Disney is (unsurprisingly) closing rides.

In a shocking move to no-one, Disney World announces permanent ride closures. 

I'm unsure how anyone can be surprised at this point when rides that have been on 'seasonal only' status for years finally close.

This week Disney World finally announced that 'Primeval Whirl' and 'Sititch's Great Escape' we're closed for good. Both rides have operated as 'seasonal only' for years. In the case of Stitch's Geat Escape, it's been on 'seasonal only' status since 2016. Primeval has been seasonal longer than I can even recall. The surprising bit out of this round of closures is that the 'River of Light' night show at Animal Kingdom will also be closed. The nighttime attraction was rather widely popular and has only been running for three years.

Which leaves the question, with the sudden cuts Disney has been making due to the loss of income from the coronavirus shutdown, will anything new actually go into these spaces?

Rumors have circulated for  years about Stitch's Great Escape being replaced. We've heard everything from 'Alien Encounters is coming back' to 'Wreck-it Ralph'.  As for Primeval Whirl, it's hard to say. Some speculate that we'll be seeing a re-theme to Dinoland USA while others think that the space will turn into another flat-ride. Again, I expect this is going to boil down to if (or when) Disney decides they are ready to spend money again.  I wouldn't expect too much for at least a year, if not longer.

Cedar Point is... half open.

Cedar Point is open for the season, but is it really?

Cedar point is officially open for what is left of the Summer 2020 season, but the parks has opened missing almost a dozen rides.

Famous for roller coasters and thrill seeking, Cedar Point has currently closed five of their seventeen coasters.
Blue Streak, Gemini, Top Thrill Dragster, Wicked Twister and Rougaou are not operating and likely won't for the rest of the summer season.

Surprisingly, this closed coaster list includes the famous 'Top Thrill Dragster' or as many refer to it  'The Lawn Ornament'.  A coaster notorious for downtime and closing due to weather (winds) but also a huge crowd favorite since opening in 2003.

Cedar Point is blaming capacity and the limited season for the closures. However, Cedar Points  sister park Kings Island has everything up are running, including at least two rides Cedar Point has closed. Rumor has it that it's the utter lack of foreign staffing that's harming the park, not capacity limits. Cedar Point is also famous for bringing in overseas help for the busy summer season, to staff the park. With the US boarder (along with most of the world) closed right now, the park simply can't get enough staff to keep their ride collection operating.

It's not only the roller coasters which are suffering from lack of staffing- Flat rides have been gutted including the famous 'Antique Cars' and "Cedar Downs Racing Derby'.  Also on this list of closed flat-rides are Frontier Fling, Joe Cools Dodgem School, Monster, ALL of Planet Snoopy, SlingShot, Super Huimalaya, Waver Swinger and WindSeeker.

So if your planning to go to Cedar Point this short season, please make sure you check to see what rides are currently operating.

Parks and Coronavirus- Too Soon or Not Soon Enough?

Coronavirus is on the rise for the Summer 2020 season. 

Many of us have been waiting, with a mix of concern, fear and hope, that the summer 2020 season would somehow happen. Hoping for life to get back to normal now that we all understood how to protect ourselves against COVID19 which devastated the world the first half of 2020.

Along with this, many of the things we enjoy have closed or been delayed in reopening. From shopping, to restaurants.. the world ground to a screeching, smoking halt. We've waited, followed the rules and kept ourselves safe in hopes that we could return to our favorite past-times. For us, it was one goal: amusement and theme parks.

Which drives the major question: Is it safe to reopen?

Honestly, we are of two minds here.

On one hand, it doesn't seem like it's yet safe to reopen the amusement parks and theme parks we all love. Not while people are still fighting about wearing masks and washing their hands. With the rise in cases, it's obvious many give no care for the welfare of others and in such a public area? It's going to be even more difficult to be safe with the blatant disregard of some.

On the other hand, we want our parks. We want to enjoy the summer season, explore beloved areas and ride all the new additions. We've gone stir-crazy and want out just as much as the next person in line. The parks themselves have worked out ways to try and keep things as safe as possible. From limited attendance, mobile applications for lines and heavy sanitizing routines. They are trying to reopen for us.

