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America's finest news source reporting new super long coaster: http://www.theonion.com/articles/busch-gardens-unveils-new-9600milelong-endurance-c,36691/

Now in theory, once they get in the park, I suppose you COULD leave... Though I can't speak for how your friends would feel about that.

And The Onion is entertaining (in the good way). But it looks like they're reusing part of King Cobra! I wonder if the rest is to go.

There's nothing wrong with throwing enthusiasts a bone every now and then. However, the old scooters from KI have a new home now, and are now loved by many, many people young and old whose home park is Carowinds. It is obvious from this thread that we all loved our Eagles. It is clear to me that it really hurt many of us to have them abruptly taken away. So that having been said, would you really want to make the people at that park go through the same thing? Two wrongs don't make a right. I, for one, would be fine with a GOOD set of Larsons with good placement (and the speed knob on the CORRECT setting ). They aren't QUITE as good as our old set, and I'll openly admit that. But I wouldn't want to rob anyone else of their beloved ride. That's not the solution to this problem. Humans are pretty great, With over 70 years of technological progress to boast since they were built, I think we could actually build a set of scooters that are even better. Why don't we work on that instead?

The Onion would not equal Screamscape. The difference is that, The Onion is joking, while Screamscape, is, well, not.

There's a difference?

I think the name has risen this year not only because of Banshee, but 30 years ago this year, the original Bat was dismantled. The re-theme is certainly helping the new Bat, but I wish there were more merchandise than just the mugs/shot glasses. A shirt, hat, maybe a Banshee/Bat or Old Bat/ New Bat shirt would be better? Some would even say that the trains running on the track fit the theme. Those squeaks really sound like a bat.

I do believe this time Hart & Company fully intended to let all and sundry in the Kingdom during the fair for 9.95 and for the same hours as the midway carnival. (Season passholders get in with their pass). Then the carnival company raised Holy Hannah, as did the Fair Board. That they couldn't see this coming boggles the mind. At least mine.

From the end of last month, just one of the many articles mentioning the discount admission to Kentucky Kingdom during the fair, $9.95. Not a word about either Kroger nor advance purchase required. Also, in this long, flowery article, not a peep the water park would be shut down during the fair. http://www.voice-tribune.com/news/cover-story/alls-fair-in-louisville-110th-state-fair-brings-new-with-traditional/ Bait and switch. Were this New Jersey, someone would be facing civil and perhaps criminal liability. Shameful. Sadly, not inconsistent with the rest of the summer.

Lady in line for Flying Ace said next she was going to ride the tallest ride ever, Banshee. She quickly corrected herself that it was not necessarily the tallest ride ever, but at least the tallest ride in the park... try again, lady lol

Google Maps satellite view of Geauga Lake really depresses me.

Even if this story was true and BG built such a thing, it STILL wouldn't satisfy 90% of the people on this site.

So, I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that the All Season Dining Plan was only good until Labor Day. With the fact that this reference has been removed, I take it that it is no longer true. Then I looked at Kings Island's FAQ. It didn't mention a Labor Day cutoff, but still has a lot of great information about Fun Perks! I'm not kidding.... https://www.visitkingsisland.com/faq

I was going up the lift hill on Vortex and behind me a father tells his son "It used to be called The Corkscrew". It took every thing I had to not turn around and yell "That is wrong and ridiculous!"

