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This is somewhat confusing being in so many different threads. You might want to consolidate them into one, or explain the story in a thread. Also, the images are coming up very small. Make sure they are .jpeg

One last stop at the park for this season. These images were taken in the fall of 1997- most of them speak for themselves. From the looks of it, next year just might be the year the new management delivers on their promise and shows off what they can do. While they don't promise a new attraction each year like the old owners, it seems as though they're willing to make a big mark. Comments/criticism appreciated! This teaser was placed where it could be easily seen, "Soaring in 1998" Construction fences went up surrounding the main midway, encompassing over 6 acres, as well as three classic park flat ride staples Trees were cleared past the Scrambler I was able to grab this shot behind the new picnic pavilions... backstage areas. Whatever this is, it's going to be big.

All... 300 of them? I'm sure (with some decent weather) this opening will be busier than most, but not because of enthusiasts. Enthusiasts make up such a small percentage of park visitors. I'd bet that if not one enthusiast went opening day, the average wait for Fury would be less than one train shorter.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought Gatekeeper was a great ride. No, it's not very intense, but it has its moments. If you go in expecting a very intense ride (which I still don't understand why any enthusiast would - are any of the B&M wing coasters much more intense?), then you might be a little let down. I don't go in expecting all out intensity, and you know what? It delivers. From a perspective looking solely at ride dynamics, although it isn't very intense, it has a very unique, fun first drop, an actually fairly intense immelmann (in the last row), a middle of the road floater hill, a fun giant corkscrew, and three more beautifully shaped, fun inversions. The train does get a little sluggish by the final inversion and helix, but the pacing is overall fairly good. In the end, Cedar Point wanted a new coaster to deliver a fun ride that appealed to a broader audience than rides like Dragster or Maverick, and could handle the crowds. Not only that, but it opened up the views of the beach, added to the already impressive skyline, and created one of the most iconic entrances in the world to one of the most iconic parks in the world. In my book, Gatekeeper is a homerun. If you haven't already seen it, there's a really interesting documentary from Devin Olson on youtube. I've watched it at least two or three times- it's worth checking out if you haven't already.

Why would you want to lower the cost of season passes? They're dirt cheap as they are and allow too many teenagers to just leech off the park. The park doesn't turn a large profit (if any) off them, and it creates the atmosphere the park has become known for. If anything, the prices should be closer aligned to Cedar Fair's. I paid $50 for my SFA 2015 gold pass with parking. That is far too low and I would have no problem paying $100 for SFA, more for Great Adventure. Edit: doesn't the Jackson planning board limit tree removal? At Greatadventurehistory a user posted an image showing how large this area would have to be-- about twice the size of the entire parking lot. I don't see this being approved, assuming that many trees are removed.

I think it is very indicative of the anticipation of El Diablo that many (myself included) are more interested in the prospect of a solar energy field over the ride itself. Speaking of, I wonder what this potential project would cost... and how long it would take to make up those costs in energy savings. Whatever happens, I think this could be a great move, as long as too many additional trees aren't removed. That would be a shame, considering how much open space the safari already has available.

Why would they want to keep the testing a secret? Maybe because they do not want the public to know if the testing does not go right. I believe you just answered your own question.

Honestly after the first season of operation, advertising records like these usually begin to fade even if the record is held. It's not the big news anymore, and it draws fewer guests for being new or record breaking. How many commercials/ads do you see/hear now for Kingda Ka than in 2005? Probably not as many.

Just be patient as operations can be very slow (especially food services). The park usually hosts outings for Jewish groups and many of them are infrequently park visitors. This causes extra slow loading and unloading on many of the rides. Still I have never had any problem riding El Toro repeatedly the first two hours the park is open. I concur. I had one visit one visit early last spring (opening day), which, save for the short waits on El Toro, was a very, very slow service say. I sure hope this was an isolated incident, but we ordered lunch from a chicken wrap place that was the worst service I've ever experienced. Ever. Just us three, two wraps, a large lemonade, and two water cups. Twenty (20!) minutes later, we get one wrap that we didn't order, the other never came, a large cup of ice with maybe six ounces of lemonade for $5, no water cups, no napkins. We asked the cashier repeatedly if it was almost ready, to which she replied yes. She then said she didn't know we ordered anything else. I try to avoid food service at this park. El Toro/Nitro/Ka/Batman is really the only reason I bother on days like these.

Maybe they'll announce that they're adding more fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo towards the Motocoaster/Twister area, a repaint of Mind Eraser and/or Ride of Steel, and the fate of Ranger. So you heard the news was leaked early, posted what you heard, but worded it as speculation? If this is the case, mind if I ask why?

