bkroz

AKA, why you won't see a maneuver like this in the U.S. What happens when someone reaches at the wrong moment? Doesn't pull a hand back far enough? Sprains a wrist reaching for the other train? Tries to high five just as the wooden railing between them reappears? Mix that with a rowdy train and / or American's fiercely competitive attitudes and someone else may lose an eye (as happened on Universal's Dueling Dragons, separate from the first time someone was struck with an item thrown from the opposing train).

Check out the brand new Wet'n'Wild water park opening in Sydney, Australia this December. Wow! Makes my mind swim with ideas for Soak City (and Wildwater Kingdom, too). http://www.themepark...php?f=2&t=63557

Tomb Raider: The Ride. I visited often as a child (born in 1991) and have very fond memories surrounding the ride up through my early teen years. I sort of allowed amusement parks to fall off my radar for a number of years and decided to pick up visiting once more in 2008. I still feel that those few years were very difficult for a number of reasons. The shifting powers at the park left a dissatisfied taste in my mouth (especially since Paramount's Kings Island had been my childhood, and thus would always gleam with perfection in my hindsight vision). I do distinctly remember, though, visiting for the first time in years in 2008, riding The Crypt, and feeling very empty afterwards. Only when Tomb Raider was gone did I recognize how nonsensical it had been for such an incredible ride to be in a seasonal amusement park in Ohio. I actually remember browsing through the rest of the park afterwards and feeling very nostalgic - maybe even sad - at what had happened. Sort of welling up with tears a little, even if that sounds really stupid. For me, Tomb Raider was more than a fun ride that I liked. It represented much of my childhood; the origin of my interest in parks and, ultimately, the industry. I wouldn't be on this site (which some might prefer) if I'd never ridden Tomb Raider. Back then I was purely an observer, not interested or aware of ownership, operating policies, or investment strategies. I just loved that ride.

The train will be set up for Tombstone Terror-tory, so I would guess walking would be the only way. And I agree... The Picnic Grove is what, maybe half-way to Soak City? So that will indeed be a hike, but I imagine you'll see Soak City's gates staffed so families can enter there and simply split their time between Howl-O-Palooza and Planet Snoopy (and Trick-or-Treat with the Dinosaurs)...

Howl-O-Fest at the Picnic Grove appears to be no more. Looks like the festivities will move into Soak City, renamed Howl-O-Palooza! I didn't see anyone else post about this and search revealed nothing. If it's already out there, sorry! EDIT: Here's a link. http://www.visitking...vents/HowlOFest

"Far right of the park." You don't say?!

... Read what we've posted. Looks like they'll also get a "Linus' Launcher" / Phantom Flyers, a miniature teacup ride, a Lucy's Tugboat (miniature Surf Dog), even a Woodstock's Whirlybirds, but with rockets instead of helicopters... EDIT: This will look beautiful in Kings Dominion, and actually was overdue. KidzVille was HUGE while Planet Snoopy was (I kid you not) three rides. It makes sense for Planet Snoopy to absorb KidzVille, and I actually had expected that to happen when the area first got its Planet Snoopy overlay. Still, this will look great. The world record thing, though, NEEDS to be reigned in. Imagine the countless Kings Dominion fans who, despite logic, are disappointed today by this "record." It's too much. Way too much. Even the public is catching on that this is no world record, and the era of trigger words and meaningless "first of its kind in the Midwest" really needs to slow down. The whole announcement was met with what one might call a "smattering" of applause that even got the speaker to say, "You can applaud, you know!" I'm sure that at least a portion of the visitors there expected a thrill ride, so who can blame them? "Breaking world records." Come on.

Fountain at entry. Family care center with changing rooms and nap areas. Open-air marketplace for healthy food. 14-acres altogether.

Keep in mind that in large part, this will probably take the form of the existing KidzVille area being absorbed by Planet Snoopy. I always thought it was very, very odd that only two or three attractions became the park's Planet Snoopy while KidzVille was allowed to remain generic. EDIT: Yep. Just confirmed.

"The world's largest Peanuts themed children's area."

Flight of Fear is cloned between Kings Island and Kings Dominion, but exact duplicates exist across America (and formerly Japan). WindSeeker, Invertigo, Delirium and Firehawk also have copies. Drop Zone, Boo Blasters, and all the flat rides of Coney Mall are amusement park standards, just with slight alterations here and there. Rumors continue to swell that an exact duplicate of Disney California Adventure's Cars Land may make its way to Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios Park. Ironically, I can admit a certain amount of distaste at the notion, but the logical side of me recognizes that I am in the statistically insignificant minority of folks who have visited both Disney Resorts in America. I may initially not want "them" to get Cars Land, but "they" probably weren't thrilled about "us" getting a Tower of Terror... But I'm glad we did. EDIT: And look, just like that we're back to race cars!