At the request of markr MrsDiamondbill and I are posting our trip report the good, the bad, and the ugly. We left Columbus 8/3 at 7 AM to spend the evening with MrsDiamondbill's ( who will be refered to as Judy for the remainder of the report) brother, sister-in-law, and nephew in Richmond. Had a good visit and dinner topped off with a trip to the local DQ. We arrived at Kings Dominion at 11 AM Monday. The first thing that struck me was how much International Street looked very much like KI's. The second thing was all the trees, it was very easy to stay cool on a hot day. Our first ride was the Shenendohah Lumber Company, I can't resist a log flume. The hill appeared to be the tallest I've seen but the ride was short, but stiil good. Next was Grizzly a replica of Coney Island's Wildcat a ride that was dismantled in 1964 when I was 2. It was a great ride completely coverd by trees. At this time I should mention that the sign out front said the following attractions will not operate today Dodgems and you guessed it Flying Eagles, there's the bad. We headed over to Rebel Yell, their version of The Racer. We can't believe our eyes, bright, fresh red, white, and blue paint like Racer's glory days. We rode the red side. The drops on the return run aren't quite as deep but wait for it....a final drop with head chop effect and open sided brake runs. On a slightly sour note the paint ended at the lift hill, oh well you can't have everything. From there it was off to I305, Judy isn't a fan of anything taller than Diamond back so it was off to the shade for her. Somewhere someone said it's like Millineum Force crossed with Maverick and I can't describe it any better than that it' perfect. More bad had an issue with a spitter two rows ahead of me on my second ride, station attendant handled it. Next was Volcano for me, longest wait or the day. Was talking to the guys behind me they were very friendly one looked very familiar I think he is a Hip Hop artist but I didn't want to sound like a square and ask, and if he was he probably would prefer to be a normal guy for the day. Volcano was another ride I expected to be longer but it was still very cool. Took in their wheels show, a close rival to Cirque Imagine but I'll give the edge to Cirque. Now time to bare my soul for some reason Dominator spooked me, I passed on it in 2 trips to Geauga Lake. It was great took four rides plus a victory lap! We went back to ride the carousel then Rebel Yell blue and Hurler, we rode Hurler I'll leave it at that. Now the ugly. We were booked at Hampton Inn in Durham NC the internet page didn't have the I85 exit # so Judy calls to ask which exit they are at, the lady laughed and asked what exit are we at and someone said 172A. They are actually at 176A and the is no exit at mile 172. At this point it strikes me that I have seen no cars northbound and the bad feeling hits I85 north is closed somewhere in the 150 area nice joke clowns, after calling the hotel back to let them know we wouldn't be there I was told my card is still being billed, we'll see. We called the hotel we were booked in in Concord and got the last room, a suite 185.00 and we didn't get there until 1 AM. Tuesday was spent at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Two highlights, met a guy name David from Louisianna who bore a more than striking sesemblance to Dale Sr., and beat three out four Cup Rookie of the Year contenders on the simulator. Not bad for an old drag racer. Wednesday we got to Carowinds at 10AM. Off to Intimidator for me, Judy wasn't feeling it. Great ride altough the airtime seems to be killed by turns. Rode it a few times then went back to Afterburn, my favorite invert before Banshee. Argh it's closed (somewhere youngstud is laughing). Oh well on to Thunder Road again argh but it will open at noon. Off to a couple of turns on the Dodgems. Next was Caroline Goldrusher, Judy said this is her favorite mine ride I liked it too. Ricochet was next, the modern version of the Cedar Point Wildcat type ride, they are fun but mostly all the same with a few spinnig exceptions. On to Vortex for me, oh my aching ears but still fun. I passed on Thunderhawk had a bad experience on it last trip there. It only has a single load platform unlike Firehawk, there was a problem with the train in the station that left us on the brake run with our hips higher than our heads for 45 minutes. Finally Thunder Road is open, it was down for the season last trip so this was a quest like Dominator. The South Carolina side was the only one operating. Almost identical to Rebel Yell with all the drops and head choppers at the end, however it was completely unpainted, I know it doesn't change the ride but it just had a kind of industrial look. Was starting to get a headache so we passed on the Vecoma, Arrow looper offerings and of course Hurler because well it's Hurler. A few more laps on Intimidator for me and a 1.5 hour trip 40 miles to the hotel, Charlotte traffic can be rough. We were heading north at 8 AM Thursday with a stop in Floyd Virginia to visit my sister at her new house on top of a ridge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We have only seen each other once since our mother passed in 2007. Just by coincedence it was our late father's Birthday, we had a good lunch and visit. Finally back home at 9 Pm. The one thing that I found odd at both parks is other than both Intimidators the ride announcements are all prerecorded, just seemed a little impersonal to me. It also left all the ride platform attendants to appear zombie like just going through the moves, other than that we liked both parks but wouldn't trade them for Kings Island.

I miss Sea World in Ohio

Great call on the waiting for water slides. Near the top I will occasionally look straight down over the railing, then remember that I am afraid of heights and will start to shimmy my way towards the exact middle of the steps or platform.

The more time goes on, the more I detest what Six Flags is doing to their wooden coasters. I mean, if you're going to close a wooden coaster, at least have the decency to build something entirely new in its place. And when I say "build something entirely new," I don't mean "build something with the word 'new' in the title."

Which is also very sad. It was / is an icon in the amusement industry. That's just the SIX way these days..... (As long as they don't touch my Screamin' Eagle at Mid-America)

Last year season passes went on sale August 30.

and unless it was a last minute change, the web and the schedules being handed out indicate they have a 7pm showing today as well. (will have to walk by and see if it was changed on the sign).

Lol! A well deserved and earned eye roll indeed!

There's nothing wrong to feel this way, as I am the same way. I like tamer rides better and those seem to be disappearing... All my favorite parks have more tame rides than roller coasters, the environments of those places feel much more relaxed and that's what I like. I do not care about coasters doing backflips over the front gate. I'd rather SeaWorld build flat rides rather than more coasters atm, I'd always thought it be cool to be if something like Supreme Scream (or Power Tower whatever you most familiar with) were to appear, but that's just me.

So is Geauga Lake now where they wanted it to be, seven years later? Terp, who likes to ask questions

Not a photo.....But a throwback KI video.....Throwing it back to 1999 Posted just yesterday by psyclonesteve on YouTube.

I know you can pick up a copy free in Washington, DC. Or at least I did a few years ago, or I unknowingly committed a crime

You can buy The Onion alongside normal newspapers in major cities such as Chicago.

