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I think you are being way to kind to even be using a candle to use as your analogy! I know that Kings Island has the talent and the deep desire to produce great entertainment if only they were given the opportunity to do so. As parent of a family, the lack of entertainment at Kings Island has been a huge disappointment. They make a claim to be targeting the family by putting more family style rides in so the family can do more together. But they miss the quintessential part of the family experience by not offering a great family show that they can participate in and/or laugh together. Now since you asked; you know you can do California Soarin’ at Epcot and Mission Space while your there too. Then you can move on over to the Flame Tree BBQ and have lunch as you are waiting for your fast pass time for Expedition Everest. But wait… you still got two more parks to consider if you feel the urge to do so.

marlfox 21; I really do appreciate that you took the time to share with us your unique experiences with your group. As most of us or in that fact none of us here will never have the privilege to go do what you got to do. Sounded like a blast and it seems that your were so excited about everything that you did, that I can’t pick out your favorite in the report.

Oh… the irony being awarded for shows that you have gotten rid of or serious think about doing so. Well at least all the people associated in areas of the awards can have satisfaction and the distinction of a job well done.

Probably so that the glare from the lights won’t interfere with the new Ride Photo system.

That show really bings in the people. It will be an expenssive risk but if it works it will payoff in a huge way. You got to admit that Six Flags does not always make the best decissions but they do take the big risks.

After further review I have got to say the camera that you guys used to take those photo did a great job , I mean with the motion and all they usually come out a little fuzzy again impressive work. Now I have got to ask if you guys knew you were going up then how’s come you didn’t get one of Maureen waving on international street as you flew by and better yet wouldn’t it be neat to have a picture of the PKIC staff waving from the Eiffel Tower with the park below like the one at this link Ronny Salerno Photography.

Hey thanks Tomb Raider Nick; I love those pictures that you posted. When I retuned home from our vacation and started to go through our 700+ pictures that we took, I realized that I did not take enough pictures of the various attractions without having someone posing in them Oh well lessen learned. Also I would like to go into more detail about ride experience on Expedition Everest using your pictures so I hope you don’t mind. TO; FIRST PICTURE Before you get to the first picture at the top of the mountain you go up a lift climb and then rush around the mountain and through scenic villages that only the roller coaster passengers can see. Also you go in and out of the mountain and can see the park itself and because the common area’s of the park itself is so heavily themed, it lends it self to the coaster experience as well. So after racing in and out of the mountain like a run away mountain train you come up to the first picture and come to a complete stop. If you are in the first two seats you can see a spectacular view over the top of the mountain. As you are paused there for about 10-15 seconds the track is being switched. TO; SECOND PICTURE So after the switch and with no warning the train starts to roll backwards and continues to pick up speed as it descends in another direction of the Mountain. I felt like when you are going backwards that it was going faster than at any other point of the ride and it seemed like you go backwards for about 15+ seconds. Suddenly and you don’t see this coming because you are going backwards you go back into the Mountain and it is extremely dark as you come to a complete stop! As you are coming to a complete stop the Yetti starts screaming and jumping around as you watch him tearing up the track. I will note at this point they are switching the track again while you are watching the Yetti. TO; THIRD PICTURE So The Yetti is still screaming and walks away from the projected tore up track and out of sight. The train starts forward again and ventures to a new section of the Mountain and comes to an opening in the Mountain that leads you back outside and to safety. Right as you approach the opening the 20 foot Yeti jumps out and loudly screams at you and at the same time swings his arm at you. At this point the train winds down to the separate unloading station, while you discuss with your company if you should get a fast pass to do it again later or get back in line NOW!!!

