Taylor Finn

Hahahah, I personally like Kentucky Kingdom a lot, too. It may have been obvious in years past but KK has definitely added some coasters. Both are fun parks, just Holiday World is more my speed.

Reading some really great things about The Beast. This is one of the rides that has contributed to my love of roller coasters the most. I am not sure yet if it'll work out for us to make a trip to Kings Island this year. I'm really hoping so. Looking forward to hearing folks thoughts on how it is running!

Holiday World is obviously the superior park. We only spent 3 or so hours at the park on a weekend last year and got on everything we wanted, including the drop tower and coasters. It is definitely doable.

Great report! Seems like a pretty well done iteration of the food and drinking event. Will make it back soon enough for Pantheon.

Hello! We are thinking of visiting the park on June 1st (Wednesday). Have a few questions: 1. We move fast, but would like to hit most all of the interesting park attractions (can skip many of the flats probably). Would a second day (or half day) be appropriate? 2. Can anyone share thoughts on the Hotel Charles Lindbergh? Some logistical questions on the hotel itself: -Are dinner and breakfast served outside of park hours so that we can enjoy them and not take from our park time? -Same goes with the bar... is the bar open after park close? -I assume you are allowed to exit the hotel into the park starting at 9:00 AM? Does this offer an advantage for getting on rides before other park guests (I know rides won't open until 10)? -Any other details, etc. on why we should / shouldn't stay there, I would appreciate. Seems like a good value all things considered 400 euro). 3. Tips for otherwise accomplishing the park? 4. The quick pass... "The pass entitles the holder to 2x faster access as a single person or 1x faster access in pairs (with accompanying person)." Can someone explain what this means? 10 euro for lesser rides and 20 euro for Taron and Black Mamba.

Great report. Certainly looking forward to eventually returning to BGT. Train was closed when I was there as well, so some new things to experience.

I've always been disappointed that they've taken such a complacent approach with World Showcase. Still a good bit of real estate to work with back there to squeeze in a few more countries. With attendance rising across all parks, it seems totally necessary. I know they've expanded some existing pavilions but still.

Really thrilled to only have to go two years without a Bayern Kurve in my life. Truly an awesome addition.

I really think if they scrapped the rooms and sold this at $300/person for four hour dinner party experience I’d consider it. Or even $500/person but include Hollywood Studios ticket, the lightning lane passes and lunch. That to me would be the better move.

Doing a 2022 Season Update on this: (Prices 2001, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022 via Wayback Machine); Inflation is $1 in 2001 = $1.59 today. Phoenix: $1.50 $2, $2, $2.50, $3, $3, $3.50, $4 Flyers: $0.80, $1, $1.20, $1.50, $1.75, $2.50, $2.50, $3 Carousel: $0.70 $0.80 $0.90, $1, $1.50, $1.75, $2, $2.50 Red Baron: $0.60, $0.70 $0.80, $1, $1.25, $1.50, $1.75, $2 Adult Wristband w/ Coasters: (not available), $31, $37, $39.50, $47, $50, $53, not available for 2022 Other notes- Black Diamond is $3.50, Phoenix, Twister, Impulse - $4, Flying Turns - Not listed. Haunted Mansion increased from $2.50 to $3. All flats are $2.50-3 now, Ferris Wheel = $3.50, Skyway = $5 Kiddie rides are $2 (Kozmo's Kurves = $3.00) Campground rates went up from like $56/58 to $62/66 as well which seems pretty steep. Prices increased again and really quite dramatically. Across the board, ride ticket prices increased 50 cents. This is like 15-25% increase on everything in one year. If you are a family of four and you ride with tickets for a day and rode 15 rides each, that is $30 more than last year. It seems like they're pretty clearly trying to push people toward wristbands more and more. Which sucks. I know labor and other costs are up, but these hikes seem more dramatic than warranted at face value. If they rose wristband prices from $50-60 in one year and added nothing, would that seem steep? I think so.

Was driving up toward the Finger Lakes for work and actually drove past one of these trailers and I was pretty well convinced my eyes were not deceiving me. Knew it was headed to Fantasy Island.

Clarion Inn in Pigeon Forge proper is absolutely worth a few extra bucks though sometimes deals can be had.

Carousel had been listed for sale. They also posted (after failing to sell) that the carousel would be back next year. Which obviously seems challenging to say the least. The ride mechanism is obviously historic but few (if any) of the horses are actually all that old. Devil's Den will likely not find a home. I don't know where it would even make sense, realistically. It's a little... ghetto for most parks to accept, probably. I am really disappointed that the park is going down this way. But I understand the cynics who would be happy to see it gone. I would rather the park exist than not, is all.

