benny1388

I wish I could go. Not only am I not eligible, I couldn't make it anyway... We went on Sunday to pick up our season passes. It's the first time I have ever been at the park when it was 'empty'. It was both cool and creepy at the same time. We looked in the main gate which was partially blocked with boxes (hey, 90min in the car sometimes requires a pitstop when you get to where you're going). In a way, the park looked smaller with no people in it. Maybe it was the angle, maybe the limited 'aperture' we had to see, but the fountain area just seemed small. Doesn't matter, really, just an observation. They were running Banshee test runs, we weren't able to see any others that were running. Seeing the train start the drop and go over the loop etc and not hear any screams was kinda eerie.

I honestly can't think of a coaster that I can 'see' them removing...but I'm sure many said the same thing at carious points throughout the park's history, so... backlot (its location is pretty prime) Adventure Express (they already seem disinterested in maintenance on it) bat (I truly wonder what its ridership is given how far removed it is) I'm sure there are flat rides that are candidates, but for me they're the rides I ride when the lines for the coasters seem too long, so not sure I can come up with any candidates...

I faintly remember it being there. I don't remember riding it (I'm sure I did, though). Queue time for a 'transportation' ride is something to think about, which I hadn't, honestly. I do think it would be pretty nifty to have one if that 'problem' could be resolved, which is basically "queue time plus travel time <= walking time"

For a daily driver car, it really depends on where you live. More importantly, it's a TOTAL personal choice and how you view driving. In a city with 'real' traffic (like my commute in Houston) give me an automatic every day of the week. But even then, it was worth having the manual in that traffic for the non-commute drives when I could hit the back roads to get to where I was going. Now that I live in a city with more tame traffic. I do miss my manual (from the ages of 16 to 35, I never owned an auto). I enjoy driving, I like to take drives on the back roads. For this, a manual is almost a necessity for me. As for automatics giving he capability of 'manual' shifting - it's just not the same. The lag is too much to deal with, you can't skip a gear etc. Downshifting from 5 to 3 while adding revs to smoothly enter a corner and have the torque to accelerate out...just can't happen in an auto.

Don't think too hard about seeking any copyright permissions. A membership to ASCAP and/or BMI is very well within CF's budget. Those two should cover them for any 'public performance' of just about any recorded music (I'm sure there are outliers). They probably need such a license for some of the shows (assuming they're covering recorded music in any of them). I miss 'themed' music in the park. Even if it was movie soundtrack stuff in the PKI days, it had a theme that wasn't "here's a ton of stuff you've heard on the radio over the last 20 years." Maybe it's nostalgia, but I do miss the pre-PKI music around the fountains. Hearing Saber Dance, in particular, brings back memories of the park as a kid.

Screemin' Demon...but for purely selfish reasons. I never rode that one and always had to wait for my mom and brother while they rode...then it was removed. Every other ride that I had to sit and wait for them (that I remember anyway), I've since ridden (for some of them, many many many times over). I honestly don't remember why I never rode it. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a height issue, as I rode the original bat, and I rode Vortex opening on its season. I never rode Son of Beast, but wish I could have. It doesn't have the 'sat and waited' component, though lol. I never rode, or don't remember riding, some of the others. I don't avoid flat rides, but they're not really my thing, so I don't 'miss' them when they're removed or shut down for repair. I do wish something like Sky Ride would make a comeback so visitors could get from one side of the park to the other without *having* to walk it. Some summer afternoon/evening you may be getting off of Vortex and would like to find a place to sit and relax for a few minutes and the youngest wants to ride Woodstock Express. BAM! Get on a gondola, relax, take in a view and keep the youngest quiet because you're on the way to Woodstock Express. Win Win Win.

I don't believe it does because it's a new pass (you're just paying less since you already bought a gold pass), but the park would be able to tell you for sure. Also note that this is the first year they've done such a preview night in the 7 seasons I've been a pass holder. I didn't realize this was the first time. I should have been more clear. I have a Gold pass for the upcoming season, but planning on upgrading for the 2016 season. I guess I'll see next year, it's not a huge deal if it doesn't work out for me, really.

So...I don't qualify, but I'm fully expecting to upgrade to Platiunum for next season. I know I'm asking people to speculate, but will the upgrade count as a 'renew' for access to a preview night in 2016?

I have my limits on what I'll wear (in public), but I've noticed not being single, and the older I get, I care less about all that. I've gone to the supermarket in pajama pants, Batman t-shirt, and slippers. Why would I worry about what someone thinks of my cargo shorts?

Really? I mean, they ran backwards for how many years? It's pretty unlikely they ran backwards that long and nobody from the manufacturer said anything. Or were there new trains purchased and that is what caused the change?

I guess we'll see how that works, but unless the previous wi-fi- rumors were true, and if true, that wifi is done well it may not be so useful at the park itself. I say that because a lot of the content appears to be 'streamed' from online and not built in to the app. For example, the images for the rides would not load for me until I got a wifi connection. Now, they appear to be cached and load ok, (I have horribad signal at work) I've not been to the park on a busy day in years (before we knew what phone apps were), but I imagine it's not unlike being anywhere there's an increase in localized population density (football stadium etc) - mobile service usually suffers due to tower load. Does this also happen at KI? Or is the 'population' spread out over large enough area to not have the issue? Maybe it'll be ok, maybe it won't. I'm cautiously optimistic, though.

So glad the app finally updated. Having the 2013 calendar in the app made me think it had basically been abandoned. A good portion of it is not displaying for me, but I'm assuming it's the horrible data connection I have at work...

