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You will probably not see another stratacoaster anywhere for a long time. I'm sure that Cedar Point went in to some kind of agreement with Intamin not to build another one. Yeah, someone else could try, but I don't think anyone will considering the problems that CP has had with Dragster. People ten to forget that Giga or Strata or Hyper does not really mean type of ride...it refers to height, hyper meaning 200', giga meaning 300' and strata meaning 400'.

I was just checking out some of the other Paramount Park web sites because I want to visit King's Dominion and Carowinds. Here's my question...How many rides are clones of others at PKI or other Paramount Parks. Examples: Ricochet-there seems to be one at Carowinds and at PKD. Are they the same layout? I do know that the FOF at PKD is exactly the same as the one at PKI. What about Runaway Reptar? Is that the same one at PKD that they have at PKI and PGA? And, is Top Gun: The Jet Coaster the same as the one at PGA? And The Vortex standing coaster at Carowinds...is that the same one as PGA's?

It would take me approximately the same time to get there as it would PKI, so I'm game. It would give us all a chance to meet and shake off the off-season blues. I love chinese food, so that would be cool. Or, you can't go wrong with lasagna. $6.00 is more than reasonable. I would probably stay somewhere close overnight and head back the next day. What else is there to see in Alexandria, KY? I would also need very specific instructions, because I get lost easy.

Well, PKI didn't really let the public "choose" per say, but if you filled out that lengthy survey, they did ask a few general questions about what kind of coaster you would like to see built next at PKI. I know I put my .02 cents in.

It's about time. Now, if Discovery Channel or Travel Channel Learning Channel would do a one hour special on PKI. Will we ever see it? I mean, for God's sake, they had a special on Dollywood. How boring.

I am beggining to agree with you, Shaggy. I did start off the post the wrong way. But, something was assumed here. And, that is that I was referring to only those who belong to coaster clubs. The thing is, before I ever heard of ACE or the Ohio Coaster Club, or any organization, I had heard of these people who were referring to themselves as enthusiasts, were undoing their seatbelts, trying to fool ride ops by adjusting their legs so the lap bars don't come down as far. I am an enthusiast myself but have no club affiliation. And, I think there are many more like me.

I don't think that anyone was saying that adding tunnels would make the ride more popular, just an improvement. And I don't think that adding tunnels will boost its popularity at all. Personally, I like tunnels and think SOB needs at least one, probably on the first helix.

I would think that June would be a good time for me. I am definitely up for some ERT on any coaster. Would we be able to bring a friend? Like my buddy who goes with me on our summer trips to PKI and CP? He doesn't have internet access either. I would like to see some behind the scenes stuff as well.

I agree that the park would not "suck" without Paramount. As a matter of fact, it was cleaner and the themeing was more upkept. The ride choices may have been the same, but definitely different names. And, probably they wouldn't take so long to build a new coaster. My fonder memories are before Paramount took over.

Sorry John, I was not meaning to pick on any coaster clubs. OK, so the woman on the Raven incident was a new member. Was she not properly informed? By the club or HW? I was under the impression that they(enthusiast clubs) first and foremost told their members to always obey all safety rules. Not that that would stop certain people from doing these kinds of things. But, it only takes one incident for people to start scrutinizing and pointing fingers. It goes back to something that you probably heard from your first grade teacher...It only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch. Personally, I do not think that anyone deserves to die and cannot back anyone who says so.

I think that KI would be further along than it is. I would have thought that since Paramount bought it, there would be more money for capital expenditures. It's crazy if they were origianlly gonna call Top Gun Thunder Road. That makes absolutely no sense to me at all. Oh well, guess we shouldn't dwell too long on what could have been.

Which brings me to my next point. I consider myself to be a coaster enthusiast, but I'll be dam**d if I want to be classified with these people. Now, I feel like I am the exception to the rule that I am an enthusiast and obey all park general and safety rules. To me, it would be an embarassment to be categorized with these so called "enthusiasts". I'll get off my soapbox now....Peace

I also agree that lap bars and seatbelts make me feel safer. It really shows that the park is concerned with my safety as I'm sure that they would like to see me come back for many more visits. I was reading on another site that many older coasters do not even have lap bars, only seatbelts. It was stated that one at Kennywood has only a little bar in front of you to grab on to. Now that seems scary to me.

