bkroz

"Suspended coaster" is the model. It's an Arrow suspended coaster. And "suspended coaster" is usually differentiated by the fact that it hangs beneath the track and can freely sway. Rides like Invertigo and Flying Ace are called "Inverted coasters" in the community because they hang beneath the inverted (upside-down from normal).

Those who wished that probably shouldn't have wasted their time. I imagine the price to safely plan, demolish, and remove the world's largest wooden roller coaster would suck up quite a bit of budget, then to re-grade the land, clear the debris, etc. before "regular" construction efforts like surveying, digging, concrete footings, etc. could even begin... Sounds like a multi-year project.

Cool, thanks guys!

I think the word on the street was that the Freestyle Coke Machine could be in the Rivertown Junction, which was closed today... I could be wrong.

Glad to hear that this year's opening day when smoothly, even in the rain! We've all seen sunny days shutter half the rides on opening days past, and it seems like the park stood up to the challenge today.

Very nice pictures! I'm wondering... Is there a new sign for Invertigo, or is it still red and yellow? Also, what if anything is blocking the Crypt? Any signs out front advertising a new Haunt? Or just an empty cave mouth with the line blocked by trash cans and no sign out front?

It definitely has been in the past... But maybe Mr. Ouimet is saying Millennium Force won't be enclosed and re-titled "Indiana Jones Temple of Blazing Steel." That's entirely different than keeping up the themed elements on rides like Flight Deck, Adventure Express, Flight of Fear... Little details.

Sounds like the increased ERT was successful! Great to hear about the work that went on during the off-season, and if the new effects in Flight of Fear were the same lasers and light-replacement we saw during Haunt 2011, then I'm thrilled they're still around. Thanks!

We're seeing this already. The Crypt is gone. What's the next (or maybe, previous?) ride at Kings Island with high maintenance and operating costs? Like it or not, sometimes it's good business sense...

http://www.mysmartravel.com/faqs.php#7

Yet Ouimet's focus is also on family rides, and Disaster Transport is perhaps the only "mid-level" coaster at the park. What else bridges the gap between Woodstock Express and Gemini? Maybe Wildcat... But in my mind, Disaster Transport has great value. It's also got the most potential I can imagine if a Disney-style "refurb" were planned for any Cedar Point attraction. No other ride other than Maverick has any kind of effects or props or lighting worth revisiting. Can we get rid of the "All Wheels Extreme" theater? Seems like that could open up the beach and make it apparent and accessible from the Wicked Twister midway AND Planet Snoopy... A great draw area for families.

Kings Island's food perks have been abysmal in the past. Disney Parks passes are simple. The lower level passes offer a flat 10% discount on food, drink, and merchandise at most locations, while the more expensive pass affords a 15% discount. It's a real perk and something people can take advantage of. When I convince my four friends to get Platinum Passes so we can travel together, what good is it for us to get one buffet half-off with the purchase of four buffets and a souvenir sipper? Or better yet, are we supposed to see the value in 4 six-inch Subway sandwiches and two large drinks for $40? You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who calls that a value. As The Interpreter put it a year and a half ago: The new dining plan is a nice amenity, but I know of at least one member here who was recently embroiled in a discussion with Kings Island via Twitter on how to take advantage of it if you have a Pass and don't need to buy a ticket (right now, the Dining Plan is bundled with one-day admission). Again, it shouldn't be difficult to give a company your money.

As has been pointed out here, almost all of us went through that c0cky pre-teen phase that the poster in question appears to be undergoing right now. Part of that phase for many people includes being absolutely sure of yourself even when you contradict facts or logic, being absolutely sure that you know way more than adults, and feeling that any attention is good attention (as evidenced by the poster's hairstyle choices in the past). Mix those with the anonymity of the internet and voila... It's no different than the fodder you'll find on the park's Facebook, with people misinforming each other in circles, propagating rumors, and insulting anyone who dares question why their friend of a friend of a friend would know about the 500 foot coaster coming in 2013. Truly fruitless to correct or even become involved in that.

