CedarFlags

Whoever is running the Knott's Instagram is... not doing a good job. #1. Stagecoach was already closed for a renovation that's supposed to take until late September. #2. The Saloon Can Can show that hasn't happened since pre-Covid. This particular shot seems to be from 2016, as do most of the Ghost Town Alive photos being used. #3. Ghost Town Alive promo featuring the water pump gag that's been gone for YEARS, and an actor who isn't even alive anymore.

New one... With the opening of Siren's Curse this month, Cedar Point will have five (5) coasters with vertical (or more) drops. Any other park have 5 or more vertical drop coasters?

Some drama in parade land... TL:DR - some specialty costumes weren't finished in time for the reopening of Paint The Night, so the performers' gridded shifts were canceled until further notice with no option to switch to any other position. Someone made an anon Instagram account to call out the management who made the decision and less than 24 hours later, the account is gone. For those who may not be familiar... having a "gridded day" as a Disney performer means for the length of this show run, you are basically guaranteed to work those days (typically 3-4 specific days per week). It's a big deal for the performers because it's consistent guaranteed work that they can plan the rest of their life around. And they turn down other work to stay available for their gridded days. And Disney is notorious for wanting to keep "consistency" in their experience, which in the past has translated to "if it's not ready by opening day, we're cutting it forever" (see Frozen 2016). Out in the real world, It would be like showing up to an office job and your boss says "we weren't able to get a new computer for you to use yet, so we're gonna send you home without pay until it shows up. Unless we decide in a week that we've gotten used to not having you so we're not going to bother anymore."

Does anyone know how enclosing the lift on ZZ is supposed to "enhance operational efficiency"?

Crazy how we're coming up on the 1 year anniversary of this announcement and basically nothing has happened.

Yet another massive fire has broken out in LA County today, and this one is only a few miles away in Castaic. Currently the evacuation warning zone extends up to the property line of the park. This is going to really impact park employees, please consider helping or donating however you can.

Love the switch to Chupacabra. Goliath never made sense as a name for that ride, and Chupacabra fits the theme of the area inside the park and the culture of the area of the park itself.

Random thing I've noticed on my handful of trips to Disneyland this year. It seems like some attractions have too many vehicles on the track and I don't understand what the point of it is. The ones I really noticed were: Runaway Railway - Each time I rode it, we double-stacked in the picnic room behind a train that was also waiting to get into the unload platform. Pirates - Boats are constantly clogging up both before and after the lift hill. Lats visit it was so bad that we got stopped before the jail cell scene. Indy - We got stopped inside the boulder room, and then again at the final animatronic. Totally killed the finale. So... what's the deal? I understand not wanting to lose capacity, but when you are double/triple stacking vehicles (or more), there's obviously no benefit to rider throughput. It just screws with the on ride experience.

Not to be too pedantic about it, but Jinma has four tilt coasters operating in China right now and Vekoma already finished building Iron Rattler in Qiddiya. Plus Winja's at Phantasialand and Gringott's at Universal Orlando both have tilt sections.

I'm sure it'll be a great time overall, but i-Rat is one of the big RMCs that people become obsessed with, so I really don't wanna miss it. And I care about Goliath because it's a historical credit (former SF New Orleans), and I've never been on one of the right-turning mirror image B:TR clones.

Man I really hope that Goliath AND I-Rat aren't down in 3 weeks when I go for my first time...

Website still shows IRat as down for "enhancements in progress". What do we think the odds are that it's back in action by next month?

Anyone checked on the progress for Fright Fest yet? What do we think the odds are that all the advertised attractions are actually going to open on time this year? Or, more realistically... just how late do we think they'll be?

Closing the GR line early has happened before, but it's VERY rare. It runs long into the night most weekends. Rope dropping the boardwalk area will get you some good time on Xcel + Hangtime, which are both pretty low capacity. Hangtime is fun in the morning because the hangtime in the inversions is the strongest. Ghostrider's position at the main entrance means the line is long all day, and it gets another rush of people just before closing as everyone hops in line for one last ride on their way out.

It's not you, it's a really bad design The train forces your feet apart, but the restraint forces your thighs together... which is such an unnatural position to be in. If the restraint allowed you to open up your thighs/knees more, it wouldn't be a problem for most people.

I still haven't had a free weekend to head up there and check out the DC Heroes and Villains event. Anyone have anything to share about it?

Listen y'all. I'm ride or die for Knott's but I finally got to check out the new Camp Snoopy this week and... WOOF. For how much money was allegedly spent, the difference in the area is almost imperceptible. The new coaster is cute, but tiny. The waterfall and pontoon bridges are working again, but that is kind of just basic maintenance that the park stopped doing for years until this project. The most noticeable change is the loss of the theater and the extremely humble astroturf and bench area now occupying the space. The meet & greet space is still walled off, so you can't meet any Peanuts characters in Camp Snoopy. The Sally swing ride looks like it's not even close to finished. The Fiesta renovation was beautiful and made the entire zone feel fresh and vibrant. Camp Snoopy feels exactly the same as it was before, except now it's missing stuff (Air Mail and the theater).

I'm curious how hiring a new head of maintenance is going to solve the problem of... not enough space in the cycle shop and not enough mechanics on staff to do the work. The park needs another cycle shop and 50% more employees.

New event for the summer season: DC Heroes and Villains Fest Sat/Sun from June 14-Aug 4 (except July 6th?? weird) Character M&Gs, new show, Batman Anniversary feature Seems like a great idea, I'm stoked to check it out. https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/events/dc-heroes-and-villains-fest

Update on the Camp Snoopy renovation from a few days ago. Official opening day is now June 27th Camp Snoopy Theater rebuild will not be happening anymore. Will now become a green space called Beagle Scout Acres. RIP to yet another piece of live entertainment. Woodstock's Airmail will not be returning (was supposedly getting moved but staying in Camp Snoopy Full press release: https://www.knotts.com/blog/media-center/2024/attention-aspiring-beagle-scouts Also, the Summer Nights tasting card menu has finally dropped. https://qr1.be/EPWT

It's gonna sell a lot of tickets... I don't have faith that it's going to be good.

Also... official Wicked movie trailer dropped today.

I saw the out of town tryout for Death Becomes Her a few days back and it was HILARIOUS. It needs some refining still, but it's a lot of fun. Just announced today that it's officially going to Broadway and I hope everyone in NYC enjoys it.

I think one thing that a lot of "should have gone with Intamin" takes are missing is... Cedar Fair owns another Intamin accelerator coaster that's been a huge pain in recent years. In March 2022, Xcelerator at Knott's went SNBO for the 2nd time in only 5 years. The first closure lasted 8 months, the second closure would last almost 2 years. So while CP was planning for a Dragster renovation during the 2022 season, it's sister coaster was facing even more long term downtime while waiting for the manufacturer service department. That, plus all the other issues with Dragster, had to have influenced the choice to find another supplier.

Superman at SFMM is counted as a credit, and held two world records... and arguing that attraction counts as a coaster takes WAY more mental gymnastics and "well technically" justification.