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How do you quantify something like "best time era" for a park? It's a fair question but it's difficult to answer. I began visiting in 1992, so I can only really make a fair assessment from then. If the question were, "when was the best time era from which you visited?" I'd have to say now. The beauty of the situation that we have is that Cedar Fair, LP is in the business of parks. If the parks fail, the company fails. They NEED the parks to succeed. Under nearly every other ownership group there was at least one ownership partner in which the park or parks were just a fraction of the portfolio. Therefore, you always ran the risk of budget cuts which came at a cost of the guest experience. One thing that I don't think people understand is that in 1972, when the park opened, there was little to distinguish it from the likes of Disneyland. Disney hadn't taken the turn towards the huge price tag technological advancements that it has now. It was a theme park with costumed characters and distinguished areas and shows - not unlike Kings Island. Today that wouldn't be enough. Don't forget that The Racer was a huge thrill ride at the time. Many of the most daring riders would brave its twin out-and-back track, but even more chose to stay on the ground and enjoy it from afar. I think many of you are like me in that The Racer was your first "big" ride. The standards have certainly changed over the past 40+ years. It is my cautious optimism that thinks that the best years for Kings Island are in the years ahead of us - hopefully sooner than later. Things continue to grow, boundaries are pushed, new ideas are shared, and we as guests benefit from this.

Thought this was appropriate. I stopped going to KI around the time I went to college. I kept in contact with the park through either here or KIE (not sure if I was official over here at the time. Just checked, nope wasnt). I had grown bored with KI. It was a place with little things, and I was a big bad college student ready to change the world. Around 2008, my wife and I bought season passes and went a total of 2-3 times. Maybe. Just was not what we were wanting. The park wasnt as exciting. Etc. I then moved away. Then I had my son. I am now seeing the park through his eyes. I am experiencing things I forgot how to experience. I am falling back in love with the park. I am watching shows, taking a moment to share ice-cream, etc. I some times feel like I am cheating by riding a big ride while my wife watches him or vice versa. But most of the time, I get to experience the park through him. He gets to see Snoopy, and we all clap. We all dance with CHarlie Brown. Its amazing. So has anyone else ever experienced this? The growing apart from the park to only have the fire reignited by the youth of a child?

I'm so excited. Another reason I'm going to Disneyland!

I'm developing a knitting pattern to make a hat for myself. It will have a cable running around my head that looks like a roller coaster. What I think will really sell it as a coaster is if I can get a small pin that looks like a coaster car or train that I can attach next to the "track." It's driving me crazy that I can't just go to KI and look in the shops for myself to see if such a thing is available. I know I've seen small enameled tack pins for sale, but haven't paid enough attention to know if there is anything like what I want. I also haven't quite been able to find something representational of a roller coaster car or train online (at least nothing that doesn't also have a track as part of the design). I may end up needing to use a pin of an automobile or train engine instead. This is the sample I've been working out my pattern on, it's not the final color or anything, but gives an idea. The lizard pin is standing in for the coaster pin I want.

You know what I'd really like to see? Some love for Adventure Express. All it would take would be an off season refurb job. Nothing major, just a little bit of work on the theming and some other stuff. Especially the last tunnel. God help it. It's not looking too hot this year. A little love could breathe new life into that awesome little ride. Just a thought.

Hey now, I had a Sony Betamax (which I did use to record many, many episodes of the Brady Bunch). My dad bought it back in the 80s when there was the Beta/VHS wars (similar to the Blu-ray/HD-DVD war that was going on several years ago). The guy at the electronics store assured him that Beta would most likely win out due to their compact size and superior resolution. After doing more research, my dad opted for the Betamax. Unfortunately, it was the wrong choice. A few years later we were stuck with a VCR that couldn't do too much because VHS had won out and everything had switched over. Ah...the good ol' days! (Edited to add info)

A Geico commercial just came to mind.

