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From the "Son of Beast roller coaster to be demolished" thread, courtesy @KIGMGreg on Twitter.

Maybe buying 6 of these in 2 years wasn't the best idea... I wonder if Dick still thinks TTD was his worst decision?

If it's so easily fixable, why does such a serious problem still exist in year two?

Even the benches in the designated smoking area by Skyflyer? At Kings Island, everywhere is a smoking area. But they all aren't designated.

Fixed it for you.

It's not just you. To my knowledge the SIX rides have had no brake issues.

And here they are:

(MORE DETAILED) Slaughterhouse: Last year, I loved Slaughterhouse. It was by far the scariest for me. This year, I was disappointed. None of the actors attempted to scare; they were just walking around with their bloody meat cleavers and axes. It was the first time Slaughterhouse hadn’t scared me more than once. And, guess what? The highlight of the maze was the exit, where the chainsaw guy came out of nowhere to scare the living out of you – not there anymore. 5/10 Club Blood: Oh, Club Blood. The scares have always disappointed me but the girls haven’t (I’ll admit it) – but last night, I got scared a whole bunch. Great crew working in it. I loved the strobe lights part; I forgot about it since 2011 but it is easily the best segment of maze in Halloween Haunt. 8/10 Wolf Pack: Another maze that has always disappointed me but was great. Everything in it is covered in leaves, and the wolves match the color of the trees and dirt just right, so there were several times where I almost touched someone when I thought they were fake; one of the scares in it was the best scare of the night for me (a wolf standing perfectly still that looked fake, and decided to pick on me). 9/10 Urgent Scare: We did this one early in the night like Slaughterhouse, so the actors weren’t that great here either. I still love the theme and setup of the maze. The elevator simulation is awesome, and really freaks some people out. I did get scared several times, but once again, most of the actors were just standing around looking at me. 7/10 Holiday Horror: Last year I thought the same thing; this is more fun than scary. Same way this year, but I was disappointed, AGAIN. No actors! The President’s Day section had absolutely no actors like they did last year, there was no Easter bunny, and only about one actor per holiday. I’m very sad that one of my favorite mazes from last year wasn’t nearly as good this year. 4/10. Overall, last night's mazes were decent. They were all the same as last year but there was a scarce amount of scareactors. Nightmare Alley was stupid, like Snowman said, if you're afraid of giant eyes hanging down from trees, don't do it! Other than that, no scareactors there either. Freak Street's the best scare zone, easily, with the overabundance of fog and the lasers. I'm guessing it wasn't that great last night because it was the first night of the year. Hopefully as the year goes on it will get better.

^ THIS. Madame Fatale's HANDS DOWN has the best set of any house or trail at KI, bar none. Combined with the talented scareactors that know how to utilize their surroundings, it's the best house I've ever been through at KI. The whole experience really doesn't start adding up until you reach the antechamber and (former) preshow room, but once it starts, it's a doozy. As expected, the duration of the haunt is on the floor of the former ride chamber, and, though it never gets any farther than halfway through the room, it's so good that it never feels short. It's literally the sort of haunt you see advertised in Cedar Fair's TV commercials--detailed walls, flickering lights, believable props (which don't look like they were purchased from a generic catalogue of Halloween props, unlike several other haunts), and intense scares. By far, Cavern of Terror isn't to be missed if you're a Halloween Haunt fan, and it sets the bar high for future additions. As I predicted, Freak Street gained Nightmare Alley's old theme, and Nightmare Alley became a generic dumping ground for roamers that don't fit anywhere else. Except, y'know, it was empty from what I saw tonight. Grimm Blvd. is refreshingly unique and tends towards a Victorian/steampunk look for its scareactors. Don't really know what else to say for right now since I'm completely pooped; I'll likely type up a TR sometime over this weekend.

Just got back from KI. Madame Fatale's was FANTASTIC!!! The level and depth of the theme was very well done. I'm not giving anything away so don't ask. Nightmare Alley was kind of weak, unless you're scared of eyeballs in trees, then beware.

I have a question to the people that could care less (you do care some) about the ride and would not care if it is scraped, is it because it does not produce the extreme Gs or the stomach rising feeling that you get from a 200 foot drop of a coaster? I know an over sized swing does not produce the same thrill that a mega or hyper coaster does, but people like me that have spine problems can ride it and enjoy it. There are guests that will ride it before they would an extreme coaster with lots of Gs and stomach wrenching thrills. Just askin'.

More than was planned when it was designed. Sooner, too.

Would seem to me to be a serious design flaw. If the ride malfunctions, there should be a way to complete the ride cycle without a 3 hour ordeal to get down. I would say that, at first blush, this is the beginning of the end of these rides...unless something as simple as a mechanical "crank", to get folks down in 10-15 minutes, not 3 hours, can be retrofitted.