Uncle Henry; Sorry about the catchy tune in the Video, as I was trying to put a catchy song on to appeal to my 6 year old daughter, as she often will dance and sing to the tunes too. I guess catchy songs stick in your head similar to a lot of 6 year olds. Coincidence? Hmm….. Hank; I enjoyed your Pluto pun; tied into the subject, and I did encounter around 10+ elephants while at the Animal Kingdom and only two where not real. One was in the Lion King Show as all the animals represented there are representations. The other one can be seen in the back of the truck in the picture below, it was taken towards the end of the Kilimanjaro Safaris journey and was tied in to complete the story line that they tell as you go through the Animal Park. Delirium Guy; Unfortunately the musical show Finding Nemo was not open at the time we were there. Towards the right in the picture below you can see the green painted board walls that lead from Dino-Land towards Expedition Everest in Asia that is were they are putting that show and because of the Boards, I was unable to get a view of the progress at that time. And it sounds like we were there pretty close to the time you were there. marlfox 21; Thanks for you comments, I hope you share your experience about you trip with us and I know you’ll have a great time. Maybe next year when we come down to Orlando we could hook-up and maybe see some Parks together . It’s always nice to get some inside information about the different parks. Also I would like to Thank everyone for the kind words in regards to the trip report, it was fun to put together.

It seems like tat with every new flyover the park; the pictures keep getting better and better. You guys have really taken a lot of excellent pictures on this trip too. That must have been a thrill not just for the opportunity to fly in a personal aircraft but to also be able to film your Kings Island while doing it. Thanks for sharing you experience with us. I bet it was a struggle to decide where to put such a report, in the News section or the trip reports. Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves.

Your welcome. I as well as you, enjoy great BBQ too!, but sadly I did not get to enjoy the Flame Tree BBQ while there. But I did get to try and would highly suggest Tusker House for Rotisserie chicken, Pan-seared Salmon and fresh steamed vegetables, for a gtreat meal while still costing the same as other counter sevice meals. side note; you can see the outside of Tusker House in the video. Its the building behind the Afican Drum Performers and in one shot you can see guests having lunch through the window. And yes almost all Disney restaurant’s are themed inside and out to blend into their area surroundings , as well as Tucker House and Flame Tree BBQ.

