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Kings Island Removing an Attraction?


BoddaH1994
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11 minutes ago, Outdoor Man said:

Fluctuating attendance is an ebb/flow.  A robust economy means the local population is more mobile.  I know of a of families who traveled extensively over the summer and didn't get KI Passes for the first time in years because of it.  I know of seven families representing 31 people in just my tiny sphere that this referred to.  If they averaged 15 visits over the summer (likely more) that's 465 times the gate didn't click.  If the average spend/person was $7/visit (i don't know if that's high or low), that is close to $6,000 (including season pass $$) that didn't go to KI.  

If 100 people share a similar story- then you have over 45,000 people missing from the park that would have been there and about $600,000 missing from the coffers.  Simple math, I know, but it illustrates a story.

True, however one could argue that a robust economy that would filter out some of the more wealthy patrons, who would choose to travel, would also at least partially offset the decline with people from the lower middle class who now have the resources to attend. I do not have imperial data to back this up, but the logic is sound.

The breakdown is this: the most robust economy we’ve had in decades coupled with increases in attendance at SIX, SEAS, and DIS clearly shows that Cedar Fair stands alone in this.

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The breakdown is this: the most robust economy we’ve had in decades coupled with increases in attendance at SIX, SEAS, and DIS clearly shows that Cedar Fair stands alone in this.


I would find this to be a fair assessment, however, how much attendance decline is because people opted to go elsewhere? When the economy dumps again are all those people going to come flocking back?

There’s something to be said about riding the level line through good and bad times.
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As someone who doesn't necessarily always follow the day-to-day goings-on of the park...

...why is there not speculation that The Bat is gone? It seems to be, by far, the least popular of any coaster of all in the park. Seems like it'd be the natural choice, but no speculation seems to be centering toward it at all. Just curious?

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12 minutes ago, chibul said:

As someone who doesn't necessarily always follow the day-to-day goings-on of the park...

...why is there not speculation that The Bat is gone? It seems to be, by far, the least popular of any coaster of all in the park. Seems like it'd be the natural choice, but no speculation seems to be centering toward it at all. Just curious?

http_%2F%2Fbelle.zzxc.net%2Ffun%2Fki-ride-records-2014.jpg

 

At least as of 2014, The Bat is one of the top 10 most ridden attractions in the entire park, pulling over 3/4 of a million riders annually. Plus, it sits on very undesirable terrain and  it more or less follows the outermost edge of the property line , so it's not really sitting on particularly useful land. As long as it remains reliable, there would be little incentive to remove it. Backlot, Invertigo, Firehawk, Flight of Fear, and the three Planet Snoopy coasters all pull fewer riders.

Honestly, I'd imagine Flight of Fear would be pretty high on the chopping block. I think the only reason it's not being discussed is that the park has confirmed it will operate during Winterfest this year.

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1 minute ago, homestar92 said:

http_%2F%2Fbelle.zzxc.net%2Ffun%2Fki-ride-records-2014.jpg

 

At least as of 2014, The Bat is one of the top 10 most ridden attractions in the entire park, pulling over 3/4 of a million riders annually. Plus, it sits on very undesirable terrain and  it more or less follows the outermost edge of the property line , so it's not really sitting on particularly useful land. As long as it remains reliable, there would be little incentive to remove it.

 

In fairness, Vortex is above The Bat on that list. ;) But point taken. That's really surprising, because it always seems like nobody is riding that ride.

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^Consistently sending half-full trains every 90 seconds still equals more riders than sending full trains half as often on a ride that spends 25% of its life broken down, which is pretty much the case with Firehawk.

The only reason people think Vortex might be removed is because they don't like it and they think that means that everyone doesn't like it. I'd imagine Vortex's numbers have gone down a bit since those figures were recorded, but it's still likely pulling nearly a million a year and is still one of the most ridden rides. People also forget that Vortex is very popular among younger kids, as it's one of the very few "extreme" rides with a 48 inch height requirement.

