CoasterKrazy

From what everyone has been saying, it seems like FearFest is going to be awesome this season. I've been rather dissapointed in previous years, especially 2003 with next to no themeing in the park, but from the looks of it PKI is really taking FearFest up to the next level. I hope that the costumes/makeup will be improved as well. I've seen photos from Cedar Point/Knott's Berry Farm/Universal Studios/Six Flags Halloween events and the costumes/makeup at those parks are very complex. It seems like at PKI they just go and buy a few makeup kits from Wal-Mart.

Almost all vertical loops found on roller coasters today are clothoid (or teardrop) in shape, with the exception of a few Schwarzkopf loops, which are incredibly circular and pull amazing G's. Aside from a few variations, the only difference from an Arrow/Vekoma loop and a B&M/Intamin loop is the size. As far as hyper coasters go, almost every single one built within the past five years uses solely parabolic hills, which includes Millennium Force. Magnum uses both parabolic and linear hills, and I believe Gemini uses only linear, but I could be wrong about that.

Or something similar to the boiler effect at the end of Phantom Theater.

Along with what Shaggy had to contribute: -International Street would change to Hollywood Boulevard to fit the new movie theme of the park -Top Gun would receive new and improved themeing, a nice paint job, and S&S Arrow would be hired to add new floorless trains -Along with the re-location, Adventure Express would have a major themeing upgrapde, and S&S Arrow would be contracted to make some minor adjustments to a few areas of track. -Vortex would also have its track worked on by S&S Arrow, along with new open-body trains by Vekoma. -Racer would have a major track overhaul -Beast would be reinforced and re-tracked so that absolutely no trims are necessary -Tomb Raider would be even more extensively themed, and the special effects would be kept in perfect condition -A new themed area by Flight of Fear would be opened up, maybe with a theme like "special effects testing ground" or something like that. A sort of Area 51 for the amusement industry.

Do you mean year-round operation, as similar to California or Florida parks? Or do you mean having certain special events for each season which only run for a limited amount of time; such as Fear Fest for the fall, Winterfest for the winter, some new concept for spring, and then of course regular operating hours during the summer.

Paramount's Kings Island will never be like Kings Island as far as themeing experience goes, but if PKI keeps going in the same direction, the overall experience could become just as good as in the old days. I don't really have an opinion on zones verses no-zones, just as long as more themeing is brought in and old themeing is kept in perfect working order, which of course, PKI isn't exactly known for.

So now the issue is how much themeing will this ride really have? Are we looking at another Adventure Express with a launch, (average themeing that hardy ever works) or just a different twist on Flight of Fear? (No themeing during the ride, with average themeing in queue) Could we have another Disaster Transport on our hands for 2005? I have no trouble at all believing that Revenge of the Mummy had a price tag of 40 million, but I do have a hard time believing that PKI could drop that same amount into their new ride. From what I have read, that 40 million was entirely worth it for the incredible experience that Mummy provides. A "measley" 20-25 million for the "Hottest Hollywood Attraction for 2005" definately won't provide the Universal-esque type of experience that PKI is now apparently going for. And that doesn't include the time frame they have to build it and test it if the ride is suppposed to be ready for the 2005 season. Paramount's Kings Island, and especially Jeffrey Siebert know what they're doing, so I'm probably worried about nothing. I guess we'll just have to wait for August 12.

With such a late announcement, almost no visible construction at all, and no track/support sightings either, I wonder if this new ride will be for 2006 instead of 2005. I'm expecting a flat ride to be announced for 2005 first, and then in classic PKI style since all the enthusiasts at the event will be moaning with dissapointment, they will announce the themed coaster for 2006. But that's just me.

Cedar Point has the height record for now, but this might not be the case within the next season or two, what with all the rumors flying around about Six Flags Great Adventure's new coaster. (However, I am very skeptical about the specs concering this new coaster.) As for a 500 ft. lift hill, I don't see that happening anytime soon, or at all for that matter. A coaster of that magnitude would have an astronomical pricetage, and the issue of terminal velocity comes into play as well.

I agree. It would have been nice if PKI had contracted Arrow to redesign the three or four trouble spots on the ride, but I don't know if they offer that service anymore. (I hate S&S and what they have done to Arrow. Not to metion that their web site sucks too.) Now, assuming that Arrow can't redesign the ride, the only other options are another company (Vekom offers this service) or new trains with lapbars. Check out the Phantom's Revenge section over at CoasterGallery. It mentions that due to the original train design, conventional lap bars could not be used. That makes me think that PKI's requirements for lapbars on loopers would not be able to be met, and therefore completely new trains would be needed.

