Kings Island New Website

[Sergeant Pepper]

I am making this thread to discuss the brand new website (Instead of cluttering the map thread with website thoughts)

Enjoy

[Coney Islander]

New website! Awesome!

Kings Island Website

Edit- Adventure Express, The Crypt, and Backlot Stunt Coaster are '5s', even though they are marketed as family rides...

[CincyMan98]

I love it! Everything is much more organized, and updated. Do you think they are going to change the online store? It's still like the old Kings Island template.

[bkroz]

Also, I don't believe Action Theater is listed as an attraction, which it was when Carowinds' site premiered. Just sayin'!

[shark6495]

well if you watch the flash banner on the main page, the page that says Opening day shows Son of Beast.....

[Beast1979]

No, I think it shows Beast.

[bkroz]

That's The Beast. Compare the train to the one in Beast1979's avatar...

[bkroz]

A preview of the new International Street webcam! This image was posted on the park's Facebook. That likely means we'll see the new webcam up soon! They got the idea from someone on the Facebook's discussion board about Webcams, so if someone here suggested it, nice one!

[shark6495]

yup you are right... my bad... I dont know what I was thinking...... carry on

[EssentiallyCoaster]

I love the history of The Crypt, it is almost exactly opposite of the truth.

One of the most popular rides at Kings Island, The Crypt opened in 2002 as Tomb Raider: The Ride. The theme for the ride was based on film Lara Croft. The name was changed to The Crypt prior to the start of the 2008 season. The ride is a favorite of park guests. The Crypt has given 4,043,911 rides since 2002, the 35th-most in park history. Its record year was 2002, when 653,223 rides were given.

[CrashOverRided]

A preview of the new International Street webcam! This image was posted on the park's Facebook. That likely means we'll see the new webcam up soon! They got the idea from someone on the Facebook's discussion board about Webcams, so if someone here suggested it, nice one!

Well i must say i am surprized at the amount of info we have been given the past 2 weeks. This is great. Paramount had webcams back in the day.... nice addition. on that note who is that waving.

[tycoonrebel7188]

The person on the right is none other than Don Helbig. The person on the left, according to the Info under the photo on Facebook, is Nikki Stoller-Funderburg. Presumably she works with Don.

[CrashOverRided]

The person on the right is none other than Don Helbig. The person on the left, according to the Info under the photo on Facebook, is Nikki Stoller-Funderburg. Presumably she works with Don.

ahhh ok ....i just dont go to facebook much.

[HTCO]

Loving this new website. VERY nice upgrade from the other one...

[IndyGuy4KI]

I noticed that the DB website http://www.kiDiamondback.com/ is not linked on the new DB page http://www.visitking...Diamondback.cfm

I wonder if they are going to just let that domain lease run out, or if they just have not linked it yet?

Love the new site, KI!

[IndyGuy4KI]

Did anyone notice that SOB is not on the park map?

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/park/map/index.cfm

[The Interpreter]

Yes, that has been discussed quite a bit in the park map thread:

http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21124

[IndyGuy4KI]

Yes, that has been discussed quite a bit in the park map thread:

http://www.KICentral...showtopic=21124

Yeah, didn't see that thready before I posted. Sorry!

Lots of posts in the map thread that should be in this thread.

[Oldiesmann]

I noticed that the DB website http://www.kiDiamondback.com/ is not linked on the new DB page http://www.visitking...Diamondback.cfm

I wonder if they are going to just let that domain lease run out, or if they just have not linked it yet?

Love the new site, KI!

According to who.is, the domain doesn't expire until July of next year, so it's likely that they just haven't linked it yet.

[KIBOB]

-Bump-

Has anyone noticed the new browser banner for Kings Island? The park is actually being called a theme park, a very pleasant surprise if i do say so myself.

[CincyMan98]

I love the history of The Crypt, it is almost exactly opposite of the truth.

One of the most popular rides at Kings Island, The Crypt opened in 2002 as Tomb Raider: The Ride. The theme for the ride was based on film Lara Croft. The name was changed to The Crypt prior to the start of the 2008 season. The ride is a favorite of park guests. The Crypt has given 4,043,911 rides since 2002, the 35th-most in park history. Its record year was 2002, when 653,223 rides were given.

Haha that's really funny.....I doubt that the ridership is one of the most popular. Or, just like they consider half the rides 5s, it's like they consider all the rides one of the most popular.

