KIfan1980

I completely agree with the limitations of ERT on every operating day, but I would like to see the park recognize that it is different on weekends, especially during the busiest months. My proposal to the park would be to offer WS/Vortex every operating day and pick selected days (or even just Saturdays) to offer DB/Beast in addition. A big difference between GABP and KI is that at the ballpark, you can bring in a soft sided cooler with your own food and drinks inside (at least you could last year). Provides a reasonably priced alternative for the meal, thus enabling me to shell out the money for a special treat (ice cream sundae, souvenir, etc..)

Or maybe they won't ...

There is a thread somewhere here about capacities on rcdb. The Firehawk one is also one of my favorites.

I often hear The Racer ride ops claim it is "the fastest coaster in Coney Mall".

I've ready many reports and watched the videos - what they explain is that both the state and city have rejected (by inaction in one case and saying no in the other case) Ed Hart's proposals. As for the risk of private investment - banks/private equity/investment funds exist to make money. If there is a good opportunity out there, they will invest the money. Don't kid yourself that Mr. Hart is only willing to work in a public partnership and hasn't been seeking financing from other sources - it obviously isn't available because the business proposition is what is too risky. I don't know the history of KK, but ask yourself: Why did Six Flags walk away from it? Because even after emerging from bankruptcy in a better financial state as a company they didn't see KK as a viable park with a worthwhile return on investment. Why would Bank One back in the 90's not invest (as you say)? Because based upon an analysis, they did not see KK as a viable park with a worthwhile return on investment. Why are both private and public financing opportunities not available to KK today?

sccard01 - I appreciate your passion for the park. I also would love to have another viable and profitable park in the region to visit, but am struggling to understand where is the data to backup your assertion that the city has money for this. As for the decision being shocking, I'd have said many are not surprised at all. As for it being the #1 tourist and money maker for the state - I have no data to dispute that, but it also begs the question again as to why did they not try harder to keep Six Flags as a happy tenant? If the State Fair Board had offered Six Flags the same deal (rent, parking, new entrance, etc...) that they are now trying to work for Mr. Hart - then maybe Six Flags would still be there. That would have been the best solution for the citizens of Kentucky. As always, I will also continue to ask why Mr. Hart cannot obtain private financing for his plan. If "Every independent report has stated that this is a great project with economic impact," Hart said. (quote from article in post #256) then why is there not a line at his door looking to loan him the money to make the great return? Maybe because it isn't the sure bet he claims it is.

I'm glad you all enjoyed the report. I always enjoy reading others, so I try to share some of mine as well, but it is always nice to get feedback that they are appreciated. My Voyage shirt was mentioned by about 4-5 cast members. The next day my Diamondback shirt was less recognized. I haven't laughed so hard in quite a while. Of course this is because I know how true this statement is. Did you do the dining plan? I loved the simplicity of it and would never dream of going to Disney without staying onsite and getting the DDP. Yes, we did the dining plan. Agree, there is no way I'd go without it - and I hear they have changed it so that you can opt to include your departure day or not depending upon your circumstances which would be a great change. To you and Dave - my wife accuses me of being her third excited little boy at amusement parks, and it is true Stunt show - I did not expect it to be operating, but it was and was quite impressive as the timing is especially tricky with the wheel spins on the wet pavement. Room - Nice room, although I can imagine the walk from the elevators (Energizer Bunny comes to mind) Entitlement Issue - Some DVC guests (I've seen it before at several resorts, not just Boardwalk) do have the I'm more important than you attitude, but we didn't really see that this time. The buses for Boardwalk are interesting as they are shared with Swan and Dolphin which sometimes leads to issues with it being full by the time it gets to the second/third stop.

