Dates November- 13 (2pm-9pm) Open Only for Season Passholders November- 18,19,20,26,27 (12pm- 8pm) December- 2,3,4,9,10,11,16,17,18,23,24,30 (12pm- 8pm) December 31st (4pm to 2am)
Attractions - Santa Trek Tower: Light Show on Sky Trek Tower - Carousel Skating: Ice Skating in front of the Carousel. 90% of Skating Rentals cost goes to Feeding America - Hawaiian Holiday: Winter Walkthrough of the Waterpark with Lights - Winter Wonderland Express: Train Ride around the park with Lights - Snowball Fight Zone: Snowball Fight area in Southwest Action Theater (For kids 12 and under) - Moose Tracks: Walk Through in the Picnic Grove with Lights - Reindeer Ranch: Petting Zoo in the County Fair train station - Klondike Cafe: Lucky's Mini America (Model Train Display of Great America)
Meet & Greets - Loggers Run Station: Santa's Landing (Meet & Greet). 90% of Photo Cost goes to Children's Miracle Network - Yankee Clipper Station: Frosty's Igloo (Meet & Greet). 90% of Photo cost goes to Children's Miracle Network
Shows - Pictorium: Winter Wipeout 4D (Simulator) - Presents Of Fun: Parade (Winter Themed Parade) - Grand Music Hall: Santa's Wacky Elves (Winter version of Love at First Fright) - Snowshoe Saloon: Karaoke Carolers (Karaoke Show) - Theatre Royale: Magic Of the Season (Magic Show)
Re-themed areas • Jingle Bell Carousel Plaza (Carousel Plaza) • Home For The Holiday Square (Hometown Square) • Territory De Fiesta (Great Southwest) • Fa La La La Fairgrounds (County Fair) • Candy Cane Carnival (Kids Carnival) • Merry Moose Town (Yukon Territory) • Yule Tide Harbor (Yankee Harbor) • Ornament Place (Orleans Place) • Fort Gingerbread (Fort Fun)
Food Options
Food • Apple Cinnamon Funnel Cake • Peppermint Funnel Cake • Cinnamon Roll Funnel Cake • Maple Bacon Funnel Cake • Turkey & Stuffing Sandwich • Chicken 65 (Boneless chicken with red chillies with onion and lemon garnish) • Tilapia Fish Sandwiches • Brisket • Potato Pancakes • Cajun Catfish • Jerk Chicken • Panana (Deep Fried Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich) • Matzo Ball Soup • Deep Fried Gummy Bears • Bacon Pork Belly Sliders
Beverage • Hot Apple Cider • Peppermint Hot Cocoa • Hot Cocoa • Chai Hot Cocoa • Spiced Pumpkin Hot Cocoa • Snickerdoodle Hot Cocoa • Eggnog Hot Cocoa • Butterscotch Hot Cocoa • Cinnamon Roll Hot Cocoa • Carmel Apple Cider • Coffee • Samichlaus • Samuel Adams Winter Classics Mix Pack • Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale • Odell Brewing Co. Isolation Ale • Avery Brewing Old Jubilation • Bush Noel • Schlafly Christmas Ale • Young’s Winter Warner
Apart from the Meet & Greet Photos and Ice Skating, Everything is free with a ticket/season pass Rides will be operating weather permitting.
I apologize if I offend anyone.
PRICING: Admission- $45.00 (Regular is $63.00) Junior/Senior Admission- $25.00 (Regular is $44.00) Parking is $10.00
Everyone get ready for Tropical Islands Ice Jump on January 14th (Was gonna be January 7th, Thanks NCC)
Around 2005-2006, I thought about this but knowing my desire to change shows yearly, Plus the limited ability of how to use a Soarin style attraction cancelled the idea, However in 2011, It was Upgraded to 4D technology.
Day 2: Indoor Theater to replace Wilderness Theater
Before Wilderness Theater was removed, There were plans to remove it and install a new theater, Rumored to be called "Grizzly Theater." No idea why it was cancelled but it was replaced with Kodiak, A B&M Flying Coaster.
I heard a Country Bear Jamboree like show was to be there but as with the Soarin Idea, The need to change shows every year probably cancelled the idea.
Before being removed, A Bird Show was planned for Wilderness Theater. Rumored to have been cancelled due to building Kodiak and unpredictable weather conditions.
Being realistic, I know I couldn't build across I-94 so an idea was to build it in the current employee parking lot. Rumored to have been cancelled due to space limitations and closeness to businesses. Also the new employee parking lot wasn't built yet, Which really would've ruined workers at the park.
Not themed to the Soccer team, Defunct Football Team, or NBC Show, But themed to the 1871 fire. The house was themed to a museum of Chicago where it catches on fire (Special effects and heat... and probably fog). The house has been under consideration since 2005ish but was finally cancelled and rejected in 2016 after the reaction to Fear 5150. Was also probably cancelled due to controversy regarding the name and theme of the attraction.
