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I think the re-theme is part of it, but proximity to Banshee is probably 80% of the increased ridership, if I had to guess.

The Bat gave almost 800,000 rides in 2013.

I joked with my friend that we swear we heard a young man saying, "Man, The Bat kicks [butt]. I'm so glad they got rid of [Flight Deck], it was a piece of [crap]." A wise man (or two) once said: Things are seldom what they seem, Skim milk masquerades as cream.

Giving "Flight Deck" a new name and theme was something I had wanted and suggested directly to the park. I was delighted to see them do exactly that this year, and I thought "The Bat" theme was perfect, along with new bright colors and signage to attract guests after a spin on Banshee. It's a great coaster, and its clone is still popular at Canada's Wonderland. In the last couple seasons as Flight Deck, it was sad to see hardly anyone riding it. I typically visit the park during less busy times of the year, but as Flight Deck, the station was usually completely empty. Having a whole train to yourself had its perks, but I worried for the future of the ride. Since "The Bat" re-theme, I've noticed a steady stream of people walking into the queue, which has been exciting. I've heard reports that the ride had a long line on opening day and has had some decent lines during the busier days this season. On the less busy days I've visited this year, there were actually people filling the trains, and re-rides weren't quite as easy to get. I'd love to hear from the park if "The Bat" experiment was a success. Was it worth the investment? Has its ridership increased? If it was a success, I could definitely see the park (and other Cedar Fair parks) trying to reinvent older rides. Could Backlot Stunt Coaster be next with a new name and theme?

I was riding with a buddy who had not ridden The Bat ever. He said he loved Iron Dragon because it was a calmer ride and wasnt nearly intense so it was a nice break. He suggested after a Banshee/Invertigo back to back affair we take a spin on Bat in the front row. He was expecting calm and then the first drop happened with the big curve following. He had more fun on that ride than any other we rode that day.

KI probably wouldn't have gotten much of a budget for theming if Paramount owned the park. If Viacom (who bought Paramount) still owned the park, there would probably be an Iron Man ride somewhere in the park, since all three movies were funded by Paramount (Paramount distributed the first two, while Disney distributed the third), unless there's something in the Universal-Marvel contract that prevents this from happening. This ride could have possibly been a B&M Flyer (or if Firehawk was built at KI, it could have been rethemed to that). Italian Job would have had better effects. An Indiana Jones retheme of Adventure Express would have probably been done with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (only to be reverted later due to Disney buying Lucasfilm). Nickelodeon Universe would probably have more of the Dreamworks stuff, especially since Nickelodeon has/had shows with those characters. I'd like to see a Star Trek ride near FoF. There would be Transformers, and TMNT rides in the park. A G.I. Joe ride could have been added near Top Gun. Maybe Titanic 3D in the Paramount FX Action Theater? All CF rides would not exist. If CBS still owned the park (when Viacom split, CBS took the parks), KI wouldn't be here today. CBS clearly had no intention of running the park, and wanted to get it off their hands as soon as possible. They probably would go as far as to sell the park to a redeveloper. Our favorite park could have become condos if no one wanted to buy it.

I don't think the conversion is permanent. It never was in Stunt Crew Grill.

I still believe if Sea World would have come right out and fought Blackfish from the beginning it would never have been so harmful, but the approach to ignore a National story is the worst move possible. Once again a great case study in Public Relations and how not to do it. When you operate in the tourist/customer driven industry you must recognize and resolve all issues that impact your customers opinions of the product your provide. There are numerous examples of how not to do it and examples of how to do it. I use a few of these as case studies in the Marketing classes I teach. Carnival Triumph - Fire vs Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas fire Sea World - Blackfish Six Flags New Texas Giant Death The New Kentucky Kingdom

Sigh... Once again, please cite the source for any photos you post which are not yours.

When you consider that midway rides are at least $20 (depending on whether you purchase tickets or a wristband, and what day you go), it makes sense that the "only at Kroger" restriction may have been a last-minute decision, and the "you can still get the discount while the fair is going" thing would be a compromise. If you were running the midway rides, how would you like it if the group responsible for hiring you was allowing someone to directly compete for your business, but at half the price? It will be very interesting to see how this works out. I feel sorry for the folks who will have to deal with angry guests who don't want to pay $20 to get in when it was originally advertised at $10.

