Kenban

Reusing existing infrastructure is why the lounges at Knott’s and Kings Dominion are so nice. When all they need to do is renovate the park ends up with a better lounge. This makes perfect sense as a replacement for the tent. It’s indoors, already has restrooms, air conditioning, food and beverage service, and is in a central location. If I remember right Knott’s reused a room that was used for overflow seating at a restaurant. Kings Dominion might have been an old restaurant?

This information is still available on the website. You need to have an account with your passes linked to it. It displays the total number of visits and a list of the dates and what park it was used at.

After it was announced that Steel Curtain would stay closed all year, I saw claims that the park was careful to not use it in any of the 2024 advertising. Supposedly no one has even seen it in the background of a picture of something else. I went back and looked at marketing emails and could not find any that advertised Steel Curtain, but since those emails likely only contain a link to an image instead of embedding them, in theory the park could swap the images. If true, it would seem to suggest that they had a pretty good idea last year it would be closed.

To give you an idea on costs, the wristbands that Cedar Fair currently uses are around 4 to 5 cents each. The cheapest RFID wristband I have heard of in bulk is just over 50 cents each. I could see the chain trying them at one or maybe two parks to test them, the extra cost could be worth it if it makes a big difference in scan time or reliability. But I would not expect to see widespread adoption without testing to prove its worth first.

Last fall the parks were pushing digital only season passes with no plastic card, so in theory new pass holders could easily only have a copy on their cell phone, a cell phone you can’t bring in line. I don’t have a plastic card since I got a new pass instead of renewing for instance. A prestige pass holder will use their annual pass, in this case a cell phone, to get the free Fast Lane this year with a scanner at the start of the line and at the station. They want to do away with the receipts likely to prevent people from giving them away. Will Cedar Point have to provide those guests plastic cards, and will issuing them cards change their home park? Or will Cedar Point provide Fast Lane passes allowing guests to give away the single use Fast Lane?

Except this was not a loose item that made it onto the train, it was thrown from the line. There is little parks can do except make ride paths not come close to guests to protect riders from people not even on the ride. Those packets of hot sauce were thrown at the ride vehicle, and likely would have done very little if they had made it onboard and just fallen from someone’s pocket. While goggles might have helped in this one instance, loose phones and other large objects coming loose at 100+ MPH or 400+ feet in the air are a larger concern. Here is a guest who received a concussion last year on Maverick. Left partially blinded by cell phone on El Toro. Broken nose and left a bloody mess from a cell phone on Iron Gwazi There are a lot of instances of cell phones causing injuries.

I have no idea how the need for in line lockers was not obvious early in the design process? Based on the design of the attraction, its speed, and that the train is passing in such close proximity to the queue, walking paths, and over Iron Dragon, loose articles seem like an obvious problem. Maybe it’s just me but I just looked at the design and assumed the ride would have metal detectors. Does anyone know what the building at the start of the unload platform is/was? I realized the only way I can imagine this working is building a path or more than one depending if the lockers are in the infield or not, under the return track. Which also means it would need to be far enough back that the track is high enough in the air. I think it should work, but without seeing the finished ride, maybe not.

This is effectively a type of loan. Six Flags will sell $850 million dollars of IOU’s that it will have to pay back in 2032 along with interest. This is normal and they get issued regularly. It even states that it will be used to pay back a note due in 2025.

I have wondered how T3 would be with the new trains from Vekoma that have vest restraints. Good SLC coasters do exist, Thunderhawk at Michigans Adventure for instance. But the vest restraints are very comfortable, go ride the Great Nor’Easter at Morey’s Piers. The only SLC I got in line for over and over again, I lost count of how many times I rode it, it’s really good. The vests combined with the track work produced an incredibly smooth ride. Made me realize it is not really the layout that is the problem with SLC coasters.

This sounds like the same policy that was in place on Steel Vengeance before the in line lockers were built. It was a mess, people don’t want to pay for lockers and frankly it effectively makes the ride a pay to ride attraction. I have seen some claims that the ride will have free lockers similar to Universal, but I do not believe this. I have no idea where people got this idea, because I have not seen anything to support it. Having a bunch of free lockers outside the queue will promote people trying to abuse them instead of paying for lockers in other areas. While I do believe the park should offer free lockers at rides I just do not expect to see this change. The issue with Steel Vengeance style lockers is where could they be built? You need a location where you can get back to the queue from the exit, and the launch track is in the way.

