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I have to bring this up. But does anyone feel like the front half of the grove as in from the mushrooms (if these are ever removed again we riot just using them as a point of reference) to Americana the buildings and everything just look……awful. After the Jungle X improvements it’s more noticeable than it was to where it’s almost jarring compared to the wooded relaxing atmosphere of the rest of park. Honestly they need to remove one of those huge yellow and light green/blue/purple/it’s faded af arcades. They could throw a compact coaster or large flat or 2 medium/smaller flats in their location.

The pathways are also still blacktop which just looks awful. I don’t think any of the attractions should be removed, they should definitely refresh the Dodgem facade. One idea honestly just completely remove Victorias and put in a Harmony Hall type place to handle a lot of volume. I think if anything the arcade close to the mushrooms should be just completely axed but not sure how much money the arcades make the park honestly I assume enough. But still just curious if the group also has this opinion of CAG. The back section is great with Juke Box Diner underneath Twisted Timbers. The front section yeah could use some kind of moderate refresh. I figure nothing is changing in CAG for at least 5 years but hopefully they get some paint brushes out in the coming years! Maybe make the pathways pavers that would look great in that long iconic KD midway.
 
I have to bring this up. But does anyone feel like the front half of the grove as in from the mushrooms (if these are ever removed again we riot just using them as a point of reference) to Americana the buildings and everything just look……awful. After the Jungle X improvements it’s more noticeable than it was to where it’s almost jarring compared to the wooded relaxing atmosphere of the rest of park. Honestly they need to remove one of those huge yellow and light green/blue/purple/it’s faded af arcades. They could throw a compact coaster or large flat or 2 medium/smaller flats in their location.

The pathways are also still blacktop which just looks awful. I don’t think any of the attractions should be removed, they should definitely refresh the Dodgem facade. One idea honestly just completely remove Victorias and put in a Harmony Hall type place to handle a lot of volume. I think if anything the arcade close to the mushrooms should be just completely axed but not sure how much money the arcades make the park honestly I assume enough. But still just curious if the group also has this opinion of CAG. The back section is great with Juke Box Diner underneath Twisted Timbers. The front section yeah could use some kind of moderate refresh. I figure nothing is changing in CAG for at least 5 years but hopefully they get some paint brushes out in the coming years! Maybe make the pathways pavers that would look great in that long iconic KD midway.
This is why I’m concerned about the long term with Jungle X. They started this great thing and just like, gave up.
 
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This is why I’m concerned about the long term with Jungle X. They started this great thing and just like, gave up.

No… the section of CAG being referenced hasn’t been refreshed yet. It’s basically unchanged from the 70s.
 
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I'm wondering if the thing with the full JX renovation vs CAG was that JX had 2 rides removed and was thematically gutted whereas CAG at least has all of it's rides (dodgems and wave swinger probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon) and a cohesive theme.

Yeah, the northern part of CAG near the JX entrance is incredibly dated, but thematically speaking is fine.
 
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I mean I’m not concerned about the timing of that at all it’s just more or less hoping that some kind of refresh at the very least with some paint for the buildings is in the pipeline for that section.
 
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The drink stand across from Victorias has now been converted into a KONA ICE stand.

IMG_1584.jpg

I guess this makes sense, as right across from here they would sometimes have a KONA ICE truck.

And when this was a drink stand, it's operation was always rather disfunctional - as you would first scan/pay for your cup on the podium on the left (which is still present in that picture); then step to your right to get your drink; then exit through the mini queue line.

So the way it is now setup, in actually funneling people in that queue line to first pay, makes more sense.
 
I wonder what the logic is with contracting a third party company (Kona Ice) for this stand versus the park just doing the same concept in-house. Surely it wouldn’t have been that hard for the park set up their own shaved ice machine and syrup dispenser? Seems like by cutting out the middle man they would’ve made more of a profit, so I must be missing something.

Maybe it’s just me, but when KD is making so many great strides to eradicate chains from the park, adding even a small kiosk for an outside vendor feels like a step backward.
 
If they were going to stick with chains, wish they brought in Pelican SnoBalls.

Otherwise, Hawaiian Shaved Ice is based out of NC and has lots of syrups.


And I don't see why, if they keep selection relatively limited, that they can't make their own syrups in-house either.
 
Maybe that’s the idea—this Kona Ice location may offer flavors that you can only find at KD, on top of their usual offerings.
 
Do we know if KD makes rent or a % of sales from things like this? If it’s a % of sales, then why not have a popular brand of shaved ice in a minimally shaded area of KD? They can focus staffing efforts at in house locations as well. Makes sense to me.
 
I feel like if I were the owner of the Rita's in CAG, I wouldn't be thrilled about this...

Overall though, I don't like this at all. KD put that drink booth in for a reason–with the drink plan around, there's a lot of demand for drinks that you don't want flooding the restaurant queues. Plus, the altered booth looks bad and, as others have said, introducing yet another outside vendor to the park is always disappointing. Really don't understand the motivation here. Seems way out of step with the park's other recent decisions.
 
Anyone know if Kona shaved ice uses any proprietary equipment for their product to shave the ice? Or, unique syrups that hard to duplicate? That could be a possible reason to use an existing franchise instead of something in-house.

I feel like if I were the owner of the Rita's in CAG, I wouldn't be thrilled about this...

Overall though, I don't like this at all. KD put that drink booth in for a reason–with the drink plan around, there's a lot of demand for drinks that you don't want flooding the restaurant queues. Plus, the altered booth looks bad and, as others have said, introducing yet another outside vendor to the park is always disappointing. Really don't understand the motivation here. Seems way out of step with the park's other recent decisions.
Well, KD put the drink station at that location when Subway/Sweet Tooth ice cream were still open. When the park closed both, KD made the Sweet Tooth side a drink booth. That is only 20 yards away from the new Kona shaved ice stand.
 
When I look at the location and consider all of that syrup, all I can think of is KD’s perennial bee swarms.

Grain and grill was the worst for me, don't recall seeing them much elsewhere. Guess that may change
 
Hasn't Kona Ice been in the water park for years now? I always remember the trailer on the path between Racer 75 and Sharkey's. At the junction to the southern path to the wave pool and Hurricane Heights slide complex. Can't remember if if there was another location in the water park.
 
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