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Oktoberfest Area Facelift?


2012Jarrett
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So if you look back at KI over the past decade or so, in 2009 Diamondback was an excuse to renovate Rivertown, 2011's WindSeeker was an excuse to renovate Coney Mall, 2014's Banshee allowed them to renovate Action Zone, last year they renovated part of Planet Snoopy. As of lately, they went back to Rivertown for Mystic Timbers.

Oktoberfest is really the only major section of the park that's been skipped over, and not much has been done for it as of recently. This leads me to think that it will be the next section of the park to receive a major, major facelift. Some things they could do include...

  • Move Slingshot to X-Base (completely unrelated, it would fit in with the theme so well over there and there's certainly space by those maintenance sheds) to open the area up to expansion.
  • Bring back Der Spinning Keggers, not necessarily in their original form but a similar ride type. A Tilt-A-Whirl would be wonderful.
  • String lights a la KBF Boardwalk or CP's Gemini Midway
  • Proper area signage (maybe a giant May Pole at that little Intl Street-Action Zone-Coney T intersection?)
  • Updated Festhaus Facade, either fix the glockenspiel or get rid of it entirely.
  • Lighting packages. Lighting packages everywhere.

And definitely the most demanded and most prominent...

  • Adventure Express theming facelift. This could almost be a whole season of a 2-year project in this. Fix and add to Adventure Express's theming, maybe up to Mystic Timbers level. Restore the ride to its former glory so that it no longer feels neglected.

Thoughts?

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I agree that a Tile A Whirl would be a nice classic flat ride addition to KI.  Although I personally think that KI will never install a Tilt A Whirl.  They have a perception of being more for carnivals/smaller parks than for a major theme/amusement park.

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12 minutes ago, CoastersRZ said:

I agree that a Tile A Whirl would be a nice classic flat ride addition to KI.  Although I personally think that KI will never install a Tilt A Whirl.  They have a perception of being more for carnivals/smaller parks than for a major theme/amusement park.

Oh I could see KI adding one... Cedar Point did.

IMO, if KI were to "re-invent" Octoberfest, Adventure Express would be ripe for a total re-theme.  It could very easily be altered to a Bavarian theme - which it should have been back in 1991.

I'm not sure what will become of Octoberfest.  I hope for a huge re-do eventually.  For years, the signs have pointed to it going away completely - yet it manages to cling to life season after season.  It has always been the most neglected area of the park - long before Cedar Fair, Paramount or even KECO.  Fact is, when the park opened Lion Country Safari (now Action Zone) in 1974, it completely land-locked Octoberfest.  For 43 years it's been sandwiched between two large, and more interesting areas - that limitation greatly affected how it's stagnated for so long.

I personally love Bavarian theming - so I hope it remains and becomes a more viable themed area in the future.

 

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I still say it could be cool to annex AZ and parts of Oktoberfest into Adventure Village (which could incorporate the German theming with other adventure-themed things in Action Zone). But yeah, it would be cool to have one more ride in Oktoberfest, perhaps a thrilling flat ride?

EDIT: It will definitely be interesting to see what KI/Cedar Fair does with that area in the coming years.

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^That's similar to what I was thinking. "Action Zone" is no longer a theme. It is just generic amusement park. I would have made Banshee as part of Oktoberfest.

All of Action Zone being annexed into Oktoberfest or the rebirth of Adventure Village with Oktoberfest expansion is more than fine by me.

It seems that theming of areas hasn't really taken off as many of us who thought it would under Ouimet.

P. S. I want to see the Coney Mall sign back. Why did they take it down?

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A couple small things that I think coudl ahve a big impact woudl be to theme Hank's exterior to a more Bavarian feel liek Festhaus and more general German decor around the entire building and patio. 

Then move Slingshot to X-Base as JArrett mentioned, this woudl allow them to expand into the remaining space King Cobra used to occupy that Delirium didn't take up. Could easily fit 2 or 3 small flats in that area with a German vilage them, maybe have it centered with a large maypole in the middle.

This would expand the area and give us some more flats as well This along with a little additional sprucing up would go a long way for the area. Would love to se the glockenspiel on the Festhaus fixed as part of a renovation fo the area too

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I like that location.  It would be perfect for a ride like that.

Another good location to add a flat ride would be behind the Eiffel Tower, where the old Salt Water Circus ride used to be, as well, as a flat ride back in X-Base, so those that can`t ride Flight of Fear or Firehawk have something to back there when waiting on their older siblings.

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7 hours ago, purdude86 said:

A couple small things that I think coudl ahve a big impact woudl be to theme Hank's exterior to a more Bavarian feel liek Festhaus and more general German decor around the entire building and patio. 

That's a great idea!

On 1/21/2013 at 6:11 PM, TOPGUN1993 said:

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6 hours ago, KatieF said:

Honestly I didn't know Adventure Express was apart of Octoberfest. 

I think a shop or bakery of Bavarian treats would be neat!

Well, I was going to say bring more rides and theming, but Bavarian treats definitely works!

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For a couple of seasons, starting in 2013, they had Bratwurst and Mettwurst with sauerkraut and German Potato Salad in the Bier Garten.

In 2014, they served Bratwurst and Mettwurst with sauerkraut and a side of corn chips.

Now, they serve all Tex Mex food...

Maybe it was the location, not many people would want to take their family to a bar to get food

Had they served it in the Festhaus, it probably would have lasted longer.

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5 hours ago, Joshua said:

Well, I was going to say bring more rides and theming, but Bavarian treats definitely works!

I think a unique Bavarian themed shop would fit the space they have already and could be really easy to add that mood back to Oktoberfest. The majority of World Showcase in WDW is shops or eateries, and you really do feel like you're in a new world there!

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  • 4 months later...

I agree with @Shaggy on the re-theme of Adventure Express 100%. I love going to Oktoberfest but I feel put off when I hear Mexican music playing at the burrito shack. A small flat would be a step in the right direction, a re-theme of AE, and possibly a new coaster in the future. I always thought that the area between AE and the Coke building would make a great ride pavilion and a coaster could fit in the land that's surrounded by FOF, Racer, and AE.

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Yea Hank;s is the biggest thing I'd liekt o see changed. Moved the burritos to another section of the park as they are decent but don't fit in the Oktoberfest area.

I'd be mixed on AE retheme as the caoster is great and I like what is there (but could use a renovation) but if they wanted to improve the theming and make it fit in better to teh area with a Black Forest theme coudl be really cool as well and help out theming in that section.

I would put a flat in the area between AE entrance and the Coke MArketplace. Take out the ladder game and put in a small flat that fits (like Der Spinning Kegggers being brought back). The area between AE, Racer, and FoF I would use as an expansion for X-Base though as it could use it a lot too. Plus it wouldn't not require a lot of trees next to AE be removed.

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  • 2 months later...

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