bkroz

And you can go to Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventure for $23 dollars a day... Depending on how long you stay. Many destination parks offer deals like that - "the longer you stay, the less you pay." Disney's is the most famous, but it's also astronomically priced. Seven days with park-to-park access is $301.00 at Disney - not worth it, if you're asking this fellow. Comparatively, Universal's prices are quite low (and their two parks have about as many attractions as Disney's four). Use AAA, and you can get seven days for $144.00 (half the price of Disney's seven-day ticket, that equates to $20.50 per day for Spiderman, The Mummy, Harry Potter, Jaws, Hulk, Dueling Dragons, etc). It's no question that those who are willing to stay get the deals. A one day ticket to Busch Gardens Williamsburg? $63.00. Seven days of unlimited access to the same park, plus Water Country USA waterpark? $70.00. As in, $7.00 more. Kings Island only offers one-day, two-day, and season's passes. But even in the two-day ticket, you get quite a deal. And I don't doubt that many people make use of it!

And up until now, hasn't the Sandusky Register been the one to speak most directly with Cedar Fair Entertainment Company's CEO; the paper to hold their tongue when asked; the one to chose their words almost as carefully as The Interpreter when dealing with the ups & downs of that particular company; the paper that always got the scoop from their friends at the Point? Will this article change that relationship?

The real question is, what kind of newspaper (and one that has been following the ride's development & knows full well of the upcoming announcement date) would reveal information like that? It just makes the "crack staff at the Sandusky Register" (Terpy's words) look like poor sports. With all of their coverage of the "new ride," they absolutely knew that the ride was still unannounced, and probably were quite proud of themselves to get the news before anyone else. We can still go back and forth about whether ride is actually for Cedar Point or not, but either way the Sandusky Register should be ashamed. They could have waited one more week - But then, what if the ride does not turn out to be a swing ride? Their "research" would have no purpose, and they simply couldn't have that. That is not how the media should act. There are those here who can verify that (and who demonstrate the way that members of the media should act).

Perhaps the proposed swings are two-seaters. I have seen those on swings before, and it would double the capacity! GYK, who doesn't understand others' fascination with Busch Gardens Tampa, and who saw it as an awkwardly-laid-out, strangely-themed "evil twin" of the Virginia park, perhaps because the Northern one is the one he was first acquainted with. But when it comes to Katonga... Wow.

But even then... Arrow. Premier. B&M. Vekoma. John Allen. You'd be hard pressed to find parks as well mixed as the former Paramount Parks... Like, Disney parks only have Vekoma for the most part. SeaWorld Parks operate almost entirely with B&M.

Exactly. I would visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg with its four incredible adult coasters and two unbelievable dark rides than a park like Cedar Point anyday. And no, it's not just because I tend to disagree with Cedar Fair, or that I've been to Cedar Point so many times. What I'm saying is, that place is quantity over quality - "We have seventeen coasters! Some are kids coasters, some are awful, some are unpopular, some are more obstructions than fun attractions... And we don't have any, you know, other rides. And we don't have any classic dark rides, or worthwhile eating establishments... but you want coasters?! We've got 'em!" Until you've been to a park like Busch Gardens you just won't understand. I want to buy food there, because you can go to Italy and have fresh eggplant parmesean, or you can go to Germany and enter the Festhaus and have sausage (as in, not Panda Express). It makes you want to spend money and sit next to an Italian fountain and eat your garlic bread. And yes, they only have four coasters - four coasters that are, in my opinion, the best at what they do - one of the best inverts, the best dive machine, the best hyper, and an incredible Arrow. So it's like, you can either have seventeen roller coasters that average out to be "so-so," or you can have four INCREDIBLE ones, great shopping, great dining, unbelievable shows, and a beautiful setting. It seems so obvious. Apparently, it isn't.

Same! Sounds like an enjoyable evening at the park altogether!

A waterpark in Northeast Ohio? As an add-on to a popular theme park, sure. But stand-alone? At some point they'll likely have the same revelation that SeaWorld had - what's the point? The park gets maybe four months of operable time each year (mid-May to mid-September, if that). It's much-toted Phase II expansion, set to open in 2006, never did. Today the park has one slide complex, a Tornado slide, a wave pool, and a kids play area. Meanwhile, what happened to the slides that were left at Six Flags' Hurricane Harbor across the lake? Are they still there? Were they scrapped? Because they would do a world of good right now. I can't honestly see it still being around in 10 years. I imagine that, at the time, it was more of a way to let the people down slowly - yeah we closed half the park, but now we have a fantastic water park! Then a few years later they can silently shut that. In other words, it looked good in press releases to say that, although the theme park was closing, it wasn't the end of 100+ years of history, because the water park would remain open. It's a shame, too. The Wildwater Kingdom side had the waterpark, Shamu's Happy Harbor nets, a couple of little flat rides (yoyo swings, a Pharaoh's Fury, etc) a motion simulator, a waterski stadium, and a 4-D theater, all of which continued to operate when Cedar Fair owned the park. Why would they be removed? Why can't you have a waterpark that makes use of the 4-D theater or the motion simulator or a kid's climbing net structure? No money was saved in removing them, but if they had kept them, maybe they could charge $5.00 more per ticket. No big deal, and it would've really made a difference by the end of the year.

