bkroz

Not like a heartline roll element. They're talking physiologically.

And a name like The King could be the best of all worlds... Of course, Mr. James' legal team might notice and request a conference.

It actually looks nice, two-toned like that. Silver spine, green stripe, orange rails... Not bad! We'll see!

I'm seriously impressed. It looks incredible. I hesitate to say that it's as technologically complex as Forbidden Journey, but to imagine basically a Spider-Man SCOOP vehicle placed on a roller coaster track.... And then with launches and tilt tracks in there too... Wow.

The new Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts officially opened about a week ago at Universal Studios Florida. If you believe you will make it to Universal Studios Florida in your lifetime, do yourself a favor and do not expand the spoiler box below, and do not read the rest of this thread. If you're a glutton for punishment and want spoilers anyway, read on.

Perfect storm here. Uncoordinated PR misfiring and requiring multiple releases to get across simple messages; Employees seemingly (and admittedly) untrained to handle situations that federal law requires; Yet employees are somehow empowered enough to approach breastfeeding mothers (either revealing that employees are not well trained in the law and rules, or the parks rules are out of step with the law); Possible homophobic slurs aimed at a guest and from a man who may have been representing the park and / or city of Louisville. --- And in terms of that last one (and maybe a few of the others), I made a very divisive comment a number of years ago - before the idea of a resurrected Kentucky Kingdom was even on the table - that the park's name had been a part of its downfall. No one wants to say it, but states names come with their own list of preconceptions and misconceptions. A park called Ohio Adventure probably would not draw too many folks from Chicago, right? Or even Pittsburgh. The idea of "Ohio" is not romantic or engaging for most people. Fine. And like it or not, a park called West Virginia Kingdom would probably have a different attendance statistic than an identical park named Grand Adventures Park. Kennywood is more marketable than Pennsylvania Acres. It is what it is. Perception is reality, and I – as a liberal Ohioan from the Columbus area – can't see myself making a trek to "Kentucky Kingdom." Is it psychological? Sure. Unfair? Ungrounded? Biased? 100%. Kentucky Kingdom could be the nicest park in the world for 10 years, and in the 11th year when I heard about a fight between some teenagers, I would say, "Yep! I knew it would happen! Kentucky Kingdom!" That's not fair of me, but you can't undo those stereotypes in one day. The very name Kentucky Kingdom comes with its own baggage (not the least of which being its previous life) and the stories above are now tied to my impression of Kentucky Kingdom, which was itself already bound to the stereotypes I have of Kentucky. Homophobic slurs in the water park, rough clientele, lax security guards... I should be surprised, but I'm not. Let the hate mail begin, but I know I'm not the only person from Cleveland or Columbus who gets second thoughts about a park called Kentucky Kingdom. Sad but true. And yes, I know MANY wonderful folks from Kentucky, and many FANTASTIC posters here who are from Kentucky. It's not an attack. Again, I recognize that Ohio Adventure would come with its own baggage. And notice, there is no Ohio Adventure park... No West Virginia Kingdom... No California Adventure... Okay, well, that's different.

Wow! Some folks here have been waiting 8 years for this. Big news!

I always loved the holding brake on Superman back at Geauga Lake. It's so cool and unexpected. Thanks for reminding me of it! These photos are so great. Talon is one photogenic coaster... For a smaller, family park, Dorney sure has some unique rides / elements!

Oh? Maybe! I think Centurion is better. Just wondering how you're so sure.