Click the players twice to play. <OBJECT ID="MediaPlayer" classid="CLSID:22D6F312-B0F6-11D0-94AB-0080C74C7E95" standby="Loading Microsoft® Windows® Media Player components..." type="application/x-oleobject" codebase="http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/mplayer/en/nsmp2inf.cab#Version=6,4,7,1112" WIDTH="175" HEIGHT="100"> <PARAM NAME="FileName" VALUE="http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/sounds/akmusic.mp3"> <PARAM NAME="AutoRewind" VALUE="false"> <PARAM NAME="Balance" VALUE="0"> <PARAM NAME="AutoStart" VALUE="false"> <PARAM NAME="ShowDisplay" VALUE="true"> <PARAM NAME="ShowControls" VALUE="true"> <PARAM NAME="ShowTracker" VALUE="true"> <PARAM NAME="PlayCount" VALUE="1"> </OBJECT> I have been wrestling in how to do a trip repot for Disney’s - Animal Kingdom Theme Park for some time. Because the Animal Kingdom is so unlike any other park that I have had the privilege in experiencing. So I’ll just jump into it and we will see how it comes out. Before going to the Disney I did some research and looked for insight as to the individual intricate details of the parks. The reviews that I had found concerning the Animal Kingdom were very mixed in that guests either really liked it, while others guests didn’t. About 70 plus percent of those said that if you get there at rope drop, then it is easy to have the park done by 2 P.M. In the afternoon. So I planned this day to fit in when it would best suit our needs for a short day in the parks. We did arrive at rope drop and followed most advice and went straight to Expedition Everest, a recent roller coaster addition and we were able to walk straight on for all three of our rides. Two of the rides were in the front seat and the last ride in the back, as we requested and the seat assigner was happy to arrange for us. Both rides from the front or back have their distinct advantages as the back allows for good viewing of special effects taking place towards the front as the front is to close to the action to get a good panoramic view. Although my favorite seat is in the front, because the roller coaster is so heavy themed that it’s really nice ridding through the attraction with an unobstructed view and especially when you come to the point were the track ends at the very top of Mt Everest. From there you can literally see out and all across the various Disney properties and see their signature icons associated with those parks. I personally feel Expedition Everest is a medium to low thrill coaster but because of it’s heavy and unusual effects for a roller coaster , I would say that Expedition Everest is a must do!! Line going into Expedition Everest. We then rode several other attractions as to try to beat the rush and also so that we could do the inside shows in the afternoon when it got hot outside. Most of Animal Kingdoms other rides really are similar to other theme parks with the exception that they are extremely themed, as I enjoy the ambience in getting into the themes as much as I do the rides themselves. Before I move onto other non ride attractions I first want to point out one of their signature attraction at Animal Kingdom.The Kilimanjaro Safaris is also a must do! Not just because of the live wild animals that you will see but also because of the unique way that it is done. When the line brings you into the loading station you are told were to line up to sit when the vehicle enters the station. (Tip; I suggest the back seat on this one , so that if you would like to take some pictures while on the attraction it makes it easier to turn around in the back seat and get a nice unobstructed view) When its your turn they pull up a large truck that has been converted into a safaris style looking vehicle with two cast members in the front, one drives (as can be seen in the video below) and one narrates as it journeys through the Animal Park. The Safaris Truck pulls up parallel and within inches of the elevated loading platform so that guest just walk right into the vehical. The road literally goes through creeks and pretty convincing safaris scenes as the whole Kilimanjaro Safaris jorney lasts about 20 minutes. Moving on; Animal Kingdom is divided up into “areas” like most parks do. The stark difference at Animal Kingdom is that they have put so much theme into the park with natural plants and structures that you really don’t recognize goin from one area to another and you can’t look across one of their many lakes in the park and see the other area‘s of the park. I felt like when I was in one of the special area's of the park that we were immersed into that area and felt miles away from reality. Looking across a lake into another area of the park. We rode most of the attractions and also took in a lot of shows at this park and I was extremely surprised towards the end of the day when I felt like we needed to rush a little bit so that we could take everything in. After all a lot of reviews said we could get Animal Kingdom done by early afternoon. I wonder now if some guest are so busy trying to get from one main attraction to the next that they then rush out of the park and say to themselves “ what’s the big deal” . I believe most of those guests have missed a great opportunity to slow down and see all the small interesting details that Animal Kingdom has to offer. So in conclusion; As this was my first visit to Animal Kingdom I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend this park for only those who would be willing to slow down to take in the atmosphere of the park as I believe this is the best attraction of the whole park and what I believe most guests pass right by and hardly take notice. If you look close you can see a woman in the vines, she walks around the vegitation areas. This is a video that I have put together from pictures that we took while we were at the Animal Kingdom. When the page comes up please click; "click here to play" in the lower left hand corner of the video player to start the video. Due to the lack of quality from other Web Host Video sites this is one that I found that allows one to keep the quality of the video intact. After all if we are going to take the time to produce the video, upload it and then link it to be viewed by others, then I think it's worth it to show it in a quality format. So with no futher a do; May I present to you an Avatar Production and Directed by Jesse Marchbanks it's " Animal Kingdom " <object width="679" height="500"><param name="movie" value="http://avatar.phanfare.com/video/2;8743279;"></param><param'>http://avatar.phanfare.com/video/2;8743279;"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://avatar.phanfare.com/video/2;8743279;" width="679" height="500" wmode="transparent"></embed></object>

Great! One more thing to fuel all the rumors.

I voted but the results do not reflect my vote!

jzarley; So you made it? Hope the conference isn’t to boring. Well are we going to get a trip report with a park included in it? I hope so. Have a great trip and stay away from the TV especially the news down there, it’s so depressing.