Yup. We had a nice time. Didn't get to do Noah's Ark. Ghostwood Estate holiday overlay was good fun. Potato Patch employee was skimping hard on fries so that bummed us out a lot.

I'm definitely not asking for a separate unload. The train just CRAWLS back into the station. At a pace that is just unacceptable, IMO. RMC could absolutely design a faster system. And it would probably improve speed of dispatch (whether running 1 or 2 trains) by a healthy bit. Just seems like it should be a priority of manufacturers and parks, as it is doesn't cost them anything in OPEX but improves the dispatches.

One thing that has always frustrated me about Lightning Rod, even when running two trains, is the time it takes for the train to get from the brake run into the station after a train dispatches. By the time the gates open to load guests, the other train is already completing its circuit. If you design roller coasters, shouldn't this be a MAJOR priority? Obviously parks like Disney don't mess around with this. They have separate unloading areas and trains move very quickly into the station. Just a musing. It applies to other coasters but is especially noticeable on LR.

Loved reading this report. So much detail and loads of pictures. Glad you guys had a great time!

Kennywood has announced on Pittsburgh Today Live that the Kangaroo flat ride will be returning for the 2022 season after an extensive refurbishment! https://www.kennywood.com/plan-your-visit/experiences/what-s-new https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/11/19/kennywood-kangaroo-new-attraction-announcement/ A Kennywood Classic Returns A true Kennywood classic will rejoin the park’s world-class collection of rides in 2022.The iconic Kangaroo will return fully refurbished and ready to thrill riders with its unique ride experience – a rite of passage for younger guests seeking bigger thrills. More than a ride, Kangaroo is a timeless Kennywood tradition. Riders have looked forward to the feeling of weightlessness aboard the attraction for generations. Now, the ride that served as the inspiration for Kennywood’s mascot will make its triumphant return 60 years after its initial debut. In partnership with Premier Rides – one of the amusement industry’s leading ride manufacturers and innovators – Kennywood has begun a total refurbishment of Kangaroo. This work will enhance the experience with an all-new LED lighting package, vibrant new colors, and state of the art operating systems while still providing the classic “Flying Coaster” feel. Choose the Roo's New Look We heard you, and now that Kangaroo is bouncing back, we want you to choose the ride's new logo and theming. Vote now between two design options: Classic or Vintage. You can vote once per day through Sunday, Nov. 21 at 11:59 p.m.

I think it's ridiculous to suspend the Virtual Queue. I think Disney would do well to have the most popular ride at each park on Virtual Queue. It's not that hard to adjust your day based on a single Boarding Pass (would get confusing for multiple). I recognize that some folks didn't get a boarding pass, but isn't it a significantly better guest experience to NOT have to wait two hours to ride? I understand that part of the motivation to remove it is so they can make extra $$ selling people Lightning Lane single use passes. But the optics are really sour for me.

Hello! Visited for the first since Phoenix Phall Phunfest in 2019. First time in a while camping on property, which made for a super convenient stay. We opted for tickets not wristbands and including 4 rides on Phoenix and 2 on Twister, the two of used about $90 worth of tickets ($36 each at Weiss prices). Some notes (good and bad): 1. Phoenix was running awesome. We once and for all determined conclusively that we prefer the 3rd row to front row. Night rides are just something else. Twister was solid as well, though I still give Phoenix a large edge. Skipped Impulse. 2. Food was solid as usual, for the most part. Sweet potato fries with caramel sauce and sea salt were a huge hit. Waffle ice cream sandwich stand was closed, so they served them at The Old Mill and allowed any ice cream to be selected, which worked out well. Cesari's is probably a no go for us next time. Unless we are going to be buying a whole pie... it was lukewarm and very average. 3. This is the biggie. 31/68 rides were closed which seems to be the norm for the season. I recognize they have an astronomical number of rides. I also will note that only about 4 or 5 rides that we were interested in were closed. Flying Turns and Black Diamond being the biggies. I have no idea if increasing wages or offering a $500 bonus would have increased their labor force, but they made a very half-assed effort to attract new workers this year compared to other parks. I don't subscribe to the argument that they cannot afford it the same way Kennywood or Dorney can. In my mind, they must believe they'll have better luck next year with their low wages. This sours me a bit, because I know they're making SOLID profits still. The demand to go to the park seems as strong as ever. So, their overhead is lower with 30% fewer employees. Also, their business model (of offering ride tickets) encourages them to operate more rides. I would have thought it smart to at least rotate attendants on some of the rides. For example, Pire Ship open until 4 PM and Swings open 4-8 PM. A simple sign in front of a few rides (same goes for Kiddieland) would be smart. 4. Extension of 3 is that food lines were unacceptably long on Saturday. They had a large number of food stands entirely closed and others closed without notice pretty early in the day (by like 5:00 PM). We waited 40 minutes for lukewarm Cesari's pizza. Lines spilled out and blocked normal traffic flow, considerably. If they want to operate this way, they should cap admission to the park, because I cannot imagine what it was like on Summer Weekends. 5. Really enjoyed grabbing breakfast at the food court at 8:30 and then heading back to get ready for the day. Solid value and solid food. French toast was great! 6. Flyers were running great as ever. Only got one ride as attendant on Saturday was constantly slowing the motor, so I skipped until Sunday. 7. Campground showers should be upgraded. To charge $60/night and not offer reasonably hot water seems a bit questionable. I know they get by just fine and don't have much incentive to do so, and the convenience cannot be beat. 8. The mini golf is a really fun little course. I will note that the actual holes are all sloped down which seriously eases the game. No complaints as I am pretty poor, but I hadn't noticed that previously. Overall, did we have a great time? Yeah! We enjoyed everything we rode and most all of the food we had. But we did go back to our site for an hour or so on Saturday out of frustration. Seeing midways packed and many rides not running is a tough pill to swallow.

