robbalvey

Hey there Fox, Thanks for posting these. I have to say that I was hoping for more, being that the ride has been down for what, three years now? But still, it's not as though the queue was "Dueling Dragons" or "Indy" to begin with. From what I can tell from those photos it looks pretty much the same, but with a 'fresh coat of paint' so to speak. We'll just have to see what the end result is when the ride opens. What does everyone else think? --Robb

We used to be ACErs until we let our membership lapse about two years ago. We have several reasons, but mostly because we found that we stopped doing as many ACE events as we used to in favor of park sponsered events or our own trips. The publications are either late or don't have any better information than I can get online. We are still memebers of ECC, though. Thier magazine rocks!!! As far as making fun of ACErs, yeah there are a lot of good people in the club, but it's those stereotypical ones that make it "funny." It's like trekkies. They know their geeks and they can even make fun of themselves for it! --Robb "We're all coaster geeks even if you're NOT an ACE member!" Alvey

http://www.thekcrachannel.com/entertainment/4448967/detail.html OMG! I laughed my ass off!!!! You all HAVE to download this!!! --Robb "Way to go Disney!!!" Alvey

This just in from the PR Department at Paramount's King's Dominion: Glad to see Grizzly back in action!

Fab's Faves has just added some photos from the new Monsters Inc ride going into Disney's California Adventure. Check them out here: http://www.fabsfaves.com/ So Disneyland Resort gets two dark rides back to back. What do you guys think? Looks like DCA is also getting EPCOT's Turtle Talk, anyone know where that is going? --Robb "

I chose the "701+" option! --Robb "I think I'm at like 715 or so now..." Alvey

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050504006027&newsLang=en

Hey everybody! This thread is simple! Rather than having a million little threads about all the news on Coney Island's Development, this thread is designed to consolidate it all into one user-friendly thread. Feel free to use it to post updates, trip reports, questions, comments, and of course, general discussion. Below are some links to past updates from the park, you may be interested in. Enjoy! --Robb _____________________________________________________ 2005 May 5th, 2005 - Coney Island Redevelopment Proposal - SEE BELOW! July 20th, 2005 - Historic B&B Carousell up for auction September 20th, 2005 - Joe Sitt's vision for Coney Island 2006 November 29th, 2006 - Astroland to close after the 2007 season 2007 November 8th, 2007 - NYC unveils their vision for Coney Island 2008 November 18th, 2008 - Municipal Arts Society unveils their vision for Coney Island December 31st, 2008 - Astroland rides rumored to be going to Sydney Australia 2009 November 11th, 2009 - NYC to buy seven acres of Coney Island for $95.6 Million 2010 Jan 21st, 2010 - Zamperla USA chosen as park operator Feb 1st, 2010 - New park to be called 'Luna park' Feb 16th, 2010 - Park to have 23 New Rides, Including New Roller Coasters, a Human Sling Shot and Go-Karts Feb 29th, 2010 - Ringling Brothers Circus returns to Coney Island April 19th, 2010 - Coney Island Cyclone gets a Twitter account! May 12th, 2010 - Judge sides with the city in redevelopment case May 12th, 2010 - New construction photos May 19th, 2010 - Complete list of rides released June 23rd, 2010 - Water Slide Beach opening near Steeplechase Pier September 21st, 2010 - Luna Park extends season to Halloween November 2nd, 2010 - Zamperla decides which business' will stay or go 2011 January 20th, 2011 - Names announced for Scream Zone coasters January 21st, 2011 - Zamperla to take over operation of the Cyclone! March 10th, 2011 - Deal reached with Coney Island 8 for lease extensions April 16th, 2011 - Scream Zone construction November 10th, 2011 - B&B Carousell restoration, record crowds & expansions 2012 February 2nd, 2012 - GCI to reprofile Cyclone February 15th, 2012 - Coney Island hiring for the 2012 Summer season April 5th, 2012 - 280 feet of Cyclone's track replaced during offseason September 17th, 2012 - Wonder Wheel boosters oppose new observation tower November 11th, 2012 - Coney Island after Hurricane Sandy November 29th, 2012 - Zamperla wins rights to light up the Parachute Jump December 19th, 2012 - Coney Island businesses set speedy recovery plan 2013 January 20th, 2013 - Water Mania attraction being added to Coney Island May 26th, 2013 - Coney Island Zamperla lease extended thru 2027! May 27th, 2013 - Water Mania splash battle/teacups mashup ride added! June 10th, 2013 - Coney Island Thunderbolt to be "Reborn" June 17th, 2013 - New Coney Island Thunderbolt layout revealed! July 4th, 2013 - Parts of Iconic Astrotower are being removed August 14th, 2013 - Boy escapes from and jumps from Sea Serpent coaster at Deno's December 19th, 2013 - NYC extends Luna Park lease until 2027, Wonder Wheel Park leases also expected to be renewed 2014 February 20th, 2014 - Coney Island Cyclone Retracking Construction Update! February 25th, 2014 - Thunderbolt lift hill & trains are being assembled! March 10th, 2014 - Thunderbolt ground breaking ceremony occurs May 20th, 2014 - Thunderbolt track work completed June 15th, 2014 - Thunderbolt opens 2015 December 14, 2015: Thunderbolt, Wonder Wheel and B&B Carousell to be open free of charge New Year's Eve/Day 2016 August 27th, 2016 - mini-golf course (and slick track) built next to ScreamZone 2017 February 7th, 2016 - NYC opening up a few more parcels for amusements 2018 August 23rd, 2018 - Log flume, zip-line, ropes course & more announced! 2019 February 25th, 2019 - Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park owner Lula Vourderis passes away 2020 March 2nd, 2020 - New concept art released! Coaster, log flume & more! December 21st, 2020 - Phoenix coaster announced for Phoenix at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park! Original Post: _____________________________________________________ Here is a link to the article: http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/bro ... c-swapbox1 What I find interesting is some of the artists renderings: Ahh, so they are turning Coney Island into Freemont Street! Is it just me or have they drawn what looks like an Invertigo and a B&M??!?! One more "After" One more "Before" And another "After" Another "Before" Here is the "Before" view. An overall map of Coney Island

