bkroz

Well let's see... It's HUSS Park Attractions... And not just HUSS, but a "Giant" rendition of one of their rides... Who knows!

Voyage = $8.5 million + the cost of the new trains. SheiKra = $13.5 million Some B&Ms are not that expensive. A Dive Machine that doesn't top 200 feet would theoretically be even less expensive than SheiKra, and every park on Earth should have a Dive Machine if you ask me. It could fit very nicely into the park!

Very awesome story! Thanks so much! You can't possibly know how much many of us would love to get the chance to ride The Beast (and other rides) "for the first time" again, completely clueless as you were. Your unfamiliarity with the ride is a really great thing, so please take advantage of it the next few times you ride! When your 20th, 100th, even 1000th ride comes along, you'll still enjoy yourself, but you'll have lost that sense of confusion and genuine fear. So appreciate it now! Thanks for sharing!

Though this isn't the point of the topic, in response to Millennium, recall that many of the animals at SeaWorld and other such parks are not able to be released for one or many reasons - many were born in captivity and are not able to find food on their own, or defend themselves from their natural predators. Releasing these animals would lead inevitably to death. And truth be told, even in the "worst case scenario," I would rather do tricks for treats all day than to be caught in fishing nets, choked by pollution, or devoured by predators... Not saying I know a thing about it, because I don't, and they certainly could have better lives. Perhaps this is a topic worth starting in the off-topic section of the board? As for SeaWorld, it's a beautiful park. Like many of the former Busch Parks, they oppose the trend we've seen in Six Flags, Cedar Fair, and even Disney parks. Somehow, the Busch Parks are getting even better in entertainment, attractions, and food while every other chain on Earth has been quantity over quality for far too long. When I last visited SeaWorld in January of this year, I was astounded. It's beautiful, the rides are so high quality, and the entertainment is top-notch. Though I'm sure you will, see every show! The Pets Ahoy show (the dog and cat show) is clever and laugh-out-loud funny. The other shows are majestic and awe-some. Even if your kids are uninterested, be sure to hit Kraken, Manta, and Atlantis! All are top-notch rides that are very fun and, perhaps most importantly, appropriate for the park. Most of all, have fun! SeaWorld is just one of those parks that you can't take too seriously or plan too rigidly. Go with the flow, if you will!

There is at least one poster here who would not and has not skipped a ride that currently has or ever had the name Tomb Raider associated with it...

^ I give it another day, two tops. Even in "Mr. Bart Kinzel's" well-earned position at Carowinds, he does not approach people who are smoking outside designated areas. What that says is what we've always known: When someone is smoking outside of a designated smoking area, the person who steps forward to correct them must be strong, socially intelligent, and sure. Those same characteristics ought to be very much prevalent in any general manager of a theme park. Connect the dots!

My thoughts on the Wizarding World (for the two people who might care): I'm confused about how I feel - The "absorbing" of the Medieval section of The Lost Continent is nothing short of genius, but also a bit depressing. That was a fantastic area of the park that, like all of Islands, had extraordinary detail (The Enchanted Oak Tavern? Merlinwood? The Dueling Dragon statue?). The area that replaced it is doubtlessly even better themed, but did the beautiful area that stood there before have to be sacrificed? And now, for better or worse, the wait for that inverted dueling coaster will be three times as long as it was the same time last year, and that's really strange and unfortunate for first-time visitors who don't really care about Harry Potter as a franchise, so they just decide not to enter the super-crowded Hogwarts area and never experience the great rides within. That, too, brings out another question - we know the marketing of "a Harry Potter theme park" was negative in that it oversold it to the fans. Consider, maybe it also was off-putting for those who don't really care one way or other about Potter, or even dislike it... Maybe those who love Harry Potter will visit Islands of Adventure and be disappointed by the small size, and those who don't care for Harry Potter will avoid Islands of Adventure, seeing the "Harry Potter" banners and signs posted all over it, and chalk it up as the much-talked-about Harry Potter theme park and just avoid it... It's a question worth asking! From all I've heard and seen, The Wizarding World is absolutely beautiful, immersive, and fun. I fear it may have been oversold, though - not just in size, but in grandeur. I'm sure the buildings and shops and restaurants are beautiful, but it's still a theme park. I actually do fear that, unless I keep myself grounded, I'll be let down from expecting too much. Beautiful as the decor may be, I'll still be paying a lot of money for food, waiting in line, and having (in short) a passive experience rather than an active one. I'm still dying to visit, of course, but it really is a chore to not make my standards higher than any theme park can meet.

