CoastersRZ

Exactly. At Coney, one of the operations managers is in charge of the rides, games and live shows, while another is in charge of the pool. And all three of Coney`s operations managers started out as seasonal workers at Coney Island.

There can be more than one operations manager. For example, Coney has three different operations managers. While each has their own area of oversight, in the peak summer season there may only be one of the three working at any given time. Whoever is on duty is the one that the rides managers report to/are notified by when bad weather is in the area.

Coney Island has announced a concert to be held at Moonlite Gardens on August 23. Hanson will perform at Moonlite Gardens at 7pm. Show begins at 7:00pm. Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets on sale Friday, April 30 at 10am. Available at Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, or purchase by phone at 1-800-745-3000

Personally, I would love if we got a B&M invert similar to Afterburn at Carowinds. The pacing on that ride is incredible, and the way it interacts with the terrain (through tunnels and trenches) is amazing. If Kings Island were to get a ride like that, it would certainly complement Diamondback and The Beast quite nicely. And on the subject of removal of rides. Parks will reach a certain size when it is not feasible to continue to expand the park footprint. What I mean, is if attendance remains flat or raises a little, there really is not much of an incentive to continue to expand operating costs. What I mean is, when Diamondback opened, Kings Island did not remove any rides. So they have to hire more ride ops to staff the ride. As such, they have more rides employees on the clock at any given time, which results in a higher operating expense. If revenues remain flat, this increased operating cost cuts into profits. That is one reason, outside of maintenance and ride popularity issues that can impact where new rides are located.

And I was referring you to an example of a "twinkling effect" created for Cedar Point`s Starlight Experience. Something similar could be utilized on the Eiffel Tower at Kings Island. Since I did not venture back behind the Eiffel Tower this past weekend, I can`t comment on what, if anything has actually been added to the tower so far.

Why would Kings Island need a new front gate entrance? Many agree that Kings Island`s entrance is among the best in seasonal amusement parks, as the front gate structure blocks your view of the fountain and I-Street until you have entered the park. And I don`t think people realize how far of a walk it is from X-Base, along the maintenance paths back to Adventure Express and the SoB area. It is quite a hike and on rather hilly terrain. I`d say Kings Island would be more likely to see Nickelodeon return than a midway constructed linking X-Base with Action Zone.

The box was there last weekend. This past Friday night, it was gone, and replaced with the landscaping that I mentioned above.

Ok. That article was just a little weird, to say the least. And is yet another reminder of my wish to find a girlfriend soon. Especially since I now have a full time job!

Well to be technical, I see Eve on the screen, not Wall E. But you never know. Maybe they did not invest a lot of money into high quality renderings. After all, good renderings take talent and time. Both of which require money.

Well, part of that is because that end of Coney Mall is really dead. The only thing that is down that way is The Vortex exit, and the restroom. And of course the new EuroBobble attraction. Personally, I think that real estate that the EuroBobble sits on is prime real estate for a new flat ride. Can we please get our Eagles back from Carowinds? That would be a perfect spot for them!

And honestly, what would be the appeal of doing a haunted maze in the middle of the summer? And one of the first years that Haunt (at the time FearFest) was included with park admission/season passes (back in 2003 and 2004 I believe), Kings Island did something slightly different. For a few of the indoor houses, the Asylum, in the building by The Racer/Flight of Fear, and House of Darkness near the Scrambler, were opened at 3pm I believe. This was done on Saturdays, as a way to try and alleviate some of the crowds at the haunts. Remember, back in those days, there weren`t quite as many haunts as there are now.

No, Wall-E is Disney/Pixar. But where do you see Wall E in any of those renderings? I certainly don`t see him.

Is that for the new Paramount Park that is being planned/built over in Korea?

I beat you to that by a few minutes. But you actually took the time to find Ryan`s post that officially mentioned that.

It was fun hanging out with you today Dave. As well as all the other people that comprised the KIC group most of the day. Sorry I bugged out a little early, but I felt a big headache coming on. And in fact, when I got home I just sat on the couch for a good half hour after taking some advil.

Actually, I believe that Son of Beast will NOT operate this year Brad. In fact, the large crate out front by the entrance to that ride and Flight Deck has been removed entirely, replaced by some fresh grass, a new tree and some bushes. I don`t see the park doing anything to Club Blood and opening it during the peak summer season. What would be the point?

