Kenban

Not a chance. Holiday World actually had the trains for a while and tested them at night and during the off season. You can now purchase the trains used.

I really liked the mac and cheese kinda wish the park had it year round. I think it is a lot better than Hanks.

I am reluctant to blame the cashiers for the issues at the registers. If no one seems to be able to check people out in a reasonable period of time maybe the problem is the register and not the employee running it.

Is it weird that I had no idea we even could ask for a tour? I totally would have done it long ago, will have to check at some of the other Cedar Fair parks next year while they still have the attraction.

Here you go, this is from closing day so it is likely one of the last looks at the site we will have until Winterfest.

Pictures later but they have been removing the concrete. I am not certain how anyone can draw conclusions about what will be built there based on what work has been done.

Only 4 coasters are still closed, Adventure Express, stunt coaster, Invertigo, and Vortex. Lines are about 5-10 minutes.

Wicked twister is 400 feet long, they have not even cleared 200. It's always possible we get it but this location makes no sense. Although I suspect if it is moved it will go to a smaller park.

There is a third style at least in concept. The S&S Twisted Looper. Think a giant loop with a wing rider train plus the track has a twist on the way up and back down so it is basically a non-inverting loop. Last year this was shown off as a concept video and some advertising but I could see it being ready by now. I actually thought it looked like a good idea. Not sure how likely I consider it but I think it would be a fantastic fit for the space.

There are individuals who are on this site that likely do have good enough contacts to find out exactly what is going on. Chances are someone who has read this thread knows. But the people with that information are being trusted that they will not discuss it publicly. The quickest way to lose that trust is to post it online. If you are an employee you can be fired, if your friends with an employee you can get that person fired or at least lose a friend. What I have known about other projects in the past was told to me in confidence that I would not discuss the topic before any announcement. I have been able to keep those contacts by not joining discussions when I do know something. The fact is I know almost nothing about this project, I have heard some rumors, all of which say it will be a restaurant and just about all of them seem to agree it is a smokehouse. But all of that was just some discussions with friends about what they have heard. Which is why I have no problems discussing this topic and speculating. At this point I do not put enough faith in the rumors to rule out a ride. The enthusiast community is very good at taking speculation and turning it into rumors. Those "rumors" lead to more speculation which just drives more rumors. The problem is sometimes none of it was ever based on any solid information, maybe there was some truth at some point but sometimes it is lost in the noise. With this project we are just not far enough along to know for certain what is true, what is a leak, and what is speculation. At this time I would treat nothing posted in this thread as anything more than rumor or speculation.

Maybe a sign of things to come? Pure speculation mostly because using the building for a hunt seems like a waste. Make this building into the smokehouse. Use the space from the former attitudes store for an antique cars ride which utilizes the tower gardens.

It somewhat feels like fixing some of the food issues should be a series of corporate projects. Which seeing the self order kiosks it seems like they are working on it but having used the kiosks several times I have no clue how hard they are trying. The kiosks are a buggy mess. Watching people try to use them seems like an exercise in futility, I have watched them just totally bug out into loops you cannot get out of, vastly try to overcharge, just stop working, etc. When they work it's a huge help but it needs to be much more reliable. An area I could see improvement is the lines at drink stands if they would stop using the registers to scan the cups and passes. Have a company design a small stand with a barcode scanner and a screen. Barcode scanner points towards the guest while the screen displays to the employee. Guest scans their pass or cup and the screen states if it is valid or if they have to wait x minutes, last location used, time used, etc. Only use the register to sell drinks or activate plans and the employee can have guests scan through even when another guest is buying a cup.

That company mentioned at the end of the article as being a possible bidder sounds like more garbage.

I am sure there is an exception but the attractions at Disney World with indoor, air conditioned queues are indoor rides. The outdoor attractions like Kilimanjaro Safari, Big Thunder Mountain, and Expedition Everest, all have outdoor lines but while they do not feature air conditioning it is common for them to be covered. I would be happy with solid coverings to block the sun and rain while waiting, for instance the covering over the line for Drop Tower. I think indoor air conditioned lines for outdoor rides is just not realistic.

Nothing I have heard so far suggests there will be any conflict between the two. It sounds like Gold Star plans on operating Tom + Chee restaurants as a separate chain. At the store level it sounds like the biggest changes might be a revamped menu. I am not expecting this to have any effect except for possibly a new menu at Kings Island. It sounds like they want this to be similar to how KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut all have the same parent company.

I will admit I had not given much consideration to using the international restaurant as a buffet. Without that I do not see anything which points towards a new restaurant listed on Kings Islands website. Most of the restaurants you are able to figure out exactly which restaurant they are using by reading the description. For instance 11 Pipers Piping Pizza, states if you missed Prancer’s Pizza on the way in, and Tinker’s Spielzeug Haus is obvious so you know all three La Rosa’s locations and which is which. So we are back to rumors and speculation.

The post right before the one you quoted? The Kings Island website lists a Kings Island Holiday Buffet as an attraction for Winterfest. It is speculation that this new restaurant will be the buffet in question since the park does not have a buffet.

Vekoma is testing a new style flyer. There have been rumors it was for Disney but also rumors pointing towards other parks. It's difficult to describe quickly. But here is a website with pictures and video of what's being tested. Plus here is a youtube video from the site. Just watch the seats rotate at the top of the lift hill and as they return to the station. Honestly it looks amazing.

The brake fins which were damaged have nothing to do with the train. The catch car has its own set of brake fins because just like the train it is going 120+ MPH. The issue appears to be a misalignment caused the catch car to slam into the fins. Downtime is going to likely be based on part availability. Which is why Kingda Ka had the long downtime, they did not have enough brake fins and had to order more.

Looking at the list of restaurants for Winterfest. I noticed something which I have a hard time placing in the park, the Kings Island Holiday Buffet. At first I was thinking Red Hall of Fame Grille? Except I notice that is also listed as a dining location. The description states "Enjoy a holiday dinner featuring sliced turkey and ham, classic seasonal sides and some of Santa's favorite classic holiday deserts. Traditional holiday buffet with three carving stations. Wine and Beer service available.". For a while now I have been wondering why turn Attitudes into a restaurant and still need to expand the location by using the Coney Potato Works. This is a massive amount of space for a restaurant unless it is something special. I no longer think it is just a smokehouse, and while it might serve smoked meats it looks like we are looking at a buffet. I think total this is still larger than Midway Market at Cedar Point. I wonder if we will see an upcharge like at Cedar Point.

There is nothing magical which happens at 200 ft. A hyper style coaster can be shorter than 200, just look at Steel Eel. If Kentucky Kingdom wants a traditional hyper style coaster they can do it even if it is not actually 200 ft tall.

^ This is from the news article that geforce1994 linked to above. "Investigators reported finding a can of red paint and a wet paintbrush under the ride, but they never concluded that the crack was what was painted that day."

I suspect we are correct about what this will be. We are likely looking at a new restaurant. Based on when the work started I suspect this is for Winterfest. Which means I would expect this to be announced along with the rest of Winterfest. Because the park still needs to announce rides, shows, etc.

I love Mystic Timbers and frankly it deserves an award as the best new coaster of the year. It really is that good. But I have no idea how it can win an award for best new ride over Flight of Passage. I can understand how Dollywood got Best shows, but how is Six Flags Fiesta Texas in second? Only one Disney park is even in the top five for best shows?

So is the Potato works building inside or outside the fence?