Or maybe they don't even know which is correct. Stunt Track Coaster, anybody?

But that might require someone going in and programming the lights. That might take an hour, or more. There's just no time for that (and realistically, probably no one who knows how to do it).

Maybe just maybe we're getting a DarKastle / Spiderman style hybrid dark ride with a dinosaur theme in the old Pirate dark ride building, where we must find and locate a flying dinosaur called... A Stratosaur? Yes I'm a wishful thinker, and it will never happen. But if Cedar Point got such a ride, it would be a smash hit, and perhaps be enough to turn the tides of Cedar Fair's relation with theme.

That always confuses me. If the line for The Crypt is in the preshow room, you are absolutely positively blind walking through the collapsed chamber part of the queue. I literally have to hold my hands out in front of me and feel for the barriers, and I consider myself someone who knows the queue quite well. When it was torch lit, you could see alright. But all of the Tomb Raider torches have been extinguished and the path is now lit by red floodlights that are underneath the bridge, thus providing no sense of where you're located in relation to the hand-rails. Someone (or two...) could be lying on the ground in the middle of the queue and I wouldn't even realize it until I tripped over them or stepped on them. It's that dark in there. But the lights had to remain on in Scooby Doo (and now, no longer do? Who makes these decisions?). But then again, if they turned on the house lights in the Crypt queue, it would be the last straw for me and I would probably just leave the ride alone.

Perhaps the announcement is that Paramount Pictures (founded a mere 42 years after 1870) has purchased Cedar Fair Entertainment Corporation and plans to create world-class destination theme parks by prefixing all of the current park's names with the word "Paramount's" and then injecting a little bit of Hollywood flair into the rides and attractions, beginning with a new star flyer style ride (originally to be named "Swoop," now being renamed "Top Gun: The Jet Swings") and the rebirth of The Outer Limits coaster line with "The Outer Limits: Disaster Transport."

His point was, this is already being discussed in two or three other "NEW FOR 2011" "2011" etc. threads and he didn't think it needed its own when there's no real news yet.

The show is fantastic the first time though. A few things really catch you by surprise. It's certainly not a star attraction by any means, but it's a must-do your first time to the park!

In what can only be considered a tremendous triumph against the "Green is Universal" initiative (does that make me an awful person?), it is reported that the famous "water Vortex" has been returned to Poseidon's Fury: Escape from the Lost City, the walk-through / show / special effects extravaganza at Universal's Islands of Adventure. For a while, most of the park was operating in "green" mode, with fountains, waterfalls, and some water effects shuttered. There were those who ventured that the environment was probably not the real number one reason for that... But regardless, after years of inactivity, The Vortex (really the only reason the attraction exists at all) has been returned. For those who don't know, The Vortex is a forty foot long chamber in which water, blasting out of jets at 90+ miles per hour, forms a tunnel around visitors. You then cross a raised bridge through the spinning water as a "portal to Atlantis." You can see The Vortex in , and you can see what the attraction looked like when The Vortex was not operating for the past two years . Basically, when the water didn't work, the tunnel was filled with fog and strobe lights. Without the strength and sound of the crashing water, the feel of the mist, and the disorienting swirling motion of the ride's most famous and impressive effect, the point of the show was lost... (It was especially fun to touch the water and have your hand fling up into the air immediately upon contacting it). However, it was funny, as often the "tour guides" would humorously make note of the effect's absence by holding the audience back and insisting that they check to make sure the passage is safe first, often proclaiming, "Alright, it's all clear. There's absolutely nothing in here. Don't worry, it's dry." I'M SO HAPPY IT'S BACK. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2010/08/islands-of-adventure-water-tunnel-flows-again-at-poseidons-fury.html

If these people are so good at designing rides, you'd think they could design an even remotely-navigable website... Or would have enough money to allow someone else to do it.

It's like on any given day, the park can chose either fog screen or skeleton scene; either splashdown pool or helicopter; Crypt bat or lights... GYK, hoping that's not as accurate as he thinks it might be...

