Hendrick

Every time I see an old photo, the more and more I wish Cedar Fair would give The Racer a retro paint scheme.

But that's because the pressure in the plates have to build in order for a major earth quake to occur. Lets look at California. Those plates haven't moved substantially in years. But say 10 years from now, they pressure builds great enough that they finally move, and a huge earthquake occurs. If the plates move the following year after that, little will happen since all the pressure has been released. But that is earthquakes. Flooding has no force behind it that builds up, year after year, which could cause a higher probability.

Trains speed up a little bit from the first time that they are run. Take a look at Son of Beast when it got those new trains. Remember all of those pictures where it stalled on the antiroll backs?

You're right. I mean, it's the same height. And speed. And length. And uses the same trains. And terrain. But man, has it fallen apart. And if you think it's an awful ride now, just wait until there's a longer wooden roller coaster millions upon millions of miles away! It'll be all but worthless! Not the same trains... used to have 4 benches.

(I gave Cedar Fair MY money... it wasn't theirs till I gave it to them). It's really not that drastic. I live in Columbus, so I'm sorta in the middle of the two parks. I've always been a wooden coaster fan, which is why I normally prefer Kings Island. But with my favorite ride out, I think Cedar Point has the upper hand as to which is my favorite park. I know Cedar Fair still got the money in the end, but it wasn't through the Kings Island outlet. MY money was shown as being spent at Cedar Point, not Kings Island. (Well, technically Ohio State... cannot beat their $25.00 tickets). Like I said, I know I'm in the minority, and I know two tiny passes isn't going to make a difference (always buy two). But you have to start somewhere. As the consumer, if you want something done, you have to make your voice heard. And as the old saying goes, Money Talks.

Two things here. First, I want to add to what Terpy said. Lets take a look at Apple. Have you ever seen the famous "Apple Store is Currently Down" pictures? Here. Apple almost always does something minor to one of it's existing products, from bumping the specs of the RAM in Macbook Pro's, to dropping the price of a computer in a foreign country. It doesn't take that much time to drop a price... I mean, let's be honest, you could refresh a page 5 seconds after you loaded it initially, and something be different. (For those who aren't tech savy, it's as simple as a form post. As soon as you hit that "Post" button, it appears so everyone can see.) Apple store is the same way. It only takes a second to update a product. However, Apple chooses to keep it's store down for much longer then that second... sometimes up to a few hours. Why? The tech community explodes, with everyone pondering "What is Apple doing this time?" If Apple creates this much hype inside the tech communities just by keeping their store down for an hour, they'd be stupid not to. Just go a Google search for this phrase, (including the quotations): "Apple Store Down". There is over 400,000 hits. Amazing what Apple achieved just by letting people ponder for only a few hours. Roller Coaster communities are the same way. Before Firehawk was announced, the KI fan sites exploded with people posting rumors. It created a buzz, which got people interested. But as soon as the ride was announced, that buzz sorta died. Sure, we had construction updates, but still, it wasn't the same. (Let's even think of the TV show Lost for a second. If you knew how the show was going to end, why would you still feel the need to watch it. Sure some people will, but not nearly as many.) Finally, the second part. I only quoted a part of your post for a reason, because that's the part I want to key on here. I almost bought a season pass last season to Kings Island. But I didn't. As soon as I heard that Son of Beast wouldn't operate (it is my favorite roller coaster) the whole season, I skipped out. I'm sure I was in the minority, but when I didn't get what I wanted from the park, I made a decision not to buy a pass. Instead, I got a few tickets to Cedar Point, and went there. Actually, the ONLY reason why I did go to Kings Island this past year was to buy a pass for the upcoming season (couldn't beat that 69.99 deal). So yes, I see why the park stalled for that reason too. I almost bought a season pass this past season before I heard the announcement about Son of Beast. Even if they waited a little bit longer, I may of had a pass this previous season.

So, does anyone know if this is the same company that just painted Vortex this past year (or two years...). I it's listed, but so is King Cobra, so it may of been a previous coat.

Yea, the only problem including WindSeeker is the location... it's on the other side of the park from Diamondback and The Beast.

Nope. (If you sign up for the Stocking Giveaway, you'll get this email with this link advertising the gold pass. And if you go on to read...

Those are amazing Son of Beast pictures! Just wish there were more to look at... Thanks for sharing!

