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Here's a question I have, though... If World Showcase's France pavilion was getting a copy of Disneyland Paris' Ratatouille ride, would people be this upset? It kind of occurs to me that they wouldn't be... Which is weird. Both Frozen and Ratatouille are incredibly received critically. Frozen earned many times what Ratatouille did. Is that the problem? Is it that Frozen is too mainstream? Is the problem that its princesses? Is it that Ratatouille would be a technologically advanced E-ticket ride in a French pavilion whereas this is assumed to be a quick fix to a C-ticket that will result in the entire pavilion going icy? While some here are saying Frozen is getting a ride too soon, I feel it's too late. That Disney is allegedly preparing Frozen-themed events for NEXT SUMMER seems a little out-of-touch to me. I get that it was an unexpected hit, but we're now approaching a full year post its release... I guess there's a sweet spot where a film gets a well-done attraction to coincide with its release, and another sweet spot 10 years later when you can call it a "classic." But now.... I don't know. It reads as hokey and forced. Especially if it's a simple re-theme of a short C-ticket boat ride. Alright, characters don't belong in World Showcase. Sure. But remember how when Epcot opened, it didn't have characters and folks revolted? They didn't want to take their kids to a science center... they wanted fantasy and to meet their favorite characters! Now, most EVERY World Showcase country has a meet-and-greet at LEAST. Aladdin and Jasmine in Morocco; Belle in France; Mulan in China... The Three Caballeros took over an entire ride in the Mexico pavilion. Is it that Frozen is the straw that broke the camel's back? Or is the Ratatouille vs. Frozen argument valid, where maybe there's more at play?

You know what? I'm in the mood for a little dissecting of this post, because this is making my head hurt. 1. First, let's just throw out the notion of a stand up coaster being built at Kings Island since they're pretty much done with. A new one has been built since the late 90's and the current ones are just waiting to serve out their service life. 2. Intamin? Really? Have you not seen their track record lately? Cedar Fair especially is fed up with them after the numerous modifications they've had to make after rides have already opened (Wicked Twister, Maverick, Shoot the Rapids, I305 to name a few). 3. How much are you willing to sacrifice of Kings Island's atmosphere towards families? I for one don't want Kings Island to become some utopia for die hard coaster enthusiasts. I feel Kings Island should focus on the intermediate group, rides not as intense as the bigger coasters, but more so than Planet Snoopy's rides. Sure, B&M's are nice. I certainly won't complain about Diamondback or Banshee, but you also gotta attend to the park's biggest spenders- families. I can list numerous other better improvements the park could use. 4. Why do you want wing and giga coasters from both Initamin and B&M? Redundant much? Let's not fool ourselves that being from different designers mean's they're different rides, a B&M wing coaster (like Gatekeeper) and an Intamin wing rider (like PortAventura's Furius Baco) accomplish pretty similar things, and the Intamin 'wing' coaster that is Skyrush at Hershey wouldn't be that much different than Diamondback, assuming Intamin has fixed the lap bar issues. I for one like variety. This also goes back to my #2 point. 5. You want all of them to have length, height and speed records? I know Kings Island has a lot of room, but most of that is steep hills, and a river at the bottom they can't build too close to. Where are you going to place them and give guests easy access? What do you plan on removing to accomplish all this? 6. I really, really hope you don't mean all of these back to back to back each year. FUN will go bankrupt if that's the case, plus you do know there are 10 other parks in the chain, right? Just see what got SIX into financial trouble in the 2000's when they tried to build coasters at the rate you're describing. Kings Island is much more than roller coasters and thrill rides my friend.

Harry Potter envy...

It also changes your perspective when you suddenly live much, much further away from the park. That old saw, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? It's like every day is the off-season when you live ten hours away...

I know how you feel. I used to go all the time all through grade school up to graduating high school. Got to college and didn't have time between work, school, and cheap friends. Then got married to a woman who had a medical condition keeping her from riding rollercoasters. Had a child and got divorced. Now with my child I am seeing all the things she is seeing for the first time. It had been so long since I had been to Kings Island that last year was the first time I had seen Diamondback running. The last time I had been to Kings Island I believe was one of the last years that The Crypt was still running, that funky time period between Kings Island being owned by Paramount and Cedar Fair. Those last few visits then really turned me off from the park, but when I returned after all those years it was like a fire was re-ignited and now my daughter is almost to the height she can ride the 48" rides and I can't wait.