My head hurts following this mess.

And it is no longer hiding behind a SBNO wall of wood. I would imagine that decreased ridership numbers significantly. Visibility is key.

I took that photo, thus I did not cite the sourceSent from my Nexus 5 using tapatalk. Edit: in case anyone is wondering you can look thru the door on the side of the arcade. That's how i got those pics.

I would be one of those someones. Mrs. Gator was a bridesmaid in a wedding just down the street from GL years ago, so we passed the park numerous times that weekend. GatorGirl at the time was too little to enjoy the park, so we didn't take the time to go. The following year was to be its last and I'm still kicking myself for not going. The Gator family and Hydra went to Conneaut Monday of last week, and we were met there by Tom76257 and his friend. It hasn't changed much since we were there last year, except there were fewer bumper cars running, the haunted house (Hostile Hostel) was not open and appeared to have not opened at all this year, and the carousel organ was much more out of tune than before. The airtime in the back seat of Blue Streak was something else, I rode there numerous times in a row without getting out of the seat. I'm glad Hydra and Tom76257 finally got a chance to experience the park, which Mrs. Gator's cousin described as "a shell of its former self." Luckily this time I was able to get a CLP shirt in my size ("I Got My Ride On at Conneaut Lake Park"), a shot glass, some other various knick-knacks for GatorGirl and a CD of the CLP carousel organ. I haven't listened to it yet, but presumably its from when it was in tune. I figured I should get it because who knows where that piece of history will end up. The next day all six of us went to Waldameer, what a great little park (with the exception of the waterpark... I flipped out of my tube on Wild River and cracked my head hard on the slide, went down the rest of the way on my belly)! We loved Wacky Shack (rode 4 times), Pirate's Cove (5 times), Ravine Flyer II (4 times) and Steel Dragon (5 times).

Just wanted to comment on this. The crew working on Tuesday was the same crew that I commented on a few weeks ago about how quickly they move people through the line. It's the only Diamondback crew I've seen this year that's run the ride that well. It's the only ride crew that's made me want to go to Guest Relations and fill out a positive comment card for. They are magnificent.

I was there for a few hours today, too. We super slammed the rides to the point we got dizzy. Was it "National Pleasant Persons Day" today? The entire park could have been a Disney movie, everyone was so nice. Today was perfect.

The clowns came up with something new for their audience participation bit of tonight's 7:00 show. There was a man wearing sandals in the front row, who I dearly hope is either friends with the performers or involved in the production. First, Josh took one of the shoes off the man's foot, and winged it at Philip as he dangled from his rope over the stage. The sandal landed on the stage near the side (later in the show one of the clowns shoved it farther offstage out of the way). Then Carl (Nico) grabbed the man's other sandal off his foot, and absconded with it through the door next to the stage. The guy went through the show barefoot, then during the final bows, when everyone rushes back through the center hole, several rushed off the front of the stage, picked the man up, and transported him onstage. They then proceeded to hand him the flowers, and all ran back offstage because the music was over. The guy sat down with the flowers a bit, still barefoot, looking a little mystified. He climbed up onstage to look for the one shoe that had been shoved backstage, but didn't find it. Last I saw, he went through the "authorized personnel only" door next to the stage. I waited around a bit to see if he ever got his shoes but the theater was pretty much cleared out so I left. If he was a regular audience member, he's a darned good sport.

I was at Kings Island from 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. today. I rode: Banshee- 20x The Bat- 1x Vortex- 2x Diamondback- 1x P.S. I have ridden Banshee 121 times as of today.

This place is dead. Walk on The Beast.

They need signs like they have at Dollywood. They tell you what direction and how far is some of the big rides. A directional sign at different locations, like one by Delrium would be perfect.

Is there a warped way to think that all of the follies at KK are intentional? I can't make heads or tails of why many things have happened that could have easily been avoided. It's seems off to think a shrewd businessman could make so many poor choices in a place he was formerly involved with. Perhaps his family was held hostage and he's been forced to do this to save his family. Perhaps he lost a bet?

