Coasterguy21

^This is the first issue it has had this year. Last year, the drive cable snapped, which resorted to the ride being shut down for the majority of the rest of the season. When it did run, only one side would run. I believe it opened up later this season too while one side was ran on a limited basis until the replacement part could be brought in. Generally it doesn't cause too many issues, but the last two seasons it certainly has. Expect it to be down for quite some time after this incident.

I think you hit this right on the money! You can't build a large $10 million-$20 million coaster every year. If a park did that, then they wouldn't be getting the full potential off their previous addition. Cedar Point was mentioned, and their flat ride/tower ride additions in the past few years have been strategically placed in between major coasters to make sure that ROI was to its biggest extent (by the way Propeller Factory, ROI means "Return on Investment"). Cedar Point opened Mantis in 1996 and Power Tower in 1998. Two years later, Millennium Force was added. maXair & Skyhawk were added in back-to-back years, but were in between Top Thrill Dragster (which the park was still trying to get increase ROI on due to its first season issues) and Maverick, the next big coaster. Due to Maverick opening in 2007, the flats were definitely strategically placed in investment terms. Then you mentioned this year's Gemini Improvements, riding off that tail of GateKeeper. Absolutely correct! Parks have to do it all in terms of ROI. If a flat seems like it will be a good ROI one year, then they'll go for it. It not, then they won't. If its time for a coaster, then they'll go with the coaster. But building a $25 million coaster and then a $6 million flat ride in the same year might make it a bit harder to get that good ROI. We'll continue to see flats into the future. Be thankful for the ones that we have.

I say we wait for the investigation to be complete before jumping to conclusions. The photo definitely looked like the it was one of the cables on the arm and not the drive cable again. But an eyewitness says the ride wasn't emergency stopped but stopped by gravity. So that adds some confusion into the "We don't know what really happened". That's why I think we should just wait. The types of injuries haven't even been confirmed by the park, hospital or news media yet so we don't know if the broken leg actually happened yet or not either etc... At any rate, the wooden area of the fence that was broken down has been replaced with new wood as of this morning.

Sandusky Register Breaking News. No new info given: http://www.sanduskyregister.com/article/5926601 Moving onto the bit lighter topic of the "King James" renaming. As of last week, according to a news article (which I will have to find), the park is currently working with the Cavaliers front office and LeBron. So it appears it is still happening.

Kind of fun & ironic watching the Construction Cam tonight. Santa Claus is in a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and is presently getting slammed by the storm. Seeing the "Thunderbird" construction site lit up by lightning flashes matches perfectly.

There is no concrete evidence whatsoever. The idea originated a few years ago by some fans that thought it was a good idea and could be possibly plausible (never said it was going to happen or anything like that). It took off from there. However, there has been no signs at the park except for some paint on Mantis. As soon as the paint appeared, everyone believed it was a floorless conversion. In reality, it could just be a new name or paint job. But as soon as the paint appeared, everyone just goes right to the "ITS HAPPENING" mentality! There were some out behind Blue Streak and near Point Pavilion as well. This was on his last blog post. In reality, take the photos in the blog post with a grain of salt. All the photos included in that post were photos he added because of the speculation on PointBuzz. The only one that seems like it is holding a good clue is the markings on the ground near Blue Streak. He even ended with "Don't Trust the Lemon Chill guy". The last "lemon chill guy" rumor posted on PointBuzz was the Mantis floorless conversion. I, for one, would LOVE a dark ride like WMG. However, with next years ride being for Teens & Thrillseekers, I believe the Dark Ride will be saved for families (though it would be nice to have an extremely thrilling dark ride). It could be a coaster/dark ride just like WMG. I also would love a really thrilling flat. Basically, I don't care what it is next year...I'm sure I'll love it and will ride it.

There's just so many coaster labels nowadays Alpengeist: $20 million 1996 US Dollars -Compared to Raptor (1993 US Dollars): $18,419,375.40 -Compared to Banshee (2013 US Dollars): $29,694,964.95 Raptor: $12 million 1993 US Dollars -Compared to Alpengeist (1996 US Dollars): $13,029,757.79 Banshee: $24 million 2013 US Dollars -Compared to Alpengeist (1996 US Dollars): $16,164,356.51 Really is interesting to see how much inflation does vary from year to year with coaster builds.

