[Weight restrictions please help]

3 hours ago, SnakePlissken said:

My statement is not rude at all. So you are telling me if you get a walk of shame on Diamondback and then go back the same day and keep trying that is okay? What if you try a 3rd time or a 4th? What if you know you can't fit on other rides and keep doing it? That is okay too? There is already lots of people in this forum complaining about operations and long lines these past 3 weeks. Some users posting words like "****show". For anyone posting and complaining about these things lately . You can not think my statement is rude. You can not have it both ways. To be fair I was not one of those users who complained about lines or poor ride operations these past 3 weeks but many have.

Also if I was rude would I have bothered to suggest Mystic Timbers or let you know about Premier trains being small? No. But then statements like the ones above calling me rude make me wonder why I even bother trying to help.

If this is your version of help, don't bother. You're being rude.

[Kings Island 2021 Discussion]

9 hours ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

I cannot confirm that, but I have seen that Adventure Express got updated effects!

Can you please describe these effects for those of us who can't make it to the park in the immediate future?

[Best B&M Collection [Updated]]

On 5/7/2021 at 12:57 PM, coaster sally said:

Rightfully so.

...Did you want to follow that up with actual reasoning, or...?

I'm just not sure how you expect people to engage with what you have to say here.

[The pros and cons of a park offering a fast pass]

I agree with the sentiment that front-of-the-line passes like Fast Lane are unpleasant for locals but a definite interest for out-of-town folks. Systems like FL are intrusive to the overall guest experience, but the trade off is that there is minimal overhead. People buy them and have a near-instantly improved park experience, but it's also extremely noticeable when you see the same people ride the ride 5 times while you stand, frustrated, in the standby queue.

I'm a huge fan of systems like Six Flags's Flash Pass instead. There are multiple tiers, and NONE of them guarantee you instant access to the rides. The base one has you wait just as long as everyone else, but you don't have to wait in the queue. The mid-level one reduces wait times by 50%, and you don't wait in the queue. The top-tier one reduces wait times by 90%, and you don't wait in the queue. If someone comes from out of town, the base level is affordable and offers a benefit but doesn't heap people into a front-of-the-line queue. If they're willing to shill out the dough for much faster access, they can, but it can be priced to keep it from becoming a common thing. I think it's a clever system, and I wish more parks would use it.

[Most Painful Rides by Manufacturer]

And I would submit that if Raptor is bad, then Alpengeist is even worse. It's the only B&M I begrudgingly ride, and that's if I'm with someone for their first BGW visit and they want to ride it. Apart from that, it's a hard pass.

[Controversial opinions that'll get you punched by a KI fan]

Diamondback is fairly forgettable as a roller coaster, and its addition did more to lessen atmosphere in the park than anything Paramount did.

[Velocicoaster, Best in the world?]

New theory: Sally is Sandor Kernacs.

[Clementon Park Bought by Indiana Beach Holdings]

I wonder if he has any interest in Fantasy Island.

I'm curious to see what his ownership style is. He's made some good first impressions with Indiana Beach.

[I’m Writing the First KI History Book!]

Pre-ordered! I love the cover, and that endorsement from Dennis Spiegel definitely has my interest piqued. Can't wait!

[People OUTSIDE KI Say The Darnedest Things]

20 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Had a person ask me the other day if Vortex is sinking. 

To be fair, we don't actually know that answer anymore. It might be sinking in whatever scrapyard it's in. Or maybe someone dropped their track slice in some quicksand, so a little bit of it is sinking.

[Kentucky Kingdom]

19 minutes ago, stashua123 said:

They operate SDC and Dollywood, both of which are fairly major parks. I would not call Dollywood a "smaller park".

But they don't have an Intamin!

[Omnimax Theater]

The Cinema 180 theater was standing until sometime between 2009 and 2011, if I remember correctly. I could be wrong, but I want to say it disappeared when WindSeeker was built. I DO know for a fact it was there when I started my coaster enthusiasm in 2008.

