jcgoble3

*sigh* I disappear for three days and my baby thread is all grown up. Seriously, though, I should have known that this thread would explode like this. Some late replies: I hope the new roller coaster is soft and smooth. Not coarse, rough and irritating......like sand. LOL! I realized on Sunday that I missed an opportunity by not naming the thread "Decoding Episode II: Attack of the Falling Trees". I'm seriously considering whether to rename the thread to that (but probably won't). Those blinds have been that way for years now. I think I once heard from a train operator that the space used to be an office for train engineers. Indeed. See this picture I took during a winter tour in December 2011: As it did in 2013. Currently, we've had 172 posts in the past 24 hours across all of KIC. That's pretty similar to when the original Decoding thread was started, but in the last couple of weeks before Banshee was announced, we were regularly approaching 1,000 posts per day, and IIRC we actually hit four digits on the day of the announcement.

I remember not that many years ago (two or three, I think), that it used to be 1 token equaled 1 quarter. So $1 was worth 4 tokens, $5 worth 20 tokens, etc., up to $20 being worth 80 tokens. Then just a few years ago, they switched to the system you described, which smacked to me as a money grab, attempting to pressure people into committing to buying a huge pile of tokens, more than they needed, up front because of the perceived "value". At that point, I quit playing the arcade games. It's nice to see that it's back to a fixed rate that doesn't change based on how much you load at a time, which is the way it should be.

...what? According to Google's own permissions guidelines, screenshots can be shared freely as long as attribution to the data provider is included (and in some cases this is already baked into the screenshot itself).

Son of Beast wasn't a mistake to get rid of. Rather, it was the mistake.

^ From looking at those screenshots, they appear to be from the Google Earth program, which is something that is installed on your hard drive, not something that runs in a web browser (like Google Maps). So if he took the screenshots himself, then there is nothing to provide a link to (since linking to a program on his hard drive wouldn't work).

Zoo spokeswoman describes the handler as their "tiger whisperer": http://www.whio.com/news/news/national/palm-beach-zoo-keeper-death-she-was-tiger-whispere/nq6R9/ It's not clear how she came into direct contact with the tigers (something generally not allowed for safety reasons).

The log ride was scheduled for removal once before. IIRC, it closed down... and people complained. Loudly. It sat closed for an entire year, then instead of being removed, it was rethemed and reopened the following year as part of the kids' area instead of Rivertown. If they do indeed announce the end of the log flume, I wonder if the same complaints will fly again, and if those complaints will be enough to save it again. It would be sad to lose another ride that was imported from Coney Island and opened with the park in 1972.

Okay, now there's an interesting idea that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet. Hmm...

I was wondering how many pages it would take for that to be mentioned.

Announced in a Facebook live video: https://www.facebook.com/HolidayWorld/videos/10153674227419538/ The Dole Whip will be offered at the Sweet Stuff snack stand, located directly behind the Hoosier Celebration Theater where the majority of their shows are held. From the video, it appears that they have straight pineapple, and pineapple/strawberry twist. I would assume that they would also have straight strawberry.

If you purchased the all season drink cup last fall or over the winter when you purchased/renewed your pass, then you should have received the voucher at that time together with the pass voucher. It would not be handed to you at pass processing; you'll need to dig up the original paperwork from that purchase to find it.

I added a few links to the first post, including the original Starting to Decode 2014 thread.

With regard to the drink plan, that's not on anybody's pass. It's tied to a special souvenir cup. If you pre-purchased that plan/cup, you should have received a voucher, which you now need to redeem for that cup. Then you must have that cup with you to get the refills throughout the season.

Since this appears to no longer be a rumor, I've taken the liberty of starting a new thread in the Kings Island section. Check it out here: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/31913-decoding-episode-ii-rivertown-2017-and-the-falling-trees/

I started a new thread here instead, since the Project 2017 thread is under Rumors and this appears to no longer be a rumor.