But the VIP fireworks viewing is still there, and we know that there are no fireworks during Haunt. So logic dictates that Thunder Alley was not removed simply because the season for that attraction is over, because if that was the case, the fireworks viewing would be gone as well. Thus, I suspect that we may indeed have seen the last of Thunder Alley.

You just got me VERY excited for when I make it up there this upcoming Friday. I am a bit upset by the length of the house, but then again, the room is huge. Just PLEASE, do not give away If you must, do so using the spoiler button. I am looking forward to this experience and don't want it spoiled! Same here on being excited. No spoilers, please!

If one could care less, one does care some. And safety and reliability are far more important than thrills.

Volcano: The Blast Coaster does that, sort of.

Pretty sure it's a "him". It's not DOB.

^ "Everyone's a Captain Kirk?"

The brake run and NOT the rose bowl? Somebody was wrong. It looks like, ahem, hurricane damage...

Greg Scheid, @KIGMGREG just posted on Twitter three pictures of the demo on the brake run. The end of Son of Beast is upon us.

Was good, for the first night. Didn't get into the Crypt, by the time we worked our way back to that area at 10:30pm, we didn't feel like waiting in the line. All the rides were walk ons, which was expected. Wolf Pack - Meh. Slaughter House - Decent...not even close to years past. Had our fake chainsaw noises at the ready...didn't get to use them. Chalk it up to first night, I guess. Walked on it, don't know if I will wait come later if it is that boring. CarnEvil - Decor becoming dated quickly. Time to re-do that one for next season. Urgent Scare - The best of the night that we went thru. Cut Throat Cove - Did that in the daylight, so, no real scare factor. Noticed some really awful attempts at English accents. A few sounded Austrailian. Massacre Manor - Other than the young man who could scream and sound dead on Harry Potter, a haphazard haunt, not worth the time to wait for it. Skipped Mysteria, as last year, was god awful. Skipped Club Blood, deemed it inappropriate for my daughter. The rest, we ran out of time due to Sat morning soccer, left the park around 11pm. Had a great night walking around the park, riding rides, having a few beers, and enjoying the atmosphere. The haunts, on the other hand, were a bit disappointing. Will need to get back, and get in line early for Madame Fatales thing. Only one I wanted to do, but didn't.

I really hope they cleaned those seats afterwards....

I agree, three hour is too long to get the riders down. I would love to see a video of a " WindSeeker" being cranked down. Does the crew take turns hand cranking it down? ( I think your arm would get tired cranking a ride carriage, 300 ft. down. My arm gets tired from cranking an old fashioned ice cream maker, LOL)

Cal OSHA. Different jurisdiction than federal OSHA. That makes more sense. In any event, investigators and the media are both far more aggressive in California (and New Jersey, to name two major examples) than in, say, Florida, where large parks do their own inspections. I strongly suspect that unless a faster, safer evac procedure is implemented, this ride is done. Three hours for this type of ride is not acceptable. I remember a sky ride at Kings Island. I wonder why it is no longer there...

Just stupid. Glad to hear they won't put the tiger down though.

You can't fix stupid.

More than three hours to get the riders off the ride. Quite frankly, these stops are happening far too frequently, the evacuations are taking far too long. This is simply not acceptable. Were I CEO, I'd strongly be considering removing these rides and filing suit against the manufacturer.

See, it didn't Boomerang... Now, Mile High Falls....

Amazon Falls has been removed. Congo Falls...

Invertigo. Amazon Falls. Flight Deck. Delirium. Drop Tower. That's quite a bit more than nothing.

What actual launches?

This man has watched way too many nature flicks. He is quoted as , "...Wanting to be one with the tiger." He was lucky Tony Tiger, what I call him, was not all that hungry or he would had really been "one with the tiger!"

Ah... but will it be on a Tuesday?? (Tuesday's Gone With The Wind)

Wow! Your right! I never noticed that before. I have seen Ariel views on Google and i knew that it took up a massive amount of space (I forget how many acres). It pretty much blocked off that section of the park for future expansion. Although it pains me to see the demolition pictures of SoB, I am quite excited for the future!!

Like many things here, much depends on weather.

Every new beginning is some other thing's end. Terp, who has said too much already (and for whom Atlanta will soon be Gone with the Wind(not Seeker). There's a new beginning coming soon.

It wouldn't be very fresh if you brought it up here. Dollywood's food should really stay in Dollywood. I like seeing these new food options that are local eats, and just the higher quality that we have been starting to get.

A sign does not create reality.

^ Get wet & be happy a big statue of Jesus is not close?

I'm intrigued. Terp, Young Kesey fan. Well, that and Tom Robbins. Just another roadside attraction.

Because you could end up sitting next to someone like me...then the 100 dollars would seem like a steal!

