disco2000

That would be 8:30pm

Or purchase at the park...

Don't worry, they will mysteriously go down again lol...and I don't know if I would call it a color change...

All is well in the webcam world.

There is a big part you are missing, and that is service life and repair costs of steel coasters compared to wooden coasters, and that is why we see things like Vortex, Firehawk, and King Cobra disappear, and eventually The Bat will leave...that plays a much bigger role than "community" opinion or a "debate of do we fix an old coaster or just build a new one" on when a steel coaster is removed. And don't mistake a paint job as it means it will be around a lot longer. King Cobra was repainted and was gone a year or two afterwards. Slingshot was painted and then removed without re-opening.... A wood coaster can last longer because it is easy for the parks to buy lumber in bulk and the type of laborer needed and access to the piece that needs replaced is easier than for a steel coaster. Our wooden coasters are walked daily and if you visit enough, there are times you can see a piece of wood has been replaced mid-season as a result of these daily inspections. And then sometimes we get off-season sections replaced as we have seen recently. Due to the design of the wooden coasters (walking paths the entire length) and the type of laborer needed for wood (compared to a welder), it is cheaper to maintain wooden coaster than a steel coaster. While steel is stronger than wood, it is subject to higher loads, fatigue and as such has a defined service life. Sometimes the service life is shorter than expected, and sometimes it is longer. So many factors come into play. Maybe it got bad steel; or the stress loads were higher than anticipated; or the temperature of the location of the ride impacted the steel more while it was being operated. Steel can only handle so many cycles before it starts to fatigue and it typically deforms and weakens at the welds. Steel coasters are subject to annual non-destructive testing inspections for the integrity of the welds. Other testing such as holiday testing, ultrasound, and several other methods are used to detect imperfections that are not visible to the naked eye. At some point these inspections provide how much longer the ride is able to operate until wide-scale fatigue failure occurs. Sometimes is matches up with the intended design life, and sometimes it doesn't. Part of the maintenance of steel coasters is repairing any welds that are beginning to fatigue. This is extremely expensive. The ride manufacturers require certain methods, type of welds, materials, etc. to be used on their rides. Plus, unlike wooden coasters with a walking track the entire length, steel coasters usually only have that on the lift hill, MCBR, and final brake run. So now you need cranes or other equipment to hoist the laborer and material in place. With a wood coaster, you can carry a couple of pieces of lumber with you to the location. The specialty labor required for a steel coaster weld repair, along with the parts cost is orders of magnitude greater than for a wooden coaster. You may be asking well why don't parks re-track and replace components yearly on their steel coasters like they do for wooden coasters? Again, the answer is cost. Depending on the nature of the repair, it could cost more to repair than a new coaster. Same thing with automobiles - sometimes the cost to repair a vehicle after a crash is more expensive than just buying a new car. Or restaurants. Many times it is cheaper to demolish and rebuild on site than it would be to remodel and get it up to current code. The initial build and fabrication of the steel coaster is always cheaper in the factory and onsite in an open field than 30-something years later. Access is more difficult, more levels of approvals are needed. More specialized laborers are needed. The cost of the materials are more expensive, etc. Further, by the time the ride has reached its original design life, many of these rides will have lost enough ridership as they have aged that the ride's popularity would not justify replacing all the steel components needing replacement, especially if it would be cheaper to simply build a new coaster. As it relates to The Bat, it does have going for it that the segments are bolted instead of welded like older Arrow coasters, so if there were sections that came back that were more fatigued than others, it could be possible. But there is still a lot of welding on The Bat. Does that mean that no steel coaster is ever rehabbed and track replaced - no - it has happened and will continue to happen on a case-by-case basis. But for something like The Bat, I could only see KI keep it around beyond its service life with rehab if ACE provided funds to do so to "preserve" an Arrow Suspended Coaster and I just don't see that happening...

^They are cheaping out LOL - Vortex had 7 cars

But the lighter colors shouldn't fade as quickly as a darker color.... Based on what is visible now, the supports look a little darker, but that is compared to the faded yellow so it could be close to the original.

That is a Cat's Meow edition. They have a "cult" following LOL and many of their pieces have a black cat in it, thus the name. That is about as cheap as you can find anything Cat's Meow and to the Cat's meow collector they will jump on it at that price. https://www.catsmeow.com/products

That one I can excuse them since our Winterfest does not have FastLane.

Well Taylor Swift does say "come back stronger than a 90's trend" The zipper is a much needed add-on to help secure phones and keys. You mean you didn't have a jacket with your name down the sleeve LOL.

Based on recent events in Orlando, it would probably be a better event if influencers were not part of the event

You mean you haven't bought both already? It is too close to Christmas and you hope you get one as a gift LOL.

If only there was a thread about it...oh wait LOL https://KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/45286-kings-island-web-cams-new-views/ They replaced the cameras and fixing it is low priority until they get to it LOL.

The IF statement will come to fruition IF the passholders stay silent and simply let the park devalue the pass. What can they offer to take away the bait-n-switch feeling the prestige passholders are experiencing and expressing on social media? Does moving the VIP to the grassy area next to the Restroom across from Hanks constitute an improvement? Does providing fountain drinks next year constitute an improvement over the bottled beverages? Does.... Or...what can they offer that is above and beyond what was proposed when they purchased that folks will feel like they got their money's worth? Is it ERT for just Prestige holders? Extra BAF days?

Well said. You could add, depending on the day, the variety of snacks offered. For a good stretch, all that was available was no-name jalapeno chips, a stark contrast from the variety of Frito-Lay offerings that was available when people made the decision to purchase said pass. Thankfully the Frito-Lay has returned in recent days. I know many that filled out the comment section on the website expressing many of your points and most only got back the standard response. Is the park really listening to the concerns or will they just continue to sell the Prestige Pass in quantity and thus further water down the experience.... Let's face it, most that bought the Prestige Pass are not the typical passholder that uses the pass 5 times or less. Most of them are the frequent visitors, so the amenities are going to be spread thin.

I think they have realized that they sold way more Prestige than available preferred parking (even if expanded), so instead of expanding the lot, it is cheaper to just add some restrictive language LOL. So now everyone that bought said pass with preferred parking as their primary reason for purchasing will need to get there at gate opening on many days in order to receive said benefit (unless they require a reservation as Boddah was told).

That is new language that wasn't there when the pass first came out....just like they have "watered" down the amenities in the VIP, now they are taking away a preferred parking benefit many assumed they would get with this pass...

True, but up to this point, Preferred Parking for Prestige hasn't been offered as a "subject to availability" benefit and is shown as a benefit available to said passholder during any publicly operating day, although I am sure they would say it falls back to the general terms of a pass. But it has been marketed as a reason to purchase said pass and not as a "perk" subject to availability that the gold pass parking area was during the Paramount days....

^I get the sense a lot feel the same way. Without a significant improvement I do not see many renewing Prestige for 24 if next year brings frustrations of full preferred parking, overflowing VIP areas, infused water, and no-name snacks.

Yep, it was never on main page. Only by email link which was then shared generously across social media lol, and now by that little link above the main page.

For those interested, the VIP lounge is open with ice cold water that should remain cold in these temps lol.

So it was you stepping in front of people recording

If only there was a thread about it...oh wait LOL https://KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/45286-kings-island-web-cams-new-views/

If they pay to be in the park, well then the park is making money on them being there... What is more strange is Chick Fil A in NFL stadiums....where most of the games are on a Sunday....

It becomes the new Prestige VIP climate controlled lounge and @BeeastFarmervision of the passholders getting leftover Skyline becomes a reality