bkroz

There is a launch, as was said, just as you burst out the billboard. It's not necessarily noticeable, but it gives the train an extra boost. Notice that the LIM motors on either side of the launch are the same as the apparatus inside the billboard. Flight of Fear always allowed riders to leave bags with attendants. Do they not do that anymore? Like Tomb Raider: The Ride, there is a sign at the exit pointing towards a "Rendezvous Point" (not given that name on Flight of Fear) where you can pick up your bag. Is that not the case anymore?

On the topic of Screamscape, yes he posts most rumors. And still, it's one of the first websites I go to each morning. It's not always accurate, but it's fun! It's fun to read all of the rumors. If you don't take it very seriously, you'll enjoy it and perhaps learn something.

And to think that the temperature in there is not only (or even primarily) for the comfort of the guests...

Of the six days that I have been to Kings Island this season, I have had Flight of Fear breakdown while I was in line twice, and at least another two times approached the ride to find it closed (which is where my complaint in another thread came from - asking that they post a sign at the entrance to X-Base when one of the two coasters located there is down. It's a painful walk all the way down there and back when you find that your destination ride is closed). Premier's rides around the globe suffer from similar issues. They're almost intrinsic issues in their choice of LIM launching coasters. Revenge of the Mummy, The Chiller, all Intamin Impulse coasters (Wicked Twister, Possessed, V2, etc), Backlot Stunt Coaster... All use the same LIM technology. It's great, but it's sensitive. Keep in mind that Flight of Fear was also the first ride in the world to use said technology...

I don't know that I've ever been to Kings Island on a day when Flight of Fear and Backlot have both run without interruption... Really...

Very true. If there were construction happening, I would attirbute it to A) altering or dismantling the current ride station (perhaps to retrofit it for new trains, but that's a far-cry), or general maintenence and upkeep to keep the ride from falling apart from sitting idly for a year. Though they may not know if they plan to keep it, they certainly need to do at least occasional work to check the track, keep things bolted, keep screws from rusting, etc.

Kings Island suffers from as much downtime now as it did under Paramount. Attribute it to the fact that, more or less, Kings Island always got prototypes. Some became successful (suspended coasters) others failed to catch on (Giant Top Spins) or were just faulty (TOGO stand-up, The Bat). The ones that caught on and became trends are easily operable, because there's tons of literature on how to run them. The ones that are not so common (the Giant Huss Rides) take a little fine-tuning. When The Crypt breaks, what guidebook is there to go by? Who can the park turn to who might've been through the same thing? How was the park, and even the manufacturer, to know that a Giant Top Spin couldn't preform the more acrobatic cycle of its suspended cousins? No one else has one, so every day is a learning experience. Plus, we have cutting-edge ride systems like LIM launches. Sure they're pretty common today, but when they were installed at Kings Island, it was a world's first. Backlot Stunt Coaster uses the same technology, and it appears to be more temperamental on Backlot than on Flight of Fear (or perhaps because Backlot has three launches to contend with as opposed to one). And as I said, HUSS is sort of known for their poor record of down time. I once saw a photoshopped image of a "closed" sign outside of Tomb Raider: The Ride that read, 'Sorry, this ride is temporarily HUSSed." It's very true. The idea behind their Giant collection (of which we have two at Kings Island, Canada's Wonderland has another model) was that you could have all the fun of the smaller rides, but with a throughput large enough for a major park. Neither proved to be true, as most anyone can tell you, since Giant models are almost without exception less thrilling than their smaller counterparts. And have you seen the load / unload time on a Giant Top Spin vs. a suspended one? The homing time? HUSS rides are unique and cutting-edge. But when one of the Giant ones breaks, it's months before a new part can be secured (as we've seen with both our top spin and frisbee). We've got Backlot and Flight of Fear auto-stopping a couple times a day, The Crypt still breaking more frequently than it should (even with the world's tamest top spin cycle trying to prevent that), Delirium in a near-constant state of maintenance, Firehawk closed as much as it's open, Drop Zone malfunctioning... And you people still want an Intamin coaster?

