More Kings Island 2011/2012 Teaser Pics

These pics are getting daily. Check these out:

















Sorry man, you had your chance for some Vasebreaker. =/

















Some weird looking eye.

















Some dino claws!

As for more ride rumors, some people think that it is a new area with a new coaster, however, some people believe this will be something crazy like a Son of Beast rehab similar to what is being done with the Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas, replacing wood track with steel track (though I still say this is a wooden coaster). It is true that there have been rumors lately of Son of Beast getting the treatment, but with the current hints (including the location behind Racer and the marked tree), I doubt this is Son of Beast-related (unless they were to move it, which I can't see). Meanwhile, others are keeping their expectations low, saying this will be some kind of walkthrough related to dinosaurs (anything related to this is not an option, since Cedar Fair doesn't do walkthroughs or animal-related things) or an Action Theater makeover (I really really REALLY doubt this, because in the first teaser video, Don Helbig says "in a spectacular outdoor setting" and the Action Theater is indoors, unless it is one of the scenes).

So yeah, I sense a Blitz coaster (or even better, a giga =D).

Cheetah Hunt Is Complete!

http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/updates/bgt3.14.11/

Looks like Cheetah Hunt is complete, with the track finally going over the Skyride cable. I really can't wait until Thursday! =D

Meanwhile, some other theme elements are occurring in the first portion, with some of the station front painted orange (like in the plans).

Either way, the ride will look spectacular this Thursday! =D

More Crazy Kings Island Teasers

Yesterday, three more pics have been added to the Kings Island teaser page:

















A backhoe behind the trees.

















A man looking at some interesting plans.

















And a shipping container in the parking lot (similar to the one in the smaller background image of the teaser page). What could be inside? Anyone care for some Vasebreaker? ;) Plants Vs Zombies FTW! =D

With that last pic, I wonder if this is really going to be from B&M, since B&Ms don't usually travel in shipping containers (from the nearby Ohio plant at least). Intamins usually travel in shipping containers as seen here:


















Intimidator 305


















Cheetah Hunt

Makes me wonder if this will be an Intamin Blitz/Giga. Both sound good to me.

It Has Come...

Well I believe it has come... I didn't really expect the announcement to be now... but it is... straight off of Universal's Facebook page:

Hey fans! On April 1, we will close Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast and immediately begin work on an all-new experience based on an amazing concept. The new attraction is just one of many exciting things planned for the next couple of years. Meanwhile, Boy Genius fans will be excited to know that the attraction will re-open for limited periods during the spring and summer before closing permanently on August 18.

So that is that...

RIP

Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast

2003-2011

=(

Hopefully the replacement will be worth it. I'm ready for something new, and I have no doubt Universal will do this right! =) Please be Despicable Me! =D

The thing that really intrigues me is this quote:

The new attraction is just one of many exciting things planned for the next couple of years.

Maybe there will be other things too... like Avatar replacing Terminator... or Harry Potter Phase II dominating the remainder of the Lost Continent... or finally putting something in that old Herc/Zena building... or better yet, even the death of Fear Factor Live!! Seriously, one could hope... >=D

Kings Island 2012 Update

The main page has been updated once again, showing a new background (where the "Something Big Is Coming" is): a shipping container.
















And... a goose (maybe it is random XD):


















I also did some more research on what is going on. It seems that people are thinking that this may have a connection with the removal of the old Lazer Trek building (as of February 26, 2009) adjacent to the WindSeeker site. And check out this video:



Pay attention at 0:44-0:46 behind Racer (March 8, 2011). It looks like some kind of crane in the Action Theater area... which to me looks like something is indeed going on here.

Also, in some WindSeeker construction photos, it seems to not show the old Lazer Trek lawn (as pointed out by TOPGUN1993):

http://www.kicentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=23493&view=findpost&p=418352

However, a little glimpse is seen in the land adjacent to it, the abandoned "Coney Potato works food stand along with the abandon Flight Commander queue line", and it seems that the fencing is removed.

I also remember reading when they announced WindSeeker in August, that it was part of bringing some life into the Coney Mall section of the park, which is where the Lazer Trek lawn is. Hmmm...