Double Post because the previous got liked: I wouldnt consider SOB to be before its time. If the ride was built by the original crew the ride may not have had such a disastrous future. I wonder what affect the Paramount Park owners at the time had on the future of SOB

You're not alone.

I was going to make a joke about rumors, but I don't want the media taking me seriously. Besides, I've slept since then.

The Kentucky State Fair starts today, and the story has changed yet again. Typically, Kroger discounted advance ticket sales end when the fair opens. Here, the park's PR "professional" says not this year, then goes on to trumpet the 19.99 (plus fair admission and parking, if applicable) gate price as being a great value: http://www.wdrb.com/story/26272910/last-minute-preps-underway-for-kentucky-state-fair-2014 What a mess! Glad I don't work Guest Relations for the fair or Kentucky Kingdom.

The way Kentucky Kingdom has been handling their business reminds me of this.

It was a power hour. Saw this on Facebook: "I would like to give a HUGE shoutout to the Banshee crew for reaching a record of 53 cycles in one hour! This is just mind-boggling to me and is another great example of why Kings Island is the best."

We dream of Kings Island being so high quality in food, entertainment, rides, themed lands, music, etc. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has it, HAD it, and manages to screw it up. And that's with outcry telling them they're doing it wrong!

Sounds true. And though this doesn't mean they're low quality, they're certainly not working with headlining companies. Moser's Rides for Mach Tower? Zierer for Verbolten? I'm guessing Europe in the Air was created in-house? I guess Intamin has been their partner for Falcon and Cheetah Hunt (one had a very delayed opening, the other has not opened yet). Remember when the parks worked almost exclusively with B&M and churned out fantastic sister rides every few years? That partnership brought about Griffon, SheiKra, Alpengeist, Montu, Kumba, Great White, Kraken, Manta... I think the lack of planning and investment is the main problem. But it's aggravated by the park that whomever is making these decisions appears to be completely out of touch. Busch Gardens Williamsburg - most beautiful theme park on Earth. Irish mythology simulator "Corkscrew Hill" is replaced by the awful, modern "Europe in the Air," which closed halfway through last season, allegedly just to save money. The entry British hamlet turned into a modern plaza of horrendous decor and rock music. Mach Tower closed more than it's open. Entertainment division implodes last year with walk-outs and firings canceling most shows halfway through the season. And apparently next year, the park will get a 750-pph coaster decorated in modern, grungy, motocross, flaming-hoops carnival themes. My god... Never thought I'd see the day.

Wow, sound like Revere Beach Lightning should've been one. SOB never claimed any lives and it certainly wouldn't have reopened just 20 minutes after the body was recovered.

Private equity. Blackstone. Acquired, and has already gotten back its investment and more, by milking the parks. This is what Mr. Kinzel and Apollo would have done to Cedar Fair. Thank goodness for Q, which for reasons of its own, foiled Kinzel's plans, using the very anti-takeover measures Kinzel and his cronies had instituted to protect themselves. Oh, the irony!

Where are we at this year if I may ask

The line for The Bat has been consistently longer -- at least from my perspective -- this year than in recent, "Flight Deck" years. I love the orange track color scheme, which stands out and looks somehow "faster" than the old gray one.

I don't think it takes an all-new attraction to get people excited. I'm sure these forums would be ablaze with excitement if Backlot Stunt Coaster got a new name and an extensive re-theme. I can envision them building on what's there now with Backlot and giving it an earthquake-style makeover with minimal investment. Or they could invest more and focus on beautifying that area, giving it a Maverick-esque canyon-carving theme with willow trees and such. Yep! So what we know is: It takes less than a new ride, but more than a new name. I wonder if ridership on Backlot Stunt Coaster was markedly higher than on Italian Job: Stunt Track?

There's no doubt that Banshee helped get some riders to The Bat, but I'm not sure on what level. Gatekeeper didn't seem to bring an influx of riders to Wicked Twister nor did Maverick bring them to Mean Streak. I think people are drawn to something new, which is why Cedar Point might be experimenting with giving one of their coasters a King James makeover. I don't think it takes an all-new attraction to get people excited. I'm sure these forums would be ablaze with excitement if Backlot Stunt Coaster got a new name and an extensive re-theme. I can envision them building on what's there now with Backlot and giving it an earthquake-style makeover with minimal investment. Or they could invest more and focus on beautifying that area, giving it a Maverick-esque canyon-carving theme with willow trees and such.