^You can order reservations with or without discounted tickets (I believe two day packages are around $75 each), but the tickets are not included with the hotel. Staying a day at Breakers sounds like a nice break as well- I believe the water park on site is free with the hotel, so you could make a day of that and the beach/things around the town no problem.

Sorry I didn't get any part of this. Can you explain a little bit?

I live in Virgina and have been to each of those parks multiple times, including Cedar Point. I would say it really depends on what you want to do/what the goal of the trip is. I'll go through both options... BGW/KD: Two days at BGW is a good idea if you really want to take in the park and take in some shows/atmosphere. The ride selection is okay, the coasters are pretty good, but might not be two day worthy alone. A slow pace is best for this park, which is great with two days. KD has a pretty good ride selection, with the obvious king in Intimidator 305 (which may very well become your favorite coaster, depending on your preferences) and some other very good coasters (Dominator, Volcano). One day at KD is certainly enough to experience this park, and the crowds never get too bad. KD is a fun park with a nice feel, but outside of I-305, is nothing really to write home about IMO. Overall, this option sounds like a lot of fun, and, combined with the cultural activities you mentioned, sounds like a great trip. A great choice. Cedar Point: This is my favorite park, and has some of the best coasters in the world along with an unbeatable location. Two days at the park is enough to experience the park and ride everything, but you could easily stay more, and I might even recommend three, depending on your pace/goals at the park. I don't know of a whole lot to do in the area, but for me it has never crossed my mind to do something else when I'm at Cedar Point. If you haven't been to this park, I would say it's a must visit if coasters are your priority. The park also looks very nice and has some great rides other than coasters. As for what else to do, you could take a short road trip to Kings Island down the road. This is a park I've always wanted to visit, and I've heard great things about it. Just a thought. Overall, depending on your priorities, I would absolutely recommend a visit to Cedar Point. I'm still young (under 21), but this is the only place I've been that I realized what the expression "feeling like a kid again" really means. If I may suggest another option, just to look around, there are some great parks in Pennsylvania that could warrant a trip. Hershey seems like a great place to spend a couple days if you haven't already (I haven't). You could potentially combine that with Great Adventure, if you haven't been. There are a multitude of great parks in Pennsylvania, so if you haven't thought about it before, it's worth looking up. In the end, it depends on what you and your partner's goals for the trip are. Being a Virginia local, I can always vouch for the VA parks, but if it were my trip I would go to Cedar Point because of the amazing times I've had there (and I've worn out the novelty of BGW/KD). I hope this helps, have an awesome trip! You'll have a great time at any of these parks for sure.

I don't mean to change the topic, but I'd like to give my take on 2016 speculation at Kings Dominion. Most speculation (haven't really heard any solid rumors at all) points towards a coaster of some kind in 2016. At first glance, this seems fairly likely, as six years seems like a decently long break between coasters, especially at one of the larger Cedar Fair parks with the attendance numbers these years (~1.5 million range). However, for me, these are the only signs pointing towards a coaster next year. Yes, I-305 was the same year as Carowinds' Intimidator, and we all know that Carowinds has Fury 325 essentially ready to open. But when you look closer, the two Intimidator's were nearly exactly the same price in 2010 and Carowinds is a comparable size/scale to KD. But Fury was the result of CF choosing that park for growth. That ride as it is would not be without that $50 million (not saying no coaster, but not a $30 million giga). KD is not one of CF's four biggest parks (CP, KI, Wonderland, Knotts), nor one of its selected growth parks. This, along with the steady stream of moderate scale investments since Intimidator (Windseeker, Planet Snoopy, 40th/Soak City), lead me to believe that they aren't necessarily "saving" for a major investment. Add on all the mishaps/additional expenses due to I-305 (2010 wheel problems, first turn, stuck on the lift, downtime, etc.) as well as the fairly obvious fact that this coaster's popularity with the GP does not live up to it's scale and potential, and I don't believe CF is jumping out of their seats looking to throw millions at KD, just yet. Another indicator for me is to look elsewhere in the chain. For the last five to ten years, CF has done 1-2 major coaster projects. One in recent years (excl. '10 and '13). Spending around $30 million/year chainwide on coasters doesn't leave much up for grabs, and with CP's supposed dive coaster in 2016 and Canada's Wonderland supposed coaster in 2016, I don't see the capital for KD. Even Valleyfair might be more of a priority than KD for a coaster. Now, that's not to say they couldn't split up the budget (or, spend more than most years), but even then I don't see more than two projects in a single year. Maybe I'm wrong and 2016 is the year. That would be awesome; I'm all for it. In my mind, I just don't necessarily see it happening. Now that I've posted all this, watch them go ahead and announce last rides on Hurler, Grizzly, Shockwave or Anaconda opening day.