I think they should put one on both helixes and somewhere else, not really sure where. I agree that one of my favorite parts on The Beast is the tunnel on the helix. I also think maybe they should look for a different place for a tunnel, so that it doesn't seem like they used the exact same spots as The Beast.

You know, come to think of it, I can't really remember what coaster it was. Thought for sure it was SOB. Could have been one at Cedar Point...just can't remember.

Correct, the employees do check very well, but somehow, someone manages to get around these checks. Maybe they lift their legs up higher so the lap bar doesn't come down as far. I did have one crazy experience though. I was on SOB and when we went up the second hill, my seatbelt came undone. I was riding with a friend and was flipping out, then struggled through the helix to get it buckled again. Come to think of it, I never brought that to anyone's attention(workers) and probably should have.

I think Face/Off is pretty smooth. An now that they fixed Flight of Fear, it is one of the smoother coasters there. I don't really agree that The Vortex is really smooth at all. Pretty rough in my opinion. PKI needs a nice, smooth, fast coaster like Millenium Force or Nitro.

Has anyone else noticed that many of the accidents occurring this year have been from so called "enthusiasts" who disregard safety rules? I have heard that many will undo their seatblelts or try to have the lap bars not come down on them as close as everyone else, all for the sake of "better airtime". Am I alone or does anyone else see the stupidity in doing these types of things. I just read over at coasterbuzz that Holiday World was not to be found at fault in the death of a woman whom not only undid her seatbelt, but attempted to stand during a drop. To me, this is the most ludacrist thing I've ever heard. And now, these parks are considering cutting out coaster enthusiast events and exclusive ride time. I would hope that none of the people on this site has ever done this or considered doing this. I, myself am an enthusiast, but always check my own seatbelt and lap bar even after the ride ops check it just to make sure I'm not going to fly out of these crazy contraptions. I guess what I'm saying is that we are not engineers, nor designers, nor any kind of an amusement safety personnel, so why would you put your life at risk over something silly. Plus, other "non-enthusiasts" see what you're doing and will probably follow suit, thinking it's O.K. to behave like this. Anyway, I just wanted to get your opinions and now I'll get off my soapbox. Above all, Ride Safely, these parks would like to see you come back and not become another statistic. Peace...

I would agree that kids these days more than likely don't know the old HB characters. And yes, most are played on Boomerang, but I don't know of too many people who get that network. Guess you could look at it as a changing of the guard.

My question is, has SOB ever closed due to high winds. That should tell you something. If you ever check out cp's web page, they actually list the rides that may not open due to high winds. And believe me, doesn't matter if it's wood or steel, either can be closed for such reasons.

Couldn't disagree more with CP only builds for records. And, danielradsgrl, you don't think PKI is concerned with money? Let's just say that we are lucky enough to have two great parks in one state that are different, and leave it at that. CP does have many flat rides and do care about families too. From what I understand, CP is supposed to be re-vamping their kids' area, IMO, due to how nice PKI's is. PKI only has an edge in coasters as far as woodies go, but CP is tops when it comes to steel. And, that's the reason I think that PKI's next coaster addition will be steel whether it be a hyper, giga, inverted, flying, etc.

I completely agree, Chef. Since I am new here, it was nice to see someone mentioning this topic as I have left other sites over the same thing. I will join with you in trying to keep these boards as friendly as possible. Have you ever wondered what people think who are just coming here on an anonymous basis? I do...and if people could just look at it from that pont of view, maybe they would see their own comments in a different light. Anyway, here's to a successful, friendly board that all can enjoy....Peace

Cool, thanks for the info. I was hoping that they got all of the bugs worked out and running on a consistent basis.

I was thinking that somewhere it was stated that there will be another attraction added. Not sure if I'm correct, though. I would like to see another thrill ride, maybe something from Huss, possibly land of the giants.

Chef, I am a big fan of HB characters myself. I remember when I was a kid, way back in the early days of KI(beforePKI), I was always greeted by the likes of Dino, Captain Caveman, Fred, Scooby and some others. I'm sure Scooby is still there as it seems he is as popular as ever. What I would like to see is a comic book character's day with the likes of Daredevil, Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, etc.