purdude86

Not sure if you can really lump CP's together like that. They already have 3 attractions along those line with the Antique Cars, Cadillac Cars, and Turnpike Cars, so there was no need for them to put in a fourth. I would love to see us get something like them again though. I'd be fine with just a couple of new flats though as well.

I usually hate when rides are named simply for what they actually are. It just seems lazy. It seems to work ok for the carnival type rides though like scrambler though (guess since the name tends to describe the ride a lot and everyone calls them by it anyway) so troika might work but as it had a name rather see it keep that or renamed something else. But really calling it Troika but because it is one would be like having named Tomb Raider as Top Spin or changing Delerium's name to Frisbee.

Yea I'm not saying at all that Disney has been sitting around doing nothing. They have just been focusing on the guest say as a whole and not attractions. The Fast Pass+ system is supposed to make things easier and streamline visits, refurbing properties and building new resorts, and the new Disney Springs area being worked on. But to the general person looking at where to go for a trip the new attractions are what is going to influence their decision. But the things Disney is doing is why I am able to go there for a week and enjoy myself but I get bored with Universal after a couple days. I might be looking forward tot he new rides at Universal more than Disney but I will be spending much more time at Disney. And I feel the same about the new Avatarland as thegajone. I liked the movie but wasn't something I couldn't wait to see imported to a park somewhere. However it makes perfect sense at Animal Kingdom. The park is focused on conservation efforts and nature which is what the movie is about. So it will allow for a new land that fits in well. Also with the visuals of the film it could make for an amazing land as well. Just imagine walking through the bioluminescent forest at night, it will be stunning. So I don't think they need to worry too much about the films being a huge lasting success as long as the land is done well it will draw people in to see it. It will also give the park something else for a nighttime aspect. It usually closes early since it is focused so much on animals and they all go to bed early and has no nighttime show yet due to fireworks disrupting them. So having the bioluminescent land, more rides, and the new nighttime river show will allow the park to have a reason to stay open later.

Disney defintiely caters more to a family audience than Universal but I think the group that condemns Harry Potter for the witchracta dn sorcery is a very minute segment that won't affect them too much. Some of them might even be likely to go visit teh park for it's other attractions as well and just skip over teh Harry Potter sections. I will agree though that I think Disney has a broader appeal but that also has somewhat to do with it having a lot more to offer adn do there. They have 4 full theme parks, their downtown section, numerous resorts, camping, horse back riding, golfing, 2 themed water parks, etc. Where as Universal is just 2 parks which feel smaller than most of Disney's, a small downtown area connecting them, and a few hotels. I can easily spend a week at Disney whereas I start getting bored at Universal by the end of day 3. That being said it feels as if Universal has beens tepping their game up more lately than Disney has and it has not gone unnoticed by most. I see constant comparisons between the additions and people are favoring Universal's plans of late. New Fantasyland looks amazing but the park as a whole has only netted one new attraction. That has been the only real addition in all of WDW too as they have been focused on the My Magic+ system. Universal though has updated Jimmy Neutron to Despicable Me! Minion Mayhem, added Transformers, built an entire Springfield section, and now opened Diagon Alley and teh Hogwarts Express. I'm a huge Disney fan and have always loved the parks. However a group of friends and Ia re planning to go down to Orlando to visit both in January and I can easily say I am more excited to go back to Universal than I am for Disney because of all the new additions.

Yea I do miss making stupid poses for the camera on it but have gotten used to it not being there now. Probably would never have bought a pic from it anyhow. We still manage to get some good shots and poses on many of the other rides though.

I'm planning to go down in January and hadn't even thought of Megabus as a cheaper option. We're debating between driving and flying. I went down for the opening of Hogsmeade and it was awesome. Glad to hear that I'm not missing anything with the Pumpkin Juice. I really wanted to try it since I love pumpkin but $7 was too much. One tip for when you go back again is check out the single rider lines. They are usually much quicker. Your party generally gets split up but will be within a car or two so get on and off about the same time. It was the grand opening of Hogmeade when Forbidden Journey had like 3 hour waits and we'd be on in about 10-15 minutes. Other rides were similar. Spiderman had a 2 hour wait and the single rider line was about 5 minutes. WE were able to do everything in both parks in a single day.