In the end, it boils down to one thing... we don't know.

We can't tell you it's going to be fine and that you'll be fine. 

We can't tell you it's safe, because we don't know. 

None here can speak if the parks are reopening too soon or not soon enough. We'd like to believe they mean well and want guests safe. Because without guests, they have no business. That said, I'd like to urge people to take their own initiative to be safe. Worry about yourself and take precautions. Don't simply throw yourself into the merriment and forget everything we've had to re-learn the hard way!

Follow the rules. Wash your hands. Wear your mask. Sanitize often.

Yes, it's inconvenient.  Yes, it's annoying.
But it's still far better to be inconvenienced and annoyed now than it is to possibly die, alone, in a hospital bed from something you could have prevented.

So Please, Stay Safe.

Fourth of July Weekend Plans

Good evening readers!!!


Just wanted to give all you lovelies a bit of good news in this pretty boring and lackluster summer.

The ISI crew is going to King's Island this holiday weekend for Passholder Preview!!!  So expect our review of King's Island and how they handle the new guidelines and, of course, our review of Orion!!!

And don't worry because we will, for sure, be riding all our favorites!!
(Banshee, The Beast, Diamondback, Mystic Timbers....SERIOUSLY I can't choose)

We can't wait to share this weekend with everyone!!

ISI crew - Carrie, Alex, and Michael

 

Breaking News- Disney to Re-theme Splash Mountain

Breaking News: Disney announces that Splash Mountain will be re-themed to "Princess and a Frog". 

With the current movements in the world and changes coming to be more sensitive to minorities, Disney has announced that Splash Mountain will undergo a re-theme.

Currently, Splash Mountain is themed upon the controversial film "Song of the South" which is considered 'banned' by the Disney Vault. It has not been seen or released since 2000. The ride is hugely popular but it's unlikely many have seen the movie which is was based upon.

On the matter, the below is what Disney has to state about the matter:

Today, Disney announced that in both the US parks, Splash Mountain will be transformed with the hit movie "Princess and the Frog".  Disney has stated this new ride will tell a story, picking up where the movie left off. We'll be following Tiana and Louis on musical adventure as they prepare for their first Mardi Gras performance.

Currently there are no additional details or information regarding the new changes coming to the ride.

Parks are quietly adding opening dates.

Amusement parks are quietly adding opening dates and times online.  

While most amusement parks don't rate the attention Disney and Universal collect, you would still expect some kind of notice about them reopening after COVID19. However, you'd be wrong.

 It seems amusement and theme parks across the east coast are quietly updating their websites to show opening dates and hours without a big to-do. We've been keeping an eye on things and it seems this week, dates and times are appearing on websites with little or no fanfare.

Just today we discovered the following have opening dates:

Busch Gardens Williamsburg: June 25th.
Kennywood: July 1st.
Idlewild Park: July 3rd.
Waldameer Park: June 22nd.
Dollywood: June 15th
Knoebels: July 3rd.


Ceder Fair parks still show no opening dates, but it has been discussed about Carowinds reopening soon (July 27th) according to various news articles. This would put Cedar Fair behind the eight ball of collecting what is left of the 2020 season.

Seaworld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa have also dropped opening dates in the last few days, with both parks set to open to the public again on June 11th.

Please note, all these parks will have limited capacity and various ticket rules. Plan accordingly by seeing what rules each park has and if they require a reservation system, ticket sales rules and modified hours.

Disney Slashes Reservations, Hotels, Dining and FastPasses

The new 'Disney World Resort' in a post COVID19 world will have a new look and extremely limited service, reservations and options for guests.


Honestly, I'm not sure what the world expected in a post-plague world but it seems that the changes coming to Disney World are not what the public expected.

Today details dropped from Disney World in regards to exactly what changes would be happening around the resort. The changes are massive, and from dining plans to FastPasses, the world will not look the same when it reopens and likely not for a long time.


