CoastersRZ

And what about Drop Tower? It doesn't look that tall up close from the ground either. But once you get up there it is pretty high up there!

Well, things could be worse. I was down at Coney today doing some final interviews for the rides department. I swung by the site of Coneys new kiddy ride. It is still a giant mud pit, with no concrete poured yet! Lots of work to get done on it! And the Scrambler and Round Up rides are still completely torn apart! And coneys rides open just one week after Kings Island opens this year!

Or, they will be able to afford entry into one of Cedar Fair`s parks, but will not be able to afford the outrageous food prices, and thus will not spend any nickles once inside the park. The result of that would be per capita spending would continue to decline for Cedar Fair. Which again is not a favorable situation for Cedar Fair.

I knew it had been discussed on here at some point. I just didn`t have the chance to use the search yet. Trying to do three things at one time, lol.

I wouldn`t say everyone forgot about trying to conserve fuel. Look at how many hybrids are on the road right now. I see more and more Priuse`s (was it ever decided what the plural form of Prius is?) and Insights on the road nowadays. The issue is that while these cars get incredible gas mileage, the payback period is still a long time, because of the additional added cost. And look at the line up of new electric cars coming out. Car manufacturers are definitely trying to develop a cost effective alternative fuel vehicle. Why? Because if they are the first to mass market such a vehicle that is in the price range of other vehicles, they would have a tremendous hit on their hands and would essentially have a license to print money. And keep in mind that these cars use new technologies which need to be tested before they can be successfully integrated in the mass market. Yes, increased gas prices do put a pinch on one`s pocket book. (Where is my raise at this year? I last got a raise at my job at the end of last April. I am fortunate though, to have a full time job for a full year now. I just wish I was making what I should be making, and that would help offset the increased cost of gas and school and car loans.

Now is not the time to be trying to get government funding help. Budgets are grim, as they are struggling to meet their budget and grapple with shortfalls in projected income. Just today, Norwood, Ohio approved its budget, allowing the city workers to be paid their paychecks. And it has been announced that the stadium deal that Hamilton County had with the Bengals and Reds to fix the stadium fund deficit has fallen apart. The fund will be $33 million in the red because of sales tax revenue is falling short of the original projections. It is very uncertain times right now, and trying to get a city or state government to spend even more money on things like funding an amusement/water park is a tough sell. Yes, if it is successful, it can help bring in tourists and employ workers who will filter money into city coffers through taxes. But Kentucky Kingdom, whether it be an amusement park, water park or both, is in a VERY tough market. With both Kings Island and Holiday World a short drive from the city, it would be hard for Kentucky Kingdom to carve out a niche market to successfully attract visitors. In turn, this makes any investment in the park shaky, because if you build it, they might now come. Especially with two years of the park being closed, what would draw these guests back to the park from Holiday World and Kings Island?

And that article even mentioned that oil speculators have added $20 to the price of crude. So they are getting rich on speculation, while the rest of the world, already trying to overcome a tough economy is being forced to pay for their increased wealth. $4, as the article indicates, is really a threshold for what is conceived of as really expensive gas. Back in 2008 when prices were high before, I managed to never pay more than $3.99 a gallon. And back then I was driving a vehicle that averaged about 18 to 20 mpg. I`m thankful now that I have a car that averages right around 30 to 32 mpg. (Although I`m still making car payments on said vehicle). And you know, the US oil companies are going to announce how revenues are up, even though gasoline demand is actually down, despite more people working now, than even a few months ago, when demand, in theory, would have been lower.

Sadly, I have never made it to Kennywood. I`m sure I would love it. Hard to believe that Coney Island is actually older than Kennywood!

Topic bump. The image below was posted to Coney Island`s Facebook page. The image was taken from atop the Twister tower, looking towards River Downs. This tent, and another smaller tent off to the right were both put up in the last two days. It is a pretty impressive site. Remember, Ovo opens next Thursday, April 21st and runs through Sunday, May 8th at Coney Island. See the link above for ticket ordering information.

Uh, wrong thread for that last post perhaps?

I too noticed that Michigan`s Adventure was left out. A simple factual error, or is it truly the only park to not be taking part? The whole thing seems kind of gimmicky to me.

Still looks kind of bland, in my opinion. No trees? And Vortex track is orange? But it is just a pictorial representation of the park and its rides. Not a literal interpretation.

I believe that they are installing LED lighting on WindSeeker. LED lights are known for long life. I believe that the lights that are on Scrambler are also LED lights when those lights were replaced several years back. It has been a while since a ride at Kings Island received a lighting package (other than general lighting).

Nice interview with Vic. He is a great guy, One thing to note, the rides are only open until 9pm on Friday, Saturday and Sundays this year. The rides close at 8pm on Monday through Thursday this year (as they have the last two seasons as well). (Vic states in the interview that the rides are open until 9pm).

And even that guy that you posted an image of recently lost his job, because of some of his comments and how they sat with other people (primarily the advertisers).

Ah. You bring up the old tale that needs to be described once again. Diamondback is entering its third season, but it is only two years old (2009-2011). The same holds true for the park. This is its 40th season, but the park is 39 years old. As an aside, Coney Island is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year (1886-2011). However, it is actually the park`s 126th season of operation.

I believe that the answer to that question is yes. You will simply have to pay the difference between what you paid for your Gold Pass and what a Platinum Pass is currently selling for. As always, call/ask the park for official confirmation on that though.

I was able to secure a Platinum Pass renewal for KI back in the fall, for less than $150, but that was a special deal offered on a company buy out day, exclusively for that company buy out day. It shaved $25 off the price the Interpreter mentioned.

From FunWorld Magazine, the magazine published by IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions). http://www.iaapa.org/industry/funworld/2011/apr/features/FoodBeverage/index.asp

Yeah, just like this past Saturday was supposed to be mostly cloudy with a chance of rain, and it ended up pouring and thundering most of the day. And just my luck, it is nice during the week, but when I have to go down to Coney for interviews on Friday it will be cold and rainy again! They certainly are getting down to crunch time. The park opens in less than three weeks, and they still haven`t even started testing the ride...

My pleasure. I`m reading some very relevant articles in FunWorld Magazine which I will also be sharing links to!

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110410/NEWS01/104110301/Life-s-roller-coaster-ride-woman-88-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE Very interesting article, and definitely worth a read.

And hasn`t Cedar Fair seen per caps spending continue to trend down the last few quarters? Clearly, that could be an indicator that their food prices are too high and they are not maximizing their profits. (Simple Econ 101 right there. Higher prices don`t always mean profit maximization.)

I wish I lived that close to Kings Island! But then again, I would also live very far from Coney...

Yep. Two arms are now up as they continue to work on it this late on a Sunday,!