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I think basically everyone agrees with you on that. It's stupid, but it's so stupid that I've grown to love it for being so stupid.

the masturbating idols get blue balls. . .it's perfect

It's concept art with a photo-replace background. The artist probably added some color grading on top to fit with the drawn artwork. No typical guest or website-browser would even notice.

Here's your Ginuwine. . . you're on your own with the bottle. . .

Go and enjoy the new parks and experiences! 50's and 60's is great park weather. Shouldn't be overly busy!

^ I think it's hysterical. . .LOL if they sold a magnet of puking guy (lenticular, like they do with the Maypole), I'd TOTALLY have bought it.

What a fun surprise announcement! Kings Island could use a modern thrilling flat. Glad they went with the larger model!

Hello! This is my first post here! Thought I would ask my questions here in this thread since there are a lot of people with good info here. My husband and I are planning on taking a trip to San Antonio this upcoming February to go to Fiesta Texas and Sea World. Just wondering if it’s even worth it since it sounds like coaster operations are “iffy” at least at SFFT. It’ll be off season and weather may be bad, I hate to go if half the coasters aren’t even running. What’s it like in February? Anybody know? Thanks!!

Day 4, part 1: Tripsdrill ! so this day was the earliest "up and out" of the entire trip. . .we had a very full day ahead of us: leaving Europa Park at 6am, spending a good chunk of the the day at Tripsdrill, and then heading out to Holiday Park in the afternoon for some night-time ERT on Expedition GeForce! so we were all up and in our hotel lobby bright and early. can't say that I was super perky, but I still stopped to snap a pic of the beautiful chandelier in the hotel lobby at Europa Park. and then we got the bus loaded up, and said goodbye to Rust. . and headed out towards Tripsdrill. the Countryside is very pretty. . I had to keep reminding myself we were in Germany, and not France any longer. (less windmills) and before too long. . in the middle of rolling green hills, and beautiful farmhouses, we made a turn and I spotted this sign: and moments later? this. a brand new, suspended Vekoma rollercoaster peeking thru the trees. (with the "spike" of a shuttle coaster sticking up in the middle of it???) we made it here for park open - before park open, actually. . . but shortly, the park folks met the group, and led us over to the newest ride in the park (the above coaster) This is the station for Volldampf - the shuttle coaster that has the red track. we'd come back to this in a bit, but yeah, my eyes hadnt' been playing tricks on me - the family Boomerang shuttle coaster "Volldampf" does interact quite closely with the Vekoma suspended. . . intertwining with it and making an excellent (and exciting) option for those too small (or too scared) to ride the bigger, suspended coaster. a better look at that "spike" from the shuttle coaster, poking thru the center of the new Vekoma the front of the train has a terrified sheep hanging onto it . . .LOL but we were mainly here for this. . the newest Vekoma Suspended: Hals Uber Kopf - I believe they said it opened in 2021. tho I'm not exactly sure what the theming was - this was a weird park, and I loved the hell out of it! - much of the theming here SEEMED to be set around German folk tales? So probably something to do with that? 7 guys slaying a bear? not sure how it tied to a suspended coaster with a few inversions. . but it's still a great coaster! and I love how the queue brings you thru the structure. I was a bit wary about riding what I knew was a Vekoma. . . but I absolutely adored that they have the park name/logo on every row hanging between the seats. really COMFORTABLE seats too. wheeee!!! what did I think of it? AMAZING. . and I think my favorite coaster in the park (tho there were some rides in the park that absolutely make this a must visit park). This coaster in particular? high on that "must visit" list - it has AIR TIME! Yes. . . Airtime. On a Suspended coaster! on a VEKOMA Suspended coaster. so smooth, and fun, and so many great elements. . .color me super impressed. and look at that near miss with Volldampf track right here. . . (we were the only ones in the park at the moment, so no chance right now to get the trains together) tho later in the day when we came back to ride again? did manage to get the Boomerang with people on it. speaking of Volldampf. . . after our morning ERT rides, the park had just opened, and the Park Reps walked us over to Volldampf to give TPR a ride. the seats were comfy, and the atmosphere on this is so incredible (since you're moving in and out of the other coaster). . but at the end of the day? it's a family Boomerang, that is really just kinda "meh" . . which is fine, as the Vekoma is so A+ level. since I see Brad and AJ on this train with me, this pic must be courtesy of Elissa or Robb. backwards thru the station. this park is not only full of charm (and WTF is this stuff????). . but also there were a bunch of these 3D illusion "street paintings" thruout the park. not sure if these are permanent installations, or just for a special event and they just happened to be there. . but these were so great (even if some of the illusions worked better than others) oh, I mentioned some WTF stuff in this park? how about this game: you shoot eggs out of a chicken's ass into the open mouths of the villagers (and donkeys). yeah. . . . of COURSE I loved it! the park reps were walking us back to the rear of the park - stopping along the way to ride Rasender Tausendfüßler (Raging Millipede?) the longest coaster train I've ever been on! (pics in a moment). . but that was just a quick stop along the way back to Karacho. . the park's "Smiler" clone (at least I think that's what they told me, it's a clone) EDIT: per Elissa below, it's not a Smiler clone, but it IS similar to Smiler in places it's right across the courtyard from Mamut. . . I LOVED this test seat. yes. . this is the test seat for the trains! speaking of. . these trains are incredible. . . I was glad we got some "ERT" on it, as it was one train ops . . but wow, what a train it is! I mean. . look