Full Stop on Sales
Reservations and Ticket Sales are gone. Disney has decided to currently halt all new ticket sales and reservations for the resort. The parks state this is to help accommodate those who have already repurchased or moved reservations due to the closure due to COVID19. Meaning you cannot currently reserve a hotel room, purchase a package or buy a ticket to visit any Disney World park now or for the current future.   Only existing reservations will stay in place, with no word on when things may resume.

Yes, you read this correctly: You cannot currently buy a ticket to visit Disney World.


Booking Window Cuts
The normal booking period for Disney is normally 180 days in advance, in this new world that time has been slashed and is now currently only 60 days in advance.


Extra Magic Hours Halted
Disney has stated any and all previously planned 'Extra Magic Hours' are halted and will not be used in the forthcoming reopening.


Dining Reservations and Plans Slashed
Disney stated today that all current dining plans and dining reservations are cancelled. You can't make, book or otherwise use dining reservations previously made at the parks. Those with a dining plan will no longer have that option and will need to make other arrangements.
You can re-book some limited dining experiences within a 60 day window.


FastPasses Suspended
The FastPass system is fully suspended. Until further noticed, the current system of FastPass+ will be suspended to allow for all additional line space to be used to accommodate social distancing.
No more FastPasses.


Magicband Sales Halted
Disney has suspended and removed all sales of MagicBands for the foreseeable future. Only current orders or already shipped MagicBands will be received.


Experiences Cancelled
Disney has cancelled all "high touch experiences" within the parks. Meaning make-over experiences like 'Bibbity-Bobbity Boutique' are closed. Along with this the parks stated that playgounds. golfing and character experiences are also unavailable to guests.


These details were released and clarified in the last two days. With these new and massive changes to the park the landscape of Disney World continues to evolve in this pre-reopening phase. The reservation system for visiting the parks has not yet been released, details of that are expected to drop in the coming dates.

For more details, you can read all the changes on the Disney World information page.

Disney World Announces Reopening Dates

Disney World announced dates for post-coronavirus re-opening. 

In no real shock to anyone, Disney World in Orlando, Florida has broken their silence on their reopening. The parks have been closed since mid-March along with most other amusement parks and attractions in the Central Florida area.

News broke today that states Disney World's reopening plan has been approved. The parks will reopen with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11th, 2020. Epcot and Hollywood Studios will follow four days later, opening on July 15th, 2020.

This date follows the news that both Universal Orlando and several other parks across the country have dropped opening dates for what is left of the 2020 summer travel season. What many aren't considering in the light of this announcement, are the restrictions which will be in place. The gates are just not being thrown open to the 'happiest place on earth'.

Disney has stated both employees and guests will be REQUIRED to wear masks in the parks and also undergo a temperature screening prior to admittance.  Considering how openly flaunted these restrictions have been at Disney Springs (which reopened on May 20th), it doesn't bode well for those who are concerned with safety. Will Disney actually enforce this rule? How will it be enforced? Will those openly violating the rules face consequences? There are no details it be found in regards to how this will be handled.

Park capacity will be 'greatly reduced' and they will offer no parades, night time fireworks shows or other events which cause large gatherings of people. This means that we're likely looking at these parks having a 20-30% capacity in effect, if they follow the model used in the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland. I can tell you already, this will lead to a massive rise in complaints (please be kind to Guest Services, they are trying.) The shows are one of the great draws of the parks, and missing these will lead to a changed experience.

The resort will enable cashless transactions by expanding contactless payments. This is not much in the way of news, but the expansion is a bonus. Over my years of experience both working at theme parks and visiting them, cash transactions have become rare. Most people are using cards or the debit system linked to their Magicbands.

Disney has stated they will increase the number of available hand sanitizing stations.  This is good, but I've heard the argument put that this will 'ruin the immersion'. After a quick poll on Twitter we found that is a 'weak at best, stupid at worst' argument. If a hand sanitizing station ruins your vacation, you probably shouldn't be on vacation.

