bkroz

But maybe we should INCREASE season pass sales and babysitting services... Remember the advice of that Louisville Councilman who told us that amusement parks like this offer a great alternative for kids who would otherwise be breaking into cars? Because that's who we want walking around unattended in family amusement parks: teenagers who, if they had their way, would be breaking into cars instead.

Another park where the metal detectors at the entrance aren't just for show. We see why now.

I guess we found the answer to the Amusement Dark question? And indeed, at the bottom of the ride's page...

It also makes you wonder who they've got running the social media if the person in question 1) actually responded to the question asked on Facebook (laughably amateur) and 2) seemed intimately aware of what happened. Again... PR, PR, PR. Do they have an official, salaried, full-time "social media" specialist with an associated degree or work history? It sure doesn't seem so based on this event alone.

If that bugs you, check out the photo Wildwater Kingdom got. One of these things is not like the others.

Hmm. It's an improvement, but I'm not speechless or overly impressed. To me, it looks a little amateurish. I'm no artist, but the shape and colors don't feel like something that an experienced graphic designer would've created. The shape doesn't feel at all purposeful or thoughtful. I guess I just feel like I saw this old-brushed-script-to-modern-typeface-and-logo transition happen already and it looked better. See how Cedar Fair's new coaster knot feels like a less well thought-out and less purposeful version of Busch Gardens' coaster tree? I don't know.

I'm sure that the average family would have a fine day at the amusement park. If you family includes someone with mobility impairments? An LGBT friend or loved one? A breastfeeding mother? Then you're probably bound to think differently after the events of last season. Sure, most of the "drama" that we're touching on is probably "behind the scenes." But it all matters... Every guest who pays full price to get in only to find it's a retconned "preview weekend" with all the new rides missing will remember. Those who want to pay their way in but aren't allowed will remember. They'll remember the way they were treated, too. Guests are told two or more different prices, and some are doubtlessly unclear on which they're expected to pay at a Kroger versus online versus at the gate, when those offers expire, etc., and they'll remember that. Every guest who saw Hart's henchman appear on a local newscast with a printed laminate screen capture of a website and a poorly-prepared speech about new rides will remember. Some guests will visit the website, find it woefully dated in its design and navigation, and decide the park isn't worth their drive from Ohio because the place markets itself as if it were a simple carnival. And those guests are gone. In a time where first impressions can make or break the park, they've stumbled over and over and over and - curiously - most of their foibles are in the same area: public relations. If they would've noticed that early on and fixed it, we might not have to wonder about the future of the park. Instead, the problems continue. And that's to say nothing of the politics, taxes, and backstage problems. Glad that that region has a park back? Of course. I just wish we were seeing the park do better to ensure it stays that way.

The dark ride in Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland was first If You Had Wings (1972 - 87), If You Could Fly (1987 - 89), Delta Dreamflight (1990 - 96), Take Flight (1996 - 98), then Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (1998 - present). Each re-used the infrastructure, track layout, vehicles, and scenery from its predecessors to varying degrees, with enhancements along the way. The same is true of many rides whose innards are re-used or re-purposed, just like how California Adventure's Monsters Inc. dark ride uses the same vehicles, track layout, and scene arrangement as its predecessor Superstar Limo. For Splash Mountain, its cast of animatronics (see #19 here) were all repurposed from a show in Disneyland's Tomorrowland called America Sings! It was the follow-up to the Carousel of Progress, which had been relocated to Florida for the Magic Kingdom. America Sings closed in Tomorrowland in 1988 and all of its animatronics were dressed in Southern clothes, reprogrammed, and sent to Splash Mountain. The Carousel Theater then remained empty for 10 years until Innoventions opened in its place as part of Disneyland's flubbed New Tomorrowland.

Screamscape supposes it'll be Mack. Sounds right. They've recently turned away from big, expensive B&Ms and turned to Zamperla and Premier. Mack manufactured their Journeys to Atlantis and the nimble launched Manta in San Diego. The worst thing SeaWorld could do right now is to succumb to its position and decide to stop all investment altogether; to say, "SeaWorld is doomed anyway, so let's just stop trying" and let the parks fall into rubble. I've suggested that SeaWorld's best chance in my uninformed opinion is to do more of this and less of what they've been doing. Their current plan is to say, "We're a really, really, really great zoo!" Which they are. But even if SeaWorld is twice as good a zoo as your local one, it doesn't deserve $70 entry prices on that alone, and certainly doesn't deserve to steal a day of your vacation from Universal or Disney. In my opinion, SeaWorld's best bet is to re-emphasize its strengths as a theme park with thrilling attractions, family adventures, rides, shows, and animal experiences. Yes, continue to refine and expand your commitment to animals and conservation, and expand the orca tanks. But the premise of "We're a great zoo that's worth losing a day at Walt Disney World" is not working. Bringing in some great, quality coasters and family dark rides might make them worth a day of the trip.

You've got to love that they copy-pasted the official description of their new Wizard of Oz 5-D experience from whichever vendor they purchased it from: Nationwide? Or at Kentucky Kingdom? And is it 4-D or 5-D? Just little things like that that really show how fly-by-night this whole operation feels.