Well, unless you cite your sources, you won`t have much credibility. Not to mention that the timing would be off. Look at Carowinds` Intimidator ride. The log flumr at Carowinds did NOT open in 2009, so that site work could begin half way through the season. And their log flume was obviously not as big of a ride as Flight Deck. Not to mention the terrain back in that area of the park is not the easiest to work in because it is situated in a small valley. Now, that being said, I would LOVE to see another B&M coaster grace Kings Island, particularly an inverted coaster. But why remove a good ride like Flight Deck? Yes, the hike back to the station is long, but it is still a fun ride, and a good family ride. I`d rather see a B&M invert installed near where the old 360 cinema was. Have the station on the north side of The Racer, and go off back into the woods behind the maintenance buildings and towards Firehawk.

Yeah, right. More like a rumor that you are trying to start. Let me guess, you heard this from the Dippin Dots guy?

Some of Cedar Points lights have a twinkling effect to them. In particular in the tunnel under Millenium Force, and the large snowflake that is on the roof of a building. Also, they dim and turn off some of the LED lights like the "firework" LED light scenes in the summer area of their Snoopy`s Starlight Experience.

I`d say that while the fate of SoB does play a role in what new attractions KI gets in the future, I`d say that the bigger determining factor is who owns the park in the coming years. Will Cedar Fair be able to refinance its debt and continue to own and operate Kings Island? Or will some other company take over? A lot depends on what Q`s interest is in Cedar Fair.

I did not venture up in the tower today, or around the backside of the tower today or on Friday to see any additional work that they have done since last week. The lights that shine on the front side of the tower were installed for Winterfest back in 2005. They are not that old. The lights can change colors, and the color selection is programmable. I like it when the tower was lit up in the blue color. When they installed those lights, they were ONLY installed on the front side. It will be interesting to see what the tower looks like with this new light spectacular. Also, night rides on Backlot will be interesting this year too, since the trees right beyond the helix are covered in lights. Does anyone know how many lights Cedar Point`s Starlight Experience uses? The information on Kings Island`s Events page states that Snoopy`s Starlight Spectacular will utilize more than 2 million lights. And I wonder what is meant by the interactive displays. If those will be similar to the displays that Cedar Point has, or what those will entail.

I myself just got back from the park as well. I got up there and met several other KIC people. Diamondback in a steady rain is quite painful. All in all, crowds were on the light side. I assume it is because of Music in the parks, although I`ve never witnessed this at past Music in the Park days, but we actually saw a marching band marching down Coney Mall playing music. Pretty cool. I know that Cedar Point and Disney World do this. I wish that KI would do stuff like that more often. It adds an extra bit of excitement to the atmosphere.

Drop Tower drops from a height of 264 feet. The actual height of the tower is 315'. The Eiffel Tower has two platforms at the top, one at 275' and one at 265' The tower stands 314'.

Last night, I saw kids getting their picture taken next to the sign for the Great Pumpkin Coaster. I also saw several kids at different times getting their picture taken with the Snoopy figurine at the entrance to Planet Snoopy near Boo Blasters. I think it is a huge hit with kids. And as I`ve said before, as long as there are rides for kids, it really makes no difference what the area is themed to. Back in the day at Coney Island, the area was themed to the "Land of Oz." It makes no difference what it is themed to, kids will still have fun and create lasting memories. Coney Island Rocks, they have a new lift spiel on Race for Your Life Charlie Brown. In fact, most of the rides in Planet Snoopy (both here and at Carowinds) got new spiels. And yes, the coconuts and snake props on the log flume have both been removed.

More on the latest goings on at Great America with regard to the 49ers Stadium http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14947034?nclick_check=1 Cedar Fair has sued, and wants their lease rent payments altered to compensate for potential revenue impact caused by having to close the park for NFL games. This quote still has be a little confused: Cedar Fair has a contract to use the land that they lease. Yet the city, with whom Cedar Fair has a contract with, wants to take part of their land away from them, but still wishes to collect the same rent fee every year? Seems to me like the fine folks running Santa Clara government don`t realize it is a two way street. Don`t take stuff, and expect to still receive the same rent payment. I have a feeling that even if the vote passes this summer, that the final outcome of this entire thing will be ensnarled in lawsuits for many years to come. And personally, if Cedar Fair eventually does sell the park to the 49ers, I would expect them to eventually close the park down, as they are not in the amusement park business.