^I have no idea. But I will just note this: The Bayern Kurve ride has been replaced with a wooden fence to hide the vacant area. Paratrooper ride has been replaced with some green space. Again, does a pretty good job of hiding what was there. Volcano still has the theming there, but that whole area is very dysfunctional, so not surprised. Kangaroo, though? The operator booth and physical line are still there and nothing has been put into the center space where the ride sat. The optimist in me wants to think the ride is sitting in storage and that they just couldn't justify paying the person who knew how to maintain it this season (or additional employees to operate it). It would be a great "new addition" and I'm certain they understand it is the most missed of the four rides and always was going to be.

Was this a survey sent to select guests? I’m a season pass holder but didn’t get this! Holding out some hope.

Man, I hope this ride sticks around. Nothing will probably ever be built like it again. So intense and super grateful I got two laps on it (though I wish I could have gotten a front row ride).

I mean, you're not wrong. But it's absolutely $60/family of four per day price increase to get a service that essentially used to be free. If too many people purchase it, it will become a necessity. I get why they did it, but I cannot really be convinced this is a net positive. There's unfortunately just not enough Disney to go around and that is what this all comes down to.

I'm definitely not on board with this. I totally understand that other parks have largely gone this way already. And I get the Pay 2 Play model, but I've always felt a certain level of equality existed in Disney Parks when it came to access to rides. Sure, Disney has offered loads of add-ons like the After Hours events, Dessert Parties, and extra magic hours for resort guests etc. but the core experience at the park was pretty equal. When everyone could use FastPass and FastPass+, when folks were in those lines, I knew it was something available to me. And conceptually, it was just a means to spread guests out on rides throughout the day, which was super smart in theory. Disney is already charging more to get into their parks than any other place on earth, so it's not Apples to Apples to compare this to Fast Lane. Guests may choose to visit Cedar Point or most other US parks for a single day and splurge on the Fast Lane pass. Disney is a 4-10 day trip for many people. What is already a very significant investment to the park has most certainly gotten more expensive. I get that Genie + is significantly less than those options, but it also doesn't offer nearly the same level of access (less rides, limited uses in practice). The main concerns I have are this: 1. They have priced this "affordably" for now to soften the blow, but will steadily increase the price above and beyond. And because it's a per person per day commitment, that will add up significantly. 2. If they sell too many, it will essentially become a necessity. If the lightning lane line is 25% as popular as the standby line, they would need to take equal people from both lines and the standby line would effectively double in length so that lightning lane can still be "fast." 3. If they for some reason don't sell that many, they'll just be justified in increasing the cost more because of the large advantage it will provide. 4. Unlike the previous FP system, psychologically I was always comfortable with some longer lines throughout the day because I knew I would get a few very quick lines using FP to offset that. The main advantage for Disney was this psychological aspect and also spreading out the crowds. Now, if I don't pay for the Genie+, I don't get that and I'm stuck watching people get on rides very quickly while I'm delegated to the slow way. 5. Why couldn't it just be that Genie + offered you a single tier A ride and then unlimited (within the rules of the system) tier B rides. Why do they need to offer a separate pay per ride cut the line pass? It's confusing and rude, to be honest. To pay that much and still be a class B park guest? 6. I recognize that I have the option to not pay for this, but I am absolutely getting a worse park experience without it than I would if they just existed with/without the old FP+. One caveat to all of this is that it is true that there's a relatively level playing field now for on/off resort guests if you decide to splurge on this service. So maybe you save $60/night staying off property and splurge on this adder for your family of 4. But I could still use FP+ staying off property and get most attractions with the 30 day window last time I went, so it really wasn't a problem. I know not everyone here agrees with my view on this, but thanks for hearing me out.