Anyways, I'll keep ya'll updated. Again, this could be for anything. Why?

Because I'm CRAA-! Ahem... my apologies.

Park Updates #9

Despicable Me Update:

From Screamscape:

2012 - Despicable Me & Kong 360 - Rumor - (3/11/11) I’m hearing rumors that either Universal will not lose the rights to use Jimmy Neutron until the end of the year, or that they may have struck an extension deal to allow the ride to continue to operate a little longer. Either way, the rumors about a 2012 replacement attraction, still thought to be themed to Despicable Me, is going strong.
(2/18/11) In case anyone was wondering how much Universal may really want to have a Despicable Me attraction in their theme parks, consider this little tidbit. Sales of the Despicable Me DVD’s allowed Universal’s to show a 38% increase in their Q4 report.
(2/17/11) While I still don’t have any more solid info on the opening of a Despicable Me attraction for 2012, I did uncover that Despicable Me 2 was in production for a 2013 release. Adding a theme park attraction for 2012 would make perfect sense to see the characters alive and in the public focus for the year ahead of the new film’s premier. After all, Universal did the same thing with Shrek 4D, by opening it a year in advance of Shrek 2 hitting the theaters, and hyping it as the official story to bridge the gap between the two films.

I've come to the conclusion that I will just wait and see what Universal does. I trust them, and I'm ready for something new.

Don't get me wrong viewers, JNNB is a great ride at USF, but if it goes for a better attraction (Despicable Me), you got a deal! But if the rumor gets cheapened (Disaster), horrible (Fear Factor), or something bad (Miss Congeniality comes to mind), then just forget it: SAVE JIMMY NEUTRON!!!

So I will just wait and see what Universal does.

Cheetah Hunt:

Well, recently there was a fuss about the Skyride cable clearance and the airtime hill over the Skyride. It seems that the solution is to lower the towers around the coaster area:

(3/3/11) After yesterday’s big fuss over a possible miscalculation on Cheetah Hunt, I’m happy to report that I was able to get in touch with the park for a statement on the issue, which they report to be false. False as in there was no miscalculation… they have known all along that the they were going to lower the Skyride towers in that area to allow for Cheetah Hunt to jump over it. Here is the statement from the park below…
“…part of what makes Cheetah Hunt such an amazing addition is its use of an interaction with existing park elements. To make that happen, of course it has been necessary to make major changes to several park landmarks like Rhino Rally, the Clydesdale Hamlet, the Crown Colony and the Monorail Station.
Some of the more subtle changes include raising the floor in the Monorail Station, cutting back the waterfall outcropping in Rhino Rally canyon and moving some of the Serengeti Express’ train tracks. Some of the more major changes – many of which are immediately noticeable to guests in the area – that are taking place include building new guest bridges and pathways between Nairobi and Edge of Africa, building a seating terrace in front of the Crown Colony, replacing the Clydesdale Hamlet’s wooden stalls with secure “bedrooms” for the cheetahs, and, indeed, lowering certain Skyride towers near the area where the track “jumps” the cable.”
While we’re on the subject of Cheetah Hunt, check out the latest construction update over at BGT Nation and RCPro this week.
(3/2/11) The big rumor coming in from several contacts and sources over the past 24 hours is that a couple of big issues have come up with Cheetah Hunt. First of all, several people are saying that the work in “Trench 2” has hit a snag as the digging down there may be having a problem with water seeping into the trench that has to be addressed. (It’s hard to dig too deep in Florida before you hit the water table you know…)
The second and larger issue of note has to do with that “leap” over the Skyride. The big rumor going around this week is that a serious miscalculation was made here and that there is going to be clearance issues between Cheetah Hunt and the SkyRide. I attempted to get a statement about this rumor from Busch Gardens Tampa today, but as of this writing, they have not gotten back in touch with me with a comment.
Having said that, one has to wonder where the error was made. Did the surveyors make the mistake long before the construction started, or did an error come from Stengle’s layout calculations, the track fabricators or even Intamin itself? We can’t just point the finger at Intamin here and say, “Look, another Maverick” as there really are simply too many piece of the puzzle right now to know where the fault came from.
In the end, it sounds like either the coaster is going to have to be altered or the SkyRide itself. Don’t think that it would be simply to try and “shorten” the SkyRide towers however, as there is a lot more involved than that. They would have to get a new shorter cable for the ride, and then likely have to adjust the whole counter-weight system that maintains the tension on the cable at all times. If they used the same old counter-weight, it would likely put too much tension on the cable and could damage or even snap it.
Of course manufacturing new track for a higher jump over the SkyRide may not be a viable solution either if the coaster’s layout does not allow for the train to have enough velocity to achieve the higher jump at that point in the ride. In this case, they could be forced to return to the original idea, as seen in the animation, where the track simply goes under the SkyRide once again.
In the end, I’m really hoping the rumors are wrong here and that we’ll see Cheetah Hunt open as promised for Memorial Day Weekend. More as I find out…