The thing is, what can they possibly do "bigger?" They hope this Fantasyland expansion will lure in the girls in the same way they think Harry Potter will draw in the boys. I think they're mistaken - Harry Potter is loved by boys, girls, adults, high schoolers, college students... Sure their Fantasyland expansion may be beautiful, but I don't think it's as marketable as Harry Potter. The other rumored that had swirled around for a while was that Disney was going to use the KUKA Arm technology to build a LOST ride. LOST is a great show, and a great adventure, but certainly not worthy of this multi-hundred-million-dollar technology. In short, what can beat Harry Potter? I don't know that many things can...

I would actually love to visit Kings Island with my work and do this "Beast Challenge." I feel like, no matter who I was teamed up with, I couldn't help but get off laughing after trying to count the street signs on Backlot Stunt Coaster... Interesting team- builder indeed!

Though this removal of Chang in favor of an expanded waterpark is not official, it does cause one to say: Again?

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=42288

From today's Screamscape update (so, as always, take it for a grain of salt): Emphasis added. Will Six Flags be the newest Universal of the Midwest? Funny to see Kings Island's current parent company struggling to stay on its feet with a board member resigning, a shareholder rebellion always seeming a growing concern, and two new board members added at the request of a once takeover-eyeing Q. Meanwhile, the old Paramount team is rumored to be coming back into power at the once-earmarked-for-merging-with-Cedar-Fair Six Flags, who is today celebrating their return to the stock market! Confusing!

Depends on what you require of a roller coaster to consider it "wooden." Is a wood coaster defined by the material it's made of, or by the elements it contains? If smooth-as-glass, elevator-lift, laser-cut, snap-into-place roller coasters that happen to be made of fallen trees count as wooden coasters, than yes, they make wooden coasters. If a wooden coaster has to have a little trashing and wildness, built on-site by skilled craftsmen who use good old fashioned elbow grease to construct incredible (but intrinsically imperfect) transportation devices, then no, Intamin does not do that. Either way, they appear to be a pioneer of new technologies yet again...

Probably not possible. The speed, the length, the loop... No one had a problem with those things. It was the layout that was always so criticized - primarily, the fact that the ride is essentially a big hill, two helices, a small hill, two helices, brakes. Not only is it uninspired, but its uncomfortable because of the speed at which the train travels. The helices are simply pounding - the trains are (people use this word and I dislike it, but it really is a good way to describe it) jackhammered on the first helix, slamming people around while they're plastered onto their side. I rode Son of Beast on every trip and always enjoyed it, but it would be a misnomer to call it anything but "uncomfortable" during that helix. People have always said that the way to "fix" Son of Beast is to demolish everything between the second hill and the final helix, then create an out and back coaster full of airtime hills to burn off some speed. In essence, to have a coaster whose layout is 200 foot hill, hill, hill, hill, hill, turnaround, hill, hill, hill, helix. Sound familiar? It should - it was built about six hundred yards to the southeast. Besides, if it actually does get to the point that Son of Beast is ready to be demolished (or they're willing to may tens of millions of dollars for a costly renovation that only might work), I think even its biggest fans will agree that it can be torn down. If they ever said "Hey we're thinking of spending $20 million to keep the ride but add Iron Horse tracking," most of us here would say, "Um, how about you take that money and get us a great B&M invert and a looping Intamin woodie with that money instead?" EDIT: ^See! I can see the future!