The new website is almost funny. What was wrong with the old one? It looked pretty contemporary to me. The new one looks like a temporary fair's website. Perhaps accurate.

Consider that Epcot ultimately was meant to be a permanent World's Fair, in the grand style of pavilions and innovation showcases particularly of the 1964 & '65 Worlds Fairs in New York City. Each pavilion focused on a single, central topic, overseen by one sponsor and containing (in most cases) multiple attractions, restaurants, and shops focused on that topic. To understand what's happened to Epcot requires a broad view of The Walt Disney Company and its highs and lows; the artistic direction of Imagineering at one time versus another; and reception to what EPCOT Center was. Remember that, at the time EPCOT Center opened, "Disney" was the name of two theme parks: the original Disneyland and its younger sister, Magic Kingdom. A "Disney Park" (long before their corporate combination as such) was castles, fairytales, movie sets, immersion, and fantasy. EPCOT was, quite simply, unlike anything folks could've expected. Science? Technology? Pavilions? Education? Culture? Not a single appearance by Mickey, Cinderella, Alice... EPCOT changed. And now, Disney's lofty vision of itself tells them that Epcot will always be among the top 5 most visited parks in the world, because why wouldn't it be? No need for renovation, overhaul, updating, or investment beyond the minimum. Science and technology? Hardly. See Innoventions. Education? Well... See Test Track, Seas With Nemo, and Mission: Space versus what they replaced. Culture? See Arendelle (or will it still, insultingly, be called Norway?) or Imagination. The rumor continues to be that Epcot will get a full, complete, floor-to-ceiling make-over of its Future World. Let's hope.

That's pretty much the point.

The original lasted only a few months. The figure stood by the bride in the Mansion's attic. Each time the bride's heart would beat, the ghost's head would disappear from his shoulders and re-appear in the hatbox he was holding. It was all a lighting trick, of course. A positioned black-light would make one head glow while the other went dark. Supposedly even on the night of the cast member previews it was obvious that the effect didn't work - the regular ole ambient light from the scene allowed guests to see both heads. With today's projection technology, I'm sure this will be spectacular. The Hatbox Ghost has been legendary for many Disneyland fans as a rare failed effect, and one that built a strong story for the ride and an urban legend for fans to follow. Plus, he's actually pretty scary looking.

I can't get over the fact that they had a screen capture of a webpage printed on laminate rather than simply displaying the web page on screen. The camera then zooms in on the printed page to reveal how pixelated it is while the gentleman holding it moves it. 10 parks to visit in 2015... "We're in some great company..." the company of "Magic Mountains out in California, and so forth."

Never been to Carowinds. I'd love to go. Especially for Fury. Kings Dominion has its pros and cons. It is not similar enough to Kings Island that it would feel like a waste. The things they do have in common are different enough to be like completely new experiences. Our Stunt track is much different from theirs (thankfully) but the location and positioning alone make it a unique experience. Flight of Fear, last I visited, was very much a different experience from queue to coaster. Seriously. Intimidator 305 is outstanding and one-of-a-kind (and likely to stay that way) and the position of the brakes on their Drop Zone will have you squealing. Dominator is great. The wooden coasters will be very unlike the ones at Kings Island.Their "Candy Apple Grove" themed area is an equivalent of our Coney Mall, but with a little more nostalgia. The park has one themed area (formerly Congo, now Safari Village) that rivals Busch Gardens and then some. It's got Volcano (one of the best coasters I've ever been on) and The Crypt (which is superb) in an expertly-themed area that still plays the Tomb Raider film score, with tiki torches, dense foliage, and rocks bursting from the ground. That sort of feeling extends throughout the whole park. While our International Street has Shamu-blue fountains with large white urns, theirs is a dark pool surrounded in evergreens and "natural" geyser-style fountains that's legitimately beautiful. It's just an entirely different aura. There may be times you feel like you're in Kings Island's evil twin, but the similarities end there. The entire park is loaded with sky-high trees and is much more forested. Very unique. Different clientele, too. Having been there, if I were equidistant between KD and Carowinds, I'd choose Carowinds. But in terms of first impressions, Kings Dominion comes to mind as worth the drive.

It's definitely on my bucket list of parks. Merlin's gem. Some incredible attractions and history.

My guess would be that it was used exclusively before the park opened. Its 1972 signage, photos, and park maps all seem to have the Medieval font. So it was probably just a conceptual logo. Kings Dominion's original pre-Paramount logo is more similar... ... and was brought back last year for their 40th.