Well, for me it's a plus; I want to see the animals swim around and play. In a way, I'm glad I didn't reach my goal yet, because I would like to see a great big huge wall of orcas, where before, I'd be able to see them through the viewing window I've seen in videos. I'm not interested in the musical shows as much as just watching them. With the upgrade, I'd be able to stand and stare and not worry about blocking a little kid that wants to see them, too. For me, Seaworld is cool and swanky because they rehab animals, I follow their Twitter, FB and get the emails, so I get all the news of seals going back to the sea. They are doing more than a lot of animal welfare services out there. I think the PR was late in refuting Blackfish, but it seems they've done more to put their message out. The problem with that is only the people that want to subscribe to their social feeds are the ones getting the message they already know. Only the people that like what Seaworld is doing are seeing the freed manatees. This is just going to cause me to put more spare cash in my bucket list bucket to get there. GYC is right, it's more of a zoo than a park. I'm not interested in the rides so much, except for the penguin exhibit, and I'm a rides person.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next year. Clearly this model isn't working.

I went to Kentucky Kingdom today. It was my first visit under the current ownership. I must say, the park looks really good. It's a little awkward to have whole areas and rides such as Twisted Twins and T2 not running, but other than that it looked pretty clean. Associates were really nice too. I rode Lightning Run twice. It was all I could take. I do like the ride, but the restraints are pretty awkward and I felt like it was kind of rough on my back. It definitely turned out better than I had imagined it would. With that being said... I took the advice of this site and purchased tickets at Kroger. Paid $10 (plus another $10 for the fair admission). As predicted by some who were on here, people seemed to be less tempted by the gate price ($20 for KK, plus the other $10). An employee told us that they had about 300 in-park. That seemed accurate. There were far more associates and uniformed police officers than park goers. All back and forth mumbo-jumbo aside, I think a smarter route would have been to build the price of KK admission into the price of the fair and have some of the exhibits throughout the park, rather than have several separate entities (carnival, amusement park, horse stuff, concerts, etc - all were very separated). I feel like it would have been a good way to showcase what they had done with the property. With that being said, there's still a long way to go. I know that next year T2 (T3 in 2015, apparently) will reopen. That's an elephant and a half in the room. You can see it from everywhere but you can't ride it. I really hope they do something about the ride to modernize it. I remember it being extremely painful - almost like a punishment - back in the SFKK days. Maybe the vest treatment that the Carolina Cobra got would work. I did kind of miss Grease Lightnin' (although Lightning Run was a fair trade) but could do without Chang. That ride was stupid from the beginning.

Well I can tell you this, that server is getting no tip from me! I would unlike him/her if I could!

How dare you insult Snoopy?!?!?!?! For shame. razmataz, who loves Snoopy (who doesn't?!)

My apologies if the truth is disliked.

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.

While this is good for the whales, I do not see this being a big draw. This is not going to keep the attendance from falling again.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look the same. Paint is mostly gone, the midway is more broken up, etc. Hoping to get pictures uploaded soon. Working evenings have left me unmotivated to edit and upload. As Gator had mentioned, I also took it, as a matter of fact. I took it as more legal talks than if the park were to own each and every ride there.

^ So, you like the Chang at KK?

Like I said in a previous post. I went to the Creation Museum once. You've just gotta do it if you live close. As it may hurt Kings Island in some ways, it'll also bring people to the area, which could help Kings Island. It's probably a balancing act.

Would be a great 15' addition for Kings Island, maybe even place them in X-Base, or Oktoberfest, either way lets just hope.

Good though for the Haunt, a true money maker for Kings Island new refreshed attractions that is the good thing:

ORIGINAL POST: So in other words, pretending that today's management was the management in place in 2006, preceding or immediately after the purchase.

In addition to bigger space, they get toys, jets, streams to swim in, deeper pools to play in, etc. SO much better than the current circular blue pools. Much more engaging. The fact they can actually swim instead of just floating is a hugely important thing. Again, not sure why they were kept in such a "primitive zoo" exhibit to begin with. In retrospect even now, it seems a little absurd.

Thank you!

I sure hope its not good only thru Labor Day as if it is that info was never disclosed when purchased or on any advertisements.

I was in line for Diamondback yesterday, and the wait was less than 1/2 hour. The couple behind me had met on an online dating service. They appeared to be in their mid-40s. In that half-hour, I heard the entire story of their previous love lives.

I have ridden the scooters from KI when they transferred down south, never @ KI. However, the CP Larsons are a very sweet setup.

It is probably more popular because Banshee is so close to it. For example, if I went to Kings Island and rode Banshee, I would probably want to go ride The Bat next because it is the closest coaster. Between the years that Son of Beast was SBNO and Banshee opened, the closest coaster was Invertigo. Edit: What I am saying is that not many people went back there before Banshee opened. Sorry I didn't make it clear.

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.

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 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.