thekidd33

Awesome pictures! Thank you so much for putting in the time and effort to share these with all of us. Looking at these pictures made me realize how much of a fixture of the park's skyline SoB has become for me. It was strikingly odd to seem pictures of that area of the park without that massive wooden structure lording over everything.

^Someone got a crystal ball this holiday season I see!

^KD's Grizzly must have been running pretty well this year, it seems like there has been a lot of comments on various sites about how people were surprised how much they enjoyed their rides on it this summer.

The 2011 version of Mitch Hawker's Wooden Coaster Poll is now open and accepting ballots until January 20th! This is (in my own humble opinion) a much more accurate poll than most seen in the industry. The more ballots the better the results so be sure to get yours in! Link to Mitch's site: http://www.ushsho.com/bestrollercoasterpoll.htm A great drag and drop ballot creator tool can be found here (if you have never filled out a ballot for this poll before it can be a tad intimidating at first but this is a great place to start): http://www.wardleystunnels.org/hawker/ And finally here is what my ballot looked like this year: 1) Voyage 2) Beast 3) Shivering Timbers 4) Raven 5) Cornball Express 6) Legend (HW) 7) Blue Streak 8) Racer (KI) 9) Wolverine Wildcat 10) Hoosier Hurricane 11) Woodstock Express (KI) 12) Zach's Zoomer 13) Mean Streak P.S. - Mods if this info has been posted here already, please delete this thread.

If they stuck an old Arrow mouse in that building I would re-ride that thing all day long. Which may very well be a total of 5 or 6 times as you pointed out, but I wouldn't be horribly disappointed if that is how it ended up. Would you rather have a three point challenge (or some other similar up charge) or a new, albeit less than thrilling (to most), coaster? If its up charge or mouse, give me the rodent any day. Edit: Though as I have said before, a Screamin' Swing would look quite nice there.

Awesome thread! It is so great to people willing to share this type of stuff with all of us here at KIC! Thank you so much for the effort you put into this!

Awesome video, thanks for posting!

There are a couple in Europe too at Tusenfryd in Norway and Bonbon-land in Denmark, but this will be the first in the U.S.

Have we heard where Pitfall is headed yet?

Yeah the flex ticket actually looks like a great deal. Idk where Kingsrattler found the hotel deal but here is a site for the tickets. http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/Flex-Tickets/?cm_guid=1-_-100000000000000004926-_-6486116787&cm_mmc=Paid+Search-_-google-_-Orlando+Fun+Tickets+-+EBG-_-Orlando+Flex+Ticket_orlando+flex+pass

Using the attractions in the article my list would look something like this: 1) Leviathan - 300ft Beemer? Yes please! The pictures of this rides construction are really making it seem like this ride might have some nice forces to it. 2) Fantasy Forest - I am all about anything Disney and while this isn't exactly aimed at my demographic I think it will be a very nice refurbishment/addition to the Magic Kingdom. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train sounds fun and the reviews of the new Little Mermaid ride in Cali (of which MK's is a clone correct?) have been positive. 3) Wild Eagle - Both of the new B&M Wing Riders look like they will be a lot of fun...I just trust Dollywood a heck of a lot more than I do Six Flags to get all the little details right. Plus, from the photos it seems pretty hard to beat this rides location. 4) Cars Land - Any billion dollar project from Disney will peak my interest. I love Test Track and the comparisons between that and the new Radiator Springs Racers has me excited. While maybe an odd fit for California's Adventure, I think it will be the big hit that Disney is counting on. 5) SkyRush - I have really liked the bigger Intamin's that I ridden and even though I am not a huge fan of the layout, it is hard to imagine that this won't be a stellar ride. Plus it is the first one on the list that I am planning on getting to ride next summer. 6) Transformers - While I didn't get a chance to ride Spiderman on my visit to Universal/IOA in January (I know, I know) by all accounts it is an amazing ride. Any upgrade to the ride system, plus what is sure to be an exciting set of cinematic sequences, is certainly something to look forward too. I would like to see this come to USF as I doubt I will get to California to ride this one anytime soon. 7) X-Flight - When I first saw the layout of X-Flight I thought it would end up being the coaster I was looking forward to the most for next summer, perhaps as construction begins to go vertical it will move up this list. But with Wild Eagle's setting, the fact the Leviathan looks like it is going to be anything but forceless, and the way SkyRush is looking at Hershey, it's got some competition. On the plus side, chances are I will get to ride this next summer. 8) Verbolten - Looks like a fun family coaster and the drop element is something that I really would like to experience. For a reason I can't quite put my finger on, this install just isn't pushing my buttons the way others this year are. 9) Buena Vista Street - By all accounts this is something that needed to happen at DCA. I am sure it will look great when it is done but it isn't something I can really get myself excited for. 10) Manta - I think this will be a great fit for the park. But like Verbolten, nothing about this ride has me too excited.

As others have pointed out, that looks like it it within 3cm of 1974! It lines up perfectly!

^Obviously they knew that this was where The Beast roamed, and thus avoided the area.

It really is incredible how different those two shots look. The trees growing in through the years have had a drastic effect on the look of the park.

Well that wasn't totally accurate because we got out of line the first day we were there after we had been waiting about 40 minutes and still hadn't reached the castle gates. The next day the posted wait was 90 minutes and was pretty accurate. So all in all I waited 2+ hours in line lol. I really don't know what the deal was the first day but the line was just insane and barely moving. We were there the first week in January and IOA was absolutely swamped both days were there. There seemed to be a ridiculous amount of Asian tour groups at IOA but the Studios were all but empty the half day we spent there. The power of Potter I suppose.

An interesting read indeed. Love how the page that is subtitled "More Than Coasters...we have thrills and entertainment for all ages" then lists coasters as an activity.

Nice photos! Thanks for sharing these, always fun to see off season park pics!

The Butterbeer sold there and Dueling Dragons make it a must visit area of the park even if you aren't into all the Potter stuff. Like GYK said I would hit the Forbidden Journey just to marvel at the ride technology. It is extremely cool how well the physical sets blend with the various projection screens. The only thing about the ride is that is you (or anyone going with you) gets motion sick easily, this ride could definitely get to them.

I have to agree with GYK on this one. Try try try to do both, but if you have to choose one or the other, go with IOA. I was there for two days in January and spent 1.25 days in IOA and the rest of the time at the Studios. Men in Black, Mummy, and the Simpsons ride were all top notch rides. E.T. and Jaws (not that it will matter in Feb.) were fun, if a bit dated. Rockit was...well awful. IOA has Dragons, Forbidden Journey, Spiderman, Hulk, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and much much more. The only down side to our visit was that we spent significantly more time waiting in line at IOA (45 min for Hulk, 120ish for Forbidden Journey, etc.) as opposed to the Studios where everything except for Rockit was 20 minutes of less.

That sounds like a pretty fun ride to me!

According to that same TPR thread the park has confirmed that Transformers is not what will be going in this location. Edit: Didn't read the first part of your post carefully enough GYK, my mistake!

I used to LOVE the scrambler when I was little. I had an intense fear of heights (and therefore roller coasters) and there were only a few rides I would ride on our yearly trips to KI. As I have gotten older I can no longer do the spinning rides at KI as they make me terribly nauseous, but I fondly remember dragging my dad onto the scrambler 5 or six times a trip.

^Heck I went in January last year and waited two plus hours for it!

Saw this on Beech Bend's Facebook page today, it sounds like an awesome addition. Link to Beech Bend's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/beechbend?sk=wall

Looks like Mr. Potter is getting a second home. Link to article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204397704577070691060558140.html