bkroz

Don't bother. I sent GavPenn a direct message to cordially explain why I and many others here were frustrated. He replied simply, "Wow, you moved me..." He's just an ass. No interest in being part of the community or learning how we do things.

I love the idea, but The Woods needs trees. Rivertown can be more or less tree-less, because it's a settlement on the edge of the woods. I don't like it, but I can still explain it away.

This seems unsatisfying to me. On more than one occasion, many of us tried to explain to the community here that, despite presenting himself as such, GavPenn was not an insider. (And GavPenn, you must admit – you did WAY more than just speculate and guess and have fun with us. You 100% purported yourself as an insider. "...I'll give you a hint..." "...that's all I'll say..." "You'll see..." "Just wait until the announcement..." etc. etc.) Every time you popped into this thread, it was as a know-it-all lording his inside information over us, "gifting" us with little hints and tips about what the answer was. We told you then that little coy "winks" presented as if you knew the answer were NOT cute, constructive, or fun, and warned your "followers" to be wary, and you literally just kept on going with 100% confidence that you knew and we didn't. Now, those who trusted you (because you purported to be "in the know" and to have some access the rest of us don't), your "followers," are not renewing passes. You convinced them to anticipate something that many of us knew was not coming and crafted yourself into an insider who they could trust (never mind that, if you actually HAD known the answer, you would've been ruining the anticipation and fun for many of us by strutting around dropping hints). But you were wrong! After all that, you weren't even the insider you thought you were. Sigh. I will "un-ignore" your posts now and let's carry on. I hope we ALL learn a lesson from this – the same one we've been repeating for ever: those who know don't say, and those who say don't know.

Hmm... All renderings via http://mystictimbers.visitkingsisland.com/nature-rises/ride-renderings

Exactly the sort of thing I've been waiting for from Kings Island. The thing that makes our park different from Cedar Point. You'd never see Cedar Point attempt this: A mid-sized thrilling coaster that's billed as an "adventure." It sounds as if we'll see a semblance of a storyline here, and it even seems like the park is committed to preserving as much of the forest as possible. I love the tease of the not-so-secret secret element, and sincerely have said elsewhere on this site that this "sort" of ride would be my absolute ideal for Kings Island. A perfect level of theming for a seasonal park, something different, and something worth seeing in person. Slaloming through the forest, ducking under tree branches, racing over the river, curving through the trees... And all with that "extra touch" of storyline, so perhaps we'll see vines overtaking the queue line, crawling along the coaster, and growing across the shed. Here's hoping that the park sticks with the motif they've established and hangs glowing, pulsing orbs of light in the trees out there, giving off a soft, otherworldly glow at night... indeed, this "dark enchanted forest is taking over" has been done before, and this COULD be the best of the batch, if they follow through with the theming. And I'm just thrilled. As I said in the decoding thread, this is the first time in a long time that Kings Island is debuting the kind of ride Busch Gardens would have – something that's quality over quantity. This ain't no in-your-face 200-foot inverted roller coaster. GOOD. Let the chorus of "I'm underwhelmed" commence. That's fine. I'll suffer through it for the next six months. Come spring, the naysayers will understand what a "little" GCI can do, and what a little story can do, and what a little mystery and intrigue can do. Here we go, folks.

Agreed about the rendering, but look instead at the shed on the POV video. Even though we can't assume that's accurate, they literally added... well... just look and see.

Oh my. If I were going to compare this ride to ANYTHING familiar at Kings Island, it would be The Beast. What in the world is this comparison to Racer that keeps popping up? Racer = out and back wooden coaster of continuous arcing airtime hills. Mystic Timbers = winding, curving, slaloming, twisted ride through a dark forest ending with a secret element.

But this ISN'T Timber. It's not about logging. Look again at the logo... the shed... the artwork... the promo video... the forest is taking over. There's something enchanting and magical and dark going on here. That's the point.

