TombRaiderFTW

See, now I just don't know who to trust. I'm picking up some mixed vibes here.

In before "Intamin taco seasoning would be way better." P.S. That would be incredible. I really want that to happen. New item on the to-do list for next IAAPA!

I'm starting to get the idea that you two might not actually be buddies.

I was at Winter Chill Out and saw it myself. I can confirm that it does fit. That area does feel a little more enclosed with it there, though. It's not a small building.

One can hope they demolished the entrance as a precursor to demolishing the rest of it. I hope there's an auction to be the person who gets to give it the first hit with the wrecking ball. I'll be saving up for that moment. I mean... [awkward cough] No, I don't have any ill will towards that ride left over from my ride op days. What do you mean?

I haven't been to Valleyfair or CGA. I'd personally put Kings Dominion and Cedar Point towards the top. Especially both of those parks as they were about 9 years ago. Both had (and to a lesser extent still have) a mix of good, unique types of coasters that you couldn't find many other places (Shockwave, Avalanche, Volcano, the best functioning Backlot Stunt Coaster, Disaster Transport, Wildcat, Gemini, Iron Dragon, Top Thrill Dragster, etc.) There was/is a diversity of coaster types that makes those two feel more like an experience than the rest, at least to me. The rest are all great and have some stand-out rides, but at least a handful of their lineup is a little redundant or forgettable to me. A lot of cloned rides, forceless wooden coasters, wild mice, spinning coasters, and many B&M and Morgan hypers fall into that category for me. I very much like them and would go back anytime, but Worlds of Fun*, Canada's Wonderland, and Michigan's Adventure are probably the biggest offenders. (Okay, maybe I lied about wanting to go back to that last one...) *Timber Wolf and Prowler are precious cinnamon rolls who must be protected at all costs.

^ That means a lot coming from someone named "TheRealMikeKoontz"... who has a picture of Greg Scheid as their profile picture! Imposter! You have been caught! Begone! You're not The Real Mike Koontz™!

Actually, The Real Mike™ stands in opposition to everything the Dippin' Dots guy has to say. The Real Mike™ only speaks truth. It's those fake Mikes you gotta watch out for. You know what? There are going to be Antique Cars at the park this year. Know how I know? I heard it from The Real Mike™.

Not to make fun of you, but this wording made me laugh. I think it's because it gave me the idea of there being a band of Mike Koontz impersonators out there in the world making wildly inaccurate rumors to enthusiasts. Like, imagine someone in one of those Mr. Six costumes walking up to someone at Kings Island, leaning in, and gently whispering, "...We're renaming Vortex to Fortnite: The Ride." Can we please agree to refer to him as The Real Mike™ this year?

Forgive me for a grumpy old man post... If I'm being totally honest, I'm really indifferent to what coaster comes next. It's going to be what it's going to be. There are great coasters and not-great coasters of literally any size out there. I don't care what it is as long as it's fun. That being said, I'm kind of hoping the next coaster is over 300 feet tall. (I'm really tired of the g-word, haha.) It's not because there's some "hole" in our lineup, but because the discussion about Kings Island getting one is overtaking every corner of enthusiast discussion here and elsewhere. That level of excitement is not unusual in years where there are teaser posters (I was here in 2008, 2013, and 2016--I remember), but this is some next-level stuff. We already decided what we're owed from the park years before there being any hint of construction. That's a recipe for disappointment and outrage whenever the next announcement happens if it's not what we've rallied ourselves behind. I don't know that there's any correlation, but I feel like there was a shift in enthusiast culture in the last couple years when everyone and their dog decided to make a coaster news YouTube channel/Facebook page/Twitter/Instagram/Myspace/series of smoke signals/Broadway play. With those seemed to come this attitude of "more coasters, more height, more speed, nothing is enough!" It's become a bit like living in one of those Ride Warriors commercials from 2009. That attitude change has brought a lot of "discussion" that involves a lot of cutting comments and polarized beliefs--if the park isn't announcing a coaster, then what's the point of having an announcement, amirite? Why do parks bother with B&M when Intamin and RMC make way better rides? Why do parks bother with Intamin and RMC when B&M makes more reliable rides? Why do parks bother with wooden coasters at all when RMC makes more intense rides? Why WOULDN'T the Guardians of the Galaxy ride at Epcot be a giga? There's less and less room for nuance or opinion or appreciation for charm, and the pitch is only climbing from here. Carowinds could burn to the ground and (what feels like) the growing majority of people wouldn't mind as long as Fury was still standing. I think the conflicted response within the enthusiast world to the Antique Cars' return is very symptomatic of this change. Had they done that five or especially ten years ago, I think the response would have been more unanimously and enthusiastically positive. That's a bit sad to me. Parks are more than their coasters. But, like, that's my opinion, man. To be clear, I'm not blaming the staff here or anywhere else for any of this. I think this is bigger than them. I just really miss the days when we liked Holiday World for more than just Voyage, y'know?

