Updated Front Entrance plus Fountains

[I305Evan]

Comments made by Matt Ouimet have indicated that Cedar Fair will perform some kind of special update / upgrade to the fountains at Canada’s Wonderland, and followed by upgrades to the fountains at the entrance to Kings Island and Kings Dominion as well, based on something they saw at IAAPA. Anyone have a clue what could be in the works?

Screamscape.com

Going along with what Lance posted, I've heard that with the renovation of the fountains, Kings Dominion will be receiving new turnstiles similar to what Busch Gardens Williamsburg uses. Also with this rumored renovation, we may see the removal of those horrible metal detectors.

 

[redsoxfan787]

The metal detectors drove me crazy, I went with a group of friends in a rv. So we kept entering and exiting the park, each time I had to take my belt completely off. Even though it was the same guy, and clearly it was my belt buckle :dodgy:

 

[Hoopla]

You know a good park when they have metal detectors at the entrance. It's sort of like an airport (in a bad way )

 

[I305Evan]

It was just really annoying to take everything out of my pockets every visit. I avoided wearing belts so I never had that trouble except for one time.

 

[redsoxfan787]

Yeah it is rather annoying, but it is for your safety. At BG someone could easily walk in with a weapon

 

[Zachary]

If someone wanted to get a weapon past the metal detectors and into Kings Dominion, it wouldn't be all that hard. Also, when was the last time you heard about someone being stabbed or shot at a theme park? Honestly, committing any sort of crime at a theme park sounds like an awful idea. One way in, one way out, and there's plenty of witnesses everywhere.

 

[Party Rocker]

The only kind of problem I see with theme parks is for terrorists, and I haven't seen too many pf those go to theme parks But I really think metal detectors are just over the top. I think bag checks are fair enough.

 

[netdvn]

It all boils down to the clientele.

KD: Draws people from DC/Richmond, pretty rough in many areas so clientele is more likely to cause trouble. Metal detectors!
BGW: Draws people from Hampton Roads and tourists so clientele is less likely to cause trouble. Bag checks!

I'm pretty sure a park filled with a couple thousand people a day could be subject to being a terrorist target.

 

[Ben]

I can't say that I have felt that I'm not safe at KD or BGW. Maybe one is just more cautious than the other?

 

[redsoxfan787]

I've never felt threatened either, I was just saying. Better safe than sorry, crazy people on this earth

 

[I305Evan]

I see security guards walking around the park enough as is. I don't think the removal of the metal detectors will mean much to anyone. I'm sure the same amount of front gate security guards will stay the same. They just won't have as much backed up lines anymore.

 

[mwhinva]

I assume that Canada's Wonderland will be getting the fountain renovations for 2013 and KI and KD in 2014. Course, I am scratching my head with the news for CW since that park just replaced their fountain lighting system with new LED's within the last 2 seasons. Maybe Matt Ouimet was referring to replacing the plumbing and existing fountain jets with something new.

KD just painted the fountain pool during the 2011-2012 off season. But, they are in sore need of updating the fountain lighting system with LED's. Much less power usage, longer lasting lights, and much greater color combinations. Course, the fountain jets could use a serious overhaul/renovation as well. I guess we will just have to wait and see what they do in the next year or so.

 

[Thomas]

With these metal detectors gone, surely some lunatic will come in and shoot up everything. This is why we need gun control. #PoliticalHijack

 

[Shane]

ScreamScape this morning:

(1/31/13) The rumor mill on what is planned for the park entrance fountains at Kings Island and Kings Dominion has been abuzz with talk about adding a sort of Bellagio style light and fountain show that would perform to different music tracks. Unfortunately it seems this was just a leftover whisper from a previous proposal that was cancelled months ago. Instead I’m told it has been replaced by a more modest and smale scale fountain improvement project according to the latest rumors.

 

[mwhinva]

ScreamScape this morning:

(1/31/13) The rumor mill on what is planned for the park entrance fountains at Kings Island and Kings Dominion has been abuzz with talk about adding a sort of Bellagio style light and fountain show that would perform to different music tracks. Unfortunately it seems this was just a leftover whisper from a previous proposal that was cancelled months ago. Instead I’m told it has been replaced by a more modest and smale scale fountain improvement project according to the latest rumors.

