Coney Islander

Someone mentioned zipline, and I thought this to be a very similar type attraction, but much more reasonable an idea.

This: http://www.rcdb.com/559.htm?p=0

Drawn from this Topic: Something big announced 3-18-11? Make your predictions; Come back later to see how correct (or incorrect) you were!

Judging this man's usage of the word 'the' before Diamondback, I'd guess he's not a coaster enthusiast. Perhaps someone in Kings Island management?

1. Maverick - Cedar Point (beastfan26) 2. Millennium Force - CP (coasterguy15) 3. Diamondback - KI (Indyguy4KI) 4. The Beast- KI (McSalsa) 5. Prowler - WoF (thekidd33) 6. Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point (Centurey) 7. WindSeeker - Kings Island (jcgoble3) 8. Intimidator - Carowinds (Coney Islander) 9. Magnum XL-200 - Cedar Point (LordSkippy) 10. Intimidator 305 - KD (TombRaiderFTW) 11. Dominator - KD (TylerRider) 12. Silver Bullet - KBF (KIfan1980) 13. Xcelerator - Knott's Berry Farm (TH13TEEN) 14. Big Dipper - Geauga Lake Park (PhantomTheater) 15. Flight of Fear - Kings Island (RingMaster) 16. Raptor - CP (Diamondbackcmh) 17. Behemoth - Canada's Wonderland (sethdawg17) 18. Son of Beast - Kings Island (stephatron) 19. Shockwave - Kings Dominion (XGatorHead 8904) 20. Shivering Timbers - Michigan's Adventure (Unrealsk8er) 21. Power Tower - Cedar Point (HTCO) 22. la Rosas Pizza - Kings Island (rcfreak339) 23. Patriot - WoF (Corn4ahead) 24. Way Too Much TV! - KI (muppetfan1999) 25. Renegade - Valleyfair (McSalsa) 26. Afterburn - Carowinds (thekidd33) 27. Wicked Twister - Cedar Point (Pillsberry123) 28. WindSeeker - Cedar Point (jcgoble3) 29. Flight of Fear - Kings Dominion (Coney Islander)

1. Maverick - Cedar Point (beastfan26) 2. Millennium Force - CP (coasterguy15) 3. Diamondback - KI (Indyguy4KI) 4. The Beast- KI (McSalsa) 5. Prowler - WoF (thekidd33) 6. Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point (Centurey) 7. WindSeeker - Kings Island (jcgoble3) 8. Intimidator - Carowinds (Coney Islander)

This photograph was taken over a year ago by a member of this site: Notice the log flume logs in the lower left portion of the picture.

This sign was posted near The Beach goat farm near the end of the 2010 season. Both attractions have been removed from The Beach Waterpark website.

These are from the official Beach Waterpark website: http://thebeachwaterpark.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/PWDA.woa/wa/loadPage?pageId=6076 http://thebeachwater...age?pageId=6098 http://thebeachwater...age?pageId=6099 http://thebeachwater...age?pageId=5001 And that's not all... Something crazy is definitely going on around here.

#1 - Magnum XL-200 (McSalsa) #2 - Super Himalaya (KIfan1980) #3 - Maverick (HTCO) #4 - Wicked Twister (TH13TEEN) #5 - Raptor (thekidd33) #6 - Mantis (TylerRider) #7 - Top Thrill Dragster (jcgoble3) #8 - Millennium Force (TombRaiderFTW) #9 - Power Tower (Corn4head) #10 - Skyhawk (muppetfan1999) #11 - Gemini (Airtimeluvr) #12 - Blue Streak (PhantomTheater) #13 - MaXair (beastfan26) #14 - Johnny Rockets (rcfreak339) #15 - Iron Dragon (TG93) #16 - Disaster Transport (Ogrmac) #17 - WindSeeker (Coney Islander) Oh, how I do love swings!

It seems to me that such a merger would have broken the Sherman Antitrust Act... Might the US government take action against any future Six Flags- Cedar Fair merger?