^ You're right, they both opened the same year and Apollo's Chariot did open 2 months before hand. Raging Bull was labeled as their first "Hyper Twister" but not Hyper. You know how marketing goes haha.

^I don't necessarily think they're overpriced. They have gained a reputation for building a reliable and strong product that should get good ROI. Do I wish the prices were lower? Yes, but its up to them to charge what they charge. You have to remember though that, as was already pointed out, inflation is much higher than it was back in the day. So, what automatically seems higher may not necessarily be all because a firm charges more. Off the top of my head, this is what I can think of that goes into a coasters cost -After the purchase, final design stage -Steel/Wood needing to be purchased/welded etc... -Location (It's cheaper to build in some areas than it is the other. How much paperwork does a park have to go through for approval?) -Location Shipping Wise (building a B&M in Ohio near the plant is cheaper than having that track shipped way across country) -Construction Cost (Labor etc...) -Commission Fees to both the construction company & coaster design company -Construction of train -Site Prep (Before Construction & After Construction prior to opening) Of course, it's all relative to specific projects because, as stated, some parks may release the cost for the overall projects (GateKeeper was said to cost $25 million, but you hear $30 million for the entire change of the area overall quite frequently (which is sometimes quoted as the coasters price). Some parks don't release the figures, keep them on the low side, keep them on the high side OR only include the cost of just the coaster itself and not the prep work etc... So it does vary big time. In the overall scheme of things, what I listed above goes into the cost, however, I am sure there are many many more (as long as the price tag includes the overall project and not just the coaster itself). As for packaging deals, negotiations etc... I've heard words of it happening before. B&M built their first ever coaster at Six Flags Great America, Iron Wolf. A few years later, they put in Batman: The Ride, which ended up being the world's first inverted coaster. Later that decade, that park became the site of B&M's first Hyper Twister/Mega Coaster, Raging Bull. Raging Bull, while the price wasn't disclosed, was said to be at a lower rate because the park had taken chances on B&M to help them build up their name (especially with their first coaster). One could also say that Cedar Point may have had deals with Intamin to get rides at a lower rate later on because there was a big Intamin building spree with Millennium Force, Wicked Twister, Top Thrill Dragster, Maverick & Shoot the Rapids. Of course, none of this is official, just "whispers" that have gone around. Inflation wise, here's how much some of the big coasters back in the day would cost nowadays (lets have some fun): -Raptor: $12 million (1993 dollars): $19,793,190.31 (2014 US Dollars) -Mantis: $12 million (1995 dollars): $18,767,165.35 (2014 US Dollars. This shows that prices can rise and fall rapidly with inflation. Even just two years apart) -Magnum XL-200: $8 million (1988 dollars): $16,117,869.82 (2014 US Dollars) -Millennium Force: $25 million (1999 dollars): $35,767,756.30 (2014 US Dollars) -Shivering Timbers: $4.5 million (1997 dollars): $6,682,514.02 (2014 US Dollars) -Maverick (getting closer to today): $21 million (2006 dollars): $24,827,395.83 (2014 US Dollars) -Banshee (how about a coaster that just opened this year): $24 million (2013 US Dollars): $24,554,883.52 (2014 US Dollars) For some more fun, lets see how much coasters built in the last few years would have cost if they were built in the Mid-90s to early 2000s (I'll specifically match up coasters with similarities if I can) -Banshee: $24 million 2013 US Dollars (converted to 1993 prices to see how the price would differ from Raptor): $14,886,867.53 1993 US Dollars. -Intimidator 305: $25 million 2009 US Dollars (converted to 1999 prices to see how the price would differ from Millennium Force): $19,413,900.63 1999 US Dollars -Outlaw Run: $10 million in 2012 US Dollars (converted to 2000 prices just to see what it would've cost at the turn of the Millennium (also around the time Son of Beast opened): $6,000,156.80 2000 US Dollars -GateKeeper: $25 million in 2012 US Dollars (converted to 2002 prices just to see what it would've cost then): $19,588,926.54 -Just for kicks, what if the Wing Coaster was developed in the 90s? Gatekeeper would've cost $16,594,510.31 Of course, this is all just math based off inflation rate and the prices given. Without knowing what each park actually considered what went into the cost, we wouldn't be able to be 100% certain what would cost when, so that's just a guideline.