Of those choices I'd really hope for a giga over a strata. I don't really get all the hype for the strata coasters. They are fun but the ride is so short, it's just one quick hill. I'd rather have a giga with numerous tall hills to go over and winding around through the woods or something. But I agree with Hank. There will likely be some new coaster types in that time coming out that could be possibilities we aren't even thinking about too.

I'm sure quite a few of the ones were probably aware either from prior visits or seeing the sign but were trying to get away with not having to use a locker. Even if they were free there would still be a lot of problems like that. At Universal they have lockers at attractions that don't allow you take stuff on that are free and they still have to fight with people about them.

That;s what I'd figure too. Flight of Fear hasn't worked for awhile and Boo Blasters would only be open on busy days and even then no one was buying photos hardly. I'd rarely ever even see anyone looking at their photo. Whereas at the other end of Planet Snoopy RFYLCB usually has a line for the photos.

From a thread a month ago on the topic of that very same, mysterious drink offer. A month ago, people were being told "if the food stands say they've never heard of this, tell them to call up to Guest Services." Now, silver2005 says it was the lady at Guest Services who didn't know they existed! And worse, that employees "weren't supposed to be selling them?" Clearly she was mistaken, but what kind of system does the computer use that employees can sell things they're not supposed to? Yea I'd be curious how they were able to sell it in the first place. But the other aspect too is if they weren't selling them this year why did the food stalls have them to give away in the first place then. They couldn't sell you the wristband if they didn't have it. And I agree Terpy. Not too surprised to see some confusion on things at the start of the season, but at the end of it these type of bugs should be cleared up.

Yea I agree a bit. Rather see Oktoberfest and International Street get some TLC first. But with an empty arcade aside from Haunt and the theatre by WindSeeker no longer being used and now the Troika being down (though confirmed to be coming back next season) that end is getting a bit bare and has the most space for additions. As to the people saying they hate seeing the arcade taken out for a haunt to be standing empty the rest of the year. They can always put something back into the inbetween like they do with some locations. And if not it's not like we are losing too much anyway. There is another arcade either direction not too far. and they can out some stalls or carts there to block the view of a SBNO building during the regular season as well.

But a big problem with kids who "look older" than said age. How many parents take their 3 year old thru the que, passing them off as a 2 year old (no charge)? Now imagine if there was a cut off at 5 or 6 or 7 or 8? My 6 year old has the body of an 8 or 9 year old, but often the maturity of a 4 year old. People guess his age wrong all the time, ask what level of baseball he plays and were shocked when I told them he was only 5 (at the time) and playing tee ball. A policy like that is going to have to either be very lax to the point where you take the parents word for it almost to a fault, or risk creating a lot of bad PR. There is a reason why Disney went to the full charge for everyone 3 & up. That and you'll also get people who are older but are just very short and aren't tall enough to ride the big rides but like to go to the park with family or friends still and do some of the smaller rides that might have gotten the junior pass before and now would be forced to buy a full pass even though they won't be able to do all the stuff other with it can. You are going to have upset people on either side of the decision of height or age. I understand their reasoning for the policy however I do agree that there needs to be a cutoff at some point in the season. Making someone pay for the upgrade when there is only a month left in the season seems pretty crappy. But if it's May and the kid has a growth spurt or something and can now ride everything then I think they should have to pay for a full pass.

I didn't go through Delta Delta Die last year so not sure what all was in it, but you could easily do both with different scenes in them. DDD is ore through a sorority house so like a standard haunted house type set up. A high school themed maze could go through classrooms, cafeteria, lockerrooms, etc. So it would be very easy to do both and have them be quite different.

Yea definitely a perfect spot for a maze and would make sense for why it got shut down mid season. Wonder is we'll be getting another new maze in addition to the revamped Slaughterhouse. Though I hope it's just a standard maze and not an alone upcharge one. As for Coney Mall itself with the removal of it and likely SR&R I hope we get some sort of Coney Mall upgrade for next year with a couple new flats. And redo the south end of the Coney Mall area.

But it still needs to be managed better. They should not be taking almost an entire trainload of guests from the Fast Lane queue at a time. It needs to be distributed a little better. Fast Lane isn't meant to allow you to walk on to everything but have a shorter wait, so it's ok to make some of them wait for the next train. Also the issue is kind of that it hasn't been a problem in the past. It's always been on Fast Lane and the line has moved really fast and could have a full queue go through in under an hour in standby. Now they are getting about half that amount and I don't think the seatbelts are adding that much to it.

