vortex ever; we enjoyed it so much that we had to immediately re-ride. The Beast has been running especially well recently, and Saturday was no exception. Waits at most attractions were minimal in the 11pm hour, and even full Diamondback and Beast queues were down to about 20 minutes before the park closed. We chose not to cut it close by waiting for Diamondback just before 11:30pm, so a few of us (still drenched from earlier) decided to ride the log flume. It's a surprisingly good night ride as well. We started waiting in The Beast's plaza around 11:50pm for the much-anticipated final train of the night. Once the park closed, we chatted for a good while, and some purchased a hilarious Beast on-ride photo. We took our group picture by the Kings Island sign at the front of the park (which Kat needs to post) and called it a night. Overall, it was very fun day at the park - probably my favorite of the 2014 operating season so far. A lot can get done on a busy day, especially with a midnight close. I also love seeing the park fully awakened at the peak of the season, notwithstanding the crowds. There's a certain energy that just doesn't exist on a dead weekday.

^ You must have been in line right ahead of us. In fairness, the queue was probably closer to half-full all told (close to half-full in the upper portion and half of the lower queue area), but your wait time assessment is dead-on, as it took us about 45 minutes. I even turned to my brother and said the exact same thing about the old days when a full queue was a 45 minute wait. Seems like a long time ago. Two things are happening at Diamondback this year: (1) Lots of Fast Lane guests are strolling through the line. I'm guessing there must have been at least 200 Fast Lane guests that came through during our time in line yesterday. I don't have an issue with the fact that Fast Laners are coming through. I DO have an issue with how Fast Lane guests are allowed access to the ride.. I've seen groups of 15, 20 or more Fast Laners all let in at one time so as to clear out their queue. I've seen this on more than one occasion and it irks me to no end. Diamondback is - by far - the most popular ride on the Fast Lane system right now. It's the best ride on the Fast Lane (non-Plus edition) right now and it's also the most re-rideable. I've seen numerous Fast Laners who will get in line, ride, and then get right back in to ride again. Unfortunately, it's putting stresses on the system I don't believe Kings Island envisioned. (2) The crew this year - with some exceptions - has been lackluster this year as far as getting trains out in a timely fastion. I'm at the park usually a couple of times a week, and the only ride I will consistently ride no matter the crowd levels is Banshee. Why? Because I know that the Banshee line won't take forever to get through and the line will always move quickly. Yesterday was a great example. I could get on Banshee 3 times in 45 minutes yesterday in the same time it would take me to get 1 ride on Diamondback. Banshee is consistently moving several hundred people an hour more than Diamondback right now. Those several hundred people aren't - for the most part - still clogging the Banshee lines later on in the day because they've already moved through the line. This is a large part of the reason why the Banshee lines are manageable this year and the Diamondback lines usually aren't. I'd like to see Kings Island do the following: Limit the number of Fast Lane guests to a maximum of 8-10 people per train, all the time. Some of us have been warning for a long time that a high Fast Lane-to-standby guest allocation would lead to longer wait times, and Diamondback is falling victim to that right now. You can't create shorter wait times for some without creating longer wait times for others. Ironically enough Banshee has not had this same issue as there have been far fewer Fast Lane guests there. Interesting. Make Diamondback a Fast Lane Plus ride only. High Fast Lane usage was a problem at Firehawk for a while, so what did they do - they simply put in on Fast Lane Plus. High Fast Lane usage was an issue at Flight of Fear, so what did they do - they removed it from the system entirely, at least as of today. If you go to Canada's Wonderland their two best rides - Leviathan and Behemoth - are on Fast Lane Plus only. This is the best solution IMO for everyone because Kings Island makes the same amount of money with fewer Fast Lane guests, which means shorter standby wait times AND a better Fast Lane experience because there are fewer people in front of them. Done and done. Adopt the Banshee/Firehawk model and remove the loose article bins. You have to wear your shoes/flip flops on Diamondback, so doing this eliminates every and all possible causes of slow dispatch times. Just make it to where all guests can do is sit down in the seat and strap in. I know that members of Kings Island's staff reads these boards, and this item is directed at them. We're not coming on to this site to complain about Diamondback's operations just to have something to complain about. We try to be as objective and thorough in our analysis as possible and we're simply trying to enjoy a better experience while at the park. Many of us have been going to the park for quite some time and go frequently. Many seasoned park goers - and I'd argue some of your most loyal patrons - are bringing out what we feel is an issue that needs to be fixed. I really encourage you to delve in to the things we've brought to your attention, because it is affecting a significant part of your customer base. Diamondback is one of the best rides in the world, and it should have some of the best operations to match. Thank you.