The topiaries are real. The shapes are done using a steel wire mesh frame. Then that is filled with Sphagnum moss, which is what gives them their name, Sphagnum Topiary. That moss acts like soil and is how the plants grow. The color and texture is done by growing specific plants in different areas. Part of the reason the Disney ones look so good is they have a full team who takes care of them and touches them up and trims them if needed every night. Because of how they are made they can just be picked up and moved around. That allows them to grow them in greenhouses then just move them out for the festival.

Several restaurants at Kings Island did do this last year by having monthly specials. They were extras instead of replacing something on the regular menu. They also did not appear on the menu boards but were instead on little signs in the restaurant, Brewhouse for instance had different specials most months. The park NEEDS to do a better job at communicating these kinds of things. Maybe something in the app or a monthly post on the blog, but it needs to be communicated somehow. Here are the specials from July at the Brewhouse. If you check the thread from last year I know people were randomly posting the specials.

Grain and Grill had a massive problem last year with the meats being dry by the time they were served to guests. It makes little difference how good they start if they are dry and tough when served. Is it being over cooked, or held in the warmer too long I have no idea. Cedar Points food has finally been improving the last few years and over the same period Kings Islands has definitely gotten worse. Having been to almost all of the parks in the chain in the last two years except for the two California parks. I would rank Kings Island ahead of all the smaller parks in the chain but easily dead last among the larger parks. Cedar Point, Kings Dominion, Carowinds, and Canadas Wonderland all had better food and often more choice. I want to see more food options around the park but would likely be happier if they worked on quality and consistency.

It’s a four and half to five hour drive, with minimal stops, covering close to 300 miles to get from Cedar Point to Michigan’s Adventure. I think it’s a bad idea to try to add it to a trip to Cedar Point. Instead add it to a trip to Michigan. Go visit Detroit, Holland, something, anything else that is closer. While it won’t be an amusement park or roller coaster, I feel there is plenty to do in Detroit, and while it is still 3 hours each way, I have done it as a day trip from Detroit I like Michigan’s Adventure, it’s a good looking park with decent rides, and typically has short lines. But it’s small and it’s out of the way. I went over Labor Day weekend last year, I think on Sunday. Almost all the coasters were short waits, mostly 5 minutes or less, with only 2 or 3 having longer waits. I have season long Fast Lane, and I mostly just used the regular lines, except for I think Mad Mouse, the Arrow Wild Mouse. Just don’t expect a lot of food options, or a lot of rides, it is a small park.

My bucket list park for the year is Fuji Q Highland. I will be visiting Japan, my flight is next week. The problem is I have been to Japan before and never made it to Fuji Q. It is a long way from Tokyo, takes a full day, and I have limited time and too many plans. So I will literally be able to say in two weeks if this happened or not. During my trip I will also be visiting Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan, Tokyo Dome City, and Nagashima Spa Land. I have been to all of these parks before. Disney has a new Beauty and The Beast dark ride. Universal frequently has seasonal specials like turning an indoor coaster into a VR experience themed to an anime. Nagashima Spa Land had a lot of ride closures due to weather and maintenance last time I visited so I hope to finally ride Steel Dragon 2000. If I have time and money this summer I hope to make the drive to Silver Dollar City and make a stop at Lost Island Theme Park on the way. The new Fire in the Hole looks fantastic. I am concerned Lost Island will not survive long term so feel visiting soon would be a good idea. Will be visiting Cedar Point for Top Thrill 2. I have tickets for Holiwood Nights and look forward to Good Gravy. Will make trips to Kentucky Kingdom and Kings Island. If I have some days free plan to try to hit some zoos like Indianapolis, and likely Columbus. That’s the stuff I am confident about. Plans change, but a lot of the big stuff is booked to an extent.

I think, I could be wrong, a sign like that would be completely done by the local park. I would attribute any mistake in it to the park and assume corporate had nothing to do with it. It’s even spelled correctly at the bottom of the sign. As a guest, mistakes happen, I would laugh about it, take a picture, and move on. If you’re always expecting perfection, you’re expecting too much. Hopefully the park fixes this quickly. Although whenever I see something like this I have to wonder how many people saw this, and how did none of them catch it.

