CoastersRZ

You`ll probably be better suited to scope out the area from the Eiffel Tower. There won`t be much action in Action Zone. Poor Flight Deck will be out there all by itself. It will be interesting to see if there is just a fence and nothing else or if there are survey marks or anything. Keep in mind, that Cedar Point didn`t start pouring footings until well in the summer...

I`d venture to say that most of that "processing fee" finds its way into Cedar Fair`s hands. I`m sure whatever company/software they use gets at least a cut of the processing fee. It really is ridiculous. And Kings Island isn`t the only venue that does this. Have you bought concert tickets lately? The cost of the Ticketmaster/Live Nation processing fees can be well north of $10, sometimes close to $20 a ticket! So that $35 ticket may end up being close to $60 by the time you add in all the fees and taxes! Such a racket.

It doesn`t take much deducing to realize that is where the next big expansion would be at Kings Island. They aren`t going to just tear out the go kart tracks and plant grass. They clearly have something planned for that area. Remember, things take time to plan and design...

If I had to guess, I`d say a visual inspection of the track is all that is done on a daily basis. They probably x-ray the track, or use dye tests in the off season. With steel track, its not like they have to worry about some of the wood track rotting, or nailes/bolts coming loose. They do have bolts connecting the steel tracks. These normally have torque markings on them, so they can tell just by looking whether or not the bolts have started to work themselves loose and need to be re tightened.

That is a really good price for soft drinks! I too wonder if it will be free refills. Johnny Rockets at Cedar Point (another sit down restaurant) did have free refills last season. Keep in mind that there will be gratuity required since it is a table service restaurant. I am excited to check out the cafe with my girlfriend the first time we are at the park together! I heard the cafe mentioned on 700WLW tonight before the Reds pregame show! Very cool indeed!

That is one awesome picture Ronny! I wish I could be at Gatekeeper media day. However, I will be headed down to Disney World the next day. I will be hitting up Cedar Point the following Saturday though. Add in the fact that I am in the midst of a job change, and it is going to be an exciting month of May for me!

I was trying to find information on Kings Island`s website, but it does not seem to be listed there. I believe that Beast and Diamondback (and maybe a couple rides in Planet Snoopy) are set to be the early rides times. Early ride times for Gold and Platinum Pass holders are thirty minutes before the park opens. Others I`m sure will be able to confirm the rides available.

And that would be a very long walk, with quite a bit of grade change. The land dips down pretty significantly back behind Adventure Express. Not saying it won`t ever happen, but there are certainly other areas where they can build some infill projects, with not as much infrastructure required.

Wow. That is true. Exactly! The Dodgems at Kings Island are run so slow these days, that there isn`t even much point to ride them.

Invertigo was just painted for last season. I think it looks excellent with its new colors. The supports on Vortex are supposed to be that dark color. They painted it navy blue. It certainly looks a lot better than it did prior to its paint job for the 2002 season, when the supports were a light gray, because they original dark blue had faded so much over the years. Its amazing how ultra violet light can fade paint colors.

Slingshot less thrilling than watching paint dry? Are we talking about Slingshot at Kings Island? Between Skyflyer and slingshot, I would pick Slingshot as the more intense and thrilling ride. I definitely have enjoyed my couple of rides on it. (I only spent $5 to do it each time I have done it, and I think it is worth $5).

I don`t know what you are referring to, but most of the employees at Kings Island`s Eiffel Tower are quite informative. Although, they don`t rattle off as many facts about the ride as the operators do at the ride of the same name at Kings Dominion.

So the next question will be, will she still be seen at the park this season? Its such a shame that such a wonderful family run park like this has gone through such turmoil (and very public at times) fighting. Hopefully, this fighting does not negatively impact the park this season, or in the seasons to come.

I wonder what exciting news they have to share tomorrow. Could it be some new event for this upcoming season?

