CoastersRZ

Ah, but there can be more than one kind of silly band!

I think Kevin was trying to illustrate his silly band theory once again.

Technically, I`m neither. (According to my business card, I am a "Designer.") I`m currently working at a downtown Cincinnati Architecture firm. I eventually hope to be an architect. I need to finish my IDP hours, and take the seven sections of the ARE (Architect Registration Exam). Then I can officially call myself an architect. I have my Bachelor`s of Science in Architecture as well as my Master`s of Architecture from UC`s prestigious College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. The BSArch is a pre-professional degree, meaning you can`t become licensed with that degree. The MArch is a professional degree. All told, I was in college at UC for six years to get both degrees. If you were to start the program this coming fall, it is now a seven year program (four years under grad, and three years of grad school). But that is likely more than you wanted to know, right? I have a lot of fun at my job. I mean, I get paid to sometimes design stuff in SketchUp, and create renderings in Photoshop! How cool is that?

Now I can get in on the action. Blueprints are old school. Anything drawn now is a plot. In fact, I worked late today plotting drawings. Plats are an entirely different thing and not to be confused with metes and bounds!

Which makes the large gains in attendance even more remarkable.

So was this a Six Flags decision, or was it a Papa John`s decision. Or was the decision mutual?

And they seem to be successfully holding both events and making money off of both events. But aren`t most of the parks that have the Holiday in The Park in the south and not subject to cold Ohio winters? But remember, from everything I`ve heard the original Winterfest made lots of money. Granted there is more competition for the winter event market now, then there was in the late 80`s and early 90s. But still, I think it could work at KI and be successful in making Cedar Fair money.

So Six Flags saw part of its attendance boost due to its "Holiday in the Park" offering. I still maintain that if priced correctly, a winter event at Kings Island could extend the park`s season and make money for Cedar Fair at a time when most of their properties are shuttered and not making money. I don`t think they are interested in trying that right now though, unfortunately. Not to mention, the last few weekends of Haunt would be awkward as they start bringing out the decorations for the December events.

And yet, Cedar Fair attendance was UP, and per caps were down. So clearly there is a trend in there somewhere. Six Flags is doing something right. Although, I have to wonder if their expense cutting is becoming a little too obvious to park guests (loss of most licensed properties) and reduced hours at most of the parks.

I just find it a little odd that they announced 48, and then changed to 52" at KI. Did something change? Was it a park decision, manufacturer, or state decision? We may never know.

"Silly Band: The Ride?" End Jeff Siebert voice. For those that have not been around that long, this is what I was referencing: It certainly looks like it could be a silly band. I think you are onto something Kevin! The red line is definitely NOT a topography line. While the original image may show contours, I can assure you that the red line is not a contour. As I`ve said before, the grade does change quite a bit back there in the trees.

So wasn`t the original height requirement for WindSeeker 48"? I just noticed on KI`s WindSeeker website, that it now lists the height requirement as 52".

But, there was ERT for Gold Pass holders prior to 2008. It simply was not every single day of the season. (Ie, there were Thrill Seeker Thursdays, which featured rides in Action Zone, and then there was a day when they had attractions open in Coney Mall, and another day when they had some attractions open in Rivertown.) The Gold Pass first debuted in 2001.

I certainly hope you aren't talking about California's Great America for a coaster install. As evidenced in the earnings release last week, they consider Cedar Point, Knott's Nerry Farm, Canada's Wonderland and Kings Island as their four biggest parks.

So very true. And to think Coney will be celebrating its 125th anniversary this season. I for one am fortunate it is still around! And I know I`m going to sound like a broken record, but if you haven`t made it to Coney in recent years. It is worth a visit. The pricing is not that bad (parking is $7, all day rides admission is $11.95, or $7.95 after 4pm! And Coney has lots of flat rides that typically aren`t found in most major amusement parks anymore. Round Up anyone? Giant Slide? Bumper Boats?

