VF15

Found these pics of MiA's new Dodgem cars on the park's Facebook page. Good to see that they're at least getting something for 2015.

Based on the work they've done in this area, I'm predicting that there will a new waterpark entrance at that corner because I can't understand why you'd design the path like that and then fence it off.

Whatever VF's eventual coaster will be, it's probably not going to be called Centurion. That's what CF had originally planned on calling Fury 325, but they weren't allowed to use that name for some reason (my guess is copyright reasons).

I have to say, they're really going above and beyond with the theming. It's some of the best I've seen on a non-Disney/Universal coaster. Looking forward to seeing what the finished product looks like.

Thanks for the great trip report. Kings Island is a place I need to get to eventually because it has a good coaster lineup and the park looks good aesthetically. The new digital wait time boards look very nice. I wonder if they plan on installing those at other Cedar Fair parks.

I agree. Valleyfair has made several good general improvements this offseason and the 2013-14 offseason which leads me to believe the park could be preparing for something relatively big in the near future, though I still don't think we will see a new coaster until at least 2017. On a side note, do any of you think they might eventually put something in this grassy field to the right of Corkscrew's exit. I think it would be the perfect spot for Larson Flying Scooters because there used to be flying scooters in that general vicinity in the park's early days, and with several other CF parks getting them, it's certainly a possibility.

I don't think I have to explain this fail from Buzzfeed.

I too think Dorney could use a new coaster within the next three years or so. As much as I like Intamin Impulse coasters, it's sad when that's the best ride in the park . A GCI or RMC woodie would really give Dorney a well-rounded coaster lineup, although if lack of maintenance is the reason Thunderhawk has been a rough ride, a new woodie might go the same route after a few years.

I've seen this happen on several rides, although X-Flight, Raging Bull, and Superman: Ultimate Flight at SFGAm all come to mind because there are plenty of places under each ride where you can walk, although it's mostly just the queue lines.

It seems more like a Mall of America thing than a Nickelodeon Universe thing, but I'll probably check it out once it opens since it looks like an interesting experience.

So, do you think they could possibly be putting in a new Soak City entrance at the corner here, because it looks like that could be the case. It would be nice not having to walk that far to enter the waterpark. I know they said there would be no new entrance, but that was a while ago, and things can change.

What exactly are you referring to? The splash pad? No, they were doing something on the new path in that pic, and now it's obvious that they were putting in some landscaping there. Even though I'm all for landscaping, it looks like it's taking up even more of that space in what can be a slow place for walking when the park is busy.

SFGAm posted on their Instagram page that they will be offering "double rides" on American Eagle this season. I assume by that they mean "second rides". It should be fun for the people riding, but when you combine this with Six Flags' wonderful dispatch times, this is going to kill capacity. Let's hope they have both sides running this season.

You can still find the old Valleyfair logo in several places in the park: top of Power Tower, High Roller's trains, Excalibur's trains, Mad Mouse's sign, the sign near the park entrance, and probably some other places. It would be nice to see as many as possible stay, but there does need to be branding consistency like ariznglori said.

According to this article from the Akron Beacon Journal, Wildwater Kingdom will be receiving no new attractions this year. I think most of us had already figured that out, but I feel bad for this waterpark since they hardly ever get anything new. http://www.ohio.com/blogs/airtime/airtime-1.489637/no-new-attraction-this-season-at-geauga-lake-s-wildwater-kingdom-big-dipper-left-untouched-1.583481

It's a little hard but to see, but Corkscrew made its first test run yesterday, and the train looks nice with its new color scheme.

Dave Frazier tweeted that they're not exactly sure what they're doing with the old sign, so it might not be doomed to the junkyard just yet.

^ I was also wondering what the park's eventual dark ride might be themed to because Valleyfair doesn't have a particular theme to it. I believe it had a turn-of-the-century theme in its early days, but that wouldn't work for a dark ride nowadays. It could be a snowstorm/blizzard themed ride since MN is known for its winters, though I personally wouldn't want to be reminded of winter in the middle of summer. The article did mention the ability to seasonally change the ride theme, so they could give it a Halloween theme during Haunt season. However, I don't see a dark ride coming until at least 2019 because VF needs to take care of other things first. http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-cedar-fair-dark-rides-20150415-story.html

Wow, that was fast. From Dave Frazier.

Read this article from the Los Angeles Times about Cedar Fair looking at putting in dark rides at each of their parks. Should be interesting to see how this turns out. http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-cedar-fair-dark-rides-20150415-story.html

I think we need to see a few more giga coasters built in parks with hypers before we can say there's a hyper/giga trend going on, though I do think it's possible that Kings Island could receive a giga coaster in another three or four years. Not so sure about Six Flags Great America because I believe they a have maximum height limit.

So long, old Valleyfair sign. Photo from KSTP. First look at the new sign. Photo from KSTP. http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3766749.shtml

Hmm...what are they doing here?

^ Yep, B&M wing coasters are fun, but unfortunately not very forceful. I'd take a wing coaster over a rough Vekoma any day of the week, but let's hope that whatever the next coaster is has some decent forces. I would also be excited if Valleyfair got an S&S Free-Spin because those drops look awesome, though I don't think it's the most likely option.

They've added a little more to the splash pad, but it's still looking pretty weak.