And in an odd twist, many are saying that it's Starbucks who put off a partnership for so long despite Disney's efforts - Starbucks was allegedly not happy with the decreasing quality of training at Disney Parks and spent a while deciding if they even wanted Disney's crew (of which the dining sector has the highest turnover) in charge of creating their signature drinks on a daily basis. I think it's a great change, but on certain websites people are already "foaming" at the mouth about how external brands don't belong in Disneyland, what Walt would or wouldn't have done if he were around, how their favorite free refill coffee places will doubtlessly disappear, and how they'll never visit Disneyland again until this injustice is rectified... In other words, business as usual.

In the blog entry at http://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog-article/online-fun/Free-adventure-with-teeth-awaits-Kings-Island-visitors : Looks like the SOB renovation from Great Coasters International is all but confirmed! Thanks for dropping hints, Kings Island!

Consider also how money changes... Diamondback was $22 million. The next year, Intimidator was $23 million despite being on arguably simpler terrain. Now Shambhala at PortAventura is 25 million euros, or US$ 34 million (probably on wilder terrain because that's a lot of inflation). So a decade and a half between waterpark expansions can add millions of dollars of inflation alone. Plus think of the concrete that was all torn up and the massive project of adding a giant concrete wave pool. Structural improvements like completely rebuilding the Subway restaurant and creating new piping and systems around the lazy river can probably add up.

If that was your attempt to prove your superior maturity, you missed the mark a bit. Paying little attention to spelling, grammar, spacing, capitalization and the conventions of written language is enough to earn you distaste, but resorting to things like what you said above won't earn you respect.

I think it should go without saying that every business everywhere exists to make money. Call that "greed" if you will, but the idea of a loss leader is that you do something like Diamondback with the idea that it will pay for itself and more in a given amount of time. The higher-ups at Cedar Fair didn't green light Diamondback (or any other ride) out of the kindness of their hearts and hope for nothing in return. It's all a business. Balancing admission, souvenir prices, food pricing, add-ons, premium services, beverages... It's all to make money - lots of money. I can't think of a single business on Earth seeks to "break even." Even non-profits have payroll to manage, etc.

It's fine to have the opinion that you want to show your children the value of a dollar, or to say that you wish everyone could stand in the same line. The issue is when you associate Fast Lane with a certain morality; that using it is "wrong" across the board. By extension, you're saying that those who can afford it and choose to use it are immoral, or doing something that is wrong and that they should be ashamed of. Of the millions and millions of people in the nation who can't afford to go to Kings Island... Would you want any of them saying your decision to go with the money you earned is morally wrong? But people don't think that way. They don't assume you're a bad person because you have enough expendable income to go to Kings Island at all, even though it's a premium over what they can afford. And the folks who buy one day tickets don't think Gold Pass holders are doing something morally wrong by entering the park an hour early - it's a perk they paid for, and one that gives them a significant leg up on getting on rides with minimal wait. I go to Universal Studios in Orlando once every three years, and each time I purchase their Universal Express Plus pass, which affords me priority access on the rides. I can afford it. I worked hard for my money. And you accuse me of being driven by greed? I have a short time, and the passes allow me to have a premium experience. It seems silly and bullheaded that you might "drive entire days to parks out of state only to ride a few rides because of the lines," but it's certainly your choice to do so just as its mine to use the money I earned to buy a service that escorts me on ahead. When Hugh Laurie from TV's house visits Kings Island, should he have to wait in line? After all, what's the difference between you and him except money? He's got it, and by God he has the right to spend it! Am I greedy or immoral because this year I decided to trade in a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass for a Disneyland Resort Deluxe Pass? Am I a bad person because I decided to "upgrade" to a "better" park? If you don't want to participate in the Fast Lane system, that's fine. But assigning it a value of morality is absolutely uncalled for. And teaching your children the equality of life? Noble, but a losing battle. Life isn't fair. People don't go to the same schools, buy the same cars, live in the same neighborhoods, get the same treatment when walking down the street with Skittles, or stand in the same lines.

Right. It's like saying you refuse to go to the park at all because some people can't. Or you refuse to go to college because some people can't. Or you refuse to buy a Gold Pass because some people can't. Or you refuse to buy front-of-the-line passes because some people can't. Etc. etc. While in the park, some buy enormous, expensive meals for their entire family to better their experience and create better memories. Should they not do so because some visitors at the park can't afford it?