Maybe they are going to move it inside the old TR:TR/Crypt building and give it some crazy dark ride make-over, since after all, a Huss of another breed used to reside in there anyways :P

The park would be branded Six Flags Kings Island. Six Flags and Cedar Fair would have merged, as Avenue Capital and Apollo planned. Dick Kinzel would have about six times more money than he does now. There would be no Diamondback, no Banshee, no Cirque Imagine. The park would be less clean, less safe and less fun. And I can only imagine what Great Adventure and Magic Mountain would look like. California's Great America would have been sold to the 49'rs. It would be a parking lot. Knott's Scary Farm would be far less so. There would be no massive investment planned at Carowinds next year. Discovery Kingdom and Valleyfair would have been sold by now. Six Flags America would be condos. The Great Escape's Comet would have been moved to Gurnee, Illinois. There would have been no accident on The New Texas Giant as there wouldn't be a New Texas Giant. And the Chairman, CEO and President of Six Flags Cedar Entertainment LLC would be Bart Kinzel.

That was true of the previous owners. It is NOT true of the Boylens. If they didn't care, why are mother and son both there 12-14 hours a day? Why have they liquidated nearly every other asset they have while keeping the park? Why have they turned down buyers who would level the park?I know Jack Boylen personally. I have met his mother many times, for various reasons over the years. When making a statement like the quoted post, remember, those are PEOPLE you are talking about. In this case, people whose blood, sweat and tears have gone into that place. Yes, it's in bad shape. But, it is open. Which is far more than can be said of so many other parks. And it may have a future. So far, I've made it to the park too few times to suit me. And I'm depressed the place seldom gets mentioned here unless I mention it. Support your parks. Or watch them go away.

The store is a representation of things that were popular in the 80's. Things like Star Wars, the movie "Child's Play," etc were all very poplar during that era. Also, cable TV came to popularity and rekindled popular shows such as "I Love Lucy" with the introduction of syndication in television. So the intention of the store isn't solely to sell products from 1980-1989, it's a representation of popular culture in the 1980's.

So not all bad things.

So I've seen this topic title several times, and I think my response needs to be immortalized in a post. What's up with Shake Rattle & Roll? Certainly not its rider counts! I'll be here all week!

On Saturday, August 9, Kings Island will attempt to surpass the world record for the most people applying sunscreen simultaneously to help raise awareness and money for the fight against cancers affecting men, women and children. The Guinness Book of Records shows the current record at 1,822 people applying sunscreen simultaneously. That was achieved by the Ann’s Hope Foundation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 18, 2014. The Kings Island initiative is part of its Kicks Cancer campaign to raise awareness for Melanoma Know More and will take place at 12:00 p.m. in the Showplace Theatre on International Street. Cincinnati Reds all-star third baseman Todd Frazier will join park visitors in the record-breaking attempt. Melanoma Know More is striving to reduce the impact of melanoma through awareness, education, support of medical research and assistance to persons affected by melanoma.

Is the sunscreen being given out or do guests need their bring their own? I know that the free sunscreen was one of the most popular attractions at the park I visited last week...