The place at which I am employed (a school for children with special needs) has 20 oz. bottles (the same size as at Kings Island, I believe?) for $1.00. Not to say that's typical of most vending machines, and it's likely pretty marked down from most places because of the school atmosphere, but I'm sure the school is still bringing in revenue from that - so I would easily venture that a 20 oz. bottle costs less than a dollar to make & distribute.

A few bucks?! But then they'd only be making 200% returns! What do you think this is, a charity?!

I've never had my fingerprint scanned at a Cedar Fair park... It's all they use at Busch Gardens & SeaWorld though... Tiny little machines that you step right up to that do not have big commuter apparatuses, stools for workers, etc. At Kings Island, it seems impractical. The only multi-day ticket that is not a season pass is the two-day one, where guests are supposed to sign. If we had three, four, five, six, seven day ticket options like other parks do, I can see it making sense. But at Kings Island, it's either one day (which requires no identity verification on a typical basis), two-days (for which the signature system works when it is actually used - which is quite seldom), and season passes (which have photographs). But I see the usefulness for parks that sell many multi-day ticket options, like Busch Gardens or SeaWorld do - it's easier than comparing signatures with a line out the wazoo as the park opens. It has its issues, and really does make the wait a little longer, but its a necessary precaution for so many multi-day ticket holders.

That does not happen anymore. In fact, I never knew that it did. A neat idea, though. Really? The 2 times we rode it on July 13th it did. Once stopped a small light could be seen going over a few seats before the ride took off. Then I guess it might happen. As I said, I typically sit in 1-1. I might have to check that out. Even if that's the case, it's an effect that, I'm sure, was complimented by the synchronized soundtrack, which is inaudible when it even plays at all. I'm very interesting in seeing this effect with my own eyes, though!

This is a sort of mini trip report posted by LeaderTips, a website that specializes in inspiring and furthering resources for leaders in the amusement industry. This article was appropriately titled, "You Gotta Have Heart." Basically, the author and his friends visited five parks in seven days: Holiday World, Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Dollywood. What they came away with was that three of the five parks really had a good sense of what it means to entertain, and to put your troubles aside, chose your attitude, and create a magical experience for your guests. Of those five parks, guess which two parks are not specifically praised for having values that they stick to, rules that they enforce beyond having them written in a handbook, and putting the guest experience first? It's about what we've been saying for a while: Enforce the rules. Have a passion for exceeding guests' experiences. Go the extra mile to create a functional, enjoyable place to work and to visit. Create hospitality among guests. At my job, we learn four key principals: Play. Make their day. Be there. Chose your attitude. All are absolutely fantastic examples of what this writer found in his travels. According to this casual, third-party observer with no personal interest in the situation, Busch Gardens, Holiday World, and Dollywood are shining examples. Kings Dominion and Kings Island are not. This is a short article that deserves a full read! http://leadertips.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/you-gotta-have-heart/ And I'll close by spring-boarding off of the writer's final point - by asking if you think Mr. Kinzel is leading with his heart, or his head?

A question (which is probably pretty stupid of me): Are there vending machines at Holiday World? I mean, there's not, right? And think of how much upkeep those are. To constantly restock, to keep them refrigerated, etc. Cedar Fair is still selling pop for upwards of 300% of what you could get the same bottle at elsewhere, but that's a lot of machines, and a lot of maintenance. I absolutely adore Mr. Koch's idea and simple, realistic, facts about the "free" drinks. The man was a genius, an innovator, and a game-changer, that's for sure. My only fear is, imagine how much the price of a season pass or a Platinum Pass might increase if free soft drinks were "included?" I can see the Platinum Pass being raised at least $50.00... But as they are now, the passes are really only good for entry and parking. The "deals" they present are so unrealistic. Four buffets for the price of three? Four meals at Stunt Crew Grill on the one day a month its open for $39.99? I'm 19 years old. My friends all have passes, too. It wouldn't do any of us any good to partake in the "deals" they present, which are really for families (and rich ones, at that). Kings Dominion? Maybe. It's isolated, takes ten minutes to navigate the parking lot, and you must drive five miles in either direction on the high way to get to the nearest fast food mecca. And even then they offer $4.99 unlimited soft drink wristbands. But Kings Island is surrounded by food, and it's an easy drive. I absolutely loved the days when I had a Disneyland Annual Pass. No silly, impossible-scenario "deals" like Cedar Fair offers, where if you have three kids and one of them is a girl and the planets align, you get $5.00 off a french fry if you buy two at regular price and have a hand-stamp from the buffet. Disney passes just provide 10% off of merchandise and food with the lower-level annual pass, and 15% off the same things with the upper-level pass. There. Simple. No strings attached. And it was worth it, and I happily used my discounts.

That does not happen anymore. In fact, I never knew that it did. A neat idea, though.