bkroz

Sure could. But honestly, I think I'd rather have a unique, large, indoor ride with music and lighting that does two flips than a typical "Cedar Fair" top spin, which have some of the lamest cycles I've ever seen and typically cater to 4 - 5 riders. Worlds of Fun Knotts Valleyfair Say what you want about our Crypt, but isn't it usually full? Even two years after the switch to the two-flip program when most of us would've assumed that it would be avoided like the plague, I don't often get on a half-full ride. Kings Dominion's Crypt also does a fair amount more business than the other Cedar Fair top spins I've encountered on similarly crowded days. It also blasts music across a plaza and has fire / water effects that synchronize to its Paramount-era, nine-flip ride cycle. Replacing our top spin with a smaller, more acrobatic model and new effects (water, music, new lighting, mist, or fire pending a building change) and running dramatic, adventurous ads about "The Crypt is all new at Kings Island. More thrills than ever before. As the walls of the tomb close around you, you'll flip nine times through the darkness, assaulted on all sides by fire and water. You'll never feel more alive than when you're locked into the darkness of The Crypt... Only at Kings Island." (This is how I spend my days)

One of the most shameful things about The Crypt's state, I think, is that it shows how far Kings Island has fallen behind in the flat ride category that it used to hold so dear. Cedar Fair has dedicated itself to building roller coasters and improving entertainment. I don't think either thing is bad. But the fact is that Kings Island always stood out for its unique flat rides. Drop Zone was (and still is) really an unbeatable ride experience. For years, Delirium was one-of-a-kind. When Tomb Raider arrived, it really did redefine the seasonal amusement park dark ride, and incorporated a massive, unique flat ride ride into the concept. Now, Cedar Point has caught up to (and perhaps surpassed) Kings Island in the flat rides department. My ideal is that the Crypt is replaced with a suspended top spin with restored effects to as high a degree as is maintainable by the park. I can't say whether that would be a worthwhile move for the park financially or not. Part of me sincerely believes people would flock to it, enamored to experience it again and again, but that's certainly me projecting.

Then re-read the official website. Every other ride simply lists the ride's name, past name(s), and opening year. The Crypt is the only ride in the park whose online page references its "popularity..." And they did it twice! Sort of sounds like an inside joke, doesn't it?

He likes fish, eh? http://weekiwachee.com/

Yes! Absolutely. Same here. And after a number of years and a dozen rides, I have a real appreciation for California's, too... Since the drop mechanism also transports the dark ride, there are a few fun, expected transitions and "fake outs" that Florida's slower dark ride tower can't.

I think a lot of the problems you experienced at Hollywood Studios were (depending on when your trip was) just off-season things. If the park closed at 7:00 or so, a lot of longer attractions like the studio tour might close earlier since they have lengthy, in-depth parts and are long by their nature. So sending a tour off at 5:00 might have them finish after the park closed. Also, during low visitation periods, parks close a few attractions early to save payroll. It sounds lame, but it's better than having ten or fifteen people in the theater for Honey I Shrunk the Audience with ten or fifteen employees assigned to it. Disney does have a meal plan of sorts, but to me it seems confusing and redundant. Like, you can only get it if you stay in a Disney hotel, then you choose one of five tiered levels of meal plans, which afford a certain number of "snacks," "drinks," and "meals," all of which are very specifically defined and only available from certain pre-approved restaurants. It's no where near as simple and useful as Universals or SeaWorlds from what I can tell. Just so that the OP doesn't skip Rock n Roller Coaster thinking it's a clone of Flight of Fear, I also have to point out that it isn't. It's a different coaster from a different manufacturer, albeit, their "version" of the compact launch coaster that Flight of Fear originated. Joker's Jinx, a Premier Rides LIM launch coaster (Flight of Fear's outdoor equivalent) Xpress, a Vekoma LSM coaster (very similar to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster's layout, different only to compensate for the reduced weight of the train since Rock n Roller Coaster's have on-board audio) In other words, don't pass up Rock 'n' Roller Coaster thinking it's a clone of Flight of Fear. And Fastpass is your friend. Each Disney park only has a handful of "major" rides, so working the Fastpass system can save your day!

