ajfelice

It might sound like an apples to oranges comparison of parks, but many rust-belt parks such as Darien Lake, Waldameer, and Cedar Point have all shown evidence of appealing to a market beyond locals, because, frankly, local markets in this area aren't doing the best. Cedar Point is stepping up their multi-day accommodations game big time with Breakers renovations, Cedar Point Shores, and Cedar Point Sports Center. Waldameer has been hitting a niche "families with young children" demographic in NE Ohio, NW PA, and SE Ohio with various family water attractions and future family rides. Darien Lake has stepped up accommodations and their water park (research says the two go together well). Darien Lake, the amusement park, has somewhat stagnated in terms of attraction "growth." A recent focus on accommodations and water park make sense because the immediate region is not exactly the bastion of economic prosperity as of recent, and the local populous is not getting any bigger to draw from. On the flip side, Darien Lake is not exactly seen in the most positive light by the locals thanks in part to inconsistent management which has slowed progress. I'm going to steal someone's analogy of "Rome wasn't built in a day" because tackling the issues of earning renewed confidence in locals and kick-starting new revenue sources that can "grow" the resort is not a one, two, or three-year turnaround. It is very early in the new owner-manager agreement, so I'm more patient than ever to wait and see what they have in store for steady improvement.

^New rides usually have an "elevated" wait time in comparison to other rides in their thrill class throughout the season, with the wait time being front-loaded to the beginning of the day. Typically, the crowd levels will follow their normal peaks and valleys so a weekday in the first couple weeks in June should not be too bad for a wait on Mystic Timbers even if the wait time is longer than its neighbor, The Beast, or any other coaster in that park with a similar ride experience.

My guess is that limited maintenance shop or storage space is the reason the train is left outside when it is not being worked on. It could have already underwent offseason maintenance program, but due to space constraints the practical step was to put it back into the station out of the way. I'm also curious why it is not covered, because of more delicate things like seat upholstery unless they use the hard foam that many parks elect to use (can't remember). However, the moisture content of the snow won't cause any significant rust or anything detrimental to PTC frames. The wood for the trains (I chuckle that PTC still uses wood) is so thickly coated in paint and clear coat that it shouldn't rot too easily, but it's still possible over time. In the end Lake Compounce is not the first or last to leave a train outside in the snow. Heck, Cedar Point does it every year.

Some additional Thunder River angles for all the log flume enthusiasts out there... And I also liked this one of Steel Dragon I got a couple days earlier.

What has kept some parks from the "golden era" or "golden age" alive today is generally what several have said already. Smart management, adaptability, and offering a different product, not still being a "park from the golden era." Old large parks like Cedar Point focus on being fresh, innovative, and thrilling which keeps the turnstiles clicking. The small parks being mentioned in this thread may not have seen many huge changes like constructing multiple large coasters or multi-ride expansions, but have made smart changes to remain viable and offer a different product which keeps them very popular with the locals and humming along nicely. Knoebels is a great textbook example of smart change. They have maintained a respect for their history, but continue to move forward with new additions and upgrades. As an outsider, if I were to evaluate Knoebels strategy, I would say they are successful park because they operate on a lean budget (see unpaved pathways, low-cost ride installations, limited theme) which allows them to offer affordable options for families with young children who can choose how much they want to spend with perks of free parking, admission, and the choice of attraction admission ranging from a-la-carte to all-inclusive. Their offering of mostly family rides reinforces this strategy. If Knoebels were to rest on their historic laurels of the golden era and hardly change, the park would be pushing up laurels and exist only in photographs. If they tried to be like their neighbors, they would meet a similar fate. Waldameer is another great example. In the early 1980s, Waldameer was actually ready to close for good, but the owner had a change of mind and decided to change strategy from being the tiny local "picnic park" to a regional family amusement and water park instead of retirement. Mr. Nelson, now well into his 80s, is always looking for new ideas and is not afraid to remove something "old and historic" if removal can leverage future improvements (ex: he financed the water park by selling a hand-carved carousel). He is committed to offering an experience for families with young children similar to that of Knoebels. He also seems to have a firm grasp on his "competition," because he does not want to be Cedar Point, Darien Lake, or in some ways Kennywood. Waldameer from the "golden era" would be a subdivision or shopping plaza of the millennium. Waldameer trying to go ride for ride with any of the current or former competitors (Geauga Lake) would've had that subdivision built even sooner.

