XGatorHead 8904

Well, it depends on when you would qualify a person as having a first ride. I'll explain... You could say that my first coaster was Scooby Doo (later to be known as Beastie/Fairly Odd Coaster). I count it as my first since it's the first one I remember and I wasn't tall enough for any others at KI at the time. But... My mother rode Racer when she was pregnant with me in 1972 (the restrictions were looser then, and this could explain a lot about me ) . So technically I rode Racer before Scooby Doo, but I didn't have a womb with a view...

Well, I wasn't really planning to adopt. I may adapt, though.

Exactly. I've been quite vocal on the subject these past few days. They claim it's nostalgia, but my feeling is that it is actually to save on labor/maintenance later this season. With both sides now going forward, the park will not feel as obligated to run both sides of Racer, since they are no longer two completely different ride experiences. And with only one side running, what will it be racing? I'll hold out a little hope that it will live up to it's name, but when the day comes that it only runs one side, I will call for a re-name of the ride to "Practice Lap" . I hope that I did not give the impression in my previous post above that I was agreeing with CF's "nostalgia" reason. Nothing could be farther than the truth. I was just trying to make the point that if it was actually due to manufacturer's recommendation, they most likely would have said so to begin with, which was the case when I was told that was the reason for the seatbelt shortening on MF a few years ago.

My wife and I still call Boomerang Bay "WaterWorks". Our daughter, who was 2 last year, was even calling it that last year. I guess at some point we'll have to change since eventually her friends will be like "WaterWorks? What's that?"

It would be wrong to say that it's the manufacturer's recommendation if that is not actually true. I'm sure that if that were the case, CF would have stated that as the reason rather than their current one. I was one of those people affected by the MF seatbelt "fiasco". MF is my favorite coaster, I rode it for several years and couldn't the next, not because of any weight gain, which had remained the same, but because the seatbelts were shortened. The CP associate working the test seat explained to me that the belts were shortened due to manufacturer recommendation. I was PO'd at the time (especially since KI didn't even use belts on their coasters at the time, so why even have them in the first place?), but once I cooled off and thought about it, it made sense to me and who was I to question it? Even though I didn't like it, it had the safety of the riders in mind. If it had been the manufacturer's suggestion to turn recaR around again, that would sit better with me than "returning the nostalgia", but unfortunately that is not the case. I appreciate many of the changes CF is trying to bring back to the park, such as entertainment, landscaping and the like, but how about the nostalgia for those who knew Racer as not only forwards, but backwards as well. I was there in the 70's, and loved Racer then, loved it a little more when it went backwards too. But it ran backwards 2 1/2 times longer than both sides ran forward (26 years vs. 10 years). Using simple logic based on the number of years (and I'm not even taking into consideration growth in attendance over the years), it can be deduced that more people would remember it as backwards than as both forwards. So the nostalgia of the minority outweighs the nostalgia of the majority in this case.

This is common practice in park chains. It saves money to use stock footage of various parks throughout the chain. I know Paramount did it, CP does it, and I never see SF ads, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do as well.

Steel: Outer Limits: Flight of Fear. I listed the old name because I'm referring to when it was known as that and had the OTSRs. And I do rate that experience as worse than Manhattan Express, which was rough as well. Today Flight of Fear is a great ride. Wood: Mean Streak. The only coaster I have ever sworn never to ride again. I broke that promise when I went with a friend a few years ago who had not been to CP in decades, but wanted to ride it despite my warnings. He soon agreed with me, and I renewed my vow once again after foolhardily ignoring my own advice for the benefit of my friend.

And I know where I'll be June 6th! I used to see Moody Blues at Timberwolf every year. They eventually made the move to Riverbend, but haven't been through town in quite awhile. Who knows when (or if) they'll tour again... that's the problem with liking all these classic rock bands. I was so glad when Genesis went on tour this past year, I finally got to see them. Now my only must see band left is Pink Floyd, who knows if that will ever happen. I was worried that the National City Pavilion would be the end of Timberwolf, especially with Weird Al and Aly & AJ, two recent former Timberwolf acts, making the move there. But with National City only being a 4,100 seater, compared to Timberwolf's 9,800 seats, this may not be the end of the 'wolf yet. We'll have to wait and see if CF wants to be in the concert business, which in this market is tough with all the different venues in the area.