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News outlets are reporting it is a coaster. I am going with Vortex leaving. With the "ItsBigItsGone" hashtag, Vortex is both, a physically large coaster, and the definition of the word Vortex is:

"a mass of whirling fluid or air, especially a whirlpool or whirlwind.
"we were caught in a Vortex of water"
synonyms: whirlwind, cyclone, whirlpool, gyre, maelstrom, eddy, swirl, spiral; 
black hole
"a whirling Vortex of smoke"
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I'd hope it's Firehawk since I never ride it, but Vortex would be much more of a blockbuster removal. Lots of memories going way back, but it's honestly better to look at these days than it is to ride. My feelings would be mixed.

 

I think The Bat stays-Just rode it a few weeks ago after along hiatus. Still solid and classic-Plus they're going to eventually put something awesome between it and Banshee

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36 minutes ago, fyrfyter said:

They told local media this morning it was in fact a coaster.

 

24 minutes ago, kissfan4 said:

News outlets are reporting it is a coaster. I am going with Vortex leaving. With the "ItsBigItsGone" hashtag, Vortex is both, a physically large coaster, and the definition of the word Vortex is:

"a mass of whirling fluid or air, especially a whirlpool or whirlwind.
"we were caught in a Vortex of water"
synonyms: whirlwind, cyclone, whirlpool, gyre, maelstrom, eddy, swirl, spiral; 
black hole
"a whirling Vortex of smoke"

Guys: we get the same exact news reports from the park as all news outlets . I had the thread created within 10 minutes of receiving the notice from the park.

 

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Given the location of the gravesite. I could see backlot being removed, being such an eyesore and majority of the themeing has been neglected. On the other hand, Vortex is old, and depending on height of the rider can cause headaches. Headaches can ruin the whole trip. I nessesarly wouldn’t want Vortex removed but not opposed to it. I could picture a B&M floorless in its location.  

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49 minutes ago, HandsUp said:

I'd hope it's Firehawk since I never ride it, but Vortex would be much more of a blockbuster removal. Lots of memories going way back, but it's honestly better to look at these days than it is to ride. My feelings would be mixed.

 

I think The Bat stays-Just rode it a few weeks ago after along hiatus. Still solid and classic-Plus they're going to eventually put something awesome between it and Banshee

I hate to see any attraction leave - maybe you never ride it, but 500,000-600,000 ride it and will now take up capacity on the rides you ride...

Anytime an attraction leaves, it is one less attraction to spread the attendance around...especially if said demise is a knee-jerk reaction to a bad couple of quarters...

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1 minute ago, disco2000 said:

I hate to see any attraction leave - maybe you never ride it, but 500,000-600,000 ride it and will now take up capacity on the rides you ride...

Or maybe those people decide to do something else that day and don't show up at the park at all...thus hurting the bottom line for CF.

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1 minute ago, retrofan1980 said:

im betting its either The Beast or Flight of Fear

Seriously?  The Beast? No chance of that happening.  They would announce that a year, or two, in advance and laugh all the way to the bank. The revenue from people wanting 'one last ride' would be through the roof.

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3 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

The removal of this ride comes swiftly after the CEO’s comments about removing less popular and problematic rides to save money. I guarantee you that the park will claim that this was the plan all along, but they are trying to save face. We will never know the full truth. 

I have zero doubts the decision was made for maintenance, operating costs, and declining popularity.  But at the same time I think the location of the next coaster will tell a lot about when the decision was made.

Coasters take time to design and Cedar Fair cannot just move the ride or change the design, once the contracts are signed without paying penalties and possibly effecting the opening date.  The design for the ride would have been finished long before the declaration the chain was going to look at closing rides.  If the ride is basically in the same location as Firehawk it probably was the plan from the beginning.

On the other hand, if the rides would not have interfered with each other then it likely was a more recent decision.

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I'm gonna say its Adventure Express..sadly it was alot of peoples first coaster...but...rules of buisness...bigger and better...and the coney island part of park is shrinking making way for " newer ride" I read antique cars are coming back ?  My second chose would be stunt coaster.its always broke down....I mean always.i love the ride...similar to maverick in my eyes..but a ride is no good if it's not running

Edited by Daniellep82
Spell error
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3 minutes ago, Daniellep82 said:

That's horrible that sounds like The Beast... The Beast will always live !...Son of Beast did nor survive...

It's also horrible grammar. It should be "Bore a child", not "Bored a Child".  The exception would be if we were talking about a coaster that caused a child's boredom. 

Great pumpkin Coaster is leaving!  Confirmed!

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