CoastersRZ

So a couple of things. First, I do not see any mention of a preview day for renewing pass holders for the 2017 season. Second, if you are currently a KI 2016 Platinum Pass holder, and are going to "renew" to a Gold KI season pass in 2017, is that still considered a renewal and eligible for the Fastlane on Sundays an the free bring a friend ticket? With a baby on the way in December, we likely will not have a chance to visit another Cedar Fair park besides KI in 2017.

I know that was last year. We got about 9 inches of water in the rides office from that flood. I could see Coney getting a wooden coaster again. I could see more along the lines of Voyage with a steel structure to support the wooden track.

And that is assuming they use RMC for it. It seems like a perfect candidate. How long did the overhaul to Ghostrider at Knott`s Berry Farm take? Again, a much better climate as well.

And the ugly has been taken care of...

I haven`t heard any rumblings yet about what could be new for 2017. With the big addition this year at Sunlite Adventure, hopefully the rides side will get something new. Only time will tell. If I hear anything that I can talk about, I will certainly let you know.

Rest assured, I am sure that someone knows what is going on in the shed. They just aren`t telling very many people at this point.

I saw an article in the last few days which quoted the developer saying they were going to submit revised drawings for the wheel to the COE. They did state that there would be no firm timeline until the Corps gives their approval, but that there would be about twelve months of construction once approval is granted. See more here: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2016/08/08/army-corps-raises-newport-ferris-wheel-project-concerns/88436252/

I thoroughly enjoy Thunderhead. It is non-stop fun. I hope to experience Lightning Rod in early November when my wife and I pay a second visit to Dollywood this season.

Thoughts go out to the family. And those that witnessed the tragedy. So my immediate reaction is if there was a minimum required age, were they actively enforcing that requirement? For example, the Fender Bender ride at Coney Island has a minimum requirement of 32" and 5 years old to ride. What is to stop a parent from telling the operator that their kid is actually five when they are not that age yet, just to get them on the ride. While a kiddy bumper car ride is no doubt more tame than a serious thrill ride like the slide in question, parents have been known to circumvent safety measures and/or lie in order to get their kids to ride rides before they are truly tall enough. I am in no way saying that the parents in this situation did any of that. It will be interesting to see what caused the accident, and what, if any, modifications are made to the ride.

I know at Coney, they test the water frequently in Sunlite Pool, and they even test it in different locations. The one quirk that many may not realize, is that a pool like Sunlite Pool, which is just a pool, is regulated by the local health department. However, a slide like Twister or Pipeline Plunge at Coney is regulated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and they are concerned about the water quality. It seems like this particular incident has been going on for a while. I know that sometimes they will "super chlorinate" a pool to kill things like Crypto.

And the queue for Flight Commander would need some reworking, as it was designed so that riders entered from the "center" of the ride. That portion was filled in with concrete years ago. I do agree that a classic flat ride in that location would be a big hit.

On Cedar Fair`s current conference call this morning, they stated that they are committed to rolling out WinterFest to three more parks in 2017. They did not disclose which parks would be receiving WinterFest. They did state the parks they will be rolling it out to have strong metro markets with a strong season pass base. Obviously, I hope that Kings Island is one of those three. My guess would be Carowinds, Kings Dominion, Kings Island and Worlds of Fun are the parks that could be in contention for Winterfest. So which three parks do you think are on top to receive Winterfest in 2017?

Well, one logical thing that would be in part of the shed is the transfer track/storage area for the trains. They are going to run three trains, so there has to be a transfer track/ storage area somewhere, and I don`t see it shown after leaving the station (a la Beast and Racer).

I think there are several things. I would love to see the return of Winterfest (and loved all the Christmas in July touches they had), I doubt that they will announce this August for Winterfest for next year. Right now California`s Great America will be the test this year, and it was stated on a conference call that if successful, they would look to roll it out to up to four additional parks in 2017. The revamp of the Action theater makes sense. it also makes sense if they added a flat ride to the former Flight Commander site. (I would also love to see them add a flat ride and restroom back in X-Base.) I could also see them adding a flat ride to the Crypt building, and keeping a theme of Mystic Timbers to tie in with River town. The other thought I had was a retheme/revamp of Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. There are lots of options. I am excited for Mystic Timbers and whatever else the park is going to add for 2017. It is hard to believe that it has been 17 years since Son of Beast was under construction!

There were some serious talks about five years ago to bring a family sized wooden coaster to the park, but those talks never materialized into anything. I think a ride like that would be a huge hit. Will we ever see it? I don`t know. Coney`s long time park president, Vic Nolting, retired at the end of last year. Rob Schutter is the new park president, and he is also president of Leisure Systems, Inc. (which licenses the Jellystone Campgrounds), which is the sister company to Coney that is also owned by Park River Corporation, which is in turn owned by Brenda Walker and Ron Walker Jr.

I can hope that one day we will get a coaster or a log flume ride. Both would be big hits at Coney.

I agree. It is amazing how often I used to visit the park. I used to average about 25-30 visits a year. The last several years it has been about ten visits. I still live the same 25 minutes from the park that I always have. But things in life have changed. From being in a serious relationship, to now married, there just isn`t as much time to spend at the park. Especially with both my wife and I each having full time jobs (and I work about sixty hours a week in the summer when you include the time I spend as a rides manager down at Coney). This year has had far more solo visits by me, as my wife cannot currently ride most of the rides. Next year will be a fun year though.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/warren-county/mason-community/new-kings-island-roller-coaster-another-clue-hints-at-new-wooden-coaster-coming-to-kings-island?autoplay=true Shows the inside of the card.

But that is not guaranteed until the park confirms it. Past precedents does not always ring true for future events.

So the question is, will the public be able to attend this announcement, or is it for working media only?

They seemed to love to have budget cuts. In case some of you didn`t see the post I made last night in the Coney Island forum, Coney has announced Christmas Nights of Lights for this year. See the thread here. No rides will be open as it is a drive through experience, which will be open November 11-January 1st. -Robbie "CoastersRZ"

A two mile drive through Coney with over 1 million lights. Daily November 11- January 1st. $6 per person, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Salvation Army and the Ruth Lyons Children`s Fund. More information on Coney`s website here: http://coneyislandpark.com/christmas-light-show

Hobby Lobby is starting to set up their Christmas displays and items currently, so there is availability to get Christmas decorations...

Thanks for sharing the pictures. I went down there last August. Hoping to make it down there this year to check out Storm Chaser. Not sure if I will make it given my schedule.

I too was referring to the original Winterfest. Other than some of the flat rides, and the Great Pumpkin coaster, no roller coasters were ever open for Winterfest. There are minimum temperature requirements for those rides to operate, see also Dollywood which will not run their coasters in December if the temp drops below a certain threshold. They did not have the entire park open either. You were pretty much limited to International Street, part of kiddy land, Rivetown to the train station, and Oktoberfest. Action Zone, and Coney Mall were almost completely off limits in 2005. I do not think it would be as big of an issue as you think. The event is not marketed towards thrill seekers, but rather families. The entertainment offerings at the 2005 version were top notch. That being said, I have always thought that Flight of Fear would be a ride they could run during Winterfest since it is in doors.