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According to Matt Ouimet, the concept similar to the one in Canada's Wonderland will be expanded to all 11 properties. http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-cedar-fair-dark-rides-20150415-story.html

When I hear "Immersive Dark Ride" I immediately think along the lines of Curse of DarKastle and not the Triotech creations, but they are quite a bit better than the Boo Blasters, so there is that.

Using the old Crypt building......How about the Gunpowder Factory Ghost Mines? It would have mine tunnels, explosions, and a hidden treasure before plunging to the depths of the mine to meet your demise. I'd make it with several turntable tracks, elevators to different levels and some dips and drops to make the ride nearly unique with every ride.

Awesome article. Thanks for sharing. I really, really like the "world underneath our parks" bit. It makes me happy that they're adding depth to the existing parks' themes. The only thing that concerns me is the really, really vague story of Wonder Mountain's Guardian--even by modern shooter dark ride standards, there really isn't a story there. A shooter dark ride without a story is basically a video game. I'm curious to see how Knott's dark ride develops... I'm optimistic that the future inclusion of Garner-Holt will mean that the stories will be fleshed out. Also, "empty boxes," huh? Is there any more prominent of an empty box in Cedar Fair's chain than The Crypt's?

https://twitter.com/KingsIslandPR/status/588323290537709568 The season dining pass is able to be used friday

Aha! I knew there was something fishy about Terpy's "Crypt"ic posts of late. Tb, being a narwhal...

This is very exciting. CP needs a dark ride bad. Nice if KI got another.

So, Busch Gardens Tampa has a special place in my heart so this is a topic I've been following for a while. I figured I'd make a thread to post news and speculation about their newest attraction in development. On February 12th, a spokesperson for Busch Gardens, Travis Claytor, announced a new ride would be added in 2016. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/busch-gardens-to-open-new-ride-in-2016/2217415 The park filed for an expansion of the King Tut's Tomb building, which leads me to speculate that it will be a pretty cool Egypt-themed dark ride/water ride combo. Which to me, sounds pretty exciting!!! http://tbo.com/news/business/new-attraction-coming-to-busch-gardens-egypt-area-20150212/ Serengeti Railway has been temporarily closed for rerouting. http://tbo.com/events-tampa-bay/serengeti-railway-temporarily-closes-as-busch-gardens-builds-attraction-20150317/ http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/03/18/busch-gardens-tampa-railroad-closes/24966513/ That's all the news I've seen so far but I'll post more as I find it!

Most rides are currently running / testing including the snake in Rivertown..... And the new Woodstock Gliders ride, which is (as I mentioned in another thread) displaying its light package right now..... ( Live Still-Images captured from Kings Island's Diamondback and Planet Snoopy Construction Cams )

Since Missouri Jane was an actual person buried in the cemetery that now resides in the parking lot, I think that out of respect the park is unlikely to ever make use of her "legend." They want to avoid desecration, and drawing too much attention wouldn't help that. I would much rather they use Banshee in a storyline than Beast, even though the character of The Beast is more appealing to me in general. To me, one of the cool things about The Beast is that we don't know exactly what it is. Revealing it too much would remove the mystery and thus some of the fear. Whatever they do, I really hope for a cohesive plot. If you couldn't make at least a 30 minute cartoon about the backstory, I'd be disappointed (Phantom Theater's backstory probably could have made feature-length if they focused on each of the performers).

Imagine Phantom Theater or heck even Boo Blasters with DarkCastle technology. Boocifer or Maestro would be awesome like that.

Have you met a B&M that isn't custom- designed for the client? See also: The Bat's new neighbor, Banshee.

True, Big Bad Wolf was removed. But Iron Dragon and Vortex at Canada's Wonderland haven't been, and those, unlike Big Bad Wolf, are in the same chain as The Bat. And they are also both older than The Bat. GASM was removed, But Corkscrew (of the CP, Valleyfair, and Michigan's Adventure varieties), Carolina Cyclone, Demon, and Dragon Fire are all the same make and model as Vortex, in the same chain as it is, and older than it is and are still around. Heck, even Nessie, in the same park that removed Big Bad Wolf, is older than Vortex and is still around. If age were the ONLY factor, I think these would point to Vortex and Bat sticking around for a while. Bat has a little more going for it though. The land it sits on is not flat, is out of the way, and anything built back there would almost have to be custom-designed for that terrain (or lots of expensive landscaping would have to occur). Vortex has the disadvantage of being on a large, relatively flat (by comparison to The Bat anyway) plot of land in a prime location (right next to the midway). In my completely non-expert opinion, I think The Bat outlives Vortex. But I tend to doubt that the removal of either is in the park's plans for the immediate future.