^ Summer Rental?!?!? Was there ANY memorable line in that movie at all??? Let's try a different movie, less obscure: Planes, Trains, And Automobiles. --Robb "I hope that one hasn't been done already!" Alvey

Yeah, Sundays have always been good to us. We normally get to most parks at LEAST 30 minutes prior to opening anyway, but we've found that even parks not in the bible belt tend to be slower on Sundays anyway. If you're planning to spend a FULL day at a park on a Sunday, here is what I reccomend. 1. Get to the park at least 30 minutes prior to opening and be ready to get to your first destination as quickly as possible. 2. Do as much as you can in the 1st two hours - hit up lower capacity rides first (Wild Mouse type rides, kiddie coasters, Boomerangs, Arrow 4Ds, or anything you know that might be running one train, etc) 3. Plan to leave the park around 1:30 or 2:00 and take a 'longer' lunch. 4. Return to the park between 3:00 - 4:00pm and hope to find that the park has cleared out some. 5. Enjoy the rest of your night! Another thing we do a lot with parks that have water parks attached to them is go to the water park from about 3-5pm. Most people seem to get to water parks early, and tend to clear out around that time. Anyway, hope this helps! --Robb

I actually had to buy their CD off Ebay!!! --Robb "Now I just need to find a copy of the Cartoons - Toonage CD!" Alvey

^ That pictures looks like it was taken from the perspective of.... "If I were a fly, this is what the world would look like..." --Robb "Jeff Goldblum would be proud." Alvey

The Gravity Group has just added some new photos of the ride testing! http://www.thegravitygroup.com/hades/index06.htm Looks amazing! --Robb

I just want to say thanks to everyone who has filled out the survey. It's been really helpful determining what kind of trips we may eventually put together. If you haven't had a chance to fill it out yet, please do so: http://www.themeparkreview.com/question.htm Thanks again everyone! --Robb

I don't have a problem with people discussing it, as this is a forum for people to discuss theme park related incidents, that said however, we won't allow it to get "ugly." All I hope is that people will learn from this moving forward. --Robb

HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN FEAR FACTOR? Charity Auction Offers Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity to Challenge Fear Factor Champions in Live Audition for Hit TV Show High Bidders to Compete in Universal Orlando's Fear Factor Live Attraction ORLANDO, Fla - Die-hard fans of the hit reality television show "Fear Factor" and other thrill-seekers will bid for the chance to hurl squid at a partner while suspended in mid-air, scramble from a car dangling 25-feet above ground and chug a meal-worm and sauerkraut smoothie - all while competing against real "Fear Factor" champions. And wait. There's more. Qualified bid-winners will take on those stunts at Universal Orlando's new Fear Factor Live attraction. Their performance will also be a live audition in front of producers from the hit "Fear Factor" TV show, who will consider offering the winners a place on the show next season. This will be the first live audition ever conducted by "Fear Factor" producers. The on-line listing is to mark the grand-opening of Universal Orlando's new Fear Factor Live attraction - a new show that will give park guests the chance to compete in the same type of stunts they watch others perform on the TV show. The charity auction, which will benefit Give Kids The World runs through Thursday, May 12 - with opening bids set to start at $2,500. High bidders will get one of two vacation packages, listed on eBay, The World's Online Marketplace®, which include the chance to compete in the Fear Factor Live attraction against Dean and Ashley Molina, who won this season's "Fear Factor" Couples' Competition on NBC. The package also includes a four-night/five-day vacation to Universal Orlando including accommodations, round-trip airfare, theme park admission, a VIP tour of the parks and a "Fear Factor" TV show prop signed by show host Joe Rogan. "Fear Factor" has become a true phenomenon across the United States," said Bob Gault, President and CEO, Universal Orlando. "We are thrilled to offer fans of the show - and our theme park guests - the chance to compete against real "Fear Factor" winners. This is a one time experience that can not be duplicated anywhere else." The winners will be among the first to perform the stunts from the new attraction, which have been developed especially for theme park guests by Universal's creative team and "Fear Factor" show producers. Based upon the award-winning NBC program "Fear Factor," Fear Factor Live marks the first time a reality television show will be transformed into a theme park experience. In each show, park guests will compete against each other in a progression of extreme stunts, which are designed to test their physical and emotional limits. All proceeds from the listings will be donated to Give Kids The World. The charity auction can be accessed through eBay at www.ebay.com (key word: Fear Factor) and the Universal Orlando website at www.universalorlando.com. Give Kids The World is a nearly 70-acre, non-profit resort for children with life-threatening illnesses whose one wish is to visit Central Florida's best loved attractions. Give Kids The World Village partners with over 250 wish-granting organizations around the world. With the help of many generous individuals and corporations, Give Kids The World Village completes the wish with accommodations at its whimsical resort, donated attraction tickets and meals for a week-long, cost-free vacation. For more information, please visit the GKTW website at www.gktw.org.

Hey everyone! One month to go until the meet! If you haven't RSVP's for the BBQ yet, please do so now! Just drop me an email at robbalvey@themeparkreview.com and tell me how many people are in your group. About a week before the event, we will send out an email with more details and directions to our apartment complex and the ONLY way you can get these details is by sending us your RSVP. See you there! --Robb

Yes, this is the game I am producing over at Treyarch. Unfortunatly, I can't say much about it as E3 is just around the corner and our PR department has stories lined up with the press, so I can't go blowing their cover! I can say, though that Game Informer just did a 5 page spread on our game in their most recent issue which should answer a lot of questions, and there's even a photo of yours truly in the article! --Robb "I'll be able to talk about it more after E3" Alvey

^ From what I remember of the reports there were several eye witnesses outside the park that saw her standing. I too also remember reading in the reports that the seatbelt IS the primary restraint (but don't quote me on that!) --Robb

^^ Actually, that reminds me...and this is also a question for our Internatinal readers. Can you think of any 'upbeat, quirky' songs that might be specific to your country? They don't have to be in English! We've used non-English songs before and they've worked out GREAT! Keeping in mind all the countries we are visiting this summer, a French, German, or Italian, etc song might fit it really well! --Robb

^ August 2003. Here is some more info: http://www.rideaccidents.com/2003.html#aug23b --Robb

^ Thanks for the feedback. I'm working on some changes to make things easier. As for the 7th Guest tape, honestly, I don't know! I'm not sure I ever watched it! --Robb

I fixed it. --Robb

^ Yeah, basically the volume of photos we have now is almost un-manageable. In the sense that if you want to see our photos of "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" you have to weed through a bunch of other photos to get to them. Basically nothing that is currently existing is going to 'change' we are just going to add a few new options to make navigation a bit easier. I have added back the search function on the front page and in the photo gallery yesterday, and that should help. But I really want to make getting to our photos a bit simpler. For example, did anyone notice the change I made to the video downloads page a couple of weeks ago? I separated the videos into "Park" and "Footage" videos. When there were only 10 videos on the site it was easy to scroll through and see which is which, but now that there are 40, there needed to be a way to navigate through the easier. I'm basically going to do something similar with the photos. It's not an easy task, and when you have over 5,000 photos it's going to take some time. But the end goal is to make it so those photos are more accessible. --Robb "Don't worry, it won't change anything you already know and love about the site!" Alvey

^ Yeah, we used American Idiot for our Texas segment on last year's DVD. --Robb "Made for a GREAT opening!" Alvey