I really did not think I was going to like this show, and what a surprise I actually loved it! The performers are amazing and the music fits perfect. My family has since seen the show several times and it is something we really look forward to every visit.

The Apocalypse is a truly terrible stand up roller coaster at Six Flags America. Why, I have no idea.

Did I just see you use a nickname invented by Mr. YoungStud? Is this the apocalypse?

The only complaints I have heard about the new system is from enthusiasts and it has been very few and far between honestly. Like Gabe said nothing more fun than showing up to a Disney Park in the head of Summer finding a 2 hour wait for Splash Mountain and no Legacy FP available, because your family wasn't able to rope drop the park. Now a family can spend 2 days at Magic Kingdom and FP+ Big Thunder, Space and Splash Mountain day 1 and 7 Dwarfs, Enchanted Tales with Belle, and Pirates day 2 with little to no wait in line. Also they can schedule this 30+ days from arrival, which is a huge bonus if you ask me. Lets be honest the majority of visitors don't go in to Disney with a well crafted plan of attack, most just show up with tickets and a rough idea of what they want to ride. They are not enthusiasts like us who honed our craft of collecting Legacy Passes throughout the park ahead of the hoard of humanity. Disney is helping average Joe do a bit more planning which will result in a better trip. I have talked to numerous families that have used the new system and who have never done much planning. They absolutely loved FP+ and especially the benefit of the Magic Bands accessibility and usability throughout the resort. Convenience is the name of the game and a less stress filled Disney vacation is something most families have been wanting, especially during the hot Florida Summer.

The ride was originally going to play the respective national anthems from each country represented. In testing, they found that the many songs were outrageously miserable when overlapping between rooms and scenes. Enter the Sherman Brothers. Another thing I like – all of the dolls' faces are made from the same mold, just painted, dressed, and decorated differently. Get it?

Diamondback has gotten bad. The queue was 1/3 filled last night around 9 and it took 40 min. I can remember when a full queue was like 45 minutes.

That sounds terrifying.

What if your roof didn't need replaced? But then, yes, this could expand in the future. This was a HUGE gamble for Disney. HUGE. If they can get this to a place where it's easy, natural, intuitive, and smooth, then they'll be the envy of the theme park world. They are set up to be decades ahead of their competitors. At this point, all of their computer systems are state-of-the-art, top-notch, and ready. Their parks are united and unified and 21st century. There is no resort on Earth of comparable size, but even smaller ones can't say that they're as technologically prepared as Walt Disney World. SO FAR, it just seems like this wasn't needed. It wasn't broke. And with every new caveat that was discovered as the program unrolled (limits, tiers, one park per day, perks for hotel guests, etc) fans were like "Well... I mean... Okay, I GUESS. But was the old FastPass / park ticket system THAT broken that we needed this? Now that it's here, the limits and tiers and perks make technical sense, but it doesn't seem like we needed MyMagic+." And the tough thing now is that fans and followers and even management are practically SCREAMING that Disneyland's "roof" doesn't need fixed with this. They just don't want it. They know they won't use it. It's not right for Disneyland. So it's not a question of "We COULD use this for an expansion, but let's be smart about it and fix the roof," you know? Complicated thing. But Disneyland's roof is not broke, and they don't want it fixed. *shrug* We'll see.

^ That'd be Gator. His retelling/reposting/relinking of that story is basically a Christmas tradition around here!

I will attend Dinos this Saturday night with my kids. It's a great break from the park rides and yes they tend to rush but hopefully since the park is closed after 10, no need to rush. Most people will leave after 10.

Maybe it will be renamed back to Trokia wasn't that the name of the ride at one time?

Perhaps after SR&R gets back from the Betty Ford Clinic it will not only: look new, it will be brighter, with a new name, and possibly a new location??

Took this today

Sounds like no FUN to me.

My complaint about the 80s store was they had nothing in men's sizes. The biggest I saw in there was large. If they're going to sell retro 80s gear, how about stocking some sizes for middle aged guys like myself that were not only alive in the 80s, but remember all the things being sold. Just some extra large stuff would be a good start.