Gatorland fire burns attraction Beth Kassab Sentinel Staff Writer Published November 6, 2006, 2:45 PM CST A fire that broke out early this morning at Gatorland has been mostly contained by firefighters, but a dwarf crocodile and two pythons died, and the signature gator-mouth entrance has been charred black by the blaze. Other alligators and creatures at the 110-acre alligator theme park and preserve in Orange County are fine, the attraction's curator said. There is some debris from the fire in the lake that they will try to clean up. Gatorland officials are hoping they can reopen the 57-year-old attraction in a week or so, perhaps by creating an alternate entrance on the other side of the park. The roof collapsed over the main part of the building, but the show venues and food and beverage areas were not harmed in the fire. President Mark McHugh says it could be a year before a new gift shop and ticket center is built, but he's planning to get the park open to tourists again in the near future. "Gatorland will come back stronger," Gatorland spokeswoman Michelle Harris said. Orange County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Marianne Nuckles said emergency officials received a call at 5:55 a.m. reporting smoke and flames at the park. Tim Williams, 55, Gatorland's "Dean of Gator Wrestling, said Gatorland's gift shop, administrative and marketing offices are "pretty much not going to be of service to anyone again." He said earlier this morning that the smoke was so thick he could not see any of the fire equipment. Williams has been with the attraction for more than 30 years, training the attraction's gators. "I know we are probably going to lose the structure," he said. "It is a very old building. Once those old buildings go, they go." But he did say that Gatorland is resilient and will get itself together and have a "new look to it." Earlier, officials reported that two dwarf alligators were killed in the blaze, but one now appears to be alive, says a park spokeswoman. The crocodile, known as Mr. O, was housed with a second crocodile in the retail shop area that was destroyed by the blaze. The debris was so extensive around their habitat that a Gatorland curator said the two were dead earlier today after she was allowed inside to check on the animals. However, spokeswoman Michelle Harris said Mr. O appears to have submerged himself under water and was able to survive the blaze. He is now being moved to safer territory. It wasn't until this afternoon, Harris said, that Gatorland employees were able to get a close enough look at him. "It is a miracle that he is alive," Harris said. "We're so excited." . Copyright © 2006, Orlando Sentinel Link to the complete story with video Gatorland Fire Story

Seems like a lot of parks are willing to try the Holiday Festival at their parks. So I would be guessing that some parks must be doing well with them. Also it sounds as if you attended the event in question this past weekend, So please tell me how were the crowds?

Do you mean more Season Pass Appreciations Days?

I came across an IAAPA article that interviewed Dick Kinzel and it really goes into depth about where he has came from and about where he would like to go. The article was written in April of 2005. A couple points in the article that I found interesting about Dick Kinzel is; He plans to retire in January of 2008. Disney turned him away from hiring Dick in 1971, because he wanted $15,000.00 salary and Disney thought that was to much. Kinzel said; “Take the lipstick off any park and underneath, it’s still a carnival. Disney changed the appearance of parks in the 1950s with Disney-land, but we are all still operating dressed-up carnivals.â€Â

So what I’m hearing you say is that X-Flight was suppose to come to PKI a while back! Man that would have been a nice coaster to had at PKI. If only we could turn back time. Well here’s to wishing for our long lost Coaster in finding it’s way to its original destined home.

Thanks Robbie; for letting me know about the setting, I believe it is fixed now. Also I liked your Drenchingly picture, from the looks of the ocean behind you and blue skies above at least you were probably able to dry off pretty quickly.

The thing is every time that statement is used, it means somebody usually knows something and soon after we all know. So me personally I wish I heard it everyday.

