larrygator

thanks Bert If you have a Grand Carousel ride sign please post it here (if have photos of the carousel in your ptr) and please be sure to send the rethemed Crime Wave when it happens

^Thanks for the updates on rides closures and photos

A mixed article about the future of Playland. https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2019/01/30/playland-new-coaster-restaurants/2694188002/ Playland plan includes new coaster, restaurants — but will it happen? Mark Lungariello, Rockland/Westchester Journal News Published 6:00 a.m. ET Jan. 30, 2019 RYE - The company under contract to manage Playland has plans to add at least six new restaurants and resurrect a roller coaster knocked down 62 years ago. But the plans for the amusement park face an uncertain future as Westchester County Executive George Latimer’s administration pushes to renegotiate the terms of a 2016 contract with Standard Amusements. “We initially presented our fully financed plan to preserve Playland’s ecological, historical and cultural integrity to the administration in August 2018 and have received no formal response,” Nathaniel Garnick, a Standard spokesman, said in a statement. “This plan, which was carefully crafted over three years, will revitalize Playland’s aging infrastructure, attractions, concessions and amenities, ensuring it is a world class, safe entertainment destination for families.” A map showing Standard Amusement’s ideas for the park started making the rounds on social media last weekend after it was shared with members of an advisory group formed by the company. It was the first time parts of the group’s “master plan” were made public. Catherine Cioffi, a spokeswoman for the county executive, said Standard had provided the administration with a map of "indefinite changes" and not a comprehensive plan of action. "During the meeting they spoke generally about changes, but with no concrete plan and no timetable," Cioffi said. "The conversation was so general, and the map so indistinct that it would be impossible to respond. There simply are not enough details." The company said it had acted in accordance with the contract and said the county "misrepresented the nature of the engagement." The plans, as outlined in the map and discussions, call for: Building a new version of the Airplane coaster, also called the Aeroplane. It isn’t clear what the new version, to be built within 10 years, will cost or if it would be wooden like the original ride, which was taken down in 1957 and is still remembered fondly by coaster enthusiasts. Eliminating a charge for beach access. The plan would add seasonal water activities and an outdoor fitness center. Building five new signature rides within the first three years, as well as nine new Kiddyland rides. Upgrading and modernizing the old Zombie Castle ride within five years. Adding at least six new restaurants on the boardwalk, fountain plaza and within the amusement park. The miniature golf at the plaza would be removed, with a new course built at the south end of the boardwalk near Rye Town Park. Planting approximately 500 new trees around the park. Restoring the colonnades around the park. Steve Vasko, a member of the advisory group, posted Standard's map to his Facebook group “Save Rye Playland.” He said it showed a huge amount of investment he didn’t think the county would put into the park on its own. “The county is in budget crisis and there are a whole bunch of things that are going to get priority over that and we all know that,” he said. “Unless they let Standard Amusements in to do some of that stuff, the park is going to continue to deteriorate.” Standard, which received a 30-year contract to manage the park in May 2016, is required to invest at least $27.5 million into the park while Westchester must invest another $30 million. The price-tag for needed repairs has been estimated to be much higher than the totals, and Standard’s master plan could inflate its own costs. A new Airplane coaster alone can be a significant investment, Vasko said, but even without that classic ride, he believed the plan balanced preservation with an eye toward the new. “I want to see new life breathed into the park,” he said. “My family has been going to the park since the early 1930s, generations of my family. I feel like if it doesn’t get this type of investment and restoration now it’s going to go down the drain.” Clashes behind the scenes Standard, a group backed by a hedge fund, was chosen after an extended process under former County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican who said he believed the county should get out of the business of managing an amusement park. The group put in a bid to run the park a decade ago, and was chosen as the winner in 2015 after a false start with another would-be operator. But after the changeover in administrations, the county and company have clashed behind the scenes over terms of the deal. The Journal News/lohud reported that the county had formally accused the company of breach of contract and the company fired back in a letter saying the county was the party in breach, possibly setting up a legal standoff after administration officials have publicly said they want to renegotiate the deal. Some critics have said the agreement is lopsided in favor of the company, which will pay annual payments starting at $300,000. The company pays Westchester a percentage of net income up to 12 percent after it recoups its initial investment. Deirdre Curran, founder of the group Friends of Playland, was against its signing. She has said the county should run the park and re-establish a long-defunct commission overseeing Playland operations. “An artist’s rendering showing everything people think they would like to see at the park is nice,” she said. “But people need to look at that contract and they need to look at how much money it’s going to cost the taxpayers — because the terms of the contract are disastrous.” Curran helped put together a community forum on the park with the county executive earlier this month. She said even if the county opted to move forward with a private operator, Westchester should put out a new request for proposals based on the information available today. But John Testa, the county legislature's Republican minority leader, called the plan "intriguing." “In the interest of transparency, I would like an opportunity to go through the plan with Standard in a committee meeting where legislators would have an opportunity to ask questions and hear more details from our private partner," Testa said. Legislature Chairman Ben Boykin didn’t return calls. A spokesman for Standard said company representatives hadn’t been invited to speak with lawmakers but would “welcome the opportunity.”