I wish Kings Island would take a page from Kings Dominion, and return the classical music to International Street. Just adds a bit of magic to the park experience that has been absent from Kings Island over the last five years or so.

Thanks for the update, Shaggy! I have been wanting to get up there after this display is finished! I can`t wait to check it out.

Wow. It certainly has been a rough couple of years for that family. Thoughts and prayers. Its amazing the impact that the Koch family has had on Santa Claus, IN.

I don`t know what you are speaking about savesonofbeastfb, but most of the rides look the same as they did at the end of last season. And there are no "cement" columns in Lake Como for Como Cruisers. There aren`t even concrete columns in Lake Como. They have places some pipes in the lake for the route of Como Cruisers, but not much work besides that has been done to the new attraction, other than the old Bumper Boat dock, has been slightly dis-assembled. I should grab some pictures when I`m down there again on Wednesday for interviews.

Just want to pass along an update, since I drive by Riverdowns on my way into work. They have been quite busy, moving lots of dirt around, and piling it up in what used to be the parking lot in front of the old grandstand. They have been busy pouring foundations, and towards the end of the week, they started forming and pouring concrete columns. I presume these are for the parking garage that is going to be the "basement" of the new facility. They certainly have a ton of construction equipment on site, and aren`t wasting much time.

I don`t watch much TV, and when I do, I do not watch MTV so I did not see that. Yes, I miss the backwards Racer, but don`t look for it to come back anytime soon. I agree with Gary, that maintenance is the unsung heroes of the parks. There work seldom gets noticed, and they put in some long hours. Few people realize that they tear the trains apart and disassemble most of the rides in the winter to inspect them. It always fascinates me to see parks in the midst of their off season maintenance work. At Coney, they have begun re-assembling the rides. They just moved the Rock O Plane cars out to the ride on Thursday, and will likely be putting them on the ride next week. They still haven`t done too much work on the new Como Cruisers though, but there is still some time before the park opens for the season.

I still have yet to make it out to Indiana Beach. (I`ve been kept busy with three jobs and studying for my ARE exams, which I just found out yesterday I passed my first one, the structures exam). It is on my list of things to do. It seems like a nice little park. Glad to see them investing in the park. Its always great to see smaller parks investing in themselves.

It's no surprise that the next Pasteur is already on the drawing board. Those things take a lot of time to design. When you are spending $20 million or more you want to be certain that you are getting a good product for your money and you want everything to be just right. I'd say that they have more than one coaster on the drawing board...

Very well said, Shaggy! I agree that it seems Lori doesn`t really have the legacy of the Koch name at heart with this lawsuit. It will be interesting to see what happens moving forward and how things progress.

I understand Firehawk, as it is a low capacity ride to begin with. This would limit some of the Fast Lane use at this ride which already doesn`t get great through put. The Plus option allows the park to recoup more money. How long before we start having to go to a pay per ride option again? They claim that there is no impact on the typical park guest who doesnt buy Fast Lane. I don`t buy that for one second. It will result in longer lines for those non-Fast Lane carrying people. If a ride only holds 20 people per train, and there are 100 people in line in front of you, you will be the first person on the 6th train. However, if 20 people use Fast Lane when you are in line, that means you will now be on the 7th train instead of the 6th, thus making you wait longer. While the load time may only be a few minutes, it will add to the wait time, and a few minutes here and there can add up quick. That being said, I have used Fast Pass at Cedar Point and Carowinds (both on busy Saturdays), to maximize my visit and avoid waiting in time. Was it worth the price? I`d say yes, because we were only there for one day. It is a way for the park`s to capture some excess money. I just think the execution at times is lacking. Especially where the standby lines and Fast Lane. Whether we like it or not, Fast Lane is here to stay.

That will be interesting to see. I`m going to be hitting up Kings Dominion opening weekend, so I should be able to give a report on the new maps. I wonder when Disney will start building the advanced Fast Passes into the My Magic app. I am likely going to get down to Disney World in July.