I wouldn't be too worried about the lack of 50th anniversary merchandise until 2031 when the amusement park turns 50. If you want to get more technical, the lake, campground, and surrounding non-amusement activities associated with it would have been the ones to celebrate. Same logic applies to the performing arts center which opened 25 years ago. My bet on 2017 for Darien Lake? Nada. One thing I noticed when I checked the weather at work for my park and our "rivals" (DL and CP) is that Darien Lake did not have the best luck in 2017. The Canadian Dollar exchange rate probably hurt them just as bad if not worse. Hopefully, things stabilize under EPR and Premier for some long term plans to form and come to life.

The lakeshore took a beating in Erie yesterday, and continues today. Visibility was near zero driving back from some sales calls, so I figured why not slide down the Peninsula Drive hill, use my climbing abilities to get to a gate on a raised concrete platform (note: I have keys and permission to enter these areas), and get a photo or two for the park socials. I also love the colors of Whacky Shack against all the white snow.

1. What is the name of your home park? Waldameer and Water World 2. Do you own a coaster related T-shirt? Yes, Two. I have Phoenix and Banshee shirts, and I will never be seen in public wearing them. 3. Do you enjoy Vekoma SLCs? Sure. I find the good in any coaster. 4. Name the first 3 coasters that come to mind. Ravine Flyer II, The Voyage, El Toro 5. One park you would definitely never go back to is... Maybe Lakemont? But I have never had an experience anywhere that would make me never want to go there again. 6. Have you ever ridden a drop tower taller than 200 feet? Yes. Several 7. What is your favorite roller coaster? The Voyage 8. When you go to a park three things you must have with you are... Cargo shorts , sunglasses, phone. 9. How many times did you visit your home park last season? 2,551 hours. I work there. 10. The first Intamin coaster you rode is... Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags Darien Lake 11. Have you ever spent an entire day at a park alone? Nah, I'd get bored too quickly. 12. The independent park you go to the most is... As a guest it's a toss-up between Knoebels and Hersheypark. 13. Does B&M or Intamin make better hyper coasters? Intamin from an enthusiast standpoint. If I was making buying decisions, I would buy a B&M. 14. If it was free, what upcharge ride what you jump on right now? Slingshot 15. What is the best food at your home park? Steak and Cheese sub from the Carousel Sub Shop 16. The name of the worst GCI you've ridden is... Gwazi 17. When you're not riding something at your home park where are you? On the water with the rowing team I coach 18. Favorite water ride in a dry park (flume, rapids, etc) Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls 19. Do you get your photo taken with park mascots? Rarely 20. Name one personal item you've lost at a park. I have been pretty good about not losing stuff....so far. 21. Name of the worst B&M invert you're ridden is... Great Bear. Sorry, someone had to be it. 22. Name your favorite steel coaster under 125 feet tall. Maverick 23. Name your favorite coaster/ride manufacturer? RMC 24. What waterpark have you visited most often? Water World 25. The name of the fastest wooden coaster you have ridden is... Son of Beast 26. What is the name of the flat ride you've ridden the most? Sea Dragon, maybe? 27. Name a ride-related injury you have suffered. Threw out my back removing corn bags from Ravine Flyer II. Didn't know I did it until after I took a test ride and then sat down on the wooden chair at controls. 28. Favorite Halloween event at a park? HalloWeekends at Cedar Point. I don't travel much in the Fall. 29. Name the most recent Arrow ride or coaster you've been on... Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom 30. Name of your favorite ride that never leaves the ground (safari, train, bumper cars, etc) Miniature Trains. 31. What ride makes you laugh the most? Jurassic Park River Adventure 32. How many RMC's have you ridden? Wicked Cyclone. That's it. 33. Best flat that goes over 100 feet is... A.R.M Super Shot drop tower 34. When you are on your way to your home park what is one worry that you might have? Will we beat prior year for attendance/revenue? 35. Favorite park that is NOT your home park is Kings Island. 36. How many different parks did you go to last season? 15 37. The indoor coaster/dark ride you ride most often is... Whacky Shack 38. When you spend the day at the park what do you drink all day? Water or Beer 39. The name of the best B&M you've ridden is? Kumba 40. Name three other forum members that will fill this out...[insert three names here]

