Jew

I'd be curious to know what work was actually done. He said he incurred the maintenance costs, but never describes in detail what that went to. Like Eric said, there's still probably a ton of work to do since the rides have not been in regular operation for so long.

^That would certainly make it a better deal for the Koch family. I honestly don't know or remember that article. ^^I am referring more so to the type of operation. Holiday World has been family owned and operated its entire existence. That obviously means they have been able to structure the costs/operations to fit their needs. Now they are walking into a park on land someone else owns that was shaped to fit Six Flags (and all its corporate policies) needs. Totally different beast.

1. Apples to Oranges. I would imagine the costs are much greater at SFKK than Holiday World. It's like a minor leaguer making the jump to the big leagues. 2. Read the article. They don't have the funding yet. 4. They must have a sweet deal, and I am sure they have done their research..but that doesn't mean it is still a huge risk. Separate corporation or not, it is going to take their time, resources, and most likely personal income invested in this new company (which indirectly comes from Holiday World, where their money comes from in the first place). I hope they've prepared for the larger scale of SFKK.

I would argue that it was his excessive use of pepper spray that let it get worse. He obviously had to use it to calm the guy down (as whatever happened before the video started resulted in those initial swings), but after he gets the guy on the ground the first time that should have been enough. The dude gets back up and wasn't cooperating with the command to "get on the ground," but he was relatively calm to the point it would have been pretty easy for Anaheim PD/backup security to deal with him when they arrived had the guard just kept the dude distracted instead of spraying him again. He also should have been clearing the area (along with the ToT CM's) instead of letting spectators stand around and make it a bigger scene.

^IIRC, Tim was talking about the general philosophies behind how SFMM does attractions, not actually saying anything about the possible addition itself. Same with the whole Rocky Mountain track and Colossus in regards to needed to be able to get a return on investment. Something about "I rode Texas Giant...liked it a lot...but before we even consider it we have to get a return..blah blah blah." The response that stood out to me was how Tim blew off the comment when someone complained about being stuck outside the station spinning/being stuck upside down uncomfortably on green lantern. I'm sure it made the person feel good to know that they were "working on it" and "stopped scheduling a maintenance person there everyday to turn the cars" and gave them a piece of log jammer flume. I don't even remember an apology.

Thats awesome! Kudos to KBF for the nice touch! I think they understand that WCB is not just a corporate sales account, but rather an excellent marketing opportunity to put their best foot forward to some of their pickiest customers (who are usually the resident theme park experts for their friends/family).

^^Babying pitchers probably leads to more injuries! Throwing a baseball is about the most un-natural motion possible for the human body. Building up a tolerance to it helps reduce the risk of injury. Nolan Ryan (who is making sure his pitchers are not babied in Texas) pitched for 27 years with no issues...

25+ rides that all need a few years worth of maintenance to be caught up and allowed to open! That's at least a few million dollars right there.

With the development of Slava Voynov, it's not a HUGE loss. He's probably better defensively and only a little worse offensively, and now they have a full-time slot for him. But Carter's contract and history of injuries are a little worrisome...

Surprised you didn't mention how much it hurts to walk on those salt crystals!

Seeing this trip report really makes me kick myself for not taking the opportunity to explore the middle east a little more after my trip to Israel! Great pics.

^Don't forget USH!

Speaking of Green Lantern...what is the point of the ride? I finally got the credit, and didn't get a single flip! Which made the ride uncomfortable, as it is clearly designed to flip over the turns. Definitely near my bottom 10 coasters.

^I think the group picnic comparison sums it up perfectly. Everyone here knows I am not the biggest fan of SFMM by any means, but in years past you couldn't help but come away impressed with all the extra stuff they did. To me it showed that the park had a management team that really did care about putting their best foot forward. However, this year I totally agree that it just felt like a normal corporate picnic/buyout. It was still a great event due to the people, and Tim & Neal were still very entertaining/informative during their presentation, but it lacked that extra touch. ...Knott's on the other hand...as I already said, I'm bummed I missed that day! You could tell they really went all out to provide the best experience to TPR. You can't help but be impressed. I already know that if my schedule only allows me 1 day of WCB next year, KBF has my vote!

Looks like I chose the wrong day of West Coast Bash to attend! Kudos to KBF for pulling out all the stops for West Coast Bash and doing so many cool things! I think it really shows how much time and effort Robb, Elissa, and the park put into making the event kick ass! Good to know there are still some passionate people at KBF.

That is technically true...only because of those San Diego old farts. IIRC, it was mentioned during Journey's construction that the city requires all new attractions to have "educational value." Though I personally don't notice a difference between the two parks in that regard either, since Orlando's ride queue's have exhibits too...

True story: anyone who has ever worked as a ride operator at a roller coaster will tell you that one of the most common questions is "is it scary?" If the roller coaster happens to be indoors, the #2 question will be "does it have loops?" End of discussion.

If you get to the park for opening, it is a half day park. Come later in the day during a busy season and it will probably be closer to a full day park because of the wait times.

Great update! Love that section of the park...reminded me so much of how KBF used to be.

Unless you get a fast pass first thing in the morning at park open, they are usually for at least an hour ahead of time on the popular attractions. And then you get your hour window on top of that. That's plenty of time for most people to do whatever else they want. The idea behind fast pass wasn't to hold a spot in line for someone for the entire day. They let it become that, so naturally there is going be lots of backlash...but I do think it will help make the system much more efficient in the long run.

Knott's has the city of Buena Park in it's back pocket (so to speak) anyways, so noise isn't a factor. The city isn't about to tell their biggest employer/revenue generator no.

^I totally agree with you, as I am one of those people who knowingly uses as fast pass whenever it is convenient for me. But I see the operational/throughput issues as well. I would imagine that there was a reason for management to issue this reminder to CM's, whether it be guest complaints or them noticing rides closing later than expected (read: costing them more $$) due to longer standby lines...

^As was noted by a CM in the Magic Kingdom thread, the lax enforcement of FP times does cause operational issues after parades/shows/fireworks let out. FP lines get swamped, causing the standby lines to suffer. Great for the guests with FP, not so much for those in what they thought would be a shorter standby line.

I imagine that cast members will still have the discretion to allow guests in after the designated time. There's definitely a difference between missing your window by a short amount of time due to another attraction/store/food venue taking more time than you thought vs. waiting until WAY after your window has passed simply because you know you can get away with it.

Cons? What cons? It's a brilliant sales move: buy the park hopper ticket or you don't get the full Harry Potter experience.