at this! tho for me? the highlight is this animatronic guy placed in the exit queue. as the train unloads, and the riders exit? he's triggered. . . HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA. . . brilliant, right? Pic courtesy of, I think, Brad. what did I think? well, having never ridden Smiler, I had no idea what to expect. (in particular that 1st surprise in the dark after leaving the station). I liked it. due to the 1 train restriction, I think I only rode it twice, but I did enjoy it, and if that Vekoma wasn't in the park, this would easily be the #1 coaster here. Apparently this sign is infamous. . but I needed to pee anyways by this point, and it made me laugh, so I snapped a pic of it. and just LOOK at this view - out the windows over the urinal - one gets while peeing. This flat is back over here in this area as well. . I didn't realize until after I got back and saw some posts here on TPR from other parks, that this ride is just an "out of the box" one. . but I was impressed with the theming when we saw it. no time to ride it now, as we had to head over to Mammut. . but will come back shortly! This coaster really does look quite impressive. . and apparently it's the only Wooden Coaster ever built by Gerstlauer. the queue line is also filled with mannequins and animatronics. . .very well themed. Tho after riding a couple of times, I wasn't quite sure what the theme was really? A haunted lumber Mill? The trains seem to go to hell at one point in the course. the train design is fantastic tho! I really did like the uniform. . but yeah. . some eye-candy and the older operator saw me ask him to take a selfie and said : "pose with him!!!" so I did the train, the station, the look of the ride is all great. The ride itself? just kinda . . . "meh". . . it doesn't really do anything. It just kind of meanders, and doesn't have any forces at all. . no laterals, no air. . it's just kind of there. I guess that's why it's a one of a kind? but the animatronic section that kicks off the ride in the lumbermill prior to the lifthill was fun. it's a wooden coaster.. wasnt' terrible, wasn't great. . . .but I rode it a few times. (which may, or may not, have had to do with the operators ) Pic courtestly of Elissa I believe. next up we headed over to G'sengte Sau, the park's Bobsled. and a historic as it's the first coaster every built by Gerstlauer it weaves in and out of the "castle" and has some fun airtime hills built into the landscape. and of course, some fun theming and animatronics/mannequins in the queue line (a theme here at this park) whee! Not sure whom these are by, but they seem like Brad pics. . or possibly AJ or Andy ? I guess not Andy, since I took this pic with him in it. . LOL more "illusion" street art. and we met up with @Pedrinhoand his family who came out to meet up with Robb & TPR at the park. . and we ended up riding this with them (tho his son did NOT want to share a car with me. . LOL) Was still great to meet him and his family. . we then crossed back over the courtyard for the park's infamous (that I wasn't aware of at the time) flume ride. wait. .the logs in the log flume are bathtubs? HA!!! I love this this pic is courtesy of AJ, if I'm not mistaken. and if I look freaked out? it's not because I was worried about getting wet. . it's because just before the drop, the ride brings you thru some bathhouses full of nekkid women. . . bewbs EVERYWHERE. . . some of them on young, pretty girl mannequins. . . and some of them hanging low to the ground on elderly, chubby, mannequins. I was traumatized I tell you! and nobody on the trip *warned* me what was about to happen! (I think it was karma from the universe that I had been enjoying the eye candy earlier at Mammut). since was already wet from the flume. . we headed across the courtyard for the park's rapids ride, that looked like it would get one pretty soaked. but it's a beautiful park (I say again) and some nice views of Karacho from the rapids ride queue. . .which was themed to Washing Clothes (I dont' seem to have any pictures. . but it was the "history" of washing in creeks, and then barrels, and then washing machines. the ride ultimately didnt' get us any more soaked than we already were from the bathtub flume. . so give it a ride if you're at this park. here's a pic of the park map. which really doesn't do the park justice. . there are SO many things. . crammed everywhere. .that the map makes the park look pretty small. Could have easily spent another full day here.. there's just that much to do! (and I haven't even talked about the WFT walkthru stuff that I'll get to soon) More street illusion art can't recall what this is a pic of?. . . but I'm guessing an animatronic show that is triggered when folks walk by in front? and I THINK this was the entrance to Rasender Tausendfüßler. . it looks overgrown and scary. . so I'm guessing so. never been on a train this long, and this is a double figure 8 layout. . that they sent us thru four times (if I'm not mistaken), moving pretty fast around a fountain in the center. The fountain, I remember, because when we rode I REALLY had to pee. . .and we kept zooming by it. LOL. just LOOK how long this train is!! and then we rode in a Crockpot. no really Tripsdrill has two rides like this - you sit in a thing that meanders thru a course among hedges and flowers, and spins. they look so innocent. . they are not, and can really trigger some nausea . But hey . . we rode in a crockpot! oh, they have one of these too - some massive thrill rides hidden thruout the park. (I didn't ride this, it scared me. . tho I DID ride a similar version later in the trip at another park) the theming all over this park is so nice. . . I mean, it's in a beautiful location, but the effort put into making even the "non ride" sections look so nice, is impressive. sculpture gardens, just randomly in a section of the park. and yes, the "teacups" ride is in a building that looks like a giant coffee grinder. . how awesome is that? one of the WFT things. . a leprechaun trash "sucker".. you put your hand in the mouth, and it sucks the trash in. Bizzarre! we had heard there was a wine sampling/tasting area in this park - and had been given free passes to try. . so we wandered over to where we thought that area was. this