CoasterJack

Are you talking about the instrumental intro, I think it was something like this. It's the theme, just without the guitar and has this dramatic feeling to it. I remember this playing throughout the station and with them loading the trains and the hissing of the brakes, it was one of the coolest feelings. Top Gun Anthem Instrumental without Guitar

There was one day in 2019 this was blasting on the Fun TV, and walking into the station, it felt like a rush of adrenaline and memories all at once. It was great

I have mixed feelings on this attraction. On one hand, it's a cool unique experience not a whole lot of other water parks this size offer, but that's also its downfall. It doesn't really seem to do well for a park as busy as Soak City. It has abysmal capacity, and I think a lot of people don't even consider trying it. I love it personally, but also I can see it being a huge liability issue.

While FoF was a nightmare at first, it's ironically one of the more reliable rides considering the technology was the first of its kind.

I'm gonna be honest, the ride felt and looked in its worst shape during the flight deck era. Especially when it was in dire need of a paint job. I'm forgetting which year this photo was taken, but I think the picture speaks for itself. Most of it was wear from the train wheels, but still, looking back, the orange track made a world of a difference.

The fact that it's now 30 years old already blows my mind.

Yeah, I can confirm from multiple sources Drop Tower isn't down due to staffing. For Delirium, I have no clue, but it seems to get caught up in getting specific parts every few years or so. Max-Air is the same way. I've heard from someone in maintenance last decade at both CP & KI at different times that this ride is "fun" to work on to say the least. The Bat is more of a mystery, they definitely had some equipment back at the ride working on sections of track, but that's about all I know. I will say, they recently replaced the station roof in I wanna between 2021 and 2022 (confirmed it happened, don't know when). They also did some upgrades to the motor and chain system, I believe (can't confirm this). Also, they were very quick to work on the ride after the wheel incident. So clearly the park still has put some work recently into this coaster, and I don't think they have any intentions I know of to let it go soon. However, if they use this opportunity for an extended refurb, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to a favorite of mine getting a little TLC. All I can confirm is the parts being the issue on Drop Tower and probably Delirium being parts, and that bat received a new roof and maybe lift hill work recently

I'll give this a try... 1. Kings Island will have an RMC product within the next decade 2. Cedar Fair will sell a park within the next decade 3. Cedar Point will work with Intamin on a new project before 2030. 4. No B&M coasters will be built within the next decade at KI 5. International Restaurant will open for regular operation by 2026

That's amazing!

This is the advantage of going to the park with your 6'4 brother and 6' 6" cousin. A simple "sorry, no" sends them right back to the beginning of the line Sadly, I did not inherit this same height advantage

I see it as another way to not tolerate any misbehavior. Like if I'm a guard and I see two siblings at 6pm browsing for a new squishmallow, I probably wouldn't say anything. But if there's kids causing trouble, being a disturbance, being rude, line cutting, etc, it's an easy way to just be like "hey, you're not supposed to be here. I need you to leave the park". I don't work for the park or am affiliated in any way. However, I could see this just being an easy way to eject any rowdy young teens when needed

Yeah, I agree with the fact that it's interesting that all the trouble in the past few years seems to be caused by 14-18 year olds. I mean even last week it was a 17 year old, who technically would still be allowed in. It's a shame because my youngest brother travels with his friends numerous times over the summer, and they're all 14-15. I think there's a better chance Six Flags buys Disney World than them getting in to trouble. And I know quite a few others that age that will definitely be disappointed. But also I completely understand. Over the past few years, even being there with my brother and his friends, there are people in line that act like they've never been in a public setting before, and it's a sad reality that some can't be responsible for themselves, even as a 17 or 18 year old. However, I think this was ultimately a good decision on the parks behalf. It sucks that some good kids have to get the short end of the stick, but sadly, that's just how life is sometimes.

I noticed this a few weeks ago as well. KI is the more expensive park now. I think we're still behind Knotts by a good margin though

Surprisingly, Blue has won a few times in a row watching the coaster run today

I was there this morning and the park already seemed to be filling up. Was looking to be a slammed park day. How are lines looking?