Political correctness hits Efteling. https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/01/efteling-amusement-park-to-update-characters-criticised-for-racist-stereotyping/ Efteling amusement park to update characters criticised for racist stereotyping January 30, 2019 The Netherlands’ most popular amusement park said on Wednesday it is to overhaul the appearance of some of its controversial African and Asian characters to ‘to better fit in with today’s standards. The Efteling’s Carnaval Festival fairground ride is to close for a three month period for a technical update and will take the opportunity to revamp animatronics criticised for yellow face and black face stereotypes. This means the African figures will lose their nose rings and be dressed in traditional African costumes while the Asian dolls will be given more natural eyes and teeth, a spokeswoman told broadcaster NOS. The Carnaval Festival attraction is based on a voyage around the world and has often drawn criticism. International visitors who had ‘not grown up with the attraction’ were particularly vocal, spokeswoman Femke van Es told NOS. The attraction is due for a technical overhaul and this has provided the right opportunity to rethink the African and Asian scenes, she said. The total renovation project will cost an estimated €3m. No plans have yet been made to update the Monsieur Cannibale attraction, in which visitors sit in a cooking pot presided over by a so-called cannibal in stereotypical garb. That attraction is 31-years-old and when it comes up for a refit, adaptions to the character will certainly be considered, Van Es said. Not racist However, Tilburg University proessor Hans Siebers told the AD that the the animatronics are not necessarily racist. ‘Like Zwarte Piet, these dolls do not have any inherent meaning,’ he told the AD. ‘An African doll with a ring through its nose is not necessarily insulting or hurtful.’ No problems are being solved with this, he said. ‘First Zwarte Piet had to suffer and now the Efteling dolls. Who is next, the carnival itself?’

OK

Lakeside might be able to double in size if they bulldozed the rotting Speedway. However, I still think the new footprint would be smaller than Elitch's, and current owner hasn't shown an inclination to make big changes.

It was featured in an episode of cable TV show, Shipping Wars

1. Name 3 of your favorite roller coasters, but not your top 3. iSpeed, Dragons Fury, Lightning Run 2. About how many different parks did you visit in 2018? 25 3. Which 2018 park visit was your favorite? Cedar Point 4. Your favorite 2018 park addition (ride, food, show, etc)? Steel Vengeance 5. What ride exceeded your expectations the most in 2018? Twisted Timbers 6. Best meal/food at a park in 2018? Turkey and Stuffing at Holiday World 7. What was your favorite new coaster of 2018 NOT made by RMC or Larson? HangTime 8. Name one park you will definitely visit in 2019. Kolmarden 9. Best ride themed to a bird? Phoenix 10. Lamest ride/coaster you rode in 2018? Sea World Antarctica ride 11. What roller coaster currently sits at the top of your bucketlist? (degree of difficulty: NOT a new-for-2019 ride) Kolmarden 12. What new-for-2019 ride or coaster are you most looking forward to? Steel Curtain 13. Name the first totally middle-of-the-road (not bad/not great) park that comes to mind. Adventureland, Iowa 14. You're in Orlando and magically have a 1-hour ERT session on 1 coaster of your choice at any park in the city. You choose... Mako 15. Holiday In The Park vs. Winterfest. Who reigns supreme? HiTP 16. Mystic Timbers mystery shed or Wicker Man fire infusion? Shed 17. Which Six Flags have you been to most recently? SFGAdv 18. Intamin or Schwarzkopf? You may only choose one. Intamin 19. Battle of Kings Coasters: Island or Dominion? Pick one. KD 20. What was the longest you waited for a ride/coaster in 2018? Steel Vengeance 21. What roller coaster have you ridden more than any other? El Toro 22. Best drop tower under 150 feet? an ARM tower 23. Maverick or Millennium Force? (If you haven't been to CP, pick what you want to ride more) Maverick 24. Log flumes or sky rides? You can only choose one. Neither 25. What are 3 things you enjoying doing at your home park other than riding rides? Making creamsicles at the Coke Freestyle machine, looking at the animals 26. What is your second favorite Cedar Fair park and why? Kings Dominion 27. What is your home park and give us two good reasons why we should pay it a visit. SFGAdv: Safari Off Road Adventure and El Toto 28. Launch or Lift? Launch 29. Did you buy fast pass at all in 2018? Yes 30. What is your least favorite wooden coaster? Anaconda 31. Disney fanboys: cool or cult? Cult 32. Best Batman themed ride? Batman and Robin: The Chiller 33. Name something that tend to take home from parks that you didn't bring with you. Funnel Cakes 34. Best wooden coaster over 110 feet tall? (rcdb will help you) El Toro 35. Have you ever been hit with something (loose change/a tree/vomit/etc) while riding something? Yes 36. Skywarps: credits or no? State your case. No 37. Turkey legs: nah or yaaaaassssss? yeah 38. What is the most recent B&M that you rode? Nitro 39. You can eat nothing but corn dogs, churros or funnel cake for the next 48 hours, which do you choose? Churros 40. Post a great on-ride shot of you from 2018. (DO IT!) Haven't purchased one in years