Yep, that was a haunted house at their Halloween event last year. When Cedar Fair trademarked the name Fury 325, folks assumed it was the name of a giga coaster that may or may not be thematically related to the haunted house. It wouldn't be the first time. Alton Towers' Halloween event introduced an eerie organization called the Ministry of Joy in a haunted house called "The Sanctuary." The Ministry of Joy then amped up their game by building a giant mechanical contraption to "marmalize" its victims - the park's Smiler roller coaster. A competing Ministry of Sound then took over a roller coaster at Merlin's Thorpe Park. Kind of a cool idea.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone hasn't already questioned it. Employee: "Hey, for ten bucks you get free refills all day! I'll just scan this barcode and you're all set." Employee at the next booth: "I don't think we have anything like that... Hey, have you guys heard of a drink-all-day pass? No, not the souvenir cup one. No, not the group wristband one. No, not the VIP tour one. It isn't on the website. It isn't on the menu. There is no master list available to customers, so it's not on there. Yeah, I haven't heard of that. Who sold it to you?" Which of these two situations is most ideal: Customer 1: "I've been ripped off." Customer 2: "Oh, I was told this might happen. Please call the front office to verify that this plan exists."

I think it would be great if there were some master PDF sheet that detailed the Dining Plans, Drink Plans, Dining & Drink Plans, and other assorted promotions the park runs. Sure, things are subject to availability. But even as a park fan, I'm baffled and confused by the tiers of plans. At this point, I would just like to know what Plans exist that the Plan will continue to exist reasonably long enough to purchase it and use it that when presented with the Plan, employees will recognize it enough to know what to offer / what action to take I don't think asking for any of that is outrageous. Of course things are in flux and test-and-adjust and that's fair and fine. But at this point, the general sense I get is that employees are just as baffled as the general public must be. 120 minutes? 90 minutes? Is it loaded onto a pass? A wristband? And now the OP says that a new, unadvertised drink special is loaded onto a barcode? Souvenir cup refills versus a Drink Plan? Some are available at ticket windows or guest relations. Others are only available at restaurants, but not advertised - you're just depending on the employee to bother to ask. And then, turn around and many of the employees aren't sure what you're talking about when you say you've bought an unadvertised all-day drink wristband plan! (Do I expect Kings Island's front-line, part-time dining team to operate like a well-oiled machine? Well, no. And it's too late in the season to call everyone together for a mandatory training seminar on the myriad of plans and how to address them. But a memo would help guests AND employees.) These are great deals and great money-makers for the park. I just don't see why it's so confusing. I know we don't have MagicBands or anything to unite all these systems, but right now I barely know what plans are available. Is there some master PDF sheet that compares all of these plans that I'm just missing?

Not sure. "Gyro drop" doesn't really mean anything in concrete terms, since it's just the ride model. It's like Gatekeeper being the world's tallest WingRider. Cool I guess, but unless there are a ton in the area, what are you trying to prove? Haha. Drop Tower is no where near the tallest drop ride in the world. Considering that Gyro drop is a ride model, perhaps you can technically take Scream out of the running since its apparently affixed to an observation tower, making it a "custom" ride or something. Like that page shows, both Kings Island and Kings Dominion's towers correctly claimed to the record as tallest. Both were correct for different reasons.

Of all three, I think ours is the only one that got a proper refurb. A couple seasons ago it had new music, working helicopter, new bullet sounds... They even installed new LEDs on the helicopter and the wall. Our cop cars work, our signs light up at night (which is not true of Kings Dominion's last I was there). Really all that's missing from ours is the splashdown, water at the MCBR, and the on-board audio. I'd say we've got it pretty good, all things considered. Chances are that fewer of those effects would work today if the park was still Paramount's Kings Island.

Hellbent? This only took a few hours. No big deal. Thanks for the comment!

What I meant to imply but wasn't clear about is that rider's obviously have to follow the rules and that there are legal implications otherwise, but that the thing Diamondback96 was referring to seemed to be something else - the whole operator vs. manufacturer legal requirement for "recommendations." Maybe they're all related? I'll read about it, thanks!

