FKA 'Playa

That woulda been a nice Early Entry selection. Guess I could only maintain interest during certain non-student-day, not-going-to-SFGAM months. But yeah.

Nope. Alternated between Route 76 and--what would you call it? The Monster Midway...? Any thoughts on the unnamed Summer Improv show in the Galaxy theater? The ComedySportz guys pack the place out during Halloween Haunt and I guess they imagine there's enough locals between Dudley Riggs' and Stevie Ray's improv schools to package something similar. Mayyyyyyybe. A weekdays-and-daylight-hours troupe would have to keep the language/topics above board. I'd still prefer that to another CF music-n-dancing thing. Would I EVER.

I'm not so sure I'd call them unfair. Seeking Alpha allows quotations of up to 400 words from earnings transcripts, provided they are credited and their site is linked. I credited, I linked. So here's exactly what was said Q3 2015. It was their choice to cite both parks in the same sentence repeatedly. Not the VF fanboys. It will take a lot more effort to push CGA's zoning changes through the political process; it's only right they work on that first. VF's 'neighbors' are mostly industrial--and I have yet to hear of any group assembling to oppose any of it. Without any significant public dissent, VF's proposed changes will likely sail through. If they haven't already...

No, you don't get it. I'm not a CF 'fanboy' at all. If I didn't live near VF or WoF, I'd skip them both. I haven't bothered with WoF during my last three KC visits even when admission was already paid for. Schlitterbahn > WoF+OoF says me, my wife and our wallets. Nor would I bother with Cedar Point when there's a park with better coasters, more slides and even cleaner bathrooms in Chicago. Of CP's 2.5 latest coasters, none of them interest me. Just my opinion. If you're gonna call me a fanboy of any park...? At least name the right one! Blackpool Pleasure Beach. But I digress. You guys can get back to the 'bestest CF park Kinzel tried to chuck' debate.

In certain areas of the park, yes. There are other areas where Flying Cloud Airport's location would not prevent them from erecting a 300' tall structure. Then again, what would Cedar Fair build in a park that tall that I'd wanna ride...? *scratches head* Oh forget it! Let's just say they can't build that tall anywhere in the park ever. Yup! That's my answer.

It's an okay addition for a park that doesn't already have something that tall. VF's had a full-height PT for 15 years already. So it's better there than here.

On the other hand, I'm not so sure I'd 'boast' about Windbreaker. I found it quite anticipointing at Knotts. You know--before it stranded riders for hours and Cal-OSHA refused to let them reopen it, so it scooched to WoF. I'd MUCH rather ride VF's Disk'o coaster than Windsucker. Sorry--do I keep calling it mean names? It's a tic, I think. Tho an emergency evacuation might liven things up a bit. Don't get me wrong. I like both parks. Only not for that thing.

Fanboy fight! Fanboy fight! Fine, I'll bite. I don't 'get' Prowler--even at night--and strongly prefer Renegade. Mamba's turnaround segment is far and away better than Wild Thing's, but I prefer WT's zero-G zone and Mamba's return run is shallow and booooring. I'd even take Boomerang over Corkscrew. I'm a sucker for vertical loops in reverse. *shrug* That would leave Patriot to beat up any remaining coaster (Steel Venom). Comparing the spinning coaster to Mad Mouse is just plain mean. But guess what I'm jealous of WOF over? Your classic 70s flume in a wooded setting. Finnish Fling. Whatever you call your old-school roundup. And the multilevel kiddie splash zone at OoF. My wife and I could spend half a day in that bugger at a time. And have. Now the bad news. When we're in KC, we skip WOF for Schlitterbahn. Which we've done at least three times over. Sorry!

When it comes to other people's opinions.... When it comes to his own.... Here's a radical idea! They're all just opinions. Yours included. You only get to share opinions. Not dismiss others out of hand because they aren't your own. Besides, it's more fun that way. At least I'd like to think so.

TBH, my wife and I have been specifically invited to 'whine' about my 'little fantasies' to Dave Frazier. And from time to time, we do. But I'm not gonna blow up his email and phone all day. I've got work and so does he. Are you assuming to know his 'vision?' I doubt if your area supes make statements like that. Why would you...? Problem is, those aren't terribly marketable changes. 'Specially in 15-30 second ad spots. Clearly you're confusing me with someone else. Show me where I've said any of those things. I haven't. Don't map your OTHER frustrations--from what you've obviously heard repeatedly from other posters and real-life people--onto me. Not to put too fine a point on it? But the demographic I'm pitching might be a lil' different than yours. The 'boring' and 'no different than high school' quote was from a early 20s, 4 year, better than mid 40s ( I don't want to get too detailed...?) income who didn't grow up in the Twin Cities proper. I thought the pass would be right up their alley and was shocked to hear the response. EMPHATIC response. Folks in my wife's very professional environment respond much the same. They've got plenty of disposable income. They can do whatever the heck they'd like. But when she pitches them passes...? Raspberries. I'm not talking about VF's imminent demise without a record-breaking coaster. I'm talking about the untapped market. But then there's a good half-dozen attractions you can't call by 'old' names. And we all know why.