Vertical construction has restarted today with the 130 ft. drop into the second trench going up.

http://www.bgtnation.net/2011/03/cheetah-hunt-tower-drop-started.html

And it seems that the trains are on site (they have been painted recently):

http://www.bgtnation.net/2011/03/cheetah-hunt-train-on-track-station.html

They look very cool... perfect for hunting with cheetahs! =D

Invertigo On the Move:

Looks like Dragon Coaster, one of the rides by the old Laser site getting removed, is going up at Valleyfair for Planet Snoopy (it has been reported on February 18). Meanwhile, more evidence of Invertigo going up at Dorney Park is appearing in the form of deliveries (this also includes recent Invertigo deconstruction updates):

February 14, 2011 - A crane has appeared by Invertigo.

February 18, 2011 - Some track from the spike is gone.

February 22, 2011 - Invertigo's cars arrive at Dorney Park.

February 25, 2011 - The spike supports/track are gone

March 8, 2011 - Invertigo track pieces have been discovered in the Dorney Park parking lot.

And from Screamscape:

2012 - Invertigo - Semi-Confirmed - (3/7/11) A local area reader snapped a great picture of a piece of Invertgo track leaving CGA on it's way to Dorney Park this week. This has been followed by two more pictures sent in showing off two entirely different trucks carrying different Invertigo track pieces crossing the country, which is kind of amazing coverage to have all in one short weekend. Way to go to the Screamscape readers for keeping their eyes open and camera phones at the ready!

This information pretty much confirms Invertigo's final destination.

Kings Island 2012:

From Screamscape:

2012 - New Attraction - Rumor - (2/22/11) Kings Island has been teasing their facebook fans for a couple of weeks now with strange drawings of a twisted red-line. At first I was thinking it was some kind of walk-around path, created by a GPS style tracking system, but now others also believe it may be a topography map that could show off a possible expansion to the X-Base area of the park. In any case, this seems to be the start of hints for what’s to come in 2012 to Kings Island. You can catch the latest image and some comments posted over at KICentral.

Recently there has been crazy rumors spreading that Kings Island will get something big for 2012 (their 40th season). I remember posting a rumor that Flight Deck (Arrow Suspended) was getting removed in 2011. The rumor then was the 2012 ride. As of November, however, the ride is getting repainted, so it seems it could be staying for a few more years.

Now the 2012 rumor (as seen on Screamscape) seems to involve a forest behind Racer (as seen on the "Planning" from February 14, 2011):


















Other teases from the park include:

January 28, 2011 - A picture of a dinosaur footprint in the snow.

February 4, 2011 - A strange picture of a red outline is posted on KI's Facebook page.

March 7, 2011 - A picture of Don Helbig (president of Kings Island) doing some work on the 2011 park map and covering the Son of Beast area and the stated area (I'm not sure if this is a teaser or not).

March 9, 2011 - Something weird appears on Kings Island's main page, showing the words "Something big is coming. You're history. 3-18-11" (hinting an announcement six days from now). It returns to normal later.

March 11, 2011 - The weird tagline appears again as: "Turn Back The Clock On Thrill. SOMETHING BIG IS COMING TO KINGS ISLAND." "3.18.11"

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/park/mud/index.cfm

And today, a little more of the page is revealed, showing a hilarious teaser video of the "announcement" (which is censored):



XD And other goodies include some pics:

















^A marked out tree.

















