HomerJay Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 It cracks me up to see people still wondering why rides aren't open in DECEMBER!!!! First off, the outdoor attractions are no-brainers! Would you REALLY want to ride The Beast with snow and bitter winds wipping in your face?? Plus, many areas of the park are probably closed due to the fact that staffing probably is not at a peak during the winter (how many college kids are going to return to the park just for 3 weeks?) there are park overhauls going on and also, there are some idiots who would try to run off to other areas of the park where they aren't supposed to be. Because I live in Detroit, I won't get to do Winterfest, but I envy those of you who are going to get to go! Sounds like a blast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest faceoff Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 What would be cool is that pki would operate some rides, like Delirium,selection of children rides, shake,rattle and roll, Flight of Fear. At hersheypark-they operate some children's rides and the claw(same ride as Delirium) and selected flat rides during candylane christmas. What does everybody think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortex Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 (edited) I think the reason why none of the Hanna Barbera attractions are open is becuase they will be rethemeing them to Nick Central.Or maybe even the kiddie rides would be cold whil riding. Also the PKI vitual Tour video is up on PKI home page. -Jake Some of the Hanna Barbera attactions will be open. Also the Nick stage area will be used so that does not leave alot of time for a Nick coaster or retheme. Winter Fest just might be the new thing for 2005 and 2006. Some flats will be open not alot of them but some. Most of the flats that will be open have a roof. Edited July 27, 2005 by Vortex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Christopher Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 What would be cool is that pki would operate some rides, like Delirium,selection of children rides, shake,rattle and roll, Flight of Fear. At hersheypark-they operate some children's rides and the claw(same ride as Delirium) and selected flat rides during candylane christmas. What does everybody think? Delirium? The ride just went/ is under major repair. What makes you think they'd run it in winter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PkiJake13 Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 They should have certain rides open if it is 40 degrees or warmer, Beast, Delirium, Face/Off, Top Gun, Adventure Express, Viking Fury, IJST, Racer, All of the Coney Mall flats, FoF, TRTR, Action FX Theater, and most of Nick Central and Hanna Barbera Land. I would think it would be a little cold to run Drop Zone because of it's height, along with SoB. Though SoB could be the Scrooge of Winter Fest. -Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvesterofyoursorrow Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 I agree with wat PkiJake said. If its warmer then a certain temp, have the ride open. The only downfall of this is that they wouldnt be sure if they needed staff for rides. It would be a day ahead call. If even one op couldnt work, then it wouldnt open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Are you all missing the point, that most of the rides will be going thru the winter rehab. They wouldn't have enough time to start rehab in January and have the park ready in April. It takes alot of time for what they do to each ride in the off season. All coaster cars, and ride cars are stripped completly down and rebulit. Besides they will be alot of other things to do during Winterfest, at least we will have 3 rides at the least open. I was kinda surprised myself though, that they didn't menition that the bumper cars would be open. Of course they may be, we'll just have to wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZosoBeast Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Also the Nick stage area will be used so that does not leave alot of time for a Nick coaster or retheme. Where did you read that one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PkiJake13 Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 There is enough time to put the rides thourgh winter rehab. There would be three months between Winter Fest and Opening Day, Disnney and Universal have been doing three month rehabs for forever. -Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB_TOM Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 But at those parks, the winter rehab is probabily staggered, not all at once. Its gonna be a tight offseason, thankfully I will be on my "vacation" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Yes, Sob Tom made a good point. At those parks, they will stagger the off season rehab. Ever wonder why Vortex and Adventure Express go down to two train operation early in post season? They are probably getting a head start on the off season maintenance on the trains. Same reason why they may open with only two trains. They can`t physically get all the inspetions done, and rides rebuilt in three months. They can barely do it as is now, much less with Winterfest thrown in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 I just added a couple of photos which can be seen by clicking here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 I'm confused - Winterfest was never about rides. The old Winterfest only had a handful