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Dinosaurs Alive! is coming to Kings Island in 2011


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Some of these posts are giving me a headache. I'm really not sure what people are complaining about. A week ago we didn't even know we were getting ANYTHING in addition to WindSeeker. People haven't even been through the Dinos Alive exhibit yet and already say it's not thrilling/it sucks/boo hoo I wan't my mommy,etc. Okay so look at it this way. It's not like KI took anything out to build this exhibit. Granted, ToT's fate is unknown, but let's say if they ripped The Racer out or something to put this in then yes, I would expect the angriness to ensue. But as far as we know, they are using space that was previously undeveloped, so you're not getting anything taken away. And I have to say it once again that you're not going to be FORCED to go through this. I am just so stumped as to why people are even COMPLAINING at all. If you don't wanna do it, walk on by the entrance and continue on your merry way. Kings Island is still going to have all of the same rides and attractions as last year. You still have all of the same coasters as you did LAST YEAR. So for these people that have gone to KI every year prior to this, why are they all of a sudden saying they're not going to go this year? Cedar Point is getting the exact same new addition as KI is. What's the problem? Like somebody said earlier, you could probably hand out free money at the gate and people would complain. As for the griping about the upcharge, is it really that big of a deal? I am by NO means rich and I will still spare the $5 bucks to go through this attraction. As for families that say it will be SO expensive, cut out the food and drinks at the park and pack a lunch or eat outside the park. Drink water all day. That should save some money right there. I really don't see this as 'nickel and diming' everyone. There are several other amusement parks out there that charge much more for parking, food, drinks, separate fees to get into the waterpark, or even $1 lockers at the entrance to every major roller coaster that they force you to pay for if you have so much as a CUP with you. It could be much worse! And for all of the 'thrillseekers' complaining out there, maybe this Dino exhibit will keep people out of the lines for the coasters. I guess I'll go drink my kool-aid now and turn on the fan, girl.

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RaptorGuy, stop it. You are acting absolutely ridiculous. KI does not make very much money off of the people on this site and/or other coaster sites. The majority of their money, I would argue, comes from families who visit the park just once or twice a year. Not saying that season pass holders aren't important, because they are. However, you have to understand they are going to cater to the majority of the pass holders, which are not on this site. I know many people that are happy that WindSeeker is on ERT.

Secondly, this attraction should be pretty neat. Yeah it's an upcharge, it was probably extremely expensive and they have to work on their profit margin. Also, it could have to do with keeping that area in good condition. If people have to pay to get in to see it, they are less likely to destroy it. Also, can you imagine how packed it could be back there on a busy Saturday if it were free. There are many factors in this.

If anyone thought this was a thrill ride or a fix to Son of Beast this year, they just aren't realistic. The park opens in 6 weeks, they wouldn't be announcing a thrill ride 6 weeks before the park opens, they wouldn't even have time to build it, look how long Diamondback, Son of Beast, and The Crypt took to build. They all had construction the year before. The park even said it was for this year.

Lastly, the manufacturer is Mondial not Mo Dual, and I'm sure the park got some sort of discount for buying more than one. Otherwise, I doubt they would have purchased as many as they did.

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Anyone who is disappointed paid no or little attention to the "what is it?" thread. Honestly, if you did not know what this was after day one, you were diluting yourself. Many experienced posters were consistently advising people to lower their expectations in preparation for a little thing we like to call reality.

By adding an upcharge attraction that does NOT appeal to the majority of their regular coaster riders and taking away our ERT that we DID pay for is NOT doing that!

You are incorrect. First of all, families are the "majority" of customers at every amusement/theme park in the country, and not only are they greater in numbers, but they also spend significantly more amounts of money in the park then any other demographic. But let's take a look at what Kings Island did: they added a terrifying new thrill ride and a family-oriented attraction in the same year, in addition to beautifying, in a large way, a significant section of the park. So you are "angered" at a park when they install two major attractions that appeals to a wide audience?

