OhioChris Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 McSalsa- I grew up with Kings Island, being born the November before they opened. While I obviously can't remember anything from the first 4-5 years of operation, I can honestly say the park used to be much more beautiful with great lanscaping throughout and nicely themed rides. Paramount ruined the area now known as Action Zone. I will admit they did OK at theming rides, but neglected much of the park and many other rides to promote their new rides. Kings Island lost a lot of its magic during the Paramount years. SOB was not a Cedar Fair addition, though they inherited that headache. And Crypt? Never seemed to have any riders. I think if they were to tear down the building, they could have an all-new experience for people and stretch the life of it a few more years. And personally, I LOVE the Peanuts gang being at Kings Island. Only other group of characters I'd choose over them would be the Hannah Barbera characters, lol. The thing that annoyed me most about people complaining about the Peanuts was their claim that the Peanuts are "outdated." If you looked at the rides offered in NuckU, almost every single one of them was based on a show that was no longer aired at the time of the change to PS, so kids would still be asking who the characters are. And my 2-year (almost 3) old daughter, while enjoying Nick shows, has fallen in love with the Peanuts crew. She also really enjoys the Peanuts specials. I also agree with you on Fast Lane, it doesn't bother me any, and can't see how it could severly affect wait times. I hope Ouimet brings back some of the charm the park once had, though I know it also rests in the hands of KI's general manager and crew. Small things can make a big difference... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcs Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Never visited the park during the Paramount years, but, while the park may have lost some of the charm it had when I was a wee one, my family and I have had a great time there the past two years and are looking forward to our trip this coming June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsoran17 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 My experience with Fast Lane with ride times, 3Xs longer wait times. Also, watched handicapped person wait for at least 10 minutes on Fast Lane people. I am not a fan, obviously, and this is one of the many reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjkjkj Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I'd hardly say the ride waits are 3X longer. They are about the same if you ask me. Also, I don't really see the big deal about a handicapped person having to wait ten minutes. Shouldn't they have to wait like everyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 ^^ I don't see how Fast Lane can turn a 1-hour wait for Diamondback into 3 hours unless Kings Island is somehow selling gobs upon gobs of them, and hundreds of people go to Diamondback/other fast line ride at once and basically "take over" so there is only one or two non fast-lane car(s) per train. AND HOW ARE THEY SELLING THAT MANY AT $50 APIECE? If they are, we are going to either see lots of park improvements in coming years (like, maybye, lower food prices or free drinks, etc) or new rides, or...KI employees wearing solid gold uniforms! Then again...weekdays (In May & Early June, Late August, and Sundays in October). Never been on one yet, but have seen via webcams and heard from people here that those days aren't at all crowded, as well as heard from here that those days are usually never crowded too much- when Firehawk's wait is 15 minutes, then everything else will be 10 minutes or less. If Fast Lane is that bad (and it was suddenly installed mid-summer, when crowds were at their worst, so we don't really know how bad it will be in May, etc) you can "avoid" it on these dates. And it will probably have some of its kinks worked out- perhaps expanding the ride list from 12 to 24 will "spread out" the fast-laners more this season, resulting in shorter wait times for all the riders who aren't using it (and even those who are). Or, if all else fails, actually put a limit on how many are solid (if they don't already- I'd say 1000 to 2000 would be a fair amount without cranking the wait times up too much). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Upp...just thought of something: One, and perhaps the only, scenario I can see, even if Fast Lane is limited to 1000-'ish, is when the park opens- what ride are those Fast Lane people going to want to head for first? Let's see...out-of-town, and probably first (or a rare) KI visit...they are going to head to Diamondback first, as it is a big, red, eyeball-catching giant roller coaster (some might head to Beast, and maybe a few will head to SOB on accident, not realizing it is closed, but I'd bet most would head to DB). Now add in that you have tons o' Fast Lane users headed for ONE ride, as well as the normal guests...uh-oh. And then, after riders start to get off DB, Beast is probably going to be "raided". After Beast, perhaps they would start to spread out a bit more, some heading for Firehawk & FOF, others to Drop Tower & Delirium, some to Vortex & WindSeeker, etc. This is just a theory, but it does seem plausible: my suggestion, if this holds true: AVOID Diamondback AND BEAST UNTIL EARLY AFTERNOON! Beast, from what I've heard, doesn't run at its best anyway until it fully "wakes up" in the middle of the day and afterwords. Granted, the above was probably true even before Fast Lane...I visited KI on a crowded October in 2010, a Haunt Saturday. Me and my group o' buddies went to Action Zone and rode Delirium, Drop Tower, Flight Deck twice, and Invertigo...and a friend of my friend's he was texting with, who was also at Kings Island, texted us as we began to head for Beast..."'bout to get on Diamondback!". We texted back "have already been on 5 rides!". Here's that Trip Report for anyone interested: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22922&hl=&fromsearch=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPGUN1993 Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 Photo #28- one of my favorites 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markr Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 On one Haunt Saturday night, I decided to test how long the extra wait was with Fast Lane. I waiting for DB when the line was back to Rivertown Junction. The wait from that point is normally 50 minutes. I timed it that night at 1 hour 55 minutes, so the wait time was indeed more than double