Especially because, in the days of Magnum and Millennium Force, the only reasonable way to increase speed was to increase height, and vice versa. Today, the two are independant measures, and do not rely on eachother at all. The two pending fastest coasters on Earth barely crest 150 feet tall. Meanwhile, a coaster that's 300 feet tall doesn't even touch 80 mph... Or so they say... Regardless, I think tall coasters will always be more marketable than solely fast ones. I feel like people want to know they've conquered something huge more than they want to brag about how fast they went.

How long has the "Ride Warrior" slogan been used? I honestly had thought it was a recent Cedar Fair invention that had really come to light after the Paramount purchase. But, while cruising through eBay, I found a shirt that made me believe otherwise: So the Ride Warrior promotion has been around since Paramount, and on top of that, since King Cobra? Surprised me!

Maybe they should replace every ride they've built in the past fifteen years with a better working one...

(This is all information as I've come to understand it based on others here, and I don't claim any of it as fact) I believe you're mistaken - the ride was closed a lot as Tomb Raider: The Ride, yes. But that's more of a "it's a Giant Top Spin" thing than brought on by the cycle. I believe (I may be mistaken) it was (and is still) mostly an issue with the ride's braking and sensory systems. The brakes are not the type that HUSS recommended, but the cheaper kind that Paramount insisted on. Top Spins by their very nature are nothing more than multiple sets of locking and holding brakes all working in synchronization to create flips and hold the gondola in specific positions. As such, the ride's tracking system is incredibly sensitive - the ride, as Tomb Raider, had a hard time with the hang-time sequence over the lava. Flying around the room, locking in place very specifically, and then holding it there, upside down, for fifteen seconds while motors move the arms around slowly. If the computer senses that, for even a second, the gondola is even an inch off of its planned path, the ride emergency stops. That, of course, means that it must be cleared out and manually restarted. That's where the breakdowns come from. Fast-forward to The Crypt 2008, where an entire row of the ride was removed (doubtlessly overseen by HUSS, but still altering the ride's weight, center of gravity, and capacity) and the already over-sensitive system is changed again - this time, our Giant Top Spin (nearly twice as tall, much heavier, with different energy requirements, and a much larger width than any other) is simply programmed with a ride cycle meant for smaller, more acrobatic, less-strained suspended top spins that have a completely different weight, height, footprint, and capacity. It was that 9-flip cycle paired with an already-beaten up ride that really did a number on our Top Spin. It's the opinion of many people here that our Giant Top Spin was not built to operate with any sort of moisture around it at all, and that it will be a cold day in hell before water effects are re-introduced to our ride. The only successful, marketable solution truly does seem to be replacing our physical ride with a suspended top spin. Then and only then could effects theoretically be re-introduced, we could recieve Kings Dominion's Crypt's nine-flip cycle (and synchronized musical score), and more. But, that requires a lot of money - not even for the top spin (which is relatively cheap) but to crack open the foundation, remove the Giant Top Spin, alter the boarding system, and alter the warehouse as needed. Perhaps if Great America is closed, we can hope to receive their Top Spin? Or Valleyfair's suspended one? That would make the project do-able financially. I personally think it'd be worth it to have Kings Dominion's flames and music and water and torches all mixed with our darkness and Durga statue and theatrical lighting, but what do I know?

The Run Kings Island event is returning this year, and the website is live. http://www.visitkingsisland.com/runkingsisland/ Did anyone participate last year? Also interesting is the provided course maps which are unique (to me at least) because they're superimposed on blueprint style maps of the park that display, among other things, Son of Beast and its loop. Son of Beast is also mentioned in the course descriptions, though that obviously means nothing. Take a look! http://www.visitkingsisland.com/_upload/pdf/2010/2010_run_ki_5k_map.pdf

Because the park was sort of generic water-themed, and Paramount decided to tie it in with the movie Crocodile Dundee. It's all the best if you ask me, because as I said, the notion of an Australian-themed waterpark is really quite smart and to my knowledge, hadn't been done. Plus, the Australian back story provides for more colorful slides, fun building colors, clever names, and little touches that Waterworks didn't - the surfing kangaroo, the squirting dijeridoos, etc.