That depends. How much capital re-investment are you planning? How many PR snafus have you had this summer? Are you in the middle of a sketchy urban neighborhood? Are you operating on loans backed by the park's real estate, which is owned by a government? Do you pay way below market rent? Has the park filed bankruptcy before? Have you, in this summer, misrepresented your admission price for a 10 day event, then have to honor that price if bought "in advance" at a local grocery store when that price was supposed to have stopped just before the event started? Did you get a sweet deal with your landlord by having a former high Democrat official and Mitch McConnell opponent (and chum of the Governor) as your business partner? Is your park's reopening likely going to be a statewide political issue next year? Has a local councilman said he's glad you are open so the local kids can come instead of going to a movie or breaking into cars? And, most of all... Have you considered The Beach's season passes just may well be underpriced?

I know exactly how you felt, though I never moved away (or at least away enough to not be w/n an hours ride of KI tops) Went a bunch as a kid, even had a season pass for a few years, went regularly in HS, then once in college, only went sporadically, maybe a few times. After college a went a few times with my then girlfriend, now wife and her family, but only 1x a year, then didn't go for a few seasons, then our son turned 2, we bought season passes, and its a whole new experience. Each season, as more of the park opens up to him, the better it gets, its like being a kid again and knowing that you have a season or two seasons of growth to experience the thrill. I get it, I totally get it.

I read this earlier. I'm not impressed. I'd be up for a Maelstrom refurb, but not a removal. I think they need to leave the Maestrom alone and quit with all this over-hyped Frozen stuff. Yes I'm a Disney fan, and yes I enjoyed Frozen, but enough is enough already!

Not gonna lie. I'd rather have the Eagles.

From looking at previous posts it appears the person posting as The Beach Waterpark is a representative of the park.

The same technique was used in Jurassic Park, when Laura Dern's character runs from the Velociraptors and leaps over the same fallen tree twice, to lengthen an otherwise "too-short-for-suspense" escape scene.

I like the thought the future, the stuff we cannot touch, what we cannot smell, the best is yet to come. Maybe hotels, 365 day a year restaurants, more dark rides?

Well, they had to bulk out a thin plot, and it also shows lots of the park. the park in the episode looks as big as the park is today, thanks to creative camera work. I'm watching detective shows from the seventies on Netflix, it's chock full of continuity mistakes- shows in the seventies were expected a first run and summer rerun, not to be viewed over and over again on a nonexistent internet.

For those who may not have noticed, Cedar Point's live video cam has been facing the large United States flag at the front entrance, all day. Never Forget.

^Ugh... bad memories of The Pit. Elder HS students throwing marshmallows, chewing gum and gravel at us in the Princeton HS Marching Band. I had to peel off gum that had gotten stuck to the bell of my tuba and dump out the gravel that had been been thrown down into the instrument. Real classy. I was hoping that I would see #Jonathan at Cedar Point this weekend, but I guess it's not meant to be. A Bengals game just isn't in the budget and there's no way you'll see me at a UC game, so I guess I'll just have to live with the wonderful memories that #Jonathan and I made together at Kings Island this past summer. Cue up the Grease soundtrack: "Summer lovin', had me a blast Summer lovin', happened so fast Met a noodle, big as can be, Met a noodle, it was really cheesy..."

https://www.valleyfair.com/what-s-new Can KI get something like this? Pretty please?

Dinner featured macaroni and cheese pizza. Doomed indeed.

Finally a reason for me to visit Epcot, my daughter will absolutly love this!

I know I'm not the only one that has noticed how much Kings Island's history has been highlighted in various social media posts this season (both by the park, and other related accounts ). This makes me kind of excited for 2015!

Maybe the best way to get to Disneyland is by driving Cars.

We will hopefully get a Troika in like-new condition!

Yikes a water park tomorrow? Hmm...not sure if I'd be up for that. Not even for $9.99. Who would've thought it'd be 68 degrees in mid-September? Oh yeah, I forgot we live in Ohio.

He doesn't work there anymore...

