Coastermania Q&A 2017

I wasn't able to attend Coastermania this year but was hoping to read a recap of the Q&A session this year, as I always like to see the parks responses, even if they are cryptic and mysterious :) Is there anyone willing to post a recap or has one been posted that I'm not aware of?

I got a phone call (twice) and didn't get in on much of it but no real news (of course) on the coaster formerly known as Mean Streak. Jason McClure's standard response was that they were "having trouble with the demolition contractor" and the project wasn't really moving along too fast. Tongue in cheek of course..That came up in response to two or three questions about it.

Someone asked the panel if they found anything interesting at the last IAPPA show. The reply was that they saw something that they immediately bought without the usual extended discussions/meetings. etc. Of course we don't know what.

They also gave some kind of coy responses about Intamin's reported recent visit to CPand sort of blew it off by saying they have manufacturers visit the park all the time. I still get the sense something is in the works with intamin though. (just my opinion).

They did mention thanks to attendance increases chain-wide that they were spending more.

That's about all I caught.

Rob Decker also said something about a dark ride similar to Toy Story Mania that he's trying to bring to the park.

I just rode Laff Trakk at Hersheypark today and I think it would be great if CP got a ride like that.

Thabto said:

I just rode Laff Trakk at Hersheypark today and I think it would be great if CP got a ride like that.

I generally find the themed indoor wild mice, disappointing. There's nothing to prevent you from seeing where you were or where you are going. That being said, I felt that was not an issue with the theming they went with on Laff Trakk. There's no story line to follow, so seeing stuff early, or over again, was a non-issue.

^Personally, I feel that the Exterminator at Kennywood is one of the most effective indoor wild mouses; between the incredibly dim red light, the hazmat animatronics, and the spinning mouse cars, the ride not only creates the underground power plant/sewer setting very well, but it also completely disorients you, as any good wild mouse should do.

I don't think CP should add one of these roller coasters, for two major reasons. First and foremost, the capacity on wild mouse coasters is incredibly low, especially in comparison to high-capacity rides like GateKeeper and Raptor, and at a large destination park like CP, the wait times would likely be very lengthy, much like Maverick's wait times. (Of course, we're talking about the same company that added Wonder Mountain's Guardian, so anything goes.) Second, since CP is a flat peninsula, the show building is quite likely to stick out like a sore thumb, in much the same way as Disaster Transport's show building stuck out; to make a show building work at today's CP, it would require some very careful planning to make the ride as unobtrusive and as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

I didn't find Laff Trak's building to be an eyesore.