Browntggrr

This is where my opinion will not be a popular one... I do blame him for the lawsuit and for being upset. No one knows a guest's condition better than the guest himself. Since his condition is now so severe, he should have more common sense than to put himself in a potential life-threatening position. Yes, the ride broke down. Yes, guests were being removed from other boats. The ride breaking down for 40 minutes is not a serious enough emergency to extract him from the boat. Disney was put in a no-win situation. A cast member could have stayed with the boat the whole time. And during that time, the guest could have been getting more and more upset that he was still sitting there. I have seen numerous guests completely lose it when they don't get their way. Since this guest could potentially die with the notion of being upest, a cast member sitting there could make the situation worse. Disney could have moved the guest themselves, which would certainly put themselves in the liability window if he was dropped or not carried correctly. But Disney took the lesser of the evils, and kept the guest in the boat for 40 minutes. This is not an exceptional amount of time. If it was 2+ hours, then I could see his point. But for 40 minutes? That is a pathetic amount of time to be so angry to file a lawsuit. I do find the article somewhat amusing. The guest complains that a cast member did not come and talk to them but still makes this statement: Added bold for emphasis. If no cast member came up to them, how did he know they were not going to help him?

^ It would be terrible for diabled guests, but, from a park's "c.y.a" point of view, their hands are becoming more and more tied.

Or, more and more rides will not accomodate handicap guests at all.

With the risk of sounding unsympatetic for his condition; lawsuits like this are what cause parks to not allow guests with disabilities on rides. Rides breakdown all the time. It sucks when they do, but it happens. If his condition was so severe that sitting in a boat out of the weather for 40 minutes has the potential of causing death, he should have had the sense of not going on the ride. No park employee can determine if a rider in a wheelchair has such a severe pre-existing condition that a ride breakdown has the potential of causing death. What would happen if this same person was in a car that spun off the road into a snowbank? It would probably take 40+ minutes for a rescue crew/ towtruck to assist him. Would he than sue the: car manufacturer, road crews, and mother nature? Disney should be prasied just for assisting riders like this onto their rides. Lawsuits like this give parks an unjustifyable black eye.

Wow... It is really amazing on how things can be COMPLETELY taken out of context. Can I possibly buy you a coffee Timbo?

Which is quite the feat considering Vortex's first operating year was 1987! Edit- for Timbo's sake

And somewhere in the greater Cincy area, a KI exec sits back chuckling at the footage knowing that the rumors will be running rampant in the enthusiast online community. I wonder how long it will take for someone to post on Facebook that SoB will now be open this summer due to the footage.

*I believe* the Magnum sinking rumor started on a CP enthusiast site on April Fools Day many years ago. The rumor (or sinkhole) has grown so large now, it encompasses many coasters.

With the millions already spent at the numerous other "shots" I am hard pressed to agree that another $15,000,000 is acceptable. Given the history of money already spent (and using your numbers) $8,000,000 for deconstruction is cheap.

^ I wouldn't sweat it too much. If there is a time to enjoy WWoHP, you are going at the best time. Not to mention, the 4th quarter stats include Thanksgiving & Christmas/ New Years break. Most Florida parks are busting at the seems that time of year.

I was thinking along those same lines, but, I also consider WWoHP to be the most themed amusement attraction(s) ever. It should bring in this type of crowd.

Wizarding World sends Universal attendance through roof in 4th quarter http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-01-21/business/os-universal-orlando-earnings-20110121_1_forbidden-journey-wizarding-world-universal-parks-resorts

I wonder if the beer will still have the same taste as the current draft systems.

Check out post # 21....

Five 'new' coasters coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain? Not so fast http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-six-flags-magic-mountain-roller-coasters-01201117,0,5604411.story

Or the money is not availble yet... It took about 3 years for Drachen Fire to finally be dismantled after it was shut down. I was really wondering if they set aside some Wind Seeker construction money to start work on SOB, whatever that may be? But with them really sprucing up Coney Mall, I doubt they have a lot of contingency money left for SOB. Although I fear it has been happening for some time; I would hope money would not be taken from one project to be used on SoB in any fashion.