Somebody has an overactive imagination if they thought we would get a Bellagio style fountain show

 

[mwhinva]

ScreamScape this morning:

(1/31/13) The rumor mill on what is planned for the park entrance fountains at Kings Island and Kings Dominion has been abuzz with talk about adding a sort of Bellagio style light and fountain show that would perform to different music tracks. Unfortunately it seems this was just a leftover whisper from a previous proposal that was cancelled months ago. Instead I’m told it has been replaced by a more modest and smale scale fountain improvement project according to the latest rumors.

Some people have hyperactive imaginations when it comes to these fountain rumors. I cannot see KD or KI doing something on the level of the Bellagio fountains. First, the Bellagio lagoon has a water surface area of 18-20 times the fountain pool footprint at Kings Island and Kings Dominion. The lagoon is probably 6-8 feet deep or more whereas KI & KD's fountain pools are 1 1/2 to 2 feet deep. The Kings parks could not handle the size of fountain jets and volume of water needed to run a show like at Bellagio.

This whole fountain refurb came from an video interview with Matt Quimet at the Ohio steel fabrication plant where B&M track and supports are made. The video interview was done by the people at coasterbuzz/pointbuzz web sites. They showed some of Gatekeeper's track/supports still in fabrication.

During the interview, Matt stated they found something they liked at the 2012 IAAPA show and would be doing a water fountain refurb at Canada's Wonderland first followed by both Kings Island and Kings Dominion. Matt did not give a time frame for when this would happen nor what would be done.

Someone on the coasterbuzz/pointbuzz forums asked if anybody had been to the 2012 IAAPA show and, if so, was there any fountain manufacturers there that they were impressed with. A person responded by stating they thought the company Waltzing Waters had some very imaginative/innovative fountain light shows. You can go to their web site at www.waltzingwaters.com to check out their products and more important, see the video of their water fountain light shows in action.

This would seem to be more on the scale of what Kings Dominion and Kings Island could do in their fountain pools. This company makes fountain setup sizes from a residential fountain up to large scale fountains in pools and natural lakes.

Course, when this will happen and what will be done is up in the air. I do know that Canada's Wonderland replaced their fountain lights with a new LED light package either last season or in 2011. Course, Kings Dominion re-painted their fountain pool during the 2011-2012 off season.

 

[Unagi]

Some people have hyperactive imaginations when it comes to these fountain rumors. I cannot see KD or KI doing something on the level of the Bellagio fountains. First, the Bellagio lagoon has a water surface area of 18-20 times the fountain pool footprint at Kings Island and Kings Dominion. The lagoon is probably 6-8 feet deep or more whereas KI & KD's fountain pools are 1 1/2 to 2 feet deep. The Kings parks could not handle the size of fountain jets and volume of water needed to run a show like at Bellagio.

This.

As a former resident of Vegas and one that has been to this hotel countless times, this idea really made me embarassed for the people who came up with this fantasy scenario!

The depths of Lake Bellagio vary from 4-feet at the boundary to 13-feet in the area where the 1,200+ nozzles are located. The size of the lake itself is about 9 acres big and 1,000-feet long. This much room is needed to properly disperse the water once it descends after shooting straight into the air. On a day with a light breeze you can catch some of the mist from anywhere in the viewing area depending on the direction it's blowing. On an extremely windy day, they won't even run the fountains. The 800 minishooters in that lake can shoot water 100 feet high. A couple of those in KD and KI would make a mess on international street. Their supershooters go 240-feet high and the extreme shooters go to 460-feet. Add a couple of those and they would easily turn the Eiffel Tower, Berserker and maybe even Dominator into water rides!

Here's a video of the Bellagio fountains testing without music. You can easily see how this would not work in the Cedar Fair parks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv6bvlRh9-E

And to put the size of Lake Bellagio into perspective here is a comparison pic with KD's fountains.

 

[b.mac]

Park News - (3/5/13) Canada’s Wonderland will bring back Starlight Spectacular in 2013, though the show has been given a sub-title this year, “Starlight Spectacular: Illumination of Water” This has made some wonder if we will see some kind of upgrade to the show this year, possibly involving that rumored new water fountain technology we had previously heard about. The description of the show does mention, “bursts of colour as our fountain dances”. Maybe CW will get new fountains in 2013, and KI and KD will wait until 2014.

 

[I305Evan]

(8/22/13) According to the latest buzz for Kings Dominion, the park’s primary focus in 2014 may be on opening the rumored new fountain show project, similar to the one at Canada’s Wonderland. A waterpark expansion doesn’t look to be in the cards anymore.
Screamscape

 

[b.mac]

Oh look Lance you finally decided to take the time and budget out their Q2 plans for next year, gee ain't that nice? I should send that man a cookie.