[Diamondback96]

-Bump-

Has anyone noticed the new browser banner for Kings Island? The park is actually being called a theme park, a very pleasant surprise if i do say so myself.

What exactly do you mean by that?

[PREMiERdrum]

-Bump-

Has anyone noticed the new browser banner for Kings Island? The park is actually being called a theme park, a very pleasant surprise if i do say so myself.

What exactly do you mean by that?

I think he means that if you go to www.visitkingsisland.com, the headline bar (the blue bar at the very top of your IE window) reads "Kings Island Theme Park - The FUN and Only - Mason, OH."

[Diamondback96]

I swore that said "Kings Island - The Fun and Only" when I looked at it a few minutes ago.

Either way, I'm still happy. Maybe if they add THEME, I'll be happier.

[KIBOB]

-Bump-

Has anyone noticed the new browser banner for Kings Island? The park is actually being called a theme park, a very pleasant surprise if i do say so myself.

What exactly do you mean by that?

I think he means that if you go to www.visitkingsisland.com, the headline bar (the blue bar at the very top of your IE window) reads "Kings Island Theme Park - The FUN and Only - Mason, OH."

That's exactly what I mean WSYXnewsguy. Kings Island is being called a theme park again, only on the website though. I hope that they stop referring to the park just as an amusement park, as it always has and was always meant to be a theme park.

[CincyMan98]

Whats the theme though? It's not like Disney, which is themed Disney....or Islands of Adventure, which is themed Universal pictures........

[flightoffear1996]

I love the webcam but I still dont know why a park would put one up. I checked the DB camera last year a few times and it kept me from going to the park cause it was packed.

[PREMiERdrum]

Whats the theme though? It's not like Disney, which is themed Disney....or Islands of Adventure, which is themed Universal pictures........

It's a themed park... different areas are themed to different things. At Disney, the theme isn't Disney, it's 1. Main St USA (turn of the Century midwestern town), 2. Fantasy (Fantasyland), 3. Frontier (Frontierland, the American west),4. Adventure (Adventureland, "exotic" locales), 5. The Future (Tomorrowland, currently a mess of Retro-Sci Fi and modern futurism), and Liberty Square (a Colonial themed area, patriotic).

At Kings Island, you have International Street (a European "showcase" with each building representing a different country), Rivertown (a turn-of-the-century settlement on the Ohio River), Coney Mall (an early 1900's trolley park), Planet Snoopy/NickU/Happy World of Hanna Barberra (the childrens' area, in each iteration allowing cartoon characters to "come alive"), Action Zone (a weak attempt at a Hollywood Stunt/Back Lot area), formerly Wild Animal Safari/Adventure Village (exotic, African buildings with lush landscape and animal encounters, animal themed attractions).

I think that calling Kings Island a "Theme Park" is a welcome change from the typical CF Amusement Park attitude. It may indicate a shift back to themed rides residing in matching themed areas.

[Fear the Four]

I love the webcam but I still dont know why a park would put one up.  I checked the DB camera last year a few times and it kept me from going to the park cause it was packed.

What if it was empty? It would make people go to the park.

[bkroz]

Whats the theme though? It's not like Disney, which is themed Disney....or Islands of Adventure, which is themed Universal pictures........

The theme, however loosely, is a multi-cultural boulveard (International Street), a movie studio backlot (Action Zone), a German celebratioin (Oktoberfest), an antique amusement park (Coney Mall), an early Ohio settlement (Rivertown), an Australian beach party (Boomerang Bay), and a top-secret government facility specializing in propulsion systems (X-Base).

The notion that a theme park requires movie tie-ins is what has led to the degradation of Kings Islands theme in the past few years. Recall that, arguably, when themeing was paramount at Kings Island, a movie studio had not yet owned the park. Movie studios often have an advantage in themeing in that they have immense libraries of stories, props, and characters to draw from and (usually) unparalleled budgets with which to bring those things to life. But that means parks without the aid of a movie studio have to work twice as hard to create coherent, immerse theme. And when that kind of work goes into something, it shows.

Also keep in mind that parks that are really well-themed (notably, Universal's Islands of Adventure & Tokyo DisneySea) do not rely on films. Islands of Adventure has only one Island themed after a movie. The others draw from other sources (comics, children's books, and mythology). DisneySea is an incredible immersive environment that only makes small, tasteful references to Disney films (a small mosaic of Jasmine above a fountain down an alleyway) and could easily be de-branded if it had to be. Yet, it remains arguably the best themed park on Earth!