Also, went to the top of Eiffel Tower this morning. Anyone else notice there's definitely some changes to Adventure Express? Like specifically, it seems to me there's a new track piece laying in the woods next to the initial turn out of the woods

I was gonna say, I think we need to remember the rather rough winter comparatively, I mean they had water pipes burst during Winterfest which closed the park. Also, I get people making the claim about cost cutting. On one side I see from Cedar Fair Corporate's side. They carry more debt than their company is currently worth in market valuation. They had $2.34B of debt last I checked, and only had a company valuation of $2.13B. Some of this comes from COVID, some comes all the way back from them purchasing the Paramount Parks, SF WOA, etc. As one sees increasing interest rates, it would make sense to prioritize paying this down before the cost of debt continues to rise. (alright enough business talk) It's the first weekend people, I think people (myself included), show up expecting the best experience we had from the previous year, when in reality it's the first few days. Look at Haunt as it transitions to opening. Any park or business that operates seasonally obviously has a lot more work to do. Additionally, I've worked for a landscaping company in the past, and mulching is never done by now across the board. Sure, some places might be a little ahead of others, but also it rained for like a week straight at the beginning of April, which will definitely delay maintenance and landscaping. Also, while I don't love the removal of trees, their landscaping is still a significant improvement over the later Paramount years. Also, many trees in the park haven't even fully grown their leaves back. I believe once the trees behind Adventure Port fill in, as well as they properly finish the area, it'll look so much better. And the real VIP area actually looks to be really nice once completed. And in Soak City, I'll take any free seating I can get , that place is always so packed. I get some things might not be up to expectations, but come on guys, the whole point of KI is to be a place of fun, a place to relax with family and friends. Not to stress over a few things not being quite ready in April of Ohio. From watching the live cams, the amount of cars in the parking lot the past two months, and word of mouth from some friends, the park has been full of people hard at work. I sure enjoyed the preview, and it sure was a heck of a lot smoother than our friends at CP last time I went.

Absolutely Agreed! Also Gusty Garden Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy was on the playlist. I loved hearing that score with the Royal Fountains on a sunny summer day.

Bingo, I've heard it's still in Adventure Port. If my mind serves me correctly, they cleared that area next to the Tower Gardens end of last season. And I've heard they were laying a pad of concrete over there. Could be more outdoor seating for their new restaurant, but if I were a betting man, I'd say that's the new VIP lounge. I think the entrance is going to be next to the Coney Mall Crapper though

I saw a bit more construction today on the webcam and I believe you're right. The concrete appears to be an orange-ish brown, a bit brighter than the color of the pathways of Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom. Someone has also been snooping illegally around the park during construction with a drone and the footage pretty much confirms this. Seems that the pathway at least looks to be done in time for opening...

Also the fountains are on tonight, it's neat to watch them cycle with no one in the park

I could see this being because of the Grand Pavilion opening nearby. But still, another loss for Cedar Point in my opinion, it always seemed busy. I always found it funny they had a Johnny Rockets when right down the midway they had Coasters, which is pretty much their own generic version of the same establishment.

I can concur. I've seen photos on their Facebook page, as well as from other members of the community. I can confirm there have been crews working on the airtime hills for months now.

20 Years Later and the Premier "Comfort" Collars still aren't ideal. They pretty much gave Ice Breaker the same treatment by removing them and adding the "shin busters" with no foot room. One reason why I think if the park went with new trains, Premier still doesn't offer the best in terms of comfort.

So I've been thinking recently after looking into KI ride statistics. Flight of Fear has always maintained a longer line over the years, even compared to the new flagship rides for the year. I feel like for an operations standpoint for a park with our attendance, it's always been a problem. Take for example, this average wait time chart from 2021: Now potential factors I've seen are that the trains are 2 seats across, only 12, so 24 riders per train. But also Backlot Stunt Coaster has 12 passenger trains. However, operations always seem to be on the slower side, mainly due to the awkward seat-belt positioning as well as tight rider position, especially for taller and larger guests. Additionally, on better days, I've sat in the station as we wait for a train to come from the exit station, and I'm wondering if an extra train would help. I get that new trains or a better experience might be hard to market for the investment. However, would new trains address the capacity issues of this popular attractions if they were less restrictive and were less difficult to load, or are there more factors affecting the ride's poor hourly throughput? Like if the park purchased 4 new trains, they could rotate one off for maintenance since it operates through winterfest, and then theoretically launch a train after the following train clears the brake run. However, this is all theoretical as 3-4 new trains is a hefty expense for a 27 year old ride, but also I think it would greatly improve the ride experience, operations, and new sleek space themed train design would look rather cool (love the current trains, but their plain matte color/design could look a bit more exciting).