Oh dear. *clutches pearls* Actually, I'm THRILLED that for the first time in a long time, Kings Island is getting a coaster that doesn't scream THRILLZ FAST WOW FLIPZ but instead is earning a little bit of a "huh?" reaction. The last coasters I've seen with this kind of reaction? Maverick... Verbolten... Invadr... Put another way: you'll see.

Is this the part where we beg? What was it that was going to convince you to renew your pass again? A giga? An RMC? I forget. bkroz, who suspects that Beast Gal and her family would've renewed their passes if there was no major attraction (indeed, they did renew this year, right?), but now she won't renew because we are getting a major attraction – just not the one she let herself be conned into expecting. I can't figure it out in my head. I'm sure it makes sense on paper somehow. I heard 109 foot lift.

And in that same vein, this gives me great schadenfreude. I've been waiting for a while. An excellent reminder for us all of what we already knew in our hearts: those who know don't speak, and those who speak don't know. A few members here had to learn that, and voila. Happy as a clam that a wonderful GCI with an exciting theme is on the way.

The live stream gives out at 10:01. Sigh.

Yep. Music's getting a little Southeast Asian / mystical. Perhaps this coaster will intrude in an ancient hallowed temple?

Maybe he was reading the angle of the sun to arrive at the time of day shown in the video? In modern coasters, computer systems don't allow a train to be dispatched until it's safely able to be, including cleared block zones, locked restraints, clearance in the station, etc. Over in England, we've seen how maintenance mode throws a wrench in that...

I remember seeing this coaster, but never riding it. I wonder whose brilliant idea it was? Universal's Islands of Adventure's abysmally low-capacity Pteradon Flyers comes to mind, and even it has a higher capacity than this, I'm sure.

Glad all that camo netting that had been draped throughout The Crypt's queue isn't just gathering dust!

1) you're better at this than you think 2) we all started at the place you described

Universal Creative says Skull Island: Reign of Kong isn't based on any of the Kong movies. It's supposed to be about the character and not any of his specific appearances. That said, it does borrow elements of King-Kong 360 3D from Universal Studios Hollywood, which specifically is about the "making of" the Peter Jackson movie. So Kong at Islands of Adventure borrows his look from the Peter Jackson film. The Kong in the new reboot film is supposed to be many tens of feet taller than the Peter Jackson version (see poster). The nice merchandising and cross-promotional naming with the film is certainly just a coincidence.

Especially at Disney's pace. Maelstrom -> Frozen took 20 months. This transformation (which looks to be floor-to-ceiling, literally) will take five. If it's that easy to install, one would hope it's easy to UNinstall. What a tremendous relief it would be if Disney announced that this new Guardians ride would be temporary – say, a year or two, until the Marvel Land is ready – before transforming BACK into Tower of Terror. Like, literally, we'd all breathe easy. Sigh.

I know you already know this as stated in your earlier post, but just to be clear for those joining us: this changing into a Marvel ride applies ONLY to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure. The original ride at Hollywood Studios in Florida is not changing. And I doubt it will.

And some people are arguing that since Florida's Tower of Terror is subjectively, technologically superior, 'who cares if "bad Tower" in California disappears?' Problem is that that enthusiast mindset doesn't hold true in reality. MOST visitors to Disneyland probably have NOT been on a Tower of Terror in Florida, Paris, or Tokyo, and probably never will. They might not even know that other Towers of Terror exist. If they decided to close The Beast forever and replace it with a steel coaster, would it make you feel any better to know that a wooden roller coaster similar to The Beast would continue to exist in South Korea? Or would it still feel as if a massive hole had been created in Kings Island's ride lineup? In the feeling of Rivertown? In the value of the park? In its history and story?

