blk_mamba

I got Beyonce tickets for the Hershey Park Stadium. I am going to make it a weekend and hit up Hershey Park on Saturday and Beyonce on Sunday!

This is a very interesting philosophical question. I understand the inherent value of the roller coaster experience (good or bad) however I also believe part of the reason one like's roller coaster is because they are fun and enjoyable. I fall in squarely in the "if it is crap tear it down" category. If I am just getting a credit then that is cool but if a roller coaster is crap than it has no re-rideablity which has a few ripple effects: (1) It is just taking up space for something else that could be great and (2) It does not help park capacity b/c no one rides the crappy coaster. I for one was happy when Kings Dominion got rid of Shockwave and I didn't care if they said coming in 2016-- An empty patch of grass, lol. More to the point Cedar Point does not have very many crappers. Corkscrew will be gone one day even if they keep the track over head. I hope they never get rid of Magnum and would love to see them give it a good year of rehab including some track work, some tunnel enhancements and those B&M trains. Mean Streak will be RMC'ed eventually

The Baltimore Sun has uncovered a leaked memo from Penn Central that suggest they are interested in adding Kirkmen Island to their portfolio of amusement parks under the companies ‘Six Flags’ brand. An acquisition team visited the park and produced an exhaustive report outlining a controversial acquisition plan that has some wondering will the Family owned park go corporate? To: Board of Directors From: Diversification and Acquisitions Committee Subject: Kirkmen Island Amusement Park Report Date: July 22, 1974 I. Recommendation Summary: Kirkmen Island, located in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area will be a great fit for our ‘Six Flags’ amusement park division and should be given significant consideration. Kirkmen Island is a large family owned park with land available for future expansion. This report outlines, in detail, the benefits of acquiring the Kirkmen Island assets and any potential liabilities. II. Assets and Liabilities 1. Assets- Kirkmen Island is a family owned and operated park that started on land owned by the Kirkmen family at their summer residence in Gibson Island, Maryland. The park has grown from a family owned board walk and natural beach to a large seasonal amusement park. While the park has grown it still maintains its small park feeling. There are a few major assets to the park. A. Kirkmen Island Boardwalk- The boardwalk is still largely in tact and houses a modest aquarium, many shops and rides. It is the heart of the park because it is where the park began. B. Rides and attractions- The park is home to 4 roller coasters, more than any park in the Six Flags chain. The park has a healthy mix of rides for the entire family. Their newest ride is Grasshopper, a wild mouse ride that is perfect for a family of four. C. Frontier Village-This well themed Western Area aligns well with the origin of the Six Flags brand. D. Kirkmen Grand Hotel- The Kirkmen Grand is a 175 room luxury hotel with convention and meeting space. The hotel stays open year round hosting guest, weddings, conferences and events. The hotel is walking distance from the park. E. Location- Kirkmen Island is located squarely between Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. and is 15 minutes from the newly renovated Baltimore Washington International Airport. Also there are no Six Flags parks in the northeast. 2. Potential Liabilities- the park has liabilities that should also be considered when purchasing the park. A. Under developed property- The park lines the coast of the property primarily. Much of the land is undeveloped and not set up for infrastructure. B. Financials- the park has some debt from mortgages on the property and debt from the hotel; the park is however cash flow positive. III. Rebranding and Acquisition Plan 1. Rebranding- Kirkmen Island is located close to Washington D.C. therefore a rebranding that celebrates America seems appropriate and can help with marketing and advertising. Below is an idea and rough rendering of the proposed new logo. 2. Kirkman Grand Hotel- The hotel is profitable but it would be more profitable it is appealed to customers looking for a value brand and should be converted to a hotel targeting families looking for a value similar to a Holiday Inn. 3. Closure of White Lightning- White Lightning is the parks oldest roller coaster and consequently the ride requires daily labor intensive maintenance and yearly major off season refurbishments.

Seems like it may be a reliability issue at that point if they fixed the issue and let some people ride it. Perhaps the are not confident the ride can run the full day.

Many were complaining about this ride but maybe Cedar Point got it right. It seems like after riding Valravn many are now believers. I for one am making a return trip to the point after 2 years. In part b/c of Valravn but also because they have a have a sick coaster collection.

That is my home park and I've never been on the train however I am surprised that Six Flags America would be the only theme park in the world probably that reserves the train just to get people to and from catering. What a waste

The under ground power grid could be a sign of some big additions in the future as well. I am sure they did not update the grid just the holiday in the park Christmas lights.

There have been some rumblings about cuts to Orlando to offset Bejing construction however it appears that could not be further from the truth! Disney is pumping millions (maybe over a billion) in additions and enhancements! Making me want to take a trip down there

My vote was for Storm runner in part because I have only be on that one and the two strata coasters. However I still feel like Storm Runner is really unique because like most coasters at Hershey Park is it is not confined to just a plot of land cleared for the ride. The coaster interacts with the park and other rides as it blast off with a great viewing area for the launch while going under the monorail but over the Trailblazer coaster during the ride.