Unless they're just doing primary "diagnosis" and a few key representatives are casually observing the track of the ride. GYK, who doesn't think it's happening, but also believes it would be reasonable that, if it were, something low-key would be the start of it. We wouldn't have inactivity, inactivity, inactivity, and then a shipment of steel beams, after all...

The things written there are things that have been brainstormed and discussed on this site - more than likely, whoever wrote that section of Wikipedia simply wrote it based on the collective speculation going on here. Don't believe it.

^ Right, absolutely. If it got to the point that the only realistic option to keep the ride Son of Beast was to demolish the entire current roller coaster and rebuild it, even with slight modifications, all of us would at that point say, "How about instead you build an Intamin pre-fab, a GCI terrain coaster, retheme the Crypt, and put paver bricks in the entire park, instead?" Realistically, all of that could happen for the cost of demolishing and rebuilding a wooden coaster of that size... That's not even taking into account what it's cost already. Going back to this... Why is it interesting? Haha... I mean, I'm just confused. It just shows the ride and says a bit about it, listing it as one of the "Scariest Rides in the World." Is it interesting because it lists Son of Beast even though it's closed? Or am I missing something?

For what it's worth (likely, very little...) a poster on Kings Island Extreme is reporting that Son of Beast was testing on Friday, the 16th. Assuming it won't open this year, why would they bother testing it until the park resumes weekend-only operation? And on top of that, why on a busy Friday? Not to mention that, certainly someone here was at the park on Friday and would've noticed, or it would be floating around Screamscape and Theme Park Review forums? Take it for a grain of salt.

Too true! I can remember (as I assume many others did) being very, very hesitant and downright scared of going upside down. I would ride mid-sized coasters like Iron Dragon, but could not fathom the idea of being on the similar sized Corkscrew just because it went upside down and that was so unnerving. It's almost funny to look back now, because going upside down isn't any different than being rightside-up... There are forces in play, of course, but that's not what I was scared about back then - it was just the idea of going upside down... I believe I even rode Magnum (kicking and screaming, but I rode it) and absolutely refused to go on Corkscrew. Now a fear of going upside down seems irrational. Back then, it didn't.

Well what's a more perfect way to top off your day of $160+ admission for four, a $50 lunch, $30 in gas, $10 for parking, and a $25 stuffed Snoopy than a $100 red light ticket coming a week later in the mail? Certainly will leave a good taste in the mouths of visitors, right? Certain to entice them to return again, isn't it?

Okay, bye! GYK, who doesn't consider himself a member of the welcome wagon for a reason.

Yes, the license to play Spongebob 3D is a separate license. Many Six Flags parks play or have played it, as do many smaller parks from different chains. It has nothing to do with the Nick license, though I think it's playing at Kings Island and the other Paramount Parks was more than just a happy coincidence...

From perusing the site, this Pendulum ride looks not unlike Cedar Point's Skyscraper.... The Gold Mine that the cage fell on is a log flume.

Kennywood's an awesome park. Really. I have only been twice in "modern times" (in other words, aside from some family trips when I was young) and always used the Starlight Admission option, so I pretty much hung out in the more modern area of the park. That's why I haven't experienced The Racer or Jack Rabbit (one of which will be my 99th, the other my 101st) two of the really classic wooden coasters. Phantom's Revenge easily conquers Millennium Force for me on most days, and The Exterminator is a really fun, unique wild mouse. While all three dark rides have recieved upgrades from their "traditional" theme (ranging from small tweaks to complete renovation), it's great to see a park with so many dark rides at all! Not to mention, the park has some decent flats! Aero 360, an Enterprise, a Disk-O, some great traditional flats, and (up until this year) a top spin! The food is pretty good, the prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is pure family fun, and the collection of rides is great - I'm confident Sky Rocket will make it even better.

