2012 Improvements, Additions, and Changes. Leaks and Announcements

I'm calling it right now about Luminosity.....I think it is going to be so packed/crowded that Wildcat will end up needing to be moved in order to build seating ala Dragster stands.

Opinions on where Wildcat should be relocated???

^ Nowhere.

This is shoot for the moon here, I don't actually think Wildcat will be moved anytime soon. But I would not mind seeing it moved to the beach side of the park. You could place it right on the beach behind Disaster Transport, pretty much right over the parking lot that is there.

I could also see it over on the Dragster midway, say replacing the Super Himalaya.

KHTOExtreme said:
Peeling though the cobwebs was at least the second hill on the island lite up also?

The second hill was lit up most of the time. I think there were times when the mayflies/muffleheads were really bad that they'd turn them off help keep down the bug population around the path of the train. They were also turned off during the hours of operation for Terror Island, but they were always on before and after the zone was open.

I do hope the second hill will get some LED lighting as well, since it'll be in pretty plain view from the Celebration Plaza area.

RideMan said:
So...green rooms below the stage? I wasn't expecting a basement below the stage...

Basement? What am I missing?

I would like to see them remove Wildcat and put in a new modern wild mouse coaster where DT is, not even because of Jumbo Jet but I Just like that area on the beach, gives that area a boardwalk feel. or even getting rid of the old dolphen Stadium and putting it therewould really give that area a nice feel.. open it up to the beach.

The pass through area will be under the control booth, and allows about the same width that the railed-in lane next to Iron Dragon provided. The stage is fan shaped, so people watching can be in a pretty wide area, all of it being pretty intimate. I was there last week, and I think it'll be a very cool space. I mean, you can stand there and see Giant Wheel one way, Millennium Force the other. That view didn't exist before a few weeks ago.

I agree that if they ever did move Wildcat somewhere over in the DT area would be great. I also would be for a modern Wild Mouse too but then again I don't mind Wild Cat either.

I love Wild Cat and would hate to see it replaced by a modern Wild Mouse. If you guys are referring to the modern Wild Mouse as like the one at Michigan's Adventure, I find them to be a little painful/jerky and dull. I know the jerkiness of the unbanked turns is supposed to make them fun, but I tend to dread them. Bah, probably just getting too old.

KevinL332 said:
or even getting rid of the old dolphen Stadium and putting it therewould really give that area a nice feel.. open it up to the beach.

Interesting that you would say that. You are probably too young to remember, but when Wildcat first opened, it was located in the exact spot of where the Dolphin Stadium is now.

Are they completely vetting rid of the control booths for luminosity? Or are they just relocating them?

It looks as though they're reusing the double-high booth. Not sure about the other one.

Id say the other one will be trashed. About Wildcat, I could very much see Wildcat moving. That would clear up a ton of space for Lumimsoty. Plus, looking at the control booth area, that looks like it blocks Wildcat and will be very crowded around the queue area.

While I am excited to see the improvements to the park with the new landscaping and Luminosity, the additions of FastLane and premium parking do not make me happy. I know the park is in business to make money, however, making money from a select few at the expense of the majority seems wrong. I know the park has offered VIP tours at a very premium price. I cannot say that the VIP's ever caused my wait to be longer since I was never "bumped" from my place in line. The FastLane program has the potential to cause a lot of problems. Hopefully, it can be implemented smoothly. I remember the dirty looks I got with a FreeWay stamp several years ago, I can only imagine the issues if FastLane gets out of control. I am by no means part of the 1%. I have a Platinum pass and save up all year to make 3 extended-stay trips to CP and 2 day trips to CWonderland. I think having FastLane seems to say that if you have the extra money, it's ok to cut in front of others..., I thought line-cutting is supposedly an offense that can result in removal from the park! Just like, if you have the extra money, you can park up here, while the rest of yous can park back there. But, thank goodness for the paint jobs, new lighting and landscaping---it'll give us something to look at while the FastLane customers pass us by! (sarcasm intended)

sandee said:
I remember the dirty looks I got with a FreeWay stamp several years ago

And most of those looks were because those people did not understand what was going on or that they themselves could have participated. I see the same looks when people come back up the exit for Parent Swap. People don't understand why you are getting in front of them, they just assume you are some important, privileged person who gets their way. I had the pleasure of working at Millennium Force when Freeway started and the most asked question was "Why are they cutting?", "Freeway, what is Freeway?".