Clickon the players twice to play. <OBJECT ID="MediaPlayer" classid="CLSID:22D6F312-B0F6-11D0-94AB-0080C74C7E95" standby="Loading Microsoft® Windows® Media Player components..." type="application/x-oleobject" codebase="http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/mplayer/en/nsmp2inf.cab#Version=6,4,7,1112" WIDTH="175" HEIGHT="100"> <PARAM NAME="FileName" VALUE="http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/sounds/Fantasmic.mp3"> <PARAM NAME="AutoRewind" VALUE="false"> <PARAM NAME="Balance" VALUE="0"> <PARAM NAME="AutoStart" VALUE="false"> <PARAM NAME="ShowDisplay" VALUE="true"> <PARAM NAME="ShowControls" VALUE="true"> <PARAM NAME="ShowTracker" VALUE="true"> <PARAM NAME="PlayCount" VALUE="1"> </OBJECT> I recently went to Orlando, Florida to enjoy some Parks that I have not visited in a while with the family. I think every person in my family liked a different Park for their own personal reasons and I will go into their stories in another thread later. But I would like to tell about my favorite park and the experience that I had at Disney’s MGM Studios. September 27,2006 We arrived before rope-drop and got to see a grand production of the opening ceremony as they open the Park. One lucky guest is picked out of the audience and gets to call the shots as they put an act together that suggest that the whole day at MGM Studios is a live show. So the guest gets in a directors car and does various sound bytes for them and then says Lights, Camera, ACTION!! With that the ropes drop and the lucky guest gets to ride in the car and act like he’s filming the crowd going towards the Rock-n-Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror, which were very fun and the theme for both rides was an attraction on to themselves. Theming in the Tower of Terror Outside the Rockin-Roller Coaster We rode those with no lines and got fast passes so we could reride them again later. When you do this park one should not go for the Thrill Rides but more for the unique experience such as the New Extreme Stunt show or the old Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. The real hard part of MGM is that you need keep on the move so that you can in fact take in all the shows at the times that they run, not like rides where as you go from one to the next and by just getting in line when your ready to do so. So now the shows were spectacular and the rides were awe inspiring and that would have been enough for us. But there was more to this park, something that reminded me of my younger years when we frequented the parks. The events that I talk about next have over the years been absent from the various parks that we have visited. At MGM Studios they have roving actors roaming the park all day long and I don’t mean one or two acts but a lot of acts that ranged from childish style acts to the more complicated but silly skits. Some people would just walk by an did not notice but for the ones who stopped watched and even were invited to participate got some wonderful family memories and photo opportunities that will last a life time. These roving acts is what set my experience over the top and has still to this day keeps a large smile on my face just thinking about it. Here is one short video that my son captured as I participated in one such act. I didn’t know how to title it so it seemed fitting to just call it LOVE ME!.....LOVE ME!! <object width="640" height="528"><param name="movie" value="http://avatar.phanfare.com/video/2;8617559;"></param><param'>http://avatar.phanfare.com/video/2;8617559;"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://avatar.phanfare.com/video/2;8617559;" width="640" height="528" wmode="transparent"></embed></object> Through out the day when we saw other guest who we recognized from a street show we would often smile or yell out a catch phrase from the show that we had shared earlier in the day and often had another good laugh. I don’t know if it’s was because it was so wonderful to see these type shows again or if they were really that good, but I’m personally going to appreciate them as being both nostalgic and entertaining. MGM Studios struck a cord with me as I really enjoy being entertained as much if not more then riding thrill rides. Thanks for reading; We will see you later!! P.S. the picture above has story too. I had not seen my brother Dennis in two years (the one with a black and white stripped shirt on behind us). he was coming over to meet us but, as this picture was being taken we had not met up with him yet and we did not know he was there. This pictures story did not fully materialize till 5 months after it was taken: My DS21 took this picture of my DD6 acting all sad as I was participating in skit performed by the Streetmosphere Actors at MGM (picture below). In the skit they act like they are shooting a scene in a show. The actress in green lines were “love me Love Me LOVE ME” and falls down to the ground, then my line was “Frankly my dear I do love you”. So after my lines my DS notices DD being all sad and he tries to aggravate her more by taking her picture acting this way (what older brothers are for, right!). So 5 months later I sit my daughter down and told her that we are planning another trip back to Disney and what would she like to do this time when we go. Very quickly she rattles off a list that includes characters and attractions, then gets the same sad look on her face as the picture above and the says “but I don’t want to see that Love Me lady again, OK!”). I laughed and said “but that was one of my favorite memories, why can’t we she that show again” , her reply was ” because when that lady said Love Me to you, you said that you loved her too and I thought you were going to leave us, that made me sad”. Oh I laughed and then told her that it was only pretend acting like she does with her fiends, but man the way these 6 year olds think some times, it makes you wonder where they come up with this stuff LOL.

The photo is dark, but I believe the building that you are referring to is the Paramount Theater. The really tall part in the back is the Stage of the Theater and the reason it's so tall is so that when they need to raise or lower curtains, backgrounds, letter marques, props are even special lighting that there is a place to raise them to or lower them from. One of the best articles that I have seen on this forum came from an interview that Ryan did in August 2005 titled PKICentral Gets Schooled By The Man. In it Ryan had the opportunity to go up into the top of the backstage area. In the article it has a link for some photo’s but as we all know they are working on that now and can’t be viewed at present.

We were already booked for a Family Fireplace Suite from Friday Dec 22- Monday Dec 25,2006. So the Special will not work for us. But we are looking forward to spending Christmas weekend there, it should be one to remember.

You have really put some creative thought into the improvement of WinterFest and I wish it was still around to see if any of your ideas could have come to be. Actually the ride to see Santa Clause I could see being a real powerful memory for the Kids.