Only if the trams can get them to the gate...

Yea definitely a perfect spot for a maze and would make sense for why it got shut down mid season. Wonder is we'll be getting another new maze in addition to the revamped Slaughterhouse. Though I hope it's just a standard maze and not an alone upcharge one. As for Coney Mall itself with the removal of it and likely SR&R I hope we get some sort of Coney Mall upgrade for next year with a couple new flats. And redo the south end of the Coney Mall area.

I'm trying to imagine Mr. Don Helbig riding It's A Small World 12,000 times.

So the teacher from Peanuts was your tour guide?

So I finally got around to making this trip report. Our friend who works at the park once again was able to get us free tickets so we (my parents and I) were very thankful. We decided on this day, Thursday the 10th, since the weather looked decent. It wasn't supposed to be too hot and it was supposed to rain/storm in the morning so we hoped this might hold off some of the crowds like in previous years. We sure were right! It ended up being a perfect day. We arrived at the park a little after opening and headed straight for El Toro. No line at all. I wanted to ride in the back and got right on within a few minutes. It was such a perfect way to start the day, and the coaster was just as crazy intense as I remembered it. There really is no other coaster like it (as far as I've experienced) when it comes to its intensity. It literally leaves you breathless and speechless. I wanted to go on it again, so this time we rode in the front. I definitely like the back a lot better. In the front, there are only a few "OMG!!!" airtime moments, unlike the back where it's like this constantly. Plus the first drop was disappointing. Yes, it's fun just hanging over the crest but you don't get the insane negative Gs like you do in the back. Still fun though. Next it was finally time to try out Zumanjaro! Thankfully it had opened the week before, so I was very excited to ride it. It seemed amazing and I knew I would love it. First off, I love how you can hear the people screaming while you're still pretty far away from it. This section of the park is relatively quiet so you can hear the screaming coming from the ride really well. It adds to the excitement as you make the long trek back to the ride entrance. I do hope the park adds more to this area, since right now there's just Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro, as well as a kids water/spray park thing. For having to walk such a long way to get to either of these 2 rides, it's too bad there isn't more to do. Yet. So finally we made it to the entrance. Then you have to keep on walking a ways until you reach the covered queue area. It was sad walking along where Rolling Thunder used to be. I'm still mad they took it out, especially since it wasn't even immediately replaced with anything. Anyway, in total we waited between 1 to 1 1/2 hours to ride, but it was worth it. There was one girl who passed out in line ahead of us, so that was pretty scary. Even though it wasn't too hot, she just probably wasn't drinking water. I was really impressed with how quickly the park took action. Within several minutes, the park's ambulance/EMT was at the scene. Thankfully the girl was alright but they took her away, probably just to be safe and to let her rest and have her get some water. The park did an amazing job being quick to the scene. It was such a pain how Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka can't run at the same time, since that means lines for both rides would be lengthened substantially. These already poor capacity rides would have even worse capacity. But there's nothing that can be done about it, so you just have to be patient. Kingda Ka runs 2 trains and then Zumanjaro completes a cycle. Repeat. Eventually it was our turn to ride. An employee divides people to go into 3 separate little waiting areas, one for each of the 3 ride cars. We got assigned to the far car (if you're looking at the front of Kingda Ka, the car farthest to the right). And it worked out that I was able to get the far outer end seat! The seats and restraints are very comfortable. Unlike some other Drop Towers, the seats don't tilt forward slightly, although I sort of wish they did. That adds to the thrill. But the restraints give you a lot of freedom and comfort. You start by slowly lifting up out of the load area. You continue on up, gradually