EastCoastn07 Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 In other news, I watched the Phantom test several time today and I must say, I think they did a really good job on the new rail they installed. the train no longer whips from one side to another like it did last season, so I'm sure it's going to offer a much more enjoyable ride this season. For those who rode it last season will know exactly what I'm talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 I don't mind if someone gets around to posting my photo before I do, but if you do, credit would be appreciated. No problems here though, but only the top hat photo was mine. Here is that photo again along with some others (the actual update with hi-res pics should hopefully be uploaded to KPConnection later): This was taken about four hours ago. It's kinda hard to tell from this angle, but it comes pretty close to being a complete inversion. Think the inclined loop on Mantis and you have a rough idea of the angle of the track here (I don't think it's as much as the cutback on Drachen Fire was though). A friend of mine had taken the other photo posted earlier, so here's one I took showing essentially the same thing. At the top of this hill is the MCBR, and from there the track will have a vertical drop down to the second half of the ride, which is essentially complete. The lower end is the exit of the barrel roll, which the train will enter immediately upon exiting the 'top hat' (as the park and Premier like to refer to it as) in the previous photo. Just a shot of the Phantom's first "riders" for 2010. I didn't get a photo of the corrected second hill, but visually, the train travels over it much more smoothly, like it did with the Arrow track (the abrupt bank was very noticeable even off-ride). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfanryan Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 That's good to know that the problem has been fixed. If only we could be one of those first "riders" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfan93 Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Myself I have a question for you. In the second picture, is the launch track extended up hill yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastn07 Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Myself I have a question for you. In the second picture, is the launch track extended up hill yet? They have one piece installed for the first hill thus far, however, the first hill is going to be the last element that will be built as they have to get the crane out of the construction site before they can complete it. Also, one piece of the pullout is also installed before the entrance to the top hat. I'd look forward to work starting on the first hill later next week sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfan93 Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 ^Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xChris125x Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Kennywood is also in the process of installing a laser/special effects show in the lagoon. The lagoon was drained and pipes for the effects installed, and is just now being refilled. Both lasers and fire are expected to be used, but the specifics of the show are unknown. The Racer and the Jackrabbit, both of which border the path around the lagoon are expected to remain open during the show, though the facade lights will be turned off. It is unknown if the Aero 360 will remain open, for the large lit Kennywood arrows also serve as the rides platform lighting. The skycoaster will shut down for the show as well. The show is planned to start roughly 30mins before closing and will debut sometime in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 The laser show sounds like another cool addition for this upcoming season! I'm positive my shiny new season pass is gonna get quite the workout this year! In Sky Rocket news, the great folks at KPConnection have provided another juicy update as track construction speeds along. I wouldn't be surprised if vertical construction was done in about another week or so. And I totally agree with some earlier posters, as the more I see of this bad boy, the more I think it could be the surprise hit of the season! You can see the full update here: Sky Rocket Construction Update - 5/4/10 In the meantime, here's a few teasers. Credit for these photos goes to KPConnection/TPR member "Myself". (Sorry they are so small, but I was trying to get them under the 100k limit) This looks simply delicious!! A look at what's left to construct The second drop, awaiting its track, looks pretty sweet also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philthephorce Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I'm not one who's into posting nothing but a row of smiley faces, but.... Sorry 'bout that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennStater Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Definitely looking forward to this... I can't wait until Saturday!! I think my season pass will get quite the workout as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 This is one of the few construction projects I've been following this year - it really looks like a solid attraction. I think this is the perfect fit for Kennywood as it ventures out into the world of the launch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormFreak Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Well in just 9 hours or so the park semi-officially opens for the season! I will be heading out there around 10:15 or so to get my season pass processed, and hopefully get a few rides in as well. With it being an education day, it's hard to say how busy the park will be, but as long as it's not crazy, I will try to get rides on most of the major attractions, and hopefully my first potato patch fries of the season! If anyone else is going to be there, shoot me a FB message or something. I would love to meet up with any other TPR members, because I REALLY don't want to have to ask to be paired up with one of the school kids to ride Thunderbolt... