CoastersRZ

The park is really looking nice with all the preparations for Winterfest. Also, the Animation Station has all of its windows covered up as they prepare the inside for Santa`s house. It definantly looks like they are going to bring back WinterFest with lots of cool effects. It is looking great!

Really? I thought that Paramount Parks was based in Charlotte NC. Now I understand they may get concepts from Paramount Pictures out in California, but according to what Rickster said, Paramount Parks is also based out there? What am I missing?

With the last night for Fear Fest, and it being a Saturday, I didn`t expect crowds to be light. I was a little shocked at how light the crowds were on Friday evening. It got quite cold out by midnight on Friday. I had a chilly front seat ride on The Beast about 7 minutes beofre midnight on Friday night. Glad to hear that you had fun on your first FearFest trip! What haunted attraction did you go through?

Last I heard, the rumors were leaning toward the Slime Maze being rethemed to the Spongebob walk through adventure. But I do not know how accurate that rumor is. I also heard that the Slime Maze would be removed for a new Spongebob attraction on that plot of land. I have also heard rumors about a new ride on the Nick Theater site. It would make sense to remove the Slime Maze, as it seems out of place on the dry side of the park. That is prime real estate that could be used by a new ride. Only time will tell what the park has planned.

Yes, The Flinestone`s are still known by kids today. Don`t forget that they had the live action Flinestone`s movie made in the mid 1990`s with John Goodman, Rick Moranis and Rosie O`Donnel (I don`t remember who played Wilma.) However, Nickelodeon shows are the in shows, as opposed to the older HB shows.

Sounds like next weekend has the potential to be extremly crowded! Any news on whether they will once again offer final rides of the season on The Beast like they have done the past couple of years?

Paramount Parks is based in Charlotte, NC, not LA and they are not based in the Paramount Pictures Plaza. Paramount Parks Design and Entertainment comes up with the ideas for the new attractions. Then they turn to ride manufacturers and architectural firms to select a ride and associated buildings that fit the type of attractions they select. For example, Premier Rides designed the track and trains for IJST, while RSL did all the buildings associated with IJST (the station, tunnel, etc.)

Yes, but I believe that locally based RSL Commercial Architecture drew up the plans for the buildings and support structures for IJST (as well as the renovation to Happy Days Diner)> I know RSL has done extensive work at the park (Face Off`s station and queue building, Flight of Fear`s building, the Animation Station in HB, and several buildings out in Boomerang Bay.)

Wow, I was going to say! For me, once the park closes for the season, unless there is a construction tour, I don`t get near the park (in part because I llive in Anderson Township, 25 miles from PKI. With gas the way it is, not exactly worth driving up that far just to look at the park.

Wait. Combat Stupendous, unless I am confused don`t you work on The Beast crew?

Yeah, I don`t know why they are closing so early. But just be glad they are open that weekend. When the announced Winterfest, I thought for sure that their last weekend would be the final weekend in October and not the first weekend in November, like they have done the past couple of years. But they are still being open that weekend. That leaves them just three weeks to make all the final Winterfest preparations before it debuts to the public on Friday, November 25.

At least this year, they will be open for Winterfest, with a couple of rides! Also, usually, the park will open either the first or second weekend in April. If they do the last ride of the season on The Beast as they have done the past couple of years, they have sometimes mentioned when opening day for the following season is.

I`ll be there for sure on the final day. Not sure about the Saturday. I might end up volunteering in the foods department there on Saturday (I`d rather not, but it will be for a good cause if I have to). I`m looking forward to it this year. I missed it last year because of an architectural school field trip up to Boston (we returned, and in fact drove by PKI, at about midnight after they had already closed on their final day of the season. Boy was that a bummer!)

Well, I think it is pretty much agreed that there will be a ride replacing Scooby`s Ghoster Coaster, and it will be some sort of roller coaster. The free fall ride COULD be a new ride, or it could simply be a rename and rethem of Atom Ant Airways. We`ll have to just wait and see what PKI releases in January. Their announcement of Nick Universe with very few hard details was to drive season pass sales before the end of the season. Then in January, they will have more details to announce, and drive season pass sales in the slow winter months.

My favorite memory was attending The Vortex commercial shoot, and meeting up with Klockster and ZosoBeast. Nothing like being called "professional roller coaster riders" by a person on the production staff.

Yes Skyline is cheaper outside the park, but not by much (drinks are obviously cheaper outside the park.) The 3-ways and 4-ways are only marginally more expensive (like 30 to 50 cents. What they get you on is the serving size is smaller at PKI.

The question remains. Exactly how many NEW rides will the Nick Universe get, and how many will be rethemes, or overhauls of existing attractions.

And actually. the Footlong Express Skylin location appears to have been vacated by Skyline altogether. They no longer have the Skyline Menus up. Could this be a new restaurant in 2006? Or just a temporary move of Skyline to the front of the park for FearFest and Winterfest to allow for indoor eating in warm air on those nippy days like Sunday!

Yes, but I believe it was also stated that no construction will begin prior to the end of the 2005 regular operating season. BTW, thanks for the compliments on the pictures everyone! I also have several pages of old Kings Island pictures on my site (including a shot of the Dolphin show and the smurf`s).

My website loads fine for me. However, it is on my school`s server (I get 2GB of storage space on their and unlimited bandwith), and their server has been known to go down for unknown reasons for hours or sometimes even days at a time. But hey, it is free! As far as HB rides go, all the rides in Hanna Barbera Land will remain open until the end of the season.

I got up to the park today around 2. The park would be closing at 4 due to the weather and lack of crowds. There was nobody in the park! I got lots of rides in, saw Klockster at Vortex, and CombarStupendous at The Beast, along with someone else who knew I posted here, but I do not know who he was, or if he posts here. I had a frontseat ride on The Vortex when it was pouring down rain (ouch!). Also, Winterfest preparations have begun in earnest. The Royal fountain ice skating rink is starting to take shape, with pallets being installed on a platform of wood framing. I posted some pictures to my website here. It was too bad that the park had to close so early as the lline were non existant, but I understand why they closed. They were losing money just staying open!

Yeah. CombatStupendous, who was that that checked my bar on The Beast that said they know me? I heard you telling him I post on PKIC. Overall, today was a cold, but fun day at the park for me. (Bummer they closed at 4, but there was absolutely nobody there). I rode almost every major coaster in the two hours I was there today.

Yes, that always amazes me. I got to the park last night a little before 8, and there were people bringing in small children, who couldn`t have been more than six or seven. I`ve seen kids crying walking through Cornstalkers. Why even bring kids on a night like last night when the park was full of people?

What`s with the double post?

The reason SkyFlyer had that long of a wait is because they were only using oe side (the side closest to Days of Thunder).