Kennywood (KW) Discussion Thread

[Shavethewhales]

Yeah, it's a big deal for them. I wouldn't take my kids somewhere that is known for having massive fights break out. If KW isn't able to nip this in the bud and restore pubic confidence it'll become a difficult part of their identity to shake. It's the young families that make up most of any park's revenue, and they can be scared away easily. This is probably the worst PR a park can get because it's always going to be hard to convince scared people that the problem has been "fixed".

[bert425]

Yeah, it's a big deal for them. I wouldn't take my kids somewhere that is known for having massive fights break out. If KW isn't able to nip this in the bud and restore pubic confidence it'll become a difficult part of their identity to shake. It's the young families that make up most of any park's revenue, and they can be scared away easily. This is probably the worst PR a park can get because it's always going to be hard to convince scared people that the problem has been "fixed".

 

Astroworld, in it's final years, had a terrible reputation as a "gang" park. . . a reputation that was sort of deserved (anytime we went, not only was the park dead, but there were always large groups of teens "roaming" the park together.

 

and to clarify, I say "roaming" as we never saw them on rides, or in queues. .mainly just hanging out in restaurants (chat n chew in particular) and yelling at people walking by.

 

could just be that the times we went that was the case, but the park had the gang reputation by that point.

[ajfelice]

Speaking from a similar experience in a park not too far away from Kennywood, this situation does receive my sympathies.

 

Kennywood hasn't impressed me lately in terms of how they conduct business, but the park is not unsafe or gang-ridden. Situations like these, for the lack of a better term, stink because the incident is isolated from the normal day-to-day activities at Kennywood. Yet Kennywood is stuck having to prove that they are a safe park because one isolated incident occurred. The reality is, again speaking from experience, that anyone who minded their own business or refrained from instigating the problem was not put in danger by the fight. Yes, a bunch of people were involved, but I'm willing to bet the innocent family of four who didn't have one negative encounter with that group had no reason to feel in danger (even if they did feel that way). I unknowingly walked right through the "scene of a crime" in park before authorities arrived without one push, shove, comment, or any threatening behavior from the people involved in the incident, because likely I had nothing to do with their personal problems with each other.

 

Unfortunately incidents like this happen, and the social media wagon explodes the real story out of proportion. In response, parks are forced to weather the storm and launch campaigns to prove that guests are safe.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Had a great day at the park today on Mother's Day. Here are some observations:

 

-Black Widow had issues with the restraints not closing all the way. I rode it early on after being told to get off once already due to mechanical issues, but it closed shortly after and I never saw it reopen. Still a kickass ride though.

 

-The new scenes on Noah's Ark are cool, and it's good to see a ride like that get some love. I'm a bit disappointed the gorilla is gone though.

 

-The Parkside Cafe renovations are nice and give it a more "modern" feel.

 

-The 4D theatre is coming along. It's a little smaller in person than I thought, but still interesting to see what it will be!

 

-Not everything opened with the park, or within the 30 minute window after opening, but from what I could tell, everything was eventually open. Aside from the Black Widow issues, it seems as if all the rides are running smoothly.

 

-Not really a "new" thing, but it's also nice to see every single effect on rides like Exterminator and Ghostwood Estate still working. It shows they really care about the upkeep of those rides.

 

-One thing though I'll never understand is why Kennywood INSISTS on running one train on Phantom during days early in the season. I get that it's slower, and one train ops on other rides like Thunderbolt and whatnot are understandable, but your flagship attraction? All of those people waiting in line on a hot 90+ degree day could have been buying lemonade, ice cream, Rita's, etc. instead of unnecessarily waiting 20-30 minutes in a line.

 

-Like I said, all-in-all a great day. Kennywood still has that great overall charm to it, and I really hope the fighting incident on opening day doesn't hurt their business this year. That said, one other thing I'll close with is that the park's (newer) coasters are getting a bit stale to me. Exterminator is extremely fun and underrated, but it's still just a mouse in a box. Phantom is a great ride, but it's slowly losing that dominating presence it once had. And Sky Rocket is a great addition that has Kennywood written all over it, but it's hit that 5 year old mark, and is nothing more than just "fun." Maybe it's just the coaster enthusiast or thrillseeker in me talking, but they've only added ONE coaster since the Phantom overhaul 14 years ago. I understand it's not all about coasters, we're in a different era, and there have been many other capital investments since then that have greatly improved the park, but in my opinion Kennywood lacks that dominating presence of a monster coaster that the Steel Phantom once gave it. Without knowing what their budget is or what would actually be feasible for a park like Kennywood, something like a Banshee-style B&M invert, Skyrush-style Intamin (even with regular trains), etc. would be a nice compliment. Those are just my thoughts.