looked sorta themed to vinyards? Lovely. looking across the animal enclosure at the maypole ride. . it looked like a drop tower, but was really a nice "lift and spin" ride. speaking of animal enclosure. . I saw two in here. . and they were sleeping Smart sheep! we wandered back to the front section of the park, and came across this absolutely charming kiddie flume (that adults were not allowed to ride). so adults get to ride in bathtubs. . kids get to ride in sacks of flour. and closeby was this giant windmill. . . with a really fun slide inside, that one sits on burlap sacks to slide down. after climbing the massive amount of steps to the top. whee! so if the maypole isn't the drop tower, does Tripsdrill have one? Yup, they do. .the "treehouse". . . situated across the lake from Hals-über-Kopf - which we were going to ride again shortly. the lake has one of those "slow moving boat rides" that also works as a splash battle. . but I didnt' ride this here, as we were only in park until 3pm, and there was way too much I still wanted to do here, that I didnt' want to spend 10 minutes slowly moving around the lake. here is the treehouse drop tower tho. hmm. . not very high. . .but it had been highly recommended that we ride it. I won't really spoil - other than what you can see in the pics - but this SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME !! so, so good. and absolutely a do not miss in this park. and when we came down after our cycle, the operator said something to us in German, and we didnt' know what he was asking, and so we gave him a thumbs up (thinking he was asking if we liked it). . apparently he asked if we wanted to go again - as he cycled us back thru again! Just as terrifying the 2nd time. Ride it, enjoy it, and hang on for dear life! back to Hals-über-Kopf for another ride.. and noting the bird nests in the trees that the ride encircles. with nesting birds in them! SUCH a lovely setting. . . wowza there goes the family boomerang, as we're walking thru the queue for Hals-über-Kopf we made our way back to the "Vinyard" section, and went the the wine museum - where we were each given a Tripsdrill shot glass for sampling/souvenir purposes (that's what the upcharge is for, really, but we got gifted passes for them)..and then down the winding steps to the wine cellar. where there are multiple options to sample different wines. after having wine. . we made the BRILLIANT decision to ride the other "Spinning" ride - similar to the crockpots. . but this time in wine barrels. yeah.. all smiles now. . got off it a little green tho. . . . how about a picture of Jere ? he hasn't' been in any of my pics yet . . here he is walking by and laughing at us in the wine barrel. it doesn't look like it spins much. . and it doesnt. at first. then once starts spinning? it really doesn't stop. (and you can't control the spins!) feeling a bit wobbly after the spinning, we decided to check out some of the walk up WTF attractions that are all over this park. and the lovely gardens around everywhere. yup. .a nekkid Adam and Eve. but watch out for the serpent hidden in the trees on the right - as one of our group discovered when they leaned in a little closer to look at the nudity. the serpent SPRAYS you with "venom" (water), if you lean in too close. HAHAHAHHAHAHA and then there are the pulleys at this well..that you pull on and what comes up? apparently children that you are drowning! (are they witches? who knows? WTF). this baker is making a cake for a wedding. that happens if you stand there and watch long enough. . with a full procession slowly marching from one side to the other. what is this "dead creature" in a box. with a crank? I don't speak German, but that sign is implying to turn the crank. . . which activates this entire animatronic forest scene. . . . bizzare! these are ladders that you climb up. then an animatronic comes out of the window and yells at you. no. really. HAHAHAHAHAHA. and this guy was a love doctor. . who, I believe, told James and I that we were going to be very happy together! it was getting close to leaving time. . so we did a quick lap around the parts of the park we hadn't been to yet. yes, the tilt-a-whirl is themed.. you ride inside pies! but we *had* to do the funhouse we had heard about, but somehow had been missing. luckily we bumped into Robb & Elissa with Kristen who kindly brought us right to the funhouse entrance so we could experience it. while some of our group went to ride the giant plane ride, James and I went over to ride the park's closest thing to a Carousel (well. .it's not a carousel at all. . but it has horses). you can choose to ride on the horses. . . or in the carriage that the horses "pull" of course we chose the horses. these are the faces one makes, when the ride starts moving on the course, and one realizes that the horses are going to "Gallop" the entire way.. throwing you back and forth, and almost tossing you off the ride, so you hang on for dear life, laughing the entire time. catching our breath after our hilarious horse & buggy ride, we met up with the rest of the group for a snack. mmmmm. . everything looked good. but I went for the Nutella Crepe. . which was so hot, burned myself inhaling it (it was really good. . and we were so early in the trip, I hadn't burned out on Nutella just yet) another game where you shoot balls out of a milk container, into a cow's udders. (oh, and a nice German fellow who was waiting for his crepes as well what can I say? I still needed something to even out those bewbs from the flume ride! again. . stunning views in this park! (think this pic may have been from the Maypole ride) um. . I dunno a photo op with Ian? Sure. . why not. at least I got to be the guy this time whee! another moment of WTF. . near the maypole. the outhouse door pops open, and the man pooping, yells at you! such a bizarre park. .and I LOVED it so much. a pic of the group I was hanging with by Brad (I think) from the elevated monorail ride as he passed above us. and with the Maypole ride done, and some quick shopping at the front gate, we headed back out to the bus. we quickly were on our way.. we had to make it to Holiday Park for some ERT tonight on Expedition GeForce - but it had already been an amazing day. to be continued. . .

