certifiedcoastergeek

BREAKING NEWS: FURY 325 CURES CANCER.

Shia LaBeouf has a message for Cedar Point regarding the delayed announcement of Valravn... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuHfVn_cfHU

There's speculation that Kings Dominion's Country Kitchen expansion might be into a Harmony Hall or Midway Market-type restaurant. If so, that would be a huge boost to the park's pretty decent (albeit overpriced) food offerings. I visited Carowinds in the spring and Cedar Point two weeks ago, and I ate at Midway Market and it was second maybe only to Disney in terms of quality (and yes, I've eaten at BGW before ). Although I didn't eat at Harmony Hall, it looked pretty impressive. Does anyone else agree? I wouldn't be surprised to see a SlingShot next year next to Delirium. If they did, I'm thinking that they'll position the ticket booth for the ride so that you have to walk by it as you exit Delirium.

And now, for your daily "Argument Starter"... (jk, lol) I present to you the "Delirium Parody"! Found on a friend's Facebook (the post was later removed, so there's no point in inserting a link): Edit: added the original below | v The original.

There won't be any. Is there anywhere else where you can get 6 rides on all the coasters in one day, no FL required?

It's this kind of logic that is just sad. Obviously it's good to try new things here and there, but to turn down such major parks for a smaller park of less consequence is mad! Exactly. We got to the point where we started running out of "new coasters" to ride, and we absolutely could have done some trip to like South America for example where there are a TON of new "credits" for us, but other than a couple of SLC's and a woodie that doesn't get much praise, the majority of that part of the world is a lot of crap. So we choose to go back to places we've been before to ride coasters we like over "mopping up" crappy coaster credits. Even when we went to places like India last year. We went to the parks that interested us the most, skipped a lot of the crappy kiddie coaster parks, and went and did other things instead. There were three or four parks that were between 30-60 minutes of where we were at in Mumbai, all with kiddie coasters or spinning mice, and we skipped them. It just wasn't worth it to us anymore. Who cares if your "coaster count" is 536 versus 541. Nobody. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY!!! 75 credits, btw (coaster n00b, I know).

Don't get me wrong, I still love me a good Frisbee ride, but you can't deny that the coaster drought bell just tolled for a sixth time. This is the longest time in Kings Dominion history between coaster additions (although the Intimidator was huge, it's stil a pretty darn long time for a park of its size). Source: Kings Island - Diamondback (2009) - $26M, Banshee (2014) - $24M Carowinds - Intimidator (2010) - $23M, Fury 325 (2015) - $30M Kings Dominion - Intimidator 305 (2010) - $30M, TBA (2017+) - $??M #zizcanwait2017

1. Big Bad Wolf 2. Shockwave 3. Thunder Road

Also, 129 days from now is Christmas Day. $10 (in Monopoly $$$) says this is a troll.

How is Dorney on level footing with Carowinds and KD in terms of EBITDA, and if so why don't they have a gigacoaster, or at the very least the world's largest waterpark, given the number of locals that stand in those three-hour slide lines? Logic... *Edit: I spoke with one of my friends who works in an unspecified department at KD, he/she (identity protection measures) has some close friends in the central KD office and they've overheard talk of next year's SlingShot. If they're right, this means that we will only receive a SlingShot in 2016, not a flat package like some of you had hoped. This probably brings CF's capital investment total (not counting routine maintenance or minor overhauls) since I305 to <$10-15M.

Kings Dominion's "new coaster for 2016" - ride the Crypt with 400 lb. Oculubet Samsoft HoloLens helmets and it *almost* feels, looks, and sounds just like an S&S 4D Free Spin. Cost per rider - $25, or $40 if bundled with the all-new FunTime SlingShot, "Shockwave's Revenge".

I'm sure it's a bit of both. Honestly, I feel bad for their team right now. Imagine if you were building up to one of your key moments of the year, only to have it broken by something that is not really in your control. I mean, from what I understand, the leak happened because someone hacked into the new VR app, right? That's not cool and not the way they wanted things to happen. For me, I know it puts me in a tough spot because on one hand, I'd prefer to totally ignore the leak, pretend it's not there, and just go along with the announcement because that would be the right thing to do, but at the same time, it's impossible to ignore it and we would get crap for pretending it didn't happen. You just have to also put some faith in the park that maybe there will be things about the ride that we don't know about - the theming, the surrounding area, the design of the trains, etc, that will come out at the announcement and also be exciting to hear. And just on top of all that, new ride announcements are simply "cool" even if we already know what it's going to be. So yeah, I don't blame them for being a bit quiet and I'm still looking forward to the announcement regardless! I'm looking forward to the announcement as well, since Dive Machines are Dive Machines, and are great rides regardless of whether or not the hype train suffers a fuel leak right before the last stop on the 18th. I wonder if Cedar Point will start printing shirts with "the four floorless beasts" or the "three great birds", especially considering the fact that their lineup will soon feature four B&M coasters, three of which are themed to birds. Very true.