Like I said before, I was only able to hear bits and pieces of what Jeff had to say while he was talking about the trains. I thought I heard him mention a reason why new trains couldn't be used for Son of Beast, but I could be wrong.

At the bottom of the first helix (which I believe Jeff called the "Rose Bowl") he mentioned that the structure there had been beefed up to twice the amount of supports that had been with the ride when it originally opened. He also mentioned that the number of ledgers had also been increased so that jack-hammering would no longer ben an issue. Once we where inside the clover-leaf and next to the loop, Jeff said that the track up to the loop had been worked on to meet "guest rideability" standards, and the rest of the coaster would be finished for the 2005 season. For some reason, I want to say that Jeff told some of us why new trains would not be possible for Son of Beast, but I can't remember why...

It wouldn't be possible to add lap bars with the current trains, that is why new trains would be needed. I know that Vekoma offers new trains for their older coasters (whether or not they have lap bars, I do not know) but I'm sure Premier could come through if Vekoma was unable to take up the project. At 5'11'', both Vortex and Son of Beast are very comfortable for me, but I do remember what it was like to ride Vortex when I was shorter, and that ride was murder. I loved it for some reason, but it was quite painful before I learned how to ride it, and before I went through my growth spurt. I can understand how anyone taller than me wouldn't be able to ride Son of Beast too. Considering the General Public does not know how to "ride" a coaster so that it isn't painful, new trains wouldn't hurt. They might not make the ride as popular as Flight of Fear, but they wouldn't hurt. (No pun intended) I disagree about Paramount not investing in modifications that improve Son of Beast. The new restraint system, the [almost] complete re-tracking of the entire ride, and the support modifications have made Son of Beast MUCH more enjoyable than when it first opened. There is also the fact that Jeffery Siebet mentioned at BeastBuzz that the ride still doesn't meet PKI guest standards, and will be finished for the 2005 season. For taller guests, the ride may still be painful, which would probably require new trains to fix, but I can't see how it could still be as bad as when SOB opened in 2000.

I'll take a swing at this and go with one thing: Money Vortex is the oldest steel coaster in the park, and while it always draws a considerable number of guests per day, I don't think those number merit new trains. I'm sure it would be possible for new trains to be made (either by Premier or Vekoma) but I just don't think it would be worth it for the park.

I think the ride is intense enough as it is, and besides the ending (which I find to be terrible) I don't think the sequence can get much better. The problem I have with Tomb Raider is the low reliability of a number of its effects. Not only on the ride, but in the antechambers before as well. I don't know how hard it is to keep a paper flame going, but considering I can buy that effect at my local Radio Shack, I can't imagine they are too technically advanced.

Is there some sort of discount on admission prices after a certain time during the parks operating day? For example, maybe after 6 o'clock tickets are half price. I can't seem to find this on the PKI website, nor have I seen it advertised anywhere around the park (Granted, I haven't looked too hard either.)

I've always tried to spot a few people from PKIU whenever I go to the park, but considering I know literally no one here, I can only go by names. (And I only know two or three names at most!) I don't really want to introduce myself to a ride-op considering they have work to be done, so that throws any and all opportunities out the window. Hopefully, this will change with BeastBuzz! Next time I plan on going to the park, I'll post a pre-trip trip report telling what I'm wearing and what friends I'm going to be with so that anyone will be able to spot who I am. I remember the chat with Jeff Siebert a while back...Everyone on the chat knew each other, and I was the odd one out. I seem to recall being known as "the kid who asked beastfreak a lot of questions about being an employee at PKI but didn't get hired." Ahhh memories...

I haven't ridden the Flying Eagles in years. I don't quite understand the unique fascination that so many people seem to have with this ride. I suppose I would need to learn how to "snap" before getting a liking of it. I forgot to mention, but there were also a few spots in the Green Slime Zone where concrete was being torn up and pipes were either being added or removed, I couldn't tell. There was no major (de?)contstruction but enough up-rooted concrete to notice.

Scooters? Never heard of them. What time did recaR open? We left the park around 5 PM, but I would have liked to have given recaR a try. I don't think I've ridden it for at least two years.