increasing height. It was so funny listening to all the others rides. People really start to freak out the higher the ride goes and it's so funny to hear. The suspense keeps building as you climb higher and higher, an amazing view unfolding in front of you. You can see the entire park, as well as the beautiful forests that surround the park. It truly is breathtaking. I also thought it was cool looking to my left and seeing the green track of Kingda Ka. It is very cool being attached to the coaster. Then as you start to reach the top, the ride cars slow down a lot. So much that it feels like you have completely stopped unless you look to your side and see that you are still moving slightly up in relation to the coaster track. This is the point when everyone really freaks out, since by now everyone know we have almost stopped. Unlike the S&S Drop Towers, you don't fall/click into place. You just come to a gentle stop and hang there, waiting. The suspense is amazing, since you are so high up and have time to realize that in a few seconds, you're going to come plummeting back down to the ground. Suddenly your stomach lifts up into your throat as the cars are released and plummet down. You experience true weightlessness and it is such an incredible feeling. Now here is what is so cool about this ride. You continue to gain speed as you descend the tower, and the brakes don't slow you until you are precariously close to the ground. Just when you feel you can't get possibly faster and you're going to crash into the Earth at 90 miles per hour, you are pushed into your seat as the brakes smoothly glide you to a crawl to lower you back into the station. This ride is a pure adrenaline rush and I'd wait hours and hours for it. I think it would be a cool idea if that ride had on-ride video cameras that you could purchase the video, or at least a regular camera. But oh well. The ride experience itself is amazing. I had hoped to ride Kingda Ka next, but unfortunately it was down. So we were starting to get hungry and decided to get something in the food court just outside of the entrance to the Golden Kingdom. We got chicken tenders, fries, and shakes. It felt good to sit down and relax for a little before moving on. Before riding something too crazy yet, we decided to try the Parachute Training Center. We hadn't gone on it before and I wanted to try it. Only waited a few minutes, but my mom and I had to split up since there's a weight limit on the ride, and the 2 of us together exceeded it. It was a nice view from the top but it's such a short ride. Relaxing, though. Plus our ride op was fun. She was happy and gave everyone high fives before they rode. To continue on with the gentler rides, we went to the Big Wheel. The line was pretty slow and we ended up waiting 20-30 minutes for it. But it was nice having a long ride on it to enjoy the view of the park. Following this, I really wanted to try the Dark Knight Coaster. I had never been on it and wanted to experience it. I had heard mixed review about it so I was curious about trying it out for myself. We only waited about 5 minutes outside before going inside for the pre-show. I really enjoyed how it started, and it set up the atmosphere and theme. Why can't Cedar Fair have something as simple as this????? Then for the actual ride itself, I was really impressed. I love indoor coasters, and I'll be honest: I'm jealous Great Adventure has 2. Granted I never liked Disaster Transport at Cedar Point, but since it's my home park, at least it was unique. Indoor coasters are so cool since they can surprise you with twists and hills and are unique to the other rides. Even though the Dark Knight Coaster isn't heavily themed, what it does have is pretty cool. Plus I'm a huge fan of Wild Mouse coasters. Every park should have one (*cough cough* Cedar Point). When we got back into the station, the group from the next pre show hadn't entered yet so instead of running empty trains, the ride ops offered for us to stay on to ride again. So of course we did! It was just as fun the 2nd time and it was awesome to be able to do that. If you get lucky and are able to ride again before the next group enters the station, do it. Next it was time to try Batman: The Ride. I had never been on this coaster either. I know it's a generic clone like some other Six Flags rides but I've heard it's pretty intense and has been described like Raptor in 30 seconds. After waiting 5/10 minutes for the