They are horrible capacity wise. That is a fact. The lines don't get too long, because the ride is not universally loved.

Posted in the Kennywood thread regarding Steel Curtain.

OK,I get it now. The artwork from 2015 looked like titling seats to me.

I remember one of these being announced last year or the year before, but I don't remember where. EDIT: It looks like the proposed changes to Fatamorgana were proposed back in 2015, that's why is seemed so familiar to me. https://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1638531#p1638531

You're correct. Today was a perfect example. I sign up to get e-mail "news" from practically every park I visit. Today in my e-mail I get a message from SWSD about naming a newborn dolphin calf, but it takes them two days to contact news outlets about a major ride addition. If you are getting the targeted ads on Facebook that is the role of their advertising Agency. Public Relations entails SeaWorld (or their PR Agency) contacting all media outlets with a press release, essentially a pre-written story about a newsworthy event that both old media (newspapers. TV) and new media (digital sites/influencers/bloggers) can report.

If this is true and, I don't doubt it, it just further highlights that SEAS has the worst public relations people on the planet. I don't know whether the parks have individual PR responsibilities or if it falls under corporate. Either way it has been a complete mess over the past few years due to cutbacks. Generating positive news for your entity through public relations is not brain surgery. I'm not saying big promotional campaigns and teasers are needed. but major media outlets covering you demographic area should be notified and your socials needed to be used to announce and promote big news.

It sounds like he is saying, a 6PM closing allows SF to say customers had plenty of time to enjoy everything

Others are saying SF is well run and have provided measurable metrics (stock growth, dividend increases) to support why there think the park is well run. You have yet to provide any evidence or facts to back up your view, you only point out what you don't like. Six Flags horrible past has no bearing on the current situation. The company dissolved and went went complete restructuring after Dan Snyder. When it was repriced and brought with the new IPO, it was not a firesale and investors were still taking a risk. Dividends can only be given out and increased if the company performs. Granted if you start with a very low dividend it is easy to deliver quarter over quarter increases in the short term. Are you also implying that McDonalds and WalMart is not well run. The choice of a company to focus on low cost sales over service does not mean a company is not well run. A company that takes that approach and doesn't make money is not well run.

The last of the Casino Pier 2019 additions will be Crazy Cabs. SBF/Visa appears to have taken their spinning roller coasters cars and used them in a flat ride. Crazy Cabs

I'm even later in reading it. I'm amazed the top year for attendance was before Halloweekends began.

