bsktgrvy

OK - so much for my idea.

Why not make an announcement about the construction? They can announce a new coaster is coming and still be vague about it. Many already know they appear to be building something big and it looks like it's a coaster, so it's not a big secret. And, they can't hide the construction. By releasing something now and adding bits and pieces of information throughout the season (like Dollywood did with their mine coaster) they can build up suspense and enthusiasm.

The last couple of times I rode The Racer (2 years ago - I did not ride it last year) it really slammed me into my seat at the bottom of the first hill and was very painful on my lower back. I always rode it facing forward since I prefer it. I am about 5'11", 205 lbs. I see from some of the newer photos The Racer has some new track. For those that have been on The Racer this year, have you noticed a difference in the ride in terms of smoothness, or at least is it less rough at the bottom of the hills? Thanks!

The Bayern Curve was one of my favorite King's Island rides when I was a kid. I was a late bloomer when it came to riding coasters (the first "real" coaster I rode was the Screamin Demon when I was 15 years old, but then I rode everything else KI had) so in the meantime I enjoyed rides like the Bayern Curve. I really enjoyed the theming King's Island had in its early years, with clearly defined areas of the park. The Octoberfest area was one of my favorite areas, along with Rivertown.

Really, Really Big Ferris Wheel

Eating food at an amusement park (inside the park) is part of the overall park experience. I actually think the park entrance fee itself, although expensive, is not unfair when compared to other parks. The problems begin when you set foot in the park. Our family attended KI one day this year. We ate lunch in the parking lot but since we like LaRosa's pizza in the park we had it for dinner. I don't recall the exact figure but 3 pieces of pizza, 1 order of breadsticks, and a large Coke (with a ton of ice in it) set me back over $20. That is just plain ridiculous. The food was cold, but the line was long so we ate it. And - if nobody eats their food, they don't make money, and they get rid of employees. The solution is to lower food and drink prices and supply a better product to the consumer. Otherwise, attendance will continue to drop.

If they don't get the new part, it will be named "Tomb Raider, the Building".

That's a nice report. Congratulations on the addition of your daughter to your family. I hope Cedar Fair is hearing as much about the food problems/prices from customers at the park that we have read on here.

They could call it "Stand-Off".

Great photos! Good job.

We went to King's Island twice this year. Both times the car we were in had at least 2 malfunctioning guns. It kind of defeats the purpose for the ride.

That one made me laugh.

That was a very good report. Our family went to Hershey Park about 4 years ago and I echo your comments on the Comet and the Lightning Racer. I did not know that The Comet was 30 years older than The Racer at KI. Comet was a very fun ride and longer than it looked at first glance. And Lightning Racer, to me, is one the of the best wooden coasters I have ever had a ride on. I rode it 7 times when we visited. It may not be the tallest, or fastest, but it is just plain fun. I also enjoyed Wildcat - it was definitely rougher than Lightning Racer but when I rode it was not too uncomfortable.

See post #17 & 20 in this thread for and answer to your question. Oops - I just noticed those. My bad. Thanks for pointing it out.

I was stuck at the the top of The Beast second lift hill for about 10 minutes. There was some problem in the loading station. Other than that, I've been pretty lucky. That's the only significant time I can think of. I have been stuck in a plane on the tarmac a couple of times. One in particular lasted nearly 2 hours. That is no fun.

Maybe they should keep the ride, and remove the building around it to make it an outdoor ride? Then they won't have to worry about the theming as much and maintaining audio/video/effects/etc.

We watched Endless Summer on Ice and it was a great show. I think a few of the costumes look a little hokey, though. The skating was very good. I walked by the Meet the Nicktoons show and all the little kids there were mesmerized. It looked like a great show for the kids.

Rugrats? dont you mean Wild Thornberrys? Rugrats are still shown on Nick at 7am and 6am on weekdays and they are on all day on Nicktoons Network so no they arent old news.And I doubt you'll see the log flume rethemed unless its rethemed to another Nicktoon that ride is now apart of Nick Universe. My nephew loves the rugrats and watchs them and spongebob when I have to watch him. As I said before all I want is a S&S Screaming Squirrel!!! ScoobyDo - oops - I got my cartoons wrong. I do mean Wild Thornberrys.

What I would like to see for 2008. 1. A start at restoring themed areas - especially Rivertown. Put something in all of the empty buildings there or tear them down and put in a flat ride in their place (maybe a real haunted house ride?). I'd also like to see the Log Flume be rethemed back to a Western style - Rugrats are kind of old news now, aren't they? 2. Add some theming to the train ride - some animated figures, animals - maybe some Ohio historical areas. And for heaven's sake fix up the buildings in the town and cut the weeds down IN them and around them. 3. LOWER FOOD AND DRINK PRICES! 4. Repair/restore The Racer. This is a great roller coaster but I believe it is too rough to ride now and needs to be shored up/retracked in some spots to make it smoother. I'm all for the rough experience of wood coasters, but not at the epxense of hurting my lower back as it gets slammed down into the seat numerous times. Beyond next year, even though I would never ride one, KI needs to add a big steel coaster of some sort to compete with other parks. Personally I would like to see a new twisting wood coaster like the Lightning Racer at Hershey Park.