Hey guys, I went ahead and sketched up my own "ideal build-out" of Kings Island. If you follow my Theme Park Tourist articles, I designed an ideal build-out of Disney's Hollywood Studios a few weeks ago. The purpose is basically to imagine your perfect version of the park - to balance it, theme it, and give it a stellar line-up of attractions. Of course, even in an ideal setting you want some sense of choices being realistically possible in terms of space and time and even budget, but is this a potential path for the park? Eh, probably not. It's just fun to think about. The direction I took the park mirrors my own interests and priorities, as you'd expect. I won't go into exhaustive detail on the things that remain the same or only change slightly. Instead I labeled the things that are different. First of all, I used the park's existing layout (and many of its themes) for the most part and divided it into seven themed lands: Tower Street, The Woods, Coney Park, X-Base, Seven Hills, Planet Snoopy, and The Grove. Some things barely even need mentioned, like Boo Blasters becoming "The Great Pumpkin Adventure" (a non-shooting dark ride), the return of the Tower Gardens, or that I've had trees planted almost everywhere (and definitely around Diamondback). For larger version, open this in a new window. The Woods (formerly Oktoberfest & Action Zone) The Woods is a new, huge area created by combining Action Zone and Oktoberfest and more or less unifying it into a mythological forest. Guests enter The Woods from Tower Street by passing under a short tunnel of twisted vines. Within are three sub-sections differentiated only by their style. A German sub-section (occupying the space formerly its own land, Oktoberfest) contains The Curse of DarKastle 4-D motion-based dark ride cloned from Busch Gardens Williamsburg, with a new showbuilding constructed between The Racer and Flight of Fear. The ride's exterior - like Busch Gardens' - is a snowy German castle facade with antique brass towers that drip and mist in the sun. The ride is entered via an overgrown garden courtyard with a stone wolves statue in the center. While the exterior is just a facade, it gives a castle backdrop to the entire German sub-area (previously Oktoberfest). Adventure Express remains but has been renamed Verlorenschiene, which means Lost Railway. Of course, it gets cosmetic upgrades and a new lease on life as a wild mine train through collapsing tunnels. Festhaus remains, but it contains an Oktoberfest-themed show. The building itself is covered in crawling vines (including the still-broken glockenspiel -- now part of a story) as part of the misty, dark atmosphere of The Woods. DarKastle exits into Der Marktplatz, a German-themed store with authentic German gifts and DarKastle merchandise. Hanks becomes Brezlen und Bier, serving fresh pretzels, pretzel sandwiches, and beer complete with a patio for relaxing. Rounding the corner is the second sub-section within the Woods, based on United Kingdom myths and legends. Delirium remains painted black and gray, placed inside a Stonehenge-type circle of standing, mossy rocks arranged around it. (Trying to think of a fitting rename for it... Deliria seemed like a nice twist, but is that too close to diarrhea? Somethin Druid-related? Mystic-related? Ideas?) Obviously Banshee remains, as does The Bat. The third sub-section is a sort of exotic amalgamation of ancient worlds... Part Congo, part India, with misty jungle paths, toppled statues, broken pillars, and torches. Drop Tower is renamed Dyaus Fall, named after the Hindu god of the sky. The path leading to it is lined by broken pillars that progressively get taller and taller leading toward the massive 300-foot drop ride, which fades from stone grey on top to teal blue on the bottom. Invertigo is renamed CobRa, with a massive stone cobra right in the cobra roll acting as the ride's marquee and scaffolds built around the maroon-colored ride as if supporting an archaeological dig. The style of Chessington's Disk-O (above) gives a good idea of the stone serpent feeling I'd be going for. Obviously all paths lead to TOMB RAIDER: The Ride. Hey, it's my park. This, of course, would be a more traditional Top Spin, not the Giant variety, but otherwise a very similar (if not improved) experience. Coney Park (formerly Coney Mall) Of course, the first step in Coney Park is a complete face lift. Racer is redone in its red-white-and-blue color scheme, with crisp white paint. It's Coney Park's main visual draw, just as it was in the 1970s. The coaster and all of the land's flat rides receive matching incandescent bulbs strung across paths and in trees. The idea is to turn Coney Mall into a turn-of-the-century boardwalk-style land with a reverent and romanticized style. Backlot Stunt Coaster is replaced with Steeplechase, a Zamperla launched MotoCoaster with horse-shaped trains. The coaster launches from Backlot's launch area (obviously new track and infrastructure) and immediately blasts up and around (just like the new Coney Island's Steeplechase) and begins a winding, surfing race. After an over-banked turn over the formerly-Happy-Days-restaurant, the