I pulled into the parking lot with my three friends around 9:30 AM. The weather report was looking very bad for the day, and I was beginning to regret driving the hour that it takes to get to PKI from my town. Plus, two of my friends didn't have season passes, and although they had bought $26 tickets from Blockbuster, that is a lot of money to waste on a closed park. Luckily, the rain held out and it was an awesome day. While the park was semi-crowded, (mostly middle school aged kids who couldn't bring themselves to ride the bigger rides) the lines were almost non-existant. All throughout the day Human Resource workers were stuck as temporary ride-ops, so capacity was down. Here's a breakdown of the rides, in no particular order: Drop Zone: Seeing that we entered the park at such an early time, I decided to ride Drop Zone when the line would be shortest. (I rode it later on in the day as well, and only two rows of queue were full.) This is the only ride in the park that still gives me that adrenaline rush that made me fall in love with roller coasters. The new seats are nice, and I didn't notice any changes with the restraints, although the ops were being very particular when checking them. May have something to do with the Superman accident, may not. My favorite ride in the park - 10/10 Son of Beast: SOB was listed as a ride that would be closed for the day, but it opened up later on in the afternoon. With the new restraints, re-tracking, and a seat that isn't over a wheel carriage, Son of Beast is one heck of a wooden roller coaster. I'm going to have to try a wheel carriage seat to see it makes any difference. I got to ride with one of the ride-ops, but didn't catch his name. If you're on here, I'm the guy with the two psychotic girls. 9/10 Top Gun: Same old, same old for TG. No work on themeing, and the same bland grey-on-grey color scheme. I did happen to notice several pipes that stick up from the floor of the station where the trains load and unload. Are these where fog used to come up into the station? Best suspended coaster I've been on, but a little on the short side and the dilapidated themeing makes me sick. 7/10 Congo Falls: I haven't ridden this ride in years but it is a great way to cool off, with a minimal wait. 9/10 Adventure Express: Same old same old here as well. No music in the station, and several aspects of the themeing didn't seem to be working either. ( Try to guess which ones.) Just like Top Gun, Kings Island has the best Arrow of this kind anywhere. 8/10 Racer: Line jumping city with only forwards open. Almost an entire train of people cut in front of us in about 1 minute. One of my friends suggested some kind of shock collar for guests who cut in line. I like this idea, but I don't know how well it would work for business... A very, very smooth ride, with several pops of airtime depsite trim brakes. 8/10 Vortex: My favorite Arrow looper of all time, and it is even better knowing the history of that plot of land. 10/10 The Beast: A path leading to Beast has been painted with silver paw prints, which is a nice effect. The new signs are also cool, but I still haven't got the chance to see the entire documentary, and I can only imagine what the lighting package is like at night. PKI as usual does a great job with their wooden coasters, although it seemed that the trims were incredibly heavy. Don't know if that is possible or not, can magnetic trims be modified? 8/10 Tomb Raider: The Ride: For some reason, only the middle row on TR:TR was being used, so capacity was terrible. I know TR is a complicated ride, but I wish it would get settled down sooner or later. No new program, and several effects not working. The fog, on the other hand, was on FULL BLAST, and that is how it should be ALL THE TIME. 7/10 Wild Thornberry's River Adventure: Rode this thing twice for some odd reason, but I really like this ride. Anyone have an pictures pre-Nickelodian? 9/10 Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle: I only got a score of 820, so I wasn't too pleased with myslef, however the incredibly short line made up for it. For some reason, the background music only played in a few scenes, so it was eerily quite throughout the ride. I think the ghosts of Phantom want their ride back...7/10 Ate at Mandarin Cuisine, and it was great as usual. Very hot, and okay pricing. A great day at PKI!

Does anyone have any pictures of the old dolphin sohw and the building that it was in? Any other information would be helpful too.

That's probably right because Tom Cat's Taxi Jam was built in 1992 and Boa Squeeze was built in 2001.

The "fog" was turned off because it wasn't fog, it was water mist. The mist slowly caused the track to rust, so it was cheaper to keep the mist off than keep it on all the time and have to replace the track every so often. It would be nice though, if PKI would replace the misters with actual fog machines instead. And I rode Adventure Express about 15 times during the 2003 season and the spears only moved once. ( And even then, it wasn't but an inch or so from only one or two of them ) I watched them from the time I entered the tunnel until the time the train went over the lift hill, and they never moved. I'm not blind, in fact, I'm perfectly capable of detecting if the spears moved or not. They didn't. They may have worked sometimes during the season, but for some reason I doubt that because 1 out of 15 isn't that great of a record. Adventure Express is a great ride, its just that the themeing has gone down hill. Hopefully, PKI will keep of the re-furbishing they started with the second lifthill and station music and take AE to the way it was before.

That's a great idea RyanA. There is what seems to be a lot of "empty space" on Tomb Raider where more themeing could be placed, this is especially noticeable when entering the ride in the last or first rows. The Technifex Fauxfire would be a great addition. ( Not like it's going to happen, but it'd be cool. )

Better pray harder. The styrofoam is quickly falling apart, even in places guests would never be able to destroy.