I have handled PTC train parts and assisted mechanics who do annual tear-downs and rebuilds of our PTC trains; one with single position lap bars, the other with ratchets. While there are certainly some extra beef to the ratchet mechanisms compared to the old buzz bars and single position lap bars, I can't for the life of me come up with an extra 200lbs per seat when comparing the two. A "modern" (hard to say that with a straight face) PTC train with six 4-seat cars is about 12,000 pounds. I doubt if it had single position lap bars, it would weigh 4,800 pounds less. However, with further accessories such as one model of headrests adding 40 pounds per seat, the combined transformation from single-position to the whole nine yards with dividers and headrests might have added on some decent dead weight. There are a variety of reasons to switch from single-position to ratchet bars. I see pros and cons to both when it comes to safety and ride experience. From a maintenance standpoint, the ratchets are much easier to maintain. On a side note, buzz bars, despite having that iconic sound and nostalgic feeling, are also a mechanical annoyance.

Sorry to hear the disappointment. You are not alone. Many people, including the guy writing this response, made a special trip or bought a Season Pass to hopefully ride Lightning Rod and didn't. Given the circumstances of the situation, I think Dollywood has handled the situation very well. Yes, it seemed last minute that the announcement came out that LR would not open on time. Speaking from operations and marketing experience, in many cases the park simply doesn't know a definite answer until moments leading up to the announcement of a delay. Typically, as a manager you plan for the attraction to be ready or open (either operations or marketing) until you are given a definite no. Because once you throw in the towel and the ride becomes ready, you will scramble and likely drop the ball resulting in an outcome just as bad or worse than the ride not being ready. It would have done Dollywood no good to spend that last month of construction to say "It may or may not open by Opening Day." That is bad marketing when the plan was that Lightning Rod would be open on time and was testing before the park's Opening Day. Unfortunately, the confirmation that the ride was not quite ready was a few days from opening. Dollywood quickly made the situation well-known until the ride was ready. As for the rest of the season, I'm sure there were many days where operation was not ruled out of the question until the final seconds before opening or sometime after opening. Justifiably so, until those who control Dollywood's App and other communication outlets had the "Closed for the Day/Indefintiely" answer confirmed by whoever makes that decision, they used the "Temporarily Closed" status because the problem with the ride was not determined to close it for the day or extended periods of time. Again, you plan as if the ride will operate until you know it won't, or you will have a perfectly fine coaster with no one to operate it, and no benefits from marketing it. Unfortunately, this cycle was not friendly to LR or Dollywood, and we have all had the disappointment of more downtime than was ever anticipated.

Good ole old school PTCs.....(well even the new trains are pretty old school) We still have the "nails" on our Junior woodie, Comet. Thankfully we have figured out many tricks to keep the mechanisms working fairly well to greatly reduce how often we need to manually lock or unlock them. With some practice, it's not too hard to master the perfect flick of the wrist to pop them open in a split second. When unlocking a sticky lap bar, the key is not to go in too far before you lower your hand slightly and push up (giggity). Getting a lap bar to fall is just a simple straight push in on the pin. Also, I have found that spare track bolts work especially well as "nails" or "keys" for manual release of lap bars.

Winter finally came to Erie, Pennsylvania! Took a jaunt around Comet before lunch today looking for some social media ideas since the GP seems to like coasters in the snow just as much as us enthusiasts do. On a side note, an extensive amount of structural improvements and enhancements have been completed over the past spring and fall to keep Comet running strong (and a hair faster) for many years to come! Reinforced track with a new chain trough has given Comet quite the roar up the lift hill for a junior woodie.

Unpredictable weather, a small local attendance base, a mostly non-local staff due to the lack of a large local population, and people aren't going to travel far for a limited operation with questionable weather. All are factors in why CP should avoid winter operations. Parks with winter events in more northern areas are strongly locally driven and avoid the winter weather pattern that Cedar Point and other parks near the Great Lakes deal with. For example, Kings Island, despite not being that much farther away, has a very strong local season/platinum pass base and it has the benefit of avoiding the Great Lakes weather pattern that features a thing called lake effect snow.