Kings Island has sent us a press release announcing the addition of a new themed area, Adventure Port, with two new family rides and updated theming for Adventure Express. Adventure will take center stage at Kings Island in 2023 when the amusement park debuts its newest themed area, Adventure Port. Located between Coney Mall and Action Zone, the area will feature two new family rides and enhanced theming for Adventure Express, the park’s mine train family roller coaster. Additional improvements include a refresh of Hank’s Mexican Grill which will be renamed to Enrique’s. The current Bier Garten will be transformed into a portside Mercado, a favorite watering hole for tourists and explorers. “What I love about Adventure Port is that we’ve taken parts of the Adventure Express story and built upon it to create this new themed area,” said Mike Koontz, vice president and general manager of Kings Island. “When guests who have been coming to the park for years visit this area for the first time, the story will feel familiar, but it will be told in a whole new way.” Adventure Port Backstory The myths of an ancient civilization, and its mighty city carved out of stone, have lured travelers from around the globe to this bustling port community for more than a century. Resting in the foothills of overgrown mountains and dense tropical terrain, Adventure Port is a hub for explorers searching for an ancient civilization’s forbidden temple and mysterious wonders. If asked, the locals will tell tales of those who came before and vanished. Did they unwittingly disturb ancient spirits and fall victim to an age-old curse? Adventure Port Rides Sol Spin: This recently discovered mechanism appears to be an immense sun disk created by an ancient civilization. Riders will board open air, suspended passenger vehicles and experience the sensation of flying 60 feet through the air at 25 m.p.h. Cargo Loco: Their methods might be a little dizzying, but the Arrow Cargo Company will get your goods from Point A to Point B...eventually. Riders will board these shipping barrels where they will be able to manually control the speed of their spin with a wheel in the middle of the barrel. Adventure Express: Embark on a treasure hunting mine train expedition in search of a forbidden temple. This family coaster opened in 1991 and features a 63 ft. first drop with speeds up to 35 m.p.h. Enhancements for 2023 include a relocated queue line and additional theming. The ride was repainted in advance of the 2022 season. The project’s design is being led by JRA, part of the RWS Entertainment Group with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. Other contractors on the project include RSL Commercial Architects, Schaefer Engineers, Abercrombie and Associates and SHP Architects. The best way to experience Adventure Port is with a with a 2023 Gold Season Pass available now at the lowest price of the year until October 30. The Gold Pass includes unlimited Kings Island visits this year to Tricks and Treats Fall Fest, Halloween Haunt and WinterFest plus every public operating day in 2023.