Regarding the amusement park apathy discussion... For me, I feel like I almost take parks for granted during the summer. I attend, and I have fun. I like going, but I'm not crazy about it. However, as soon as November 3rd gets here, all I will want to do is go to a park. I will think about it and miss it all the time. I think it is just the idea of wanting what you can't have, and once you can have it, you don't want it as much.

In the past, they have. They also allow re-entry before Haunt starts. Once it does, no. As always, call the park for an official and best answer. EDIT: Second (as in a flume log...)

For those of you who are here today at P&G's dividend day, Diamondback is about 20 minutes. I asked Guest Services if the All Season Dining Plan worked today. They informed me that during all private events it will not work because the pass has to be scanned at the beginning of the day in order to be activated. (as expected) However I was able to scan my gold pass at the entrance of Dinosaurs Alive and avoided the up-charge. I feel like I'm one of the few people here at the park today who's a regular visitor. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hello, what's all this then?

Just like every other Disney movie ever, right?

Longest line in the park.

I thought Doctor Who explained it quite well in that Christmas special they had in 2012.

There aren't a WHOLE lot of us that really believe in the park much. It's not that they can't survive, but they need to make some major changes - and fast. If things continue as they are, then I really do think the park's days are numbered. However, there is at least one other guy here (me) who really loves that park, and truly and honestly WANTS it to succeed. A successful Kentucky Kingdom is good for the park industry. Competition drives innovation. And plus, I just genuinely really enjoy the rides and attractions at that park. Do I want it to fail? No. A BIG no. I want them to stick around forever. More fun coasters to ride in the region is always better than less. Basically, I'm hopeful, but not optimistic.

I want to say that it's just a Haunt attraction and will be back early next season. Unfortunately, the changes to the building itself were looking mighty permanent today in my opinion...

You lost all credibility saying Six Flags was interested. In 2006, it was all they could do to stay afloat. Again, there are those here with intimate personal knowledge of the matter. With that, I'm out of this one. Carry on with the dreams of competing Wingriders, etc.

No. Mr. Kinzel is who wanted to sell to Apollo for his own personal and family and cronies' benefits. Disney was not interested and did not bid. Had Disney wanted the CBS Parks, they would have gotten them. There are those here who know far more than was ever publicly disclosed about this matter and they won't be disclosing information not already public.

You got to spend money to make money. Or be in Kentucky.

I am one of those who think that World Showcase should strictly be World Showcase. Not movies. One of the things I love about Disney World is that they're so many "world destinations" all within the resort. There are all sorts of themed hotels unique to their area or era of the world that they're representing (I.g. Port Orleans - New Orleans, Fort Wilderness - Camping, Polynesian Village - Hawaii). Same should be to World Showcase. Strictly themes to that world. Not Disney movies. There's enough Disney movies throughout the rest of the parks.

Because the majority of people don't look at parks as businesses. They see them as entities that exist to bring them enjoyment and a break from the 'real world'.

I've never understood the hate when it comes to "money grabs." I understand the hate if this turns out to be a quick and cheap fix, but if they put some time into it and it turns out to be a cool ride, who cares? Why is making money such a sore spot for some people?