[GwaziBSRider1]

That said, one other thing I'll close with is that the park's (newer) coasters are getting a bit stale to me. Exterminator is extremely fun and underrated, but it's still just a mouse in a box. Phantom is a great ride, but it's slowly losing that dominating presence it once had. And Sky Rocket is a great addition that has Kennywood written all over it, but it's hit that 5 year old mark, and is nothing more than just "fun." Maybe it's just the coaster enthusiast or thrillseeker in me talking, but they've only added ONE coaster since the Phantom overhaul 14 years ago. I understand it's not all about coasters, we're in a different era, and there have been many other capital investments since then that have greatly improved the park, but in my opinion Kennywood lacks that dominating presence of a monster coaster that the Steel Phantom once gave it. Without knowing what their budget is or what would actually be feasible for a park like Kennywood, something like a Banshee-style B&M invert, Skyrush-style Intamin (even with regular trains), etc. would be a nice compliment. Those are just my thoughts.

 

I would imagine there's a big project in the works to utilize their new land. I just don't see a B&M or Intamin ever coming to Kennywood, but I certainly wouldn't mind being wrong about that. Personally, I think the next coaster here will be wooden.

[FeelTheFORCE]

I would imagine there's a big project in the works to utilize their new land. I just don't see a B&M or Intamin ever coming to Kennywood, but I certainly wouldn't mind being wrong about that. Personally, I think the next coaster here will be wooden.

 

I hope so, but they were supposed to build their own hotel and indoor waterpark after the Kmart purchase, and that never happened. The expressway being canceled kind of fouled up Kennywood's plans a bit. They purchased that land not long after the Kmart purchase in 2006, but never got it finalized until 2012 because of the highway never happening. They are supposedly going to refurbish and repurpose the old locomotive repair building for storage, but I'm not sure what else they'll use the land for. Honestly, it's fairly disconnected from the rest of the park, so walking there would be a hike anyway. Unless they foresee a MAJOR expansion where that area would be a whole new "land" (to loosely borrow a term from IOA) in the park, I don't see that being used for anything other than storage, or if a massive coaster were built in that area. I'm not sure if we'll ever see an Intamin or B&M at Kennywood, but you never know. A modern wooden coaster would be a nice compliment, maybe a custom RMC like Outlaw Run or Goliath is more feasible for a park like Kennywood.

[PennStater]

I would LOVE to see something from RMC at Kennywood, but I'm not getting my hopes up! As far as the railroad property, they have already made great use of the main building and one of the other smaller buildings on the property for storage purposes. If anyone is interested in seeing what they've done down there so far, check out our tour photo album here:

 

[KPfan]

I think Kennywood is more likely to see a Gravity Group coaster at some point. They just built a family woodie for Palace over at Story Land. They seem to make good use of terrain which is something the Kennywood woodies are well known for.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

I think Kennywood is more likely to see a Gravity Group coaster at some point. They just built a family woodie for Palace over at Story Land. They seem to make good use of terrain which is something the Kennywood woodies are well known for.

 

 

Alot of Kennywood Ent. coasters are mainly 1 and done's. They only added 1 Vekoma Boomerang, 1 CCI, 1 Arrow Looper, 1 DH Morgan Coaster, 1 Reverchon Spinning Mouse, 1 Premier Rides Looping Coaster, Etc.

 

 

I don't see them adding another wooden coaster for some reason. This may be blasphemy but I would not be against them RMCing Racer with Topper Track and making it longer but keeping it Mobius.

[certifiedcoastergeek]

Has anyone else ridden the virtual original Steel Phantom on the roller coaster simulator at the Carnegie Science Center's SportsWorks next to Rivers Casino and Heinz Field? It plays an enhanced 3D HD POV of the ride and it's not rough like the real version! (Plus, it's free with museum admission.) I always visit the museum for that reason whenever I make my biennial two-day Kennywood trip.

[certifiedcoastergeek]

This is it...

Relive the Arrow terror...

[Foltzy]

Hey everyone,

I'll be heading to Kennywood on the 7th and need some help.

