BoddaH1994

Good explanation, but let me clarify it a little more: You have to understand the basics in order to see the whole picture. As you well know, Viacom is a publicly traded company, which means that a lot of the company is owned in small parts by regular people, like you and I. Now, a lot of the price of stock has to do with the company meeting/exceeding/falling short of expectations. These expectations are based on several things, but mainly growth. Some people have said that the amusement industry is a low-margin industry, but I don't know if that's true. In fact, I'm willing to bet that it's not. The amount of actual money made off of the parks themselves is only a part of Viacom's decision to buy/sell/split. Now, as Joel stated, there will be both a quickly growing company which will concern assets like MTV, and a slowly growing company that will concern things like the parks. The reason why splitting these is a positive business decision is be made is that, as I stated before, the price of stock has a lot to do with the projections of growth, and whether or not the company can meet these expectations. In this particular case, growth is difficult in amusement parks, so it's causing a slowdown in Viacom stock. On the other hand, if they were to split, the fast company would have high projections and the slow-growth company would have lesser projections, and both of which would be able to meet these expectations, so the stocks will rise accordingly. This also accounts for why some things are done around the park that we would like to see. Things like rides getting pained, cracked pavement fixed, themeing fixed, more associates on rides, etc. A lot of this stuff can't get done because the return of investment is too low, and that could cause the stock to fall. To put it in other words, since PKI has built IJST, and has marketed it as a new and innovative attraction, it's likely that individuals who would not normally go to the park would end up going in order to see this ride. These same people will very likely eat in the park, play games, pay admissions, etc. This increases revenue, and contributes to growth, thus the stock goes up. On the other hand, if Viacom were to invest millions of dollars to paint the park, fix cracked midways and damaged themeing, there would be little to no return of investment. It's highly unlikely that someone would come to the park to see a ride that has been fixed, or a midway that has been repaved. This investment with little return would cause the stock to fall. This is why there is such a delay on things getting done for beautification. I mean, the Eiffel Tower could have used a pain coat as long as I can remember, but they unfortunately had to wait until it looked really dirty and they risked people not returning as a result of the look and feel of the park in order to paint it. If the company splits, what does this mean for Paramount Parks? I'm willing to say that it would be a great thing. Think of it this way: since PP is a slowly growing asset of Viacom, what do they have to gain from investing a lot of money in it? Probably nothing but risk. Now, if it's a slowly growing company and PP is a core asset, then they will rely on bring more and more people into the park every year to meet the expectations of experts, and how do they do this? By offering newer and more innovative attractions and perks to the PKI that we already know. I'm far from an expert, so correct me if you see anything you disagree with, Ryan

With any of my pictures or video, it's all yours so long as you give proper credit. All of my stuff is labeled as Ryan Suhr, not BoddaH1994.

He's right -- I'm not familiar with No Limits, so I don't know if it can do this, but the LIMs are set up in a certain way in which the car has more of a "peel out" feeling to it rather than the classic FoF "0-60 in x seconds" feel.

This site has been posted before, but I'll leave it up because it's been quite a while. I recommend that everyone check out the site in its entirety, it's hours and hours worth of interesting readings.

I still think the franchise is too old for them to theme a ride to it.

Ironically, PKI's lost and found has my cell phone as we speak. I've been playing voicemail tag with the people there. I guess I'll have to wait until Saturday to pick it up.

There are no sirens From what I understand, the effect of the sirens is going to come out of the speakers in the trains, which isn't perfect yet.

On our version, the last LIM wasn't working, so it may have been the case for you as well.

It's hard to say... from what I understand it is on site, though.

After today's technical rehersals, what are some things that you've noticed could use a little work on the ride? Here's my list: 1. The effects weren't timed correctly. a. Unless you were in the back seat, you couldn't really see the warehouse scene. b. The splashdown happens before the train hits the water. 2. Audio needs to be turned up. You can only hear the speakers inside the car at the beginning and end of the ride, yet it is supposed to be part of the who experience. 3. The fishtailing is weak. From what I understand, the spring mechanisms loosen up over time and will be felt more once the ride has taken a few more trips around the block. 4. Yes, the mechanism that makes the train rumble down the stairs was turned off. 5. The LIM boost before the splashdown wasn't on. 6. From what I've heard, we may or may not have seen everything that the warehouse scene has to offer. The ride was amazing BEFORE these little things were worked on... just imgine it in full swing!!

1.Did it suprise or disapoint anyone? Definitely surprised. I loved the new attraction and it kept me coming back... 5 times to be precise! 2.What was your favorite part? What's that sensation in which you feel like you're flying? Oh yeah.. airtime! A Paramount Park with airtime! 3.How long did you wait? No more than 10 mins. (fastpass) 4.What car were you in? I rode in the front twice, the back twice, and in the 2nd last seat. 5.Will you ride it again? I'm excited about riding it again already!

