CoastersRZ

See that is the thing. These people are mad, because they have lived "next" to this family entertainment center for quite some time. The FEC just added this attraction recently, which is why they are upset. I question the fact that the noise has that much of an impact, as there is an interstate separating them from the FEC. Just seems a little sketchy and like they are trying to pick a battle to make a quick buck.

Yeah, it looks pretty legitimate to me. Nothing stands out as being out of place or Photoshopped. And if it is a Photoshop edit, it is a really good one. I have seen bits and pieces of the Carowinds 2007 map, and it, like this one, features the ride names directly on the park map, like at Cedar Point. And, just because Scooby might have a license for ten years, doesn`t mean that it will be around for that amount of time either. And I believe that some of the Paramount themed rides will undergo some changes next offseason as they may loose their Paramount tie ins. But I wouldn`t expect to see that until this time next year.

Wow. And from the way I understand it, this ride is located across the Interstate from the neighborhood in question? It seems like they would have more noise coming from the express way than from the screams of the riders. Also, the whole issue of the riders being able to see into the neighborhood`s yards seems a little iffy. I mean, its not like the ride is right next to their properties, it is a sizable distance away. Not unlike some of the homes that are visible from the top of The Beast`s lift hill (right side). Granted, those homes were likely built in the `90`s, after The Beast was already built. These people are complaining because it was a recent addition to that FEC. I can sort of see the complaint about the ride at night, as it is brightly colored. But the whole kicking people off of the ride for even making a peep of noise, seems a little ridiculous. Especially since they named the ride "The Screamer," how ironic is that.

Very well said! Very well said indeed.

You`d be surprised how some parents can get so rude and cross with you as a ride operator for enforcing the height requirements or park rules. Then there are the snotty kids that you have to yell at and kick off the ride for spitting on the ride. But, after working at Coney for five years, I have enjoyed every minute of it. Seeing kids coming off of the rides with big grins on their faces, parents ad kids laughing and having fun together, and many other experiences has more than made up for the negative sides of the job. Which is why I might be returning on weekends this summer to the ride department at Coney. One of my most memorable moments at Coney came when I was working the Spin-A-Ree (this was back in 2004 I believe). The park was empty because it had stormed earlier in the day, but we stayed open because the Boys and Girls Club was coming in that evening to spend the last couple of hours riding the rides. One of the kids recognized me from the year before and stated something along the lines of "You`re that nice guy that was running helicopters last year." The kid couldn`t have been much older than 6 years old, but it was quite remarkable that he had created such a strong memory at Coney and remembered me as part of that experience.

I have no idea. I would say a couple of days. I`d also say that they would do that before they paint the supports. A lot of steel framed buildings are built with similar details at their foundations.

Sorry about that. I have no idea how expensive it is. It is called expansive because it is in a near liquid state so that it expands filling in all the gaps between the bearing plate and the top of the footing. There was a picture of Maverick with plastic covering all of its columns posted somewhere several weeks ago. The plastic was over the supports so that the grout could dry.

Take a look at this picture of Face Off. You see that concrete looking stuff immediately below the bearing plate (the horizontal steel plate that the bolts go through)? That is expansive grout. When the supports are first put up, the support is only supported by the bolts. There is a gap between the top of the footing and the bottom of the bearing plate. That is how the supports are like right now on Firehawk. They will eventually come in with expansive grout (like a soupy concrete mix) to fill in this gap between the bearing plate and the footing so that there is a more direct path for the forces to reach the footing and ultimately, the ground. Does that help? Probably way more information than you wanted to know!

Yes, there still is a lot to get done between now and the end of May. There is a lot of work to do on the station still. They also have to pour the expansive grout between the footings and the support columns (likely before they paint the ride). They also have to wire everything and subject it to testing. Not to mention that they will need to build the queue for the ride. They have made a lot of progress but they still have quite a lot of work to do.

Yep, its located at Lotteworld, in Seoul, South Korea. The ride is originally named as "Gyro Drop" and stands 70m tall, or 229 feet tall. Compared to Drop Zone which stands 314 feet tall. Although, you actually drop from a height of 264 feet on Drop Zone.

Well, they are not for the Forwards Racer. The Blue PTC train was sitting on the storage track with covers over it when Ryan and I were at the park on Tuesday.

Sorry, I was just responding to the Interpreter`s post. One thing that I found somewhat interesting, is that the Nick Theater will once again be used for a show. I wonder how they are going to get a stage in there, since they filled in the seating bowl. After last year with just School of Rock and the Nick Parade, an expanded live shows line up will likely be a big hit. The ice show, will likely be extremely popular. It is nice to see this emphasis on live entertainment again. That was one thing that WinterFest was not lacking in its brief return.