Canada wonderland got a giga 2 years after kd and next year they're supposed to get something big. Either cedar fair is playing favorites or they just don't care about their parks. Or CW gets more guest then any seasonal park in the chain and KD is in the middle of the pack with Carowinds, GCA, and Dorney. Both of you provide valid points; while KD is far from the largest in the chain, 6+ years between coasters, even after Intimidator 305, is quite a distance for a park of its size. Since a four-or-five year interval is typical for Cedar Fair parks of its size, we would have expected a coaster in '14 or this year. However, since it's a slim possibility that a coaster is happening in 2016, it does lead to some questions regarding CF's treatment of the park. Cedar Fair considers their parks to be divided into three "tiers" based upon attendance: Tier I (3M+ annual visitors): KBF, C.W., CP, KI Tier II (1.5M-3M annual visitors): CW, KD, DPWWK, CGA Tier III (Under 1.5M annual visitors): VF, WoF, MA In order of attendance from most to least (Disclaimer: coasters of any size, coaster conversions, and relocations count as a new credit with most credit counters, so therefore they count as a new addition. If you say I'm unfair, I'd easily count Dominator as "newest coaster addition" if not for I305.): 1. Knott's Berry Farm - newest coaster addition 2013 (Coast Rider) 2. Canada's Wonderland - newest coaster addition 2014 (Wonder Mountain's Guardian) (Triotechs with coaster track count ) 3. Cedar Point - newest coaster addition 2016 (Valravn)* or 2015 (Rougarou) 4. Kings Island - newest coaster addition 2014 (Banshee) 5. Carowinds** - newest coaster addition 2015 (Fury 325) 6. Kings Dominion - newest coaster addition 2010 (Intimidator 305) 7. Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom - newest coaster addition 2012 (Stinger) 8. California's Great America** - newest coaster addition 2016 (Vortex Conversion)* or 2013 (Gold Striker) 9. Valleyfair** - newest coaster addition 2011 (Cosmic Coaster) 10. Worlds of Fun - newest coaster addition 2009 (Prowler) 11. Michigan's Adventure - newest coaster addition 2008 (Thunderhawk) *Denotes an unconfirmed but heavily rumored addition **Denotes a park specifically targeted for growth potential by Cedar Fair One park in Tier II sticks out like a sore thumb (and no, it's not Dorney, sorry to disappoint the satirists).

Kings Dominion (speculation and purely IMO): 2016: Shockwave removed (confirmed!); Disk'o "coaster" and FunTime SlingShot (upcharge, of course ) to replace it with revamp of Candy Apple Grove and under Eiffel Tower including all asphalt in area replaced with pavers; Intimidator 305 rethemed to military (air force)/alien theme. 2017: New B&M wing/flying/inverted coaster behind Intimidator 305; Flight of Fear/Intimidator 305/new coaster comprise new themed air force base-type area, "Fort Kinzel" (look at FoF and you'll understand). Safari Village/Fort Kinzel receive pavers to replace asphalt. Flight of Fear's building restored. 2018: Off year. General maintenance and repaints, maybe a new large show. 2019: Planet Snoopy expansion. New theater. 2020: Old Virginia expansion. All remaining asphalt on park walkways removed and replaced with pavers.

I need to have proof that there is land clearing behind the Intimidator, I'll check that out myself during my next visit. My bet is still on the Shockwave plot and surrounding trees (adjacent to the Eiffel Tower walkway) being used for the 2016 attraction. However, Kings Dominion does have a lot of land back there, and I would not be surprised to see a 2017 attraction/roller coaster be the first to cash in on this untapped acreage. If the Intimidator is truly being renamed/rethemed, they might retheme it to an extraterrestrial theme to match the Flight of Fear (or retheme both coasters) and then a 2017 attraction behind it could expand upon this "Area 51" or other themed land concept.

Here's the article that will be printed tomorrow morning in the RT-D: http://m.richmond.com/news/local/article_973d2821-4711-531e-a76a-a856b3439565.html?mode=jqm Thay called the Intimidator 305 the Intimidator 360 . A few things to note are that a) Pat Jones stated that the Shockwave might be sold or donated (sorry, Dorney). b) She also said that it was being removed for a new attraction. Singular. That means a coaster (or an upcharge slingshot or a disko. Whatever we get, it's only one ride.) Flat-package hopefuls go home.

Millennium Force. Hands down. Source: Rode both for first time today and yesterday (Millennium thrice, Maverick twice). Don't get me wrong, I love me a good twisty ride, and Maverick makes my top 10, but Millennium feels more complete. -Certified "The ride is twistyyyyy! Twisty twisty twist- (cut off)" coastergeek (Give a shout if you read in Robb's voice)

I'm actually hoping we don't get a hyper in 2016 and that we instead get an RMC of Grizzly/Hurler in 2017 or 2018. But a hyper would give some nice airtime. At first I saw this and thought that you were blowing off steam, but then I saw that the Shockwave and the purple track in the background appeared to be removed intentionally and I'm inclined to think that this might not be a mistake. Or someone in KD's PR department reads this forum and is just screwing with us.