Click below for my feelings. It's too much to type over again or summarize. XGatorHead's recaR Rant

I knew this was coming, but I am disappointed. And this is the first time that I have ever disagreed with you, Terpy, when you said: I think a lot of guests will notice. With the millions(?) of rides that recaR receives each year, let alone it's entire existence, to claim that a lot of guests will never notice does not make any sense to me. I do not, however, think that a lot of guests will actually take the time to file a formal complaint with the park, not that that would do anything anyway, the decision has been made. One thing I find interesting is that on local news reports, as well as various other online sources, the reason for turning recaR around is to "make it consistant with other Cedar Fair parks". What a line of bologna. Is this the same reason for all the parks, ie Rebel Yell at KD and Thunder Road at Carowinds? If all the twin coasters being changed this year have the same reason, then they were consistant to begin with!!! The only twin coaster in the CF chain to not follow this would be Gemini at CP. But of course, why change a coaster at their flagship park to follow the example of the majority of the other twin coasters in the chain? It comes down to money. I've said it before and I'll say it again here... don't expect Racer to live up to it's name and actually race every day, despite the claim that they are "reigniting the rivalry between the Red Racer vs. the Blue Racer, both sides running forward, in a head-to-head competition to the finish line". It may start the season that way, but come mid- to end of season, I expect only one side to be open as a labor/maintenance savings on slower days. Just look at Gemini, a coaster that I personally feel is far inferior to Racer (and before I get any responses labelling me, I'm not just a KI fan who thinks all KI rides are better than CP's. I happily list MF as my favorite coaster anywhere, and I have a great appreciation for all the others there...except for Mean Streak). But I have been to CP many times where Gemini has only run one side, only once have I been there with both sides running, as I always tended to go on the lower attendance days during the middle of the week. Expect Racer, Rebel Yell and Thunder Road to soon be consistant with Gemini in this aspect too. Running one side of Racer would not let it live up to it's name and potential. I have been riding Racer since the '70's (my mom even rode while pregnant with me in 1972... the restrictions were a lot looser then, and that probably explains a lot about me ), so I do remember when both sides went forward, and how excited I was when it was turned backwards. It was my second coaster going backwards on, the first being Demon. I just wish that I had known about this before the park closed for the 2007 season so I could ride recaR one last time. Much like Geauga Lake fans wish they would have known about their home park closing so they could get their last rides in. And don't hate me because I'm comparing a coaster's change in direction to an entire park closing. I will not be able to, at least in the forseeable future, enjoy the experience of recaR again, much like how many GL lovers will miss the experience that was Geauga Lake. I'm sensing a pattern with CF... As far as the barrier in the station being removed... I could be wrong, but wasn't it always there to begin with? I don't remember it ever not being there, but I could be wrong.

And there are those of us who don't like the Smurfs Enchanted Voyage because they chased away our beloved HB characters, the original inhabitants of that building... Not all of us. Depending on my mood, I may choose the Smurfs over Phantom Theater (even with that cursed "La, la, la la la la" song, which sticks in your mind almost as much as "It's A Small World"), and definitely the original HB characters over the Smurfs. I just liked the boat ride experience better than the current dark ride. But those days are long gone.

Definitely go on these days that they have processing before the park opens. This is a great time to get it done with little or no wait. So many people don't know about this, that what makes it great. The longest line I ever remember seeing was 20 minutes, and that was on the day before the park opened. Most times you can typically go right up to the processing station. I don't know about that, it sounds suspicious...and remember this is coming from a former admissions employee. But, I don't know for sure. If there is a reason that the plan wouldn't work, that's probably not it. Unless things have changed in the last few years, you always had to have your pass processed before entering the park, even e-passes. The only exception were the years when processing was inside Paramount Theater, or when the processing line is deemed too long by management, they will direct people to enter the turnstiles with their unprocessed passes. The turnstile associates are (or were and should be) advised of when this exception is made. Any other time the turnstile associate is supposed to direct the guest to the processing building.

What exactly do you think that Guest Relations would say? "We appreciate you sharing your concerns with us, and we will forward your comments to management."

^ I figured it would be there too. Someone in another topic had mentioned Munchen Tower as a possibility, but that would be too small. I love the Kid Track idea. My question is will this be combined with the ride height wristbands? That would be preferable instead of the kids wearing two wristbands. And how can line jumping still not be a sport at Kings Island? I thought that it was going to be an official Olympic event in Beijing this year!