Yep, it's the return of everyone's favorite topic: decoding! What's going on in Rivertown? What are we getting for 2017? Speculate away! This has been created as a new thread in the Kings Island section to replace the "Project 2017?" thread under Rumors, since it appears to no longer be a rumor or question. Before we get started, a few ground rules, from lessons learned in the original Decoding thread (for what turned out to be Banshee): No trespassing. Yes, there was an incident three years ago when the Decoding thread was temporarily shut down due to a (now-banned) user who trespassed in the construction area. Suffice it to say that Don was mad. Don't do it again. Along those same lines, no posting of any illegally obtained photos/videos, whether yours or someone else's. This means not just anything obtained by violating the law, but park rules as well. Be nice. This should already be covered by the TOS, but the last Decoding thread featured a number of arguments (mainly between two specific coaster manufacturers) that occasionally got out of hand. Let's try to avoid that on this go-around. Speaking of the TOS (Terms of Service), those can be found at http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/4128-terms-of-service/ (the persistent link at the top or bottom of the forums, depending on which skin you use, doesn't work). Above all, use common sense. If something doesn't feel right, perhaps you're better off not posting it. If you're new to KICentral, welcome! I expect that this thread will see a steady flow of new users posting in it throughout the season, just as the original Decoding thread (which was the speculation thread for what turned out to be Banshee) did. Before you start posting, a few tips: I recommend that you read the Terms of Service (linked above) in their entirety before posting. It's a fairly quick read, and it's always a good idea to be familiar with the rules of an unfamiliar website before using it. If you really, really want to post now and don't want to take the time to read the TOS, the two most important rules from the TOS in relation to this thread are these: first, if you post a photo that you did not take yourself, you are required to state the source and include a link to that source if at all possible, and second, you cannot post "confirmed information" that the park has not publicly announced without including the full name of the source. This latter point means that if you're claiming that an employee gave you inside information, and you want to post it, you MUST include the employee's name. On that note... "Those who speak do not know. Those who know do not speak." In other words, those who really know what's going on (which does NOT include seasonal employees) aren't going to be leaking information (more than likely, their lips are sealed by a non-disclosure agreement), and those who claim to have information are almost certainly making it up. Be aware that this community has a history of being largely self-moderating, so if you violate the TOS, your mistake is just as likely to be pointed out to you by a regular user as an admin/moderator. Understand that they're usually just trying to help you learn the ropes and that they don't have a vendetta against you; just say thanks and learn from the mistake so you don't do it again. Plenty of users have started here on a bumpy road and gone on to become active, respected users. Also, one mistake, or even a few mistakes, are highly unlikely to lead to a ban. User bans are fairly rare here. Lastly, know that Kings Island park officials do read these forums, including PR director Don Helbig. Don occasionally posts on KIC as "DonKIPR", though I wouldn't expect him to post in this thread. Regardless, don't be surprised if a social media post by the park indirectly references the discussion here. Notably, at one point in the original Decoding thread, somebody commented that Don could tweet something about apples and we'd take it as a clue of some kind, and about an hour later, he did exactly that! Some links regarding the last round of decoding: The original thread that started it all, "Starting to Decode 2014": http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/27275-starting-to-decode-2014/ BoddaH1994's warning from that summer about the trespassing incident (which still applies): http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/27822-a-warning-to-the-kic-universe/ And, for those that want to relive the part AFTER the announcement, I present the Banshee Construction Progress thread: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/27917-Banshee-construction-progress/ And now, let's get the speculation started with this photo, taken by chugh43, of the sign on the fence around the old Rivertown funnel cake stand:

Is there any sign of construction behind the fence? Has anyone from here been up on the Eiffel Tower platform to take a look?

A pic has been posted in the KI 2016 discussion thread.

Let the speculation begin! Although, can we try not to remove so many trees this time, please? EDIT: Where exactly is that? Is that over in the area of the old Rivertown funnel cake building and WWC entrance/exit?

http://www.whio.com/news/news/national/tiger-hurts-one-at-palm-beach-zoo-west-palm-police/nq6JK/

THE PARK IS OPEN!!!!! Everyone who's there, have fun for those like me who can't be there!

Indeed. Last year, I was the one burning through my battery to post pictures on preview night. I hope someone does the same tonight for those of us that can't be there.

My understanding was that the park had an unwritten rule that after a certain hour, parking was free, hence why they turned all the lights green without staffing any lanes. Late in the evening, the vast majority of people entering the park are going to be season pass holders anyway, so at some point, they lose money with the cost of paying employees to staff the tolls not being offset by revenues.

So kick off your regular shoes and socks as you approach the platform, put on the water shoes, and leave the regular shoes on the shelf while you ride. (Or change before you get in line and leave them in a locker.) Then change back as you exit. For that matter, if you're going to put on special footwear just for a water ride, flip-flops would be easier.

On a more cheerful note, Walt Disney World now has a field of solar panels shaped like (what else?) Mickey Mouse: http://www.whio.com/news/news/national/mickey-mouse-shaped-solar-facility-unveiled-disney/nq4qr/