marlfox_21

"SheiKra" at Bush Gardens comes to mind. The 1st time that I rode this I fell instantly in love with it. But I admit that when it went floorless in 2007 it actually got better! But "Hangman" at Wild Adventures needs to take this trophy for me. The 1st time I rode it I was freaked out by it's design. But then we just kept riding it over and over again, and enjoyed it more every time.

If I were to pick a favorite, other than letting the parks slip into becoming their own company, I think that Disney would be a masterful caretaker for these animals. Walt Disney's Animal Kingdom has proven that they can take conservation issues very seriously. And A.K./Busch Parks tend to hire Animal Keepers and researchers with similar educational backgrounds, which if I may say so is somewhat different than traditional zoo's. And I don't think that anyone could dispute the fact that Disney could afford to keep the parks in their current condition, if not ( dare I say ) even be able to improve the quality of these parks. Imagine Mickey Mouse meet and greets while waiting for a Shamu show. Imagine Disney providing transportation down International Drive to SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove. Imagine a year master pass that would take you to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, SeaWorld, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, and Busch Gardens. I don't know if this is a likely scenario, but it sounds cool. It could really put the favor in Disney's pocket with a walk in Hogwarts castle in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, coming soon to Universal for local competition.

Six Flags simply needs to steer clear of the Busch Parks. Owning these types of parks is different than owning a spit of land to build roller coasters. The animals that these parks care for are ambassadors for their species. And Busch holds the single highest standards for animal husbandry. In my humble opinion, Six Flags could not possibly afford to keep up to these very expensive standards. And I seriously doubt that the research that these parks perform would keep up to par while under ownership of such a company. It's not just about owning rides, and the people at Six Flags need to think and rethink this ( I am sure that they are ) But they need to rethink it again, if they are seriously considering it, and come to the logical conclusion that this kind of responsibility is just too big for them. My two cents worth.... MARLFOX.....defending that which I hold dear.

I have also been getting a "FORBIDDEN" screen whenever I log onto KI CENTRAL. To fix the annoyance, I simply back out to my home page, retype www.KICentral.com and it remembers my sign-in. It only happens here, and has been happening for a couple of weeks. It is very annoying. But up until now, I figured it was just my computer.

That's sweet. Splash Island is already a very nice waterpark. Any improvements would be amazing. If you pay attention to Wild Adventures, and the last couple of years, I really think they are working their way up the amuzement park ladder in a good way. And I need to throw this in. Wild Adventures "Festival of Lights" was a success this year. So much in fact that they actually extended the event later into January of 2009.

I feel like I have nothing in common with this topic. All SeaWorld parks are free for me. It's kinda like KI associates complaining about admission prices to KI. Just wait for Manta. And there are so many different deals available from Busch Parks. For a very minimal amount of money, season passes can be purchased for Sea World, Discovery Cove, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens. Especially for Florida state residents. I know that I am not releasing any unheard of valuable information. But when you think about it, they really do offer some great deals.

Like anywhere else, SeaWorld is a business. And guess what....Come a little closer, it's a secret. Animal care prices are going up. The last thing that zoo's and aquariums want to do is raise their prices. But when it becomes necessary to do so, you can bet your boots that like any other company, it will happen. I agree with a post listed earlier, people who can afford these types of parks are going to go regardless of $5.00 or $2.00 or whatever. If someone cannot financially attend this or any park, then the logical solution is not to go, or postpone your trip until you can. It stinks, but no thrill park is worth losing your quality of living over. Not even short term.