I agree with Terpy. It would really depend on what is being offered, the quality, and the cost. If it was something worthwhile and only cost a few dollars more I'd consider it. If it was going to be another $30 or so I'd most likely skip it.

Yea I'm kind of surprised the most that Racer and Magnum weren't listed. Would think they'd be two of the most influential ones in history with being credited as being responsible for the resurgence of coasters and the start of the coaster wars respectively. Either one of them is much more deserving of the list than Top Thrill Dragster. I don't feel there is much special about it aside form height for it to become a historical coaster like Racer.

I agree. Plus while the thrill rides are my favorite I do enjoy going on the other stuff like log flumes, bumper cars, etc. at parks. Was sad to see the Les Taxis get taken out when they did. I love riding coasters and always excited to see a new one added, but I think a well rounded ride portfolio is what really makes a park. That's why I really want to see some new flats added to Kings Island. Other than WindSeeker I think the last real family or thrill flat ride added was Delirium, but numerous ones have been taken out since that time.

I agree with that. I always consider the more regional parks as amusement parks since they aren't too focused on theming and it is usually minimal. But they do still have some so they would technically count as theme parks. You're right it is mostly about levels versus one or the other. Especially with ones like Busch Gardens that sit right in the middle of the line, with heavy theming but nothing as extensive as Disney or Universal. Think that regional versus destination parks are a better division but even that has some gray area as people do travel from around the world to parks like King Island and Cedar Point, and again where do parks like Busch Gardens fit into that.

Agreed. I'd probably have gone with either Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom before but Universal has really stepped up their game the past few years. And Simpsons is my favorite show ever so having an entire land for it helps haha. Plus they have a great mix and range of rides now that look great. I'm really not surprised. The seasonal parks have these forums where people talk about these things or the parks tell people to go vote. But as Bodda pointed out Disney, Universal, etc. (the real theme parks) don't care about the results of a random poll. So their sites aren't focused on it or telling people to go vote to get them to the top, and most of their die hard fans don't care as much about it either. I'm a huge Disney and Universal fan but I voted for Kings Island still since its my home park too. I go to the others once every couple years but Kings Island is multiple times a year. So feel more compelled to vote for my home park as well.

I think just de-theming the restrooms would help a bit. Race For Your Life Charlie Brown has enough of a woods/river feel to it I don't think it needs changed and makes a suttler transition too that way. If you change it then you just have an abrupt change to Linus Launcher and Flying Ace Aerial Chase right next to it. The bathrooms are the only real stand out in that spot, paint them another olor and take of the character signs and it could work for both areas like RFYLCB.

YEa I'm sure they make a lot of money, especially considering there is next to no maintenance cost, but they are suck eyesores and take up a lot of space. love to see more themed gaming units in place of them. And I agree with the need for some more flats. Love to see either a new miway added between Rivertwon and Coney as someone mentioned or even a few spread around to help round out some areas like Rivertown and X-Base. Think a new thrilling flat like a Screaming Swing and/or Sledgehammer would be great in X-Base. And tilt-a-whirl and Fyling Eagles in Rivertown or Coney Mall. Maybe bring back Der Spinning Keggers to Oktoberfest as well.

I've usually been able to get a fair amount of stuff in on a Friday but won't likely get to everything without a fright lane or fast pass, but still a good time. Also as said earlier int he season is better and if there is a call for rain that will keep crowds out. Went in 2012 when there was a chance of storms. Never rained but everything was a walk on.

Yea was wondering that as well. Some of them would be easier to do like Urgent Scare or Board To Death since there is open space near the entrance. But others like Wolf Pack and Club Blood have no space at all. Also I agree about pricing being a key thing for me. I would pay $35 or so for the Fright Lane pass to be able to get everything in at night and have more time to do stuff instead of standing in lines. But not sure I'd be willing to shell out $60 or more for it ad I know most of my friends would never pay that either.

I'm not too sold on the idea of the skeleton key either. e curious to see how they do it at KI but heard some pretty mixed to negative reviews for it from Knott's. Though I have though about getting a Fright Lane pass anyway this year to try to get around to all of them.