SoB very successfully drew visitors away from CP? How so? Just a quick Google search reveals that in 2000 CP had 3.43 million visitors (down 4% from 1999) while PKI had 3.2 million (also down 4% from the year before). The article (http://www.ultimater...010101_02.shtml) also goes on to say: Another article (http://www.enquirer....ngs_island.html) states: There's no clear cut way to say that SoB in and of itself was THE reason for any drop in attendance that CP may have seen that year. I think, as the first article surmises, that the weather they had that year and Six Flags Ohio (since 2000 was the first year GL operated under the SF banner... haha banner, get it?... and people were probably curious) were likely more responsible. Also, CP debuted Millennium Force the same year KI debuted SoB. MF is a VERY strong coaster in CP's arsenal, and is one that has seen more uptime than SoB ever has (wow... did I just say an Intamin had a lot of uptime? ) Thank you for correcting my post... I'd had an entirely wrong impression on Son of Beast's initial "success." Still, I bet Kings Island's attendance would have taken a slightly greater hit, had management not invested in SOB to compete with Cedar Point's Millennium Force. (And Six Flags Ohio.)

Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Just to clear things up, Diamondback is a very fun coaster... One of my favorites. I just don't find Diamondback a very good investment. (Though, I'm sure others find Diamondback very smart for business. Such is life.) Edit: Now I do have a question... Has Mr. Kinzel ridden Diamondback before, and just how much does he love it?

I personally believe Diamondback is much more of a 'miss' than a 'hit'. Kings Island chose to construct about the most expensive attraction possible, while there are still more marketable attractions out there. (Most of which are also millions of dollars less expensive...) Actually, I don't see Son of Beast any more of a miss than Diamondback... Son of Beast was extremely expensive, but accomplished its goal: Drawing visitors away from Cedar Point... And very successfully, I must add. Now, what were Kings Island officials trying to accomplish with the addition of Diamondback? Was this goal accomplished? I personally cannot even imagine the reason rationality behind choosing Diamondback over other attractions. I really don't get it. (Edit: I replaced the word reason with the word rationality... A much better fit.)

From a business stand point, I have mixed thoughts on Kings Island's decisions during the previous ten years... Some decisions were just stupid: The removal of the Antique Cars and Flying Eagles, Paramount's destruction of live entertainment, the very poor upkeep of Tomb Raider: The Ride, and Paramount's decision to encourage the construction of Great Wolf Lodge by an independent company. (Also, I'm not sure exactly when this happened, but the removal of Kings Island's imagineering department cost the park dearly.) Some choices have been great successes: Tomb Raider's opening, Boomerang Bay, the development of Kings Island's kid's area, Cedar Fair's decision top bring back the entertainment, Spongebob Squarepants 3D, Halloween Haunt, and Howl-O-Fest. Some ideas I believe had quite a bit of potential, but were not very well initiated: Son of Beast (they could of cut the cost in half and still had a ride with the same marketability) and Italian Job: Stunt Track (removing one of the most family friendly areas of the park... and why?) Overall, Kings Island has had its share of ups and downs. Also, I find Cedar Fair much smarter a company than the former Paramount Parks, but in no way comparable to certain other Amusement chains.

Kinzel's Days Numbered: Cedar Fair begins succession plans http://www.sanduskyr...lace120810tjxml

I believe Baker has been playing a little too much Roller Coaster Tycoon. Eight roller coasters... That is about the most expensive way you can build an Amusement Park... And not at all effective. The coasters will extract attention from each other. If you don't understand what I mean, just think back to the days when most Amusement Park's had only one coaster. Now, why might that of been? If I were in charge of this project, I'd propose the following attractions for the opening year. 1) One record breaking, photogenic thrill coaster... Steel, and either the tallest or fastest in the world. (This kind of proposal will need at least one astounding eye- catcher... Something that the general public will have trouble not awing at.) 2) Three or four large thrill rides. All of them quite different and having the appearance of being the most thrilling in the world. (Keep in mind that most guests know only of thrill rides at their home park, so it really shouldn't be that hard to do.) 3) A Vekoma Madhouse. One of the most marketable rides I'll ever see. 4) A stunt show... And a "dangerous" magic show. 5) Two or more 3D movies. These attractions can be very good towards making the park a full- day destination... See the Universal example... 6) One (Evil Knievel) Daredevil themed restaurant with real Evil Knievel gear. (In similar style to Disney's Hard Rock Cafe.) 7) A large playground for children with comfortable resting space for other members of the family... The playground will need to be appealing enough that the children will be inclined to play for hours. and, above all... 8) At least twelve (moderately) thrilling attractions that are very friendly for most children above the age of eight... And more than just rides. Shows and interactive features as well. Like I've said, its all in the families. Such a statement is even more true for the Orlando market... This park will need something appealing to everyone in a family, or that particular family will not pay admission. And my final statement: This park will not be able to survive solely on thrill rides.

