XGatorHead 8904

I agree with everything everyone above has said. We've been going to DW for at least 5 years for Smoky Mountain Christmas. I'll reiterate: Do not miss the shows! 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and Christmas in the Smokies are excellent. A Christmas Carol is very well done, especially the effects for the ghosts. The food is very good. Like CoastersRZ mentioned, the cinnamon bread is a highlight, Miss Lillian's, Aunt Granny's, Backstage Restaurant, Granny Ogle's Ham N Beans, Hickory House Barbecue, Lumberjack's Pizza, Red's Drive In and the big skillets are all excellent. I've never had a bad meal anywhere in the park, and there's just so many choices! Every time we go to Pigeon Forge we stay at the Rodeway Inn, which is just about the last thing on the south end of the strip before you start the drive to Gatlinburg. It's not the fanciest but the rates are reasonable and it meets my requirement that it must be a clean place to rest my head (we don't spend much time in our room when we're on trips). You also get a free pancake breakfast each morning at the restaurant that's on property. http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-pigeon_forge-tennessee-TN445 Enjoy your trip, and let us know how it went!

It's hard for those Gods to make anyone pay when their arms are non functioning Plenty of "one-armed bandits" have made people pay over the years. I think a water coaster (as in, roller coaster-water coaster (Mack), not water slide-water coaster (Proslide)) would be perfect in Tower Gardens. It could be called "The Expedition" and utilize the waterfall structure for the lift and drop. It could also possibly go inside the waterfall at some point of the ride. I think you greatly over-estimate the size of the waterfall in Tower Gardens.

Thank you for posting that video Terpy, I love watching clips like that. It makes me thankful that parks such as Coney, Idlewild, Conneaut Lake & Kennywood still exist.

Now, now... let's also remember that there's another gift-giving holiday besides Christmas this time of year. Hanukkah starts this Wednesday and runs through December 5th, so "holidays" would be the appropriate word to use. Just because one doesn't observe one or the other holiday doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Gator, not starting a religious debate.

I never knew such an award existed. Congratulations CP and A.A. Boos & Sons!

OK, you guys have me actually laughing out loud! My cubicle mates think I'm crazy! As far as the trailer tower goes, that was a structure that existed during the construction of Diamondback. Many KICers lived there during the off-season, watching the new, glorious B&M take shape. It eventually gained sponsorship from a yellow Coca-Cola competitor, and some would argue that this sponsorship is what led to the trailer tower's ultimate demise. I did not live in the trailer tower, but instead had a boat docked on the Little Miami River directly behind the park. Here is a picture of said boat: This is not the famed S.S. Gator, but was instead called the S.S. Governor due to a mix-up with the painters. It was a nice place for those who did live in the trailer tower the chance to get away for some R&R, as people needed to get away from the cramped quarters of the tower from time to time. Eventually, all traces to the trailer tower disappeared from both the park and this site, but every once in a while the legend rears its head. (And yes, the trailer tower was a fictional community. However, to the casual reader, it did take on the appearance that we actually lived in the park during the off-season, which is more than likely what really killed the thread. It was fun while it lasted.) And now children, gather round as we once again relive the tale that is The Sinking of the S.S. Gator.* Once upon a time, in a winter wonderland not so far away... http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/15880-holiday-fest-at-the-beach-tr-122708/?p=261306 *movie rights pending

^And not all of it was for the better.

Oh yeah? Let's see... Thanatos, Reaper, Soul Harvester, Harbinger, Scythe, Coaster Slayer... ...and my personal favorite... Pearly GatesKeeper

It wouldn't be worth it to only open it for two weeks. There is a ton of work involved in doing all the decorating, hiring, training and teardown. And if you had bad weather during those two weeks, it would be all for naught. At least with the end of November and whole month of December there were more opportunites for favorable weather.

I know I've posted this before, but like Terpy, my first coaster ride was in a womb without a view. My first ride was The Racer, several months before I was born. Times were different then. A few years later, I would take my first "official" ride on Scooby Doo (aka Beastie/Fairly Odd Coaster/Woodstock Express) somewhere around 1975 or '76.

OK, thanks. We have a family membership for the three of us. The base price with the GOCC would have been cheaper, but add in the sales tax that's charged at the park (and not charged at AAA) and we got a better deal with AAA. $156.60 at AAA versus approximately $162.07 after tax (amount before tax is $144.00) with GOCC discount at the park.

