Gabe

I do, for one. Maybe, but yours will be free anyway as a Gold/Platinum pass holder.There's a thing in marketing called perceived value. That's when people essentially feel like they get a better deal than they are getting. So if a couple buys 2 Dino tickets, they feel as though they got a better deal by spending $4 as opposed to $5, although the park budgets each person pays $4 or less. Same goes for "free" parking for Gold pass holders and "free" Pepsi at Holiday World. The cost of these items is still built into your ticket, but you feel as though you are getting a better deal since it's not itemized. It's all in the mind. But yeah, very cool deal for both pass holders and ticket buyers. Glad they went this direction. Said the animated Beatles (George, mostly) in Yellow Submarine. Now, please direct me to the nearest Extra Magic Hours going on..I can't believe I get an extra 2 hours in the park for free!

Need to make them short enough to sit on and call them StoneBench! If so, they better make sure they write 18' and not 18" on the napkin outlining the specs!!

I highly recommend a visit to Indiana University in Bloomington! As an alum, it's hard not to fall in love with the place the first time you set foot on campus! Indiana, Our Indiana...

Are you getting the "Built to Amaze!" show? That's the one that played Indy back in early December that I attended with my daughter. It was good, but I liked previous years' shows a bit better. If you have kids, dont miss the free all access preshow an hr before showtime where you can go on the arena floor and mingle with and even do some basic tricks with some of the performers, who are simply great w kids. Have fun!

Think of this show more along the lines of what you'd find on a cruise ship--given the size of the stage in the theater, I think the show will be good. Cirque Du Soleil plays on massive stages (for their permanent shows), so its comparing apples to oranges. If only KI would put a bit of money into rehabbing the interior. New carpet and seats would be a start.

Like when Paramount added the wrought iron detailing on the the sign post, in order to evoke the famed entrance to its studios in Hollywood? Other than that and the necessary font changes over the years to the lettering, hasn't the actual 'message' part of the sign remained unchanged?

Don did say that although the event starts at 5:30, that doesn't mean the first rides will begin then. Except that April 18 is Opening Day, which means the front gates won't open till 9:30! If you're referring to Media Day, that's on April 17 and yes, while the event begins about 5:30AM, the first ride window hasn't been announced yet.

The back of my 2014 Gold Pass states that a $15 fee will be charged for replacement.

Don't hold your breath. The owner of the coaster has no current intentions to sell it, despite several offers over the past few years.

Keep in mind that ODOT is going to redesign and reconfigure the whole 71/KI Drive interchange next year, so that will likely move the right of way closer to the sign (since the road will be widened). I would expect the City of Mason to take another look at their zoning laws soon after completion of the project.

A California lawmaker has proposed a bill that would outlaw orca shows at all California parks: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/03/07/san-diego-seaworld-orca-shows/6162331/

I believe Don mentioned in another thread that lockers would be available for rent on Media Day.

Yes and No. Read the Highway Beautification Act. A MAJOR exception to the law is "on-premise" signs, meaning that if the sign is on the owner's property, it is exempt from all the restrictions that billboards and signs (both static and LED) must abide by on the highways. The fines you are referring to are imposed by the Feds and amount to a 10% reduction in that state's Transportation funds for each year the sign is not remedied. Since KI's sign is clearly within its borders, it can do whatever it wants with it. The technology has gotten cheaper as of late, so what once would cost millions now costs in the low-mid 6 figures.

$1200 is MSRP. I'm sure since KI bought more than one,a lower price may have been paid. Any hand dryer is better than paper towels, which end up all over the floor and in the trash, not to mention wasting resources. (I'm not Greenpeace wacko--you won't see me on a zipline unfurling banners at P & G HQ but I do recycle quite a bit at home and in the office!)

If so, then a search of the Mason City Council or similar body would show if such an improvement was on the agenda. It wouldn't be a bad upgrade IMO to have an LED sign with flashing animations and whatnot.

Even if you aren't organized and well planned it's still a great place! Given it's flexibility, all one needs to know how to do is navigate the app once at the park to make on the fly changes depending on traffic. The fact that attractions like Imagination and Captain Eo are listed (both of which resemble ghost towns on most days) make you realize that the system is a dynamic one.

Just reference The Magic Carpets of Aladdin at Magic Kingdom - it's a similar sized ride tucked into a similar sized midway. That ride does create bottlenecks on lots of days. It disrupts the free flow of traffic from Jungle Cruise all the way over to Pirates, not to mention does a superb job of blocking the view of the midway. With dueling Dumbos (with its innovative que) now operational over in FL, the need for this ride is, in my mind, no longer needed.

On the contrary, I have spoken to lots of people who enjoyed being a sweep. The job is what you make of it. You will be encouraged to interact with park guests early and often every day and who knows, you could inadvertently help make someone's day at the park a lot more worthwhile. When I worked at Disney, I was in Rides, and was originally assigned to be a Jungle skipper, but got switched to another attraction at the last minute which I wasn't nearly as excited about at first. It was a lot of fun, but I often was envious of the park sweeps who seemed to be always having a good time (they could wander around and observe, while at Rides, I was fixed in just a few places every day). Don't poo-poo it solely based on your disdain for picking up trash.

Chic Fil A, like all businesses, is changing with the times. When Mr. Cathy passes, the younger ownership group has expressed a desire to go to a 7 day operation. Much like a certain yummy ice cream out of Cincy (the old man resisted all urges to expand until just recently, when pressured by the younger generation, who realized expansion=profit). Indy just got a store as of 2 weeks ago with 3-5 more on the way in the next 2-3 years. Change is good.

Policies for the upcoming season have yet to be announced in full. They could be the same, or different than what was in place last year. I'm certain the info will be on the park's website once available.

I wish I could enjoy Yuenling, but for now, it is not sold in Indianapolis. With a trip to Ohio looming next weekend, I will likely "smuggle" a case back over the Indiana line!

Not such a big deal, considering the vast majority buy multi-day passes, which are not affected by this price hike. See the article below. http://www.usatoday.com/story/dispatches/2014/02/24/disney-price/5786097/

http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2014/02/17/ind-supreme-court-decides-not-to-hear-holiday-world-case/5556769/ Above is the link to the story. Dan issued a statement saying he still won't sell his shares to Lori, so despite this final setback, this has the potential to drag on some more.

There have been some rumblings in the Indy legal community of which I belong that the two sides have been engaged in off and on settlement discussions quietly and out of the public eye--as it should be. If settlement talks reach a certain point, court dates will likely get pushed back. As mentioned before, there are a lot of moving parts here, so stay tuned.