train hits a final boost that propels it up and around the ride, where it re-uses Backlot's splashdown style and hits the brakes. The ride is, of course, all white and strung with the same chaser lights as the rest of Coney Mall, and all the trees around it sparkle and glow at night. In other words, it would have the really beautiful, classic look of the coaster at Luna Park, but amid trees and gardens instead of a parking lot. I think it's a really nice replacement for Backlot, and one that doesn't require the intense effect maintenance. The other new addition, replacing Vortex (sorry guys) is Kings Mill Run, a launched Zierer family coaster. Yes, based on Verbolten. This coaster departs from Vortex's former station down a slope and meanders through the tree-lined paths, eventually stumbling across an old-Ohio covered bridge. The train passes over the bridge, then comes into view of the Kings Powder Company, a large, brick-facade manufacturing plant. The train launches up and into the building, which is on fire. The massive showbuilding for the coaster is dark with the trains racing around flames, fog blasts, and old industrial manufacturing machines. The train comes to a stop in an attic full of creaking, flame-glowing wood as a final burst of fog signals a 20-foot vertical drop track. The coaster then advances out of the building and hits a second launch, bursting up into a massive over-banked turn (about where Vortex's Batwing is) then flies down to the water, splashing in a lagoon and spraying water onto burning trees (visible from the path... sort of the ride's signature moment), passing under the covered bridge from the ride's intro, blasting into an Immelmann, then racing through The Racer's structure for a turnaround where Action Theatre once stood. X-Base Now its own land, X-Base gets a Chance Unicoaster called Mission Control wherein riders can control how their ride spins and flips along the flat-ride circuit. Firehawk is officially branded Operation: Firehawk to play up the actually-well-designed storyline of it being human flight technology testing. Maintaining the barbed-wire fencing (separating the entry path from the flat ride) and the incredible blue lighting at night, I think this land would really tell a full story. Add in a few P.A. announcements paging government officials and a few flashing red off-limits lights and you've got a stellar land. And yes, I added a bathroom. Seven Hills (formerly Rivertown) Named after Cincinnati's nickname, this early Ohio settlement along the river gets its theme restored and touched up, with woodcarving and local craftsmen selling their wares. No Three Point Challenge. Sorry. Only big change would be Mistrie Mining Company, a 3-D interactive dark ride modeled after Wonderland's Guardian. It would be a family coaster re-using the queue for The Crypt (obviously redesigned as a mining operation) to tell the story of Mister Moses Mistrie, whose mining operation was supposedly on cursed land (not a stretch either, given that building's history). Given that the drop-track is utilized on Kings Mill Run, Mistrie Mine instead features a motion-simulating finale leading to a backwards dive swooping dive out of the ride building. The Grove (formerly Picnic Grove) Simply built in the area formerly used for the Picnic Grove (and retaining a few shelters for special events) this wooded land features three much-loved rides: a Ferris Wheel, the Flying Eagles, and a Parachute Drop. All are designed in vintage style. The Grove is supposed to just be a sort of enchanted-looking glen - peaceful, and vintage, sort of removed from the hustle and bustle of the park, all with white lights and simple paint. There's also a Pavilion-style restaurant that can be rented out for special events. Conclusions You guys know I'm a sucker for immersion, story, and theming. What I've done here, I hope, is to give the park distinct and identifiable lands and settings, most of which are rooted in Ohio history. Like a Disney park, the lands are of idealized and romanticized times and places, with rides being logical and telling stories, even if only through their atmosphere and surrounding elements. Is it perfect? No. But what it does do is refresh two coasters with more fitting and modern replacements (Vortex -> Kings Mill Run; Backlot -> Steeplechase), add four dark rides all of different styles (Tomb Raider, Great Pumpkin Adventure, Mistrie Mining Company, DarKastle) and bring the park five new, fresh flat rides (Tomb Raider, Ferris Wheel, Flying Eagles, Parachute Drop, Mission Control). Actually some pretty modest changes for an ideal build-out. Kings Island is already a well rounded park. I just added emphasis on the things I enjoy. I did not turn Kings Island into a Cedar Point, and I didn't want to. There is no Wing Rider over the entrance and no giga coaster. Nothing wrong with having them, nothing wrong with wanting them. My focus was on themed lands, family rides, and atmosphere. Yes, to the extreme. But still. I know these things are hard to visualize, so let me know if you have questions, and definitely tell me what you think!