Sometimes I regret having worked in the web hosting business... The registration for pki.com is set for August 6, 2017 and is set to use the same name servers as visitkingsisland.com. Both domains resolve to IPs within the IP range owned by (or at least registered to Paramount Parks in Charlotte, NC). Since cedarpoint.com resolves to an IP in that same range, it's possible, I guess, that the the buyout a few years ago included that IP range and that registration info hasn't been updated? ARIN used to be pretty strict, so I'm surprised they haven't put their foot down on that. There's all sorts of things that can be done as part of a buyout. It's possible Paramount Parks still technically exists as legal entity as aa subsidiary as Cedar Fair and they are basically web hosting providers...who knows what details were involved in the purchase agreement.

You mean the Banshee cam? There are (currently) a few construction implements in the area that (I think) leads to Coney Mall. It looks like maybe there's some new road/sidewalk surface going in to me.

That's something we've been considering, but have kept ours with us in case someone needed to contact us in an emergency. Is it possible to have them contact the park and have us paged or something? I'd love to not feel like i have to carry my phone.

If I didn't already have plans for those specific days, I'd so be doing this. Would be an interesting experience for my better half and the oldest who've never been to CP (and I've not been in probably 30 years).

I listen to all sorts of podcast (there are currently 16 different podcasts on my playlist). As far as coaster/park podcasts I've only found two out there. I'd love to check out more if there are any. I've found The Season Pass (http://www.seasonpasspodcast.com) and CoasterRadio.com, but I've only had a chance (aka time) to listen to CoasterRadio (They're doing a meetup at Cedar Point in May, btw). I have a few hours ahead of me in the car this evening, so I may check out Season Pass and update here. CoasterRadio is a well produced show, and the hosts have good rapport. It's not made it to my "can't miss" list, though, and I will sometimes not finish an episode if for some reason they're not holding my attention (which may not always be their fault). As an aside (and maybe somewhat off topic), I am a podcaster. I consider it a fun hobby where I chat with two of my friends about gaming (mainly WoW). I'd love to expand my hobby a bit and with my passion for roller coasters alive and well (and supported by my better half), I've considered the idea of starting a new podcast covering parks and rides. The passion and technical knowledge only go so far, though. I don't feel 'connected' enough with the industry and those in it to know where to start. That hasn't stopped me, though, it's only slowed me down. If anybody is interested in contributing, co-hosting, whatever, hit me up. I'd love to explore the idea with others. edit: As promised (if not a couple days later than planned), I did check out an episode of Season Pass. Good production quality and the hosts seem to have a good rapport. The episode I listened to was an 'interview' of a guest who was in the film business (he worked with Kubrik) and ended up making interactive rides like Back to the Future etc. Interesting episode, very interesting (sometimes technical) insight into how some attractions get made. While it wasn't enough to make it to my 'cannot miss' list, it did give me more interest in the show and will leave it in my listening rotation and it may end up there soon.

Yeah, it annoys me more than it probably should that the calendar in the app is so out of date. They seem to want me to download and use the app since they continue to link to their apps on their web site, however they apparently don't REALLY want me to use it since it's never updated. Maybe I expect too much...

Ya know...that's one we skipped when we were there last season and your memory matches mine (head hitting the harness). I'll make sure to check it out this season to see if it's better for me.

i like my coasters to give me sensations similar to driving a roadster (or sport bike) on a curvy road through hilly countryside...so a mix of speed, lateral Gs, air time (negative G's, I guess), pacing. It's really a cocktail, all of the ingredients need to be in a certain balance in order for the entire experience to be right.

Those are all valid possibilities for my perception of AE's (lack of) smoothness. For each of us, perception is reality...even if that perception is not shared with others. The only exception to some of the theories would be the impressions of the 14 year old. He doesn't have the memories of my prior visits on which to base his perception. However, he also benefits in some ways by not having the older steel coasters to compare/contrast with the new steel coasters etc. It's all fascinating to think about, but in the end, doesn't change that my family is unlikely to get in line for AE. I may while they do something else as a pseudo survey on how car/seat selection changes the ride.

lol many of us have grown in various ways in 15 years, I'm sure! I actually shrunk by about 40lbs since then.

Racer seemed a little rougher than memory, but not a ton. Vortex was just as I remembered. Beast was actually smoother than I remembered. AE just seemed rougher. Like I said before, it could have been car/seat choice. It could also be influenced by the fact that I rode all of those others waaaaaaaay more than AE and just have a better sample size to draw from. Regardless, with gold pass this season, I'm sure I'll hit AE a few times. I may, in fact, just to see if the car/seat choice was a significant factor.

Rode it in October. I was disappointed in both the upkeep and the ride based on memories from 15 years prior. I thought the ride was extremely rough compared to memory (and other rides in the park). Granted, that could easily be difference in car/seat between the rides. My better half and the oldest agreed. While it seems low on the priority list for maintenance, it's not on my list to be removed. I think Firehawk is at the top of my list. I love the concept (I was excited as could be waiting in line), I just find the restraints painful. The KI coasters my family has little/no desire to ride are Firehawk, Adventure Express and The Bat (Top Gun, Flight Deck, whatever). The Bat is fine, it's just too far removed and not worth the trek through nothingness for such a short ride. edit: I should say that not wanting to ride a coaster and wanting it to be removed are not the same. I think the park should appeal to everybody, not just me. If someone wants to stand in line at AE, that's one less in line at Beast, Banshee, Diamondback...

At KI? None, honestly. flat rides typically aren't my thing, and they are flat out (no pun intended) vetoed by my better half. If we make it to CP, it doesn't need to be new. I've not been there in 30yrs and she's never been... Very unlikely we make it to any other parks, but man oh man would we all like to make it to Carrowinds this season...