the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Not to mention that before Fast Lane, the single rider line at such a time might well have been 15 minutes or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 ^ Wow...so much for 'limiting' the Fast Lane supply...let's see, Diamondback's advertised capacity is about 1600 riders per hour (normally, I'd question a rph claim like that but DB is a capacity monster). So, if the wait time doubled, that meant at least 800 Fast Lane users were in line for it to double the wait time. Yikes! Either 80%+ of the Fast Lane users in the park were in line for DB, or the park is limiting them at much more than 1,000 per day (which is what I thought they would do when they announced it, seems I was wrong)...granted, this was a Haunt Saturday...but now I've gone from OK with Fast Lane to "iffy" on it...and WHY THE HECK ARE SO MANY PEOPLE BUYING Fast Lane AT $50!?!? That makes a single-day Kings Island ticket, undiscounted, a massive $100+. Ugh...and this is just Kings Island. If they do this at Cedar Point, it's going to be a nightmare- 3+ hours every weekend (even May!) for Millennium Force, Maverick, and Top Thrill Dragster. As for TOPGUN1993...wow, that is one of the most epic pictures I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 There is no if. Fast Lane will be at Cedar Point. And we have threads for that. Let's talk about the great photos being posted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 ^Good idea... (UGH on Fast Lane coming to CP though...well, now we MUST visit on a weekday, my sister wants to go, or else...or just shell out another $100 for Fast Lane, or see if it comes in a bundle with a hotel, etc etc...) Back on topic now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Thanks TOPGUN1993 for taking the time to do this thread, I truly enjoy looking at the treasure trove of pictures you have collected through the years. Hope your off-season is going well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaiderFTW Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 On one Haunt Saturday night, I decided to test how long the extra wait was with Fast Lane. I waiting for DB when the line was back to Rivertown Junction. The wait from that point is normally 50 minutes. I timed it that night at 1 hour 55 minutes, so the wait time was indeed more than double the time. Not to discredit what you're saying or to defend Fast Lane, but you also have to consider the productivity of the crew. The long wait night may have had a new/inexperienced/uninspired group with uncooperative guests; the short night may have been exceptionally good for the ride. Regardless, I really like this photo, TOPGUN1993! If I could ever find that as a poster, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. That seems like a great mix between the Taft/KECO KI and the Paramount KI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 On the topic of the picture...wow. I just looked at it again, in detail. It's amazing some of the stuff in that pic. Don Helbig is in there, for example...can you find him? Hint: He looks nothing like he does today! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 That would be such a cool mural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Paul, I agree, that is a GREAT photo...there's just SO much to look at. I do have a question...by the King Cobra there are two people standing there...one is Dick Van Dyke, who is the second one? Thanks again for the photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markr Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Paul, I agree, that is a GREAT photo...there's just SO much to look at. I do have a question...by the King Cobra there are two people standing there...one is Dick Van Dyke, who is the second one? Thanks again for the photos! I'm going to take a guess- I think that's Jonathan Winters. He also did KI ads. He was always one of my fav comics-he is hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 ^Thanks...I think you are right...it looks like it could be him...I didn't know that he had a Kings Island connection. I do know he has a Scooby Doo connection...maybe we could play 3 degrees of Kevin Bacon Kings Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markr Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 ^Thanks...I think you are right...it looks like it could be him...I didn't know that he had a Kings Island connection. I do know he has a Scooby Doo connection...maybe we could play 3 degrees of Kevin Bacon Kings Island. That sounds like fun. I think I'll get started now thinking of celebrity connections to KI. Maybe we can start a separate thread-don't want to interfere too much with commentary on Paul's cool photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPGUN1993 Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 Photo #29 - Entrance 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiocolts Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Wow, that is some great landscaping! Now they just have some bushes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 The landscaper of those bushes should have been so proud of his work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPGUN1993 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Photo #30 http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg826/scaled.php?server=826&filename=fof1t.jpg&res=medium The forum won't let me post a photo... weird.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74Gibson Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 ^Spam protection? Thanks again for all the pics. This warmth sometimes makes for a hard off season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeefan Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Thanks for all the amazing pictures. Look forward to seeing them everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrofan22 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 can someone plz tell me if this is true or not about the crypt if its really closed for good or is someone just bs me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 can someone plz tell me if this is true or not about the crypt if its really closed for good or is someone just bs me We have a whole thread about it here: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24734 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPGUN1993 Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Photo #31 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 If that's the tree, I'd like to see what the presents look like! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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