Maverick00 said:
...I could very much see Wildcat moving. That would clear up a ton of space for Lumimsoty. Plus, looking at the control booth area, that looks like it blocks Wildcat and will be very crowded around the queue area.

I don't think moving WC would create any "usable" space - you're really just gaining a chunk of concrete between a fence, some bathrooms and the theater.

Though I do agree that running the Luminosity "bypass" path there could be problematic. Though no more or less so than it was when said path was near ID's entrance.

sandee said:
...if you have the extra money, it's ok to...

...get better seats at a sporting event/concert/etc., see a movie at a more convenient time, relax in comfort during your flight, and so on. Heck, for years already, those who could afford to pay for the overpriced on-site resorts have had preferential treatment.

But there's a difference---you getting better seats than me at a concert/sporting event/airplane doesn't affect my experience of the same event.

Someone with FastLane (actually, a whole lotta someones) has the potential to affect my CP experience in a negative way. The parent swap/VIP tours isn't anything that causes major delays to the lines. The accessibility of FastLane will totally change things....unless, of course, it's limited to a ridiculously low number each day, but I don't see them turning away $$$$$$.

sandee said:
But there's a difference---you getting better seats than me at a concert/sporting event/airplane doesn't affect my experience of the same event.

Yes it is. If I have to sit in the last row because I can't afford the first 10 rows then my experience is going to be way different than yours. I know this because I have been that person in the last row as well as the guy in the front row. Huge difference between the two.

Someone with FastLane (actually, a whole lotta someones) has the potential to affect my CP experience in a negative way.

It really isn't any different than those who can afford to stay at the Resort hotels vs. those who can't. If you stay on property, you get in before all those who can't afford to stay at Breakers. Those who get in early are already in line and making the wait time even longer for you who waited patently at the front gate for the park to open to the regular crowd. Same can be said for those who can afford a PLATINUM Pass, they are in line ahead of you, the person who can't afford a PLATINUM Pass.

....unless, of course, it's limited to a ridiculously low number each day, but I don't see them turning away $$$$$$.

First, we don't know how many they will sell so there might not even be an argument that it will slow the line down. Second, the VIP Experience is limited to a vey low number so they do turn money away as to not make wait times longer for others. Heck, the VIP Expereince isn't cheap either but they still cap it off per day.

sandee said:
But there's a difference---you getting better seats than me at a concert/sporting event/airplane doesn't affect my experience of the same event.

I'm guessing you've never flown anywhere, since you've never had to wait while First Class loads and unloads while the poor, huddled masses in Coach wait.

Or at a concert, where the sound can actually be pretty horrible for anyone not front-and-center.

And, as 99er points out, even at sporting events, those who pay more get a better view of the action, and that happens because those who paid less have a worse view.

This type of preferred access has existed pretty much everywhere you look, for a long, long time. You probably never noticed it, because it's always been "the way things are". And 50 years from now, paid FOL access will be "the way things are", and no one will even care.

I didn't even think about the fact that it sounds different, I was just thinking about how you can't even see from the last row. Good point, dj.

All this also reminds me of how some restaurants have preferred customer cards. For awhile I had a card that allowed me to be immediately seated at any Hard Rock Cafe no matter how long the wait was. An airport is a great example of this type of service. If I don't have an airlines frequent flyer card, I have to wait in a long line to check in instead of using their flyer program bypass that gets me right to the attendant without waiting. Heck, even the TSA has a bypass line for experienced travelers who do not have a large group at Security now. Dj is right when he says stuff like this has been around for a long time, people just don't notice it as much.