BoddaH1994

YES! We already have backing from several people from the park. We are looking for good "techies" to help us get this set up as well as possible, as well as people to throw around content ideas.

Yeah, to answer your question PKIC WILL IN FACT be doing regular PKI podcasts, including exclusive interviews, great insider information, and a whole lot of special PKI-related commentary. Just a TASTE of what's to come for the greatest and most popular PKI site for 2006!

I was under that beleif too for the longest time, but after talking to some people I think they just cut the bolts to remove the track, which is a standard procedure. I think it COULD be rebuilt, but any park willing to buy it wouldn't be able to afford the necessary rehab. I think Ghoster Coaster could be rebuilt. In fact, I'd say it's a strong candidate for being rebuilt at a smaller park. I think it was all on pretty flat ground, so it's not like it's a terrain coaster or anything. Anyone got Ralf Stricker's number?

So let's establish someting, is the whole building gone or just the Chic-Fil-A stuff?

I think Shaggy's right, Joe. As stated in another thread, an investment group is going to come in, raise the value, and sell again. They're going to do this as cheaply as possible, so as opposed to adding new and better attractions, they're going to find more 'efficent' ways of doing things. ie cutting programs. I hope I'm wrong.

That is in fact correct.

Are you sure it was I Street and not Coney Mall? I remember the Associate Training in March and Coney Mall North (or South, IDK, it was by Dodegms down to Vortex) was covered in dirt and grime. Amazing how quickly they cleaned up the area by the time Sneak Preview Day rolled around. Now about the other three rides... ...are the Dora and Blue rides also Zamperla rides? And what about the "underwater SpongeBob world?" I had heard that the Crash Course Boating School concept had been canned in place of a BIGGER, BETTER attraction. A sort-of dark ride/coaster combo for Nick Universe. But I think it's just a rumor. So I'm lost on the whole thing. I was talking about the mud that was packed tightly in the crescent around the clock mainly, but I'm sure Coney was a mess too. All 3 rides listed on PKIC's main page are the new rides being added to NU. Any other "new" attraction is probably a retheme. Regardless, all 3 of them are in fact Zamperla.

Yeah, it always seems like they're not going to finish, but they always do... it's like magic! lol Don't forget about how much of a mess I-Street was during the 2nd IJ tour, and it was all cleaned up perfectly by opening day.

Well, less permission and more support. You just can't sit there and talk about the park.. that's what the forums are for. You have to have interest expressed by several people whose insights would be of interest to the PKIC.... err... some community.

No, we wouldn't but I think AZ is good how it is. How many backlots have trees and shaded areas? ....Well, how many Paramount Parks have backlots? LoL... the parks don't have backlots, but movie studios do. In fact, Paramount Pictures has a backlot which they offer tours of. I think that was kind of the look they were going for. Regardless, being so open makes it feel a little more 'alive' than a quiet area with lots of trees.

No, we wouldn't but I think AZ is good how it is. How many backlots have trees and shaded areas?

Wow... it's almost like he knows what he's talking about... Eh... in the end, I'm sure they'll just end up building more 435ft tall coasters as a quick fix.

Hmm... you could be right... what ride stood there before? I'm having trouble calibrating myself. lol

Maureen wasn't with the company for the first couple. My favorite part of all of the movies was the Brady Bunch one that had Stevie B in a cameo... just kind of standing there... not knowing exactly how to hold himself. lol I miss that guy.

Hmmm...Could this be Phantom Flyers? Yeah, but what's the big thing behind it?

I've actually never seen those before at all. Hopefully you're right. It's hard to keep track of those darn paper ones. lol

LoL... sorry to bum you guys out.. Klocke, I think you need to look at the long term. Granted, the park could instantly save upwards of $50,000 by closing at 10 on the 4th of July, but imagine the mentality of Joe Citizen again... what if it were his first visit to the park and his biggest recollecton was long lines and taken an hour and a half to get out of the parking lot? Do you think he would come back? Do you think he would have nice things to say about the park if friends or family mentioned wanting to go? I know that there are better days to go than others, but this is another classic example of spending money to make money. If he had a good experience, he might buy a family pass for the next year. Just imagine that kind of money... I mean, I'm relatively conservative with money and I know I dumped about $2,000 into the park just with my 50 or so visits. If I had a family of 4, it would have been a LOT more. I sure hope you're right. The park has made such great efforts in the past 3 or 4 years to create a better and more festive look and feel... I'd hate to see it go away.