[Kings Island to ‘strongly encourage’ employees to get COVID vaccine]

6 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I wonder if they’ll be made to disclose if they got vaccinated. 

Can they even do that? I don't know the details of how HIPAA works, but that feels like the kind of thing HIPAA would prevent.

[Kentucky Kingdom]

17 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

^^Borrowed time?  Ed Hart has said several times at events that KK is a gold mine.  It takes time to build a business and it is nothing short of remarkable what they have accomplished in 5 years.  They advertise heavily in the local market, reach out to Nashville and Indy to meet their contractual agreements and use social media more effectively than many other parks.  I would say the pandemic hit them hard, though.  Seeking out a solid operator is a wise decision, if this is indeed happening.

I'm not necessarily saying they were right, but a couple people were vocal before and during 2014 about how much of a salesman Ed Hart can be. If you look at facts, he DOES have a history of "flipping" parks and selling them to chains. So, if that's his MO and if that's what he's looking to do with Kentucky Kingdom a second time... I mean, I wouldn't market the park I'm looking to eventually sell as anything less than highly successful, either.

[SF Fiesta/Over Texas Question]

If you're trying to do literally everything at both parks, which I feel like your post implies, I'm not sure exactly how much time to allot to each park. However, for me, I tend to hit up all the major coasters, a few flat rides, and nothing in the water park(s) and call it a day. Under that plan, I'd say both SFFT and SFOT are one-day parks--maybe two if it's busy. IF you want to allocate for an extra day under that plan and you have to choose between the two for some reason, I'd suggest SFOT. It's the bigger and busier park of the two, in my experience.

Also, a word to the wise: if you get to SFOT at opening, hit La Vibora first. If I remember correctly, it has the worst capacity of any coaster in the park, and it'll get and keep a line quickly. If you're at SFFT at opening and are in the mood for punishment, hit their Boomerang first. Don't go to Goliath, even though it's right at the front gate; it'll have a line at opening and nothing by mid-afternoon, much like Raptor at Cedar Point.

I can't speak to the Six Flags membership question. I've only ever had a season pass, and it's been a couple years since my last one.

Going off of the plan I mentioned earlier, it's rare for me to feel like I need more than one day at a new park.

Let us know how your trip goes! I love those parks and feel like they're never discussed as much as they deserve. If you're in the mood for Arrow-style airtime, I can't recommend the last row of Shock Wave enough.

[how do you guys spend your pre season?]

Lately, I've been on a big baking kick thanks to The Great British Bake Off. I recently tried my hand at knitting, but I'm not sure it's the thing for me. In previous off-seasons, I've tried skiing. In general, winter tends to be the time when I try new things.

Over the last handful of years, I've gotten back into video games after a decade-plus long hiatus. I'm wanting to finish playing through Undertale, Final Fantasy IX, Super Mario Sunshine, and Horizon Zero Dawn, but mostly I tend to play whatever I feel like playing at the time.  And, of course, I wouldn't be a true coaster nerd if there wasn't some nerdy Youtube watching and article reading being done, too.

Not to overshare, but this particular off-season, the previous one, and the one before that have been big ones for working on my mental and emotional health. I've finally confronted some generational trauma that landed in my lap with increasing intensity over the last several years, and I've decided the cycle ends with me. It's been incredibly hard work, but so worth it. I'm happier than I've been in a decade. Different things work for different people, but if anyone is struggling with their mental health and has the means to see a therapist who they trust and learn from, I can't recommend it enough. Therapy (and you) are worth the effort.

Apologies for taking this on a bit of an unrelated tangent, but since we're here: During my times of mental health work, I also came to the realization that it was time for me to accept myself and come out as gay. I've since met someone, and we got engaged in December. So, I'm also trying out being a fiance for the first time.