I actually would, again I dont like cloning (much). Also about the 2 and 4 2-Its the franchise, it just a idea, which I believe that at least some parks should have different waterparks (KD-WW, CW-BB,WOF-OOF, etc) 4.-It is, please see http://www.kingsdomi...o-do/waterworks and http://www.carowinds...o/boomerang-bay . Now I like some aspects of cloning, only when its actually not a bad idea, in example, KD and KI with some of their duplicates. Also please keep it on topic, a cloning topic may soon come. I think it's fairly on topic if you absolutely adored Boomerang Bay, but consider Soak City "overrated." It's worth discussing, then, what makes an attraction overrated (which, apparently, to you, is that it's been cloned or somehow copied. What I'm trying to help you understand is that 99% of the world disagrees. Soak City, to the general public, is Boomerang Bay, but larger, nicer, better; with more capacity, more attractions, more fun. Just the fact that it shares a name with a park hours away does not suddenly make it "overrated"). Keep in mind that all of the KECO Parks had Water Works (including Kings Island...). Under Viacom, they were each re-named Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay (except Kings Dominion, which we might imagine could've been next). Under Cedar Fair, we might soon see a pattern to name them all Soak City. Uniformity has always been the goal. Just because you don't like the current "uniform" because of its name doesn't make the attraction overrated. Also, don't tell me what to do.

If Boomerang Bay was your home away from home, then you simply can't find Soak City overrated. Honestly, I agreed then and agree now that there were ways to maintain the fun Australian theme and still re-invent the water park. However, it's gone a little too far now. Soak City provides the exact same experience that Boomerang Bay did in every single possible imaginable way except that the lazy river is no longer "lazy." Period. You can't absolutely abhor everything about the place just because its name was changed and fading Australian animals were painted over on a fence. You're right about one thing, though - "'nuff said." I hope you mean it!

Absolutely ridiculous. Just ridiculous. 2, 3, and 4 (above) are not even exact duplicates. Not by a long shot. If your biggest fret is that Tidal Wave Bay is a copy, you need to take your complaint up with most every water park on earth that has a wave pool. It's honestly very, very absurd that you'd accuse Soak City at Kings Island of being a "copy" of Soak City at Cedar Point. It's not even worth arguing, though I know you'll attempt a snappy reply... Was the name "imported" from Sandusky? Yes. Every single other thing about the water park is exactly as it was when it was named Boomerang Bay save the action river and new wave pool. As for WindSeeker, most anyone who's actually been on a handful of them will tell you that they give quite different experiences. WindSeeker, if it's easier to think about it this way, is an outdoor observation tower. Now, wouldn't an observation tower in Mason, Ohio provide a wholly different experience than an observation tower in Doswell, Virginia? Sandusky, Ohio? Buena Park, California? But to argue that misses the point entirely, because the question is who cares? (EDIT: The answer to the question, by the way, is a vast, vast minority!) Believe it or not, most of the folks who visit Kings Island will never, ever, ever (NOT ONCE) visit Carowinds. An overwhelming majority of Knott's Berry Farm visitors haven't the slightest idea that a park called Kings Dominion exists at all, much less do they know (or care?) that it has one ride in common. Period. If you traveled to Kansas City, Missouri and declared in your most accusatory voice, "You know, a park in Ohio also has Dinosaurs Alive!" guess how many people would give a rat's behind? Something tells me that if Disney purchased Kings Island and decided to clone The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (which exists in four places in the world), Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (which is cloned in 3 places), The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure (which exists in two parks as identical clones), and Jungle Cruise (in five parks across the globe), you wouldn't mind at all. Am I right?

A good start is to search "perks" or "Funperks" on here. I searched the former for you. This is probably the most helpful topic. Lots of discussion on there as people earned points and levels.

If you ask me, that is indeed a problem. Just of a different nature... And on a Friday evening...

By past definition, a "scarezone" is a open passage that guests can meander through, but it's themed and stocked with scare actors. It's just an extra theme placed over a normal park path that you may have to use to get from point A to point B (for example, Cedar Point's Fright Zone occupies the path between Millennium Force and Maverick, while CarnEVIL once occupied the area around Disaster Transport and was recently relocated to the park's Camp Snoopy). Traffic in scarezones flows in two directions since it's just an overlay placed on a normal path. In the past, Kings Island has had scarezones by this definition and has separately had "outdoor haunted houses," (why they made the distinction on the site, etc. I don't know...) which are exactly what they sound like - normal haunted houses (tight passages, one-way traffic flow, waiting in line to enter) that are outdoors (like CornStalkers). The park often advertises "roaming" scareactors who are not tied to a single house or scarezone that are meant to simply meander around the park and frighten people on normal, otherwise-un-haunted pathways. In the years I've gone, I've only seen two or three (beyond the park gates, which I believe are now included in a scarezone that unofficially envelopes all of International Street?)