What rides should I hit up first (sky rocket, phantoms revenge) and what can I save later for the day?

Also if you guys have any extra tips they'd be greatly appreciated

~Foltzy

Edited June 25, 2015 by Foltzy

[njcoasterguy34]

Actually, Skyrush is at Hersheypark. Sky Rocket is at Kennywood.

[Brassinthegrass]

Can someone help me out...

 

I'm going to Kennywood for the first time in a few weeks (wee my 90 coasters in 8 days thread) and I'm sort of at a loss at how parking works here...

 

It looks like Lot A is free parking "with a bit of a farther walk to the front gate" but I see a sky ride on Google Maps, is that for transportation to the park entrance?

 

Thanks!

[boldikus]

I might be wrong since we never rode the Skyride @ KW (I dont recall seeing it operate at all) but I dont think it has anything to do with the parking, other than it goes right over the lot.

 

I will point out the preferred parking is only $7, which we did when there and we parked about a 2 minute walk from the main entrance. Worth it, imo.

[michaellynn4]

Yea, that chairlift wasn't operating when i went either. I don't think its part of the park.

 

I happened to take a different route than boldikus - I parked in the far lot for free. Yeah it's a bit more of a hike, but I didn't mind the walk in because they got there first thing in the morning, it didn't really matter much. It all depends on how you'd prefer allocating that seven dollars on your trip.

[bert425]

the Chair lift actually goes to the far off parking lot. .they told us they only use it during super crowded days.

 

we payed the $7 and just parked by the front gate. . . it was reasonable enough we just paid it

[Brassinthegrass]

Cool, thanks for the info guys!

[boldikus]

^ ^ That makes sense. I wondered a few days after our trip where the entrance to the skyride/chairlift was, and where it went to (it seemed to just go up into woods), and why we never saw it operating. When we first arrived, not really realizing it, we parked right underneath it, and then moved to avoid risking someone dropping something on the car.

 

I didn't realize there was a parking lot up there but yeah looking at google maps I see it. Is that the free lot all the way up there? LOL we were so close to the entrance, and we got there after noon. It must have been dead that day because even when we left around 5 the lot was not even half full.

[sirspud]

When I went I parked in the free lot, but I enjoyed the park so much I wouldn't have minded just paying for parking.

[OISU8P]

I never could figure out why some people think it is a good idea to shot up into the sky like this. Do these people think the bullet just disapears into the sky and does not land somewhere?

 

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/8684559-74/story#axzz3f2NvnO27

 

Woman shot at Kennywood Park in 'freak accident'

 

A woman was hospitalized after being shot Saturday at Kennywood Park, Allegheny County police said.

 

The shooting happened about 10:10 p.m.

 

The 26-year-old woman was shot in the upper chest near her shoulder, police Lt. Andrew Schurman said.

 

She was taken to a local hospital, where she is listed in stable condition, Schurman said.

 

West Mifflin police indicated the victim was shot outside the amusement park, but county police later said the woman was struck in the park.

 

No witnesses saw or heard a gunshot, and there is no surveillance video showing gunfire, Schurman said.

 

Detectives believe the shot was fired outside the park. County police are investigating the possibility that the gunfire came from a nearby July Fourth celebration, Schurman said.

 

Detectives don't believe the victim or anyone around her was targeted, Schurman said.

 

“It was a freak accident,” Kennywood spokesman Chris Salerno said. “We wish the victim a speedy recovery.”

 

[njcoasterguy34]

Nowhere in the article you linked does it state that the injury was from a shot fired into the sky.

[OISU8P]

Nowhere in the article you linked does it state that the injury was from a shot fired into the sky.

 

In the article it says they believe it was fired from outside the park and she was hit inside the park. Where do you think they pointed the gun from outside, at the ground?

[cfc]

^No need to get all worked up. It's not clear that the gun was simply fired into the air, although it is, of course, possible (and I think likely). A man was accidentally shot at Water Country in Williamsburg, Va., a few years ago. Someone was hunting in the woods near the park, and his shot missed his game and made it into the park.

[OISU8P]

Point taken. This was an assumption on my part as it is a highly likely scenario. I was also a Pittsburgh native for 37 years of my life and talking with a few locals today. They are a little closer to the local media and they implied this was the case. I did not however ask for sources since this just seemed like the most plausible scenario. I am glad for my previous home park that this was not an intentional incident since some folks (not here) are quick to blame the park for the somewhat rough area that surrounds it.