bkroz

"If Guests ask if we have gators in the water... the correct and appropriate answer is 'Not that we know of' ... Please do not say that we have seen them before. ... As a reminder, this is a serious matter. Please do not make jokes with our Guests about this."

So maybe it's a diversion, but at this point the two graphics we have do NOT seem related to chopping down wood, axes, trains, etc. They seem almost "mystical." They're misty, dark forests lit by lightning bugs, the text is a little pulp horror, they have a magical quality, nighttime announcement, etc... Odd to imagine that this might all be focused around a creature (a "beast" you might say) lurking in the woods given its neighbor, but that looks like the direction rather than locomotives and lumber. Which, in my mind, is a good thing. Now, let's hope they're preserving as much of the forest as possible... Have the coaster slalom through a vine tunnel; have thousands of flickering "lightning bugs" strung up in the trees to give incredible, magical night rides... THAT's what I'd like to see.

Very cool "teaser" image. I'm a fan. It's forested with a sort of ethereal look. Dark, fireflies, etc. It's not so much spooky as it is "fantasy." I think that's a good motif so far. Reminds me of Verbolten, but less scary. I'm a fan.

196 foot height; drop is shorter. Something like 155. ... ~160 foot drop: http://rcdb.com/988.htm

196 feet and change height; drop significantly shorter. Guess it depends on if you arbitrarily decide that height or drop length is what matters. bkroz, wondering why the American system was arbitrarily chosen to delineate these arbitrary titles, anyway. Aren't these companies largely based in Europe?

Well, it doesn't break 200... except in inches, centimeters, millimeters, etc. Would a rose by another 4 feet not smell as sweet? It's all arbitrary anyway.

Of course Cast Members have seen them. Guests see them. Especially now, Twitter is filled with photos of small to medium alligators in the Rivers of America. They don't ignore the sightings / warnings - they contact local animal control (perhaps even Reedy Creek's, I don't know) to relocate larger animals. Regardless, it seems to me that there's a moral if not legal duty to tell the truth in situations like this. This post on the door is absolutely not a directive from Disney. Some cutesy 20-something shift leader probably thought it would be "helpful" to whip this up in Microsoft Word. Hopefully that Cast Member is terminated. (Likely. Disney is a very large and impersonal organization on the inside. If you're late to a shift, you're gone. Why not? There are dozens waiting to take your place. The parks are also infamous for making very pretty, very young women shift supervisors and managers, which is occasionally a problem, and I suspect this is a symptom of that.)

I can't accurately word my feelings on this place. I went. Paths buckled and cracked from tree roots growing beneath, shanty buildings with collapsing roofs, rusted rides. With all due respect for the locals who must have a strong connection to this place (as any of us would), we're not just talking about an uphill battle, y'know? We're talking about a derelict collection of rusted carnival rides set up in a place that obviously has no business being an amusement park. If I walked in and looked around knowing nothing of the behind-the-scenes mess, I would say, "It's over." And that's before factoring in the incredibly complex legal stuff and financial stuff and debt that I'm only aware of because of this website. That's not just a cherry on top, it's a gravestone. It's over. Could Palace Entertainment come in, buy the place, settle the debt, and begin a makeover for $15 million? Probably. But why, oh why, would they? This park is clearly not meant to survive. It's tragic and sad and heartbreaking for those who grew up with the park, but c'mon. Location, location, location? Just because a park has always been there doesn't mean one will or SHOULD always be there. If it's over, it's over. And man... walking around at Conneaut Lake Park... it's over. I'm glad I was told to go by members here; I'm glad I went; I'm surprised that I still have the opportunity to go. I wouldn't have thought it would be open another year longer.

Annual PFLAG Canada sponsored Gay Day hosted at Canada's Wonderland. This will be the last year after an employee told two men in line to "stop hugging" because this is a "family park." The park's GM didn't get back to PFLAG about sensitivity training, so they decided they'd take their business elsewhere in the future. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/07/14/gay-day-at-canadas-wonderland-cancelled-after-no-hugging-incident.html http://attitude.co.uk/gay-day-in-canadas-wonderland-cancelled-after-gay-couple-told-to-stop-hugging/

^^ To build and maintain the coaster, the water quality, and the area, it makes more sense to have a filtered, controlled, easily-drainable pool. Argument is, it doesn't have to look like a concrete pool, and the area around it doesn't have to look like a lawn around a concrete pool. Ah well. That ship has sailed.