I completely forgot about the GOCC discount when I bought my Dollywood tickets for my trip last weekend! Now, let's see... how do I Terpy-proof this next question? Can anyone tell me... no, that won't do it... Does anyone know... oops, that isn't it either... Ah, here we go: How much is the GOCC Dollywood discount? I couldn't find it on the GOCC website. I'm sure I have it at home with my GOCC stuff, but I'm not there right now. I wonder if it's less than what I paid at AAA with that discount.

The link says he's Kings Island's first executive chef. I'm fairly certain there was an executive chef when I first worked in Food Service back in '89. IIRC his first name was Frank, and he had an Italian last name. I know he was in charge of food quality, and I remember specifically that he complimented me on my display case in the Bakery during Winterfest '90, and I got an Apple Card for it. Unless his title was something other than "executive chef". Where's WooferBearATL when you need him? I know he would remember!

During my time with the park, I was involved in several investigations of alledged theft (starting and/or doing the investigating, not being the accused myself). In the first one I discovered, the girl was convicted and did some time in jail. A couple of years later, I happened to see her at a party. She walked up to me and, very snidely, said "Thanks for the jail time," and walked away. I yelled after her "You're welcome!" with a big smile on my face. She turned around and just gave me this glare of death (the old saying "If looks could kill" definitely applied), and all I could do was laugh. That incident still brings a smile to my face to this day. She did come up with a rather ingenious way of theft, but she got over-confident. It was pure luck that I noticed something that didn't add up in her sales one day, and she didn't expect anyone to dig as deeply into the sales reports as I did. She has no one to blame but herself.

... And Herschend definitely knows how to do a winter event (which I get to experience in a little over 44 hours, even though the weather won't be too "wintery", as the forecast says it will be 63 and sunny)!

^Wow... simply wow. I hope you're kidding. Great Pumpkin Coaster is a great way for young kids to start their coaster obsessions riding.

I must have been lucky then, because every time I rode it and every time my attention was drawn to that ride, the fire worked. KI still has the fire scene before the tunnel. Perhaps you're confusing it with KD? Sorry, I meant in the opening Season (Add a few More) The "Gunshots" Would triggger Water Effects that spary waterto the train. I also miss the doors GamesAndRides, Missing The Old Itailian Job Stunt Coaster. Ah, thanks for clarifying. I remember the "splashdown" at the end, but had forgotten about the water in the fire/helicopter scene. To switch gears here, I have never understood those people that say "move Congo Falls/Log Flume/WhiteWater Canyon to the waterpark!" or "Water rides only belong in the waterpark." To this, I say... "WRONG!" There is a long history of water rides in amusement parks... longer than the modern concept of a waterpark has been around. Water rides are a great way to cool down during a hot summer day. I actually like that Congo Falls is where it is. If I'm in Action Zone or the west side of Coney Mall, I don't have to trudge all the way to Rivertown (or the waterpark) to get wet and cool, and vice versa if I'm in Rivertown. I don't mind walking around in wet clothes; it keeps me cool. If you want to stay dry, don't ride them and let them remain where they are for the rest of us to enjoy.

^ Ouch... I can't believe you went there. Oh, who am I kidding, yes I can.

KI still has the fire scene before the tunnel. Perhaps you're confusing it with KD? As far as what I would remove... NOTHING! I believe that there are only two acceptable reasons to remove an attraction: 1. If it is unsafe. 2. If the cost to maintain and operate it outweighs the benefits of keeping it open.

"Next weekend" is now this weekend. The Gator family will be enjoying Smoky Mountain Christmas on November 9th. We've already planned out what shows we want to see; we can't wait for the new A Christmas Carol! It sounds like a worthy successor to Babes in Toyland, which the ice show the past two years was not. When we go to Smoky Mountain Christmas, the shows and atmosphere are the main draw for us that time of year, and we squeeze in the rides in between!

Kind of hard to confuse the two isn't it, with them being 400 miles apart and all? My last ride of KI's season was the KIC train on The Beast, sitting right next to LoraX. But my last ride of the year is to be determined next weekend at Dollywood, and will more than likely be on my #1 woodie, Thunderhead, as it has been for the past few years.

I've been a member of GOCC for three years now. Even though I haven't been to too many club events, it's a good group of people, they have a nice newsletter/magazine that they put out several times a year, it's pretty cheap to join in comparison to other clubs, and most of the events are within a reasonable distance of home.

I just can't imagine with the amount of people that we get trying to separate people onto two different paths inside the house.

^I wonder how they manage that.

An old Coney ride that is not at Kings Island now? Flying Eagles!!! Also Shooting Star, with the same conditions that Terpy listed. I'm too young to have ever ridden it.