A new coaster is a new coaster to me. Looks like a great addition and perfect for Holiday World. You can bet I'll be there to ride it next year. Perfect excuse for a Holiday World/Kentucky Kingdom/Beech Bend trip (hoping that T2 and Twisted Twins reopen before I head down).

They definitely aren't trying to sell Scorpion. That listing has been up for awhile (I think I saw it sometime last year). I love Scorpion to death as it was one of my first rollercoasters but I'll admit that I had a mini-heart attack the first time I saw the picture on there too. However, I quickly calmed down when it was stated in the details that the coaster is for sale in Europe and to be purchased with Euros. That helped me realize that the photo is Scorpion, but the coaster for sale is not. As for Falcon's Fury, I was planning on heading to the park next Friday to give it a whirl. Sucks that it has been delayed but things like this happen with prototypes. I'll still probably head there to get some laps in on Montu, SheiKra and all the other goodies! It'll be a tease seeing the tower there, but what can ya do?

Actually looks like a pretty interesting ride sans the paint job. The coaster cars, in my opinion, actually look really cool on that track. Wouldn't expect to see cars like that. Other than that, definitely a Togo Stand-Up layout. Glad you all survived it and I'm looking forward to more updates from the trip.

I haven't been on a Disk'O Coaster yet from Zamperla so I can't really say (and not sure entirely how it works either). However, through talks with random friends about it, they compare it to Wicked Twister and they believe it is a coaster (generally speaking, these friends love the rides but don't know the in-depth things that we all here do). It does look like a coaster. I'd say Pipe Scream could be a coaster. Kings Island has been claiming theirs as a coaster for years. Both VF and CP are claiming theirs as coasters this year and Zamperla states on their website that the Disk'O Coasters are actual coasters. I don't know how they arrived at that definition but maybe there is some "gravity-power" somewhere in the ride. Notice on Zamperla's website that their Disk'O Skater Coaster is listed under their "Roller Coaster Products" section (this is the one with the hump in the middle). All the rest of their Disk'O products (the ones without the hump) are listed under the "Family Rides" section. There must be some evidence that they have (aside from the camelback hump) that differentiates these Skater Coasters from the rest of the Disk'Os. I, for one, count powered coasters in my count. I know they're powered, but they are still going along. This is only if RCDB or the park counts it as a powered coaster though (some could be coasters but neither list as such). I count all the Journey to Atlantis' rides as coasters and water rides both. The ones at San Diego and Orlando have no argument from me. However, the one in San Antonio I never thought much of until I saw Robb's video regarding it. Mack & SeaWorld count it as a coaster, and I can see where they get the definition from...but its pretty much one drop backwards that gives it the "coaster" classification. I still count it as a coaster, but I definitely see the argument there. Simply bit...there seem to be many "gray areas" when it comes to this.

^I couldn't agree more. I've always loved the park for what it was. ST was a great addition when it opened in 1998, but I have really noticed the little things at the park. Friendly staff and fun all around. The waterpark has gotten better and the amusement park is growing at a good rate. And BEER is available now (last park in the chain to serve it...but BEER!). I love the changes that are going on chain wide really.

My first coaster with inversions is still one of my favorites...."Scorpion" at Busch Gardens Tampa.

My votes are Millennium Force & Magnum XL-200 for sure. I just love being able to see Canada on a clear day, the surrounding park/water park and lake views. I'd say TTD too, but the view doesn't last so long. For some reason, I want to say Shivering Timbers. I just like the look of the area and land around the park. Then there is The Beast at King's Island (both hills). Going up the first lift and seeing the woods and then coming up the second hill to see the park skyline. I'd say I really like American Eagle's lift at SFGAm, especially when running backwards. When one side is running backwards, you can easily just sit there and admire the Chicago Skyline from the ride. Another good skyline view is SheiKra, which gives good views of Downtown Tampa and the Bay from the top.

