BoddaH1994

<<But since they take such a hardline stance on alcohol, would it be too much to ask for them to do the same about smoking? If you're going to kick a guy out of line for having a beer, shouldn't the same apply to smokers.>> As an occasional smoker, I'd still have to agree with you. If you smoke in line, it bothers a lot of people. Non smokers have a tendancy to be offended my the smell quite often. The smoke even bothers my eyes when I'm in a closed area. I like the policy they have about letting it in the park, but not in any line or in any building. When you're outdoors, you have the option to avoid smokers if you want to. Even if they disallowed smoking in the general area, and had smoking areas throughout the park, I'd probably be all for it. Since smokers are a minority now, we need to respect the wishes of the masses.

How long does the free parking promotion last? Sept 1st?

They ended Winterfest before I was a PKI loyalist. I was just wondering what went on? Most rides can't operate in the winter (well, they can, but I'm sure they're no fun) so what were the attractions? I'll assume that they attracted people with shows, if so, what were they like? --Ryan

Definately length of ride. I mean, I love air time, speed, and inversions as much as the rest of you, but when it call comes down I want to feel like I got my time's worth waiting in line. -Ryan

I like to drink often. Hell, I'm a college kid. In contrast to that, I agree with PKI's policy. The park really just isn't a place for people to be getting drunk. There are far too many people there and way to many things could go wrong. It's not a concert, it's a family place. Now, I think that people should have the option of having a drink or two when eating, so it's a good thing that they have specific restricted areas. I know you guys are going to tear up my opinion as you usually do, but hey, you can be the poor fool who sits next to the guy on The Vortex who has 12 beers in him already. -Ryan

Oh, I'm not doubting that teenagers could do a good job working in a resteraunt. I was one of them less than a year ago. It really has more to do with the credibility of the resteraunt. "High rollers" in resteraunts would much rather eat a meal cooked by Pierre' the French chef than Billy who works weekend nights to pay for his car insurance. (No ethnocentrism intended against the French) --Ryan

I'm not doubting that it was busy, but they still may not have made money. Keep in mind that the nicer the food preparation, the higher the overhead is. Perhaps they should have another company run it. What do you think? -Ryan

Just about 6 hours. Flight of Fear. The line was out to the Zephyr. It broke down 4 times.. I'd tell you the story, but it looks like you were there.

I chose FoF. The launch makes it all worth it. The coaster is really disorienting too. The first time I took my little brother on it, when we were slowing down in the hallway at the end of the ride, my brother was clenching the lapbar yelling, "Are we upside down!?". If The Beast at night were an option, I would have chosen it. The best part is the total darkness while going through the helix. -Ryan

I realize that people do it all the time, but do you think that snapping the cables is bad for the ride? I'm sure it puts sudden impact strains on the superstructure. -Ryan

I totally agree with you about the employees. They work very hard and make everything as smooth as possible, so if any of you guys work there and are on here, you guys rock! It's really frusterating when you've been waiting for upwards of an hour or more for a ride to get to the platform and see the employees slowing down the process by screwing around talking to eachother rather than checking the lapbars. I'm not saying it happens a lot, because it doesn't. PKI has one of the best crews I've ever seen. They make an excellent team. -Ryan

I like Rivertown because it's generally quiet and nicely themed. I just wish that there was more to it. -Ryan

<<Furthermore, I would like to commend Mandarin Cuisine as a GREAT leap forward in the right direction. As of this year it is MY favorite restaurant at PKI, surpassing Festhaus. The food is great and decently priced.>> Yeah, I forgot about that one. I've never eaten there, but I have had some of their samples and...wow... Anyway Italian Chef, when are you going to get a daily live cooking show there? -Ryan

Yeah, they need a better selection at PKI as far as food goes. Basically, you have two choices: overpriced pizza, or mediocre-at-best cheeseburgers. They have other options too like chicken fingers and fries, but those are just overpriced appetizers in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, Bubba Gump's is definitely a step in the right direction! Anyway, opening the Internation Resteraunt seems like a great idea. I'm sure they closed it for a reason: lack of revenue, operating costs exceeding profit, or whatever, but it's such a good thing that it had to have been a marketing problem. It would create a great atmosphere especially for young couples. You could eat at the resteraunt, and possibly visit the park and still feel like you went on a semi-classy date. They would just have to market it correctly. I mean, granted I was probably about 11 when they closed it, but until this year, I had never heard of it. Even if they didn't do regualr advertising and just advertised within the park, I'm sure they could do decent business. As far as the elevator issue goes, it's not as big of a deal as you'd think it is. I mean, they'd have to have one due to codes, but this is Paramount we're taking about. If they found a good enough reason to put one in and open that restaurant, I can assure you that nothing would stand in their way. -Ryan

