MDMC01

I'm really glad parks are issuing statements on this. Also, news do articles keep referring to the coronavirus as novel coronavirus; why is this? Are they referring to it in this way to differentiate it from other types of coronaviruses (as mentioned some posts back)? On another note, I am really surprised Winter Jam (a Christian concert scheduled for this Saturday) has not yet been cancelled. I was planning on going, but I've decided not to as I could be at risk due to my health issues. This should be an interesting couple weeks, to say the least...

That is so cool; good for him!

This is the plot of land where Woodstock Gliders and Snoopy's Space Buggies currently are, adjacent from the Petting Farm. Prior to closing, it was also known as Snoopy's Splash Dance.

Thanks for the pictures @Shaggy! That first picture with King Cobra and the nearby store looks almost unrecognizable to today (but I do like the decorative fencing and plentiful benches; was the place where the picture was taken where Chicken Shack's patio is today? Also, I always assumed Ice Scream Zone and the Congo Curio building were the same... never knew they were two different buildings!

Though I'm still on #teamfloorless, I thought of another idea... What if we have a (steel) dueling coaster in Vortex's spot? There aren't a ton of those around and IIRC, one hasn't been built in the US in some time. Thoughts?

Wow! That looks like what I imagine Geagua Lake's view would have been like (I never went there before it closed)! It's amazing how (most) of the remaining Geagua Lake coasters seem to be thriving at their new homes!

Dang. Yeah, I always thought of Vortex and Beast as the two "older coasters" (in other words, old standby coasters) of the park* and it's interesting that while the oldest of the two has just celebrated it's 40th season, the younger is being dismantled. It will be interesting riding the surrounding rides (such as WindSeeker, Beast and even Diamondback) in 2020 to see how the former Vortex plot looks from those angles. *Yes, I know that Racer and Woodstock's Express are older, but of the four, I'd say I rode Beast and Vortex are more memorable to me... EDIT: IMO, that picture of Vortex's lift/pre-drop being gone makes it look like Vortex is actually in the process of being constructed instead of being removed ...

That webcam pic of what's left of Vortex's lift from far away is a little eerie. Also, it seems like they are being very delicate with the removal as they are removing sections at a time (the close up pictures show this well as there are small gaps between the pieces of track that remain); is this typical of coaster deconstruction/removal?

First off, I am glad the podcasts are back! I have yet to watch part 2, but I would love to give my thoughts on this one: Re: the discussion of thoughts that the addition of KMAA would be encroaching on the pathway and affect the bottlenecking of Haunt crowds, I almost think Killmart’s queue suffered more than Urgent as they had less space to work with line-wise due to the addition of Autos and that game stand that is used as The Mistletones' stage. Also, did not know that the Drive Training sign was a reference to Peter’s Cartridge factory… pretty cool! I totally get the feelings @IndyGuy4KI had about adjusting to the "new" (old) colors of The Beast trains. If the OG colors were a one season thing and they went back to all red this year, I think I could live with that. But… at the same time, I get why they’d leave the train colors as is and I could live with it for a season or two more. Re: Milestones- Didn't realize Banshee was 5; woo! However, I did observe Invertigo/Drop Tower’s anniversary season and I love Invertigo's new train; I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned. Speaking of milestones, I wish they would have done something for WaterWorks’ 30th, like a limited- time t-shirt or something with the old logo. Re: Carnivale: I got to be on a float one night and it was awesome! The sign up sheets were near X-Base (now Area 72) and I think we had to sign something including how many members were in the group and important waiver-ish stuff like that (I rode with a family I had met through the Cirque shows)). Also, wonder if next year's Grand Carnivale will feature different countries. Finally, the different acts for each pavilion was a really cool aspect. And speaking of parades, I remember the Nickelodeon Parade “We’re kicking it all over town, this party’s getting out of bounds…” lol Finally, Vortex totally mesmerized me as a kid. When I was really little, I wouldn't ride anything, but I would love watching Vortex go through its layout (especially the batwing). Also, it got me thinking a bit about The Bat's final days and what that will be like for me... sadly, it will happen sometime, but hopefully he's still got a decade more of swinging action left!

I think it would be possible to have a flat (or two?) on the grassy area that is currently to the left of The Bat's queue. The area I am talking about occurs after you go under the tunnel and see The Bat in all it's glory. When you turn to the left to continue down the pathway (which eventually leads up and down some steps) there is a grassy area near where the old monorail storage building is. This is where I'm thinking a flat or two could go. Again, you'd still have to traverse the weird exit path that is a bottleneck during Haunt (with Wolf Pack, Blackout and The Bat's queues in close proximity to each other during Haunt), but maybe this could be opened up to be an official path (like, rip out some of The Bat queue near Blackout maybe and have the entrance queue start close to near where the "exit" is- where you can see the ride make that huge turn close to the pathway). Hope this makes sense. I really hope The Bat doesn't leave us any time soon; it's one of my favorites!