What is the definition of a classic in 2014? Consumer trends are so dramatically different then they were even 15-20 years ago. People are so engrossed with immediate satisfaction that parks are more or less painted into a corner when dealing with rides based on IPs. Option 1: Open a ride to coincide with the release of a movie. This eliminates any ride on the scale of Harry Potter or even Toy Story Mania because no one is going to green light a 8 figure ride expenditure with no idea how the movie will be received. Option 2: Do a quick re-theme/show/meet and greet when a movie is deemed a hit. This honestly is probably the best financial choice for the park but also the one that riles up the hardcore fans the most. The park can say "Hey we have a Frozen ride!" and "Come meet Olaf!", which is plenty for some people who just another fix. However, it starts to look like a money grab (which it is) and traditionalists light up the interwebs with their complaints. Option 3: Wait 5/10/15 years to see if a property has staying power. This is the option that allows for the Harry Potter and the Toy Story Mania's to be built. The multimillion dollar E-Ticket attractions that everyone talks about. The issue, especially in today's world, is that these types of IPs are so few and far between. Consumer interest in a product is often very short lived. A number of trip reports on various sites have mentioned how surprisingly low the crowds in the new Gringotts area at Universal has been following the opening couple of weeks. It is a gamble that is difficult to know when to take. (This written on mobile so I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors I missed.)

I think this reveals a number of holes in Kings Island's operations, and poor public relations. If there was no policy change and the child was previously allowed to ride, the park needs to do a much better job training its employees, especially ride operators. The park is incredibly lucky there wasn't a serious accident during the boy's previous trips to the park. With unclear and legalistic ride admission policies, it's up to the park to ensure that its employees can implement all safety requirements. Based on this case, it doesn't appear this was adequately done in the past. Regarding public relations, I'll give Kings Island the benefit of the doubt and assume the mother misunderstood when the park allegedly accused her of using a forgery. But this? This response, if quoted correctly, is completely unacceptable in my opinion. I generally dislike the corporate-speak we normally see in statements regarding accidents (where nothing is really said, and the public is left to their own devices to come up with an interpretation of events) but to accuse a customer of lying, especially one who probably has the benefit of public opinion, is a major misstep. While this incident should not have happened in the first place, I'm sorry Kings Island has to deal with the Legal Director of Disability Rights Ohio. Here's hoping her initial statements were just a knee-jerk reaction, and she'll do some research on ride safety before making any more misguided comments.

In fairness, had they done a weekend or two of "farewell rides" on SOB, even though the ride beat me to death, I would have waited to ride it again...

I can confirm that at least the blue Gerstlauer train from Son of Beast is still on the property. A couple of the cars from it are now a Haunt prop.

"Let's wait in line to get the boys racked one more time..."

I have the pleasure of seeing first hand how big Frozen is. Literally every girl in the park is wearing a Frozen princess dress. Not just the little girls. Full grown women are even coming in here with Frozen dresses on and they all ask "WHERE IS THE FROZEN RIDE???!!!" I know it has only been a year since the movie came out, but it is not hard to tell that it will be a classic, It already is. Why not cash in on it? Not only does it make the park money, it satisfies the consumers because all of them are asking for more Frozen.

I think you stand alone on that opinion, sir.See what I did there?

The future!

I just keep telling myself it might be a surprise Ohio edition of Forbidden Journey.

I'm obviously against this "retheme" and for various reasons. Here's something I posted on an animation website that explains my reasoning: "Another thing that bothers me about this "quick retheme" is that Frozen really hasn't had to prove itself. It's been around how long? 10 months? So what. How long did The Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast have to wait before they got immortalized in a Disney park? 20-25 years? We just got the Voyage of the Little Mermaid attraction last year in the New Fantasy Land as The Little Mermaid was turning 24 years old. 24 years it took. And why did they add The Little Mermaid attraction? Because that movie has stood the test of time and has cemented itself as a TRUE Disney classic in the hearts and minds of the general public. It deserved to be given it's own attraction. Disney is milking the Frozen Cash Cow to death. Heck, there's no milk left to be given! I enjoyed Frozen when I saw it last year, but God help me, I'm approaching burn out faster than I can handle. The removal and retheme of Maelstrom to Frozen is a quick and greedy cash grab by Disney and it's just one more way they're squeezing that last drop of milk from that Frozen Cash Cow. How about let's let Frozen sit in the hearts and minds of people for a little while, see if it sticks, and let it EARN it's right to be considered a Disney Classic before it's immortalized as a permanent attraction at the Disney Parks. If Disney princesses were real, I'd feel super sorry for Belle, Ariel, and others who had to wait decades before they got their own attraction in the park and to the others who still haven't earned their rights yet. It's just so obvious and just so sad. Very disappointed."

