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The Crypt: Gone for 2012!


TombRaiderFTW
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Does anyone else recall the pipe dream that was Universal's Kings Island?

How different The Crypt would be today! (And by that, of course, I mean that it would probably have been immediately leveled, or at least replaced with a completely different, high-quality, ride of similar stylings.)

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I came across this. This POV of Tomb Raider really brought back a lot of memories. Although The Crypt is no-where near this fantastic, I honestly do not want it to be removed. Look at what it used to be, there is potential!

I'm really glad I came across that on Google Videos, because it's honestly one of the best references to the actual ride that I know exists. Once upon a time, I also had links to a complete queue walkthrough video from 2002 and a video of the preshow. Somewhere along the way, I lost the address for them, and I haven't been able to find them since. They were on some odd, unknown video hosting site that, coincidentally enough, looked a lot like what Vimeo looks like now. Really wish I could find them again...

Man, i've been looking all over the internet and could never find any video of the que, and the only one of the ride being the one DropZone99 posted of course. The closest i've ever found to a que video was that Travel Channel special about it, showing a few parts of the que. I never got to ride Tomb Raider, so I as hoping to see a video of the que somewhere online. There is no videos of the Crypt's rideI could ever find online. Actually, I don't think i've even found a picture of the ride chamber or 2 row gondola of the Crypt era. I would love to take a video on ride of The Crypt, but i'm not that risky. I'll probably get caught, and I could drop my camera, and it wouldn't be retrieved "until the end of the day, if at all". You guys have heard that in line for the Crypt, right? I'm surprised they said they actually would get the items possibly at the end of the day. I know they'd never do that on Tomb Raider because the items would drown in the "lava". Anyway, I could see them possibly operating the ride this year, and removing skeleton props and stuff from the que throughout the year, to prepare for closing during Haunt or 2013. But what do I know, probably not. It seems like half the people posting here say it's gonna operate, and the othere half think otherwise. I have no clue what will happen.

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^ For what it's worth, you can find several photos of TR:TR's queue both in this site's and KIExtreme's great photo galleries. Another good source is DAFE's article from 2002 about Tomb Raider. I haven't been able to find video of any aspect of the ride, either. The again, what would there be to see in the video?

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Well has anyone determined if Don is staying in PR at KI or will the new outsourced company do the PR announcement for the removal???

Really all jokes aside could the crypt keep running like it is???

Could it keep running like it is? Yes. Would it be safe? Debatable.

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Would KI, Cedar Fair or any responsible operator even THINK of running it unless they were sure to the best of their ability and expert knowledge that it was safe enough to put their own spouses, kids, lives and careers on? Absolutely not. Safety is paramount, in all parks. It must be that way. And it is.

This sounds a lot like the longterm discussion over Chaos at Cedar Point before it was finally removed. It was always safe, but it cost a lot to maintain and eventually wasn't worth that cost. I would not say that Chaos, or The Crypt, are/were fan favorites.

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Then re-read the official website.

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.

Every other ride simply lists the ride's name, past name(s), and opening year. The Crypt is the only ride in the park whose online page references its "popularity..." And they did it twice! Sort of sounds like an inside joke, doesn't it?

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Then re-read the official website.

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.

Every other ride simply lists the ride's name, past name(s), and opening year. The Crypt is the only ride in the park whose online page references its "popularity..." And they did it twice! Sort of sounds like an inside joke, doesn't it?

This could also be a marketing strategy. Think about it, if someone tells you a ride is the most popular in the park wouldn't you want to ride it? In all honesty I loved TR:TR but now it's been driven into the ground. The only reason to ride it at this point is to be out of the sun. I think the park is just trying to get people on it so it looks like people ride it. I always hear so much disappointment from park guests about that ride. I myself have a feeling that it's time is coming. If not this year maybe next. Just my two cents,

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The last time I rode tr:tr was in spring of '07...the sound wasn't working...which turned out to be a sign of what was down the road. For me, it made the ride not worth waiting in line for...which was a shame because for a few years, I think that was actually my favorite thing at KI.