6 correct answers out of 10 is over half right. Unfortunately, 60% is still failing. Actually in a lot of schools today 60% is passing What schools? Classes that aren't curved at Ohio State, 60% is passing, 59% is failing. (Certain classes require a C- to move on to the next level though). Some classes raise the final grade by a certain percentage point total, which still would follow that 60% passing, 59% failing.

Yea, it did have water. Not sure when it was removed, but I believe it was due to a mosquito problem (At least, that was one of the reasons).

Speaking of which, how busy are the parks during the Gold Member's ERT before the park opens? Depends on what time of the year. This Saturday, we got to ride it 12 times during the hour. On the average weekday during the summer, how is it then? (Not surprised about the 12 rides, because Haunt isn't until 7.)

Speaking of which, how busy are the parks during the Gold Member's ERT before the park opens?

Sounds like an awesome story that should be shared!

Let's just say 2 people go per car... so 30,000 cars park. Again, we'll say a quarter of the people are season pass holders, so 22,500 cars that have to pay to park. $10 a parking spot, means $225,000 brought in from parking alone! (Same logic, at $45.99 ticket [online price], $2,695,500.) I think it's safe to say that Halloween is here to stay, and that Cedar Fair doesn't care how long you spend in the park... admission price is enough to help them along. So, what's my point? It's simple Economics. I don't care how crowded the parks are, people are still going to go. Which means more money for Cedar Fair. Which means more new rides. Which means more lines for people to wait in... It's all relative. A 5 minute wait is not profitable. I, for one, am very happy to see these lines. More money for the park is always a good thing. But the Q is how much does it cost to open the park? I would be willing to bet it is more than 3,000,000 dollars. Also some people did not pay 45.99 for a ticket. They may of used one of many discounts to get in. Then throw in people who go in see that big of a crowd and turn around mad. Some may never return, some may tell their friends about their bad experience. Not saying a crowd is not good for the park, it clearly is but we don't know all the factors to be able to definitely know how much profit CF is making. I know, but the cost of running the park is close to being the same, whether 10 people show up, or 60,000. I highly doubt the DAILY operating cost is more then $3,000,000 though. That means WindSeeker would be payed for by keeping the park closed just one day... And yes, not everyone payed 45.99. I just assumed that's what most people payed. Yes, some got a cheaper price, and I'm sure others payed a higher price at the gate.

Let's just say 2 people go per car... so 30,000 cars park. Again, we'll say a quarter of the people are season pass holders, so 22,500 cars that have to pay to park. $10 a parking spot, means $225,000 brought in from parking alone! (Same logic, at $45.99 ticket [online price], $2,695,500.) I think it's safe to say that Halloween is here to stay, and that Cedar Fair doesn't care how long you spend in the park... admission price is enough to help them along. So, what's my point? It's simple Economics. I don't care how crowded the parks are, people are still going to go. Which means more money for Cedar Fair. Which means more new rides. Which means more lines for people to wait in... It's all relative. A 5 minute wait is not profitable. I, for one, am very happy to see these lines. More money for the park is always a good thing.

I bought a season pass 3 weeks ago. Used the free ticket the same day. Pass processing took all of 5 minutes, really no wait at all. Enjoy!

If I was a mod... I'd seriously consider closing this thread down soon.... Just saying.

I went to KI on a Saturday (first full Saturday, last week I believe) with my girlfriend. Neither of us were interested in the Haunts, as that's just not really our thing. We rode a few flats, and a few coasters, and we had a blast. I didn't mind the scare actors, one of them even got me to jump. But he's just doing his job, and doing it very well. I loved the look of the Fog machines, I just think they should be positioned in a way that they aren't pumping directly into the midway. Walking by one, I decided it'd be best to hold my breathe. If you don't like it, simply don't go. If attendance drops, that's the only way things will change. There's signs everywhere warning people about the haunts, as well as a few that even say this might be offensive. Me personally? It was my favorite trip to Kings Island ever.

Thanks Terpy for "dumbing" it down so it's easy to read. Very interesting stuff.

Just noticed you can't buy the passes online... That's really stupid. I know you get a free ticket for 2010, but when you already have your October planned, it makes it difficult to find time to go down there. It'd be one thing if you lived in Cincinnati, it's another thing when your a few hours away.

Thanks for the response. As much as I would love the Platinum Pass, I simply cannot afford it.

Does anyone know what the 2011 Gold Pass Benefits are? There's a real good chance I'm going to be able to get one for 2011, and I'm just wondering if there are any ERT perks, or if Halloween Haunt will be included in the pass next year.

Instead of "little bit excited", more so, "little bit disappointed".