While this is a good step in the right direction, concerns still arise from the logistics involved, some of which we have mentioned. By no means are these even the tip of the iceberg but Disney, along with Florida as a whole, are pushing hard to get the tourists rolling back in and thus boost the flagging economy during what should be the busy summer season.

There has also been no word in regards to the reopening of the numerous Disney Resort Hotels, Resort Pools, or the Disney Water Parks.

Coronavirus and Amusement Parks- What will re-opening look like?

 Amusement Parks, Coronavirus and Re-opening.. oh my? 

 Nothing is normal and nothing will be the same for a long time. So how is this going to effect the summer season? 





 Amusement parks and theme parks across the country are starting to prep for reopening and what is left of the summer park season. With announcements beginning today and more expected to break their silence in the next week.

 As of 5/21/20, several parks have announced opening days including Six Flags Great Adventure and Holiday World. With social distancing in place, face masks required and dozens of new sanitation rules in place- the changes to your summer park fun are going to be massive. It's now time to take a look at what this strange, new amusement park world is likely going to look like.

Kings Island- Orion, New coaster for 2020.

Kings Island building a new giga coaster, Orion for 2020. 

In August, Kings Island shocked the coaster world with the announcement they would be building a new giga-coaster for the 2020 season.



 The first giga to be built in five years, this comes as big news as the park hasn't built a new coaster since Mystic Timbers in 2017. Cedar Fair parks often run in cycles, each park gets new attractions or additions each year but coasters tend to only come on the building block every 3-5. It's impressive Kings Island is getting something new so quickly over their sister park, Cedar Point, who has been added a new coaster every two years lately.

Let's get into the real details of this new beautiful creature coming to Kings Island.

Manufacturer: Bollinger and Mabillard
Type: Steal, Giga Coaster
Ride Time: 3 minutes.
Trains: 2 trains of 8 car each, 4 riders in a single row for 32 riders per train.
Track Length: 5,321 feet
First Drop Height: 300 feet
Length of First Drop: 447 feet
Top Speed: 91 MPH
Total Hills: 8


Set to open in Spring of 2020, Orion boasts some impressive stats. It's 70 feet taller than Diamond Back, the current tallest coaster in the park. Built by the same coaster company, Kings Island boasts a collection of the finest things B&M has to offer.

Orion is themed to a new area of the park, Area 72. Themed around a group of scientists in a race to develop travel though a coming meteor storm and investigating a new planet in the Orion constellation. Naturally, we riders will be the 'volunteers' to help with testing out this transport system.

The new themed area will be going into the park which currently houses Flight of Fear, beyond the Racer. Ground clearing for this new coaster has been in progress since 2018 when Firehawk was demolished. During this time when additional land clearing began, fans began to get suspicious- why would they need that much land cleared out suddenly?

A coaster, was the obvious answer and Orion doesn't disappoint.

Orion is taking over a portion of the space Firehawk once occupied and a good bit more, stretching itself into the back part of the park towards the wooden area Beast plays in and that once housed the 'Dinosaurs Alive' attraction.

 In September, Kings Island showed us this lovely gem. The beginnings of the lift hill base and starting on vertical progress.

More recently, Wild Gravity Travels showed us this amazing little gem from earlier in November. The lift hill has been completed and downward progress is nearly to the bottom of the first drop.  While it's difficult to tell, we can guess that outward progress from the lift hill has begun in the form of supports and footers. Although how the cold weather will slow construction is difficult to say.

If we get the chance, we'll have to get out to Winterfest and take a look for ourselves.

Image from Attractions Magazine 

New today we have these lovely, sweet looking new trains which where just released at the IAAPA expo in Orlando, Florida.  B&M displayed the lead car for the new coaster at the expo, giving fans a another hint of what to expect in the spring of next year.

Easy to say, we're excited. We look forward to watching the progress of this coaster more so than we already are.  So stay tuned, space travelers? Space Travelers, we're going with it.. we'll have more to come soon!

New coaster trains for Busch Gardens Parks shown at the IAAPA

 IAAPA Shows Off New Coaster Cars for Busch Gardens.