I think they just used a good name at KI, Banshee! Might be able to incorporate her into an interactive dark ride!

Another? Hmmm. I think if KI gets a new dark ride like the one at Knott's or Canada's Wonderland I am pretty sure they would either replace Boo Blasters or build it in another building and use Boo Blasters' building for something else. I don't think the rides could co-exist well.

Wowzers! I wonder what story is under KI? I'm really happy about this. I don't mind the shooting gallery aspect, it seems kids are less afraid when they have a defense against the monsters. Having them shoot sure beats a parent or guardian having to carry them out of the attraction while the kid rants off an Irish cussing fit. (Yes. That did really happen) This is going to be such a great addition.

Firehawk is lower on the list because of its slow loading procedure. Some guests need assistance getting everything on properly, it has to lower and raise in the station, you have the switch track, etc. It all adds up. The reason I brought up Backlot is because I don't really feel it fits the park anymore. Kings Island is not a park themed to movies anymore with the departure of Paramount, its capacity isn't the greatest, and I honestly think that whole area behind the Eiffel Tower could use something else there. I see it as untapped potential. You could get 3-4 rides in that area w/o Backlot.

We're down to the final 72 hours until Opening Day!! It's almost here. Are you excited? Well you should be!! Banshee can't wait any longer for your arrival in 3 days. Edit: Weather is looking very pleasant right now! Last week I said that it would be 64 degrees with some rain, then I saw 62 degrees and sunny, and NOW my Weather app says 75 degrees and sunny! But that can still change.

If a roller coaster were to be removed, my vote would also go to BLSC. It all has to do with its location. Simply put, it is the ugliest ride in the park (in my opinion), in what used to be one of prettiest, most relaxing areas of the park. I'd love to see it and all its crates and gravel leave the park in favor of more aesthetically pleasing rides and landscaping. Could be a nice area for a Ferris Wheel and other family rides. Or in a dream scenario, I'd love to see the area restored to its former glory with the Antique Cars.

36 years ago today, The Beast was unleashed for the world to ride.

I'd love to see an interactive dark ride (preferably longer than Wonder Mountain's Guardian) pop up at Cedar Point more than I would a dive coaster. Even a fast paced Intamin or GCI woodie. Dive coasters are great when when you're staring down a vertical 200ft drop, but once you're at the bottom of that drop the rest of the ride lacks any real excitement. I'd even be open to a flyer.

Aaaaannnnnddd...... Now we have lights! ( Live Still-Image captured from Kings Island's Planet Snoopy Construction Cam )

It would be nice to keep 2 dark rides at K.I.

^Sometimes BoddaH is privy to such information. I'm looking forward to these shows. I had the privilege of performing with some of these cast members during the off-season, so I'll be watching from a different perspective this year.

I mean, it's supposedly coming to 27 states, and while you do not live in any United State, you do live NEAR two of them, so maybe...

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gh3Uyl-r344 Wow. This. Is. Incredible. Edit: I fail at putting videos in a post. So, here's a link to POV of The Curse of DarKastle.

I could do without the gun aspect. But kids seem to like them. And that is the target demographic of a ride like this. I tried watching a POV of Wonder Mountain's Guardian and couldn't 100 percent tell what was going on. Are there any hills & thrills after that first swoop down from the lift hill? Is there actual scenery in front of the screens or is it JUST screens? The "empty box" definitely sounds like a hint for KI fans.

Sounds pretty interesting.

Neither The Bat nor BLSC are (in my opinion) for the hard core enthusiast that populate this site and others like it. While I'm not sure it was their original intent, they seem to fit a very key demographic in the KI market. The family that has young kids and is transitioning from Planet Snoopy to the collection of rides that require a 52 or 54" height requirement. For some family, that can be 2 seasons. Add The Racer and Adventure Express to that list (and personally I'd love to see a Fire Chase Express type ride added at the 44" mark to further compliment this demographic) There are many young kids that won't ride Vortex simply b/c of the loops, there are many who won't ride The Beast b/c of the roughness and perceived "scariness" of flying thru the woods and having no idea where you are heading to, on the flip side, there are many adults who won't ride The Beast b/c of the roughness nor The Vortex b/c is knocks the blank out of you (I'll ride it a couple of times a year, but my body can't handle that wonderful ride the way it did when I was a teenager). Tearing down either of those rides, really puts a dent into a key demographic. I'd venture a guess that this demographic is at or near the top of money spent inside the park per visit. Lord knows they're not getting a ton off the 12 year old season pass holder who is dropped off at the front gate and only wants to marathon Diamondback and Banshee in comparison.