I cleaned up a bunch of crap that has nothing to do with anything. Can we please talk about all the exciting things going on at Worlds of Fun lately like uh.. ... nevermind.

I have less confidence in this working out here than at Carowinds, but I'm glad to see them trying something bold. The climate is fine for it, but is the demand there? BGW is a very different park that appeals to very different people and has a lot more to offer on a day with sub-optimal weather. PS: Watch them "Cedar Fair" this up and not run Flight of Fear for some reason.

This format is weird because I have legitimately no clue if I should read this as a serious post or sarcasm. I hope it's the latter. I'll assume so. As for the last part you've made your stance on this clear before and I'd bet that many people here including myself agree with you, but you really don't need to inject politics / major issues into a discussion about a new coaster at SeaWorld? The mental gymnastics that people go through these days on the internet to search for a roundabout way to make LITERALLY ANYTHING into a political argument is astounding. Please let's not do this so we have to go through later and clean up the thread from the flame war that's almost guaranteed to ensue.

Oof. I thought an hour drive was bad. We used ours once when we stopped by for a few hours with the kid. HITP may not bring in as many people as a refurbished carousel, but I would imagine it was a factor in a lot of decisions for families to purchase passes. My in-laws were the same way.

I can say a large portion of our season pass purchases the past few years, especially this last one, was because of HITP. We actually said since we go to HITP every year, we could just buy the pass and stop in another time to make it worth it. We went to the park once this year. Get rid of the unruly crowds. Jack the prices up. Good with it. But, if you're not going to add anything new, at least fix the broken shit, or run down areas. Neither will be accomplished next year.

Trying to understand the reasoning behind anything from the current CEO or what's left of corporate is pointless. Once the mentally unstable CEO is removed, hopefully sooner rather than later, we should start seeing a lot of delayed projects continue.

Yup. Removing something which has been Free with paid admission for over the last 20 years is just simply a bad idea. I am sure you will not be the only family pulling your Membership.

Well this might be it for us. We have had season passes every year since 2005. I had not been paying attention until Lance posted it over on Screamscape. Next year's gold pass, on sale now for $55, does not include Hurricane Harbor or Frightfest. You need to at least buy the platinum pass to include those. No HH, no FF, no HITP. Sadly looks like it is time for our family to move on from SFSTL. I have not been one of the naysayers, but I do now think our park is dying. Mike