Hilltopper39

That section of the park always felt very dead to me. The two streets on either side of that building were almost always empty (except for the Shrek meet n greet) so an attraction in that area would be a welcome addition. Who knows what they have planned, but I'm sure it should be good.

I rode Apollos Chariot several times during my one visit to BGW back around 2002 and though it was great. It still ranks as one of my favorite B&M Speed Coasters at just a close second behind Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia. It's probably not top 10 material anymore for most people but is still probably a top 25 for most.

I can't tell if the Mad T Party looks like a cool family night time party or a scare zone from HHN? Whatever it is it looks fun!

I agree with you that the situation in Louisville is very similar to Tulsa and Memphis, but what the hell does this mean?

^That would be cool, a rumor for a new show or a house or some sort? I'm probably in the minority here but I'd almost be in favor of an extra show during HHN over an extra house (as long as the show is something decent).

^^Thanks Wes, it probably feels much larger and impressive in person but a 125 ft facade is pretty impressive regardless. How visible is the range from other section of the park? Disney usually does a great job of designing their parks so that the major structures are semi hidden from view in other sections to keep the themeing consistent (Everest for Example, can barely be seen anywhere outside of Asia or Discovery Island) but a facade that large located where it is in the park seems like it might be visible from other sections of the park.

it should be an interesting event this year since they have lost multiple house locations and one of the attractions they regularly operated during the event, will be interesting to see what do to replace those. Capacity can be a nightmare at HHN (at least it seems like it every time I go), so I can't imagine they wouldn't replace those locations with new ones. Even though it's completely not the target audience, maybe they'll operate Despicable Me during this years event just because it will still be fairly new.

Great report from the media event guys, really enjoyable to read. Honestly I was a little skeptical of the two flat rides they chose to put in the land to compliment Radiator Springs Racers, they both seems kinda cheesy and cheap, but it's nice to read positive reviews of both attractions. Any idea how tall the faux mountain range is? It looks massive from the photos and on-ride POV's but I can't really tell from those perspectives. The whole sections looks stunning, they really did a nice job. While Cars isn't my favorite Disney Pixar movies I know it's insanely popular with just about every little kid I know so it's not surprising they chose to invest so much money in it. This sure would look nice at DHS.....

^ Seriously, I mean if someone wants to open a park in that market, it would have so much more potential if it were just built from the ground up in a different location. As much as I'd like to see Kentucky Kingdom re-opened it really seems impractical at this point. With the arena downtown, and the old Cardinal stadium no longer used for hardly anything the whole fairgrounds area is really dead these days.

Has anyone been to the park lately? According to some other news sites it seems that a demolition permit has been filed for Building 44 and heavy duty construction walls are already in place. I guess that means that a house there for this years HHN may no longer be a reality.

^ I was just reading about this news on a different site and it sounds like something major is in the works. It would make sense for them to quickly build something "new" to draw quests while construction on Potterverse 2 in going on. I don't know if the area is big enough or if it is feasible to build Transformers in that area but if they are planning on bringing Transformers to Florida they should probably do it sooner than later while the movies are still fresh in everyone's mind. Can't wait to see what they have planned. With Potterverse 2 and potentially Transformers in the works Universal Orlando tickets will be $150 a day before 2015!

I just got caught up on the recent news in this thread and am a little saddened but honestly not very surprised. I really had high hopes that the Koch's had the place's best interest in mind and would be able to turn this the park into something special but now we'll never know now. The timing of the withdrawal does seem a little strange, I mean you would think that they would have performed a VERY extensive evaluation of all the existing infrastructure and thoroughly reviewed the lease agreement BEFORE agreeing to operate the park in the existing condition. Maybe lease terms have changed behind closed doors with the fair board, who have obviously been a pain to deal with in the past, but but no matter who is right or wrong everyone loses.

^ Haha , that's more like it! I remember reading on a different site earlier this year that there were some permits filed for construction in that building, which is fairly standard but the timing of the permits seemed a lot earlier than usual. So maybe they did do some major construction in there in anticipation of losing the Jaws Que and possibly the parade building.

You have to have new experiences sometime ! ( that whole post was a joke by the way, not the me having a newborn part but the me ever considering taking it HHN part. I was hoping for some more playful/creative feedback but maybe next time.)

Beech Bend's new Hyper Flying Aqua Trax and Record Breaking Suspended Body Body Slides for 2013 will put this place out of business in no time. But seriously it's nice to see the Nashville area finally getting some decent sized amusement park attractions again. I always felt like closing Opryland was a terrible mistake and that the city could support a decent park again if given the opportunity. This will be the best thing to happen to NashVegas since Johnny Cash, right Scott?

^Is that the building where the Back to the Future Train sits on one side (or did last time I was there)? Maybe they will use the TNA Impact Wrestling Studio for a house this year, A Hunted Zombie Wrestling: The Musical House. (if your reading this Universal Creative, make it happen!) Also I will have a newborn at the time of this years HHN, but I will also have one of those Baby Bjorn baby carrying things. Does anyone know whether or not it will be a good idea for me to take my newborn to HHN? If it is a good idea where do you think the non-haunted changing stations and haunted-infant play areas will be located?

Carsland looks incredible, and Radiator Springs Racers looks like a really fun ride! As amazing as that section looks I'm honestly kinda of surprised that people found something to complain about this soon, but I guess that's Disney fans for ya. I can't wait to get out there one of these days, and honestly wouldn't mind seeing some version of this at WDW at some point in time. Rather you love/hate/don't care about the Cars movies, I think the Route 66 themed town works really well for a stand alone park section. I could easily see it being cheaply replicated at some park in Japan in the next decade .

^And taking photos inside the ride WITH flash is very annoying (to the other riders).

That's a little below the belt, literally

Yeah, after looking at some pricing for this place last night it's hard to get a real good idea of what the room prices are. I priced a room for a Saturday night in July and it was over $400 a night, which just seems way over priced to me. I get the whole it's new and all the nerds will spend whatever price we put on it, but personally I wouldn't drop that kind of cash for a room here. I'd like to see these rooms priced somewhere above the Pop Century/ All Star Sports Resorts and below Port Orleans/Caribbean Beach, the high end of value, if you will. Also, something I just noticed, but the rfid room keys are really cool. I'd expect to see that system start popping up all around property if it works well at Art of Animation.

^I don't necessarily think so. I would think that from a maintenance standpoint water park attractions would be a lot easier to get fixed up and reopened that amusement park rides would be, and if their new plans are to just get the water park open first then I think 2014 is still feasible. I get the impression that the damage across the whole park was more severe than they originally thought and that they have had to revise their initial plans for the property. The recent tax incentives are probably the most promising news for this place yet.

The Art of Animation Resort looks stunning for a value level resort! I never was a huge fan of the All Star resorts or the Pop Century properties, they are fine for what they are (cheaper low end resorts that are "on property") but this looks like they've taken the value resort to a whole new level of quality. I would really consider staying here in the future even if only for a quick weekend getaway.

^^There are just as many people out there who hate Magic Mountain as there are that hate Cedar Point, your honest opinion is just that.

I don't specifically remember all of the rider requirements from all of the rides I've worked over the years at different parks but I'm pretty sure that at least one functioning hand was required from almost all of them. The park probably made the right decision.

This might be the first real report I've seen from a Dinosaurs Alive attraction at any of the Cedar Fair parks so far and for what it is it's fairly impressive. If I had kids I'd definitely spend the $5 extra to check it out. It's nice to see Cedar Fair investing in some well done family themed attractions, it really does adds a lot to the overall experience at the park. And as always, great report Chuck!