In addition to my affinity for old-school manual rides when it comes to fun rides to operate, a "modern" ride I like to operate is our 2013 Bertazzon Music Express. What the ride lacks in manual controls, it gains significantly with the ability to fully interact with guests and monitor the ride. The controls have a "speedometer" where the needle indicates the current RPM of the ride and there is a Cycle Time counter. This provides a great foundation for provoking guests to interact with screams and cheers to "go faster" or "go backwards." It doesn't hurt that we elect to run the most intense cycle possible too. Another favorite ride to operate is a Hopkins Log Flume. Starting with turning the ride on, from a few buttons the trough fills with an awesome rush of water in a couple minutes. With water levels at their proper depth, starting the conveyors and simultaneously trying to clear error codes from the boats being stacked in certain places is a great adrenaline rush for some dumb reason. Once the boats are moving without error messages, regulating the speed of the station conveyor to properly space the boats is just very satisfying for mild OCD types. With the ride running with guests, the variable weights of loaded boats requires the controls operator to constantly space the boats by regulating the speed of the station conveyor. Again, trying to keep just the right spacing is one of those strangely satisfying things that keeps the mind busy for hours. Easily one of my favorite places to get called to for a bathroom break or needing to assist with the meal break shift. Rides that are less desirable share one or both of these common traits; short ride cycles and/or frequent guest complaints. Short ride cycles or short tasks on a multi-position ride, for me, make a day drag as I feel like I have done a ton of work only to realize 45 minutes have passed when I was hoping for 2 or 3 hours. For example, my first ride I was trained on was a Miler kiddie coaster with a 50 second ride cycle. I intensely questioned if operations was for me after a few days on that feeling like a month. Guest complaints are never fun to deal with either. The last thing I want to do is disappoint a guest because their child is not tall enough, they can't bring some article on the ride, or they want to do something they can't. Examples include operating Dodgems with frequent height complaints among a slew of other ride rules, or the Merry-Go-Round and trying to make parents stand next to their small child or prevent two people from riding one horse. It is important to keep safety standards, and I pride myself on being as tactful and courteous as possible, but a day on the Dodgem of getting yelled at every five minutes can be quite draining.Therefore, rides with short cycles or frequent guest complaints are typically not those I prefer to operate.

Absolute favorite would be a Chance CP Huntington miniature train because who doesn't want to drive the train? The long ride cycle combined with the ride being completely in control of the operator makes the day go by fast and gives a rewarding feeling. Families are usually pretty happy to ride the train too which makes the day even more fun. Other favorites are an Eyerly Spider, Paratrooper, and Scrambler all with the old-school controls (none of those with modern controls retrofits). Operator involvement with the ride is a big plus. An honorable mention goes to Ferris Wheels because balancing keeps my mind busy. One thing I missed by one year that I always wanted to do was operate a wooden coaster with the old-school brake levers. I like working coasters too when at controls or in positions with safety spiels, but larger parks for obvious reasons have really simplified the duties of most positions on coasters which can lead to a very repetitive simple task that makes an hour seem like an eternity.

Us folks at Waldameer have benefited from an uptick of Ohio business over the past eight years, particularly from Astabula County that borders Pennsylvania. Lake and Geauga County are also big players for us (note that Geauga Lake was between Portage and southwest Geauga County). However, based on sales and marketing data, we have benefited from Ravine Flyer II significantly more than the loss of Geauga Lake which was more of a timing thing when Ravine Flyer II opened in 2008. Based on visiting schools and businesses in the former Geauga Lake market among other measures, the market is still being educated about Waldameer and Water World. As for guests in the park, the only ones in my six years with the park who have mentioned Geauga Lake are enthusiasts. I have heard more things about Idora Park, Conneaut Lake Park, and Kennywood from families who visit Waldameer. In my opinion, it was not noticed until it was too late the benefit of having two unique but separate family attractions. Two parks meant many 2-day visits to the area. Two parks meant free exposure to visitors of one park to the other park. Partnerships and packages between separate parks also benefited both parks. It would be shortsighted to expect a merger of the parks to equate to the sum of both parks' annual attendance figures, or anything close to it. Demographically, the nearby region was not gaining anything in population or income to support some mega-park. The lack of onsite accommodations was a major disadvantage when trying to attract enough people from far and wide to support such a mega-park. Two separate gates with two separate admission tickets had a strong role in keeping the Geauga Lake and SeaWorld bubble from popping. Reverse back to the days of only Geauga Lake before SeaWorld, the Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area was in boom times before the region evolved into the Rust Belt. If Geauga Lake were to be around today, I do not see it performing particularly well even in a downsized form due to its secluded location, stagnant market, and regional competition. Transition back to Waldameer and Erie, a huge thing that keeps our small park viable is being a neighbor to Presque Isle State Park that attracts 4 million visitors annually.

^Anyone can go as long as tickets are available. I suggest keeping a close eye on when they start selling as popular tour times go fast.