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfan93 Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 ^I wish I could go today, but I'm going tomorrow. If anyone is going tomorrow I'd love to meet some you guys around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkyle Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 If I had the money I would go, but going to CP next weekend instead. Plus I'm waiting for Sky Rocket to open to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormFreak Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Just got back from the park. Weather was perfect, and despite LOTS of school kids (hence it being Education Day) lines were very manageable. I got 21 rides in just over 5 hours in the park. I will post a full Photo TR later, but everything at the park is running great! Phantom was flying today, and I had some great rides on the classic woodies as well. Sky Rocket is coming together nicely, and when seen in person is even better than the pictures. The only disappointment of the day was SwingShot. It seems to have been neutered a bit, as it only does one swing at full height now... Other than that, it looks like it will be a great season at KW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennywood_racer Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 I'll be there. Ether in my Club TPR shirt or Sid Crosby Jersey. I WILL have my lanyard on though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rckrazy06 Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 I was also at the park today with my school and everything looks great. Like StormFreak said, Sky Rocket is much better looking in person than in pictures, and it truly does tower over the midway. Otherwise in the park, I also agree that the Swingshot was a bit tamer this year, but I still love the ride nonetheless. The new paint jobs on the Auto Race and Noah's Ark also look fantastic. The Phantom's Revenge, other than having a few technical problems across the day, was running great. The top of the second hill is much better now to compared to last year so whatever they did seemed to work well. And last but not least, my friend won a Steelers jersey by scoring an incredible 10.5 on the laser maze game!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slicknixon Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 I'll be going on June 15th in hopes that SR will be open by then. Anyone know what the crowds are usually like that week? It's been a while since I've been to the burgh so I wanted to get over there this year. We'll be going to Idlewild on the 14th, Kennywood on the 15th and something in the city on the 16th but haven't decided what.. Any suggestions? I have a 2 year old daughter so as much as I wanna check out the Andy Warhol museum it's looking like the Pittsburgh Zoo at this point. Any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfan93 Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 ^Unless its a holiday I don't expect a lot of crowd, but I could be wrong because I always go and the lines are never bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandog987654 Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 ^ ^ Andy Warhol museum is awesome. but some of the exhibits are..."R" rated. I'm also going to kennywood on the 21'st. Anyone else going to be there? Hopefully the SR will be open...I'm hoping at least =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Local news station KDKA had a brief report on "What's New" for 2010 at Kennywood. At the end of the video, they mention a "Coaster Pass" that will be sold allowing guests to "cut the line". Rumors floating around KPConnection state that the pass will be good for 1 ride each on all the park's coasters, and those purchasing one will be given a time window to show up and ride. No word on pricing as of yet. The park's website makes no mention of these passes....although, to be fair, the park website is not routinely updated either. Interesting, and probably a direct result of season passes being offered this year. I'm all for it, as I don't see a problem with this "one and done" setup. Don't know if I'd use it though, since I have a season pass. Great for out of towners though who hit the park on a crazy day. Here's that video - New for 2010 at Kennywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Sorry to double-post, but I just wanted to post a little trip report from my first 2010 visit to the park with my wife Erin yesterday. The weather was simply perfect, with partly sunny skies and temps in the lower 70s. Crowds were fairly light, as we didn't wait longer than about 15-20 minutes for any rides (some even shorter than that). The lone exception was Phantom's Revenge, which produced tolerable waits of around 30 minutes since it was only running one train (not sure why they're seemingly allergic to running both trains on Phantom, but no biggie). It was great to be back in the park again after the offseason, and I have to say it looked great. Everything seemed in working order, and the employees were doing a fantastic job on the rides, especially the coasters. Some of the crews were really flying, especially at Phantom. Great job guys! All in all, just enjoyed a perfect day at the park with my wife, leisurely strolling around and riding whatever we wanted. Also got my first Patch fries of the year.....yummmmo! Some notes and observations: Season Pass processing was a breeze, and those folks working on that were doing a great job! Saw signs that allowed guests to apply their day's admission towards a season pass purchase. I thought that was pretty cool. Kahuna area looks fairly decent, all things considered. I'll be interested to see what their long term plans are for that area. If there was any downtime yesterday, we certainly didn't see it. Like I said, things seemed to be in top form. They ran just 1 arm on Swing Shot, but I think that was more a product of the lack of lines. The "VIP Coaster Pass" sounds like a great deal for busier days! For just $15, you get an exit ramp ride on each of the park's 6 major coasters (once Sky Rocket opens). It's a "one and done" kind of deal, with only select numbers sold, so I think it will be a great system that I will probably take advantage of once or twice this year. Paratrooper got new lights, and although we left before dark, they looked great and I'd like to see them all lit up. Sky Rocket looks even better in person, and I really am excited to ride it! The pictures really don't do the ride justice until you see it firsthand. Speaking of Sky Rocket, all is done layout-wise except finishing off the first hill. A new update is up at KPConnection showing it off: Sky Rocket - May 16th Update Final Ride Count: 2 each on Phantom's Revenge, Thunderbolt, Racer, and Jack Rabbit 1 each on Log Jammer, Kangaroo, Merry-Go-Round, Kennywood Railroad, Cosmic Chaos, Swing Shot, Pirate, Whip, Turtle, and Ghostwood Estate Pretty awesome, considering we took a couple breaks to eat, watched a couple shows, played some games, and were there from just 12 - 7:30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelTheFORCE Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Sky Rocket was topped off according to KW's Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=169283&id=123450319864 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devious Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Courtesy of the Kennywood facebook page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennStater Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 The Sky Rocket looks pretty awesome. I can't wait to ride it... hopefully in a couple weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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