But Pat and Dan were there in 2012... Indeed. I meant 2013.

I was in line for 45 minutes on opening day and it was one of only two rides I was on before I left. EVERYTHING had insane lines and in some cases season long record lines that day. If I could go back in time I would've not taken off work that day and not of gone. The number of riders has increased but it's not some huge massive difference. If I had to guess I'd say it's doubled the amount of people riding it which isn't much. I still see it near empty often but to be fair I still see more people on the ride than last year.

Imo, it has a lot to do with demographics, and people in that demographic being biased. With nearly 17 million people in the LA metro area, thats more than the state of Ohio all together and almost all of Florida.

I think you answered your own question about ridership increasing.. Nice seeing you here after not seeing you that often on Pointbuzz btw

I will be there for the last show Sunday ! Cannot wait

Wow, I was expecting something along the lines of Dollywood's Firechaser Express. This looks incredible. Bravo Herschend and SDC.

I like "Welcome back riders. How was your ride?" It should be left at that though. Speaking of Welcome back riders there is a fantastic documentary of that name on amusement park history. It covers long gone parks like Euclid Beach and Old Elitch Gardens as well as still thriving parks like Cedar Point and Disneyland. I highly recommend it for those who haven't seen it.<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SQSawTY3PkU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Honestly, the capacity is the last thing to worry about for that ride. Capacity doesn't matter if nobody is there to ride it.

His plan, we're led to believe, is to bait and switch daily guests and the state of Kentucky. I imagine that Mr. Hart thought that Kentucky Kingdom would be a rousing success and that operators would be lined up begging to take it off his hands and fold it into their families. I truly think Mr. Hart planned to impress the hell out of the industry by saving a park, and that he knew he'd dump when the inevitable check was written. He thought the park's story would be one of a rousing success and that he could invest the taxpayer's money, assure himself hero status, then bail... again. Is $9.99 a clever last tactic to fill the park for promotional photos? A veritable "Winterfest" of advertisement? If so, it's going to backfire, just like so many of the park's moves. He's no doubt quaking in his boots now at the thought the he might be stuck with Kentucky Kingdom for another year or more. I don't think his plan was to go down with the ship, but if he's the captain when it happens this time...

If parks should shuffle in the future, here's hoping that the best of the best acquire some of SeaWorld's parks. Those parks deserve to be nurtured and invested in.

When I lived in Orlando, I went to SeaWorld and it was really nice... but..... I never went again. It just didn't make me want to keep coming back. Universal and Disney always had some interesting events going on to keep my attention, especially the International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot! Interesting tid bit... as a Universal Resorts employee, you could use your employee identification to get in free at SeaWorld.

Park Management on the Cheap, Blackfish, and poor public relations regarding Blackfish have added greatly to SEAS lack of success. Both Disney and Universal are experiencing excellent growth in the Orlando Market, yet Sea World continues to flounder. The 2 Busch Parks are not what they once were either. Talking with some long time season pass holders they are extremely unhappy with the turn they have seen their parks take. People need a reason to leave Disney or Universal property and SEAS is not providing them with that reason, if anything they are reaffirming the choice not to leave.

The Legend is right. The only truly remarkable and well-done rides added to the parks since this conversion have been Verbolten and Cheetaka. Everything else has been filler. This as the parks face exponentially stronger competition. At least fifteen years ago, a family visiting Walt Disney World would have a hard choice to make between a day at Universal Studios and a day at SeaWorld. As it is now, a visit to Orlando already includes Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando... SeaWorld will need to step up its game in some big ways. More and more, the future of the current SeaWorld Parks is looking grim. I bet, for one, they wish they hadn't chosen that name.

I'm guessing Don didn't like people peeking into his "new office" so he put a stop to it?!

...now listed on the park map as Raging Rapids: Coming in 2015!