There are some who will not be happy unless a major, world-record breaking coaster is not installed every other year. But what does that take? Well for one, stupidity (see Geagua Lake when owned by Six Flags), and huge amounts of capital. And like you said yourself, CF is up to its "eyeballs" in debt (which actually is not entirely accurate; of course they are in debt, but it is being managed very well, and in fact they just struck a new negotiation a month ago that significantly reduces their payments for said debt). CF has actually ridden out this terrible economy in fairly good fashion, but they do have to be careful. For example, Shoot the Rapids was originally planned for 2009, but it got pushed back due to the economy.

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The animatronics do not look that entertaining. I will probably go through it once and that will be plenty for me.

The fact that they are spending a ton of money on revitalizing the park, and bring in 2 major attractions is amazing in itself. Even with the debt and economy issue it shows that they do care about bringing fun to whoever comes to the park. Small or big, both kids and adults have something to enjoy this year. Great for you Cedar Fair!

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I wish you could 'like' posts on here....teenageninja and dr_humor, very well said! Some people need to step outside of their own little worlds that they live in and realize that not everything in life is catered specifically towards THEM. There are other people out there that want all different kinds of things than you do from an amusement park, and I think KI is doing a fantastic job trying to give EVERYONE something to do when they go.(if that made any sense at all lol) :)

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if you want a coaster, go to Cedar Point; there are more than there fair share of those up there. ki is a park that tries to appeal to everyone. not just the coaster-loving fanboys who are only there for the roller coasters. while coasters are great to ride (if you can handle them) but not everyone can. more than 90% of my family cant tolerate them & think im nuts for what i can do. so before you go off the deep-end of "well they shoulda got a coaster", think of the kids that dont meat the height requirements & elderly who go for shows & spend time with there family's. thats all they have & you wanna take away something that they can expierance with everyone just for the sake of your own personal enjoyment. get a life & stop badgering others who dont agree with your views.

sorry bout the rant; but im over the gripping!

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I have already mentioned that my nephew will all about seeing these dinosaurs. He has already gone through several phases in his short life so far...including trucks, Star Wars, sharks...and now it's dinosaurs. So the timing is perfect on this one!

I would like to point out something that someone who doesn't have a little one might not realize about Kings Island...although they do have lots of kids rides...they do not have a lot of rides that a parent can ride WITH their child if that child is less than 36 inches. Until you are in that situation you probably wouldn't notice how little there is to ride.

(Not counting Boomerang Bay) There are only 9 things that can be done together...and that is if you count "Snoopy's Splashdance" and The Eiffel Tower!

The other 7 are:

"Boo Blasters"

"The Grand Carousel"

"The Character Carousel"

"The Monster"

"Kings Island & Miami Railroad" (Which Is why I would like to see some theming return.)

"Snoopy's Junction"

"Woodstock's Whirlybirds"

Now if you spend a day at the park that means that you are in for several re-rides if you want to do things together.

Don't get me wrong, I can have a great time just watching the kids having a good time...but I think it adds something for the kids when their parent can share in the good time with them.

I am looking forward to this attraction and hope it lives up to the $5.00 cost. :)

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Looks like the Jacksonville Zoo is also getting Dinosaurs Alive.

Interestingly enough, I live near said Zoo and when I saw the commercial for that attraction my thoughts were, "What a cheesy piece of junk," when I learned that King's Island was adding a similar attraction my thoughts were, "Wow! That looks spectacular." Truthseeker, who is currently sounding quit like Terpy, is rethinking his opinion on, "Dinosaurs Alive."

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...As for the upcharge...well...I do think $5 is a little high, but I can understand the existence of the up charge in the first place. You gotta make a profit somehow. And unlike the ridiculously high food and drink prices, I do think people will actually pay for it. I mean come on, $5 won't even buy you a basket of chicken fingers at Festhaus...