The parking lot doesn't even open until a certain time though, right? Isn't it usually an hour before the park opens that the parking lot opens? So arriving at 6 AM won't do much good if that's the case (which it might not be, I don't remember. But I don't think they'd have someone on payroll opening the parking lot at 6 AM when the park opens four hours later. Also, isn't there some sort of policy where you're printed e-ticket that confirms your season pass purchase can be used once to get into the turnstiles, but must be processed into a physical pass before the end of that day? Or is that not the case anymore / ever?

And now, the first image shown when you get to the site is of Maverick, and in the park description at the bottom of the main page it calls WindSeeker "unparalleled," which is one of the very few words i wouldn't use to describe the quintuplet! Haha!

Truth be told, I don't care much for Walt Disney World, and would happily go out of my way to visit Disneyland instead. What made me think of that is that I almost began this post with "Of all the parks at Walt Disney World, Epcot is the most in need of major overhaul," but upon further consideration, that might not even be true... As I mentioned in the post above, Magic Kingdom is severely lacking in E-ticket attractions (I skipped it on my last visit, but Disneyland Park is my favorite theme park on the planet thus far). Disneyland has Indiana Jones! Matterhorn! Roger Rabbit! Mr. Toad! Pinocchio! Alice in Wonderland! New Fantasmic! 10 minute longer Pirates! Magic Kingdom comes across as a kid's park, because it is. Legacy attractions are ripped out for playgrounds and meet-and-greets. Epcot's much-touted Project Gemini never came about and its reputation has long preceded it. Now it has approximately three major attractions and a well-deserved stigma as an outdated outdoor science center. (World Showcase is lovely, but try telling that to families with kids who would happily spend their money elsewhere). Disney Studios is ridiculed by many industry fans for what it's become (even though I'd say its my favorite of the four parks, if only for its three killer E-tickets and its now-depressingly-outdated Fantasmic). As it is, it's got a world of potential but a severe lack of focus. Animal Kingdom just doesn't have enough... Beastly Kingdom would've sealed the deal in my book and overwhelmed me with happiness, but it's looking like it will either get Avatar or nothing (and I can't say which of the two I'd prefer, actually). Plus, Dinosaur is a shoddy black-light cheapening of the absolutely astounding Indiana Jones EMV technology... "Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Yeti." The technology could easily have been incorporated into a thrilling "lost world" style Indiana Jones ride where riders faced mythological creatures in a misty Asian temple. Just a swing and miss, really... Why do I always go off on these tangents? But I just have to close with: Bigger is not always better.

You still had to pay for it for them to email it to you, by the way. You won't find a way to get a picture for free. At least, not last season. Last season, you had to buy a physical photo and could have the email sent as an add-on. That was under the leadership of a CEO who considered technology an "add-on" though, so who knows how that may change.

I think with four parks and major attractions so spread around (no park has more than 3 or 4 major E-tickets, whereas each of the two parks in California has 7 or 8 big E-ticket rides), there's probably a whole staff whose job is just to schedule these things. If Test Track is down, that leaves that park with only Soarin' and Mission: Space in terms of E-ticket draws. Removing one of the three E-ticket attractions that park offers, guest comments are going to suffer automatically, so can you imagine if Big Thunder Mountain at The Magic Kingdom was closed for an lengthy refurbishment at the same time? Then, that park would only have Splash and Space Mountain, thereby eliminating 1/3 of the E-ticket rides in those two parks right off The Bat. Because of that, it's hard to contain refurbishments at Disney World to the off-season. Instead, they're planned year round to keep as many operating at once as possible. The problem is much less pronounced at the California resort because the two parks function as "best of" collections. If Big Thunder Mountain is closed there, you still have Splash Mountain and Space Mountain, plus Indiana Jones Adventure, Star Tours, Finding Nemo's Submarine Voyage, and the Matterhorn. At California Adventure, even if Radiator Springs Racers (Test Track's distant cousin) needs to close for a few months ten year's down the road, the park will still have at least Soarin', plus California Screamin', Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Grizzly River Rapids, Little Mermaid, and World of Color to distract people from that closure.