Outdoor Man

bush league: adjective informal not of the highest quality or sophistication; second-rate. (thank you Google)

I'd love to have a giant Eiffel Tower/Christmas Tree light up the sky again, but I don't see it happening.

As much as I would love to see it- don't think it'll happen. A scaled down version would still need to be "significant" enough to entice people to walk a giant parking lot to the gate. Much of the parking is quite a distance from the entrance; walking that in 80-degree warmth is a stark contrast to a stiff wind and 20 degrees. I personally think there is a market- having seen the crowds at Cincinnati & Columbus Zoo, but I don't see it happening.

was there on Sunday, and though I wasn't really looking for any of it- don't recall seeing anything, not outside anyway.

So, I wonder if mine will show the # of times the Dining Plan was used... I've had my pass scanned into my images all season and have used my trusty Samsung S5 (now S6) all season. Honestly. something that would be of even more value is to make it so that the Season Pass can have "credits" loaded onto it to be used in the park, thereby leaving the wallet at home.

Well, come on, The Beast is practically an old man at 36. Heck, I started slowing down once i hit 30. The 30's were a blur... now into my 40's...

The only way they would put a significant amount of money into it is if they could alter the current ride experience... give it the Mantis treatment. Vortex is one of those attractions in could see them tethering along for a while. A modified restraint system that didn't jar your head would bump up ridership as well.

It will stick around until the cost of maintenance exceeds the perceived value it brings to the park.

Some of those were probably proprietary and intellectual property of Paramount/Viacom (or whoever the successor corporation was) and it was likely that the contract stated that after use the Reptar would be destroyed.

Staffing isn't something they have absolute control over. ALL staff back in school, some out of state. Friday night football cancellations = High School staff "out of the pocket" for Saturday. Oh, and its a Holiday weekend. Soak City's last day of the season being 90+ degrees did't help (or did it?). Staffing levels aren't something the park has control over many times; especially late in the season. Not necessarily their fault, but their issue. I'm sure last weekend was an "as many hands on deck" weekend as possible. Sometimes, there's only so many fish in the pond though. Some of the usual customer service suffered- but those that were there were stressed. I am one that when I experience good customer service I'll leave a comment at the Guest Services. Always. As much as I really wanted to pass on the opposite last night to the confrontative young lady in the coney area... I didn't. She had a long day and it was near closing time.

Was at the park yesterday. WOW was Soak City PACKED- anymore people in the wave pool and there would not have been waves... The lines for Dollar Days were incredulously long, and it seemed that a shortage of able-bodied employees were cherry-picked from F&B.... people in Starbucks gear were serving in the Skyline. The food lines were really slow and you could tell that the employees were stressed beyond stressed. A certain game attendant operating a $1 game in Coney was having, shall we say, a really bad day and was almost confrontative to me and my daughters. I have come to expect that at some "other" places... not KI. It was one time, one day- and you could tell it had been a LONG weekend for some. Dollar Days pulls many out of the woodwork, especially in a water park on its last operating day seeing 90 degrees. On another topic, Soak City really needs another concession stop. If not mistaken it just has two main; don't know what the one is named, but then Subway. And Subway, by nature of the product is a slow line.

meh... didn't fit the theme of an "International Street" anyway.

still a building or two left on the lot. One of the room "hostels" the conference area and entrance.

as a seasoned Season Pass holder I'm a bit of a line snob. But i'd wait in an hour line every night (for a while) to ride something on this caliber.... water ride, dark ride, etc... Not likely to happen... ever.

if some use their meal plan with the fluency as our family has- I can see a healthcare-sized increase next year. We "cash-flowed" ours to attain a positive ROI months ago.

C. their wifi sucks!

Is there a youtube video somewhere of this phenomena?

Good idea for the shout out. Make sure you do it also at the Guest Services office near the entrance. Our family has had passes for more than half of my life (I'll skip the age), in our time we've seen more than our share of 'disaffected' employees. So, we've tried to make it a point to give a proper "shout out" to the exceptional when we observe it and leave a comment with Guest Services. I don't know that it gets back to the employee- but I'm sure they would appreciate the call out from guests.

When the cost of maintenance of ANY attraction exceeds the perceived value it brings to the park- this will happen. As it pertains to The Racer... It may happen all the time, but I'm not sure when the last time I saw both trains operating on a consistent basis was. Not saying it's in jeopardy- but the paint job has seen better days. I was called everything but a heretic when I suggested that SOB could be removed. With Banshee I can't recall the last time SOB was mentioned. Things are removed for park improvement- something the CF management in the last 5 years has done well. In Carowinds case, I agree with 'Terp- better days are in the works.

Maybe. But the cost is REALLY going to need to come down so that the savings are realized. I can buy a 75W flood light for around $4-5 for outside. An equivalent LED bulb is north of $25. I'd feel much better about making the environment greener if some of that meant more green stayed in my virtual wallet.

There are a number of flats that KI could use. A "classic" dark ride could take the place of Boo Blasters any day now; and while I'm at it- the BRIGHT monitors playing pop music videos really takes away from the mystique of the line. Not sure who came up with that... at least play "Friday the 13th"- well, maybe not. This next comment isn't on KI, so much as it is the guests... As a father of a young daughter I have to, every now and then, have her accompany me into the men's restroom so she can go "potty." I am NEVER so disappointed in my particular gender than when I see an empty bank of urinals, yet some moron is standing upright in a stall doing his business... with terrible aim. Really?, I mean, if you cannot hit the hole without splattering all over what's intended as a seat- use the flipping urinals. I shamed a mid-20's person into going back in and cleaning up after himself. My 4 year old and I came out of that stall moments before and while washing hands, said perpetrator entered to empty himself. Daughter decided she wasn't done so we go back... since I knew it was clean'ish when we left. So, my "2015 Discussion" life hack for all the boys and men on the thread... if you can't aim through the uprights properly- USE THE URINAL.

possibly. though why did they remove all the cars?

It's original to the park isn't it? Hope it does get the ole SR&R treatment; would be good to lose the yellow insect lights.

"fossils" from the Starlight Spectacular remain wrapped around the trees as of at least a week or two ago.

Agree with jgoble3. Having banking background with Merchant Services, it depends on the processor. A merchant is charged less in interchange fees the more information they verify on someone's identity; including numbers, names (exactly as it appears), 3-digits on the back, zip code, etc... This lessens the banks liability if said card is stolen and they end up eating the charge for lack of verification. It is VERY unlikely that that the bank and the park's front gate software cross verify identity. Therefore when you pay for a ticket by credit card, that is a different transaction than when you scan a ticket to enter. The ticket may (or may not) have your name on it- but the bank doesn't cross verify and likewise the park doesn't cross verify with the bank for identity.