What would make you think that? Assuming the parks are turning a profit, I don't see why they'd want to sell them off. Theres been nothing to indicate MiA or any other parks are going to be sold off.

I am absolutely aware of what real layouts of parks are like, and I have a plan to make this park's resemble that better. As I've said, this park is all about realism. No park ever completely overhauls the layout in one year. That's ridiculous. I know I keep saying this, but with every passing year, the park is that much closer to being what I envisioned when I started the park. Give me some time and I promise I will keep doing my best to improve. Until then, other suggestions (outside of layout complaints) are very much appreciated. Even ideas on HOW to improve the layout are great. I have my plans, but nothing is set in stone; I'm not playing ahead of the updates just for that reason- to make your ideas into a reality. Thank for the continued support and criticism.

Thunderbolt is mysteriously missing from Six Flags New England's website. Quite an odd error; it seems to be absent from every rides page- thrill, family, even height restrictions. Strange. https://www.sixflags.com/newengland/attractions/ride-list

Signing in red ink, with a sharpie. They just signed a contract.

Those are the new pavilions, no?

Thank you! I can't wait to show you guys how the park evolves over the next two decades. I agree. I did this on purpose- the dirt was recently overturned, and as it would in reality, greenery will slowly grow in, as allowed by the landscaping team. Thanks for pointing it out and noticing the smaller details. Preparing for expected growth was the primary objective of the 1997 additions. Currently, there are no plans to bring the Ferris Wheel out of storage, but the original Big Wheel is still proudly operating on the Forest Flyer midway. Thanks for the comments, everyone! Keep the ideas coming!

I searched around and couldn't find a thread dedicated to this topic, but if this doesn't seem necessary to have its own thread, go ahead and lock it. If not, hear me out and post your thoughts. We already know that RMC has three projects for 2016, one of which is Wildfire at Kolmarden. Does anyone have any idea where the other two could be going? I believe I heard it said somewhere that there is one in either '16 or '17 in the United States not in the Six Flags chain. If this is the case, where could this be (I've heard Dollywood is possible)? And that still leaves potentially one SF project next year. Any solid rumors on this? Gadv, St. Louis, or even La Ronde or SFA? Any rumors on 2017 or beyond (Mean Streak?) I'd like to hear as well. This topic is meant to compile the rumors floating around, and clear up some confusion, if there is any.

Previously, the big news at Frontier Forest was the complete overhaul of park management after the park was bought out. Finally, we have reached the day to see the first changes this new team has implemented to the park. I'll let the pictures/captions do the talking from here on out. Comments/criticism appreciated, until later this summer at Frontier Forest when we see greater change at the park. The first change almost everybody noticed were the brand new, modernized entrance gates, allowing for more efficient ticketing Behind Forest Flyer, all new private pavilions were built to host large groups. Reservations required. The first of two new eating facilities replaced the old Flyer Cafe, making way for an eat-in venue The Scrambler was relocated behind the old arcade. Speculation last fall pointed towards a large new roller coaster in this plot. I think it's almost a guarantee this area will be further developed. Some searching around found that the park was finalizing a contract with E.F. Miler for presumably a kiddie coaster this year, but evidently that didn't happen. The Ferris Wheel was stored away, the old bumper cars took its place, but only kiddie bumper boats were new. A snack stand was built next to the stage. Coyote's station was given a fresh new paint scheme. Even running two trains, this ride is very popular today. Corvus has been repainted to a bright yellow with the same black supports. Some detail work went all around the park in landscaping and fencing around low-zones. Avalanche Bobsleigh drops off the brakes The second new eating facility replaced an outdated restaurant Overview, Spring 1997. Not the multi-million dollar expansion many were expecting, but much needed improvements to prepare for expected growth.

^I don't think enthusiasts think Wild Thing is bad, but it is nowhere near as good as some of the more modern mega coasters. The truth is, Wild Thing barely scratches the surface of what a ride of this scale could be. The intensity, primarily, is where this ride falters when compared to similar creations from manufacturers like Intamin or B&M.

For the trip planning question, hold off on Fast Lane until you get to the park. Two days or more is best, but you might not need a Fast Lane if you go for more than a day. Utilizing Early entry and night rides, you can easily knock out all the major coasters in a day. I managed to ride all the coasters I cared to (MF, Maverick, Dragster, Raptor, Gatekeeper, Magnum, Wicked Twister) multiple times each in two days with no Fast Lane. Just some careful planning and efficient time usage, and you'll have no problem. Oh, and get a night ride on Millennium Force. Get in line at closing at wait it out. Best coaster experience of my life.

Saturday, July 4th. If the weather is at least somewhat manageable I'd assume the park will be absolutely packed. If you're not worried about getting in a bunch of rides, going for the fireworks/shows might not be a bad idea.