CoastersRZ

How old are those pictures if the helix is now completed? Aren`t they close to putting the final pieces of track in place? (Based on the pictures anyway.) It will be interesting to see how they work the queue line and the exit for this ride over by the Eagles old home.

Well yesterday, before the site was updated, it said that they were open from 6-12 on Fridays in October and 10-9 on Sundays. Now after they updated the site, they are open from 5-12 on Fridays, and 10-8 on Sundays. Based on the 8pm closing time I would assume that FearFest will take place only on Fridays and Saturdays (or at least the niightly portions, they may have some of the indoor haunts open on Sunday). Also an interesting note is that the park will also be open Fridays in May this season as well from 5pm to 11pm. I can`t wait until opening day. Does anyone know if they are going to have a Gold Pass holder preview day the weekend before like they did last season?

Yes, I too have encountered several bugs with the relaunched PKI site, although some of those have to do with me using Safari on my Mac. Yes, that IJST image does take you to a description on Borg Assimilator. No, Fear Fest was not open on Fridays last season. The last time FearFest was open on Friday`s was back in 2002 when it was a seperate fee attraction for pass holders and the gp.

Patience is a virtue. Wait until tomorrow and then we`ll know whatever is in the article. Life will go on regardless of what is in the article and what did or did not happen to the trains and the fire.

Well I honestly hope no rides are going to be leaving the park in the next couple of seasons. If they removed Adventure Express (which they won`t since it is one of the more popular rides) there would not be enough room to stick in a ride like Kingda Ka. Son of Beast is immediatly behind AE and Flight of Fear is right to the right. Not to mention that the land Adventure Express is built is anything but level. And I don`t think PKI will be buying an Intamin rocket coast anytime soon.

I hope they put the gold pass perks online soon. The site looks nice, except I have a Mac, and several of the flash effects and links don`t work. I can`t click on the Italian Job picture on the main page to go to the Italian Job page.

Why would they start decorating the park now for Winterfest? Yes, the PKI site is a huge miz right now of information from 2004 and 2005. I wonder when they are updating the website. In the past couple of years they have had the gold pass holder perks online by this time.

Well, I think the park has realised the popularity of Fear Fest, and this season it will be open on Fridays from 6 to 12, like it used to be back before 2003 when they included it with season passes and paid admission into the park. I for one would like to see both, extended hours in October (not like the 7 and 8pm closing times they had in October in the late 90`s) and a chance to visit the park in December and grab a ride on say Scooby, the Carousel, and maybe some other rides. It would just be nice to be able to visit the park in another seasons. If the park does bring back Winterfest and themes it like they have done with FearFest, they will have another really big winner on their hands like they have with FearFest.

Well, I distinctly remember looking at the 2005 operating calendar a couple weeks ago and seeing the first weekend in November listed on the schedule. Also, in October they were only open on Saturdays and Sundays. If you check the operating calendar on PKI`s website, they are not currently slated to be open in Novemeber (although they always seem to claim that the park is open for an extra weekend in August when they officially say they will be open the first weekend in November). Also, as mentioned earlier, FearFest will indeed make its triumphant return to Friday nights. The park is open from 6pm to midnight on Fridays in October.

There are already discussions about this in other threads. But I think that it might be a go for Decemeber 2005 Winterfest, the first Winterfest in 13 years.

So is Graeter`s moving into the park this season? I could are less about Cinnabon and Starbucks in PKI.

Isn`t Paramount Parks Design and Entertainment still involved with the development of new rides at the Paramount Parks, but no longer involved with the park shows?

Yes, I have heard numerous reports that Winterfest is returning in 2005. Hopefully it will be fun, and a huge success for the park that they will continue for years to come like they have done with Fear Fest. I for one would be excited if they returned FearFest on Friday nights this season. It seems like they could capitalize on being open those extra evenings. Also, I think FearFest will remain free with park admission and to season pass holders like it has been the past two seasons, simply because they have had a good turn out the past two years. (For shorter lines though, paying $18 was some what nice.) But I like unlimited use of FearFest with my season pass better. Now if Winterfest is returning, will the park still be open in the first weekend of November?

While most of your post is old news PKIWorker 19, you did offer some new news. I was not aware that PKI would be selling Graeter`s Ice Cream this season. In the past they have sold UDF Ice Cream on International Street. Graeter`s will be another Cincinnati brand that has had national attention that will enter the park. (I believe Oprah? has mentioned that one of her favorite ice creams is Graeters). Also, I had not heard about Chick-Fil-A opening at PKI. I wouldn`t be surprised if a Starbuck`s opened since PKD is getting one this season as well. Also, PKD is getting a Cinnabon, so PKI might be gettting one of those too.

Well Paramount Parks Design and Entertainment used to do the shows. But they quite doing live shows a couple seasons ago, and I believe it was up to the parks to come up with their own shows. Someone who works in the Entertainment department at PKI might be able to shed more light on this than me.

Well it certainly seems like all signs are pointing to the return of Winterfest in 2005. Now the question becomes what happens to FearFest? A shorter FearFest perhaps? I for one will be glad if they bring back Winterfest!

I just don`t see PKI spending the money to build a mountain in the park. Plus, it just wouldn`t fit in with the atmosphere of the park IMO. They do have a rather large rock wall with a waterfall on it in The Paramount Story next to the Eiffel Tower.

Invertigo at Paramount`s Great America is blue and yellow and it too is a Vekoma Invertigo.

It will reach a point when parks simply can`t afford to go higher and faster. They could go higher, but it would cost more money than the ride would bring in and thus not be economically feasible to the park.

If they do implement a smoking ban in the park, it will most likely be similar to what they did in Boomerang Bay (also similar to what Holiday World did last season). Over in Boomerang Bay, they have a patio, off the main path by about ten feet where smokers can go smoke. At Holiday World they built decks off of the main midways for smokers to go and smoke if they feel the need to. That way they can still smoke, and are not bothering people in lines or in restaurants. If the park does go smoke free I am sure they will implement similar areas in the park.

Yes, the mountains were original to those parks and are related to when Taft built the parks in 1975 and the 1980s. That is the same reason why both PKI and PKD have an Eiffel Tower.

They will be the same colors that they were last season, although since it is a fresh coat of paint, they will appear brighter because the paint that was on them had faded due to exposre to the sun.

As the joker8688 said, expanding beyong the current boundaries would result in also adding the infrastructure to support new midways. That and with the exception of some of the land by Flight of Fear, and back by Tomb Raider and WWC, most of PKI`s remaining land is very hilly/ravines and creek beds. Those locations can not easily make paths that are ADA accessibl and are not cheap to level out.

Its not as big of a transformation as what the websites underwent about this time last year. Now if only they can get that webcam back up and running...

I believe that Carowinds introduced the Platinum Pass last season, essentially a renamed gold season pass. I think Kings Dominion had a gold Season Pass last year. PKI introduced their Gold Season passes back in the 2001 season. Yes, the site does look nice. My only problem with the site and all Paramount sites is the link to two free tickets in the lower left hand corner that pops up when you click on it. Since I have a Mac and use Safari, the whole area where that box appears is blank and never loads, even if I don`t click on it.