CoasterJack

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).

Yeah, I think the photos were taken from a drone or flyover of some point. Not gonna share any here (they can be found pretty easily online and would be against Terms of Agreement), but it looks to be a large metal triangle shaped metal structure that's being filled in behind the iron dragon station. It looks awfully coincidental that it's directly behind the dragster station, and it's a similar shape for a classic Intamin triangular footer used on their other taller spikes and coasters. However, it's all purely speculation at this point. Could just be drainage work, doesn't confirm any manufacturer. Mainly these photos have reignited excitement and speculation on the TTD project. It does look awfully convincing of a spike and swing launch though

What Flight of Fear really needs is some new trains, those would do wonders to extending the life of that ride. They might be the worst in the park in my opinion

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2023/03/22/leading-disney-ride-manufacturer-puts-itself-up-for-sale/?sh=5315ee52640e An interesting read for sure... Looks like the company involved with the design and engineering of Soarin, Test Track, Revenge of the Mummy, Adventures of Spiderman, the new Mario Kart ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and much more is in trouble after a few deals gone sour and overspending on certain projects. They also helped with the refresh and retracking of Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, and the Mark VII Monorail at Disneyland. They haven't been the manufactuer of choice for Disney for about the last 10 years, but still definitely a blow to the industry. especially if they just completed the most recent addition to Universal. It'll be interesting to see if they recieve any bids. List of the Attractions they've worked on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Structures

So this summer the family is taking a trip up to the Breakers for a day trip at CP. The early entry ride selection was released recently and gotta say I'm a bit disapointed. While it will be nice to knock out Wild Mouse early, the fact that they're only offering two coasters for early entry and none of their flagship rides, I find a bit odd. I get that the Intamin coasters and Steel Venegence aren't the most reliable for opening on time, however I would always rush to the back of the park to drive and knock out Maverick, Millie, or Steel Vengence in the past. I could see them wanting to save on staffing and just opening the front half of the park, but it would be nice to at least have Raptor, Valravn, or one major coaster. I get that not every park offers early entry, but for a perk heavily advertised for hotel guests and platinum (and above) pass holders, I find it a bit of a letdown. It also makes me worried for KI since they haven't released their early entry ride list yet. But I have faith that the park will still offer a good selection. Any thoughts? Cedar Point Early Entry Ride List: https://www.cedarpoint.com/early-entry

They just opened that location, I agree, it's definitely worth the trip. A sure blast from the past with hours of enjoyment

This is gold

As of Haunt this year yes

I've ordered quite a few things from the online store (mainly posters and the train cutout assemblies). Every time it's been a safe, fast and pleasant experience. My only complaint is the shipping, which is a flat rate for no matter how much you order. So usually I just wait, and place an order of at least 2-3 things to make it worth the shipping fee. But overall, I'd say a pretty great experience, everything has arrived in good shape as well.

This is really shaping up to be another great season. I know maybe not the extent of the 50th season celebration, but still! A entire new land (with two rides), Adventure Express enhancements, at least 1,000 feet of retracking, new paint job on Diamondback, the return of the nightly drone show. Most parks would love to receive at least two of these in a given season. While everyone loves a new coaster, KI is really making a strong well-rounded recovery by focusing on so many different aspects of the experience. Can't wait to see what else is in store!

The first year I purchased a gold pass was 2012, and the sign was still in operation at that time. I remember seeing Drop Tower was closed for the day. I wanna say 2013 was the last year, as they added a souvineer cup stand/advertisement with the Banshee logo on the background in 2014 that was blocking the sign (which was turned off), and then it was removed shortly there after.

Personally, while I'd love a huge RMC, I think it would require too much tree removal around The Beast, vs something smaller like a multilaunch would still allow most of The Beast to remain hidden. I think a ground up RMC would be better to run behind Banshee in some of the old Safari land.

Also, hopefully this will lead to fewer spills in the station bins, which would be a true blessing for ride ops and park goers.