homestar92

^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)

I didn't even start liking amusement parks until 2010. I do sometimes get bored of Kings Island, but I've found a good balance. I go to other parks and I enjoy them. But Kings Island is my home park, and it's like a safe haven for me. I've found that the more parks I go to, the less I care about the rides at Kings Island, but the more I love simply being there. I could go to the park and just walk around all day and have a great time. The park itself will always be special to me, even if the rides become stale and boring (which starts to happen every year around late August, but by April, I'm raring to go back).

I have no qualms with RMC coasters really. Where I DO have an issue is in the way they are often marketed (something which RMC may or may not have a hand in). Outlaw Run is simply not a wooden coaster. Nor is Goliath. That isn't a bad thing, but they run on a steel track, and by all accounts, do not ride like woodies. By my classification, there is only one inverting wooden coaster in the world right now, and it is located in the great state of Wisconsin.

We will hopefully get a Troika in like-new condition!