^ "If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: stop exaggerating." (One of my favorites.) Quoting from the Decoding thread: I'm glad you said this, because it brings up a point I've mentioned before. I'm going to use Busch Gardens as an example, as I always do. Busch Gardens is a phenomenal park. Yes, it has some of the best roller coasters I've ever been on. But visit this summer and you'll eat FANTASTIC food at fair prices and filling portions, see unbelievable entertainment a world away from what we expect back home, ride incredibly themed dark rides, and visit endless cultural shops filled with local craftsmen in charmingly themed Germany, Italy, Ireland, England, France, Canada... And yes, during Busch Gardens Christmastown, the roller coasters are closed. But guess what? There's still fantastic food, incredible entertainment, world-class dark rides, and local artisans in "European" shops, now just with millions and millions of Christmas lights sprawling across what's already called the most beautiful theme park on Earth! Dip your own candles in New France, enjoy a hearty meal and an authentic German Christmas show in Das Festhaus, ride Curse of DarKastle as snow falls outside, walk along the frozen rivers, ride "Nacht Tower" (the park's Drop Tower repurposed as an observation tower), step into the shops in England where fireplaces roar, see a half-dozen expertly staged holiday shows around the park, walk through literal miles of forest decked out in tasteful lights or see it from the train... Then you have Kings Island. Kings Island is primarily a thrill park. Food? Blegh. Shopping? Nah. Entertainment? Eh. Landscaping and gardens? Well... (cross-threading). The point is, I think Existential's post isn't what we want to hear, but it bears repeating: "Kings Island without the rides" is a hard sell. If the food, entertainment, shopping, and landscaping are (to be very honest) inconsequential during the year, why would we expect them to suddenly become billboard-worthy for Christmas? (And for that matter, if they WERE phenomenal at Christmas, then why aren't they the rest of the year?) And might Boo Blasters be open? Oh, we can hope! Busch Gardens without riding any roller coasters? Oh man, you could still fill days! Kings Island without riding any roller coasters? Why go? Serious question there: why go? Yes it's unique to be in the park during the winter, yes it was unusual to skate on the fountains. What makes it worth my money? bkroz, just playing devil's advocate here. I think Winterfest would be really cute. I'd drive 90 minutes down to visit. But I'm not exclusively a "thrill seeker," and the truth is, many Kings Island guests are. See the attention paid to "Oktoberfest," "Rivertown," "International" Street, etc. People want coasters? Kings Island's got 'em... April through October. I think Existential's view is similar to many peoples': What is there to do at Kings Island if the roller coasters aren't running? I hate that we're there, but there we are.

It certainly didn't meet the concept art. And the concept art wasn't even very ambitious. *shrug* No big deal.

Starting at 6:30, it's literally a "generic" version of the music from Disney's Fantasmic. Hahah! Very cool though! I'd never seen this. Thanks! https://youtu.be/5EXg7czQ8Vk?t=22m3s

Not to mention the little backyard landscaping waterfall.

So... you watched... nothing? bkroz, oxymoronic.

Not to go back in time, but... aquarium (n) – (1) a transparent tank of water in which fish and other water creatures and plants are kept; (2) a building containing aquariums, especially one that is open to the public. zoo (n) – an establishment that maintains a collection of wild animals, typically in a park or gardens, for study, conservation, or display to the public.

You've never been to Busch Gardens Tampa then. Or Disney's Animal Kingdom Or Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. Wait... But there's still Great Adventure! And Discovery Kingdom! And SeaWorlds in Orlando, San Antonio, and San Diego. And Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, too. Hersheypark. There are some really great examples of parks that fuse amusement park thrills, theme park details, and zoological park animals.

I used to work with a white woman who said they liked Son of Beast. This is an interesting topic to revive.

I figured you knew as much. I'm happy when Maverick's cannons fire at all. Are they more reliably used than they used to be? And don't get me started on that launch tunnel... A subject for another debate.

Interesting! It would be cool if each train had a unique splash, though I can't think of what they'd be. The current one appears to either angle the two splashes together or maybe they're just so close (compared to the 10-across Griffon trains) that they look like one big plume. Would be cool to see them turned out a little bit or something I guess?

On Griffon, you actually sail through the mist resulting from your own splashdown as the grand finale. Which I think is very cool. Meanwhile, the equivalent splashdowns on Griffon and SheiKra are decidedly cleaner, and even have splash zones for kiddos to get soaked. I still wouldn't, but at least it's not against healthcode as I imagine Diamondback's would be!

EDIT: Beat by Terp. Not literally. Luckily, no programming required! The splashdown on Diamondback, Griffon, and SheiKra are caused by metal scoops that literally just channel the water up into the air. I suppose they could take them off and re-attach them to the front rows! bkroz, feeling that that coaster-water interaction article would really be a hit!

As evidenced by that photo, the area around Backlot Stunt Coaster has grown in more than the area around Diamondback ever will, all things remaining the same. It's astounding to me. As I've said before, it would be one thing if the park had heavily planted around Diamondback, in which case it would already be filling in and returning to its Swan Lake splendor as trees grow. That's IF they'd planted. They didn't. So in 10, 20, 30 years, that large, open, concrete plaza will look approximately as it does now – a concrete pool with a finely-mowed lawn and a handful of dogwood trees. Minimal shade, minimal beauty. For Diamondback's sake? Please imagine how incredible it would feel if Diamondback's return to the station and its descent to the pool was surrounded with dense foliage, making it appear to be landing in the middle of the woods. *Sigh.* A plus for Diamondback, a plus for Rivertown, a plus for the park. But then again, walking through Rivertown... A big steel coaster looming overhead, an empty warehouse in the distance, open and unshaded plazas with a concrete retaining pool, mowed lawns. "Call Me Maybe." Jason Mraz. Katy Perry. At least it's consistent.

Really betrays the fact that it's just a concrete trough in the middle of a finely-manicured, landscaped lawn surrounded in gravel with a dozen dogwoods, rather than a gorgeously forested, natural-looking lake that would one day fill-in and grow into a reflective, shaded, and beautiful corner of the park with a roller coaster built into the terrain. bkroz, who can't let it go.

Breaking? I'd say it already broke! Matterhorn was the first to use a water brake, right? Of the modern set, was SheiKra the first to make it a visual element? Followed by Griffon, then Diamondback, yeah? Man, I love water interactions. Even the "fountain-based" ones like Italian Job (RIP), Manta, Maverick, and Shambhala. Hm... Now I'm inspired to write an article on this for my website...