Day 6: Turning of New Orleans Grill (You know it as Johnny Rockets- Mardi Gras) into Gatorz
I am not scared in taking ideas and concepts from Disney/Universal/SeaWorld/Busch/Six Flags/ and Cedar Fair and after Universal Orlando added Toothsome, I decided to add Gatorz. Gatorz would've been a complete renovation of New Orleans Grill where instead of just Burgers, Fries, and Chicken Fingers, It would include Chocolate themed food and drinks. Not sure why it was cancelled but probably due to niche menu items and cost overruns. In addition to the menu change, The building would've been expanded to offer more indoor seating.
Here's a Menu of Toothsome in Universal Orlando to give you an example of what might've been on the menu.
Salads & Soups Sedona Barbecue Chicken – Chipotle grilled chicken, romaine, roasted corn, black beans, avocado, pepper jack cheese, vine tomatoes, spiced pumpkin seeds, honey-lime vinaigrette Another Caesar Salad – Romaine hearts, parmesan, croutons, black pepper, Caesar dressing, Quinoa, spinach, arugula, avocado, asparagus, sundried roasted tomatoes, red onion, pine nuts, feta cheese, citrus vinaigrette French Onion Soup - Crouton, Gruyere cheese, parmesan Broccoli and Cheddar - English colby cheddar, fresh broccoli
Flatbreads BBQ Chicken – Caramelized onions, mozzarella, Gouda, micro cilantro Four Cheese – Fontina, mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta cheeses, basil, extra virgin olive oil Pepperoni – San Marzano tomato, fresh mozzarella
Sandwiches Red Reuben – Boar’s Head corned beef, Alpine Lace Swiss cheese, braised red cabbage, grilled artisan rye, 1000 Island dressing The Croque Monsieur – Country ham, Gruyere cheese, French loaf toasted, grilled, topped with bechamel sauce Southern Fried Chicken BLT – Crispy boneless chicken breast, tomatoes, butter bibb lettuce, bacon, Dijon mustard, toasted brioche
Hamburgers Choice of house made kettle chips or French fried potatoes. Tour De France – Half pound housemade patty, bibb lettuce, roasted tomatoes, sunny side up egg, avocado, crispy onions, French Brie, toast brioche Blue Plate Burger – Half pound housemade patty, grilled meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, Wisconsin cheddar cheese, sweet corn, toasted brioche, bordelaise sauce May Contain Bacon – Half pound housemade patty, bibb lettuce, smokey thick cut bacon, grilled pork belly, pineapple chutney, chipotle Jack cheese, pretzel bun Fork & Knife Skinny Burger – Veggie burger, avocado, cucumber, tomato, portabella mushroom, cilantro crema, wrapped in bibb lettuce, toasted brioche on request Pub It Up – Half pound housemade patty, colby andouille queso, cheddar cheese, grain mustard and kettle chips on a pretzel bun Cheddar Bacon Burger – Half pound, housemade patty, bibb lettuce, roasted tomato, signature sauce, toasted brioche
Crepes Apple Pie – Sauteed cinnamon apples, caramel sauce, toasted strudel, fresh whipped cream, apple crisp Nutella and Banana – Mascarpone, Nutella, fresh bananas, chopped hazelnuts Ham – Country ham, forest mushrooms, spinach, fontina cheese, sherry cream sauce Berries and Cream – Lemon curd, fresh berries, micro mint, fresh whipped cream Boston Cream Pie – Pastry cream filled, sponge cake, chocolate ganache, chocolate whipped cream
Quiche Quiche Lorraine – Applewood bacon, Gruyere cheese, fresh fruit, and choice of side salad or soup Broccoli Cheddar – English colby cheddar, fresh broccoli, fresh fruit, and choice of side salad or soup
Waffles Berries and Cream – Topped with fresh seasonal berries, fresh whipped cream, lemon curd, fresh micro mint Banana Nut – Candied pecans, bruleed banana, fresh whipped cream Waffles – Your favorite… plain and simple French Toast Patty Melt – Challah, half-pound housemade fresh hamburger patty, sunny-side up egg, grilled pork belly, cheddar cheese, lyonnaise potatoes Banana and Nutella – Challah, banana mascarpone filling, Nutella, bruleed banana, lyonnaise potatoes Berries and Cream – Challah, lemon curd filling, fresh seasonal berries, fresh whipped cream Chocolate Brioche S’mores – Marshmallow, graham cracker, fluff Country Fresh – Brioche, Gruyere cheese, smoky ham, sunny-side up egg, bearnaise sauce, lyonnaise potatoes
Even though Kodiak took up some room in Yukon Territory, There was plenty of room under it and using some of the employee parking lot. An important thing was to have enough rides for every age/height group and with 4 coasters for the 36-46" crowd (Whizzer, Cajun Corkscrew, Little Dipper and Forest Flyer), It was time for something for the 48" crowd and a Verbolten style coaster was heavily considered. The ride would've simulated going on a trek for Bigfoot, finding him, and running off. Was cancelled due to being unimpressed with Verbolten and the reported cost of 56 million (15m for the ride, the rest for theming) immediately cancelled the idea.