I took my family for a fun filled day on the 13th. The weather was spectacular and the park crowd was small. Our first trip of the year was not nearly as nice as this one turned out. Our 2 girls rode a LOT of rides. 7 times on The Beast, 6 on The Vortex, 2 on Firehawk, 2 for Flight of Fear, 1 for Face/Off, 3 or 4 on Adventure Express, 4 on Top Gun, and 1 for IJST. My youngest rode the swinging ship about 8 times. Throw in numerous rides on the swings, Shake, Rattle, and Roll, the Ice Show, etc. and it was great day. Some observations: The girls both thought Firehawk was fun, if not a bit tame compared to other rides at the park. The park landscaping looks very, very nice. They have done a good job with it. We were smart and packed a lunch and enjoyed it under a tree in the parking lot median. But I gave in to LaRosa's pizza for dinner and wasted $24 on 4 pieces of pizza (cold), an order of breadsticks, and 2 regular Cokes. The food prices at the park are just ridiculous now. And to top it off I was dumb enough to spend $6 more on a cold funnel cake. The next time lunch and dinner will be eaten in the parking lot. But the fun of riding and enjoying the park outweighed the bad of the food. I also still miss the train ride theming. I really hope Cedar Fair does something with theming on the train ride. And although Italian Job Stunt Track is a fun little ride, it is one UGLY roller coaster and is so out of place where it is. We also really miss the antique cars. And one last thing - there are now NO benches in what used to be the Paramount Story area. That is such a beautiful part of the park and a good place to get away from the noise to relax for a few minutes, but there is nowhere to sit anymore. What are they thinking there? There are several empty buildings throughout the park now. Hopefully Cedar Fair will either put something in them or just remove them. It's most notable in the River Town area.

I was fortunate to have been able to ride "The Bat" several times but it's been so long ago I don't remember much about the actual ride experience. It was certainly a new thrill to be able to ride a suspended coaster at King's Island so that made it a little scary at first - not knowing what to expect. I remember it as being a fun ride that most people would enjoy - not a real scary ride that would keep some people away.

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I will say I am not a season ticket holder, but usually go twice a year. So I do not see the park on a routine basis like many do. And perhaps the fact that the park was so crowded affected my judgement. I just got the feeling that the park seemed like an "old" park to me - not as fresh as it used to.

Another report - some good, but too much bad - I was a chaperone for 4 6th grade boys at King's Island on the 19th. They were part of a group of music students from our school. This was my first visit to KI this year. I have to say I was disappointed in the state of the park, and not just because it was extremely crowded. The day got off to a bad start for my wife - she went to the restroom right after entering the park to the right of the main entrance and found it to have no toilet paper and no paper towels. That is just inexcusable when a park opens in the morning. I found several rides to be looking quite antiquated. I like the feel of an old park as much as anyone but how much does it take to at least hose down cob webs and dirt in the queue lines and on some of the structures, let alone add some new coats of paint? The food and drink prices are just ridiculous. My wife and I split a fish/chicken meal and a medium Coke at Bubba Gumps and I paid 12.39. The Coke was flat and tasted terrible and the fish was not fit to eat. The chicken, however, was at least pretty good and the fries were hot and good as well. I also got a pretzel with cheese sauce earlier in the day for 4.50. I do like the fact that you can get free ice water. The rides - the train ride has become almost pointless anymore. Very little theming, and what little there is is run down and overgrown with weeds. My daughters waited over 2 hours to ride The Beast, but still loved the ride itself. I mentioned earlier the cleanliness of some of the ride areas - one in particular is the Dodg'em - it would be nice to see some new coats of paint there. There were other areas like this as well. Landscaping - the park does not look as pretty or nice as in years past. I think it had started to go downhill in the last couple of years but it has not improved much, if at all, this year. I understand Cedar Fair just took over the park so I will give them the benefit of the doubt and hope to see improvement throughout the year and certainly next year. Smoking - it's obvious the smoking rules are not being enforced. People pretty much smoke whenever and wherever they want, even in queues such as The Beast, as my girls reported to me. They even said there were some people stoned out of their minds and smoking pot in the line! (I cannot verify this, but I have no reason to doubt them). I do think the ride operators were very nice and professional - so I have to give props to them for that. I'll come back probably later this year - I hope some things have improved by then.

Being able to walk up to the first deck of the Eiffel Tower Riding the Scooby-Do Coaster 13 straight times The Bayern Curve Having one of the train villains ask me "What are you laughing at boy? Do you think it's funny to see people shot and hurt and robbed?" The early Winterfest show in the FestHaus The Kahn's hot dog place on the corner of International street where they made the hot dogs in front of you Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal The big roulette wheel ride The canoe ride The wooden shoe ride The Tumble Bug First ride on Screamin Demon There are many many good memories.