Mythos is a restaurant. Poseidon's Fury is a walk-through / show / mystery tour. Both are all that remains of The Lost Continent, one of the most impressive themed areas I've ever seen. If one set of Harry Potter expansion rumors is true, they'll both be removed.

You'll find good restaurants at CityWalk, and I'm sure that if the 'clubs' are you thing, you would enjoy them immensely. Universal attracts a younger, hipper crowd than Disney and the folks who populate CityWalk at night reflect that. It's a fun entertainment district, but nothing more. There's a karaoke club that's relatively new that they've been promoting. And the restaurants are good, too. I've been to Pastamore, and thought it was a fun, unique, modern Italian restaurant. Just remember that you're talking theme park prices, even though it's not directly in either park. If you have time to spare for a sit-down lunch, don't pass up Mythos in Universal's Islands of Adventure. It's a beautiful restaurant with delicious food, and should rumors turn to facts, it won't be there too awfully much longer. Don't miss Poseidon's Fury either. Not much of a fan favorite anymore, but it's got some really outstanding effects that might also be gone before long.

And with that, Pepsi has been exiled from the major Orlando resorts. Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World also have exclusive partnerships with Coca-Cola. Personally, I prefer Pepsi over Coke, and Pepsi's Mountain Dew over anything else. Now, if Coke would actually care to make Vault available, I might make a consideration.

SeaWorld has a couple of fantastic shows and three or four great thrill rides, but in my opinion it's a lot like Universal Studios Hollywood - an add-on, not meant to be the center of one's trip. That being said, everyone is different. I opt for five days at Disneyland where others might find that repetitive. I can spend three or four at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and feel it was time well spent. I can hardly fill a single day at Cedar Point.

Does anyone else recall the pipe dream that was Universal's Kings Island? How different The Crypt would be today! (And by that, of course, I mean that it would probably have been immediately leveled, or at least replaced with a completely different, high-quality, ride of similar stylings.)