Continuing – Day 3 was our rest or no park day. It began with sleeping in as much as our boys allowed followed by a visit to Chef Mickey's for a Character brunch. While meeting Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald was special for the kids the fact that we took a monorail to get there was equally thrilling for my 5 year old! After lunch, we hung out around the hotel – spent a few hours at the pool, played in the arcade, wandered the boardwalk, and generally relaxed a little while on vacation The relaxation day gave us a perfect opportunity to hit it hard on our final day at the parks (Day 4). Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating as it began with severe thunderstorms and tornado watches. Despite this we ventured to Animal Kingdom – where we were able to ride the Kilamanjaro Safari's and Dinosaur, but not Everest (I guess we have a good reason to go back). We took the opportunity to enjoy a couple of shows – Bug's Life, which is always fun, and Festival of the Lion King. We hadn't been to this before and absolutely loved the show – the music, singing, dancing, floats and entire theater environment was incredible; the boys also got to participate "on stage" at one point which made their day. As it was still wet and not the best day to be at AK, we left after a great lunch at Flame Tree BBQ and after a quick stop at the hotel, park hopped to Epcot to catch a ride on Test Track and Mission Space before taking the longer monorail ride to Magic Kingdom. We also strolled past some of the Flower and Garden show displays – the topiaries of Peter Pan and Captain Hook, Woody, and Lightning were cool and the floral displays were interesting (although not as much fun in the rain). Back at the Magic Kingdom, we finished rides/shows we'd not done on Tuesday, which included Mickey's PhilharMagic (very entertaining), Haunted Mansion (which has some cool new theme in the queue) and most of Fantasyland (including some serious spinning on the Tea-Cups). We also rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin in a driving rainstorm (oh what fun!) – following this I ran into and got to say hi to KIC's own Disney College Program participant Colonel SoB fan who was out in the rain keeping the park clean! In addition, we re-rode some favorites (Buzz, Space, Speedway, Pirates, and even the People Mover), and finished up with another showing of Wishes after the rain had stopped. This was the perfect ending that led to us saying see you later to the park - for me Disney World is just a magical place that I know I'll be returning to again and again. - Our trip home also gave us an opportunity to stop in Chattanooga at the Tennessee Aquarium - another highly recommended attraction in an interesting city. We'll definitely stop here again to see some of the other sites. All in all, we had a fabulous vacation building great family memories despite the weather. I'll leave you with a few of my thoughts about things that make Walt Disney World special. Cast Members. Every single employee we interacted with had a great attitude – they were friendly, helpful, and seemed intent on making our days special and our lives easier. Kudos to the bus driver who gave our boys swords, the attendant at Mickey's PhilharMagic who spent 5 minutes playing with them before the show, the ride ops and bellboys who did everything with a smile, the parade attendants who try to keep the path clear so patiently, and everyone involved in keeping the park in such a clean state. Theme. I don't expect it to this level in a seasonal park, but the queue's, uniforms, buildings, and rides all bring together the theme of an area and a park. As an Engineer I think it would be really, really cool to be an Imagineer. Attention to Detail. The efficiency with which the whole place is run and the attention to detail is amazing, even bad weather days didn't cause the slightest hiccup. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Also, if anyone can help me add a video, I could add a couple of items - video's are on my photobucket account, but I'm not sure how to add them to KIC.

I hope you have a comfortable seat and plenty of time because this will be long Disney World, Spring Break – four words that strike fear in the hearts of many, but since we didn't want to take Kyle out of school and really wanted another family Disney trip while the boys were in that prime age (5, 7, and 40), we decided to venture to Disney World last week. To make the most of the trip, I gathered advice from many (thanks Jesse, Dave, and others here on KIC who gave advice) and even invested in knowledge from tourguidemike.com ($20 well spent in my opinion) before setting out. What follows is an accounting of a truly spectacular family vacation! With airfares through the roof, we decided to drive this year. Santa helped with the Nintendo DS in both boys stockings and we made a good choice to include the third row of seats and DVD Entertainment system when we purchased a new car recently. My iPod on shuffle also reunited me with some good music I'd forgotten I had! We stopped on the way down just south of Atlanta where we were greeted by a Tornado Warning as we checked into the hotel (this was only the beginning of weather playing a big factor in our trip). Upon Arrival at Disney, we checked into our room at Boardwalk (my inlaws are Disney Vacation Club members and the stay was our Christmas present – best gift ever!) where we went Swimming at the Luna Park pool. Boardwalk also has this miniature carousel located in the lobby – according to the Disney website, it was hand-crafted in the 1920s at Coney Island by M.C. Illions, a master designer and manufacturer of merry-go-rounds. It is really neat to watch it in action. After a nice meal in Downtown Disney and a good night sleep, we ventured to Hollywood Studios for Rope Drop on Day 1 (Monday) despite the driving rain (although we got wet, we had a fantastic time and I know this significantly reduced the crowds we encountered). I secured the first set of Fastpasses of the day for Toy Story Midway Mania (yay me!) before we rode it standby – like many Disney rides, the queue for this is amazing, you feel like you are part of the toys in Andy's room! The ride is also an awesome interactive 3D experience. Following this, we rode the Tower of Terror, Rock-n-Roller Coaster and saw a few shows. I thoroughly enjoyed Walt-One Man's Dream - both the incredible items on display like an early diorama of the Peter Pan ride and the movie on his life – while the boys enjoyed Disney Jr. Live. We were all in awe at the Lights, Motor, Action Stunt Show – where despite the wet track, the show continued at high speed. After an afternoon break we headed to Epcot for dinner at Coral Reef – I've got to give huge thanks to Disney for making it so easy to vacation for families with dietary restrictions. We had a chef come to our table at every table service meal, and every cast member at the counter service restaurants knew what to do! We also hit a few rides (Soarin', Mission Space, Maelstrom – Test Track was down due to rain) before watching Illuminations, which I considered to be the best show at Disney (at least until Day 2) Day 2 (Tuesday) began with a risk of rain (although none came) and an early start at the Magic Kingdom. With touring plan in hand, we quickly worked our way through many rides in Tomorrowland (never waiting more than 10 minutes) Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, Astro Orbiter before crossing over to ride Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. We also watched the Move It-Shake It Party, and enjoyed the atmosphere at the park – I love the topiaries, the band, and the character meet and greets. Following another afternoon break, we returned to the park for a few rides, dinner at Tony's, and then the shows: Main Street Electrical Parade – Magic, Memories, and You – Wishes. While technically not one show, MM&Y followed by Wishes is a truly magical and a memory from my day at Disney with the family that will stay with me. I'm also pretty much in awe of the technology that enables them to make the castle come alive in the MM&Y show (sorry, I was so busy watching that I didn't snap any decent pictures ) Day 3 and 4 to be added tomorrow