Day 8: Second Coaster Enthusiast event in August called "Thrillseeker Takeover"
I've noticed that many of the top parks (According to Golden Ticket awards) host multiple events at certain parks, Holiday World has 2, Knoebels has 2, and Cedar Point has 3? So after adding GAmathon (Great-America-A-Thon, Get It?) in 2001, I thought about adding a 2nd event in August called Thrillseeker Takeover that would have all the typical events (ERT, Buffet, Walkbacks, Q&A, Etc.) however by 2003 and still not doing it, It was clearly not going to happen and I wasn't going to do it.
But Don't worry as I have many more events far better than ERT and Q&A for everyone planned in 2017.
PS, I called it Gamathon as I wanted an event name that no other park would be able to duplicate.
IP's tend to make more money than non IP's, Plus they're easily marketable. With the loss of Looney Tunes and DC Comics with the acquisition in 1996 left the park with no IP's. Around 2010-2011 an idea came around to makeover the old Fort Fun (You know as Bugs Bunny National Park... Or Go Kart Track for really new people) into a Colorful themed area themed to the Madagascar film franchise. There was also an idea for an Indoor Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster indoors themed to the Circus scene of the 3rd film. Costs and other attractions probably killed the idea.
Coaster Justin wrote:IP's tend to make more money than non IP's,
I'm going to have to disagree here. IPs really only work when it involves either a) a timeless IP, and or b) when that IP is popular(i.e. when a movie comes out). We have 3 great examples here at our park. First is Camp Cartoon. This IP does not work at all anymore, since all except Scooby Doo have no more publicity anymore. All the shows are cancelled, no more merch is sold for them, and not many kids know who the characters are(I guarantee 99% of the kids who go to Camp Cartoon have no idea who The Jetsons are. Next is The Dark Knight, another IP that doesn't work. Yes, it's Batman, which can be considered a 'timeless' character, but the coaster was themed to The Dark Knight movie directly(BTR was themed around the original Tim Burton Batman, but it's a loose enough theme that it can simply be a generic Batman theme), which came out nearly a decade ago. It's long past it's expiration date, and should be rebranded to a generic theme. And finally, an IP that works, is The Looney Tunes. These are timeless characters that kids actually know. In addition to that, SF plays Looney Tunes cartoons on the TVs all the time, so they're fresh in people's minds.
Like I said, Movie IPs work only when that movie is popular. Going off of your Madagascar idea, it would've been popular the first season or two, but unless if Dreamworks decided to make another Madagascar movie, it would follow the same fate as Camp Cartoon.
Day 10: Turning New Orleans Grill into a Chickie & Pete's
One thing I am very big on is unique food and beverage options in parks and when I heard that Chickie & Pete's has crab fries, I needed to get it immediately. Plus with the New Orleans Grill begging for a redevelopment allowed me to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Anyway, this was planned in 2015 to happen in 2017 or so... However after trying Crab Fries at Cedar Point, I found them way too salty and not that great (I do recommend the Sweet Fries though) and since Crab fries were the only reason I wanted Chickie & Pete's, The idea came and went. This would've been my first franchise location, Unless you count ICEE, Coke, Or Dippin Dots franchises.
The place would've been transformed to include more indoor seating and TV's for Sports Games. And as with the Dorney Park version (see in PDF) There would be special alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages named after various rides.
Day 11: Country Bear Animatronic Show in Snowshoe Taphouse
Since 2004, When the Snowshoe Taphouse was used for Local acts; I've spent some time thinking about how to use the stage and around 2012 after hearing about the Country Bear Jamboree at Disney World being not-as-PC as Disney Junior (Google Mama Don't Whip Little Buford or All The Guys That turn me on turn me down) and so, I had an idea about the Bicentennial Bears (Billy, Bobbi, Britney, and Bonnie) essentially telling lame jokes and singing American songs. As with the Anamatronic Bear show planned years earlier for the Grizzly Theater, The need to change shows yearly to get Passholders back killed the idea.
Essentially adding IP's and turning one of them into Bikini Bottom... Er SpongeBob Land with rides and characters based on the Nickelodeon Cartoon. The Idea was planned in 2012 or so but was cancelled for unknown reasons (Probably because Universal technically owns the rights to the character for theme park uses?) but something needs to happen since there have been no kids rides added since 2008.