Yeah. Until I got my first pass to Kings Island in 1998, I would only get to go once, maybe twice a season to the park. Now, since I`ve had a pass, I typically go about twenty to thirty times. But I can sense that number may be dropping this year. Why? It has nothing to do with what ERT sessions are or aren`t offered. This will be my second full summer with a full time job. Additionally, I intend to still work at Coney on the weekends. But one of the other big reasons is that life happens. There is a strong chance I will have a girlfriend by the time the full season rolls around. As such, I`ll spend less time at the parks. On that subject, look how many posters on these forums have come and gone over the years. There are several people that used to post very frequently who haven`t been seen or heard from on these forums in years. Life happens, and interests wane as people simply loose interest or develop other hobbies. Such is a fact of life. And the really remarkable thing is that this website has been around for as long as it has. Most park focused fan websites (there was a point in time where almost every park had two or three websites devoted to it) have come and gone. So treasure what you have, while you can enjoy it. (And no this is not to say KIC is going anywhere anytime soon). While you may find KI a great place to visit, there maybe a day when you start to loose interest in it and it doesn`t have the spark that it once had. Gosh, that last paragraph I just typed was full of melancholy! Sorry to depress everyone. On the bright side, opening day is just over two months away!

Which part won`t be the case, that people will want to trade in their passes because they are upset about not getting The Beast and Diamondback ERT or the part about the park offering a refund? Or both?

Now that you mention it, I did notice that. But keep in mind it is just a rendering. Renderings are not always accurate in depicting color. See Backlot Stunt Coaster, where the original rendering showed yellow track, but the park decided to change it to gray track after the rendering was made. Or, look at Cheetah Hunt at where, the rendering incorrectly depicted the height of the sky ride cable. The new coaster will actually go OVER the sky ride.

I don`t believe that the concrete you illustrated as being part of the ride pad will in fact be the ride pad. I think that it will in fact be part of the midway. I think the ride pad will be the area where concrete has not been poured. The tower itself will likely be about the size of the raised foundation with all the anchor bolts. Keep in mind that each arm of swings will be almost completely vertical when it is loading, which means the ride pad won`t have to be as wide as the rendering that shows the swings at their full angle. Does that make sense? I`m still curious as to what the posts are on the right side. One of them is just barely visible on the right edge of the webcam.

I haven`t experiences the new OTSRs that are on Intimidator at Kings Dominion. I just know that Maverick has not been one of my favorite rides at Cedar Point, mainly do to its restraints. While the ride has improved a little bit for me since I took a front seat ride on it last September, the restraints on it really take away from the ride, in my mind.

And for the record, the original ACE walk backs were just that. They were not ERTs. You would be walked back to The Beast, to be the first riders in line. Often times, the park had opened (and the general public started arriving), before you were escorted up to the station. I know, as I was an ACE member for a few years, and partook in some of those walkbacks, in a time before there were any daily ERT sessions for Gold Pass holders! Remember when there was just one KI pass, and about the biggest benefit you got was a sneak peak weekend, or a private party on a Friday night before the park opened to the public. Beyond that, there were no ERT sessions or early admittance into Boomerang Bay.

When did I ever complain about Ride Warrior Weekend? I don`t think I ever did. And I don`t recall any KIC members complaining after the one and only RWW either. I had an incredibly fun time, and thats all I heard from other people. Sure, there may have been minor hiccups, but it was the first time that KI was hosting the even, so there are bound to be some hiccups.

That is a nice idea. Kind of like the d Beast ACE walkbacks. But aren't there often other ERT sessions as well? It will be interesting to see what the complete list of perks is. I just wish that ride warrior weekend was coming back. That was a blast and I only did the first day.

But as always, things are subject to change. I would miss the early ride times (or at least the walk back) to The Beast. But I would really miss the Diamondback ERT times. I would often get to the park at opening to grab a couple of Diamondback rides, and then a quick couple of Beast rides before the park opened. I guess I`ll have to change my plans this year it looks like. It will be interesting to see the length of lines that WindSeeker will draw. It should get fairly decent capacity for a flat ride since it seats 64 people per ride cycle, which is getting up there. (Drop Tower seats 40, Delirium 50), I just do not know if it will have the draw of some of the coasters. Then again, Drop Tower has had pretty long lines, but part of that is the lower capacity. I wonder if they will load the ride like Delirium (ie, separate the queue into the next 64 riders when the ride is cycling, to try and increase the throughput. I think they would be wise to try and do this, regardless of the lines they expect to draw.

I agree. Although, I am all for the streamlining of the check in process at the hotels. Although, it is pretty streamlined already. Disney is quite the expert at moving people efficiently. And the whole experience from arriving at the Orlando Airport to getting to the hotels is quite stress free. Even the fact that your room key to your hotel room is the same as your theme park tickets makes things a lot easier.