of rides open. Why did everyone expect that major thrill rides would be open this time around? Besides the obvious factors like the temperature and staffing, as was already mentioned, with the longer operating season (PKI almost always is open the first weekend of November), it's hard enough for maintenance to get the rides ready for the next year. Don't forget, the rides have to be pretty much ready 3-4 weeks before opening day due to training, testing, and state of Ohio inspections. So you're only looking at 4 months max to completely tear apart every ride, inspect them, and put them all back together. Don't forget that some of the maintenance crew is tied up in construction of new attractions. When you add Winterfest into the mix, you're trying to do the same amount of work in 3 months. It's just not feasible with the current maintenance staff to run much else that late in the year. Winterfest always was, and will continue to be, a family event. It's not geared toward rides - it's about celebrating the holidays with your family. Even moreso this time around - remember, PKI's recent focus is families, not thrill seekers. Even as a coaster enthusiast, I can say that I am thrilled with their decision. I think having major thrill rides open would detract from the theme. Some people have said that the price is expensive. The park has to make the event profitable. The way I see it, if they charge less, they're going to have to let more people in the gate to make the same profit. I, personally, would rather spend the $5 more and enjoy the park without wall-to-wall people. Besides, I don't think the price is that out of line with other attractions around town. Based on PKI's announcement, it sounds like there will be enough to do to occupy an entire evening (if you take the time to see the shows, enjoy the shops, go ice skating, etc...). Compare that to $9 to see a movie that lasts 90 minutes, $50 for a concert ticket, $40 for the cheapest Bengals ticket, and I think you've got a pretty good deal. I, for one, am pleased at the way PKI is handling the event and I am looking forward to it. I have fond memories of the event from my childhood and I look forward to taking my family this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye-Beast Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 I read somewhere on a message board that they made a point to mention IJST can operate in any weather conditions. Can anyone confirm that, if so do you think it will be running in November & December? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohdes Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 One reason some people might have been hoping for more thrill rides this time around is because a couple of years ago PKI had a survey on Winterfest where if I remember correctly they asked about different variations of rides being open. Some of the questions specifically mentioned if you would like to have rollercoasters or other thrill rides being open. My comment was geared towards the fact that they "could" have a couple of thrill rides open, make them fit into the Winterfest theme, and maybe have something new for later years. Unfortunately those rides are scattered around the entire park making it hard to control crowds and keep them where you want them. It would not be impossible though. They are already using the train and it's not that much further on to TR:TR. For FOF, they could do the horsedrawn carrige rides like they used to dropping people off in the courtyard infront of FOF. With only the one enterence into that area, security would not be a big problem. They could set up a tree lot of decorated trees for non-riders to enjoy while the rest of the thrill seekers ride. You could do the same thing with Action Theater except there is not the room for Non-Rider activities. Remember the first year of Fear Fest when you had to pay extra for the evening. After dark, they closed most of the back of the park. Last year, almost the entire park stayed open all evening. If this becomes popular, they will need more area for people to roam around and more things for people to do. Then, I think we may see "a few" thrill rides open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastergirl Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 I read somewhere on a message board that they made a point to mention IJST can operate in any weather conditions. Can anyone confirm that, if so do you think it will be running in November & December? Even if it is running I don't know if I would want to ride it. We have been on coasters when it is in the low 50's and high 40's and it was not all that fun for me. That's a lot of wind coming at you along with snow and ice. It doesn't sound like fun to me. I'll stick to the indoor rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I added a few more photos contributed by SOB_Tom which can be viewed by clicking here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vortexstuntdevil Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I have never been to winterfest when they had it. but this year i might go with my family. my mom and dad had there honeymoon at winterfest. me and my bigger sis are so excited. i can't wait until november 25th. my big sis has gone befor. so she told me how it was like. my sis has clips of winterfest. i look for lots of pics of it on the enternet. i'm just so excited. can't wait . see ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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