 It's that time of year again, the IAAPA is in full swing and images are coming down hard and fast. Showing off the latest and greatest, the soon to open and the future news- a lot is going to drop this week with the expo going on!

 SeaWorld Parks is offering some of the first showings here with the two new coasters coming to the Busch Gardens parks.

Image from Theme Park Insider

 Up first, we've got the new coaster train design going in to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and the coaster Pantheon.  Intamin showed off the design, which to be honest, I'm not thrilled with.

Allow me to explain..

 The same harness design is used at Hershey Park for the coaster 'Sky Rush' which has the unloving nickname 'Thigh Crush' for a reason.
 Rather than going with the slightly older design, they've opted to use this model for the new coaster.

 Although considering it's not a wing coaster, there could be some saving grace to our poor thighs in the future. At least, if your not short? I'll have to wait and see with this one.

Image from Theme Park Insider 

 Busch Gardens Tampa isn't to be left out of the fun either, showing off the new trains for the redesign of Gwazi.  Created by Rocky Mountain Coasters, it's now called 'Iron Gwazi'. The coaster will be a complete re-track of the original ride with many of the old elements removed and new added, combining it into a single track coaster.

 Taking away the dueling element does allow more room to work and design, but seems like it's somehow taking away a key element of an original design. Dueling coasters are becoming a rarity these days, but let me digress once more..



 Let me confess something to you, the trains confuses me.

 Gwazi was (supposedly) named after the legend of a creature which had both the head of a lion and the head of a tiger, thus why each side was designated 'lion' or 'tiger'. However, in this new coaster train theme, seem to share nothing more than the name with the original coaster. Rather this is now 'crocodile inspired thrills'!

 Perhaps it's just me, but I liked the 'big cat' theme as it fell in nicely with the education programs the park runs regarding their big cats. Although I do suppose it's time to branch out as they have 'Kumba',  'Cheetah Chase' and 'Tigris' now.


Anyway, I've digressed enough for one afternoon.

We're looking forward to more news from the IAAPA's 2019 show.

We'll cover the SeaWorld Parks in tomorrows update- There is PLENTY more to come!

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Pantheon News 11/2

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Pantheon News 

 For those who haven't been following along, Pantheon is the newest coaster coming to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2020.  Themed to the Roman Gods, with various elements of the coaster being named after them, the ride is an Intamin steel, sit-down coaster. Slated to be the fastest, multi-launch coaster in North America.

Haunt Review- Castle Blood, Death Becomes You.

Haunt Review- Castle Blood, Death Becomes You. 

 As an admitted fan of Castle Blood, when Gravely told me they had a show unlike anything before, that would 'really be a challenge' I should have listened to the wise caretaker. By now, you'd think, I'd know better.. yet I had doubts.

I don't anymore.

 As always with Castle Blood, in writing this, there won't be much detail. In fact, there will be very little information regarding the show because small details will give away the game.

Now, to the review!

InSanity Gets The Groove Back

...or we can call it 'Remembering how I loved the Haunts'. 

Leave of Absence

Hey Folks,

We here at ISI will be absent for a while.

On Thursday, August 8th, my dad passed away after a long battle with congestive heart failure. It wasn't unexpected but it has left a gaping whole in my own heart.
So I'm asking for your forgiveness and understanding right now, it's going to take me a bit of time to bounce back. Updates will be scarce for a bit while both grieving happens and healing begins.

Thank you all for understanding.

Steel Curtain June Update

Hello readers,

Sorry it's been a minute since I've updated about Steel Curtain; life just got in the way. So there has been quite a lot of progress on the build for Steel Curtain and the trains have arrived as well.  The seats are shaped like footballs; because the whole football theme going on with Steelers Country.  So I'll start with pictures of the seats for everyone since that's where I have some issues:

As you can see the seats are shaped like footballs and...well...they look SUPER uncomfortable.  Seriously who thought it was a good idea to put thigh holders on roller coaster seats! Besides having the crotch holder on the seat (because I can't think of another thing to call it) there are also the thigh holders on the lap bars too.  Like, I get the safety but if you've never sat in one of those let me tell why it sucks ass: if you have thighs that are bigger than, well, a stick which most people do unless you're a teenager then those lap belts are squeeze you in there.  The last time I rode a coaster with thigh huggers, I definitely bruised on my sides so I am not looking forward to that again.