If memory serves me, they had the prints place back on the pavement for the 25th anniversary in 2004. They quickly wore off though. They also used to have stripes denoting where The Vortex line should be if it overflowed the queue, these stripes went all the way to almost the "Obey the Net" game on Coney Mall.

They continue to plug away at this ride. As I have said before, I would not at all be surprised if they have all the steel for the ride in place by the time opening day rolls around.

Well, Cedar Point, to me anyway, seems to be have a lot of walking between the attractions. This could be in part because the fact that Cedar Point has a long narrow shape, whereas Kings Island is generally a pinwheel configuration.

To answer the question about when the pictures were taken in further detail, Ryan and I took those pictures around 3 o`clock today. Yes, they could have very well put in place a couple more pieces of track today. I`m sure the park is aware of the proximity of the brake run to the midway. I`m not exactly sure how the exit for the ride will be set up, but if they use both stations, as they fully intend to, the trains will not be sitting on the brake run for any extended amount of time, unless one of the two stations goes down for mechanical reasons. And I`m sure that area will be in clear view of the operators, who could police the spitters/ trash throwers to a certain extent if sufficient barriers aren`t provided for.

Thanks Paul! Thanks to Maureen for letting Ryan and I come to the park to take those pictures!

Similar systems are in place on Top Gun, Adventure Express, and the likely defunct Premier trains on Son of Beast.

Yeah, the drink prices sound about the same. But the price per slice of pizza seems really high compared to what the cost was last year at KI. I know I bought pizza by the slice last year and don`t recall the price, but I know it wasn`t quite that steep.

Right. The guests may be paying more per item, but that only means that they will spend less while in the park. With prices like you mentioned, I wouldn`t be surprised if a lot of the locals leave the park for lunch or diner and head up to Kings Mills Road where there are a lot of fast food places which are more economical for families. They will be making more money off of fewer guests. The question is, will they make the same amount of revenue as they did before they raised the prices, or will the decreased demand due to the higher price result in them actually making less money then had they left the prices alone. It will be interesting to see if Kings Island`s food prices increase as dramatically as what Carowinds did.

I don`t think you realize how much trains for rides cost. They are not a cheap item to get. Especially when they have to be customized, like they do (did) for Son of Beast. The park is not going to go out and buy a set of trains just to test the ride, only to turn around and go out and buy another set of trains from a different manufacturer. And besides, why wouldn`t they want to "test the track" with the trains that will ultimately be taking passengers around the course? Whether the park were to go with the G trains or PTC trains, they would both have to be modified to fit the Son of Beast track guage. Either that, or KI would have had to retrack the entire ride into a standard track guage.

I think adding a zero g roll is about as likely as Kings Island paving International Street in gold. In other words, it isn`t going to happen. Why would the park buy G trains for testing, only to be replaced by PTC trains? Trains are NOT cheap things to buy. So if the park was buying new trains, they would likely be the ones that the park anticipates reopening the ride with. Especially if they go with the G trains, the trains have to be modified to fit the track gage for Son of Beast. It will be interesting to see when, and if, Son of Beast opens this year. I personally have my doubt about it opening this year, but stranger things have happened!

Well, it is my understanding that The Racer and Beast got seatbelts added because PTC recommended that all of their trains have seat belts. I`m all for safety. I just question how the belts will impact the speed of loading the ride, and the result it will have on capacity. Will it be like on The Racer and Beast, where they just have to visually confirm that the seatbelt is fastened, or like on Face Off, Drop Zone Delirium, Tomb Raider and FoF, will they have to physically check the seat belt. Also, will they have to buckle all the belts on empty seats?

Except for the seatbelts on Flight of Fear. Those are what cause some of the slow load times for the trains on Flight of Fear, simply because the guests do not know where to buckle the belts to. Yes, the addition of the seatbelts comes down to liabilities the park protecting themselves from lawsuits. As a result, the some restraints become redundant, but it ultimately adds to the safety of the rides. Look at the Scrambler at Kings Island. It had seat belts added about six or so years ago, after an incident at another park involving a Scrambler. But yet at some parks, like at Coney Island and Stricker`s Grove, the Scramblers do not have seat belts. A big player in the issue of what rides get seat belts added is likely the parks insurance company, who would likely have to shell out money in a lawsuit.

Gosh, shows you how long its been since I`ve been to Cedar Point! I was last there in 2004, but am planning on going back at some point this year. Are they like the type that can be found on The Racer/ Tornado at Stricker`s Grove?