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?

Rolling Thunder had an enthusiast event its last Saturday. Knowing how most enthusiasts felt about it, I had no desire for their company. The next day, the public lined up in two hour lines to get one last ride. I joined them. And then, the last ride... So sad.

Its ok I understood you.

While this is only a single attraction being installed in one location, I can understand people's fervor towards Disney films overstepping boundaries by installing rides in abnormal locations (IE: outside Fantasyland), as we've essentially "finished" a decade-long Pixarmageddon across almost every Disney park on the planet. Not to mention several big-time attractions being given a Disney mascot makeover and diminishing the experience quite a bit, such as Tarzan's Treehouse, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Stitch's Great Escape (formerly Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Country Bear Jamboree and Alien Encounter). I'm just wondering how the next decade is going to be with Star Wars potentially being waged among the parks...

Frozen is a fad.

I always look forward to Haunt season. A little disappointed that my favorite maze, Holiday Horror, won't be returning. I knew fall was officially here when I walked up and heard "Calendar Girl" blaring through the speakers. Board to Death was a welcome addition last year with a similar sense of humor. Here's hoping KillMart is just as fun!

I don't understand how Kings Island having as seemingly strong standing as it does, could go bankrupt just because it added too many thrill rides at once. In any case, Kings Island doesn't need any coasters any time soon.. for real. I would attest that some high quality flats be added, or some classic flats *cough* "returned"... Heck, I severely do not like the water park environment at amusement parks, but I'd vouch new additions be made at Soak City even. I've understood that someone in an interview, won't even make a guess which official it was(could've been), saying they'd prefer not to make the park too big also. -- In regards to B&M's potential run with 300' coasters.. I dearly hope they stay far away from Kings Island.. in my opinion. - Random point. Anyone else hating that new building that was built, blocking the amazing view of Kings Island as you approach 71 north bound??

Not to mention that if Kings Island got that overbuilt, it'd likely suffer the same fate as Geauga Lake/Six Flags Ohio/Six Flags Worlds of Adventure/Geauga Lake/Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom/Wildwater Kingdom.

It is very possible the use of "forgery" was used incorrectly & is being taken in the literal sense. It is possible the document seen was for another park patron & not the handicapped child.

If you want to see The Nightmare Before Christmas ride goto Disneyland during Halloween time.

Oh, my, has my nickname for Kentucky Kingdom begun to stick? I feel so honored (I hope that's my own creation... I hadn't seen it used anywhere when I first started using it)

2014.... The year that KI employees were kept busy measuring children who grew to 48 inches tall in August in order to make their parents pay for an adult pass for the entire season and accused parents of forgery in order to prevent disabled children from riding roller coasters they had ridden in 2013, while failing to apprehend two women from Kentucky who robbed 30 lockers while the employees were busy doing so......

Not me. I go to parks every once in a while. By the end of the day, I just wish I was at Kings Island.

This × a thousand. I cannot agree with this more. It's a cash grab. Nothing more.

I didn't even start liking amusement parks until 2010. I do sometimes get bored of Kings Island, but I've found a good balance. I go to other parks and I enjoy them. But Kings Island is my home park, and it's like a safe haven for me. I've found that the more parks I go to, the less I care about the rides at Kings Island, but the more I love simply being there. I could go to the park and just walk around all day and have a great time. The park itself will always be special to me, even if the rides become stale and boring (which starts to happen every year around late August, but by April, I'm raring to go back).

I have no qualms with RMC coasters really. Where I DO have an issue is in the way they are often marketed (something which RMC may or may not have a hand in). Outlaw Run is simply not a wooden coaster. Nor is Goliath. That isn't a bad thing, but they run on a steel track, and by all accounts, do not ride like woodies. By my classification, there is only one inverting wooden coaster in the world right now, and it is located in the great state of Wisconsin.

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.

^ NO NO NO NO The Beast should be ALL wood.

And that blue circle with the questions marks comes awfully close to breaking the 11th Commandment.

^ You know very well that restrooms are not allowed in X-Base!