And THAT is the reason I left the park several occasions to eat my dinner at Steak N Shake or skyline right off the exit if you go one exit south on 71! ;) haha

When I consider paying the $5 to do the walk through, I don't think it is too high. $5 seems like a reasonable amount to pay. Hopefully this will allow the animatronics and other features to stay in good working condition :) HOWEVER, when I think about a family with one or more kids, it does sound like it is a little high. $20 extra for a family of four is a good amount to have to pay after that family has had to purchase four admissions or passes. Nonetheless, I will spend one day in Dinosaurs Alive :) (but not the entire day haha)

I want to look at what some are saying as to who the audience of Kings Island is. The regular customers who go every week and sometimes daily ARE the THRILLSEEKERS! Businesses that are the most successful are those who cater to repeat business and keep their regular customers coming back as often as possible. By adding an upcharge attraction that does NOT appeal to the majority of their regular coaster riders and taking away our ERT that we DID pay for is NOT doing that! I will be coming less this year as a result, they're already driving away their repeat customers. With a bad economy and CF already up to their eyeballs in debt, I'm not sure why they've chosen to anger the people who they count on most!

You, sir, need to stop your d*** complaining!! Honestly, do you ever read whatelse people say on here? Do you ever read what people say to our posts? Try actually thinking about what is being said! To quote Ron Simmons: darn! You want thrill rides, correct? Good cuz you're getting WindSeeker! ;) I just don't understand why people are complaining about Dinosaurs Alive being added instead of a thrill ride! WindSeeker is being added. That is a thrill ride. As had been said many times, up until a couple weeks ago, it was thought only WindSeeker was being added and people were content with that. Then when something IN ADDITION to WindSeeker is announced you are suddenly unhappy because it isn't ANOTHER thrill ride?!?

Also, you may say they need to cater to the thrill seekers....but if they can charge $5 per person in a family of four, they are more than making up for driving away a thrill seeker like you ;) The park will, more than likely, make more money off of his attraction. It will being more people to the park, and those people that come for this attraction will then pay more to enter it. With a coaster like Diamondback, they are bringing in extra admissions, but those people may or may not actually spend money in the park.

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Neither side of the debate in this thread makes a whole lot of sense to me. We are getting a dinosaur attraction. Period. It is not "bad" simply because it is not a roller coaster. On the other hand, it is not "good" simply because the people who dislike it complain that it isn't a coaster. The coulda, woulda, shoulda is irrelevant.

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Neither side of the debate in this thread makes a whole lot of sense to me. We are getting a dinosaur attraction. Period. It is not "bad" simply because it is not a roller coaster. On the other hand, it is not "good" simply because the people who dislike it complain that it isn't a coaster. The coulda, woulda, shoulda is irrelevant.

Well said. Heck, what if we had just gotten WindSeeker? Nobody would be complaining about us not having a new roller coaster.

If you don't like this new attraction (*cough*me*cough*) then let's just forget about it. When KI opens this year, don't worry that it's there. Don't debate about it. Just go to your normal day at KI and don't be all mad at them for no reason.

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Actually, I doubt these dang dinosaurs are gonna bring in anymore people than normal. And as far as that wind thing, it's one of those once you've ridden it once, you've ridden it a thousand times kind of thing.

a. I bet you are wrong about your first part.

b. As to WindSeeker, you know this HOW exactly? Many people said the same thing about Flying Eagles. And most of the ones who said that hadn't ridden them, either.

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Actually, I doubt these dang dinosaurs are gonna bring in anymore people than normal. And as far as that wind thing, it's one of those once you've ridden it once, you've ridden it a thousand times kind of thing.

Even if the dinosaur attraction does not bring in more people than normal (althought I too doubt that is true), it WILL bring in more money ;) Some of the people who will come to the park regardless will, undoubtedly, pay to do the walkthrough :) And I am one of those people :D

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Enthusiasts: refuse to eat in the park, rarely buy merchandise, use their season pass far more than families.

Families: tend to buy food in park so they don't have to spend time driving to an outside restaurant and back, buy souvenirs and t-shirts for the kiddies, either have day tickets or use their season passes occasionally.

In other words, enthusiasts= not very profitable, families= profitable.

Gee, I wonder which one I would market toward.

