vortexfan

That's not the point. Nobody goes to a water park with the purpose of renting a cabana.... It's intention is to maximize the enjoyment for the guest (while bringing in profit) and obviously people like the idea. I don't see how paying extra for reserved chairs and lounge space is any worse than having upcharge skip-the-line passes. I know I've been to crowded water parks and the thought of having my own cabana was certainly appealing.

The first run was much slower than subsequent runs. I'm assuming they're still playing around with the wheels to get the ride to run as designed. In this video it is running much faster: If it doubles the video, view it on YouTube.

Canada's Wonderland still operates their Huss Skylab. Never got to experience this in person, but it looks amazing. I'm curious to know what the mess was like under the tower when the show was over....

Re-painting Invertigo with new colors could be the first step in a multi-year revitalization plan for Action Zone... But I'm probably looking too far into this.

Yes, there is definitely a dedicated fansite.....http://www.cwmania.com/ It appears the members of said site have far more interesting things to be concerned about.

There appears to be at least one big difference between the mega and the giga chain lifts - Leviathan's chain return will run through the track spine rather than below the track/through the supports like on every other B&M mega.

At this point in Son of Beast's SBNO state, would the park even announce its removal? It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the coaster was quietly dismantled during a future off-season.

I certainly hope people are hearing sounds at the top of WindSeeker! Don't tell me the onboard audio is broken already!

Food is pretty standard stuff at most of the eateries. I hear the burgers at Coasters are good (made fresh by hand), but I haven't tried them myself. There is a new "Gourmet Popcorn" place on I-Street selling popcorn with unusual flavors like honey mustard and barbeque, which could be interesting to try out if you're in a snacking mood. The best bang for your buck for a larger meal would be Marketplace Buffet. There's a unlimited drinks and a good selection of food and desserts here for $20/person. If you're a fan of Pizza, try any of the Pizza Pizza locations around the park. It's Ontario's own pizza restaurant chain. I think the I-Street location is the only one that has full-size pizzas in the park, but don't quote me on that. I would avoid places like Thrillburger and Hot Potato. Slow service and not exactly worth the cost for the portion size. Check out Wonderland's Facebook page for their "fan perks". They have some coupons that may be useful to you. As for what not to miss - Behemoth, Skyrider, the woodies, Sledgehammer (if it is open), The Orbiter, Thunder Run, Vortex, Psyclone, Nightmares, Riptide, Drop Tower, Shockwave, and of course Starlight Spectacular. The park will be super busy, so if you're interested in getting the most done in the least amount of time, head over to Medieval Faire at rope-drop. Everyone else heads to Action Zone, so you'll have this section of the park practically to yourself in the morning. If you're short on time, you could skip Flight Deck and Time Warp. Your head will thank you later. Other than that, enjoy your visit to the park!

So CF buys land adjacent to Carowinds, but only a few years prior sells the land next to Canada's Wonderland to help with "debt reduction". I don't get it.

....Sorry, couldn't help it. EDIT: ^Beat me to it!

Canada's Wonderland debuted Starlight Spectacular for the first time last week. Rather than having it as a walk-through "attraction" like the rest of the Starlight Spectaculars, Wonderland's version is a show, utilizing the mountain to project images. Here's some pictures and a video: https://www.canadaswonderland.com/events/event_detail.cfm?event_id=751&ec_id=12 Now that the park has this lighting equipment, it opens a slew of opportunities for the future as far as lighting up the mountain goes. It definitely makes me wish KI had a lighting package that better utilized the beauty of Eiffel Tower's structure.

This! I love Skyrider so much more than most of the B&M stand-ups I have ridden. Though I can't say I share your opinion on Wonderland's wooden coasters; they are in serious need of major re-tracking these days.

No, the implication is that your earlier statement: should apparently be so clear for Cedar Fair, it is a wonder they haven't fired their accountants and other execs and hired you instead. Look, no matter what board I see the food price debate, it always goes no where. One side always says 'I can afford the prices, so they must be reasonable", and the other, "I see people leaving the park during meal times, the prices are too high". Both sides are arguing from ignorance; we don't know how much Cedar Fair is spending for their product, and throwing around accusations and theories based on small observations doesn't necessarily hold true for Cedar Fair at the aggregate level! While yes, it may be true that many families cannot afford to buy meals in the park, that does not mean that every family cannot. Nor does it mean that a drastic drop in prices would magically make everyone happy and that Cedar Fair would be swimming in the green. I am NOT saying that there isn't an issue with the prices, don't get me wrong. But I don't believe anyone can make wild claims like you did without having some access to cold, hard data (i.e. Cedar Fair's balance sheets). Even looking at the most simplistic model of the supply and demand for food at the parks, if prices are cut in half, sales would need to double in order to keep the revenue constant. In reality, this is highly unrealistic, and that isn't even including some of the finer details such as the increased cost for factors of production (e.g. labor) that would occur in order to compensate for the increased output of food!

The problem is, you're making grand assumptions based on no solid evidence whatsoever. Cutting the food prices in half means three times as many people would buy the food? Really? If it were that easy, it would have been done already.

Please explain the difference when they add something like Diamondback and don't make it an upcharge attraction to make up for the undeniable "higher cost to the buisness". I am totally serious...explain to me how the two are different. Both cost money...Diamondback even more...both are NOT low capacity rides...why upcharge for one and not the other. Return on investment. People expect rides like DB at KI & DB will be at KI for many years to come (perhaps 30+ years, making the initial pricetag of DB less than $1 million/ year) Attractions such as DA are at the park for a limited amount of time and add to the park experience, if you choose to partake in it. I would guess DA & movie has a pricetag of $2 million. Could it also be a supply/demand issue? If Kings Island wants to control the number of guests going through the attraction (due to limited capacity, safety reasons, etc....) then I see the park having two options 1) charge a fee to reduce demand, or 2) have the attraction free and create long lines and bottleneck crowds. Either way, people will be unhappy. I think KI made the right choice making DA an upcharge.

It looks like they haven't attached the remaining arms/seats so that they can still access the center of the ride with trucks and equipment.

Nice video, thanks for sharing! I always love raw footage from parks... hearing the sounds of people screaming, rides running, and music playing shows off the atmosphere and character of a park so much better than music videos do.

This is what KI's twitter looks like for me: That's weird that some of the updates aren't showing up, I've never heard of that happening before.

Those images definitely haven't been removed from the park's twitter. They are currently the second and third update from the top.

http://twitpic.com/4mhp1c/full http://twitpic.com/4mhnxy They are on the park's twitter.

It will actually be the second of four to open, only a week after Kings Island opens for the season.

I agree with much of what has been said already, but to add to the list of ideas, I would embrace new technologies or improve on technologies that aren't working particularly well. Along those lines, I would set up monthly Internet-based calls between all of the park general managers and Cedar Fair HQ in order to pass ideas around and to work collaboratively on improving operations and guest experience. I believe collaboration and teamwork would spark creativity and imagination which would really help improve the parks overall.

I think Avatar's post is pretty much spot on. Also factor in that the Potter Island had huge national and worldwide attention, so it's possible that many tourists who usually patronize Disney perhaps tried out Universal for the first time. This is true, a few years ago I went to the Orlando parks in early December. Crowds were light, weather was beautiful, and the parks were wonderfully decorated for Christmas. It made for one of, if not the, best theme park visits I've ever had.

I can't speak for whether this is common or not, but the ship at Waldameer definitely swung freely for a bit during its cycle.