super7

The track ran slightly uphill before the second tunnel set. If they are raising that track right before the tunnel, it sounds like they are just reducing the downhill slope after the covered trim brake run. If so that’s not an improvement on the ride experience IMO

But that’s in the Florida thene park area with Disney Universal Lego etc. That’s an entirely different scenario than Richmond-Hampton Roads. Florida is a worldwide destination where VA is only regional. They *could* market KD BG as a destination if this disastrous acquisition happened, but history says overextended theme park companies love to shutter parks for quick cash (Astroworld, Geauga) KD has far from met it’s potential under Cedar Fair. Attendance there is not that great despite being located on the busiest interstate on the East Coast and close to the DC metro area. Cedar Fair has given Carowinds lots of live but KD not so much. I believe if it was under the same ownership as BG, it would be even more neglected.

Yes. They had liens filed on them in 2020 for missing payments on their new rides. The same rides that sat dormant all of 2021 even though they’re were completed. Probably for the same reason.

This would be a DISASTER for any of us that has enjoyed Cedar Fair ownership of these parks. From attending Busch Gardens over the last 10 years, i can attest the quality of experience has went in the gutter there. The SEAS parks are run by penny pinching. They are constantly cutting hours, entertainment, food service, theming etc. Christmas Town this year looked HORRIBLE because they cut the lights so much. Here is a great example of the low-quality experience that BG has become. They advertise a 10 am opening, but open the park in phases and normally do not have the full park operational until an hour or hour and a half after opening. Another example is Pantheon has $0 theming. Its station is a box with 6 posts. Compare that to the quality renovations of Area 72, Blue Ridge Junction, and Jungle XPedition under Cedar Fair. Remember SEAS has little cash. They had liens filed on them in 2020 because they could not pay vendors. They would be SOOO leveraged to buy CF that their cash flow would be going to pay interest, and park improvements will be less and less and less and cuts would be more and more and more. And then theirs the possibility of beautiful Kings Dominion getting the Geauga Lake treatment. That would be a sad day as that park has so much potential. And for those that like their season dining passes, day goodbye. SEAS doesn't offer that. SEAS pricing is much higher than CF ($190 for a one park pass). While CF is underpriced, SEAS is overpriced for what they offer. I would much rather be paying separate admissions to both chains than see this fiasco happen.

Kings Island needs quality dark rides. Something on the order of Calico Mine Ride at Knotts. Kings Island needs more total family rides, and indoor all weather attractions. The Tomb Raider building and Backlot coaster are the two biggest eyesores in the entire park. Both are prime examples of Paramount destruction of the park beauty and theming cohesion. I wish they would at least plant groves of white pines on both sides of the Tomb Raider building to hide it. Or better yet level it and put something worthwhile there. Remember it’s a huge space that one housed a lake and a Flume.

Unfortunately it was built in the early days of Cedar Fair ownership where they were using the Cedar Point philosophy that just adding a huge ride was all that was important. Theming and atmosphere got little attention back then. Thank goodness Ouimet got involved with his Disney experience. That’s when the parks started getting theming details again.

I wound be happy if the just planted some trees around the plaza station area and pre lift turn around of Beast. It all used to be back in the woods. Like the rest of the park, it’s pretty barren these days.

Kings Dominion has the most beautiful entrance area of all theme parks. The large mature trees and the landscape islands make it absolutely gorgeous. I like how the islands separate the seating areas from the main walkways. Kings Dominion I Street fit Winterfest is soooo much more immersive with lights all above everything in the high trees KD I Street was even better when the Eiffel Tower was totally surrounded by trees. But some insect or disease wiped those trees out. That was the failure of the Kings Island I Street renovating. The single row of trees and lack of landscape iislands. it was probably done for parade purposes but it feels much more linear and boring than KDs design. The other fault of the renovation is the hideous exposed light poles. Although those exposed light poles do make Let It Snow work great.

Let’s be thankful Paramount didn’t destroy the beautiful queue building of Racer. At Kings Dominion they bulldozed it, and then built the most ridiculously long, unshaded and HOT I’m the summer queue ramp they possibly could.