Terp, when the career-o-matic stops spinning, perhaps you'll be coming near a grocery store that sells that ice cream Good marketing effort.

Wow.....THIS is pretty awesome. I may very well attend Media Day now...... And pretty cool that this is also for the benefit of GKTW !

Which, thanks to smartwatches, can now be done FROM a ride that is broken down or otherwise stopped without the rider actually breaking any park rules (I'm assuming that parks aren't so Draconian as to consider a watch to be a loose article). - homestar92, waiting with bated breath for Twitter support on the Moto 360 so he can live-tweet commentary while on his favorite roller coasters.

Hmmm. That comparison? Terp ponders....gravely.

^Not to mention one of the most epic "announcement" days (nights) I've ever seen!

I also saw Drop Tower testing as well.

And the results are in! It was an interesting process and I certainly learned a lot over the course of handling everything. If nothing else, I think going forward we will be better equipped to better target the groups we are looking to get votes from and expand out to better reach oversees groups. A better response from riders who have been to Asian parks would be great. In the end we had 205 accepted ballots with over 9000 individual rankings. A total of 468 coasters/groups of coasters had enough votes to be ranked. A coaster had to appear on at least six ballots to be included in the final rankings. The Top Ten: 1. Bizarro - Six Flags New England - 96.82 average points 2. New Texas Giant - Six Flags Over Texas - 96.81 3. Leviathan - Canada's Wonderland - 96.25 4. Balder - Liseberg - 96.24 5. Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce - 95.52 6. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure - 95.326 7. iSpeed - Mirabilandia - 95.323 8. Shambhala - PortAdventura - 95.25 9. Expedition GeForce - Holiday Park - 95.1 10. Iron Rattler - Six Flags Fiesta Texas - 94.4 Kings Island Coasters: 36. Diamondback - 88.26 60. Beast - 82.99 64. Banshee - 82.54 196. Flight of Fear - 57.71 206. Firehawk - 55.93 253. Racer - 47.54 263. The Bat - 45.64 280. Vortex - 42.31 298. Invertigo (grouped) - 38.87 325. Adventure Express - 34.36 357. Backlot Stunt Coaster - 29.44 428. Flying Ace Aerial Chase (grouped) - 11.53 429. Woodstock Express - 11.52 If anyone who didn't vote wants to see the full results just pm me with your email address and I'll send them to you. They will also be posted to the facebook page by the end of the week.

This makes me really excited. We haven't had a good dark ride since Phantom Theater imo... I would love for them to take a spin with the story of the ammunition factory. Only problem I see with that route though is I could see some one complaining about it being insensitive towards the families that lost loved ones in the explosions but I hear stories about that every year when Haunt starts.

I would expect something along the lines of Missouri Jane and ghost for KI's theme, fitting into the "history" of the park.

That is an inexcusable mistake.

^^ I haven't ridden it, but it's my understanding that that first drop off the lift is the only true coaster part. The rest is powered by drive wheels or some other electric drive. Spoiler for the last scene: Apart from some theming around the station, it's entirely screens. For Halloween Haunt, the park changed the screens to a zombie-themed program, which is related to what Ouimet mentioned about changing the program with one button (or something to that effect.)

Another thing with coasters, and The Bat is no exception, is that with just the right flow of people, a ride can theoretically hit its capacity and literally not ever have a line.

And neither all the Batmen: The Ride nor all the Supermen: Ultimate Flight are identical. That's a commonly held misperception.

Or a quick post on social media.

For the client, not the park... SIX just chose to have its rides replicated in several locations. My point was that a potential new ride would be custom engineered to meet Rob Decker and crew's desires. Currently they prefer B&M, who has no "off-the-shelf" rides, but then Cedar Fair prefers custom coasters in its larger parks anyway.

You know what would be cool, a backstage tour of Boo Blasters, I would totally go on that. Any other takers?

I actually do really like the idea of a Ferris Wheel in that area. I mean that area is downhill from the Eiffel Tower so it shouldn't mess up the skyline too much.

Just a reminder that wait time depends on capacity as much as it does on popularity. The Bat was the 9th most-ridden ride at Kings Island in 2014.

I find it to be your typical crappy pop music that this country is addicted to.

Almost to opening day. Doing the low-carb thing and lusting after potato works... might have to allow a cheat if they bring CP's Garlic Parmesan fries to KI! (c'mon! you know they're deeeelish!)

I can't see BLSC being removed. Its fairly new, has a good size line most days, and I enjoy the ride a lot (so I wouldn't like to see it go).