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I was happy when Mike Koontz said that Cedar Fair plans to continue to do the same level of theming with all new additions. With this, I hope Action Zone gets a new addition soon. I am also amazed with how great the area looks, especially considering that it came together in less than a year. I also was happy when Mike Koontz said that he wanted as many trees saved as possible. I know parts of Adventure Port do lack shade, but I applaud Kings Island for saving most of the trees. The only area that saw a noticeable loss of trees is around Cargo Loco’s queue, but I do not know how that could have been avoided. I do like how the trees to the left of Adventure Express’ original entrance (now near Sol Spin’s exit) were preserved as well as the trees behind Sol Spin. The area in front of Enrique’s unfortunately lacks shade, but there were really no trees already there to work with.

Easter Eggs are fun

So this all but confirms that Adventure Port was a last minute decision as many here speculated. Not that it takes away from the final result. Even though the area was heavily delayed, it is a very welcome addition!

Yes, I was glad to hear those things as well. No much new information in the public comments that were made in the video that @RedSummit20self promoted his channel with, but good supplemental information. I do commend @IndyGuy4KI for getting a personal interview with the park president and insisting on nothing less.

It’s not a far fetched assumption though: https://www.incrediblecoasters.com/SteelVengeancePhotos.html https://coasterforce.com/iron-gwazi-opens-at-busch-gardens-tampa/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zadra_(roller_coaster) Upon my internship I saw a piece of wood dangling from SV and reported it. Carpentry came out and stated that was not integral to the ride’s structure and was just left over wood that was kept on from MS. They still shut the ride down and drilled the wood back in place but it didn’t seem like an urgent issue but likely would’ve looked odd to anyone who saw a piece of wood dangling. Again this was just a conversation I had so take it how you will.

Soak City closing at 3pm today.

I’m not discounting the potential maintenance issues but you also have to look at 2018. Cedar Point ordered a hybrid with new trains, a first of its kind hybrid hyper with new trains and a first of its kind single rail. Not only that, but having interned there myself, I talked to carpentry and they said that a lot of the original Mean Streak structure was not removed when they converted the ride to Steve Vengeance. Of course I don’t have any source to back up my claim but if you want evidence that it’s accurate, compare Steel Vengeance to Iron Gwazi or Zadra where they are all about the same in height but have significantly different support styles. I’m not discounting the issues that the chain encountered with RMC, but I often remind myself what they asked RMC to do in one season; new technology across three of their parks is a pretty tall order.

To finish the trip I stopped at Kings Dominion. And I can attest to those that have spoken positively about the food at KD are 100% right. The portions are plentiful, and the food is very tasty. You will eat every bite on your plate, and you’ll know you shouldn’t because you have rides to ride but the food is just that good. For lunch I stopped at the new Firehouse BBQ ended up getting the brisket with side of street corn and corn bread. (I know corny.) All I can say is that it was excellent, this was my favorite meal for the trip. For dinner I had to see what the buzz was about comparing KI’s G&G vs KD’s G&G and yes, KD’s G&G is so much better. Sirloin pulled out from the warmer and freshly sliced. What a great way to keep a protein moist, tender all while retaining its freshness. It’s a small detail that goes a long way. For the side I got the 3 cheese scalloped potatoes with bread. All in all well done KD!

In addition, it has been reported that all of the RMCs Cedar Fair installed in 2018 have had significant maintenance issues. I saw a video from one of the winter chill outs at Cedar Point where one of the maintenance workers placed RMC in the same boat as Intamin in terms of reliability, which isn't a good sign at all.

Finally. It wasn’t listed on the entertainment portion of the app, but Saturday night they had live music (2 people) in front of their new restaurant/bar. This would be a great addition to the patio area of Enrique’s. I could see myself going to the park for a burrito bowl and a getting a beer and enjoying some live music in that area. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fun observations. This platter of basically approvers was an option in dining plan at wonderland Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Other dining notes: Canada wonderland had 4 subway locations. Only 1 was included on Dining plan, and only these options pictured. In this case… I’d say they should get rid of subway… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Canadas wonderland Amazing brisket. Served with chili churri sauce, cornbread muffin, and a side. Super lean (no fat) and so tender. I got this for 4 of my 5 meals there and was not sad. Shown with vegetable medley, which was also great and didn’t taste like it was previously frozen. They also had a Korean BBQ chicken half that was very good. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Canadas wonderland was the best food option. Most variety on the plan. And great execution. Here’s the menu at backlot cafe. Pizzas here were made to order and very fresh. Spaghetti and meatballs were generous portion. Taco bowls didn’t look good… but we were pretty far from Mexico Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dorneys food was meh. Only think I thought this group would appreciate is that subway is still there and you can choose either chips or 2 fresh baked cookies. After heavy eating, it was refreshing to get a few subs instead of other meals. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Other foods from my 4 park trip last week: Kings dominion graining grill sirloin option. Sliced fresh when ordered. Large portion. Served with hummus for pita and grilled broccoli Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So I was torn about what kind of trip I want to do this summer. I've been putting a Canadian trip on the back burner for some time now, but I've ultimately decided I want to see the ocean again, so I'm settling for a Virginia based trip. The 3 parks I know for sure as of this post are Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Kings Dominion, and Six Flags America. I want to include a 4th park, and its a complete coin flip between Carowinds and Hersheypark. I'm leaning to HP as they have 2 new credits for me whereas Carowinds wouldn't add any, but Fury 325 and Afterburn are hard to pass up, especially because I can finally ride them at night. For beach going, a day at Virginia Beach is likely in order. I won't pass up advice on the VA parks, but I am pretty comfortable kind of just winging it as I've been to Kings Dominion before back in 2004. I've heard a lot of weird stuff about SFA so any prior knowledge of that park going in would be helpful. I'd like to know what I'm getting into with that. No advice needed for Carowinds or HP. Other than that, hopefully I get to KI more this year than the past 3 years, a CP trip is in the works (possibly with Waldameer), a KK day trip is a possibility, and a very big maybe is a HW day trip (if you consider a 3 hour drive past a time zone change a day trip and your name's not @malem).