One would think that instead of defending the honor of the Hartland, user The Beach Waterpark would have posted this. I guess such thinking is all wet.

That wasn't me.

Today this thread is exactly four years old. Wow.

I have been on DT in the rain both during the day and at night. It is indeed cool dropping with the rain. Even more so at night with the bright lights shining up.

^So you can break them?

Gator, I'm sorry to hear that. They don't let us anywhere near the opposite stands anymore, which I am a fan of. Who Dey, we won last year. Either way, the game is always great. Since I'm out of high school now, I think I'm allowed to say that I have never met a guy from St. Xavier that I didn't like.

^ There's going to be an announcement for 2015? Where'd you hear that? We just got a $24 million playtoy this year. I would not expect anything more than general improvements next year. Certainly not a new major ride.

It was a huge water park temporarily this summer when the park itself flooded.

Yes, yes, and yes. And I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for that last "yes." Hopefully more dark rides (or at least 1) in the future. And I'm rooting for near future.

What is, is. The past isn't coming back. It was fun. But today we can pine for the past or we can savor what we have. These are the good old days....

And not even to be recorded on a Sony Betamax.

: http://flyingeagles.anything80s.com/KingsIsland%92s-FlyingEagles.pdf

I went with the 80's (the era that held my childhood). It may have not had the super rides that we are accustomed to today, but it had many great flat rides (Eagles, TumbleBug, Flying Dutchman, Witches Cauldrons, Der Spinning Keggers, Zodiac, Skylab, the Slide) that I loved in my youth. My first big coasters (Racer, Beast, Vortex, Screaming Demon, King Cobra), Other cool stuff (Monorail, Smurf's Enchanted Voyage, House of Cards, Sunshine Turnpike, Antique Cars). This is also when I developed my love of blue ice cream. (I refer to my gold pass as my blue ice cream pass). I miss the little things like keeping an eye out for all the costumed Hanna Barbara characters. (The day was not complete until we spotted Jabber Jaws) and those little silly Kool-Aid type drinks that came in the plastic containers shaped like Yogi Bear and things (Sippers?) Good Memories.

Help! Terp, stranded.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but this is a dang good era in Kings Island history. I think in 50 years people will remember this as a highlight. Not all of Cedar Fair's input, but definitely 2009 - 2015...

Construction of the station of The Italian Job Stunt Track, now known as Backlot Stunt Coaster. February 15, 2005

I would imagine this could be dealt with by one poll question: The Best era of Kings Island is: [ ] The era in which held your childhood.

Just imagine how different the park looks to those of us who were there the first public day. Life goes on. Some things are better, some are not, some are not as good. Such is life.

From our friend @rachelincincy of the Cincinnati Enquirer. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/nightlife/recreation/2014/09/05/kings-islands-halloween-haunt-returns-sept-19/15139383/

The recent Apple announcements were better than the Cedar Point "announcement". And you knew exactly what Apple was going to announce beforehand. PR department at Cedar Point needs a shake-up.

Kool-Aid is a registered trademark, and, as such, is always capitalized here. Those Sippers were delightful. I seem to recall they had real fruit juices in them, not ersatz crapola.

I operated this ride and always had fun running out and stopping the scooters that were still wlldly swinging when the ride came to a complete stop. Wore out the bottoms of some shoes with my sliding stop approach ha!

I'm definitely coming.

I voted for the Paramount's Kings Island years of 1994-1999 (and into the early 2000s as well). Reason being, as others have said, that was during my childhood. It was before I had a season pass, my family would make 1 trip each summer and it was always my favorite day of the summer (or fall some years). I have fond memories of all the "eras" listed up there for different reasons though. I think the current era that we are in is shaping up to be a very good one for the park too! When I go to the park now, I get feelings of nostalgia for past memories and excitement for the memories to come. I just wish I could've experienced the park in the 70s and 80s...

State minimum insurance provider? Cedar Point? Ticket giveaways? It's gonna get interesting.