Theme Park Apprentice 2 Challenge 9: Holiday World

December 21, 2010 at 12:43 AM · That was fast!

December 21, 2010 at 10:57 AM · My comments about James' proposal appear on the discussion forum. They weren't well received, but hey, opinions are like you-know-whats..I've got one, and so does everyone else. That being said, I ended up voting for New Years Land anyway. Even with my reservations, James' Land was the most well thought out, original, and creative of the four, and contained what was, IMO, the best ride..and that's important to me. The others seemed like not as much thought went into them, and despite the Irishman I am, the Lucky Charms bit bothered me.

However, all proposals are certainly better than I could come up with. I'm a rider, not a planner.

Bring on the coasters!

December 21, 2010 at 7:47 PM · ^Mike, I've already apologized to Tim for my defensive attitude, and I want to apologize to you also. I've got the worst cold of my life, and I think the medication I'm taking caused me to be a "little"(?!) sensitive. Your opinions were direct and, I believe, well-meant. I do have a problem with your comment about middle America not buying into a faux Times Square. I'm born and raised in northwest Ohio, just about as middle America as you can get, and I know that people would have a great time. We have a town on Lake Erie that drops a FISH from a crane every NYE- an accurate Times Square NYE party would be a HUGE hit! I was floored that you said you voted for my proposal and I thank you for that. I am stunned by how the voting is going right now- I thought I'd be buried long ago.

December 21, 2010 at 7:59 PM · Out of all the tree days I believe yours (James) was the easiest to do and relate more with people. St. Patricks and St. Valentines Days are both mainly catholic/christian holidays or been comericialized for it while 4th of July is only celebrated in the US. So yours everyone celebrates this day in one form or another.

December 22, 2010 at 1:50 AM · Dan, I agree with you that I lucked out with New Year's Eve. The others would have been much harder and I think you all did a great job of creating an entertaining land, with good attractions appropriate for Holiday World. I would have loved to see what someone could have done with Cinco de Mayo. How about May Day ("Coasters of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chain lifts!")? Any other holidays that we would have liked to create for or see a new land for?

December 21, 2010 at 8:24 PM · Other ideas that I had were Hannukah and April Fool's Day.

December 22, 2010 at 10:53 AM · James,

If Cedar Point was open year-round, I'd come out and make that "fish drop" event part of my trip! Sounds quirky..and neat!

December 23, 2010 at 2:21 AM · Mike, it takes place in Port Clinton, Ohio, a tourist/fishing town on Lake Erie. They drop a big fake Walleye (a fish) from a crane, and thousands of people go down to watch it, and the Toledo newspeople broadcast it. I know someone actually got married under the Walleye last year! We're from Ohio- we'll buy into anything! If you want excitement, this is NOT the place to be in the winter. And Cedar Point open all year round? The last weekend of Halloweekends was so cold on Friday night that my kids begged me to go back to the hotel room to warm up. It's in the middle of the lake, and the winter cold and wind is nothing short of mind-numbing. Would it be nice? The coasters, if they worked at all, would probably hit a top speed of 5 mph going downhill! Maybe someday, with global warming (although I'm not sure that should be looked on as good side-effect of the greenhouse effect!).