Everything looks so much better without the flappy paper liner thing and all the dumb little “portion control” cups. Someone needs to get a grip on KI food ops.

Well-now we are out of newspaper and have downgraded to red/white checked paper at Grill and Grain. Give. Up. On. The. Wax. Paper. Please!!!!!!

Sorry for double post, but park will be closing at 9pm tonight.

With SV particularly, so much of the ride is inside the structure, which I would conjecture adds stress to the structure. Also, and is hearsay since I can't cite where I heard it, RMC recommended not reusing the lift hill on Mean Streak and building a new truss lift. But Cedar Fair/Point wanted to keep a wooden coaster look.

Well looks like Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman will hopefully be told about this as soon as possible so he can sit down with Navarro and discuss things to keep them here!

Not to mention the 2018 Cedar Fair RMCs were the first with the much heavier swing-axle trains. Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

Busch Gardens Williamsburg had their annual Food and Wine Festival event taking place, so naturally being that I attended last year. I purchased a sampler. The food was great as usual. The only disappointment I had was they brought back almost all of the previous menu options from last season which although was tasty, I was hoping to try some different things. The food portions are what you would expect for a sample, the real kicker is using the sampler for adult beverages, which they pour to the brim. I’m ranking BGW second out of the 3 parks I visited. Only because it is a Food Festival and not daily food ops.

You're not crazy. It would be better to record several people to tap along side with (audio wise) just to fill out the sound and make it full. Vocal choruses in PTE (to my memory & assumption) definitely seemed to have recorded tracks, even last year. In general, when its a choral moment, it's usually nicer to balance pre-recorded bgvs with the live vocals being barely heard. You dont want fully recorded nor have the soloists stick out like a sore thumb. Least this was always my opinion of the best outcome. I don't believe we have any substantial evidence that PTheatre will make a return directly following PTE... that's all I can deduce, and the most Im willing to postulate from rumors. Though, I absolutely think they should go for it!

I thought those chemical crates were for the Area 72 Launch Party in 2021. I do wish some of them stuck around past 2021 and were used as theming around the area, though.

After reviewing how much RMC charges for their coasters, it does somewhat shock me that we don’t see more of them in the Cedar Fair chain. They don’t all have to be on par with Steel Vengance but the one at Funspot in GA cost $13,000,000 and it’s 3,400ft of track. Heck Zara cost $2,000,000 more than that and it tops 200ft in height and is only about 1,000ft longer.

Retrospect is high quality. Especially the choreography. The choreographer knows how to feel music to the movements. They eliminated the live band It’s a soundtrack I would choose dancers over a band anyway since they are visual So there was a budget cut But honestly the sound track is powerful The show has an odd, non posted schedule It’s split into two different 15 min sets interspersed with a dj party. People cannot know when the show is happening unless they walk by Why does KI do thst? They do the same thing with the Nativity show at Winterfest The other parks have these same shows with posted show times

It is unique in that I haven't been on those others... Also it is a fun ride, and very quickly makes me very dizzy. The change between looking forward and "not moving" to looking to the side and "wtf I am upside down" disoriented me greatly. That said though, it is a fun ride, better than expected. And those seats are HELLA uncomfortable. I hate solid shoulder straps, makes it impossible to take deep breaths and are panic inducing.

Don’t underestimate the lower free cash flow that resulted from the COVID year(s). While every park chain has come back like gangbusters since the pandemic finally ended, you can’t lose basically a full season (and reduced capacity the following season) and not have it impact the bottom line. Every park had to think very differently about their five year capital spending plan after the events of 2020.