I love the Slinky Dog coaster idea. I think it will be a multi-launch family coaster that everyone will enjoy as a mild thrill for kids and a coaster credit adults will enjoy b/c like everything disney does it will be so well themed.

There is still so much left to complain about. We haven't see the inside of the station; we don't know the ride wait time yet; no one knows if there is enough shade in the queue, are there enough boats near the ride? We are just getting started.

This looks pretty cool; i find it odd they are adding two water rides and no roller coaster.

Skyrush is still one of my favorite rides. I have no problem with the thigh crushing restraints and I love all the ejector airtime! I am headed up to the park for the Beyonce concert and hope to get a few rides in at the park!

HILARIOUS!

Normally when I go to water parks it is b/c I am normally forced to go as a compromise with whom ever I am with at the time. I don't mind the water rides in the dry park though. Normally when I go to the a water park I start to think of all the kids peeing in the water, the people sick in the water or the people with bandaids covering up cuts and wounds and irrationally get grossed out.

I feel like this one is over used probably but on the Anaconda at Kings Dominion I heard a grown man ask " Do they give you anything to help you hold your breathe while you are under water"

To be clear my comment was a general comment. I did not expressly say anything you said was racist. I would never level an accusation like that on a message board against someone I've never met. Coasterbill I apologize that my generalized comment upset you and/or if you thought I was calling you a racist; again I was not. I do wonder what people mean when they make reference to guest at the park. I'll give two examples 1. The Park Index page. I am not sure what makes the guest awful. Source: http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/park.php?pageid=45 2. A comment from this message board. I am not sure what "bad" means. Again I said many, never said the totality, I stand by what I said. I have never called anyone out of their name and I have made no accusation that anyone was a racist.

I generally find many of the comments about the people that work at the park and the people go to park are just covert racist ways to say there are too many black people at the park. Just my opinion.

Calling it a PR nightmare is probably a bit of an overstatement. I also don't think you can make assumptions about the launch until you experience it. I think a media day for an attraction that is not open is probably one of the worst case scenarios for your public relations department who is planning a media event just for the ride in question that is closed. I can't think of many other scenarios that would give a PR team a nightmare. I think it also speaks volumes that RMC put out their own independent press release.

The delay has nothing to do with the fact that it's a wooden coaster. It has everything to do with the fact they used a prototype launch system from a manufacturer with minimal LSM development experience. Two things. 1. I think the fact that it is a wooden coaster may have everything to do with because I can imagine the technology needs to be retrofitted to accommodate a wooden structure. For example: A steel LSM coster runs on a steel straight track where the manufacture has to make sure that every part lines up perfectly. With a wooden roller coaster where wood settle, shifts, sways etc that may be something that needs to be accounted for when adding a LSM system. Also remember this is not a straight horizontal launch like many launched rides. This is is essentially a launched lift hill which may also pose some problem on a wood structure. 2. The fact that it is a wooden coaster might explain why RMC had to resort to using a company whos experienced with LSM launches is limited. No one has experience with an LSM launch on a wooden coaster, and few manufactures have any roller coaster LSM experience; and of those that do some may have decided their tech could not work with this type of ride.

This is really a PR nightmare for Dollywood and Rocky Mountain Construction... This has been pegged the unofficial best new roller coaster for 2016 and currently Dollywood looks awful b/c it is not open yet and they had a media day with nothing for the media to ride. They can save face if it is open by Memorial Day b/c that is the unofficial start of summer. Yes in 10 years no one will really care but right now they are losing revenue for this year. I for one will not schedule a trip down there until I know it is running and that may mean I won't go to until next year. This also is RMC's first botch. They seem to have a reputation of doing good timely work. I know they are saying it is their sub-contractor's fault but their name is on the proverbial building. This may be the first ,only and last launched wooden roller coaster. It really is not even worth the trouble IMO. Yes a launch is always pretty cool but the launch is essentially just a high tech lift hill.

SO I just saw Zootopia and thought it was great, it was another home run for Disney-Pixar. I could see this movie easily being the next big franchise, probably not Frozen big but like Cars and Finding Nemo big. While I was watching the movie I kept thing to myself this would be a great addition to Animal Kingdom. I am not sure where they would put it however I would mind seeing that Dinosaur part of the park removed with the crappy roller coaster being shut down for a Zootopia expansion.

Seriously... a 750 minute wait? Wow... That's insane. However, good to see that the coaster is a hit! Few things things. 1. This is crazy, where is the early entry? Fast Pass? etc. I wonder if there is a capacity issue. B&M's are normally people eaters. 2. It seems like people are over Potter after only 2 years. Makes you wonder about the shelf life. 3. This needs to be cloned for IOA. lol

This is definitely a bump however given all the enhancements to the Magic Kingdom, Disney Studios, and Animal Kingdom it seems like Disney is reinvesting in their current park to upgrade them and in some cases make their 1/2 parks full day parks. I've read that Shanghai Disney been a big financial drain so I figure Orlando will not get a 5th gate for a while but I could be wrong.... Any thoughts on if Disney World will get a 5th gate in 2020 or beyond?

I wonder if the RCTW folks are rushing their release b/c planet coaster is getting pretty good reviews.