What's worse – this is NOT Disney's California 2001, a hodgepodge of misaligned thoughtless attractions with no path forward for a jumbled mess of a park. Back then, I would've accepted Disney throwing anything at the wall to try to right the ship, when the park was under-themed, lacking in stories, and without character. In 2007, Disney solved that with a $1.5 billion upgrade, crafting a new, thoughtful Disney California Adventure with each and every themed land stripped to the rivets and re-built as an idealized, romanticized, historic recreation of Californian stories, legends, and adventures. The idea was to get rid of the jokes, the irreverent tone, and the modern music. It worked spectacularly. And now, one of the park's only remaining "California" rides will be replaced with an irreverent futuristic superhero ride for which we're supposed to find modern music the selling point. In its own concealed-away land? Fine. But replacing one of the park's classics and one of the most detailed rides Disney has ever developed? This damages the very foundation of the billion dollar rebirth the park just experienced. In the old park, this was Hollywood Pictures Backlot, a flat-facade recreation of modern Hollywood with guests encouraged to peek around the corner and see how the street was really just cardboard and scaffolding. In this "modern" Hollywood "studio," it would've been stupid, but at least having a Guardians of the Galaxy ride in a "warehouse" (as Joe Rohde describes it) would be passable. But it turns out, people didn't come to Disney to see modern spoofs of modern Hollywood. Post-makeover, this area became Hollywoodland – a 1930s Golden Age of Hollywood, with the Hollywood Tower Hotel looming over. Disney Imagineers painstakingly built a new, cohesive story for Hollywoodland and neighboring Buena Vista Street, which shared a continuity. So detailed and thoughtful were these two lands that the Red Car Trolley was shared between them, with stops at Buena Vista Street, Carthay Circle, and the Hollywood Tower Hotel. What of that, for example? Will the signs on the front of the trolleys simply be swapped for "Hollywood Blvd. / Carthay Circle / Marvel Land?" Late April Fools joke. This sincerely sounds like some preposterous thing a fan came up with, including the concept art of what is very obviously and distinctly a 1920s art-deco hotel, now affixed with pipes and silver paint. Absolutely a joke. No one asked for this. And then, just across the resort is Tomorrowland, withering and decaying while a futuristic dark sci-fi superhero ride takes over a beloved classic. Pathetic is right.

Perhaps the most debilitating and devastating move I've seen from Disney in my lifetime. And I've seen New Tomorrowland, the closure of the Peoplemover, the closure of the Submarine Voyage, the closure of Maelstrom, the closure of Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular, the closure of Horizons, the opening of Journey into YOUR Imagination, the cancellation of WestCOT, the fallout from Disneyland Paris, and the announcement of Disney's California Adventure. When this first started rumbling months ago, I was among those who wrote it off as a wild rumor literally invented to be as preposterous as possible, simply to see how feverishly Disney Parks fans would spread it. Now, facing it as a reality, I am stunned. What an absolutely horrific choice. Unimaginable. I can't wrap my head around the idea that a sci-fi industrial space tower (with vague pueblo-deco remnants, distinctly hotel-shaped) will now loom over Disneyland Resort, Disney California Adventure, and Hollywoodland. Abysmal. Absolutely incredibly stupid. I feel defeated and disheartened. And the worst part is that we've learned from Disney's recent moves that there's nothing that can be done, nothing to be said, nothing to be fought for. Why fuss? Why complain? Why rally? Why bother? Why care at all? Disney doesn't care what I think as a enthusiast, sure, but what about as a guest? Unbelievable. bkroz, who sincerely won't be back to Disneyland Resort for a very, very long time. Absolutely horrible.

And then there's Gatorland!!

Absolutely agreed. The news gets out? As I've said, there are photos everywhere online – especially now – of gators throughout the Rivers of America and other waterways in and around the theme parks. They're out there. It's their habitat. Like a roller coaster casually stopping on a lift hill, the media likely would blow this up into big news ("Alligator spotted in Disney World Theme Park") but it's really NOT news. If guests were in any kind of danger, I would hope and expect that the ride would be temporarily closed. Period. That's not a rock and a hard place at all!