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Oh now I get it.

Velocicoaster just over a week ago!

Yeah, a lot of coasterboys don't understand the importance of having attractions for all different kinds of people. Hopefully Six Flags learned from how Cedar Fair did it. Dinos could be their McRib.

Remember when Six Flags took over and people thought it would be amazing and we all laughed at them for it? How is that going?

Definitely different, here is a video I found on Facebook, some higher up at Six Flags sure enjoys that RGB strobe. Not sure how I like the final effect, I would've figured more lights (Griswold!), but let's see how the GP likes : 181633987_476441003565879_9150220756519398532_n.mp4

Compliments of Cedar Fair (specifically Kings Island and Kings Dominion) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65REf5thv8onz5MKVEql4n?si=xoG1qBhJQgG-jvyEi6J4pg&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1 You're welcome!

VelociCoaster last night! Soft opened with 75 minute wait, but I only waited 55. They really crank those trains through!

At nocoastercon Dollywood sort of hinted their next coaster may be from a manufacturer they haven't used before. I think that's why many are assuming a Time Traveler type ride.

If RGB lighting has been purchased it isn't that much money these days to make them addressable. A little $4 board can run a 300-600 LED light show - pair them together to get more lights. The trees they use for the Palace HITP show can be run on $35 Raspberry Pi computers (which they're already using for the POS systems).

Ok thanks! Most of my past visits were too last minute to reserve.

Well they're probably programmable so they can theme it. Power Hours fits that look.

^That photo/sign is just itching for some memes.

I think that was speculation on the forum because of the hint that said they couldn't wait to see it at night. So we expected lighting to be involved.

This makes a lot of sense. They are committing to a Halloween Event and if things get better between now and then, they can just over deliver! Right now, this is a very 'safe' event and that's fine. They can always just sell more tickets, extend hours, add more entertainment if by some miracle everything is fine by August-October!

The park has tweeted out their new sign. I expected a place for updates but this is definitely clean.

Velocicoaster opened for 'technical rehearsal' today which means anyone who's at the park and wants to wait in line can go ride! Keep in mind, this does NOT mean it will be open every day now until June 10, but you do have a chance!

Or they could just close it and leave it rot and not put anything there, which is the cheapest and likeliest option.

I just don't get it. Six Flags says, flat out, "15 rides will be closed/removed from parks as a cost-savings measure," and then everyone clamors about how they're going to spend more than zero dollars to relocate-old/install-new rides at parks that generally, during normal, non-pandemic, times, don't see substantial investment. It's like the world has lost its mind.

^ leave it drained, and an instant up-charge skate-board park attraction. Kewl for the kids, bruh !

Jersey Devil update... Source: Six Flags Great Adventure on Twitter

I was surprised Kingda Ka was down as well, but it allowed me to focus on El Toro and get nearly 30 rides on it. From atop El Toro's lift, I noticed Kingda Ka had a train parked on the side of the dual load platform that hasn't operated in years. When Kingda Ka is closed, do they usually park trains on that side of the station? The reason I ask is because if people did see Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro operating together, maybe they're thinking of bringing back the dual load platform on Kingda Ka to boost its throughput.

Bump... I skimmed the Q1 conference call so you don't have to. Here are some brief highlights. I highlighted some park-specific stuff for the uber-nerds that only care about that. - Total attendance for the quarter was 1.3 million guests, a 38% decline from first quarter 2019 which makes sense with covid restrictions and with two year-round parks in California (one with daily ops in 2019) being closed for the entire quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was a loss of $46 million compared to a loss of $32 million in the first quarter 2019 (largely for the same reasons). One thing that bumped the numbers up was that Six Flags over Texas was not year-round in 2019 but that doesn't make up for California or capacity restrictions elsewhere. - They expect to be profitable in Q2 - They have an Active Pass Base of 4.1 million passholders, which included 1.7 million members and 2.4 million traditional season passholders at the end of first quarter 2021. The Active Pass Base is up 1% compared to first quarter 2020 and down only 9% compared to first quarter 2019. In short, they retained 91% of their passholder base through Covid which is kind of insane, especially since they've been charging a lot of them unlike uh... that other company. The number of paused memberships is around 5% right now. - They will continue to operate the Drive-Thru Safari in New Jersey as a separately gated attraction - Applying a pro forma allocation to 2019, admission spending per capita increased 17% and in-park spending per capita increased 14% compared to the first quarter of 2019. - When allowed to raise capacity restrictions by their respective states they do it quickly if not immediately. The Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia parks are already at 100% capacity. When more states allow it they will do it basically right away. (Just me speaking here: This means that the reservation system at those parks only exists to give guests the illusion that they are capping capacity. They are not. At all...) - They want to work on reducing wait times at food stands . They see this as a major problem and are ramping up staffing to deal with it. They're confident that they can reach desired staffing levels soon. Unlike other chains that are blaming all of their problems on staffing, it's not a major concern for them going forward.

Whenever I watch a video on YouTube and they use a bluegrass-type background music (usually on the TRY Channel when they try American stuff), it immediately makes me long to be at Dollywood. Bluegrass is one of the great unique things about Herschend's two main parks. You hear it all around you as you walk around under the trees and along the babbling brooks. Those parks wouldn't feel right with modern music. For example, at SDC, they do the whole "Moonlight Madness" thing... When they do, they switch over the modern music, and the level of jarring that is to hear is BEYOND. I was in line for Thunderation and they started playing "Build Me Up Buttercup" in the queue and I was floored. It just did not feel right. I don't know if they still do that (haven't been to MM in years), but I do know from vids on YT that they finally clued in and started playing the bluegrass covers of modern songs, at least in the queue for Time Traveler. And I know I heard bluegrass covers at the buffet at Dollywood, too, a few years ago. That is how you integrate modern music into these parks. Younger people will be standing in line and then suddenly their ears will prick up and they'll realize that their favorite Lady Gaga song is playing, but as bluegrass! It's really, really fun to listen to bluegrass covers of modern songs, to get an idea of what these songs might have sounded like if written a hundred years ago. It's unique. So if they want to continue to use/add modern songs, but as bluegrass covers, I'm all for that.

This discussion is dumb, there are a lot of people, a LOT, that go to Dollywood for the country/gospel/bluegrass music (and the shows and the crafts and the food) only, not the rides. You're trying to fix something that aint broken here.

Oh for goodness' sake. Herschend is not going to change anything about the freaking music because family / gospel stuff is their brand. Dollywood especially has successfully toed the line in making their religious values known, but not so in-your-face that it is alienating. I really don't see that changing, especially considering that mindset is anchored in tradition.

^ it worked so well for Hard Rock Park tho!

Batman at Fiesta Texas. Just as horrible as all the 4Ds that came after it.