TombRaiderFTW

^ In the Room of Requirement with the Soak City announcement?

^ Ah! Wasn't aware of that! Learn something every day. Thanks for correcting me!

^^ I'm surprised, too... I didn't know Morgan Rides would care. (Isn't BBoBH a Sally Corp. ride?)

^ Uhhhh... no? Although, Vortex does actually look relatively similar to the real thing in terms of layout now... And, assuming I didn't red out or be flung to my death, I think the new 25-foot tall hills would be much more exciting on Diamondback.

...You're wearing a habit with wings?

I've got a pretty big irritation with people either ignoring the warnings for kids or bringing their kids with them into Haunts. Friday, I got to the park a few minutes before 7. While waiting in line for the metal detector at a few minutes past 7, I saw a few young kids crying as they walked the opposite direction with their angry looking parent. I felt bad for the kids, but it's facepalm-worthy to think that the parent(s) would not do even a little research to see that this is not an event for preschool-age kids. Just... argh. Similarly, I ended up in a group for Tombstone Terror-tory with--you guessed it--parents with two preschool-age kids. The kids weren't crying, but they clearly were not enjoying themselves as the scareactors specifically targeted them. Their mom's reaction? Keep yanking on them like they're being silly. I don't have an issue with the scareactors, as they were just doing their jobs, but come on. If you got on the train by accident, thinking that it was just a train ride despite the multiple warnings, fine. Ask the workers if you can take the train the whole way around. DO NOT put your kids through something they obviously aren't enjoying at an event that is clearly not meant for them. It isn't toughening them up, it's scaring them. And don't even get me started on the time I followed a stroller through Cemetery Drive.

I've also heard rumors that Hypersonic was originally going to (then) Paramount's Great America, where I assume, based off my outsider's impression of the park, that it would have had less demand. I don't know how true it is, but it seems more logical to me. There's fewer customers to disappoint while still (presumably) getting the same data for the manufacturer related to what to change and what to keep in the design. Regardless, I still think this commercial for HXLC is pretty cool: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eNlf4FEtjIE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hahahah, love the captions. Can't wait for the rest!

Truth be told, I kinda like Mysteria... in that "hey look, we've just walked into a Lady Gaga music video"-sort of way.

^ But still does better than Funtime's version, which is the point in the first place. I'd be impressed if any ride* over 300ft. could operate well in the recent winds. Just because it's got an advantage in high winds doesn't mean it can operate in any wind speed. No design of that magnitude going to be that perfect. *I'm not counting the Eiffel Tower as a ride, even though it seems to operate just fine in high winds. It's an elevator.

One possibility: you may have seen pictures from the American Coaster Enthusiasts' Fall Freak Out event at KI in past years. For 2008, KIE was invited to join in for FFO, which included lights-on tour of CB. Outside of that, the only other tours that included that have been for ACE's other FFOs, as far as I'm aware. In other words, to answer your question: you have to be part of a group like ACE, to the best of my knowledge.

^ Extremely rare parts for Flight Deck? As I understand it, one of S&S's prime reasons for purchasing the bankrupt Arrow is its profitable parts division...

^^ Moreso, some of the best Haunt experiences I've ever had have been on cold, wet nights. The fog will be extra thick, and the scareactors usually use that to their advantage. If the wind's a problem... well, we'll just freeze together, then!

^ Assuming a proportional relationship, X=101.9deg. EDIT: Wow, I was a little too eager to solve that...

I'll find out myself on Friday. I've got high hopes for the new location, as location's been a bit of an issue for it in past years.

^ They're really gone. They showed up at Kings Dominion a few years ago.

Counting down to "new Gravity Group coaster" guesses in 5, 4, 3, 2...

In Haunts past, Fridays are usually less crowded than Saturdays. The closer you get to Halloween, the more packed it gets for both days.

Wow, blast from the past much? Thanks for that, Terp!