I must ask, who are these people and what chains do they run and/or control? I myself believe that multi- million coasters are largely a waste, at least in the current situations regarding Six Flags and Cedar Fair...

A structure of WindSeeker's magnitude will be visible from most every part of Coney Mall; likely all of Kings Island, and people will follow their eyes all the way to the structure. (Thus, my "focal point" idea.) WindSeeker will definitely be an intriguing structure. I'd expect most every visitor to Kings Island, new and long- time, to want a close up view of it. (Wether they actually want to ride it or not.) Now, I'm sure these visitors will want a place to sit down, eat, maybe use the restroom... And I see this area as having a lot of potential for future development... (Pavillion is the wrong word, as I do not necessarily mean a building with seating. I mean to say that I believe the back end of Coney Mall will probably be much more developed. How, I don't know...)

Personally, I believe WindSeeker would look nice at the end of the Coney Mall midway, right at the end. A similar principle to having the Eiffel Tower at the end of the International Street walkway... WindSeeker (in that location) would create a nice focal point for Coney Mall. Actually, I could see an entire pavilion being dedicated to WindSeeker. A nice place to rest while your children are enjoying other family attractions that *I* believe Coney Mall (along with the rest of the park) need, in order to guarantee regular attendance growth.

Arrow Suspended coasters are getting rarer, but suspended coasters overall are not really. There are very different variations, by different companies, largely popular in other countries... 9 product lines... There are probably more. I just jumped around the RCDB list. http://www.rcdb.com/8563.htm http://www.rcdb.com/...tm?ot=2&co=6920 http://www.rcdb.com/...tm?ot=2&mo=8404 http://www.rcdb.com/8402.htm http://www.rcdb.com/4022.htm http://www.rcdb.com/3457.htm http://www.rcdb.com/...tm?ot=2&mo=8260 http://www.rcdb.com/3809.htm http://www.rcdb.com/8578.htm

Since Cedar Fair made the Paramount Parks acquisition there have definitely been major changes in all of their parks. What overall do you think of Cedar Fair's performance? ___________________________________________________________________________ I personally believe Cedar Fair has done a very good job, since the initial takeover fiasco (The Crypt, employee loss of blackberries, ride names, in- park pricing, food quality.) BUT, I don't believe Cedar Fair's capital improvements are bringing out the full potential of their parks... Or even close to that... I'll go more into depth with my thoughts later, after other members voice their views.

I agree 100% with both of your sentiments. So many members that have valuable insight and opinions no longer share them because there is no point. The arguements about nothing, opinions being disrespected, and folks not sharing their experiences like they once did. The days of PKIC Survivor (Avatar stranded on a desolate island anyone), memorable trip reports, information and knowledge sharing by folks that knew of what they spoke, and discussions that were just plain fun. I remember when the off seasson was one of the best times to be a KIC member, but anymore it doesn't seem the case. I am to the point where I am even considering not posting my PTR from our trip to Yosemite or even one from our trip to Dollywood this weekend. I wonder if other members are feeling the same way. Avatar where is your Florida PTR? Almost seems like the community is gone. I haven't noticed any of that... Sure there are disagreements and such, but that is typical during any get- together of knowledgeable individuals. Certain once core members have stopped posting recently, but there are even greater a number of new members who have great quality stuff to add to the discussion. Although, the offseason games were definitely a blast. This is a good time to remind people, ideas for offseason games can be sent to any one of the moderators for approval. That being said, I've only been a member for a little over two years... So my opinion is very likely biased to what others have experienced. (Opinion~ But, having looked at the archives, I must say the forum is a considerably more positive place now than it was in 2002... And, more recently, at the dawn of Diamondback.~ Opinion)

Kings Island very briefly had one of those robotic arm rides, maybe five years ago. To my knowledge, it lasted a matter of days...

I will find it amazing if Flight Deck had not received damage, being exposed directly to the elements for such a long time. I expect minor metal corrosion to have taken place; ie. rust caused by the chemical reaction between steel and rain water, or in many cases, water vapor. Metal fatigue is completely different a problem, not often related to the lack of or absence of a protective covering to the structure. Metal fatigue relates to the grade of the metal (which may be effected by corrosion), and the overall stress exhibited on the structure. To my knowledge, Flight Deck has no such problem. I am by no means an expert on this topic, so if I'm making any error, I'm open for any corrections.