Ever since the 2nd Golden Age of coasters was ushered out of existence, fans of the amusement industry have been able to do nothing but patiently wait and see what the masterminds of the industry could possibly do in order to put us in awe. No longer are people impressed by going higher, faster, or even longer. The fans have always been the ones to set what we think of as standards in the industry, and have never hesitated to raise the bar at their leisure. It seems more and more evident that the fans have asked for as much as they could out of the massive structures that we once knew as coasters, but still asked for more. In a world where almost every major city has a park, and almost every one of those parks have massive entanglements of steel to thrill the patrons, you can only step beside what you’re seeing and ask what the next level will be. It seems more and more evident that the next progression is right at our fingertips. With the opening of the Italian Job Stunt Track, I believe that a 3rd Golden Age has been introduced. Being the illegitimate child of crazy Hollywood effects and the 1980s Arrow loopers, this new age offers something that an old retired coaster industry could never offer: a true experience. PKI has never been alienated from progress in the amusement industry. With the construction of John Allen’s Racer in 1972, a long-lasting 2nd Golden Age of coasters was born, and rapidly progressed from there. Even before the Italian Job, PKI teased at this new vision that they had in mind. Take Flight of Fear for instance, you climb aboard an alien saucer after sifting through the mysteries of Area 51, but after you took your seat on the coaster, secured your lap bar, and were given the “all clearâ€Â, it once again simply became a coaster. Then just recently, the Italian Job Stunt Track was launched. With this new attraction, no longer do you wait in long lines loaded with themeing only to climb aboard yet another coaster, but you become part of the show itself. Not only do you have the classic coaster elements of tight turns, airtime, and awesome G forces, but also in the process you weave through traffic, dodge bullets and explosions from a menacing helicopter, and narrowly escape through an LA aqueduct. With this new era, an attraction can no longer be judged by heights and inversions. Words like, “tallâ€Â, “fastâ€Â, and “intense†will become some of the driest adjectives when describing a new coaster. Fans will no longer want you to tell them about the height or speed of a ride, but rather the experience you had. PKI constructed the ride to bring this new era upon us, and in my humble opinion, they hit the nail right on the head. Godspeed to you, Ryan

the fish tailing sucks then. SoB fishtails more. It's a brand new spring mechanism, it'll loosen up over time.

According the Siebert, the fishtailing was working tonight, but the turbulance from the steps wasn't.

For those of you who have ridden, what do you think?

This MAY be just for the fastpass, it's not clearly defined. Gold Passholders are treated like celebrities every day, but this Friday night we pull out all the stops. Join us for this private event and you'll enjoy double rides on 20 of your favorite attractions, huge merchandise sale around the shops on International Street, and Fireworks when the park closes at 10pm. Plus, be one of the first 1,500 Season Passholders through the gates and receive a FREE PHOTO ID LANYARD! Store your cash and show off your Gold Pass with this handy wallet / photo ID holder combo! THE FIRST 2,000 GOLD PASSHOLDERS THROUGH THE GATES THIS FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST TO RIDE THE NEW ATTRACTION! Friday, April 29 - Saturday, April 30 - Sunday, May 1 This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! Cost: Buy a pass and you could be among the 1st to ride! THE FIRST 2,000 GOLD PASSHOLDERS THROUGH THE GATES THIS FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST TO RIDE THE NEW ATTRACTION! Buy your 2005 Gold Pass today be among the first to experience a sneak peak of the all-new attraction before it’s official premiere on May 20, 2005. The first 2,000 Gold Passholders through the gates this Friday (5-10pm), Saturday and Sunday will receive a Gold Pass Speed Lane ride reservation ticket! This ticket will have a return time stamped on it so can go enjoy the park and come back during your reservation time window. Buy your pass online now! Our production crew of Hollywood experts are putting the final touches on the special effects, scenery, and soundtrack. Because this technical rehearsal is strictly a work-in-progress, you may experience long delays and/or the preview may be cancelled at any time.

I think you're the first person in this thread yet who has the right idea.

Mod edit: I decided the Cuban election process wouldn't work on this one. Made yes and no options.

Well, to put it straight up, what do you think PKI would have to do in order to get on par with its sister parks?

Seriously... you act like we're at a serious disadvantage. There are probably only 100 people on earth that would notice something like that, and they're all on here.

What's the deal? Granted, the park has made some good and bad decisions in the past year or so about their ride selection, but it's not like it's not worth riding anymore.

darn the man.... If they're open, I'll still be there.

Face/Off is kind of the forgotten coaster, but I love the disorientation that you get after you get off the ride. Nothing beats that!

I think more than anything I really feel at home there. I have had the blessing of becoming friends with many employees and fans, which is something that I wouldn't trade for anything. The best part of going to the park is the darn near 100% guarentee that I'll run into somebody I know.

I am totally sympathetic to those employees that have to stand out in the cold all day, but I think the park should do something to compensate if they close really early or not at all. I realize that on the back of your ticket, it says that they don't do rainchecks, but I would still understand it if someone paid almost $50 to get into the park and they were only open for a few hours.