I will say this much: I had a very similar trip, though more aimed towards Universal. I would always, always, always suggest two or more days at Universal. I am an avid, rabid fan of Disneyland in California, and have been to Walt Disney World on nearly a dozen occasions. Still, I find Universal to be a far superior resort to the Florida Disney one. Disney World is fantastic and immersive and spectacular and grand, but I suppose I'm old fashioned: I like Disneyland and Universal Orlando for the comfort, closeness, and interrelatedness of the resorts. They're small and delightful and unique. And I can say (as I probably said in the other thread) that Universal's Islands of Adventure goes above and beyond anything you'll see at a stateside Disney park as far as themeing, immersion, and thrill. It is, without a moment of hesitation, the best theme park I've ever been to (and that was before Harry Potter came along). Universal Orlando Resort uses the close proximity of the parks probably better than any other resort I've visited. You enter into Citywalk (which is free and open to public access). CityWalk is horseshoe shaped. Universal Studios Florida is at one end. Universal's Islands of Adventure is at the other. I like the setting that that creates, because you immediately choose whether to head towards the Universal globe and studio arch (Universal Studios) or the crashed seaplane and lighthouse (Islands of Adventure). It's a cool notion. As far as CityWalk, it's much like Downtown Disney or any other entertainment district: shops, karaoke bars, "clubs," theaters, and restaurants. Others can probably give you better advice on which are the most fun, but it's not something you'd plan a day around. If anything, you'd probably just stroll into a restaurant after you leave the park, go to the Burger King Whopper Bar for lunch while you pass between the two. The parks are not busy in January or February. It's one of the slowest times to go. The thing that caught me off guard is that both Universal Studios parks closed at 6:00. It seems odd, but by 5:00, every single ride was a walk-on, so I could understand why. Just check the parks' operating hours and factor that into trip planning. A 10:00 to 6:00 day is 8 hours. That's much different from a 9:00 to midnight day, in which you have 15 hours in the parks. As for the Disney Parks, it's a tough choice. I'll say that, on my trip, we used a one-day park hopper to get as much done as we can and chose to visit all of the parks except The Magic Kingdom. That's because we were returning visitors. If you have little exposure to Disney World or have never been, The Magic Kingdom is basically essential. My favorite of the parks is Disney's Hollywood Studios, and it has its fair share of un-missables (like Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, The Great Movie Ride, Muppet Vision 3D, and Star Tours). Animal Kingdom is also a really incredible park, and Epcot has a few really awesome attractions too. I can say that if I could construct a perfect limited-time visit to Disney World for myself, it would be three days: a full day at the Magic Kingdom, another at the Studios, then a day split between Epcot and Animal Kingdom (despite those two being the largest parks, they can be tackled from a "thrill seeker" point of view fairly well in five or six hours apiece). Also remember to factor in transportation. At Disney World, you should plan at least 30 minutes to get between parks because of the transportation system. To get from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot, for example, you must take a monorail to a connecting monorail. From Hollywood Studios to Epcot, a boat is usually easiest. To Animal Kingdom, you must take a bus. And if you're staying at an off-property, non-Disney hotel and not renting a car, figure out the hotel's shuttle schedule. For example, my hotel's shuttle went to Disney one time at 8:00 AM and returned one time at 9:00 PM, with the pick-up/drop-off spot being at Epcot. That meant that, by 9:00, we had to be back at Epcot, and that's something you can't miss. Even if you're driving, consider a hotel shuttle to save $14.00 on parking if it works in your schedule. If your hotel is near Universal Orlando, it's a pleasant walk along the waterfront to the parks, or a brisk trip through the massive parking deck with moving sidewalks - another way to save $14.00 a day. The areas around the resort are built for pedestrian traffic from nearby hotels. The dolphin swim package is great at Discovery Cove, but if time (and not money) is your only issue, know that you'd honestly be hard-pressed to spend more than a few days at SeaWorld and stay engaged. It's a beautiful park with much to offer, but even at a leisurely pace I think you'd be just about finished at the close of day two. Everyone's different, but I understand that you're looking for a more thrilling, fast-paced trip with a teenage age range, so in that case, SeaWorld is certainly a full-day attraction, but not something you'd want to visit for three, four, or five days. Again, that's my opinion. Wow. I just typed a lot. Sorry!

Speaking of which, if The Crypt were a pay-per-experience ride at a free-admission park, would it have lasted this long?

So it is indeed a Zamperla Giant Discovery, basically their version of our HUSS Giant Frisbee or an Intamin Gyro Swing. It'll be a great ride for Kennywood!

Do you think those official rules were posted because their absence was mentioned here? Hmmm...

Directly across from The Bat in the queue. The two dog warrior statues that stood where this picture was taken were moved to their side of The Bat, and a huge urn with "fire" and frozen skeletons was placed at the back of the room.

http://www.themepark...ttractions-2012 How do you feel about the list? Interesting to include Buena Vista Street, but the reasoning is sound! Do you think #1 is accurate? Does Verbolten deserve to be the top coaster on the list? How does your list compare? Just thought it would an interesting thing to discuss - nothing too disagreeable, but some interesting choices, right?

And worth noting: this topic was in 2005, Tomb Raider's fourth season. So much for all those people who say it was a great ride, but ride it once and you've ridden it a hundred times! And yeah, it's truly odd that a ride that was so highly regarded (and brand new less than a decade ago) can be in such a state of disrepair. I imagine no one would've seen it coming. At least, not to the extent that it has come.

To me, it looks nearly impossible to follow and like a SFX extravaganza, but I guess that's what the movies are, too. People will love it, and I'm sure it's incredible. I just think that it's an odd decision in intellectual property. Spider-Man, in comparison, seems like a timeless classic. But I still think it'll be a fun, popular ride.

