homestar92

If I answer that question this early in the season, I believe that would be a spoiler. [emoji6]

Not quite as good as Cirque Imagine. Not yet, anyway. I won't cast judgment for a few weeks. I can forgive a lot in the first performance. There is one act that seemed to eat up a lot more time than expected (as evidenced by the music actually ending while it was still being set up). I could see that portion of the show changing or disappearing, opening the door for something new as well. As it is right now, I'd rather have Ed Alonzo or Cirque Imagine. But it is a vast improvement over Hot Blooded.

Slaughterhouse was great as always. Is it REALLY a completely new experience? No. Not in the same way that a truly new Haunt would be. Yes, the layout changed, but you have the same themes and characters, and even many of the same props. It seemed longer though. That said, I preferred last year's version, perhaps due to the sheer disbelief that the park could fit that much stuff into what was then Stunt Crew Grill. Besides the "new" Slaughterhouse, I didn't do any Haunts that I hadn't done before. Wolf Pack was better than last year. Club Blood was... Club Blood. Anyone who's gone through it will know that's all I need to say. I am curious to go through Madame Fatale's again. In 2012, it was superb, but when I went through it in 2013, it was understaffed and many of the surprises were ruined as a result. Oddly enough, Haunt 2012 seems like only yesterday, while Haunt 2013 seems eons ago. Perhaps it's because my visit for Haunt in 2013 was rainy and miserable, and is the second worst day I've ever had at Kings Island.

^Based on your own desires perhaps, but I think more or less everyone would agree with you on at least two of the three things you listed.

Even freaking Camden Park has a BooFest. It blows my mind that they couldn't manage to put SOMETHING together. It really puts into perspective the state of things there. I would hardly think Camden is a park with an enormous budget, and yet they manage...

Flying Scooters, a good compact twister woodie, and an ejector airtime machine. Those are the only things I really think KI is missing. And that's why I enjoy KK almost as much. They have all three of those things.

Hmm, an actual tangible object to collect... The probability of me purchasing a Fright Lane with Skeleton Key just increased exponentially.

Honestly, I was never too crazy about Mantis (though I certainly didn't hate it) but I always felt it would be a shame to lose that delightful B&M roar and that amazing tangled mess of twisted track. I'm happy with this. The tangled mess of track stays. The roar stays. The ride (presumably) becomes vastly more rideable. Win-win all around in my book. And to those who are sad because they really enjoy standups, believe me when I say there are a whole slew of fantastic standup coasters still running. Vortex at Carowinds is still a delight to ride, and there's a standup at SFGAd that shares many common elements with Mantis if that's more your cup of tea. But just my opinion, if this proves to be a roaring success, expect to see more of those standup coasters converted. Especially the larger ones.

You've never ridden an SLC? You're in for a few months of anticipointment. Jonathan is EXACTLY RIGHT. I rode my first Vekoma SLC, Mind Eraser at Six Flags America just a couple months ago. UnrealNightmare told me I wouldn't like it and he hit the nail right on the head. Never before have I gotten off of a roller coaster cussing like a sailor. Most uncomfortable and unenjoyable 5 minutes of my life that I wouldn't mind having back. I'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard rather than experience that thing again. Honest when I say that. It may look fun but prepare for disappointment. I'm not a fan of Vekoma in general. The SLC at Kentucky Kingdom may have ONE saving grace. Vekoma has redesigned their OTSRs recently and they are similar to the new B&M ones. If T3 gets new trains (and thus, new restraints) it might make for a drastically improved experience. And if any coaster were a candidate for new trains, it would be that one.As an added note, not all SLCs are created equal. Darien Lake's Mind Eraser was actually a lot of fun. Flight Deck at Canada's Wonderland was absolutely dreadful, and is the only coaster that I flat-out refuse to ever ride again. I'd marathon their Zamperla Flyer before I ride their SLC even one more time.

And a blog post about it: https://www.cedarpoint.com/blog-article/online-fun/RougaBlog Looks like they've been on KIC with their little "Hey, what about the heart line?" comment.

You've never ridden an SLC? You're in for a few months of anticipointment.