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's free for all passholders. I agree that free Fearfest is a dumb idea. I went twice last year, the first week it was opened, and the 2nd last weekend. The first time was awsome, because no one was there. The park was eerie, and you could experience everything. The 2nd time I went, the park was over crowded and miserable. -Ryan

<<I think it would be better if these 'smaller acts' could schedule their summer tours with stops in PKI.>> Actually, that's not a bad idea at all. What they should really do is commit several days out of the season to have all day concert things free with admission. I mean, they should have 10 to 15 underground bands play from like noon until the park closes. Bands like that won't expect much money for such a publicity stunt, and you have to figure that hundreds if not thousands if people would come to see one or two of the bands and spend the rest of the day in the park. I realize that it costs a lot to run the venue, but you have to figure that most people will get bored, or see whatever band(s) they want to and spend the rest of the day in the park. It would generate crazy amounts of revenue from each person, assuming that they're not a park regular. They'd have to pay to park, pay admission, pay for food, we'll assume they'll play some games or whatever, and may even do a pay ride. So long as they book serious bands (not big acts) but ones that are underground, and not unheard of, they can't loose. -Ryan

There's an idea. That would be one BIG son of a gun! (No pun intended )

I love the whole atmosphere at Fear Fest. The haunted houses are really cool but to be honest, I just like being able to ride the rides in the middle of the night. I mean, come on, you guys have to admit that there's just something about The Beast at night. -Ryan

I'd be worth it if you went after the ticket price was reduced, which is 5:00, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong.

What year did the International Resteraunt close, and what kind of food did it have when it was opened?

lol...You people seem to like to argue my ideas than to come up with your own. Once again, what do you think they should do with it? Is the small handful of concerts there enough to even justify having it? Should they have some sort of daily show? The question is: What do YOU think? Even if it's isn't entirely realistic. -Ryan

Trust me, 10,000 isn't very big. I mean, it's big for PKI, but only a little over half of what the US Bank Arena seats of 17,909. 10,000 is big for a Def Lepard concert, but it's way too small for say the Rolling Stones. Of course a daily show there would never fill up the place, but it would accomodate a larger scale show. If they had a daily show there, they'd have to stop booking concerts. -Ryan

We all know about the Timberwolf. In my opinion, it's kind of a waste. What's the point of having an amphitheater if you're only going to have about six concerts a year? Now, here's my question: What do YOU think they should use it for? Keep in mind that its seating capacity isn't extremely large, so suggesting that bands play there like Metallica/Rolling Stones/N Sync or whatever is really illogical. Also, keep in mind that while the capacity isn't extremely large, it's still pretty freaking big, so it would also be illogical to have Vibe or Spellbound there. My suggestion would be to have different shows there similar to TR:SS but only have them twice a day. Perhaps one around 1:00 and one around 6:00. If there are fewer shows, they'd be able to have a better show more than likely and having them only twice would bring more people in. I would have a new show every 3 weeks or so to keep it fresh. The show would have to be well-hyped with signs around the park showing how to get to the Timberwolf. The show doesn't necessarily have to be a stunt show, but I think it should be something more than their regular song and dance or cheesy magic shows. Anyway, that's just my opinion. So tell me what you think. -Ryan

I was actually thinking the same thing and I'm sure it crossed their minds as well. The problems with that are first of all, they have a few concerts there every year. There's no telling how far in advance they book the shows as opposed to planning on having the stunt show. There could be a conflict there. I'm sure they could move all the props for the show out the day of a concert, but that's a big hassle that I'm sure they don't want to deal with. You also have to realize that most people don't plan on going to the shows. They probably just see them going on or hear the music and wander in. If the show wasn't in a primary spot like the International Showplace, they might loose a lot of people. Another problem would be that you have to assume that a tourist wouldn't know what or where the Timberwolf is. Obviously everyone on here either knows where it is and/or has been there at some time, but for the most part, people who know where it is are either regulars at the park, or have a reason to know where it is, like a ticket holder. I realize that there are a couple of signs up pointing to the entrance, but hey, we're dealing with people here, so you have to assume that logic and common sense are way out the window. -Ryan

That does make sense, but it still has signs up saying that fake fog is in use. So, reguardless anyone who isn't extremely familiar with the park who has allergic reactions to it wouldn't ride.