I think that's gonna be the new thing that gets on my nerves. If you've seen the ride footage from Transformers, it (understandably and expectedly) reuses much of the "action" of Spiderman, nearly scene for scene. Something hops onto the hood of the car, then something explodes producing real heat, then you lift up, then you drop, then you somehow get caught at the last second and pass under a 3-D prop to prove you won. (For those keeping score, that's roughly the storyline of Curse of DarKastle in Williamsburg, too). Transformers cannot exist at a park with Spider-Man because of those similarities. It's not bad that the similarities exist, it just makes them incompatible in the same resort. Some of the animation in Transformers truly and honestly looks like it contains a duplicate of the backdrop of the Spider-Man animations, with Autobots placed where Spider-Man would be. That's not a bad thing, because probably 80-90% of the people who ride Transformers will never ride Spider-Man. But even the casual visitor can point out that both have a first scene with something jumping onto the car, both have a flaming projectile effect, both have a rising effect, both have a nearly identical falling scene, and in one you're caught in a net and in one you're caught by a robot. It's not saying one is better or worse, just that they're too similar to be neighbors. Plus, there's the ongoing rumor that, sooner or later, Marvel Superhero Island will become Cybertron (which, God willing, won't happen... I truly and honestly don't see the longevity of the Transformer's series. I really don't. I can't imagine it'll still be E-ticket worthy in 5 or 10 years. Both the most recent movies did pretty terribly critically, and it seems that the cultural appreciation for the series is basically already over...) I think there are much smarter properties to retheme Marvel Island to if it really does come to that.

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_19482474

http://www.cedarfair...ry&story_id=332 Remember when the deal with Apollo fell through, then every word from Sandusky was that they were very excited about the opportunity to continue running Cedar Fair as a public company, as though their intention all along had been to cancel the deal. Now another deal falls through and we hear how very excited and optimistic they are to continue to operate this "strong performing" park. It's like, shouldn't those in power at Great America (not to mention its loyal visitors and fans) feel pretty burned they tried desperately to unload the park, then failed, and are now pretending they're all cool? Shareholders felt pretty burned when every member of the "oligarchical" board voted for the privitizing of the company, only to then fall back and act like they were excited to keep it public. So it appears the 2012 season will be another for Great America under Cedar Fair's rule, and with no new attractions yet again. If a new stadium were built, I really do think it would improve visitor-ship at the park - if families know they're heading to the stadium at night, may as well get an early parking spot and spend the day at Great America with their season passes, right? But with no investment for another year, it's a shame... And then I think of Geauga Lake. "What happened here to dim the lights of Hollywood's brightest showplace is about to unfold once again. But this time, it's happening to you."

I felt that way at first, too. But we live in an age of that sort of thing. At my last count, there were five Sleeping Beauty Castles, four Hollywood Tower Hotels, four Pirates of the Caribbeans, five Haunted Mansions, six Space Mountains... (to put it on a smaller, Cedar Fair scale, do you have less fun on Backlot Stunt Coaster knowing it exists in two other places?) On paper, you may feel a let-down to know that an experience you hold dear is not one-of-a-kind. But the undeniable truth is that visitors planning trips to Disneyland in California scarcely know if they're heading to "Disney Land" or "Disneyworld," much less that there exist duplicates in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Shanghai... Contrary to the beliefs of TPR members, MOST visitors to either Universal Orlando or Universal Studios Hollywood do not, have not, and will not visit both resorts in their life time. For them, the experience of riding "their" Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey will feel one of a kind. Upon seeing Sleeping Beauty Castle or entering the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror or riding Space Mountain, most people don't take the time to say, "Oh, there's already one of these in Florida / California, so I'm let down." At the time and place, it really is inconsequential whether it exists elsewhere. So yeah, there's a sense of disappointment from afar. The same way I felt when Disney's California Adventure announced their own Tower of Terror. But the truth is, Universal does have enough time, money, and space to add that wonderful land to Hollywood, and it might almost be unnecessarily prude of them to NOT put it there just to preserve some sense of "individuality" for the Florida resort. I don't know. That's my take.

It's official for Hollywood. http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1120055#p1120055 And already, TPR members are arguing that now, people 'will only visit one instead of visiting both.' What kind of world do these people live in where people plan massive coast-to-coast trips? It's just unfathomable that they would see this as a negative. Like, be upset that it's being "duplicated" if you must, but don't try to pass it off as a bad financial decision. That's laughable.

Those roller coasters do have inverted track, but what everyone is asking that we get is a B&M Inverted coaster. They're asking for an Inverted model.