[Canada's Wonderland's Next Coaster]

On 1/29/2021 at 2:08 AM, SonofBaconator said:

Its Canada's premier park located near the country's most populated city so success is guaranteed for them.

I'd contest this a bit. Yes, it's one of two major chain parks in Canada, and of the two, I'm under the impression that Wonderland is considerably better. However, I think Cedar Fair recognizes that people have options for entertainment, and roller coasters don't have to be part of it. If I remember correctly, that was mentioned several times during the Ouimet years. I don't remember if this was explicitly said or if it was just implied, but the sentiment was, "We're not competing against other parks, we're competing against other things people do for fun." I could be misremembering this, but I feel like that idea was mentioned a lot in reference to Cedar Fair exploring other entertainment options (like cirque shows) and the (former?) Amusement Dark initiative.

I'd also add that I think considering parks too big/centrally located to fail is a dangerous fallacy for any park owner to believe. I'd argue that that kind of thinking is part of what enabled Six Flags to do what it did to Geauga Lake in the late 1990's and early 2000's. I think it's also part of what contributed to Hard Rock Park's failure, and I think it's part of the path that Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells and Buffalo Bill's in Las Vegas have been heading down for some years now. Consider Dollywood as a counterexample: it COULD be just another shticky sideshow attraction like everything else in Pigeon Forge and coast by, but it's lovingly cared for and expanded by park management, even though gazillions of people travel through the area year after year. It's got longevity because of that care.

[Covid-19 fallout result in mergers/acquisitions?]

4 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I’ve heard he’s been spotted somewhere relatively close in the past few months. I’ve said too much. 
 

#NotAtKI

$5 says Kentucky Kingdom. Between things that have popped up on Facebook and things that have been said here...

[Texas Trip/ Meeting My Role Model]

16 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

The Paramount Parks folks had very little involvement with us. 
 

Except when they tried to create their own competing forum. 
 

...which we crushed. 

 

4 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

I thought Cedar Fair had created one as well?

Wait! Wait! I need stories!

[What was your first ever post on KIC??]

You know how seeing your Facebook memories can be cringey?

We don't speak of 2008 TombRaiderFTW.

[Does roller coaster track break immersion?]

I wouldn't say it's a thing for me of, like, "I could enjoy this story if it weren't for the visible track!" It's a necessary evil for what's available in the amusement industry right now, and consequently, I don't pay it much attention. Especially for Space Mountain and Mummy, there weren't that many/any other options available at the time.

I do think that, if there was some way of getting a coaster experience without seeing track, it would enhance the magic of it all much more, though. Going back to the example of Hagrid: if there WAS some way of experiencing being on a flying motorcycle without clearly seeing the path you're about to take, it would add so much to the experience. I don't know that anything exists like that at the moment, though. The best example I can think of is the KUKA arm system used for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, but that's not a coaster. It's just a good way of telling a story without showing riders where they're going. Even GPS-tracked dark rides eventually wear on the floor and give you a hint about where you're going. I think that's a possible opportunity for growth within the industry.

Maybe in 50 years, drone technology will have come so far that we'll have silent, trackless, hovering dark ride cars that can give the kinds of experiences we're talking about.

[Vortex's Replacement?]

You mean EVERY Cedar Fair park, including Michigan's Adventure, is getting a Mack looper?! What a time to be alive!

[Could a 3rd drop ride exist at KI?]

I'd take a first generation Intamin Drop Tower.

[Kings Island via 35mm Film]

Excellent photos! I'm not gonna lie, this made me want to try exploring 35mm photography myself. It's been too long since my last foray into photography, and I've only ever used digital point-and-shoots or DSLRs. Any particular feelings one way or another on the Pentax K1000?

[Aquaman Getting Delayed to 2022]

It's a bit presumptuous to assume that it being delayed to 2022 is because of a failing on Six Flags's part. It might be, or it might not be. There's a pandemic going on that has affected many things, for example.