^ Houdini's Great Escape at SFNE and SFGAdv are Vekoma Madhouses.

My Spidey senses are telling me that that rumored parade and festival are happening. I am more excited for the upcoming season than I have been in several years.

something something trim brakes something something This might be blasphemous, but I really wouldn't be even slightly upset if Beast was lovingly and GENTLY reprofiled using RMC's Topper Track in select areas to get rid of trim brakes. I don't think it needs the Steel Vengeance treatment, but I feel like airtime was meant to be at least a little present in its layout and would be if it wasn't constantly getting slowed down. (Imagine the hill after the first drop if it didn't have two sets brakes beforehand? The front of the train even gives little hops as it slows currently.) I don't want to add elements or anything; just do what needs done to make what's there work. I feel like the trains would need to be able to articulate a little more to make that happen, so I'd give it new articulating PTCs, too.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg. In my opinion, it's one of the most charming parks in the country and easily the most charming seasonal park, period. Less so in the days since they removed Curse of DarKastle, but it's still wonderful.

This is sounding more and more like CP's version of Ghost Town Alive from Knott's, which has been very successful, from my understanding. It's not naturally super appealing to the diehard coaster crowd, but that's because it's very much geared towards families. It's my understanding that GTA drives repeat visits for families quite a bit. It's essentially a day-long play that the audience can choose to participate in or join/leave as they like. At Knott's, the story progresses from season to season, so I would imagine that CP will see something similar if this is successful. As far as I know, there's really nothing else like it in the industry. I love that kind of imagination, so I know I'll be sure to visit at some point or another. My only worry for it is that both Paddlewheel Excursions and Dinosaurs Alive were kinda off the beaten path. Both managed to exist for years, I suppose, but I'm still a little concerned that this might get overlooked. But obviously, the park knows how to handle that issue better than I do.

Right! We totally had the shed figured out from day one. That's why the drop track and backwards launch into a section of track intentionally omitted from the renderings is my favorite part of the ride.

And to think... I used to like your posts. (Kidding, of course.)

Somewhere, The Interpreter weeps.

https://www.kingsdominion.com/blog/2019/park-update "After thorough evaluation, the decision has been made to remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster. This wasn’t an easy decision for us, because we know that people love this one-of-a-kind coaster; however, over time it became nearly impossible to keep the ride up to our high standards of reliability and guest satisfaction, and for these reasons we had to make the tough call. We apologize to anyone who is inconvenienced by the removal, but hope they will understand that it was done to enhance the overall guest experience here at Kings Dominion."

^ I don't know that that's true... The one in California did become Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, and it's rumored that the one in Paris will follow suit as part of their Marvel area. The other two seem to be safe, although Tokyo's doesn't actually use the Twilight Zone theme, if I remember correctly. I'm sure there's a price involved in using the Twilight Zone IP, but I can't imagine it being that prohibitive for a company the size of Disney. They just built an expansive land based on a different IP that's not theirs (Pandora.) If they wanted out of the licensing fees, I'd sooner expect that all of the IP-using Towers of Terror would change simultaneously (or pretty close to it.)

Probably Mind Eraser at Six Flags America. The name is apt. Honorable mentions to Son of Beast, Gwazi, and Wonderland's Flight Deck.

This is might officially be the funniest thing I've read on here in years.

Um, I would just like to go on the record as saying that I once daydreamed on here about Kings Island getting a custom score for the nightly fireworks*. I've also daydreamed well before now about the park getting another parade. If next year brings both, I might actually die of happiness. This is some pipe dream business coming true for me right now, people. Hey KI, for the record: I also really admire Dollywood's event schedule and BGW's Food and Wine Festival. Why not think about introducing something similar? And have a companion event each evening on International Street and Tower Gardens called Nuits d'Amour in which vendors sell flowers and French pastries, International Street gradually transitions to songs like "La Vie en Rose" by Louis Armstrong or "Non, je ne regrette rien" by Edith Piaf, and a section of International Street or all of Tower Gardens gets new tables and becomes a place to have a candle-lit sit-down dinner, complete with reservations? No? Too much? Okay. I'm just really feeling like we're on a roll here. * I'd love to hear something orchestral that starts well in advance of the show and gradually builds in energy and complexity and climaxes with the fireworks. I'm not a music composer, but what I imagine in my head is very much inspired by "Fireworks" by Nicholas Hooper from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which they used during the fireworks in previous years.) Something that's the right mix of playful and grandiose.

^ Yeah, but those modern things are colloquially known as Edison bulbs. Typing out "those things that hipsters falsely attribute to being the same design as Thomas Edison's, those mindless lemmings" felt maybe a little pretentious.

I missed this, somehow. I LOVE the idea of this. I've daydreamed about the park having some sort of international celebration with a parade on International Street several times. They kind of read my mind, so to me, this kind of the coolest. Sign me up. Even better if it takes place at night with special lighting, either Edison bulb-y or like the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disney. But even if they stick with existing lighting, I'm still all in. Hopefully they give it a shot!