That seems to be the rumor. The actual look of NU has evolved making concept art difficult. Speaking of Maureen, she emailed me last week saying that even if they started on concept art now, it wouldn't be don't until opening day, so I really wouldn't expect it. Tons of PKI employees read these forums. You rarely find anyone who works there who hasn't at least heard of PKIC, which is why it's important to realize that anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. It was a nice email. For those of you who have known her for a while now, you can back me up in saying that she's a very nice and sincere individual. Any of the 'exclusive' things that PKIC brings you is usually in some way a result of Maureen going out of her way to make sure that you guys get the best of the best. She doesn't just respond to her emails and take your phone calls because it's her job, she truely does enjoy the interaction. We're lucky to have her.

All of which you are saying is true, but you have to bear in mind that once you start making cuts here and there, you really start sacrificing the guest experience for Joe Citizen. Let's do a quick psyche walk for Joe Citizen. Let's assume Joe is a middle aged man with a wife and two kids. Let's say that the year is 2010 and this is a wost case scenario. Joe pays the expected $9 to enter the lot and parks his car. It's a June Saturday so it's going to be busy. Joe, along with a thousand other people wait in anticipation for the strike of 10:00 and the opening of the front gates. 10:00 comes and the line begins to organize itself near the two metal detectors to the left (let's assume that security is cut and that's all they can open). Joe and his family wait for almost a half hour to get through security, only to wait for another 10 minutes at admissions and another 2 just to get into the park itself. First bad experience: spending almost 40 minutes to get into the park. Joe and his family walk down International Street to see that most of the shops aren't open, and won't open until noon. Joe begins to wonder why he spent almost $200 to get his family into an amusement park that's barely even opened. His uncertainty is reinforced when noticing that it's about 11:00 by this point and several rides aren't opened yet or are just now doing their first cycles. Second bad experience: dead park (if you've ever been to SFKK, you know the feeling) Joe and his family ride some of the rides and attractions (let's assume that they don't show up frequently enough to realize that the themeing isn't working) and then it's time for lunch. They all agree on Skyline and head directly for Street SKyline only to see a line going out the door. After waiting for quite a while, they reaize that the problem is that there are only two people running the whole place. Nothing is more frusterating than being hungry and having to wait.. and wait.. and wait. 3rd bad experience: The wait. Joe and his family finally get and eat their food and decide to ride some more rides. Upon walking to one of their favorite attractions, they notice a ton of debris from a careless guest's meal in the midway. Disgusted, they do their best to avoid the mess and press on. 4th: Look and feel suffering. I think you guys understand what I'm getting at. The little things are the building blocks of the customer experience and even if you built rides that were as good as a mixture of The Beast, Steel Phantom, and Top Thrill Dragster, you park would still suffer. What you have to understand is that Joe is definitely the rule rather than the exception. The family man is always going to be the center of attention at PKI, and he's going to look back and see the product as a whole rather than pick out individual likes and dislikes. Hopefully the park will never be so bad.

Those tickets don't really look familiar, plus how long has it been since there was $24 admission? 15 years?

"Mmm.. that's good satire!" - from "Special Edna," The Simpsons Just think of how easy the retheme would have been: Enron's Crash Course Boating School.

Hmm.... what if someone you knew did have permission and was going to start doing one during the 2006 season?

As much as I'd love to agree with you, I think the implication is that the park can close early if needbe. Kind of like how it closes at like noon on season passholders' day... every year.

How are you getting these photos?

True, but if you recall the past few years, they have encouraged people to stay in the park after the fireworks to avoid a massive traffic jam in the lot. Last year Dane and I hung around until close and didn't get out of the lot until about 1am or so (I think they closed at midnight). This could be rough if they do that...