That silence you hear is a lack of an announcement this year. Looks like another year of 'general improvements' for the park in 2014. For the last 2 seasons and now 2014 the only attraction they have added are the Dino's. Ouch! But then again, VF is second to last in revenue for the Cedar Fair chain so the park can never expect to get a new addition or attraction every other year like the bigger parks of the company. We'll see if the off season brings any removals like the old amphitheater that has not been on the park map the last 2 years or something else to indicate an addition in the future. They know they will need to add something if they want to keep attendance growing. VF may be the red headed step child of Cedar Fair but at least they have not treated us as bad as MA......yet. I wouldn't be surprised if something was added to the waterpark this year. In the Q3 Conference Call, Mr. Ouimet stated the focus would be on family additions & waterpark expansions (aside from KI's coaster and the dark ride). He pretty much pointed out that most parks would see something. Michigan's Adventure didn't make their announcement until December of last year. The thing with Michigan's Adventure is, Thunderhawk was pretty much a homerun for the park. The park started breaking attendance records that year and it has been increasing every year since. There obviously isn't a need for a large scale addition or anything until that attendance starts to slip. Don't fix what ain't broke. Now, obviously Michigan's Adventure doesn't turn the largest profits, but profit margin wise, it has one of the largest in the chain (as pointed out in the FunForward presentation last year). If Michigan's Adventure could add the Lakeside Gliders and beer garden (with an announcement in December), something could happen for VF. However, even general improvements are a plus in my opinion. Has Valleyfair's attendance been pretty good as well? Also, when does VF usually do announcements? The last few announcements I remember from MiA (the smallest park in the chain) have been in the October-December timeframe. I'm not saying there will be an announcement obviously, but I'm just saying it's still possible. I read after the DA announcement that there were 2014 plans, but they weren't for a new ride. It may not even warrant an announcement necessarily. Who knows... Aside from business, as Robb says, crazy things have happened in this industry. Anything can be unpredictable I used to think so, but I've heard that the close proximity of the airport could hinder that. It may have to be a shorter model but it isn't entirely impossible. It all depends on the FAA.

Here is my list (in order and why) for 2014. While some parks still need to make announcements here and there, a lot of the major ones have already been announced, especially with season passes now being on sale for many of the chains. 1-Goliath (Six Flags Great America)- While I am a huge Cedar Fair lover at heart, I believe this takes the cake over Banshee for next year. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to ride Banshee, but these two coasters will just be so amazing that I had a hard time picking which one I think I might like better. Goliath just seems so amazing! A wooden coaster with some AMAZING inversions, hang-time, a below-ground drop, a steep drop, great speeds and just compact craziness. I am definitely looking forward to it. 2-Banshee (Kings Island)- This coaster just looks amazing. I love Inverts and I think this one will be among the royal family of inverted coasters. I love the elements and if the theming sticks, it'll be a great ride (well, it'll be one either way). I particularly like that it dips into the ravine. I can't wait to ride this one either. 3-Wonder Mountain's Guardian (Canada's Wonderland)- A good dark ride going into a Cedar Fair park. Of course I'll like this. It sounds like it really is a great innovative ride and with all the "secrets" that haven't been let out, I can't wait to see all of them for myself. 4-Harry Potter: Diagon Alley (Islands of Adventure)- I loved the Wizarding World, so this will just be great too. Not sure if I'll make it there next year, but I hope to. I'm particularly excited to get some information on the new attractions. The Gringott's coaster will be great. 5-Falcon's Fury (Busch Gardens Tampa)- A new generation of drop towers. While I sometimes have some fears of facing drop towers, sometimes you just can't say no. This thing just looks intimidating and amazing. 6-FireChaser Express (Dollywood)- While it may be a family coaster, just the way it is explained sounds great. Sounds like it could be fairly thrilling and the special effects sound great. If all adds up, it'll be a great ride. 7-Gemini Midway Revamp (Cedar Point)- This ranked a bit higher than the rest on my list BECAUSE I feel this is something the park needed. Two great family rides (hopefully with adequate height requirements for families), an outdated midway redone, a new restaurant, some theming and even more on the way it sounds. Oh, did I mention the removal of the blacktop? I also like that Hotel Breakers will be renovated. Also needed IMO. 8-Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (WDW Magic Kingdom)- It just looks cool. A mine train with swinging coaster cars? I'd definitely give it a go and Disney just has great rides. 9-Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom (Six Flags Great Adventure)- It isn't too high on my list, but definitely looks like a scary and amazing ride. I'll give it a shot if I make it over there this year. It's pretty high but will leave a lasting impression I'm sure. 10-Medusa: Steel Coaster (Six Flags Mexico)- While I probably won't make it down to ride it this year, it looks like it'll be a Kick Rear ride. I like the way the drop looks for sure and while I'm not the biggest fan of the name, I can see why they went that naming route.