Or the money is not available yet... It took about 3 years for Drachen Fire to finally be dismantled after it was shut down.

That is a simple answer for web design: more than she did. It could have been the difference of succeeding vs. what really happened. Take a good look right here at KIC and what a small group of dedicated young adults have done. I would happily send a donation to them given the enjoyment this site has offered over the years. There are enough enthusiasts with web design experience that I'm sure would have been happy to help out if they felt the project was worth the time. On the down payment? Given this: http://www.savethebigdipper.org/ It appears there was more money available for the down payment, but she was unwilling to send it. Why not be willing to use the money that people donated, unless there was some kind of fear the project would fall through. On the attorney? Please see the above comments about the web design as it applies here also. Since it appears you have an emotional tie to this project: how much did she spend out of pocket for the project for the same entities you questioned me about?

Surfing the web and comparing other sites should do the trick: http://www.google.com/ So you are saying that she should have spent her time and effort creating a better website rather than trying to save the coaster? I don't think the donors would have appreciated that. Yes, she should have worked on a better website prior to jumping in feet first. Also, given that the site was the easiest way of donating, a legitimate look is paramount for "selling" people to donate. For instance: Conneaut Lake Park was granted $50,000 for their Blue Streak roller coaster through the Pepsi Refresh Project. CLP for years has been: struggling to stay open, been in and out of bankruptcy, has had numerous owners & trustees, etc. Bottom line- the park was written off by most people. But then comes a vote by those same people to grant a large sum of money to save, argueably, the park's shining star. If there were not people putting forth great effort to legitimately save the park, others would not have voted to save the coaster. http://www.refresheverything.com/conneautlakeparkbluestreak Unfortunately, with it comes to donating money, there will be skeptics- I am one of them. Since I do not know the people involved, I rely on the information given, and an update on Oct. 20th and then another update Dec. 2nd does not sit well with me as the information is not forthcoming. I want to know everything going on. If that information is not given, it leads to questions about the legitimacy of the project. I'm sure those involved had every intention of saving the coaster, and not to personally scam anyone. If some want to believe that my comments were to "cut her down left and right" so be it. My comments were not intended to insult her or her idea on a personal level, but they were intended to voice an opinion of how things were handled from a business standpoint.

Surfing the web and comparing other sites should do the trick: http://www.google.com/

While her heart may have been in it, the effort was not there. There was nothing insulting at all. The effort was poor, at best. Just look at the website and updates (or lack of updates). it comes off as internet spam. What judgements were passed without facts? The effort was not there, and the project failed. You can call it "passing judgement"- I call it the brutal truth based upon the facts given (or not given) by the fundraising website. If you have more "facts" that have not been released, please enlighten us. Being an enthusiast does not entitle one for fundraising. I would not take on such a project simply because I cannot put in 100% effort due to work and family. She had a great idea with poor planning; and because of the lack of effort, another group that may want to accomplish the same thing will be hurt due to her failure. Many people (most non-enthusiasts) will look at another "save" as another failed attempt and simply ignore it. In a nutshell: it is too bad her efforts did not equal her intentions. If they would have, I suspect she would have raised more than $384. The fact she did not, in a society of enthusiasts, speaks volumes.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/attendance-numbers-rising-at-areas-amusement-parks-1052888.html?cxtype=rss_local-news

It still blows my mind they can not only pour cement in this weather, they can effectivly do it in sand with the water table being so close. I'm not saying they can't do it, as it has been done at CP for YEARS, but the dynamics of it still shocks me.

I would honestly like to assume the same thing, but, I would also assume that she would have everyone that donated on speed dial and would have already paid the money back leaving the "options" message on the website as never being written because a "we already paid the money back" message was done instead.

Options? People donated for "Saving the Big Dipper". Now that clearly appears to not be happening, and those that donated have options? How about they just refund the money? That seems simple enough. This was a half-hearted effort from the beginning, and has ended like most suspected.