My advice to you, and please seriously consider this... However you can do it, make Fast Lane Plus happen. On one of the days. It will just make your day that much better. Especially in case if there is weather delays, a ride might break down etc... As your first visit to the Point, make it awesome. Figure out a way to get the money. Sell a kidney or a relative you don't like! lol Seriously, though, really consider it if you can do. I cannot stress or recommend this enough. I found out tonight that a FL+ is the same price as a FL reg with a Platinum Pass (I had assumed that like Kings Dominion the worthwhile coasters would be exclusive to FL+ [Volcano, I-305] and I thought that $95 a pop was too expensive for my crew and myself, so I hadn't bothered to look ). This enables me to get it on one of two days. Hopefully (and I know that an AWESOME Cedar Point mini-TR just made its way onto the front page) I can get some half-decent pictures of the park, and of the everything-but-the-deed Valravn site. (Apparently, the folks down at Kings Dominion's Haunt preparations were willing to take my appendix for $500 for usage as a prop in this year's Slaughter House maze, which they said was because "the skyrocketing price of wax means we're forced to perform sketchy budget maneuvers". Thanks to them, I funded the entire trip with this one transaction. And no, I'm OBVIOUSLY not joking.)

A HUGE thanks to all of the awesome people who have given me profoundly useful advice out of the kindness of their hearts! If anyone else has any last-minute pointers, as always, they would be GREATLY appreciated! (If anyone needs Kings Dominion advice, make sure to HMU so that I can "pay it forward"!)

Last week, I decided to finally make the pilgrimage to the Point from my hometown of Ashland (which is in the same county as and less than five minutes from Cedar Point's sister park, Kings Dominion). This year, I upgraded from my typical Gold Pass to a Platinum Pass, and have visited Dorney for two days (Stinger and Possessed were running, it was a miracle ) and Carowinds for one (Two B&M hypers in one park? Yes sir!) Blah, blah, blah, last-minute booking for next week, etcetera. Cutting to the chase... My schedule will look something like this: Wednesday afternoon: Drive to Pittsburgh (visiting family, I did Kennywood last year). Thursday: Get up super early and drive to Cedar Point in time for 9:00 Platinum Pass ERT. Stay through 10:00-11:00 Platinum Passholder Dragster ERT. (staying ~20 min from the Point) Friday: Be at Cedar Point for 9:00 Passholder ERT. Stay until 4-6 PM. Drive back to Pittsburgh. Saturday: Stay in Pittsburgh (again, visiting family, NOT Kennywood, although I love that park). Sunday: Drive back to good ol' Virginny. I will NOT be purchasing Fast Lane OR Fast Lane Plus, no matter what (obviously, for budget reasons, as this is a last-minute trip). I've never been to the Point before, and so I have none of its credits, and need some advice from some kindhearted soul: 1. What to ride during my morning ERTs? I know that Maverick, Millennium, and others are open, and to enter through the Marina entrance, but I need to know what to ride then to maximize my rides later. 2. Will I need to ride Dragster during either day despite Thursday's night ERT? How long can I expect the lines to be during this ride time? 3. Any food, parking, or other logistics tips? 4. When to ride GateKeeper? I know that this is like Kings Dominion's Dominator (or any Cedar Fair park's "entrance B&M") and has an enormous line early in the day. 5. Any other ride tips? I know that some of you have proven strategies to maximize ride counts even on crowded days like Thursday and Friday, and even if you can spare a tip or two I will be immensely thankful. Thanks a QUADRILLION in advance! -Certified "Elated for the Point trip" coastergeek

Says the guy who told everyone that we were getting a new coaster because of an artists mistake in a KD website banner, then said it was your grand discovery and anyone else talking about it must credit you. I retracted my statements about that a while back (pretty sure, anyway). I apologize if my now-proven-invalid discovery is offensive to you.

Some of these "this proves a coaster for [insert year here]" posts are getting to be more ridiculous than those Illuminati confirmed joke videos on YouTube.

Sorry, I meant Shockwave . Backlot Stunt Coaster says hi.

I agree that flats are likely coming in 2016 with the coaster in 2017, but these flags are labeled "John Deere Landscaping", and mark a variety of trees. To me, this seems like the only kind of "landscaping" possible in the middle of a bunch of trees is tree removal. If one were to include the newest markers and to assume (although this is, again, speculation) that the Country Kitchen is to be removed as well as the adjacent Shockwave, then one would be left with a plot slightly smaller than that which Dominator, a medium-large B&M floorless coaster occupies. Therefore, I doubt that a new, large B&M coaster will replace Dominator, but rather a collection of flat rides. This flat ride collection would likely include any combination of the following rides (listed from most to least likely): FunTime SlingShot (upcharge; $25 per rider) Zamperla Disk'o "Coaster" HUSS Enterprise 2G/2G Plus (according to one of my inside sources, who is NOT the Dippin' Dots guy , this is what the park is leaning towards, although it's uncertain whether or not CF will approve it, so it's anyone's guess at this point). HUSS Giant Frisbee