Fortunately, You got SpongeBob in 2004 and 2013 regarding Simulator Films.
Since I'm tired and am beyond delayed posting this, I'll just copy and paste from Great Adventure History and change it mildly:
As the park was becoming more and more family, new licensing deals were made for characters who were more recognizable by the youngest visitors that the park lacked. One of the most popular shows for the youngest guests is SpongeBob.
The colorful new section was created on Fort Fun's area. The new section brought new life to what had been a dated section that hadn't gotten additions in years.
The bright colors, music and fun were just the right combination to create a family atmosphere, and refresh the look of the Northwestern section of the park.
Colorful new pavement, buildings, rides, landscaping and theme elements would take the once drab area and make it look like a fun place to be.
Also, In case your wondering, The place you know as Maw & Paw's would be turned into a Krusty Krab and offer Krabby Patty's, Krabby Fries, Krabby Dogs, and Krabby Cola. No idea if a Chum Bucket would be added.
One Example of a re-theme would be turning Kids Campground (Foam Ball Factory) into Sandy's Treehouse and enclosing it. Other rides would be themed to SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Plankton, Patchy, and Gary.
Q&A Time: Wait, Maw & Paw isn't part of Fort Fun? Does this mean your gonna put SpongeBob anywhere? Answer: To Be Continued
If it wasn't clear enough regarding Great aMERRYca and MayDays (Concert series) it should be obvious that I want to make the park profitable as much as possible. It seemed from May to December that it would be profitable and have guests but what about January to April? While the park can operate the final week in April, It's not enough and since the Employee Parking Lot was relocated in 2002, I've thought about what to with the land and that includes an indoor 3 story building with 3, 9 hole mini golf courses themed to the park. Was planned to open in 2018-2019, Rumored to have been cancelled due to not wanting to add pay/upcharge attractions.
Day 14: Retheme of Gator Bait (aka Roaring Rapids) into a SpongeBob Themed Rapids Ride
I know, I know, I know SpongeBob has nothing to do with New Orleans, But then again, neither does the pacific Northwest. Inspired by Popeye & Bluto at Islands Of Adventure, The entire ride would've had more theming and more water effects themed to SpongeBob and Patrick going Jellyfishing which of course they retaliate "accidentally" instead of SpongeBob by splashing the boats. The station would probably have been themed to a Pineapple as well. There would probably be cameos by other SpongeBob characters (Squidward playing a Piano that works as Jets, Sandy dropping buckets of water from her Treehouse to keep you wet, and Mr. Krab's selling ponchos at the end for $20. Also inside the tunnel would be Plankton trying to create a Dry-You-Quick machine that never works) This plan would have been awesome and would guarantee that you would never get off the ride dry. Sadly once the rights were caught up in issues and litigation, The idea sunk.
Hopefully Universal will take this idea and make it even better (Or someone international that owns the rights).
Day 15: GCI Wooden Coaster in Current Iron Wolf location
With the exception of RC (I still love you bud and will give you $5 someday), Many people dislike Iron Wolf with a Passion (And sore hands, arms, legs, groins, and heads) and so, One idea I had was to replace it with another coaster and since I'm a fan of Riverview (Never went sadly), One addition that would've been perfect was a GCI recreation of the Riverview Park Bobs. The ride would've tried to recapture the magic/intensity/force of the original except involve modern day banking and trains. Still being 87ft (Although I was thinking about making it 150ft) and keeping the same layout, The ride would've probably thrilled millions of guests. It was cancelled due to the park already offering a twisting wooden coaster and at 87ft would've been the 2nd to last smallest wooden coaster in the park. Hopefully aZoosment will take this idea.
I love the Spongebob ideas. Obviously nobody over age 5 likes Wiggles or Thomas (Glad they got ride of them), but Spongebob is definitely a timeless cartoon (like Looney Tunes), would've been nice to see an area in the park.
Funny thing, I've always thought a GCI Woodie look snazzy behind Fiddler's Fling/Games Gallery/Over the service road, maybe named Predator and in Yukon Territory?
Also, Imma take a screenshot of this so you have to give me $5 next time I see you
Witch Doctor which was a DH Morgan Phantom's Revenge Makeover of Shockwave eliminating the loops in favor of "Holy Airtime Batman" hugging the park and going towards Roaring Rapids, The ride became much more loved and offered many more riders. One idea I had was to remove the DH Morgan trains and replace them with B&M 2 Across Trains which probably would've led to a more open feel design and a cheap way to get more riders and more guests. The idea was cancelled because the height limit (PS, Shockwave was 54") would've been changed from 48" to 51" (Steel Dragons approximate height converted from cm to inches) which would've removed many guests from the park that can ride the ride (And increased lines of complaints at guest relations). Rumored to have also been cancelled cause of worried of ruined capacity by adding seatbelts and leg straps.