cfc

^Pre-Paramount, it did have some charm. Frankly, I've grown more disenchanted with KD as the years go by--the food has gotten worse, the bathrooms are often filthy (particularly during Haunt), and there is a bit of laziness about their operations (for example, Drop Tower has terrible dispatch times, they left a Haunt maze up in FoF's queue house all season, and Rebel Yell needs paint desperately). But there have been some benefits under CF. Putting Dominator there was a smart move (best ride in the park now), Haunt was better this year than last, and Hurler is running better than in year's past. Time will tell.

Hmm--a bit of a reach, but, yes there is a donkey, a train, and a slide. Close enough. When you live in the Central Valley, you have to grab what amusement you can. My brother Ward's family lives in Sacramento, and each year his wife and daughters used to drag him to Apple Hill (I think that was the name of the place).

Thought about doing that myself earlier today--it appears to have reached a tipping point.

^I think that sums it up pretty well. Yes, I'm one of those "oldtimers" who gripes about how Knott's has lost a lot of its charm over the years. The Ghost Town is a shadow of what it used to be, but the stagecoach is still running, and I think the train is still regularly "held up."

It's not too good--just Bud with a bit of what's supposed to be pumpkin-pie spice, I guess.

I agree that CF is a a well run business. But just because you run your business well does not necessarily mean that your product is great. Yet you can compare CF to the U.S. automotive industry? I think I see your point re. Microsoft; the Windows operating system is something that the majority of businesses and households need, whether they like it or not, whereas no one has to go to a theme park. Is that what you're getting at?

I heard that about you, James. You've never had any complaints, Joe!! Yeah, it would be a cool little reunion, although I haven't been with you and Chuck at the same time before... I guess it's still a reunion in the broad sense of the word. I'll let you know, James. It's all in the "preliminary musing" stage now, but I did spring for a pass to all Cedar Fair parks for next season. May as well get my money's worth.

Absolutely nothing. We usually go to Vegas but we decided not to do that this year. Thanksgiving isn't really a holiday I celebrate. Not because of any reason in particular it's just silly, IMO. If anything I'll use it as a day off work and get caught up on TPR store orders. --Robb Virginia and Massachusetts usually get into a pissing contest each year over who had the first "official" Thanksgiving: the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Mass., or the Jamestown settlers who came ashore on the James River about 20 miles north of where Williamsburg is today and "gave thanks" and, apparently, had lunch. Too bad the whole holiday was "manufactured" in the 19th century, so the whole debate is nonsense, anyway. But I do likes me a good roast-turkey dinner.

^Maybe they'll combine an Intamin launcher with the Wacky Soapbox Racers. Yeah--Xcelerator with soap-box cars! That's the ticket!

I'm definitely thinking that its time for a Kings Island/Cedar Point trip next year.

^The transcript from the TPR 2009 trip chat answers this question, as well as many others: http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=664604#664604. Check it out for more useful info.

I have similar problems with my nearly seven-year-old player. Sometimes it'll play Robb's DVDs up to a point, then glitch out like mad (the DVDs play just fine on my computer). Other times it can't even read them (even disks it's played before); this happened to my copy of Evil Dead (worked last year, but not this year). Time to upgrade, I guess.

Some ride will have to be rethemed to "The Final Countdown" or "We Built This City."

The restraints on G Force tended to ratchet down when the cars climbed that stupid curved lifthill. They were OK on Formule X, but I did learn that you shouldn't have anything in your front pocket unless you wanted it fused to your leg.

Since the discussion has drifted beyond "property lines" into other stuff about KD, I've changed the title of the thread to reflect that. Although you can still discuss the park's property lines if you want, I guess. Chuck

Upon advice of counsel, I deny all knowledge of this sordid incident.

^Hey, fire makes anything good. I guess it could represent the "call the doctor, I think I'm gonna crash" line from the song. Still doesn't explain why tractors are parked near the ride entrance, though.

I think it's the work of that pesky Loki. The Norse gods have always been jealous because the Greek gods get more press.

There are number of budget motel chains in the U.S., but you have to be careful with those, as the quality of such motels as Econo Lodge, Red Roof Inn, and Motel 6 are, let's say, "variable." It might help if you establish a budget of how much you want to spend per night on lodging, then use a travel site like Expedia or Hotwire. For the two Virginia parks (KD and BGE), I'd recommend using Williamsburg as a base. The main tourist strip on Richmond Road is only 15 to 20 minutes from Busch and a little over an hour from KD. Hotels near BGE tend to be a bit pricey. Carowinds--there is a pretty decent Super 8 about one exit north of the park. I stayed there a few years ago, and it was clean and inexpensive.

The Anaheim Howard Johnson's is just across the street from DL and DCA, and it's a good hotel; so, if a travel site offers you a good deal there, you can't go wrong. I have pretty good luck with Hotwire.com when it comes to hotels.

Did it ever spin? We had four people in a car back in 2007, and it didn't spin once. Thanks for the thorough look at Cypress Gardens' (the Adeventure Park's, at least) last day, Will. The Starliner was the best ride they had, so I hope it can find a good home.

The movie was a bit better than I thought it would be, but I agree with what Bob said about the action scenes--all the quick cuts just heighten the confusion and make the movie a bit harder to follow. The villain and bond girls were pretty weak, too. I did like the "mother-son" relationship between Bond and M.

I guess no one here believes the official story that "Midnight Rider" was a code name while the Eagles deal was finalized (Greg Allman was on record saying he knew nothing of the ride when the Eagles deal was announced), and that the Eagles, specifically Joe Walsh, picked the song to be used and reviewed the ride elements. Oh, but that's right, management of the park was the only one who was clueless about amusement parks.... "Official story" or not, the themeing still makes no sense with "Life in the Fast Lane."

LITFL actually had some interesting theme elements, the shadow in the tunnel, the fire shooting statue at the end... Assuming the park and ride remain in the same place if you give it a couple/few years for the trees and plants to grow in it will look fine. I do grant that LITFL has some "interesting theme elements"--they're just for the wrong theme. Originally, this ride was to be "Midnight Rider," so its placement in the Cool Country section landscaping would've made more sense. It did amuse me that even though the Eagles are a country-music-influenced rock band, the park used one of their least "countryish" songs.

Your wish is granted.