(and yes, I am aware that I am generalizing. I'm sure that some enthusiasts are quite profitable, but from what I've observed, the majority might not be)

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Trust me, families can be that way, too. I once heard some poor employee being berated by a woman who apparently had gone into the employee break area to ask where something was, and it sounded like she was told in no uncertain terms that she was NOT allowed back there. I feel bad for what some people have to put up with. sad.gif

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[...] And as far as that wind thing, it's one of those once you've ridden it once, you've ridden it a thousand times kind of thing.

The same goes for attractions such as, but not limited to:

  1. Invertigo
  2. Flight Deck
  3. Adventure Express
  4. The Racer
  5. Flight of Fear
  6. Firehawk
  7. Vortex
  8. Backlot Stunt Coaster
  9. The Beast
  10. Diamondback
  11. Flying Ace Aerial Chase
  12. Snoopy Surf Dog
  13. Woodstock Express
  14. Eiffel Tower
  15. Grand Carousel
  16. Viking Fury
  17. Delirium
  18. Drop Tower
  19. Congo Falls
  20. Scrambler
  21. Dodgem
  22. Monster
  23. Zephyr
  24. Shake, Rattle, and Roll
  25. Action Theater
  26. White Water Canyon
  27. KI & Miami Valley Railroad
  28. Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown!
  29. Boo Blasters on Boo Hill
  30. Tower Gardens
  31. Tasmanian Typhoon
  32. Coolangatta Racer
  33. Awesome Aussie Twister
  34. Sydney Sidewinder
  35. Down Under Thunder
  36. Bondi Pipeline
  37. Snowy River Rampage
  38. Great Barrier Reef
  39. Crocodile Run
  40. Pipeline Paradise
  41. Any show in the Festhaus
  42. Any show on the Bandstand Stage
  43. Any show in the Showplace Theater
  44. Any show in the Kings Island Theater
  45. Any show in the Peanuts Playhouse
  46. Linus' Launcher
  47. Snoopy's Junction
  48. Peanuts Off Road Rally
  49. Peanuts 500
  50. Snoopy vs Red Baron
  51. Joe Cool's Dodgem School
  52. Linus' Beetle Bugs
  53. Sally's Sea Plane
  54. Snoopy's Splash Dance
  55. Kite Eating Tree
  56. Character Carousel
  57. Woodstock's Whirlybirds
  58. Great Pumpkin Coaster
  59. Charlie Brown's Wind Up

...this doesn't include all the shops, restaurants, midway games, or even the themed areas of the park. But you get the idea. ;)

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After reading CedarPointer's definitions of an enthusiast and families I was THRILLED to EASILY fall into the family catagory. I don't know why...but I don't like being thrown into the enthusiast catagory. (Maybe because we have been told over and over how little their opinions mean.)

I was all happy until the Interpreter said most families weren't "hyper-critical"...my family is...so now i'm not sure what I am. :huh:

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All the whiners need to consider that this likely cost the park very little. Clear some land for a path, a little free advertising on facebook and local media create word of mouth. An outside company brings in some statues and likely keeps all of the $5 fee and maybe a little kicker from the park. In exchange, the park gets extra casual visitors that pay for admission, parking, food, and t-shirts.

These people are subsidizing our $70 Gold Passes, free parking, ERT (whichever ride it's on), and B&M hypers. They give us a park to go to and enjoy our thrills, even if we stop at Taco Bell on the way in and Skyline on the way out, all the while wearing our 1982 Ride Warrior t-shirt with The Bat on it.

Why could we possibly not want more of them in the park? This attraction should bring them in at a relatively small cost.

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Something else to consider - they don't even have to advertise this! Once one second grader at XYZ Elementary goes, I guaran-darn-tee you that the other 50 second graders at that school will be at home pestering their parents about this. Multiply that by thousands of elementaries in a 2-hour radius!

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^Not to mention, did anyone else see on the site that they're offering birthday parties? Kids are gonna be all over this.

And even as a 21 year old who does thoroughly enjoy rollercoasters, I'm pretty excited about this. The quality looks good and as Avatar said - it's going to be neat exploring a new area of the park.

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