KIBeast

I, for one, am excited that announcement day is upon us. I think I speak for a lot of us here when I say that this announcement is something that we have all looked forward to for years.

Totally agree with you on this one. I really don't understand all of the back and forth about a layout anyway. You can literally tell nothing about the ride experience from the leaked layouts anyway.

What "Hollywood level special effects"? There were statues, fogs, fountains and prop replicas. Not sure those are better than anything we've ever seen a KI. The enchanted voyage had animatronics. The Phantom Theater had some good effects. I'll just agree to disagree. Nothing has really wowed me with over the top effects.

The theming on FOF is really not much better than that of MT. Neither was Tomb Raider. They all have stationary effects, which is on par with what has been achieved in the past. Anyone expecting Disney-like was setting themselves up for disappointment.

@Drummermattk nice pic! I really need to make my way to that park and check it out for myself.

It gives me hope to an extent. However, and I did not bring this up, it's not just the age that is a factor. I had back surgery when I was 19. Now, in my latter years, I have issues with back pain. Multi-level degenerative disc disease, bulging discs, and a disc that grinds on one particular nerve. I had a nerve ablation done 2 years ago which alleviated that last problem. However, the nerve grows back and I am waiting to be scheduled for another ablation. The good news is, it did work for 2 years. Word has it that it can grow back in as little as 3-6 months, so for it to last 2 years is a blessing.

Congrats on the new baby! I have not visited Carowinds as of yet, but it's on my amusement park bucket list. I am, however, going to visit Hershey Park, another one on my bucket list. At age 48, I know I won't be able to do this forever, so I want to visit as many as are financially feasible before I have to retire.

Yeah, same as you. The entire hangar was full along with the queues outside. Probably a 3 hour wait. We all felt like it was a great ride, but got even better once the OTSR's were removed.

I remember waiting in line for a long time to ride. It was worth the ride, although too much headbanging. I love metal music, and if I'm complaining about the headbanging, then it's way too much haha.

None of the aforementioned are food items haha. I dig the boardwalk idea though. Last year after spending 3 days at CP, I finally took note of those abysmal dorms. Holy train wreck Batman. Looked ghetto fabulous.

I am happy that Racer is getting re-tracked. I never found it too bumpy myself, but I'm sure that GCI will do some quality work. I am more than happy with Mystic Timbers. I think it met all expectations.

Delirium, maXair, Skyhawk, Power Tower, Drop Tower, Shake Rattle and Roll, Tiki Twirl, Troika would all beg to differ. Flat rides, water rides, and shows round out the experience. There are families that go for far more than coasters. My kid is a coaster junkie but loves all the aforementioned rides. He is also looking forward to the new flat in Old Coney.

I agree with both sentiments. Cedar Point's Skywheel looks great, but I don't see many people riding it any time I am there. I think a Tilt-A-Whirl is needed at KI as well. It's a classic fun ride that families can do together. I would also add in a new dark ride to replace Boo Blasters on Boo Hill.

That estimate is nowhere near what the actual figure would be. Otherwise, they would have opted for a longer length of coaster. The mitigating factor was price in the coaster and to build a lift hill of 400 ft was not cost effective, so they opted for a launched coaster instead.

Maybe something people are overlooking is the fact that KI could potentially add a wing coaster or dive coaster in the area that Firehawk used to occupy. Now, would I be upset if KI goes with a giga coaster? Absolutely not, but there are other options out there that they could go with.

Those who know, don't speak. Those who speak, don't know.

For the record, the Millennium Falcon had the first 3D Hologram game table.

I like different aspects of each coaster. I enjoy The Beast's double helix, the multiple tunnels, secluded placement and night time rides. On the other hand, I like the quick directional and smooth changes of direction on Mystic Timbers. I also had a really good night ride this year. Plus I enjoy the first drop's design. I'm just happy that KI has a nice collection of world class coasters for me and my family to enjoy.

True, removing Wicked Twister would open up some room, but with such a small footprint, you can't fit much of anything in that area except maybe a flat ride. I don't really see them removing it though. I suppose if the yearly ridership numbers or maintenance warrants it, it will.

Firehawk was never my favorite coaster, but I always loved the unique experience it gave. I was fortunate enough to ride it as X Flight at Geauga Lake. I did not experience GL under Six Flags ownership (as I had heard many people tell of terrible customer experience), but I went twice after Cedar Fair bought it. They did a great job with what they had to work with. Unfortunately, I don't think they could repair the damaged reputation that it obtained. A real shame too as I loved several coasters that resided there. Dominator, X Flight, Raging Wolf Bobs, Head Spin, Thunderhawk, The Villain, Big Dipper. They had a really nice water park to compliment it too. At least I have some good memories of that place and still have a Villain hat that I bought there.

In thinking about this topic, it's really hard for me to pick a favorite past ride. I enjoyed so many rides over the years that are no longer there. However, whether or not I would want those to return is an interesting question too. Past Favorites: The Bat, Zodiac, Bayern Curve, Son of Beast, Kenton Cove Keelboat Canal, Screamin' Demon, King Kobra, Tumble Bug, Les Taxi, Bavarian Beetle, Der Spinnin' Keggers, Enchanted Voyage, Flight Commander, Sky Ride, The Trams that brought you to the front gate, even though it's not a ride, The Rotor, the Hanna Barberra Land theme. Wow, I have seen plenty of rides come and go. Boy, I am old, haha. Glad to see the Antique Cars making a comeback. Probably a lot of people see it as a meh addition, but KI needs more rides that the entire family can do. I, for one, always wanted to "drive" the cars.

While Cedar Point could certainly use more shade, it IS the flagship park. It takes in the most revenue and I don't see another park in the chain overtaking that designation any time soon. When I go to Cedar Point, it seems like there is so much more to do.

Not sure of ridership numbers, but in no way is a line any kind of any indicator of popularity of a coaster or how much ridership there is.

That is some great insider info you shared @Shaggy. I had heard about the problems with Stealth and Paramount's decision not to install more, but you added so much more vivid detail. I too rode X Flight at Geauga Lake, but after Cedar Fair purchased the park. I never went to SFWOA as I had heard way too many complaints about that park. I should've gone just to say I experienced it. Anyhow, I loved the theme and colors of X Flight. Never cared for the new paint job it received as Firehawk. IMO, they should have stuck with a name that was similar to X Flight as it would have tied in to the X base theme plus you have FOF next to it. Also, I has not read your blog on the Screamin' Demon that was relocated to Camden Park as the Thunderbolt Express. However, you did respectfully correct me on this board about how Camden had acquired that ride. As you may know, people in this area had added on to the addition saying that Kings Island had owned the park and that's why Camden had received Thunderbolt.

I have often wanted to travel to PA to visit Hersheypark and Dorney. Still haven't made it, but Dorney looks pretty good for a smaller scale park. It does seem to be the step-child of the chain. At least Mia gets water park additions somewhat regularly. I also agree that they should take a step forward with Dorney in making their presence known in the PA area.