Knott's is a great park, but if you've got a week and are planning just a smaller little vacation, it won't work - it's too far away. I think Knott's is great when you hop over for a day while on your Disneyland trip, but to go out there with Knott's as your destination? For the casual adventurer, it's not necessarily a multi-day park... Not three or more, at least. Kings Dominion all the way. You absolutely wouldn't regret it. And as was mentioned, you're a fraction of a second from the world-class Busch Gardens Williamsburg and their UNBELIEVABLE collection of rides, plus Washington D.C., Historic Williamsburg (which can be accessed with a combo ticket from Busch Gardens) and Richmond. You can even hit up Gettysburg on the way depending on your start point.

I don't know how long I'd hold my breath - Water parks were a big deal for the KECO parks, and some were expertly upgraded with Paramount (I'd much much much rather have the colorful, orange and blue Australian theme - however vague - than the drab white and gray Waterworks). Cedar Fair hasn't really made any vast improvements at any of their water parks that I'm aware. The only rumors I've even heard were the unification of all the water parks under the Soak City banner (which I would dislike), or making many of the water parks extra admission (a la Cedar Point). I think Holiday World has really proven how incredible and worthwhile a simple water park can be, but it certainly wouldn't be the first valuable lesson from Holiday World that Mr. Kinzel has chosen to ignore... As was said, we could definitely use a new ride. But also keep in mind we have a much, much grander park than Soak City or even most Waterworks. Though the rides may not all be brand spankin' new, they are still fun and unique. And even though it's light, the themeing is really top-notch for a seasonal water park that's included with admission to the attached amusement park. And PLEASE don't forget the offernings of Ohio's third Cedar Fair park, a standalone water park to which a one-day admission approaches $35.00... Goes to show that Boomerang Bay really is the largest and best waterpark in Ohio, and easily the best value of all three. Even if Boomerang Bay doesn't get a new ride, as was stated it needs a general rehab - re-painting and an intense cleaning. However, first order of business - crack open the sidewalk anywhere where it's wide enough and slip in some little trees. I'm not asking for Disney-quality water features that spray the path to keep it clean, but some natural shade would be nice. I think Kings Island undersells Boomerang Bay. Yeah there's that horrendous "2 parks for the price of 1" logo stamped on the front of every brochure, but we have a truly unique waterpark! Great Wolf Lodge, The Beach, and Splashin' Safari are all pretty close, but as a Northeast Ohioan, trust me - Boomerang Bay alone is worth the price of a season pass.

Yes to the 100% extent.

One thing that has become painfully obvious in my time here is that Joe Schmo the ride operator does not know what is planned for the park's future. Believe it or not, the powers that be at Kings Island and at Cedar Fair Entertainment Company do not reveal their classified plans to many people - the general manager of Kings Island may not know what is planned for his own park five years down the road. We don't even know if Kings Island will finish out this year as a Cedar Fair property. And that's the truth. So when a ride operator tells you about Kings Island's next 500 foot tall coaster, or how they're redoing Drop Zone and putting it indoors, or how they know what's happening to Son of Beast, but just can't tell you... Well... They're not always telling the truth. We all get c0cky with our friends and may exaggerate or state facts that aren't necessarily true but it makes us and the park look good, or help prove a point. Unfortunately, our friends and those who overhear us may think it's all truth. They tell a friend, who tells a friend, who distorts it a bit and then tells another friend, and before you know it, Son of Beast is being fixed, Flight Deck is getting suspended trains, Paramount wants the parks back, and Scooby Doo is coming back... And those are just the rumors we've heard (and seen written on Wikipedia) this season alone. My dad always used to tell me that he knew the exact contents and recipes and secret ingredients of every Taco Bell item on the menu. I always assured him that, just because he worked the Taco Bell drive thru 30 years ago does not mean that the company executives let him in on each and every trade secret, and that he didn't know everything about it. Sometimes the employees of amusement parks need to be brought back down to earth again, too (but don't we all?)