Is this your first job? Unfortunately being a guest and working it are two different things. Don't throw in the towel just yet. Working it is very tough, I will agree with you there. Give it a chance and don't let the public get you down. There are putzes everywhere-focus on the others. There are guests out there who don't act the way they should, and just like in any other job, you're gonna have that. Stick it out-you know what to expect now. LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE. I really can't stress this enough. Please do NOT let the public or an unenthusiastic supervisor ruin your experience. By chance (and no, I wasn't fired once ), I've had several jobs within the past couple years. No one ever told me this going into any of them, so I'm going to say it here for everyone: Every last one of them has had its own quirks that I've enjoyed a lot and frustrations that have driven me insane, both of which have been related to the customers. To enjoy them, you're going to have to learn to deal with people who will take things so seriously or who have had a bad day/week/life that they're going to try to make you feel bad about it. It's going to seem especially bad at the beginning, especially if it's your first job, but it will get better. Don't take insults personally, and don't get down on yourself if you can't please everyone all the time. You'll learn how to let those sorts of things slide. Just do the best job you know how to do and be content with your work when you're done, because, outside of the actual job requirements, that's the only responsibility you have. For every few grumpy people you deal with, there will be a handful more people who will make your work worth it. (And if you're ever not sure of what you're supposed to be doing, ask! You're not the first one to ask, and you won't be the last.) I don't mean to sound like I'm coming down on you or telling you to get over your frustrations. You're perfectly allowed to be frustrated. I'm just suggesting to keep trying, because really, you've still got a job where there's a huge amount of room for creativity that simply doesn't exist elsewhere. I'm actually a little jealous, to be honest! On a side note, might I suggest taking advantage of everyone's preoccupation with the lasers? Let them get so interested in them that they don't see or hear you quietly sneaking up behind them... Just an idea! (Granted, I haven't been to Haunt yet... I don't know how NA is set up, so this sort of suggestion may very well be useless. Not to mention that I've never worked as a scareactor! It's just an idea.)

Maybe (read: probably) I'm missing something, but what Cyclone is being referenced? Psyclone? I can't think of any Cyclone that's been torn down that CF might be referencing...

^ Oh, I thought he meant Villain... though, now that I reread it, I should have paid more attention to the "re-opened" bit.

^ Cedar Fair swore you'd never ride it again, either.

Just saw a couple Halloweekends commercials tonight. I gotta say that, even though I've usually liked the CF Haunt commercials, the new Halloweekends ones are really stinking cool. They're much more centered on featuring the pluses of Cedar Point specifically, rather than recycling the same old KBF footage they've been using the past few years. To be specific, they actually showed some creepy shots of an old swamp shack to advertise Blood on the Bayou. I like it! Now, if only they'd rename Worlds of Fun's Haunt... I couldn't really take their commercials seriously. There's just something too lighthearted about "Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun! All you fear is here." (Why not call it Worlds of Fear?)

I can partially see CoastersRZ's point, because it does seem like doing this sort of thing saps the personality of each park. On the other hand, it's cool that Cedar Fair is trying to unify the parks. My only issue is that they're trying to unify all the parks... by giving us all the same upcharge? Granted, WindSeekers are also being installed chainwide, but the upcharge being spread around seems kinda... I don't know, cheap. Maybe I don't know business, but it seems less tacky to just install a cool, cheap ride at all the parks. If Dorney needed the group sales, then they should have been the first to get DA, in my opinion. If any of the other parks needed it, then they should have gotten it, too... which is why I'm a little confused/irritated that DA's coming to Cedar Point, because I can't tell you how many times I've been stuck in line with 5.8 million schoolkids wearing the same shirt. (Same for KI this year, but that could also be related to our DA.) It seems more logical to add this to the smaller parks of the chain (Valleyfair, Dorney, Worlds of Fun, etc.) to boost profits, rather than make it a chainwide addition. But that's just me.