^More specifically the children's structure to be added is a ProSlide RideHOUSE 500. This addition will round out the new "family section" of Water World that already includes the wave pool and Kidz Slide 'n Spray Zone. Both of which have been huge draws so far. It will be fun to finally have an attraction in the park with a theme, and simply not the "Giant Wave Pool" or "Kidz Slide 'n Spray Zone." 2016, despite having significant delays with the Water World expansion, was about a 5% increase across the board for revenue at Waldameer and Water World. Future Water World expansions will include a ProSlide Cannon Bowl and possibly a custom layout mat racer. Future ride expansions are merely in the idea phase as the park owner, Mr. Nelson, describes a different new ride he likes almost every week.

Unless you have the proper keys......With maintenance keys anything is possible. Block says it's occupied? I have the override solution for that! Alton Towers did exactly this which proved to be disastrous.

I have a growing disdain for PTC trains, but for me it's mechanical reasons. My short self does fairly well adapting to the ugly, tight soapboxes on wheels with awkward lap bars. Going into my recent visit a couple weeks ago, I was very nervous about The Voyage continuing to be my favorite coaster. Unfortunately the relentless criticism of the touchy MCBR, and cries of nearly non-rerideable roughness had me skeptical. Early rides were just as I remembered with a noticeable need for the trains to get warmed up, but still a very intense ride. The Voyage does get my vote as the best recovery from a recently stronger MCBR, so that was also a feeling of relief. The roughness; well yes The Voyage is not a butter smooth ride, but any pain someone may claim feels is more likely due to the insane transitions or just the length of such an intense ride. As for the night rides, I was blown away. The Voyage is everything The Beast is supposed to be and then some. In our group of three, I got the chance to ride solo. Without having to consider the space of the person next to me, I found myself being thrown everywhere in pitch black darkness. At one point I may have been stretched across the empty seat as a transition hit that I wasn't ready for. To me, those frequent holy-$h*T moments combined with relentless speed is what makes The Voyage my favorite ride. The slightly rough undertone only increases the intense, grueling ride experience The Voyage is all about. It might not be for everyone, but The Voyage is one of a kind.

Coming from someone who has evolved their rides department from the old head against the height board, to L-shaped height sticks, and now converting to "slide gauge" measuring devices, I understand your longing for consistency. The best height stations either have the mounted swiveling bar, or slide gauge (I got the idea from Busch Gardens Tampa). For the swivel bars, it is either contact or no contact to determine if someone can ride; simple. For a slide gauge the gauge needs to be in the green or whatever appropriate color to be able to ride. I am converting to slide gauges because they always make contact and the gauge will show exactly where they stand. There is no agrument how well a bar hit the head, or lack thereof. I personally do not like Kings Island's white height sticks with a colored ring around them. Not having something that is precise like a bar or a gauge that will make contact with a rider's head will open the door for how well a ride operator compares head height to line. Measuring humans is far from easy in some cases, but there are tools out there to make the judgment more accurate.

This looks like a neat ride to observe from the midway, and probably a relatively neat thrill ride to ride. But man, that is a lot of wheels and axles in comparison to the sections of the "train" that have vehicles. A lot of moving stuff to maintain and repair.

As strange as it sounds, an inside/full-time source told me some time ago that the proposal was from GCI. Those stock images used were purely promotional when the survey went around. An RMC would be great for Predator, but I personally don't see it happening anytime soon.

Without naming names, a certain company that produces and overhauls wood coaster trains continues continues to produce the same product for years and years. After a year of operation on a brand new coaster, my park of employment asks about abnormally worn parts throughout the train. The ride manufacturer says the trains do not handle modern track designs very well. The response from the company who made the trains says to us, "Well, your track is too extreme." This company continues to produce trains that are nearly identical to trains produced almost two decades ago with very little innovation. Unfortunately, innovations in wooden coaster trains can't come fast enough, and the high price tags aren't always favorable for an instant change for parks. Many parks are stuck with these outdated trains on modern track layouts that bang along the track causing excessive wear and premature track repair and upkeep costs. Hopefully Millennium Flyers, Timberliners, and RMC trains continue to improve and many parks begin to convert to them.

I suggest the beginning of October. The weather is always a wild card, but there is a better chance of warmer temperatures. Also, I noticed from spending two HalloWeekends stints of employment that Sundays seemed to progressively get busier as the weekends progressed. But try to avoid Columbus Day Weekend Sunday, which isn't horrible, but busier than the average HalloWeekend Sunday.