^Ah, I just figured they designed the ride vehicle like when this type of attraction was announced as being on the market. http://www.blooloop.com/news/triotech-and-zamperla-to-deliver-the-next-generati/3407#.UiCKi9I2ZKo

^When TRIOTECH & Zamperla announced they were joining together to create this type of ride vehicle and experience, they stated it, theoretically, could have 800 riders per hour. They could've upped that number since November or tweaked something for the design at Wonderland. At any rate, I figured it'd be TRIOTECH since July. I think this is a great addition to the park. Yet, the Facebook page just irks me. Then there's the lack of business sense and everyone believing its possible to add a coaster every year without removing anything. All I see on that page now is "But we wanted another Koazter". Sorry, I'll save this all for the GP Facebook thread.

The three records they advertise are actually all being broken by this coaster (if all goes according to planned) -Tallest Wooden Coaster Drop-Previously held by El Toro at 176 feet...this is 180 feet. -Steepest Drop on a Wooden Coaster-Previously held by Outlaw Run at 81 degrees...this is 85 degrees. -Fastest Wooden Coaster-Previously held by El Toro at 70 mph....this is 72 mph. As for Tallest Looping Coaster, yeah that one irritated me. Of course they were talking about the tallest vertical loop, but still, that along with YOLO was just...yeah...

I'm still not at the point to post a link, but Wildwater Kingdom will open Snake Pit, a waterslide complex for 2014. It will feature three trap-door slides, two tube slides and a constrictor slide (which is also a tube).

^Yeah, they used to close Labor Day weekend (I believe) but I believe they have actually been trying to extend the season. At any rate, while I'd love to see a Halloween Event up there (The Haunt is located just Southeast of there in Walker, a northern suburb of Grand Rapids), and they get good business. But ride wise, it gets pretty chilly at night during that time of the year up in Muskegon, especially that close to the lake. At any rate, the Waterpark is a major draw of business for the park. With that draw, operating HalloWeekends or a Haunt without the waterpark might not necessarily draw a return that the chain or park would want.

While I'd say Michigan's Adventure because of everything you listed....I'll have to say Kings Island. Sadly, if it's a Late September Trip, Michigan's Adventure won't be open. They close September 8th for the season.

I don't think the video was that bad, especially since they acted that way in their audition video, which many people voted for and won. Tony also did a great job producing it. Someone complained on another board and he flat out asked "Why?". He'd like to know because he produced it. Cheesy? Sure....but it happens. All in all, solid addition to the park in my opinion, and that's what I was more concerned with, not the video. No more black top according to the renderings. That's a Plus! Looking forward to seeing the new redone area and these two rides open. We might even see some new food options or something up there. As for the comments on the video being disabled. They are disabled on all of their videos I believe. I think they're getting sick and tired of the fanboys who know nothing about amusement park operations (or other parks besides Cedar Point) saying "OMGZ WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BUILD THE 500 FOOT, ULTRA LOOPING COASTER".Put them on a Togo! Robb, I believe the height requirement for the Surf Dog at Kings Island is 48 inches to ride alone but 44 inches to ride with an adult. I hope there are some more smaller height requirement rides coming in the future to help fill the Paddlwheel & Space Spiral voids.