Am I remembering something wrong, or is this the 3rd new bar in basically a year? Outpost Frozen cocktails opened with the park last year, the container bar last year with Haunt, and now Coney Mall Frozen Cocktails. I don’t drink beer and prefer alcohol in other forms, so it’s nice to see the park branching out. But hopefully we have new food choices and maybe new locations with ICEE machines, and coffee due to the new drink plan. Also I prefer the bars to be a little more off the main midways. I would think this would work better under the overhang on the back of the Emporium across from Festhaus, it already has tables even.

I think this policy was put in place before the issues of sexual assault in the dorms made the news, but I always associated the two issues with each other. I remember when the stories about Cedar Point covering up cases of rape that there were also stories about young women not being comfortable due to creepy old men staying in the dorms. I have no idea the ages of anyone involved in any incidents that occurred in the dorms, so I am not sure if this has any basis in reality beyond stories that were reported by news organizations which might have been reporting anything possibly related or trying to steer the public’s opinion. I believe this policy was implemented in 2021 so maybe it was COVID related. The only older individual I have known who stayed in the dorms only worked at the park weekends during Halloween, and only stayed I think Friday and Saturday nights. I am curious how many people were affected by this policy. Would separating dorm buildings by age ranges be legal?

Reminds me of the surfrider coaster from Intamin. Likely just due to the seating layout. Here is the product page from the manufacturer RES.

This constant need to attack the park and its communication is really getting old, and feels unwarranted here. Someone updated the map in the app early, and it was noticed. Accidental leaks happen and I believe we have noticed them before. Changes like this are typically packaged together and announced at the same time closer to the parks opening. Last year the first reference I can find to Outpost Frozen Cocktails was not until April.

The VIP lounge has always felt like it should be a bar instead. Except for the lack of a drain, just about the only thing that would be needed is to build counters around the structure. It’s already this nice fenced in area. Have bartenders serving mixed drinks. Personally I think it would work really well with some theming and make it into a tiki bar. The park would need a new VIP area then but frankly not many people seem to like the current one. Making the old subway into a bar seems like an odd choice. Plenty of other choices they could have gone with.

A voyage lift hill climb has traditionally been offered as a prize during the auction at Holiwood Nights. Would love to see more parks offer this type of experience. Cedar Point offers one to the top of Valravn. Would be happy to pay Kings Island to climb a lift… It’s a great view up there

I have long felt that Timberwolf should be removed. The reason for that was because I just doubted we would see it be used, and I felt one weekend a year was not enough to justify its existence. It’s not a true desire to see it torn down, but more that as a paid concert venue, it’s unlikely to really see much use, and it’s in a very valuable location. A summer concert series, especially free with admission would change my views. I would go from it needing to be torn down to it needs to be renovated into something more modern and would like to see at the very least a roof, and likely new seats. I can see Kings Island trying this as well. It works well for a lot of big parks, Busch Gardens, Sea World, Universal, and Disney all do free concerts. It does feel like there will be something else on the schedule for Kings Island, not sure it will be a concert series but it is very possible.

Carowinds does not appear to be getting Grand Carnivale this year. Anyone familiar with their normal entertainment offerings? Does it look like they have cut back on the regular shows this year? Mostly wondering if this is being paid for by cuts elsewhere in the entertainment offerings.

When I look at Six Flags I see potential, the chain should have a higher attendance. It should have a higher revenue, it should be more profitable. As a chain they are 10 million guests a year below where they were in 2019. If I was a shareholder of Six Flags, I would jump at the chance of new management. If I was a Cedar Fair shareholder I would be a lot more conflicted. It’s possible they are getting Six Flags at a discount due to the poor management. It’s also possible you end up with people from Six Flags in positions that ruin the company. Who is in charge and what is going to change becomes more important. The potential for huge growth and large returns exists, for both sides. But both have large bills that are coming due, huge upcoming expenses, and frankly I believe many of the Six Flags parks will need a lot of investment. Synergies between the chains are a real possibility, but the savings they are using to sell this deal seems too high. My view in the end is this is something Six Flags needs. That while Cedar Fair would survive without it, they could also see giant growth with it.