what exactly would a snakes "prints" look like? or do you mean a curvey line. ^and as for the flight commander prints i never even thought about that until you said that. Depending on the size of the snake. Often, sand flattened, and sifted from side to side can be a good indicator of a snake being present in Florida. As can a small trail of flattened vegetation, if the snake is often in the same location, ( a LARGE EASTERN Diamondback ) for example. I know this from personal experience. I take walks all of the time off of Florida's trails looking for them. Another good indicator is a snakes shedded skin. Another thing to look for is an area with an abundant amount of prey for such an animal, near a source of water. To go off topic, once I found a very large Diamondback skin off of Paynes Prairie near Gainesville, Fl. I returned to the spot many, many times for about a year trying to find the actual animal. I knew it was still there. The Prairie was flooded, prey was abundant, and vegetation was always smashed on either side of the walking trail leading up to a descent sized hole in the ground. Around the hole, there were old dry thorn bushes, and small dry pine, and a fallen log. One day while walking the trail, I had noticed that dry sand had been sifted a lot, with very little disturbance, and I knew that the snake was probably out. Another good indication of this is that I had already seen about 10 CottonMouths leading up to this spot. It was a good warm day for them to be out. So I went off trail looking for it for a couple of minutes, and I almost gave up and proceeded back to the trail. I turned around to go back to my car, and I don't think I have ever jumped so far backwards in my life. Well I have once, but that is another story. I almost stepped on it's head. A very large Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake was horizontally next to the trail. And this things head was easily the size of my fist. I have never seen a larger venomous snake in the wild in my life. But it was very unagressive. It never moved while I took pictures of it. And ( from an assured safe perimeter ) I walked circles around it, observing it, while my fiance took pictures. Simply an amazing opportunity. But I do not recommend it to anyone.

I think that if WinterFest was given the opportunity to become a yearly tradition for local families, then it would not fail. Instead it would probably grow a little with every passing year. But who can know for sure? This chance is simply not to be had.

Are you speaking in riddles again??

In Kings Island: 1. The Beast 2. Firehawk 3. Vortex 4. Flight of Fear 5. Adventure Express ( Because it's even fun for kids + it was my 1st coaster experience ) Not necessarily at Kings Island: 1. Expedition Everest 2. Millenium Force 3. SheiKra 4. Kraken 5. Montu

Well, after all, you are going to be my 1st impression. Haunt this weekend, following a planned trip out to Young's Jersey Dairy Farms. I really want for Kings Island to be my first scare for the year. Next weekend however, it's HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS at Universal Studios, Orlando. I will be sure to state how Kings Island's Haunt compares in my point of view.

It is Halloween Weekend and the park can say they are open in November. WOW, I wish the park could say that it was open in ( cough ) Dec--( cough )

Urgent Scare. Please do not let me down. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL DO WELL! I can't wait to see the new maze. The same goes for everyone involved with any of the other mazes. I hope that you do extremely well, keep your energy levels high, and don't exhaust yourselves in rehearsals before the actual event. I will be going through the park on Saturday, so everyone be sure to give me the best scare that I am going to get all season, from ANY park. I KNOW YOU WILL!

Hit Dueling Dragons, The Incredible Hulk, and Spider-Man early. To be fair, Universal usually tends to be not so crowded early in the day. You should be able to get all of these and maybe a little more done. Hold off on City Walk until they are ready to reopen for Halloween Horror Nights. Enjoy the Horror, but please drive carefully. One thing about Universal Studios that I have never liked is how much alcohol they sell. Take Kings Island for an example. You might hear the shout "Get your ice cold Lemon Chills Here." At Universal, you are hearing shouts for " Purchase Vodka Pops!" It makes me a nervous wreck to drive home at the same time as all of those people who have been drinking. I usually leave a little bit early.

And his eyes are blue this year. Weren't they red before?

Well considering the fact that I have never been to Holiday World, I must vote for Kings Island. I wanted to go to Holiday World this year, but the opportunity never presented itself. I have been very busy for the last few months. In fact, I think that I went most of the summer, until the last couple of weeks without even being able to check up on KICentral. But I think that I am going to visit Kings Island for Haunt. I plan to have an awesome October. Kings Island's Haunt, Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, Wild Adventures Phobia, Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream, Disney's Not So Scary Halloween/HallowWishes, SeaWorld's Halloween Spooktacular, S.F.C.C. Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, are on my to do list. This October is gonna be so much fun, it's scary!

Great video HauntGuy. Was all of this footage from last year, or was some of it from FearFest?

