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People have returned season after season to Kings Island with far less incentive as far as "new attractions," and they'll continue to do so next year. Instead of considering 2012's new Soak City and wave pool to be a huge attraction addition year (comparing to 2007, 2009, etc) consider it an infrastructure year that just so happens to include a medium-sized addition (2010, 2011, etc). Very few of us would argue that the water park was fine the way it was and that it could sustain another five or six years with its then-current offerings. In fact, many people here said that the water park needed major updating and upgrading. So just like last year, when we saw many, many small improvements throughout the park and a few medium expenditure attractions (WindSeeker and Dinosaurs Alive), this is yet another year of much-needed small scale updates and refurbishments with a fair sized attraction thrown in for marketing purposes. There's nothing wrong with years like 2011 or 2012. Remember that for a very long time, that's how Viacom ran the parks. A handful of parks got clones of the same medium-sized ride or received their own medium-sized attraction with general park improvements thrown in. Years like that allow every park to get something new (which every park is next year, as far as I've seen) as opposed to two or three parks getting huge coasters while the other parks receive virtually nothing and sit stagnant, waiting for their "turn." Many people here were absolutely enamored with last year's way of doing this. We enjoyed the repainting, the attention-to-detail, the ride soundtracks, the returning effects, the small details that indicate at least an interest in maintaining the train and Backlot and the Crypt... 2012 looks to be shaping up similarly. No $25 million addition, maybe, but a refreshed, revitalized change or two with a nice attraction that was needed.

The arcade appears to be complete, meaning it's 1973 or after. No Zodiac in the picture, suggesting it's before 1975 (couldn't be post Zodiac, since Sky Ride was removed before Zodiac was and the picture is obviously taken from Sky Ride). With only two years to choose from, I'm gonna go with '73.

^ Cedar Fair should be out to please their customers above all else. This is why the this country (if not the world) is in such trouble, corporate greed has become the preferred method of operation. Let's please the investors above all else. Pish Posh! If the company pleases the customers, the investors will be taken care of, not the other way around. Without your customers, you have nothing. A sentiment that seems to be long forgotten.

2005, based totally on the fountains and the guess that they're doing Winterfest prep.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ride Warrior Weekend. It was an extremely fun event, even if I had to curtail my Sunday visit due to wrapping up my thesis at the time I`m not sure why KI hasn`t brought it back in some form or another. I know that besides Cedar Point, several other Cedar Fair parks host park events for enthusiasts. I would support an event at KI and be there for the entire thing if they were to bring it back. I would pay for an event like Coastermania at Kings Island. Nothing outrageous since I do have a Platinum Pass, but $10 to $20 (especially if a meal is included) is well worth it to me, if they have the amount of ERT that RWW had in 2009.

I was wondering why you asked me about the Monkey Islands quite some time ago That shot is probably one of the trickiest and most difficult to replicate, but I think you did a pretty good job. I can't say with 100% certainty that it's the same angle, but it looks pretty right to me. I also doubt I'm the only one wondering if they're the same tree- it'd be pretty neat if they are.

I can't wait to see these pictures that you've posted (and the ones to come). See, I'm usually on here while at work, and my work computer blocks pictures that are posted on this site. It all has to do with "Personal Network and Storage" sites being blocked, so anything linked from those types of sites are invisible to me. So, it looks like I'll have to fire up the home computer this weekend. Now from the descriptions of the pictures, I think I'd have to agree with you on where I'd rather be... 1974 for the first one and 2011 for the second. I loved walking through the ivy tunnel as a kid. Too bad they got rid of it... was it really that hard to maintain?

I think its interesting, how in your first picture, you can pretty much still see the same infrastructure, but in this shot, almost everything has completely changed. Thanks again, standbyme!

Where in it does it "Coast?" To my knowledge (Someone correct me if I'm wrong), Surf Dog is powered throughout the whole ride, and never coasts freely on it's own. In my book, that doesn't let it be a 'coast'er. Blazing Fury, for example, is, though, because it has several drops where the train is free to ride on it's own.