^Some really muddy water.

















^Some dirt with tracks on it (probably from construction equipment).

What could this be? Rumors seem to be out of control from a new section of the park (probably themed to prehistory), a new section of the park with a new coaster, or a new coaster. I doubt this has anything to do with Son of Beast, so we can rule that out for now, though some rumors state that the coaster will be getting a Texas Giant-type makeover (all depends on if the new Texas Giant is successful or not, which it seems so).

Anyways, I think the 2nd choice seems the most logical. As for the type of coaster, I think we could be dealing with one of the following options:

1. B&M Inverted Coaster
2. Intamin Blitz
3. Intamin Giga
4. B&M Dive Machine
5. B&M Wing Coaster

Any one of these sounds good, but I sense that this could be America's first B&M Wing Coaster, like Raptor at Gardaland and LC12 at Thorpe Park.

Either way, this looks like an interesting project to look, though this can be for anything (I still have a wild guess this is a B&M Wing Coaster). Why would I say something like that... well...

Because I'm CRAAAZY!!!!! Haha, just had to put it there somehow (I'm not just a coaster fanatic... Plants Vs. Zombies = HEAVEN TOO!!)...

Is California's Great America DOOMED?!

Sorry for not posting much lately (it's been very busy at school), but recently, people have been speculating a possible sale or closure of California's Great America (the park that removed Invertigo, which BTW has trains at Dorney Park, it's destination). Now, this article seems to nearly show the writing that is on the wall:

http://www.wksu.org/news/story/27583

Attendance at Cedar Fair’s amusement parks hit a record last year, and that meant record revenues of nearly a billion dollars. But investors still took a per-share loss of 57 cents, and the Sandusky-based company is still trying to finish the refinancing of its massive debt. WKSU’s M.L. Schultze has more on the release today of the company’s annual results.

Cedar Fair says nearly 23 million people visited its two-dozen amusement and water parks and hotels last year, a boost of nearly 8 percent over the year before. Cedar Fair credits aggressive marketing of season-passes, especially at its parks in the South and West.

And, it says, the good weather didn’t hurt.

Cedar Fair grew over the last decade a series of acquisitions that added to its original holding – Cedar Point – and to its debt.

But outgoing CEO Richard Kinzel says the company is stable now. And with the exception of a parkin Santa Clara, California, that it hopes to sell to the San Francisco 49ers, it anticipate no major deals.

“Other than that, we have no parks on the market and we’re not talking to any one about divesting any of our parks. We’re very pleased with all of them. They all contribute very handsomely to our bottom line.”

Whether Cedar Fair’s major investor agrees remains to be seen. The hedge fund – Q Investments – successfully pushed to oust Kinzel and is pushing for another special board meeting to get its own representatives on Cedar Fair’s board.

Great America is the Santa Clara park. After reading that, I'm now thinking... could this park be the next Kentucky Kingdom or Geauga Lake (I really hope not, but it seems inevitable!!)?

This post is to state what will probably happen to the rides in the park. Of course, with Invertigo all but confirmed for Dorney Park, that park can be ruled out of all options (unless it is a small flat ride, but still).

So, with that said, here is my post:

Flight Deck (B&M Invert): Options (unless you count Kings Dominion with Volcano): Valleyfair, Kings Island, and Kings Dominion. Kings Dominion just got I305, so that can be ruled out. Recently, Kings Island is rumored for something behind Racer for 2012 (teasers have been going on recently), but I don't think they would hype it up only to disappoint fans with a used coaster for 2012. Valleyfair seems like the most likely choice, as it has been rumored to get an Invert for a while now. Flight Deck could make a great fit there. My best guess is that it will go up by Thunder Canyon (river rapids) and Excalibur (and the entrance can squeeze by the Thunder Canyon).