front row, I could see why. It may be short and compact, but it sure does pack a punch. It was fun and pretty intense, and I enjoyed it. I wanted to ride Nitro next, and after a half hour wait we were in the front row. However, while waiting in line under the stairs going up to the station, somebody spit and thankfully most of it missed me, but a little bit landed on my head. I quickly looked up and saw someone pull their head back. That was frustrating. But I love this ride, and the view and experience from the front is great. My favorite part is either the first drop or the 2nd element of the ride, the hill that banks sharply at the top and dives down to the left. There's also a smaller one right before the helix. I love the sensation you get, since it is a combination of laterals and airtime. Then 20 minutes later we were back on it, this time in the back row. I love the airtime you get in the back, especially the first drop. Plus Nitro doesn't have the rattle that so many never B&Ms have, even Diamondback. It's such a smooth coaster. From here we were going to take the cable cars over to Bizarro, but they were down. We walked over and only waited about 5 minutes for the front. This ride was a little bumpier than I remembered but it was still fun. I like floorless coasters and this is a great one. Thankfully I saw that Kingda Ka was running, so we decided to head to it. After the long walk, we made it and it was open! We waited about a half hour and then we were on it in the front row. It definitely rattles more and is rougher than Dragster, plus I hate the OTSRs and how secluded it is. Dragster is still way better, but KK is a fun coaster. Even though it's only 8 mph faster than Dragster, it does feel more intense. It was around 9 pm and was getting dark, so my mom and I decided to quickly head over to El Toro. I wish we could just cut through, since it's a pain walking all the way around to get to it. We waited about 15 minutes and rode in the back. This was my first night ride on El Toro and it was AMAZING. In the day this coaster is incredible. At night (and especially in the back), it's pure insanity. It was 9:30 and we hurried all the way back around to Zumanjaro. So much walking! I had planned all along for us to end the night with this ride, since I knew the view from the top would be awesome at night. So we got in line and only waited about 20 minutes before we were once again waiting to get on the far car. We were going to be on the next ride cycle when the ride went down. The ride ops announced it was down and the people who had just boarded got back off. Some of them came back in line and others decided to leave. I was so disappointed, since I had waited so long to be able to get a night ride on this ride. We decided to wait and hope that it was just a quick fix. After about 15 minutes, they ran 2 tests of it. Then they opened it back up! People got back on it, but we were still in line. Then just as they got checked and the ride was about to start...it went down again. This time I was even more upset since I really didn't think it would ever reopen, especially since it was already after close. But I could tell the staff didn't just want to close the ride and make everyone still in line leave. They kept working on it, and after another 15 minutes they did 2 more tests. Some people in line in front of us had left so if the ride repoened, we would get on it next. So after the test runs, they let us board. We got seated, our restraints were checked, and we were given the clear to go. Then...were started our ascent! The ride worked! It was finally time to get my night ride on Zumanjaro. The climb at night was even freakier than during the day, and it was so cool. The experience is like nothing else. Then you plummet toward the Earth, and all you can see is darkness and the sensation of freefall and speed. The feeling is out of this world, and you don't regain your sanity until you feel the magnetic brakes slow you down. As we exited the ride, I couldn't stop talking about it all the way back to our car. We had an amazing day at the park. Lines weren't bad at all and the weather was great. Six Flags does annoy me with its advertising all throughout the park (especially giant banners in lines, ads covering coaster cars, and a massive "Jersey Boys" banner spread across El Toro's hill). But the coasters and rides at this park are so much fun. Already I'm excited about returning next year!