Tomorrow is going to be a landmark of a day for me, as I visit Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Not only is it a fantastic park with a classic dark ride and some great classic coasters, but, if all goes as planned, I'll also be riding my 100th coaster! I know many here have long-since surpassed the 100th coaster landmark, and I'm not really one for the "coaster counts" anyway. I don't ride for credits or anything, but I do keep track (see my signature) for fun, and realized that I'm within grasp of my 100th ride. So tomorrow, I'll be making a milestone for myself by riding my 100th coaster, and the plan is to make it the new Sky Rocket. Screamscape reports that it may be the sleeper hit of 2010, but even beyond that, I absolutely without question would say that Premier is my favorite manufacturer of steel coasters, so whether the ride is a 10/10 or a 4/10, I'm absolutely happy to have a Premier ride be remembered as such a milestone for me. I plan on having a trip report, perhaps even with a few photos, and I'll update that tomorrow evening, I expect. So wish me luck and let's hope Kennywood has a handle on how to care for their Premier rides so that it stays open for me! Can't wait

The talk of a B&M prototype at Gardaland has been swirling for a while. B&M's name was attached to every "annoucement" of the ride I've seen. Screamscape reports that this new prototype is probably being built at Gardaland because it's the closest major park (4.5 hours) to B&M's headquarters, so they can spend plenty of time there working on and developing the ride. Also, small details like the water feature and the fact that it has the same length and height as the Batman clones... Besides, the "Wing Walker" design by Intamin sort of went down in the books as a fail if I'm not mistaken - I've heard the ride is very, very rough. But, from watching POV videos, it's actually one coaster I would easily plan a trip around. The one single inversion looks... ahhh... Relaxing and interesting. And the seating looks great. So, from the sound of it, B&M is doing what they're good at - taking a concept tried by TOGO (Stand-up), Arrow (megacoasters), Vekoma (inverted coasters) and now Intamin (Wing Walker) and actually making them into pleasant, reliable, thrilling experiences instead of "sure it knocks your face around a bit, but it's a prototype!" So, perhaps, B&Ms plan is to watch this coaster carefully and make it its next marketable attraction. They went through a period where everyone needed a stand-up, then where everyone needed and invert, and now everyone's getting hypers. Perhaps this new design will be their next "trend" coaster and they're hoping to spread it around the world.

One thing I think The Crypt suffers from is a lack of atmosphere. I know this is just a grumpy enthusiast talking, but the ride is called The Crypt. It's already got a dark, mysterious queue line. First timers don't know what kind of ride it is, and their friends doubtlessly have them even more worried by calling it a roller coaster and mentioning flames, water, darkness, etc. And in my opinion, the one thing that ruins the atmosphere? The employees. Perhaps the ride feels like a joke because they treat it as one. They make jokes about the ride, as you said, while you're in line. I often have them do the safety speil in a baby voice or a fake accent, projected through the ride chamber while the people checking harnesses are gossiping, shouting over the heads of row 1 to talk about so-and-so and how she totally is going out with the op from Delirium. I'm sure they and their ride crew find it hilarious, but as someone who appreciates the ride (and who remembers how dramatic and scary it can be for first-timers) it's a shame. It's one of the few things I've ever contacted Guest Relations about, actually. I'm not trying to be a kill-joy, but the ride is called The Crypt; there was a time when its real weapon was surprise and immersion. Returning those simple elements would actually go a long way in improving the ride, and the fact that its the employees ruining it is sad. On Diamondback, or Drop Zone, who cares. But on The Crypt? There's a time and place. Sure the ride is kind of a joke compared to its former self, but the employees make it even moreso, and it bothers me.

CONK.

We could squeeze it right in.

Which is more fun than five! What has this discussion become!? Too many... bad... puns.... Can't... take it... much longer...

Probably a giga. The station will be wood, and made from the remains of Son of Beast, which they're tearing down. Also, they're refurbishing the trains from King Cobra for the new coaster, and Paramount is buying back the park. Also, Tomb Raider!

Sometimes. GYK, who has no inside information to almost accidentally say, but still finds humor in the day to day operations (and lack of operation) of Cedar Point and its rides.