Section 1 Row AA is in the second section back, but not the front row of that section. Your ticket is listed as "Front of House" because it is in the front half (front 2 sections) of the amphitheater. I just checked ticketmaster.com, and they also have Gold Circle seating available. Gold Circle seating is the front sections of the amphitheater. So, if you want to sit as close as possible to the stage, do not pick Front of House, but choose Gold Circle. Or, what I always do in this situation, just leave the section defaulted to "Best Available". If you leave it as best available, Ticketmaster will somewhat pick out the closest seats for you. I say somewhat because each section of Timberwolf is divided into 2 sections in Ticketmaster's system (called x sections), and it will sell the entire x1 section before it moves on to x2, and so on, but I don't want to bore everyone with all the technicalities of Ticketmaster's ticketing system. Hopefully this helps!

^Nope, the Wheel of Fortune was at Kings Island. It was located in Rivertown, across from Kings Mill Log Flume, where Reptar is today. It can also be seen in the Brady Bunch Kings Island episode.

I don't think Rumor Smasher is saying that it may change for the same reason as the Paramount rides. From his post, I took it to mean that they could change the name because if they do only run one side on slower days, the name Racer really no longer applies since North and South would no longer race. I see this as unlikely though given the ride's historic status. But, like I said before in another topic, if they do only run one side, they might as well call it "Practice Lap" instead.

I know that it won't change a thing, and that will be the response I get, but I just want my voice to be one of those that are heard in expressing my displeasure at this decision. Not that it matters. Why am I feeling like Eeyore now?

For all those upset with recaR being switched to the original setup, do what I plan to do. Wait until an offical announcement comes from KI (not a Screamscape report quoting the KD rep, but an actual announcement from KI management/marketing), and then file a formal complaint with the Guest Relations dept. I may wait until April 20th to do this in person.

So you start the post by asking a question, and then you answer your own question 3 posts later, from personal experience? That's a good one! Of course I would say this is possible, especially if the cup has a lid!

While it's true that 16 year olds can drive but not vote or agree to consensual sex, they (as well as anyone who drives) can do far more physical harm to more people behind the wheel than they can by, for the purpose of my argument, voting or having consensual sex. Everytime anyone gets behind the wheel, they take not only their life but the lives of the hundreds/thousands of other drivers on the road into their hands. One thing that I did find odd in another account of the ride operator's testimony is that the E-stop was a few feet away, but the operator was not able to push it in time. But, could an 18+ yr old could have done so? It depends on the person and the situation. There are 16-17 yr olds capable and responsible enough to operate rides, just as there are plenty of 18+ that are not. Raising the age will not necessarily prevent accidents from happening, but it WILL put some people's minds more at ease. It brings to mind when I go to BB, which is quite often during the summer since my wife, daughter and I all love the water. Now I'm a capable swimmer, not the best, but I get by. When I was a kid my family had a boat, and today I enjoy kayaking and whitewater rafting. But when I look at some of the skinny little lifeguards at BB, I always think "If something were to happen, how are THEY going to be able to drag MY fat a** out of the water?" Even though I know they are fully capable of doing so, and I have faith in the training they receive (having worked with the rides dept. before and having some knowledge of the lifeguard certification), that question always pops into my mind and I have a good little chuckle.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. The age of the operator did not have anything to do with the accident. Plus, if this were the case, a 16 year old is allowed to drive and can do quite a bit of damage behind the wheel of a car as well. The article also says that the new law would prohibit ride operators from having any alcohol on their system (which should definitely be the case already). But from the article, one could infer that this was the case in the SFKK incident, which was also not the case. Maybe it's a good thing SFKK is closing a section of the park for the season. With this new law restricting who can work on rides, this would help their staffing a little.

And mine is 230 days after opening day, or 136 days before.

Topic already being discussed here.

I'll miss recaR. I have been going to the park for many,many years, so I do remember both sides forward. But turning Racer South backwards brought a whole new experience to the ride, which is loved by many. I love both sides of Racer and am disappointed in CF's decision to turn around recaR, especially if this is just a cost saving move so that they can open only one side on slower days. There is a reason that coaster has the name it does...it's supposed to RACE. When I was a kid, it was a big deal to see if I was on the winning train or not, however in recent years there have sadly been many times I've ridden where the trains were not dispatched together. If they open only one side on slow days, they should change the coaster's name from Racer to Practice Lap.