It belongs in Rivertown. The cartoony painting of the rustic buildings has never looked good.

I attended Kings Dominion NYE. Their rides closed at midnight. Regular activities and about half of dining closed at 10. I can’t remember when skating stopped. Park and rest of dining closed at 1am.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has totally ended 3 production major shows 4 days early. This virus is real and many people making 0 effort

Tuesday night probably had 500 people with the rain in the forecast. And it was only drizzly. Then they did a Cedar Fair special and closed at 8:30. Cedar Fair parks in general lack indoor attractions and their gaining reputation for closing in bad weather stops people from coming in less than ideal weather. Not that now is a good time for crowded indoor attractions, but that seems to be a reason for low attendance when it rains. It’s not just Winterfest that this happens. It was dry this year and the event had great attendance . If the event is ever plagued by rain it will be a disaster at the gate. I do wonder how much of Winterfest attendance though is just regurgitating low spending season pass holders. The park was crowded between 6 and 8:30 this year. That seems to indicate that a majority of the attendance didn’t pay ticket price to get in. It’s my favorite event of the year and I’m glad people are going so it can continue , but just some thoughts and observations

You are right. I should avoid most of the food there for a better experience. I just don’t get it how simple food can be made so poorly.

“The original design of The Beast had the upper and lower track in the helix on top of each other. In order to simplify the geometry of the crossover, the lower bents will be upper bents until the tunnel.” What exactly does that mean? I find the most clunky part of the ride is the banked turn after the 2nd drop/before the covered break run. One could see the trains jumping around. It sounds like that is being completely retracked

I don’t know how the “brownies” at the Sweet Spot could be any worse. They have a plastic taste and the texture of dried out fudge. Anyone can make a brownie from a box that’s 100 times better than this monstrosity.

You are right. Additional restrooms are needed. Good ventilation and Clorox cleaning keeps the smell from happening. It’s not just the smell. Touch less faucets and stop dispensers were invented decades ago. Abd it would be nice if the doors opened outward. It’s pretty hard to actually wash your hands and keep them clean leaving those filthy outdated restrooms. It is great that we won’t lose suspension parts in a parking lot pothole. I am surprised they are spending money on the parking lot given the debt load of CF.

Is the pavement the original 1972! pavement like some of restrooms still are from then? The lot was in the worst shape of any park that I have been to recently. It was disintegrated in places. When will there be money in the budget to update the urine scented 1972 restrooms?

We should be having snow this time of year. Not 60 degrees and tornadoes. Was the park closed on Friday?

Oktoberfest was originally full of glare rides. That area is in need of the mist attention. One flat ride could fit where Spinnen Keggers originally sat and another where Flying Dutchman sat (modifying AE exit). A third could be installed instead of that rusty eyesore Slingshot. Real Oktoberfest is all about flat rides. A Himalaya/Music Express would be a great fit for that area.

They are repainting and probably retheming Avalanche for 2022. The new paint scheme is more African looking. It’s not being removed.

Carowinds gets blazing hot in the summer and Cedar Fair has removed their Powder Keg Flume, Whiewater Falls shoot-the-chute and closed Rip Roariin’ Rapids. While KI has retained all three rides.

I can understand limiting ride operations. But I have been burnt multiple times by Cedar Fair at Kings Dominion and Carowinds closing for rain or cold when they could have operated. The Carowinds closure was a 50 degree day! As much as I despised Paramounts destruction of the parks, I don’t recall them totally closing or closing earlier than scheduled KI normally operates as scheduled It’s some of the other CF parks that I am hesitant to travel to after experiencing total park closures

Winterfest is definitely Dr Jeckyll Mr Hyde as far as crowds influenced by weather. Saturday was miserably crowded. Sunday was empty. Virtually everything was running/performing on Sunday despite the weather. I was surprised the parade happened. That’s the way to get customers to come on questionable weather days. Not closing the place down as some parks do (Kennywood, Kings Dominion, Carowinds)

Let It Snow was working the best that I have seen it last night. It filled the air with snow and wasn’t accumulating.