Bc9755

Absolutely. As was mentioned before in this thread, we were all aware of the huge debt Cedar Fair took upon themselves when they purchased the former Paramount parks. Yeah, those parks are money makers (mostly), but I don't think they're making enough to put a dent in that debt. Not right now. Cedar Fair could easily fall victim to what got Six Flags -- bankruptcy. They spent, spent, and spent a little bit more. Granted, Six Flags' financial policies (or lack thereof) can be debated forever, and they seemed to think that what they were doing would turn out okay, but it didn't. Cedar Fair seemed to be somewhat better with what they had, but at this point it doesn't seem as if they can dig their way out of this hole. If they're bought out by someone who is going to take on their debt and try to make it all work, fine. The alternative is much, much less appealing. With all that said, I like CF's Kings Island. No matter who's investing in or who owns the park, I wouldn't expect it to deteriorate at all. We've got nothing to worry about. Umm, I'm gonna need a ride on Diamondback now.

If Son of Beast is going to be SBNO for 2010, I honestly wonder if they'd officially announce that at all. With CF's investments in Planet Snoopy at multiple parks and the money they're dropping at CP, KD and Carowinds for 2010, I kinda doubt they'd just demolish SoB. We all know it ain't gonna be cheap. We also know it's not gonna be cheap to do whatever they have to do to SoB to get it "right" to open up in the Spring. They could probably leave it as is since it's been cleared to operate by the state, but I don't think CF would just open it up as is. Maybe they will ... maybe not. I really don't think so though. If CF is "not satisfied with the ride experience," we know it's either gonna have to be modified in some way or just gotten rid of. Either option's gonna cost some serious money, and I don't see that money being thrown at it this year. SBNO seems to be the most likely situation ... but we could all be surprised! And yeah, SoB's image is definitely a problem. That's why I think it'll probably be SBNO this year and either extensively modified or just quietly (if that's possible) torn down for 2011. I honestly don't think anything major's gonna happen for this upcoming season. I could be wrong, but speculation is fun.

Hmm ... this seems to be another example of a type of ride that should not include a loop. I'm not a fan of enclosed water slides anyway, but this? Put me squarely in the "no" category.

I am certainly no expert on this kind of stuff and wouldn't claim to be, but I do find this intriguing. It kinda seems to me that CF SHOULD have an insurance policy in place for their parks and this reserve is just that ... a reserve. If things got really, REALLY bad and they had tons of claims, they'd have to dip into the reserve to cover their pay-outs if something wasn't covered in their policy. I'm assuming CF is insured for a bit more than their properties are worth. I'm sure it's possible, but it just seems unlikely that they'd carry the insurance burden themselves ... from what I've read in the report it seems possible, but why? Does anyone know if other parks carry insurance or are self-insured (SF, Disney, etc.)? Feel free to school me on this ... I'd love to learn.

You may think you know, but you really don't until you get on the ride.

SoB is a liability for the park for sure. I just wonder ... is there really anything that can be done to change that? Short of a tear-down and complete re-build, what can CF do? I absolutely do not envy those who are on the "What's up with SoB?" team. Even if they made extensive, costly modifications this off-season, there's the possibility that, even then, next season, there may be further lawsuits because of this ride's reputation even if it was as smooth and tame as possible. I would personally hate to see this ride go. Perhaps there are other possibilities that I can't see ... just kinda seems hard to predict what CF might do to solve this. A ride that is SBNO does have a cost. If CF decides to go that route for 2010, it's certainly gonna cause some talk. Maybe they're counting on KD and Carowinds to offset that a bit.

There is a lot of KIC info running around my head, but SoB was built with a non-standard track gauge, right? I assume that the trains acquired from the Myrtle Beach park required some modifications to fit the track. I'm guessing that saved a bit of money as opposed to purchasing a train or two from, say, Gerstlauer ... just speculation, but I personally wonder what different trains would have done for the ride. Perhaps nothing ... perhaps a great deal. ~ Bc9755, who has learned a great deal from you all lately.

I missed out on the legendary Bat since I was born in '82, but my parents managed to grab 2 rides on it total. For what it's worth, they seemed to think it was a great ride. I remember hearing about how there were 2 lift hills like The Beast. Though I was never on it personally, I can gather it was intense. Vortex is too, but probably nothing compared to The Bat. I need a time machine.

I hope I didn't come across as complaining ... trims are the arch enemy of any coaster enthusiast, but they are reality. Trims save us all money, albeit in an indirect sort of way. Not only do they make our beloved rides safer, but they cut down a bit on off-season maintenance. As a wise man once said (love ya Terpy), it's all about the Nickels. Saving a few Nickels on coaster maintenance is a good thing. That translates into a (somewhat) cheaper season for us. As infuriating as it can be, trim brake debate is a good thing. Look at it this way ... if we're all yelling about trims, and that is our most upsetting concern, we're in pretty good shape! P.S. I hate trims.

Beast ERTs are okay, but I feel like the coaster "warms up" throughout the day. Nights are best of course. Even if The Beast was running a bit slow at night (which it never is, at least compared to morning), it's all about the experience. I know steel coasters have a bit of a warm up period too, but they're fairly consistent. Obviously wooden coasters are more susceptible to temps, humidity, etc. Those factors have an effect on the steel coasters too, but not quite as much. You know you're a coaster nerd when you can look up at the sky and have a good idea how a Beast ride is gonna be. Ahh ... good times.

Actually, that along with a motionless and left for dead SOB just makes me weep for the park. At least we have Diamondback. I gotcha. Personally I miss Sonny. I'm very thankful for DB as well. Airtime is good for the soul.

It seems to me that the magnetic trims on The Beast can be somewhat abrupt, but the only time they've really given me pause (so to speak) is after cresting the second lift hill and heading into the helix. My rides on The Beast this season have been great. I'm definitely a n00b to these forums and would not claim to know anything about anything, but I'm guessing the magnetic trims, however distracting, are there to protect us. I know they've replaced the old-school skid brakes that, although effective, probably weren't so noticable as the new mags. The Beast is a wonderful experience for me and I hope for all of us, though it is fun to think about a trimless Beast ... I'm sure that'd destroy the track but yeah ... I could go for a ride like that. Just compare it to a certain nearby, enclosed Giant Top Spin full of empty promises and you'll feel better.

For those that may be coming to KI solo (or not), should we try to set up some sort of time and place to meet fellow KICers? I'd love to do so if anyone else is up for it!

I'm pretty new to the KI Central Forums, but I would like to say this:I think (and this is no secret) that Cedar Fair will do what they think is the most adventageous for the park concerning SoB. Personally, I enjoyed the coaster and I definitely appreciate the design. Despite whatever problems may have cropped up, for those of use who consider KI our home park, an Action Zone without it would be empty.In these times, it's also no secret that money (and profit) are hard to come by. If Cedar Fair calculates that it would be more profitable to tear down this coaster than to do some work on it over the off-season, it may well disappear. If only the people on these forums had the hard numbers, we could probably figure out for sure what's up. :)If SoB does have to go, I will always remember the fact that KI (well, PKI at the time) tried to give us a record-breaking wooden coaster that would exceed our expectations. All opinions aside, it did.If SoB does go away, I think something will come along to make up for such a loss. Hopefully it will stay. Things can't happen overnight or even in the off-season necessarily. After all, we have DB to take away all our sadness. :)All the same, I look forward to all the off-season talk!

The Beast at night is something special of course, but that's no secret. I've only done one night ride on DB and it was raining so it was tough to keep my eyes open ... doesn't get any better than that though!