Thanks for sharing your trip report and great pictures - these are two parks on my need to visit list, but that will likely wait until the boys are tall enough to ride everything with me.

Ty - thanks for sharing. With you, Cody, and Paul snapping pictures - you knew there would be a few amazing ones in there (and there are more than a few). Note to self - need to get back to Dollywood and try Adventure Mountain and the Zipline.

Did they let you in both days?

You hate to hear about things like this. See link here

Carowinds has yet to be released? Didn't they open today - there had to be something for guests didn't there?

And this is why we are friends. Anyone who does not know KIfan1980 will not know that he is being sarcastic. (or at least I think.. ) Yes, I was being a smart alec and poking fun at some of our KIC tendency to overreact. Look carefully at my capitalization and you'll find the hidden message for the day.

Riding with Sparky is fun - riding behind him and watching is hilarious, but he's right as his approach helps. Although I don't recommend trying to learn the layout in the dark at Holiwood Nights, because if you lean the wrong way, you may end up bruised

Awful - how can they Put that garbage in front of us and not Realize that It will cause many people to visit Less this summer. For a park that Once had an Outstanding map with nice red Lines showing exact layouts of coasters, this Supposed map is just not acceptable. Please tell me that this is Only for the math and Science brochure and is not the True map.

^ With that definition, I'm not sure Flight Deck qualifies.

I'm proud of the Cincinnati Zoo also - always have been. I think every one of my posts should have shown that. My frustration with this project is with the very poor financials of "green" technology in this case - if we truly want to have an impact (global scale), we need to develop environmentally friendly and cost effective technologies. As for the upgrade, no I didn't know, but am not surprised as they are always improving something. I'm glad that my membership dollars continue to support growth.

I'm not looking at $11 million of investment in blind awe and agin don't fault the zoo for taking a government subsidy. But using your 10% rate of return, that same $11 million in an endowment could be returning $1.1 million each year for other improvements over the next 40 years. This is what makes it such a poor financial investment - compare $140,000 to $1,100,000, which would you take?

As I said, I'm conflicted - not ready to call it wise just yet. But your argument about someone else using it drives me nuts. If we in this country continue to think and act like this there will be more bridges to nowhere and unnecessary projects completed. Its not about having money dispersed back to us, it about not paying a lot more in to cover the costs.

From the article: Note that I never said I blamed the zoo for taking advantage of the opportunity - since as you point out it is a good deal for them. That said the finances of the project still stink, and somebody still pays for it (and also many other similar projects like it). That somebody is you, me, and every other taxpayer in this country.

So I find myself conflicted on this project - while I believe that we need to be doing things to move towards cleaner energy and environmental responsibility, I am amazed at how poor the finances of this project are: $11 Million Dollars to provide 20% of the Zoo's electricity 20% of their $700,000 bill is $140,000 At this rate, the capital bill for the system (no maintenance or operating costs included) would be paid off in about the year 2090 If you had the opportunity to pay for an $11,000 system at your home that promised to reduce your $700 annual electricity bill to only $560 would you?

I actually don't think you are wrong - if you look closely at the picture, the top piece is still connected to the crane. This piece is therefore not yet plum and makes the bottom of the tower "look" like it is leaning left. As I watched the video (at the end) you can hear the people inside the tower banging - it is my assumption they are banging the pieces into alignment (via a connector bar or some built in alignment fixture) before bolting them together. I'm just imagining how loud that must be inside the ride cylinder considering it was pretty loud on the video.

Ok, I've got to ask - do you really believe that when the park map is released, it could be on there and will just open with the park as if it hadn't been SBNO for the last season and a half? Has anything changed to improve the ride performance (which was stated by the park GM as necessary to reopen)? Has off season maintenance been done on the trains? Has KI hired ride ops for SoB for this season? I can't say for sure, but I think the odds are that the answer to all these is not. What is giving you any glimmer of hope?