CoastersRZ

Seems faster to me.

Awesome pictures! Keep the pictures coming! If I am not mistaken, Drop Zone didn`t open until May of 1999. It wasn`t open for the season pass preview day in 1999. I remember riding Face Off on that day. That was the second year that I had a season pass to Kings Island (with 1998 being the first). I have had a season pass to KI every year since.

Those have to go somewhere. Most GCIs hide the storage track from the main track with a wall. Also, the shed is longer than just the transfer track/storage area.

It was the original shade. It just that it had been so long since it had been painted that the dark blue had faded so much that it seemed darker.

That looks like a wonderful airtime hill right there!

Which is a lot better than what it looked like in 2000. The supports were terribly faded then.

Its not just Cedar Fair. Several restaurant chains have also reimagined their logos recently. O`Charleys, Olive Garden, Wendy`s all have opted for more simplified versions of their logos. In almost all instances, I preferred the original logo to the new ones. They just seem so plain and boring.

I agree that it is not difficult, as I stated before. But until we get a push from the full time staff, it will likely not be implemented. I like analyzing numbers and agree that it would be beneficial data to have.

I agree that it would give us a bunch of interesting data. I agree that it is also not time consuming per se. But we would have to train all the existing ride operators to track it, and I know that some of them will refuse/make up numbers. And it would also be another piece of paperwork that we would have to keep up with. The full time staff at Coney has never required it, so why deal with it if it is not required?

Previously, season pass holders just had to show their pass to ride operators at each ride to gain entry to the rides. (There is no gate on the ride side, so anyone that has paid to park is free to roam the grounds on the rides side. The pool area is gated). Starting last season, pass holders were not able to flash their pass to gain entry to a ride. They had to flash their pass at a ticket booth and receive a rides wristband for the day. Ride operators were only allowed to let guests on the ride that had a wristband. This results in being able to determine exactly how many pass holders were riding the rides on a given day. Coney does not take capacity like Kings Island does. We do not track how many cycles/riders ride any particular ride on a given day.

I thought the Peanuts movie was generally well received. I know I watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it. And Peanuts still get play on network television every year. Are they as relevant as some of the new cartoons? No. But they are still in the public eye. Back in the day, there were no license tie ins for amusement parks and kiddy areas. Coney had the Land of Oz as the theme for its kiddy area.

That is somewhat surprising. I didn`t know that MetLife had dropped their licensing of the Peanuts. That brand is pretty tied to Peanuts, IMO. Also, the article mentions Iconix bought the Peanuts licensing from the E.W. Scripps company. It was part of the Scripps owned United Feature Syndicate. It should also be noted that Iconix is selling its 80% stake in Peanuts Worldwide, LLC. The other 20% is owned by Charles M. Schulz Creative Accosiates, which is controlled by the Shulz family. I wonder what impact, if any, this will eventually have on the licensing deal that Cedar Fair has for the Peanuts gang.

And even then, you are going to be flying by the WWC turntable. So if the lights are still on (which they would need to be on as long as WWC is open), it shouldn`t impact things too much. I know that the train has been operating until 9pm on most days the park is open until 10pm or later. And I know in the past that WWC has not opened on some days until noon. Does WWC close early too? I can`t say that I have ridden WWC in years.

Depending where the next meet up is, I might try and make an appearance. Looks like all in attendance had fun.

Where have they announced the show line up for this year? I have not seen it announced yet. Please provide a link.

I liked the old website better. When you click on something like Platinum Pass Benefits, you are greeted by a large ad to purchase a pass, and then have to scroll down to see the benefits, and then click through them. I have no problem with promoting products and what you are selling on your website. Its just the website seems a little "clunky" for lack of a better term. I do like the new logo, though.

That is the mechanical/electrical room for Zephyr. It is likely where the hydraulics are located for the ride. I believe that there is a metal plate in the concrete that leads from the ride to this building, for easy access for maintenance should something spring a leak.

Thanks for posting Shaggy. Those are some wonderful pictures. Brings back lots of memories (especially King Cobra). As Malem said, if you want to contribute some of these to KIC, we would be more than willing to accept them (with proper credit). Keep the pictures coming!

I don`t know if that would be Soak City. Seems like it would be more in line with either the picnic grove or one of the backstage buildings behind Planet Snoopy. I think Soak City would be off to the left.

I cannot comment on Timberliners, as I have not ridden a coaster that has them running on it. I have been on many GCI coasters that have Millenium Flyer trains running on them. The trains are very comfortable compared to the old school PTC trains.

Those unused buildings to the south of the Aquarium are from the former IMAX theater that was there but didn't last long.

To my knowledge, the park has not confirmed that there is going to be a season pass preview night on 4/14. I have not seen any promotional material (either in the fall or any emails sent out since the park closed) indicated there will be a season pass preview night.

I understand completely. I wasn`t intending to dash any imagination or creative juices. I mean I love the look that they put into the new funnel cake building in Rivertown. They could have probably built it cheaper by not including the thematic elements they did, but having them present definitely helps with the placemaking and tying it in to the theme of Rivertown.

It is just how the ride is designed. The track in the station is relatively level. So when the brakes are released, the trains (especially if there is a lot of weight in the trains), do not want to start to move. There are kicker wheels on the track, but if the train doesn`t stop right at one of the kicker wheels, then the trains need to be pushed in order to get it to move.

A lot of those things come down to ROI. Number one could be done, but the ride is not in need of a repaint right now (at least from what I can tell.). Where would you move Congo Falls to in Rivertown? There isn`t much room and would the cost of moving it boost ridership and be marketable by the park? I doubt it would be that marketable, unless they did something else to it to spruce it up and make it seem like new. Same things go for the Bat. Why go through the expense of those items when it will not increase park attendance or spending by guests (not to mention those items would be another thing that would have to be maintained.).