Johnny Football! Wait, wrong team! Wrong team, but correct state! Am I referring to the state of Ohio, or the state of confusion? Yes.

Thank you for that link. I adore Mean Streak. It is one of the most breathtaking manmade structures I've ever looked at, and one of my favorite things about Cedar Point. The purple sky you get right around dusk, that beautiful wooden lattice structure, and a great view of the lake make that one of the most gorgeous images I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. I could make a real Dinn singing the praises of that ride on its own merits... But that view... Wow.

And Cedar Fair is not alone. Several of our members were quoted in the video that was played prior to Holiday World's announcement of Thunderbird.

^ Something like a Haunt maze, perhaps?

I've ridden KI's Flying Dutchman many times! In fact, I've ridden it as recently as two weeks ago! In fact, in the last two weeks, I've ridden both their Flying Dutchman AND their Flying Dutchman Coaster!

We do know that the one at Cedar Point is OUR noodle though. He even has the same scuff marks! It's probably sad that I know the noodle that well.

not to mention The Bat needs some new pictures, so does Delirium As do Diamondback and Vortex - the photos on the site are a very poor representation of the rides. They make it look as though they aren't horrendously faded.

Exactly. These ride operators are, for the most part, teenagers working minimum wage (perhaps slightly more, but not much) as a means to have a little extra cash in the summer. These aren't people who are trained in these complex issues. These are not decisions that ride operators should need to make. I think the best approach is to have very thorough and detailed guidelines on who can ride and who can't, with a policy of when in doubt, they don't ride until a supervisor or higher park official gives the OK. If someone has to tell a young handicapped child that he can't ride this ride, it will be upsetting for sure. Dealing with their parents may be even more so. But ultimately, worst case scenario, such dealings might ruin the employee's day. I'd be willing to be there are members of the 2011 Ride of Steel crew that are still haunted to this day by the memory of what happened. It may not even have been their fault in the least. But humans are weird like that. If we're involved in a situation like that any way, it's going to haunt even the toughest of us for the rest of our lives. These decisions need to be reserved for professionals who understand the forces of the ride, any laws regulating who can ride, manufacturer guidelines, etc. If someone has a good grasp on the situation, they are less likely to make a bad decision, and when the time comes that someone must be turned away, they will have the knowledge to convey WHY they had to do what they had to do.

I want to say that it's just a Haunt attraction and will be back early next season. Unfortunately, the changes to the building itself were looking mighty permanent today in my opinion...

Safe to say they did all that concrete work for a reason? I know it won't be "our" Eagles, but, a copy of the new ones at CP would suffice... The area has been in use all season as an employee break area. But to pave an actual concrete path from the midway... Something's up. And it isn't a Haunt. We know where the new Haunts for this year will be. Plus, it didn't have the neon spider sign that indicates a Haunt entrance, and all the others did. However, if this were related to a set of Eagles, or any other potential 2015 attraction, it would be insane to lay that path now. Obviously, it is a task that takes less than two weeks, as evidenced by its not being there when last the park was open to the public. I feel like there may be a Halloween surprise in store perhaps... EDIT: Queue line for the new Haunt in the Coney Arcade? That seems the most logical now that I think of it. They still have a week to get signage up, so just because it wasn't today doesn't mean it won't be...

Hello, what's all this then?

I can confirm that at least the blue Gerstlauer train from Son of Beast is still on the property. A couple of the cars from it are now a Haunt prop.

There aren't a WHOLE lot of us that really believe in the park much. It's not that they can't survive, but they need to make some major changes - and fast. If things continue as they are, then I really do think the park's days are numbered. However, there is at least one other guy here (me) who really loves that park, and truly and honestly WANTS it to succeed. A successful Kentucky Kingdom is good for the park industry. Competition drives innovation. And plus, I just genuinely really enjoy the rides and attractions at that park. Do I want it to fail? No. A BIG no. I want them to stick around forever. More fun coasters to ride in the region is always better than less. Basically, I'm hopeful, but not optimistic.

Oh, my, has my nickname for Kentucky Kingdom begun to stick? I feel so honored (I hope that's my own creation... I hadn't seen it used anywhere when I first started using it)