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Rides come and go. Kings Island will be different ten years from now, just like the park was a much different place back in 2002. Rides come and go at all amusement parks.

I don`t want to wear a rut in this topic, but at the time the ride opened, Tomb Raider: The Ride, was a unique attraction at a seasonal amusement park. I distinctly remember one day visiting the park, and the ride opening late because they were painting the bamboo queue line that used to lead into the cave. It indeed was an interesting ride concept, and rather unique.

However, after all of the changes that have been made to the ride over the years, I do not bother to ride it on my visits to the park. At a certain point, a ride is just not worth the maintenance or labor costs that it takes to run and maintain a ride. While I hate to see any ride leave the park, I think the time for the Crypt to exit the building has definitely come. Only time will tell what, if anything, ends up replacing the ride.

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This sounds a lot like the longterm discussion over Chaos at Cedar Point before it was finally removed. It was always safe, but it cost a lot to maintain and eventually wasn't worth that cost. I would not say that Chaos, or The Crypt, are/were fan favorites.

Ouch... I may be in a minority (or not), but from the first time I rode a Chaos it quickly ranked near the top of my favorite flat rides. Both of the ones I've ridden, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Cedar Point, are no longer there. :(

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I actually have never ridden a Chaos ride. They look like they could be fun, albeit a bit disorienting.

Two of my favorite flat rides can actually be found at Coney Island. I love the Rock O Planes (one of the few rides left where riders can actually control their ride experience), and the Tempest. If the weight is distributed just right, the Tempest can be down right dizzying!

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How about we level the cave/beautiful warehouse in the woods and build some kind of water ride. They need to put the river back in Rivertown. This may sound crazy, but I'm kind of hoping they could build a small family ride. Maybe a flat or two. Oh, and plant some trees why you're at it.

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Guest TombraiderTy

How about we level the cave/beautiful warehouse in the woods and build some kind of water ride. They need to put the river back in Rivertown. This may sound crazy, but I'm kind of hoping they could build a small family ride. Maybe a flat or two. Oh, and plant some trees why you're at it.

town2copy.jpg

:rolleyes:

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One of the most shameful things about The Crypt's state, I think, is that it shows how far Kings Island has fallen behind in the flat ride category that it used to hold so dear. Cedar Fair has dedicated itself to building roller coasters and improving entertainment. I don't think either thing is bad. But the fact is that Kings Island always stood out for its unique flat rides. Drop Zone was (and still is) really an unbeatable ride experience. For years, Delirium was one-of-a-kind. When Tomb Raider arrived, it really did redefine the seasonal amusement park dark ride, and incorporated a massive, unique flat ride ride into the concept.

Now, Cedar Point has caught up to (and perhaps surpassed) Kings Island in the flat rides department.

My ideal is that the Crypt is replaced with a suspended top spin with restored effects to as high a degree as is maintainable by the park. I can't say whether that would be a worthwhile move for the park financially or not. Part of me sincerely believes people would flock to it, enamored to experience it again and again, but that's certainly me projecting.

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Sure could. But honestly, I think I'd rather have a unique, large, indoor ride with music and lighting that does two flips than a typical "Cedar Fair" top spin, which have some of the lamest cycles I've ever seen and typically cater to 4 - 5 riders.

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Worlds of Fun

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Knotts

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Valleyfair

Say what you want about our Crypt, but isn't it usually full? Even two years after the switch to the two-flip program when most of us would've assumed that it would be avoided like the plague, I don't often get on a half-full ride. Kings Dominion's Crypt also does a fair amount more business than the other Cedar Fair top spins I've encountered on similarly crowded days. It also blasts music across a plaza and has fire / water effects that synchronize to its Paramount-era, nine-flip ride cycle.

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Replacing our top spin with a smaller, more acrobatic model and new effects (water, music, new lighting, mist, or fire pending a building change) and running dramatic, adventurous ads about "The Crypt is all new at Kings Island. More thrills than ever before. As the walls of the tomb close around you, you'll flip nine times through the darkness, assaulted on all sides by fire and water. You'll never feel more alive than when you're locked into the darkness of The Crypt... Only at Kings Island." (This is how I spend my days)

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