I think what you're thinking of is a park's responsibility to follow manufacturer recommendations (i.e. the direction a train should face, height requirements, etc that are "suggested" become "required" in Ohio, or something along those lines as I understand it). A rider needs to follow the rules, of course, but I don't think that's the same thing.

Visit Kings Dominion then. It's a game of priorities though. There's is in pretty bad shape except for the splashdown, which works.

Absurd? Cruel? What has he done to "deserve" these prizes more than other park guests? Well... nothing? That's the point? Remember Disney's Year(s) of a Million Dreams where Cast Members randomly handed out FastPasses, tours, gifts, even night stays in Cinderella Castle to random guests as they exited attractions? Is that cruel? It was random, just as this fella was lucky enough to get in line at the exact second he did and not a moment before or after. I don't think the young man left with some inflated ego believing he "deserved" them. It was a fun little thing to celebrate! How lucky of him to be the 1,000,000th rider, and how fun for Kings Island to bother to commemorate that and make it into a little to-do. He'll never forget that moment! Best day of his year, I'd reckon! You suggest contests to "earn" similar prizes. They happen often! See Tweet-ups. Or are those cruel because they exclude those who don't have Twitter? Should it be a Banshee Quiz of statistics where people like us have a leg up (or two)? What if we just did a lottery of all guests in the park? If you feel it's cruel that he got a basket of souvenirs that he didn't "earn..." I don't know what to tell you. Absurdity abounds. Cruelty is out there. Neither is at play here. GYK, wondering if rcwizard13 would've promptly turned down the souvenirs, the poster, and the group photo if he had happened to be the 1,000,000th rider? Certainly he would've...! ...right?

Folks being trapped in a Sky Tower for four hours is "just another reason" to never visit SeaWorld Parks? If you say so. But if you're in a boycotting mood, I know a parks chain that's logged probably a dozen stranded hours altogether on a series of Mondial flat rides that they purchased in bulk... then doubled their investment in the very next season!

Four and a half hours after I posted this! If it's like Knott's, I think this'll be a big seller.

Disney beat you to it. There are mermaids on Magic Kingdom's Pirates of the Caribbean. They're hard to see in video, but they project them onto underwater bubble screens. It's actually very beautiful and interesting in person.

There's some element of the responsibility question here. If this happened at Disneyland, the ride would probably be closed until the contact point in question was covered. But again, we don't know that this guy was doing the equivalent of "standing up in the boat" (that is to say: something obviously and outright dumb). Perhaps when the boat tipped to fall down, he simply gripped the edge of the boat. In the mind of a non-enthusiast, doing so probably doesn't count as "not keeping your hands and arms inside the boat at all times." Not to mention it might've been instinct, not a deliberate thought of "Oh, I'll go ahead and place my hand on the outside of the boat now." Now, maybe he WAS reaching into the water or doing something stupid. I don't know. Do you? Until we do, let's just not make fun of the situation, like this guy is an idiot or something. If you went to the park with, say, your father, and he gripped the side of the boat and lost his fingertips, you likely wouldn't "facepalm." Rider error? Yep. But it's a terrible and horrific accident that will impact this man for the rest of his life, not a "well, he clearly deserved it!" scenario. Is responsibility on the rider? Sure. But c'mon. The sense of superiority and the eye rolls are uncalled for.

http://www.kmbc.com/news/riders-get-stuck-on-worlds-of-funs-towering-steelhawk/26897132#!bc4sao Stuck for 24 minutes Thursday, reopened Friday. Newsworthy? Maybe not. But this is Knott's WindSeeker!