For those who just can't wait for word from Universal about an expansion, this certainly bodes well. But it a timely and complicated process to get to that expansion. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orange/os-me-kirkman-road-extension-big-projects-20181218-story.html Green light for Kirkman Road extension that promises to create jobs, new developments Orange County commissioners approved a funding agreement with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to extend Kirkman Road which will boost planned expansions by Universal Studios, Lockheed Martin Corp. and others. Stephen HudakStephen HudakContact ReporterOrlando Sentinel Orange County commissioners nudged forward a critical road project in the tourism corridor Tuesday that will boost planned expansions by Universal Studios, Lockheed Martin Corp. and the Orange County Convention Center, voting to accept a partial-funding agreement with the state to extend Kirkman Road. The project, when finished, will add a 1.7-mile north-south artery between Carrier Drive on the north to Universal Boulevard on the south and may lead to 2,500 new high-wage jobs. The projected cost of building the extension ranges from $250 million to $300 million, said Renzo Nastasi, Orange County’s transportation planning manager. “There’s an awful lot of activity there and consequently a lot of traffic,” Nastasi said as he outlined the agreement for county commissioners. “Bringing the project forward will certainly benefit the area in terms of additional mobility.” This map, created by Orange County government to show the planned Kirkman Road extension (highlighted in red), also shows some of the key attractions in the tourism corridor. The area in green shows property where Universal could build a new theme park. (Orlando Sentinel file) The county is adding a 200,000-square-foot multipurpose venue, an 80,000-square-foot ballroom and another 60,000-square-foot meeting room at its massive convention center, which lures 1.4 million exhibitors and other visitors annually. Lockheed Martin is adding 255,000 square feet of office space at its site, located on the west side of the extension. The University of Central Florida College of Hospitality Management, located southeast of the proposed extension, has plans for a 50,000-square-foot building. Universal City Development Partners, which owns and operates Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, owns 758 developable acres on the east side of the proposed extension, enough for a theme park or two. The company has not announced plans for the property but industry experts have speculated that Universal Orlando plans to build Nintendo-inspired attractions in a new theme park. Nastasi described Universal’s property vaguely, calling it a “future attraction area.” The extension, first added to the county’s long-range transportation plan a decade ago, will be funded jointly by the state, the county and Universal. The state Department of Transportation will develop a segment beginning at Carrier Drive south to the edge of Lockheed Martin’s property. It will include a reconfigured interchange with Sand Lake Road. As outlined by Nastasi, the state section will boast nine lanes of travel, including two separated bus lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks Orange County’s portion runs from Lockheed Martin south to Universal Boulevard. The county’s stretch will have a similar design to the state’s portion, including dedicated bus lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks. “All these are subject to minor tweaks but generally speaking this is what the road is going to look like,” Nastasi said. Could this be a future Universal park? » Road design is expected to be finished next fall and construction should begin in the summer of 2020. Nastasi said the county also has to forge a construction-funding agreement with Universal, which he termed “a complicated process.” To illustrate the design of the proposed extension, Nastasi showed a video animation of traffic that featured some realistic bad driving. The swerving, veering animated vehicles prompted Mayor Jerry Demings, formerly the county sheriff, to remark, “That’s terrible driving.” Commissioner Betsy VanderLey quipped that she’d take the bus if the video was an accurate portrayal of driver behavior. Earlier this year, affiliates of Universal Orlando filed infrastructure plans with the county for hundreds of acres north of Universal Boulevard and Destination Parkway. The plans showed roadways and stormwater management for 10 parcels possibly to serve a theme park. The $16 million in state funding is part of the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund program and could grow by an extra $13 million, said Eric Ushkowitz, economic-development administrator in the county office of Economic, Trade & Tourism Development. He said the county has estimated the project’s partners — Universal, Lockheed Martin, the Rosen hospitality-management college and the convention center — will create 2,534 high-wage jobs that will pay an annual average of more than $51,000.

I was interested in the new Meow Wolf's Kalidescape. Although the coasters aren't very good, I did like the vibe of the park and the flat rides.

Your heading is a little misleading... Closing for good? No, relocating. Also, "Eventually" is the only time table for any if this happening. It could be a decade before anything happens.

And it's SMALLER than Oasis class. Like, a lot smaller. 3,000 more people in a tighter space? Sounds like China to me! Based on my observations, the average Chinese person is half the size as the average American, so the size difference should not be an issue.

I like the thought. but they need to be more sincere. Those targeting a specific date are likely to be visitors making long trips and on an itinerary. They should allow you the use the rain check up to 18 months after the "rain date". It still won't satisfy everybody but gives long distance travelers a better opportunity to return.

This week's reveal: Elephant Express

Nobody is debating that the majority of enthusiasts and GP would find the coasters in question more exciting than a SkyScreamer. The point is that the coaster is already there, the coaster has been there for 19 seasons and the coaster will delivery the same ride that is has the past 10 years. This ride experience will not change with a re-theme.