CoastersRZ

What arrangement does/did Disney have with the Hong Kong government to build Hong Kong Disneyland? During my visit to Disney World in early June of 2004, crowds were light to moderate. About the longest line we ever waited in was an hour for Test Track. Other wise, lines were in the order of fifteen to thirty minutes. And we took full advantage of the fast passes, avoiding hour long lines on several rides including Rock `n` Roller Coaster, and Star Tours. Sadly, I was not able to ride Expedition Everest, as it was still under construction. One of these days, I hope to get back to Disney.

It really wasn`t a "find" considering the author of that article was none other than Italianchef himself!

This is already being discussed here.

Why do they insist on only including attendance figures from the Paramount Parks since they took over? It is misleading that they don`t divulge what the true attendance was for all the parks in 2006, regardless of who owned the parks at what point in the season. Also, I understand they want to report attendance by regions. But why do they no longer want to break out attendance on a per park basis (ie the attendance figures for Cedar Point, or Knott`s or Dorney)? They used to do this before they bought Paramount Parks, correct?

That perk used to be reserved for member of ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts). Apparently, that perk is no longer exclusive to members of ACE. Essentially what happens, is a member of the guest relations will walk guests that meet at a designated area (it used to be the ACE block on I-Street) back to The Beast about ten minutes before park open. This is not exclusive ride time. You simply get to be first in line for The Beast when it opens. When walking back, you used to go through some of the employee shortcuts to avoid the mass of people waiting at the ropes. However, once Cedar Fair took over, that changed when the location of the ropes changed. You had to duck under the ropes right in front of everyone, amongst a series of nasty looks!

Both Cedar Fair and Six Flags stock prices were down, despite reporting higher attendance figures. Interesting. And Cedar Fair even reported high per cap spending in 2007 compared to 2006. Is it just the entire entertainment sector that is taking a beating right now, or are analysts and investors concerned about the future of these two companies?

Just wait. I`m sure we`ll be able to see pictures of the sign soon enough! And with that, this is my 5,000th post on KICentral!

While Cedar Fair apparently only got a four year license agreement when they bought Paramount Parks from CBS, I`m sure they`ve been working with Viacom on an agreement for an extension to that licensing contract, for obvious reasons.

As long as you have the voucher that entitles you to a free jacket, you`ll be able to pick one up in the spring. In the fall, the jackets were leaving just about as quick as they could get them in. I believe that Platinum passes must be processed at the park from which they were purchased.

Last year the season pass processing center was open on weekdays before the park opened for the season (and a couple weeks after opening day as well). The park has not had a season pass holder only day (for the regular park or Boomerang Bay) for several years now.

Ah, an article from the good old Arch Record. Interesting to see that the city is now taking steps to preserve the Coney area, with or without the help of Thor Equities.

Well, it is probably unlikely that it will happen. Russ Johnson, the Southern Ohio Regional Representative just stepped down from his post effective immediately. Brian Neal, the assistant rep, is taking over the duties of Regional Rep. Amid the change, I doubt there will be time to coordinate the former winter meeting of ACE members at the park.

Very interesting news. With the new building, I doubt that the corporate headquarters will be leaving Cedar Point anytime soon! And if I had to guess, I`d say chances are that they will not remove any attractions from Cedar Point to build the new corporate offices.

Well, you may capitalize stuff you want to emphasize. But you may not capitalize an entire post, as that is in violation of the terms of service of the forums. It should be noted that double posting (and triple posting as you have also done in the thread) is also again the terms of service of the forums. You have an edit button on your posts for a reason. I know that you`ve used it. There is no reason to double post (or even triple post) in a thread. You have been warned.

A couple of points. First of all, I believe that the trim brake on Voyage will stay next season, and likely forever. I`m sure the park doesn`t want to retrack 1/6 of the Voyage`s track every season. Which is something the trim brake can solve. And, as the ride ages, it wouldn`t surprise me if they turn that trim brake on even harder (or even add additional trim brakes to the ride). Besides, I think that the trim brake on The Racer does little to ruin the experience of the ride. It is still one fun ride. True, it may not have the popularity or the appeal it once had among the general public. But it is still a classic ride. One which helped spark the second roller coaster revolution, which continues on to this very day. Keep in mind that this year The Racer will be 36 years old! How will the Voyage be riding when it is that old?