That's like asking "Would what-is-now-the-U.S. be better off if the Revolution hadn't occurred and Great Britain was still in power?" In other words, I couldn't even begin to imagine the limitless alternate realities that would exist for each and every decision that might've been made under different owners. Cedar Fair is doing a fine job with the park. Some of us may not be crazy about their way of doing business or of their priorities, but the park is open (something it might not've been if previous owners had stayed in power), attracting new customers (again, not something that would certainly have happened otherwise) and expanding (again, we can't say for sure...) Kings Island is also in a very unique place in that it has changed hands many, many times. What it is today is due to those many hands who have touched it. Every one injected its "flavor" into the park and what exists today, September 6, 2012 is the product of that. It's not as simple as "movie themes" vs. "not movie themes." There are subtleties and major operational differences from one owner to the next. Your topic title is confusing. Your poll is even more so. What if I asked "Would you like white bread or wheat bread?" then only allowed you to answer with "yes" or "no."

They might tell you that anyone who doesn't demand thrill doesn't deserve to call himself an enthusiast!

I could mention that a vast, vast majority of Kings Island visitors have absolutely zero idea that a park in Missouri called Worlds of Fun exists at all, much less that it's owned by the same company or adopted similar adornments to its logo. But I won't.

We'll just have to see. We don't know whether or not Cedar Fair has an exclusivity contract with the manufacturer of WindSeeker, or how low / how far a possible contract might extend. We also don't know how interested other parties might be after having seen literally every single WindSeeker clone experience prolonged closures for seemingly extensive reasons.

To echo the Interpreter, Idlewild is a fantastic amusement park almost entirely for kids. Also consider: is Planet Snoopy really better than The Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland? Universal's Islands of Adventure's Seuss Landing? Paultons' Peppa Pig World? LEGOLAND Parks? Maybe it is... But don't allow yourself to accept the Amusement Today "awards" without looking at how those awards are distributed and why? I've often asked how Cedar Point fails to place in best food, cleanest park, best entertainment, friendliest employees, best dark ride, best water ride, or best landscaping, but somehow manages to snag best amusement park. Maybe I'm wrong, but shouldn't the "best amusement park in the world" place first in all of those categories, or at least one?

An important distinction: Blacking out is the body physically being rendered useless - passing out. This is, of course, dangerous and should not be happening - losing control of one's body and literally going unconscious during a ride is bad. If you have indeed blacked out (again, this is losing consciousness) you would likely wake up exhausted and disoriented, unsure what just happened. Graying out is a not-uncommon feeling when blood is pulled from the head by centripetal force, common in tight helices (example, the beginning of Backlot Stunt Coaster or Intimidator 305, and on many "double loop" configurations where the body is subjected to odd rhythms of having blood pulled to the extremities). It is dizzying and disorienting, but not anywhere near as serious for most people. Graying out is just a sensation of seeing stars during a particularly forceful moment and for a few seconds afterwards. If you've simply "grayed out" on Flight of Fear or Invertigo (which would not be incredibly uncommon given the rapid acceleration and the rapid altitude changes on both), you have little reason to worry. One way to avoid either is to just breathe steadily. Don't scream at the top of your lungs - you'll exhaust yourself, reduce the oxygen circulating in your body, and aggravate people all in one fell swoop. Most importantly, drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep the night before you visit. Again, if you truly mean that you blacked out and went entirely unconscious, unaware of your surroundings, you need to speak to a doctor. If you grayed out and saw stars and felt like you couldn't see for a few seconds, that is much more normal.

Or maybe they'll get a floor-drops-out-from-under-you water slide like nearby Water Country USA; a tallest-ever version. I can see the drop pod of one of those being rocket shaped.

At Kings Dominion, even "unlimited" Fast Lane only offers two rides on Volcano per day due to the ride's low capacity nature. At Busch Gardens Williamsburg, even the "unlimited" Quick Queue does not include Verbolten (a Quick Queue Unlimited Plus gets you one priority-board on Verbolten). Universal's Express Pass Plus Unlimited still doesn't work on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (2009) or Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (2010). In other words, as long as exceptions are spelled out, it's fair and smart to limit for new or low-capacity rides. I think you'll see Cedar Point do that. I would also suggest that they do what Busch Gardens does: block off one row (or maybe two pairs of seats on one side, for a Wing Rider) for Fast Lane users only. They'll be represented 4-per-train and will experience a shorter wait than others, but will still wait their turn.