People watch a "documentary," sit behind their computer screen, and type very loudly about how they'll never ever visit SeaWorld. Problem is, would they have anyway? In other words, there's tremendous vocal opposition to the orca captivity-entertainment program. But if SeaWorld (for an extreme example) released the whales to enormous oceanic pens, how many of the people who demanded that exact scenario around the water cooler would say, "Oh! Well, that's great! I'll be sure to include SeaWorld in my next vacation then!" That's what SeaWorld should be figuring out right now. And if the consensus is that they've suffered a great loss and that they probably won't be able to recoup those lost families, then fine. Restrategize and move on. SeaWorld is a niche park, especially in Orlando. It's a zoo. A nice one! But a zoo. And even the nicest zoo doesn't command $70 single day entry like SeaWorld does. It's an exceptional zoo cast as competition to Disney and Universal, then mired in mismanagement, a lethal public perception problem, and a short-sighted plan. I like SeaWorld, but frankly I'm surprised they were able to earn a day of an Orlando vacation even before this all happened. SeaWorld might be twice as nice as your local zoo (which would be a stretch if you live near a major metropolitan area in Ohio) but commands an entry price seven or eight times greater. If SeaWorld is to have us believe it's a really exceptional, entertaining, and educational zoo, so be it. Price it that way and build to suit that mission statement, which may require major restructuring. Get rid of orca entertainment, build those creatures an expansive and high quality exhibit, and price yourself as the zoo you are. If SeaWorld would have us believe that it's an engaging, cutting-edge, thrilling theme park that happens to include some high quality animal exhibits and a lot of backstage rehabilitation programs, so be it. Invest in it as such. Get rid of orca entertainment, build those creatures an expansive and high quality exhibit, and stop defending yourself as the world's most expensive zoo. In my simplistic idea, it's time to rebrand, restart, and try something new. At this point, it seems that every six months or so, they'll come out with a new attempt to combat Blackfish. It seems to me that the losses have been lost. A vast majority, I'd bet, have already chosen sides and drudging up memories of Blackfish every few months in unsuccessful media campaign after unsuccessful media campaign is not helping. Is SeaWorld a world class theme park that deserves a day of your vacation just like Universal? Fine. Then restructure and market it as such.

The practice was apparently just being tested. It lasted only a morning at HRRR. Odd situation. I, myself, often (wrongly) ignore the "no loose articles" signs when I'm at a park like Universal or Disney, because (perhaps foolishly) I feel like my phone and my wallet are secure enough that the locker-getting process would be a waste of time. If I had a backpack or something, sure. But my wallet in a tight pocket, which may even be snapped or zipped closed? It seems like a roundabout waste of time to go through the whole locker procedure to hold a single wallet, especially when I manage to keep them all on my person on Firehawk or Millennium or Diamondback with little problem. I'm sure part of this is to avoid accidents, like phones or coins escaping pockets. Like the article says, a penny flying out of my pocket and hitting someone in the back row could have dire consequences. The other unfortunate element of this is that it might be to curb intentional attempts at "humor" by the worst kinds of guests. As bad as it sounds, the multiple occurrences on Dueling Dragons that lead to it becoming plain-old Dragons sure reeked of intentional acts. It really seemed like some horrible people did it on purpose, like dropping a penny from a Drop Tower ride. If so, those few ruined it for us all and basically ruined one of B&M's most clever attractions. (By the way, I'm still surprised Universal hasn't actively worked to restore that ride, even if it did mean metal detectors.) Speaking of which, some parks in some states have all riders hold their open palms toward operators before a drop ride can begin. That's kind of what this is. However, Universal took it to an almost illogical extreme. Those determined to hurt others will, and if someone is determined to show how "awesome" it is to drop a penny on a roller coaster, they're going to do it anyway. Universal should probably emphasize through signage and employees that any item in any pocket could do irreparable damage to a human being and that loose items will almost certainly be lost from pockets due to the forces on the ride. Then they should inspect guests prior to entering the line and (as they've done recently) route the queue entrance through the locker area with signs posted that remind guests that if they're seen with a loose item in line (including cell phones) they'll need to exit the line. Actually enforcing that just a handful of times would spread the word. Period. By the way, Universal's ride lockers are free of charge for the duration of the queue line wait and then some.

PETA would accuse Universal's Islands of Adventure of mistreating owls... and then go morbidly silent after learning they're animatronic.

Nothing new for 2015. Of course, same was true of 2007. 2008. 2009. 2010. 2011. 2012. 2013. And 2014. The last of Cedar Fair's stand-alone water parks. Remember that when the thrill park closed in 2007, its fate was announced five days after it closed for the season. No goodbyes. No last tours. No last rides. No last photos. Nothing. I'm not sure that the current water park is worth an extensive drive to see, but if you want to get a last look at Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, ain't no time like the present. http://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20140824/28153/lost-geauga-lake-how-worlds-largest-six-flags-disappeared

Open this May only at Kings *radio static*: THE CRYPT. But really, it will be. Probably.

It IS in China, so it might be called Random Rollercoaster. http://rcdb.com/9647.htm

Theme. What else is new. Theming makes Verbolten more than just a family coaster; Flight of Fear more than Joker's Jinx; Adventure Express more than Cedar Creek Mine Ride; Maverick more than iSpeed; Mystery Mine more than any other Eurofighter; Tomb Raider more than The Crypt; Banshee more than Raptor. the point is, theme matters. Not just a barn station for every ride. A storyline; props; fog; plot; pacing; effects; music; commitment to those elements over time...