I will admit that when I first heard this name, I was personally concerned that they had chosen to replace the name Nick or Treat. After reading this, I am even more concerned. Just concerned. I refuse to simply believe a rumor or overreact to a simple doubt. But I do believe that it would be a sad day to see all of the theming go away. I would like to make a comment about the Nickelodeon shirt. If you pick up a park brochure at Kings Island's neighboring McDonalds, everything in the add is up to date. However, the picture of Delerium still has the paramount logos visible on the ride.

I know one thing that I would simply love to see at the front of Diamondbacks Queue Line. And every other Queue line. "Fastpasses". Something else that I would like to see are cheaper prices on vending machines. For decoration, signs that show facts about Diamondback Rattlesnakes, and somehow compare those facts with the ride would be neat.

I know Terpy. But living down here, not calling W.A. a sister to C.G. is like living in Ohio and desiring to refer to The Beastie the Fairly Odd Coaster. Besides, Wild Adventures lost my respect ( mostly ) when they decided to bring in a Zonkey for this season. You guessed it, a zebra and a donkey. A.K.A....Biological Garbage. No sense in putting pieces together that were simply not meant to fit. But you will notice that W.A. is not accredited by the A.Z.A.

Never Mind, I just found old posts. Oh Well. Enjoy just the same. Mod edit: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13379

Manta SeaWorld Orlando The Manta flying roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando is inspired by the underwater flight of these powerful creatures. Guests are placed in a horizontal "flying" position and then hoisted up 140-feet to begin a journey that includes four thrilling inversions at speeds reaching nearly 60 miles per hour. At times the track on Manta soars so close to the water below that the train's wings actually skim the water. Manta opens at SeaWorld Orlando in 2009. Roller Coaster Details Track Type Year Designer/Manufacturer Steel Flying, Multielement 2009 Bolliger and Mabillard Roller Coaster Stats Height: 140 feet Drop: 113 feet Top speed: 56 mph Inversions: 4 Length: 3,359 feet Trains: 3 - 32 passenger Train Mfg: Bolliger and Mabillard More Information About Manta Trains have eight cars with one row each, seating four abreast per row. Height Requirement: Must be at least 52 inches tall I know that this has been around for a while. But I have not seen anything on it here. So I thought that I would go ahead and post this. I can't wait to ride Manta, a flying coaster that goes through the water like SheiKra, or like Diamondback is going to do. 2009 will certainly be a great year for coasters and water.

I think that this is a smart move by Cypress Gardens. It is a beautiful little park. One that offers a great family atmosphere. Much like it's sister, Wild Adventures in Valdosta Georgia. But Wild Adventures does not have the landscaping of Cypress. Ahhh, The mentioning of Silver Springs in Ocala. I would love to have a moment to go there. That is the most pleasant park experience one could possibly hope for in Florida. From landscaping, tranquility, and peace. The park is brilliant, really. If you ever want to get away from it all, go to Silver Springs. Just don't go on a concert day, unless you are there specifically for the concert. Oh and if you go, get your picture taken in the circling palm tree next to the springs. It's supposed to bring you 10 years of good luck!!!!

Please forgive me for entering this vital topic yet again. But now that Cedar Fair has really taken over, and shown the direction that they want for the park to be moving in, what are your opinions/facts of the way that the company is managing the park when compared to Paramount. In my opinion, they are doing what I hoped they would do. They are reintroducing the entertainment value of the park that they have gone without for many years. From setting fanciful records, to cleaning up the park visually, with Skydivers, larger fireworks shows, and bringing in attractions like the Brady's, Kings Island is in my view catching a lot of forgotten attention. Firehawk, is in my opinion the most fun coaster in the park today. I love the classics, and I know that Firehawk does not break any records, and was not even an original coaster concept by Cedar Fair, but none the less, the ride is great. Halloween Haunt is bigger, and better, and adds a lot more theatrically to the event than FearFest did, and I like the rest of you am greatly anticipating Diamondback. Again, KUDOS, Cedar Fair. You have taken a great park, and made it even BETTER!!!!! What do you think?