Thanks Cory! And as a matter of fact Dare-to-Fly, I have ridden the Voyage, as well as the Raven and Legend. In fact, on my visit to Holiday World in 2006, I was on a train that they decided to film for a photo shoot for a commercial and got to ride the ride multiple times in a row. And did you totally miss the fact that I stated the Voyage had trim brakes added to the ride to cut down on maintenance issues with the track? And what exactly is a "normal caliber wooden roller coaster?"

D`oh. Yep. I meant the Voyage, not the Legend. Its been a long day, first day of classes at UC for winter quarter!

Calm down there dare-to-fly. I know that you are an enthusiast, and trim brakes, in your opinion, may ruin the ride experience. But have you worked in an amusement park to maintain a wooden coaster? Have you had to budget the maintenance costs for an amusement park and its rides? Then you don`t really have room to whine and complain about trim brakes being added to rides. And the likely reason that Stricker`s Grove`s wooden coasters don`t have trim brakes is those rides are not operating every day of the week in the summer. Therefore, there is less wear and tear on the track of the Tornado and Teddy Bear simply because it is a private picnic park, save for the three days they are open to the public every year. Keep in mind that Holiday World even added some trim brakes to the Legend this year to save on maintenance issues. Holiday World reported that they re tracked more than 1,000 feet of track last year. For a ride that opened in 2006, to have that much track replaced after its first year is a major amount! Everyone has their own opinions and are entitled to express them on these forums. And, be open to others` opinions as well. Sometimes other people on these boards provide some insightful thoughts.

Sorry. I was not even referring to your post. I was referring to IBEW_Sparky`s post, where he states: I realize that you took the images when the ride was NOT moving and with permission of the ride ops. I was merely pointing out to IBEW Sparky the potential implications, both legal trouble and bodily harm that can result from on ride photo taking.

Only time will tell with that question! It will certainly be interesting to see how that water park does this year. And dare-to-fly, I personally do not mind the trim break on Flight of Fear. Yes, it does bring you to an almost complete stop. But by the time you get back down to the bottom of the bowl and for the corkscrew the train is flying. Look at it this way with that ride. The ride is already a short ride. By putting on the trim break, they are slightly lengthening the ride time, making your wait in line worth more actual ride time.

I still find it hard to believe that "revenue is not the driving force here" as John Bement states. He is quoted in another article as saying that guests have been requesting beer at the park. While that may be the case, I have to imagine that the reason why Six Flags is going for the liquor permit is to increase their revenue and in park spending at Six Flags Over Texas.

Why change something that isn`t broken? For the most part, the theming for Flight of Fear has withstood the test of time fairly well. I mean, the ride will be eleven years old this season. I think the theming of the ride works well. Especially with how it fits into the whole X-Base area of the park with Firehawk. The one thing that area needs though, is a restroom facility. It is a long walk up or down Coney Mall to get to the nearest restroom facility.

No problem at all. I`m assuming you will be able to purchase and process the new 2008 pass anytime that Season Pass Processing is open.

From Kings Island`s season pass FAQ page (which can be found at this link):

On the topic of the Kings Island Scrambler, the braking mechanism has a hydraulic arm attached to it which controls the braking of the ride. While at Coney, the braking mechanism is controlled by the ride operator. The handle is identical to the handle that is used to control the Eli Bridge Ferris Wheels. As an aside, Kings Island has had seat belts on the Scrambler for many years now. However, this past season, Coney added seat belts to both the Scrambler and the Ferris Wheel. Although, the ones on the Ferris Wheel cause most people difficulty to operate as all the excess slack is stored in a case right next the male end of the seat belt. People often don`t know how to extend the belt to make it larger.