It never ceases to amuse me how VF/CF fanboys create their own imagined 'reality' where Valleyfair somehow isn't behind the curve, squeeze their eyes tightly shut and pretend everyone believes as they do. They don't. Ask your real-life friends if they'd like to try a Gold pass. Tell 'em it's a great deal. Tell 'em there's five months of fun involved. Pitch 'em on Halloween Haunt. Listen to them scoff, call the park 'boring' and complain that it hasn't changed since they were in high school. Explain VF's so-called 'transformational' changes and see if that makes a difference. Go on, try it. Minnesotans have an unsurpassed 'brand loyalty' once you're in their radar. More people attend the State Fair in a couple weeks than attend Valleyfair in a full season. When you compare those numbers to the state's population? Unbelievable. The Renaissance Festival attendance--on a per-day basis? Staggering. Valleyfair's not in that 'brand loyalty' zone. Not even close. Don't think so? Check the Facebook page. How many people don't know the flume's gone--seven years after the fact? More critically important...Why don't they know? They don't visit. Maybe they showed up in the late 90s in the Wild Thing/Power Tower days, but haven't since. And those are the folks who'll actually bother loading the page. Our local management does a great job with what they're given. Unfortunately, they don't get to decide what they get to work with. Maybe if a few more sheeple shed the wool, sprouted a pair of horns and said WE NEED BETTER STUFF it might help. Couldn't hurt. Oh, and for the record...? I don't 'complain.' I go where I wanna go. Sometimes, that involves Valleyfair. But it also involves SFGAM for days at a time and Nick U and wherever else I'd like to go. That's what customers do.

If you look at what MOA has installed in the past several years, it isn't much better than Valleyfair (Shredder, TMNTurtles, Zipline, Brain Surge) Maybe I'm mistaken, but is there another Sky Fly in North America besides MOA's? Their Unicoaster was a world-first installation. You can at least call Shredder's Mutant Masher an adult thrill ride. 'Not much better' than a gaggle of repainted, reshuffled, occasionally toned-down (Tilt-a-Whirl's manual clutch vanished) family attractions? Sorry-with an occasional new family ride or pay-per-view dinosaur dropped in the mix...? Ask that same question to any 8-to-12 year old. They'll tell you differently and won't be nice about it. Paying guests don't care who owns or leases FlyOver America. If they see it in Nick U, they consider it Nick U. Valleyfair remains a great value at $70 per Gold Pass. At the early-purchase rates, they're still worth buying. But I'd rather pay more for a superior park. I'm not a Local Park Apologist. I'll spend more money somewhere else instead. In fact, that's exactly what I've been doing for several seasons. And most certainly NOT at a Cedar Fair park. I can't be the only person feeling that way.

So was a '16 Cap Ex budget involving 'Flyers and...(at least one additional flat ride).' You know--like every other CF park who got Flyers for '16. But we all know that didn't happen here. I'd call VF the RedHeaded Stepchild of Cedar Fair--except that might insult actual red-headed stepchildren. Meanwhile down the road, MOA is finishing another $20 million addition. Its second in less than a decade. Precisely why we quit buying Platinum Passes. We'll spend that money where they spend money on us.

Because your wishes, dreams and fantasies will end in tears September after September...? Or was that a rhetorical question? I'm not sure I was actually s'posed to answer that.

Yes you do. In fact, you must! We all know you'll only hurt yourself this way! (only half-kidding) My Inner Valleyfair Cynic says this: - A Triotech dark ride can be as/more expensive than a midrange looper--say, a 4D Free Spin or Adventureland's Monster - Cedar Fair's admitted Valleyfair's underutilized--but when first mentioned, it was mentioned last and preceded with the word 'perhaps,' almost begrudgingly - Not a word about Valleyfair in the last quarterly conference call. Not attendance increases, CapEx ROI or jack-diddly squat I'll admit to hoping against hope to some degree. I've lowered my sights from a world-class amusement park to a competitive waterpark. Of the late 90s. From second-hand slides. Every summer I dream to myself Yup, this Labor Day it's gonna happen. They'll shut down Geauga Lake and we'll inherit their Tornado, slide tower and Splash Landing until the Missus says SNAP OUT OF IT you say that every summer! Then I sit in a corner to sulk. I know your pain. Believe me.

*facepalm* I wasn't challenging you. I was hoping to cue a reply of 'As a matter of fact, I was just at the park for (training or whatever other reason you mighta been there) and personally saw them testing' and then there'd be much Monty-Python-and-the-Holy-Grail style rejoicing. But otherwise? We're both looking at bolt holes for seatbacks. Not the seatbacks themselves. On a train chassis that strongly resembles Thunderhawk's old PTCs with a new paint job. I don't want to be right about that. In fact, I was wishing for definitive, hard evidence I'm wrong. To which I'd reply 'Whew, thanks.'

Meghna: I'm trustfully assuming that you've seen the final build--seat cushions, obligatory/overly redundant seatbelts and all. Believe me, I truly wish to be wrong. Millertpr: That's a highly subjective measure. 'Specially when you consider DP already sports two wavepools, far more waterslides and has chucked better looping coasters than VF's ever had (Laser). Of course, I'm delicately skirting 'round the B&M count (Two for them, none for us) D'OH I let that slip...

Would be nice. But the Valleyfair Cynic in my head sneers, Are you kidding? This is the park Cedar Fair wouldn't even toss a secondhand Boomerang (Geauga to Carowinds) or Invertigo (CA to DP)... Historically, VF gets Dorney's castoffs and these trains strongly resemble Thunderhawk's former PTCs. I'd love to be wrong about this, as those high-backed seats suck almost as much as the lapbars. Good luck with your lift-hill chats this summer!

Since you've already signed away all rights to the images, they decide when or how often they're used. If at all. It could wind up in literature the public never sees. Or the background of a video screen for 8-10 seconds. Or you could practically litter the park one summer, disappear for 2-3 seasons after that, then reappear in a pic you've never previously seen. It's anyone's guess.