Other than my unhappiness with the seats the rest of the ride is coming together nicely.  I am excited to see the finish project and ride the coaster.  Here are the most recent pictures posted by Kennywood:

 

 

 These pictures look amazing and make me excited for the ride.  The only downside is that Kennywood has not updated their website with an official opening date; it still says Summer 2019.

These pictures were from just last week on Flag Day.

As you can see from the above picture the coaster is nearing completion with only a little bit left to complete before the ride opens.  I do wish that Kennywood would announce an opening date already; like how are we supposed to plan to visit, haha?





While it may seem like that on occasion I am not excited for Steel Curtain; I really am.  I am just not looking forward to the headache all those twists and flips and turns are going to give me.  Kennywood has needed some new blood in the park for awhile because Sky Coaster is really nothing to write home about and so far this year it seem to be down for repairs.

I am hoping that by the next I write everyone Steel Curtain will have an opening date.

Until then!!!

Hershey Park- New Trademark for 2020 Coaster

Hershey Park has filed a new trademark in relation to the 2020 expansion, Chocolatetown. 

Hershey Park is expanding once again for 2020. With this comes an entirely new area called 'Chocolatetown' and a new roller coaster is in the works.

Image from RCDB

This expansion is one of the largest in the parks history which included a new entrance plaza, 'Hershey' store, a 'Hershey Kiss' fountain, a new kettle-corn stand, ice cream shop, the relocation of the classic carousel. the largest restaurant in the park (full patio and bar included!)... and a brand new, B&M hyper-style coaster.

The new trademark is listed as 'Candymonium' as the 'nature of a roller coaster'. While this many not end up being the coasters final name, we've got something new to work with. As many expect, a few more trademarks will likely follow as the park decides which will be the final, working name of this newest attraction. The additional of 'Chocolatetown' looks to completely re-work the opening portion of the park in a big way, we can't wait to see what happens!

More news and photos as information becomes available, as always!

Kings Island- Project X for 2020.

 Kings Island- Project X for 2020. 

 We reported on this last week but more information has become available and we've got more conformation that we're going to get a giga-coaster!

Kings Island- The 2020 Project

 Kings Island Building in 2020.. and it's BIG. 

While no real details are known yet, we do suspect that Kings Island has something big in the works for the 2020 season.



While we all know and love Banshee, this coaster doesn't take up nearly half of the footprint that was left when Son of Beast was demolished in 2009. Nor has the park filled up the space which was once the 'Dinosaurs Alive!' walk-thru attraction or the location where Firehawk once stood. Which has left a massive question, what are they going to do with the rest of that land?

Image from Wild Gravity Travels

The short and simple answer is 'We don't know, but we've got some guesses' and I suspect, your going to like them.

If you look at Cedar Fair and how they round-robin coaster building, 2020 is the year when Kings Island is cleared in the budget to build something expensive. Carowind's and Canada's Wonderland got the 2019 slots. So now, it's time for Kings Island to have a run at the budget and keep in the coaster war.


 Expensive, in amusement park terms, generally means 'Roller Coaster' and this is good! The park hasn't built a new coaster since Banshee opened in 2014.

More awesome Paint skills!

See all that space lined in orange? That's ALL open space now. Between three now-gone attractions the park has more expansion room than they've seen in years.  Large, open space to put something truly massive into.  The area on the bottom was once 'Dinosaurs Alive!' which is the clearing you see in the picture above.

Cleared land? That's suspicious!

While permits haven't been filed (that anyone has dug up, anyway) we've got the rumor floating in the wind, It's going to be a Giga coaster. Likely something big enough to surpass current rivals like Millennium Force at Cedar Point, Fury 365 at Carowinds and Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland.

Something truly massive is in the works.
Kings Island, we're watching you.
(Stalking, let's be honest. We're stalking them.)

We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available!