Vortex (B&M Stand-Up): Options: Dorney Park, Kings Island, Knott's Berry Farm, Michigan's Adventure, Valleyfair, and Worlds of Fun. Dorney Park can automatically be ruled out (like I said, Invertigo is all but confirmed) so that leaves you with 5. Like I said, Kings Island is rumored for an expansion, and I doubt it will include a used coaster. Valleyfair seems possible, but I'm leaning towards Flight Deck for this park. The remainder seems really likely, but Knott's Berry Farm is in the same competing area as SFMM, which has a much better stand-up, Riddler's Revenge (I love this ride). The two most likely options are Michigan's Adventure and Worlds of Fun. MIA could use a stand-up, though there is one very similar in SFGAm: Iron Wolf. So I'm not really sure. Now, Worlds of Fun might have had a Stand-Up already, but so did SFGAdv, and we all know what they are getting (Chang/Green Lantern). That said, Worlds of Fun looks to be the winner on this one, as Vortex can make a great fit there, as the only stand-up in that state, and new trains and refurbishment can work too (I always heard it was very rough, especially for a B&M). Maybe they can put it between Tivoli Music Hall and Worlds of Fun Ave.

Psycho Mouse (Arrow Mad Mouse): Options: Cedar Point, Kings Island, Knott's Berry Farm, and Worlds of Fun. Any of these seem likely, but I'd honestly say Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's tried getting rid of Screamin' Swing for Demon Drop (funny, Screamin' Swing was to be sent to Great America... ironic). For some reason, I still sense that they are thinking of getting rid of it (I hope not, because those look fun)... or at least moving it to a different space (I would hope for this. Maybe by Sky Cabin). That space seems perfect for Psycho Mouse, and the park (along with an awesome Intimidator 305-type ride or B&M Hypercoaster) needs a Wild Mouse.

Xtreme Skyflier: Options: Dorney Park and Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's Berry Farm seems most likely for this one, as Dorney Park is getting Invertigo (yeah, I said it). They can build it adjacent to Pony Express, Screamin' Swing (which should be moved by Sky Cabin to make room for Psycho Mouse), and Ghost Town.

Planet Snoopy/Kidzville rides with Taxi Jam: Let's think for a moment: which Cedar Fair park is the only park without a Planet Snoopy or anything Snoopy-related, kiddie area wise (yes, I'm looking at you Knott's Berry Farm and Camp Snoopy)? Yep, that's Michigan's Adventure. Maybe behind Grand Rapids with an entrance between Grand Rapids and Adventure Falls, across from Thunderhawk.

Carousel Columbia: Initially, I thought they would sell it, but after looking at Worlds of Fun getting Geauga Lake's carousel, I can see Kings Island getting it, putting it in part of the old King Kobra site.

Tiki Twirl: Say, this looks to be a perfect gift for Worlds of Fun, putting it in the Africa section, by Boomerang or Prowler's entrance.

Firefall: This can go to Carowinds in the field by Intimidator.

Drop Tower: Michigan's Adventure is the only Cedar Fair park without a drop tower, but I hear there is a 200 ft. height restriction, so IDK. You never know though.

Delirium: My gut tells me this will end up at Kings Dominion taking up some of Hypersonic's old space, or replacing Beserker (they tried removing it once).

Now for some doomed rides:

Grizzly (wooden coaster): Woodies are hard to relocate (other than Starliner), and this ride receives some bad reputation, so I can't see anyone wanting it (ugh, it looks fun).

Demon (Arrow Corkscrew): It is very old, and old Arrows just don't seem relocatable these days (Big Bad Wolf, Great American Scream Machine, Double Loop, Python, etc.). =(

Woodstock's Express: (Intamin Family Coaster) Now I thought this could be relocated (it was once, according to RCDB), but after watching a POV, it looks like a terrain coaster. Since terrain rides are hard to relocate, I can't see this surviving.

Logger's Run: Cedar Fair is starting to remove log flumes (though some better ones (*cough*Shoot the Rapids*cough*) are being made). A few examples are Cedar Point's log flume (removed in 2005 for Maverick in 2007), Valleyfair's log flume (removed in 2008 for the Breaker's Bay wave pool in 2009), and Carowinds's log flume (obviously removed in 2008 for Intimidator in 2010). I can't see CF saving this ride.

Whitewater Falls: Okay, maybe this ride has a chance of being sold to someone else (like Geauga Lake's), but I can't see CF saving this either.

So these are my thoughts. Again, I would prefer if Cedar Fair keeps the park, but with the nearby neighbors and the 49ers stadium, I can't see it.