But it still needs to be managed better. They should not be taking almost an entire trainload of guests from the Fast Lane queue at a time. It needs to be distributed a little better. Fast Lane isn't meant to allow you to walk on to everything but have a shorter wait, so it's ok to make some of them wait for the next train. Also the issue is kind of that it hasn't been a problem in the past. It's always been on Fast Lane and the line has moved really fast and could have a full queue go through in under an hour in standby. Now they are getting about half that amount and I don't think the seatbelts are adding that much to it.

In the LATimes story it says Small World has given 290,000,000 rides. Racer has a long way to go to catch up.

You are being too nice. The England area looks horrific. Awful. Picture the worst English stereotypes from the worst Austin Powers movie and that is the theme of once was a great welcoming country.

In a good way, it sounds terrifying to me!

Is a 300-foot stand up possible? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not. An inverted stratacoaster? Dueling 4th dimension coasters? A suspended wooden coaster over 100 feet? Its feasibility (n. the state or degree of being easily or conveniently done) would be based upon two things: A park / chain's asking for it A manufacturer's willingness / ability to make it I don't think a standing giga-coaster would make it past condition #1. Even if it did, condition #2 might be a sticking point. Few would've guessed that the year 2000 would've seen a wooden hyper-coaster though... But there was a 1, and then a 2... sort of...

Chrome plating would be nice! No, no PhotoShop... not enough time. Just use your "immmmaginaaaaationnnn!"

Between this arcade closing and Shake Rattle & Roll's sign being removed, I'm starting to wonder how this end of Coney Mall will look in 2015. It will be interesting to see whether there are more changes nearby in the coming weeks. I'd like to see a refresh of the area that includes the ICEE stand and Flight Commander's queue, immediately south of the arcade.

Just wordplay, Sir. Wasn't aimed at you, only a really bad pun that was easy (and a groaner).

Is Shake, Rattle, & Roll near enough to the sink hole that Vortex sits in for it to be affected? I didn't think it was... I was also there today at the park, and noticed from WindSeeker that there was pretty much nothing in the area where Shake Rattle and Roll was. There's concrete evidence of where the ride was. Terp...running for the door.

Yesssssssssssssssss!! That wasn't "no, too scary", it was "no, too boring". I went on the Chance Aviator at Elitch Gardens, and it was terribly boring.

The price of a game of "Galaga". It's only a quarter; but in 1981, most "new" video games in the arcades at Kings Island required 3 quarters to play!

The Star Wars Trilogy Arcade machine that was released in 1998...

Yesssssssssssssssss!!

Keep in mind that Banshee is a people eater the max I watied for it was 15 min

I have a one year old. Only time I "spank" is when he messes with an electrical outlet, runs near the road, or messes with the stove. It's more a quick smack to te booty with a strong "no" because I don't want him to get hurt. On Friday, I saw a dad allow his two teenage sons jump an squirt mustard packets by The Vortex diner. They would also spin the umbrellas pretty quickly. My teaching buddy and I almost said something to the dad but he looked like he lost the battle long ago Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Insiders say that it's been internally confirmed as coming to Disneyland. Give it a year or two, at least. That said, whatever the devil they go for there, it's going to look VERY different. Planning two months in advance? Psh, the annual passholder crowd there won't plan a day in advance. They visit casually, after work, a few times a week. Limited to one park per day with your Fastpass+ reservations? Forget it. Wearing rubber wristbands to work since you're going to Disneyland for dinner on the way home? Good luck. Choosing one "tier 1" attraction and two "tier 2" attractions in a park bursting with E-tickets? Never. Gateless entryways? Yeah, try that on the absurd 24 Hour Parties or New Years Eve where the Esplanade between parks is surging with thousands of people, all stuffed and waiting for the all-clear to let a dozen more folks in. Perks are best for folks staying in Disneyland Resort Hotels? Just try it, with a vast majority of visitors coming from Southern California. Personally, I believe / imagine / hope that Disneyland's crowds would adamantly reject this from the get-go, and that it would be shot down and DOA. And we're not talking about a petition with a few hundred signatures. We're talking about complete and utter revolt, on the ground. Lines to City Hall wrapping to the 5, refusal to use MagicBands, etc. Disneyland annual pass-holders are infamous for threatening to never visit the park again if x, y, or z happens. With MyMagic+, I believe they'd mean it.

Disneyland. As I said months ago. Disneyland. Florida's a mess. I cannot and will not plan my theme park adventures months in advance. Florida is for Universal, BGT and maybe SeaWorld Orlando. California is where my Disney nickels will go. And they start this foolishness there, I'll be done with that, too. I am not amused.

^ On the other hand, if he wants to trade...