^As of last year, has. And I echo the statement that it's extremely addictive and competitive.

Kings Island has had a baddest coaster. Some say more than one, Terp observed dryly.

I realize I'm gonna be way off topic, but I first read this thread while at work and therefore couldn't get to my pictures on my laptop at home, lol. All the talk of the Timberwolf Amphitheater reminded me I had a couple old photos my dad took back in 1982, when the Beach Boys were there in concert. The most memorable part of that particular trip (besides being able to hear the Beach Boys from International Street)? The group of 3 or 4 guys in line ahead of us for The Beast with about 3 buckets each attached to their belts. These buckets were from the Bucket o' Beer you could purchase once upon a time in Kings Island. You got a metal bucket filled with beer. I would guess they were between 16 and 24 ounces maybe, I was 10 at the time so my ability to guess liquid volume was not well developed and memories tend to be distorted. Anyway, these guys were definitely showing signs of drinking 3 Buckets o' Beer each and singing Barbara Ann at the tops of their lungs while in line for The Beast. Quite entertaining, we were all having a good laugh. So I mentioned pictures, didn't I? Below is a picture, taken from the Eiffel Tower, of Timberwolf, full to bursting with Beach Boys fans. Note the Festhaus, under construction at the time, and the top of the Viking Fury, brand new that year (oh, the chants of "Less filling!" versus "Tastes Great!" lol). You can also see the (Screamin') Demon and the monorail. Below it is a picture taken opening day this year, so you can see how much that area changed in 30 years. (In my opinion way too much cement there now.) Enjoy! 1982 2012

"Back in the day" it certainly did. When it originated, similar theaters were popping up at amusement parks all over the nation. Timberwolf once hosted jimmy Buffet regularly among other folks. In the 90's under Viacom, it also received a lot of acts associated with Nickelodeon sponsored tours (Britney Spears, Aaron Carter, etc). Riverbend soon beat out Timberwolf in nearly every aspect - more seats, better amenities, better sound, larger stage, easier access for tour busses etc. And in recent years, Riverbend added a smaller, more intimate theatre right next door that took even more acts from Timberwolf. When I was younger, my parents took my sisters and I to see Aaron Carter. It was for my sister's birthday, I unfortunately was too young to stay at home and was dragged along to hear the fake tones of aaron carter, the a-teens and Nick Cannon. The seating at Timberwolf is awful - benches that are hardly tiered to allow you a view. It's just an old venue that's been eclipsed by so many others around here. Its only act the past few seasons has been Spirit Song, which tours many other amusement parks as well. As for Sean Hannity's Freedom Concert, it seems the last year for that whole tour was 2010. I believe they cancelled it in 2011 amongst a fundraising scandal and the tour hasn't been done since.

Absolutely ridiculous. Just ridiculous. 2, 3, and 4 (above) are not even exact duplicates. Not by a long shot. If your biggest fret is that Tidal Wave Bay is a copy, you need to take your complaint up with most every water park on earth that has a wave pool. It's honestly very, very absurd that you'd accuse Soak City at Kings Island of being a "copy" of Soak City at Cedar Point. It's not even worth arguing, though I know you'll attempt a snappy reply... Was the name "imported" from Sandusky? Yes. Every single other thing about the water park is exactly as it was when it was named Boomerang Bay save the action river and new wave pool. As for WindSeeker, most anyone who's actually been on a handful of them will tell you that they give quite different experiences. WindSeeker, if it's easier to think about it this way, is an outdoor observation tower. Now, wouldn't an observation tower in Mason, Ohio provide a wholly different experience than an observation tower in Doswell, Virginia? Sandusky, Ohio? Buena Park, California? But to argue that misses the point entirely, because the question is who cares? (EDIT: The answer to the question, by the way, is a vast, vast minority!) Believe it or not, most of the folks who visit Kings Island will never, ever, ever (NOT ONCE) visit Carowinds. An overwhelming majority of Knott's Berry Farm visitors haven't the slightest idea that a park called Kings Dominion exists at all, much less do they know (or care?) that it has one ride in common. Period. If you traveled to Kansas City, Missouri and declared in your most accusatory voice, "You know, a park in Ohio also has Dinosaurs Alive!" guess how many people would give a rat's behind? Something tells me that if Disney purchased Kings Island and decided to clone The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (which exists in four places in the world), Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (which is cloned in 3 places), The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure (which exists in two parks as identical clones), and Jungle Cruise (in five parks across the globe), you wouldn't mind at all. Am I right?

My notion still stands. It'd be neat to have a Luminosity stage up near the Delirium fence, though. Imagine a Luminosity show with Delirium swinging overhead.

*It's only a joke.

"How strange! I'm getting rained on, and there are no clouds to be seen..." - Knott's Maintenance Staff