When you think about it this way It's interesting to think one little piece of metal theoretically caused us a delayed ride addition

I want it in the old Action Theatre space - It's an old "Midway Vaudeville Theatre" that has been long abandoned and recently reopened for development by the park, but as they began renovations, the theatre came to life and they realized that the spirits from the long departed ORIGINAL Phantom Theatre had taken up residence in this forgotten about corner of the park. The spirits "won" and development plans were halted, now... "sweaty tourists" can once again enter the theatre "if they dare" as the talented ghosts return to their rightful place as the premier entertainers at Kings Island. They could keep the weedy overgrown look "hidden" yet create a new "Marque" and rework - clean up that whole odd end of Coney by Wind-seeker. THEN rework BooBlasters into a Carnivale themed shooter style ride where you collect points as you travel through CARNIVALE celebrations of the world with Mardi P Gras and all of the other characters created for the scavenger hunt they do at CARNIVALE

Completely agree. You’d be surprised how beneficial a relationship with the community, media and fan base can be. How how non-beneficial it is when those relationships are neglected or destroyed…

It was a unique show for the dozen or so of us at the end of International Street.

That looks SO much better without the Fish and Chips newspaper they keep putting on the plates. Just use the plates and fill the up a little more and BOOM - better impression already. Keep a bunch of microgreens or a big bunch or two or parsley or other cheap herb to toss on a sprig or two and its "almost Klassy"

Other foods from my 4 park trip last week: Kings dominion firehouse bbq (newest restaurant at KD) Brisket (with some fat) and a side of salad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Other foods from my 4 park trip last week: Kings dominion firehouse bbq (newest restaurant at KD) Brisket and street corn. Much larger portion than KI beef options. Some fat, but minimal. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Other foods from my 4 park trip last week: Kings dominion firehouse bbq (newest restaurant at KD) Crazy large portion of great quality chicken. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Other foods from my 4 park trip last week: Kings dominion grain and grill. Crispy pork with pesto pasta salad Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2 years ago you could get guacamole and queso on a bowl or burrito for no charge. Last year you could choose one or the other, but not both for no added charge. This year, both are an upcharge and not included. I agree that the meat and pork both lack flavor. And now that guacamole isn’t an option, it’s really bland. For reference. This was the “salad” option at the Carowinds version this week. Not only was the shell great, but the meat had tons of flavor, there was tons of fresh pico de gallo, and guacamole is usually available, although yet were out when I was there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Memo to the Professor. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Some of the answers that have been asked here in this interview with Mike Koontz.

Mason has committed $15 million in incentives to keep the tournament here. A state representative from Lebanon also added money to the house's version of the state budget bill but it remains to be seen whether that will actually make it to the final budget. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2023/06/05/mason-commits-15-million-to-keeping-western-southern-open-in-ohio/70289020007/

Canadian's don't get tired of Cirque

Firework show drones are fair game.

There are about 200 markings on site……. for the [retracted] launching.

I saw a post on Facebook claiming there are pink markings on Vortex’s old plot of land. Can anyone confirm or debunk this claim?

Alright just got back from a wonderful trip to CP and here's my report - Crowd level: lightest crowds I've ever seen at the park. Longest wait all day was 70min for Steel Vengeance. Millennium Force was a 45min wait We got on Maverick in 30 min both times and everything else was definitely less than that. Boardwalk: looks fabulous. Wanted to try and eat at the new restaurant but we were in the back by mine ride when lunch rolled around so we had the farmhouse instead. The wild mouse looked fun but I wasn't willing to wait 45 min for it when millenium force at the same time of day was 20 min wait. I also liked that they covered their tracks of removing the Matterhorn and Scrambler from the main midway and replaced them with walking path and landscaping. You would never know they were there unless you knew they were there. Millennium Force: wonderful as always! Ops seemed a bit slow but it's early in the season so they have room for improvement Magnum XL 200: experienced alot of down time during the trip. We didn't catch it until nearly 5pm and got two rides. To me personally still one of the best in the park. Gemini: due to staffing they were only running the red side. Hopefully they get the rest of the staff trained soon! Maverick: these ops were killing it! Line moved faster than I've ever seen it move and the ride only had one period of downtime that I noticed. Iron Dragon: wasn't operating however, they had trains on the lift and in the station so hopefully in a few weeks it'll be flying again Cedar Downs Racing Derby: This is one of our favs and it was closed all day. I saw there was a wet paint sign by the ride so perhaps painting is why it wasn't operating or perhaps like blue Gemini it was a result of short staffing? Regardless my 9 year old sister was pretty disappointed until we promised we'd ride the Cadillac Cars 2x to make up for it. Of course we rode Steel Vengeance, Mine Ride, GateKeeper, Valravn, Raptor, Blue Streak, and Corkscrew. The only major coaster we didn't ride was Rougarou and the Wild Mouse. Altogether a beautiful day and we were able to do a lot of rides. Enjoyed this trip much more than some previous ones where the crowds are just so crazy up there.

My advice for Six Flags America is: don't eat there. I had the worst amusement park meal in my life at their Johnny Rocket's. And ESPECIALLY do not use the Johnny Rocket's bathrooms. On the flip side, one of the best amusement park meals I've ever had was at Kings Dominion. The prime rib at Outpost Cafe is incredible and reasonably priced.