disco2000

Maybe I got a bad batch LOL. The ones I got at LaRosa's by The Beast were not much bigger than a regular size hot dog and were nowhere near the same volume. I knew I should have taken a pic LOL.

You missed the other changes on the train route LOL. Removal of the old "station" for the haunt event and replaced with landscaping. Added trees along the route. Cleared out the area around Teddy and created a little scene with a lake and walking path (not that we can walk on it LOL), but unfortunately put a hole in Teddy's head LOL.

I thought they tasted better than usual, but they were definitely smaller. More like hot dog length (well not the length of Skyline's LOL but a regular size hot dog).

Larosa's breadsticks are now half in size or at least seemed to be half LOL.

Blue Racer is running forward.

Adventure Express is running.

Something else howls....

Would a live action version this year be good enough LOL

Brad's post provides more details than the news article LOL https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2022/03/30/kings-island-the-beast-wooden-roller-coaster/7216400001/

One can certainly understand the darker colors getting impacted by UV degradation and fading, but one would think the lighter colors should have fared much better.

What it says is that even despite the pandemic and all the changes and closures and limited capacity, they still made a boatload of cash to pay off the short term loans the took out at the beginning of the pandemic.

How incredibly sad. Many here may recall the death at Paramount's Great America when a 12 year old fell out of their Drop Tower. The investigation found that because there was no seat belt between the legs, his body was able to come out from underneath the OTSR (between the OTSR and seat) as the brakes slowed it down. Most may not remember, but our Drop Tower didn't have seat belts initially. After this accident, all Paramount Drop Towers added the seat belt between the legs to prevent someone from being able to slide out in that fashion. Plus it is an additional safety factor if for some reason the restraint was able to come unlocked (which they say cannot happen mid ride). I sure hope the investigation doesn't find that a history lesson could have prevented this. But sadly, I think they will conclude that had this ride had this safety belt between the legs connecting the OTSR and the seat would have prevented it, coupled with if they had height/weight limitations (or were enforced) he wouldn't have been able to ride. I have seen the raw video and it was a broad chested kid, so that restraint was up fairly high and the bottom of the OTSR was not touching his body. There was a big enough gap that when the ride hit the brakes, there was enough room for him to slide out, similar to the incident at Great America. Unbelievable for a tilting forward Drop Tower ride that they would not have that safety belt. Because of the seat belt on Drop Tower, This person (6' 5", 340 pounds) would not have been able to ride Drop Tower. The length of the seat belt on Drop Tower is the length it is for a reason. Even though the OTSR can lock in place a lot higher, it was determined that the distance gap from the seat to the OTSR needs to be small enough to prevent someone from slipping through.

And so it starts again.... https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/shanghai-disneyland-closes-china-covid-061327757.html

The invasion could also impact Cedar Point getting international workers. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/russias-ukraine-invasion-impact-jersey-shore-economy-105226152.html

It's that common core math, estimating theory edition

It goes in cycles. If Haunt disappears, they will go this route for 7 years or so and then bring it back. This is an easier bring back than Winterfest so the gap would be less. But yes, even though our Haunt has scaled back every year, and is by most people here the same event from prior years, it still brings crowds, so the incentive to spend a lot to change it up every year isn't there. KI has data on a tricks and treats only event from 2020 and data on Haunt "post" pandemic, and CP has numbers on expanding Haunt to Thursdays and Sundays, so CF has a wealth of data to go by to make a financial decision over an emotion decision. I am sure someone is crunching the numbers and doing the analysis to determine if Haunt should continue.

In case people missed the source and link to the other thread...it is two of the smaller parks. Until you see Knott's, Wonderland, Dominion, Carowinds, or the Point cancel it, I doubt we will not have it this year....but with the current trend of being more family-oriented, it is something we could see happen down the line, especially if they decide the hassle and staffing of the event becomes more of a liability than an asset. Things can change, but Knott's, Carowinds, and Dominion are the only "confirmed" Haunts at this time, but KI is usually one of the last in the chain to formalize the next event. https://cpfoodblog.com/several-cedar-fair-parks-replacing-halloween-haunt/

Yeah the 12-7 hours will be interesting to see how that plays out. If it wasn't Good Friday, it may have kept the lines down some, but a lot of people are off, so it could be packed. Maybe the reduced hours will keep some people away, or it may mean everyone converges for the 7 hours.

Passholder preview was on Good Friday in 2014 and the park was slammed (it was also Banshee opening). It was scheduled for Good Friday in 2020 and Covid put an end to that. But in years past when they opened in April and it wasn't Good Friday, they were open 5pm to 10pm, it was pretty crowded as well. Ever since they opened it to all passholders instead of being an incentive for early renewal it has been packed.

Most rides are open and some of the largest crowds LOL. You can do a search here to see how busy LOL. Take a look at the first few pages of this thread to get an idea...IIRC last year was the first season passholder preview that they let Fast Lane be used as well....

Does anyone remember when Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters compared riding on a streetcar into Over-the-Rhine to Jurassic Park and said who would willingly ride it....

It seems Six Flags has more issues than Cedar Fair (or maybe they just make the media more often when something goes wrong) and the reputation is Cedar Fair is more maintenance driven than Six Flags, especially when something like this happens https://www.nj.com/monmouth/2018/12/familys-christmas-card-features-moms-scary-six-flags-coaster-malfunction.html But yeah it certainly seems to be leaning towards a CP specific issue despite no blame being offered...

One has to wonder though, that even though the state did not put fault on anyone, why did Kingda Ka keep running and not shut down as typically similar rides will shut down, if even for just a day, in the event of something this severe? Think of our Drop Tower closing for the KK incident. In other words, what makes this failure of that part so unique and site specific to CP that Kingda Ka doesn't have to worry about it? Other than the queue lines are not in proximity, it could still result in physical damage. Maybe the differences in queue locations is all the difference, or maybe there are directives from Intamin to Six Flags that has been able to be kept under wraps?

Regarding insurance, it has been stated here repeatedly over the years, shows up in SEC annual disclosure reports, and even in this accident report itself that the park is self-insured... Jake from State Farm has no say in the matter LOL. Similar to SOB, short of the state not providing a permit to re-open the ride, the fate of this ride will be up to park management as they weigh all the factors, from a marketing and public relations perspective, to an operation and maintenance perspective, and everything in between. Now certainly the risk of another accident and them having to self-pay for the resulting injuries and lawsuits will come into that decision, but it won't be because Jake says he won't insure them if the re-open it...

The webcams came back after Orion was done and disappeared when Eiffel Tower started getting repainted.