I am so excited! I love the colors; it looks like a B&M Millennium Force (ok, I know it's not, but still)! This thing is going to be amazing!!! Can't wait for testing!!! Also, this seems relevant:

If this becomes a thing, I would gladly be the roadie! Seriously, I've roadied* for many bands while in high school and college and enjoyed it. In the past, I've set up for Newsboys/Seventh Day Slumber, For King and Country, Brandon Heath and more (mostly local bands though). However, that being said, I would feel very nervous bringing equipment up to the top of TTD... *The gigs were unpaid, but I wasn't doing it for the money. However, I did get a free "Head Roadie" T-shirt out of it while in college!

Here's a video I found from the event at Cedar Point: My mind has changed a bit; this seems kinda cool!

Maybe they'll put the partners on the back like they've done in past years (I'm currently thinking about the 2005 map, how all the "official (such-and-such product) of Paramount's Kings Island" was on the back side of the paper in columns).

Oh, I didn't know you could ride in them... intriguing...

I, for one, am glad Diamondback is getting sand as it is really loud. Not Raptor loud, but really loud when you are walking down the midway. Like, I know the B&M roar adds to the ambiance (see KI's Banshee and Rougarou at Cedar Point), but, IMO, there's a limit to the loudness. And yes, I have delivered pizza to a neighborhood that has a great view of Kings Island from their backyards (not Miami Bluffs- though I have delivered there), but IIRC, it's the one closest to Kings Schools. EDIT: Diamondback with a tunnel would actually be really cool and not make the ride so bland (imo).

Wicked Twister... only $9,000,000! Seriously, one of those in my backyard would be awesome!!! The only thing would be that it would need so much power for the launch...

So about the monster trucks... I don't know where that show could be put as monster trucks are generally very loud and that noise complaint argument happened pretty recently... In addition, the noise might drown out other areas of the park. It's one thing to have a loud lift hill (See SOB, Firehawk or Steel Vengeance), but it's quite another to have multiple loud monster trucks revving up! Just my $.2 on the issue; personally, I'd vote no on monster trucks. -MDMC, who once went to a monster truck show at a fair and it was super loud!

I'm still on #teamfloorless*! Also, re: innovation vs. playing it safe, I think it would be cool to mix it up with something innovative, but at the same time, I feel it should be somewhat reliable and enjoyable. ....and I'm glad someone else knows da wae! -MDMC, a fan of memes! *The only thing is that it would be that it would likely be another 54 inch height requirement and I agree that it would be nice to have another 48" coaster (as Vortex was). Also, whatever we get, I hope there is some sort of tribute to Vortex in the trackwork and/or theming- kind of like Yukon Striker gives a tribute to Skyride with that (seemingly random) vertical loop.

I remember getting off The Crypt in the "boring ferris wheel" program days and asking the ride op if they were ever going to revert back to the old (as in, Tomb Raider-esque) cycle. However, though it was a shell of what it was (I had ridden both TR:TR and the 9-flip insane version of The Crypt), I still enjoyed riding it back then as it was just something different. I loved how the gondola rocked up and down as the ride got started; that was a cool part.

Though I've never been to a theme park outside of the United States, Thorpe Park has always intrigued me. Colossus looks amazing and The Swarm was one of the first Wing Coasters built. Slammer also looked awesome to younger me, but sadly it has been dismantled. I'm sure whatever comes in 2020 will be equally fascinating.

Yep, that e-mail address worked; thanks @Hendrick! EDIT: ...and I'm registered; yeet! See you all there!

Millennium Force being on FLP makes sense, considering this coming season is the ride's 20th anniversary.

I will e-mail GOCC for the info; thank you all so much for the responses!

Maybe it could be networking thing (as in, keeping in touch with other people/fan clubs on social media)? I've heard there is a social media component, so I don't know. Or they could put your Twitter handle on your name tag? In any case, I don't believe it is a mandatory question. Speaking of questions, I too got that Coasterstock Registration e-mail and it said to register by Sunday, Feb. 16th. However, I have not yet received my GOCC credentials; what should I do if I don't have my GOCC credentials by then (I signed up for GOCC on Feb 1st, two days before I bought my Coasterstock ticket)? Thank you.