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It's still a better dark ride than Cedar Point's.

I like your ideas. In thinking about the condition of Boo Blasters, it makes me wonder when the next dark ride experience will replace it. Personally, I'm an old school kind of guy and I would like to see a boat ride come back to that location. My favorite was Enchanted Voyage. It was a great ride to slow down the pace of your day and enjoy some air conditioning.

An English minor is probably more than most "writers" on news websites today have.

Hey guys. For those who don't know, I write pretty extensively for Theme Park Tourist. The site's got something like 400,000 Facebook followers and a pretty wide audience. I was writing for them back when I was previewing Dinosaurs Alive. You can see the archive of my writing here, which I think is pretty helpful to see the kind of features the site posts (and I obviously think they're fun / interesting reads, too .) Anyway, the site has begun to skew very, very, very heavily toward Disney & Universal (and in particular, their Florida resorts), which is probably appropriate given the scope of those parks and their fan bases, but the owner - a personal friend - is looking for someone to write weekly about seasonal US parks. I know a lot of folks here are really invested and interested in Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks, so I told him that I'd post here for interested parties who might want to do a little [paid] writing on the side to get in touch with him. Great opportunity, great site, and a wide audience for your writing. The site's "Write For Us" page has some great examples of the kind of features the site publishes and ways to submit a writing sample or article idea. Contact him if you're interested because I know a lot of you guys could enjoy this. You can also message me with questions!

I miss the Smurfs. Dont judge me!

Nope! No formal education required. It's just a fun way to extend your hobby.

I liked "Earthquake!" Granted it was so long ago I have no clear memory of it... It is odd they haven't really had one all these years now you mention it.

Seeing Big Dipper sitting abandoned is the worst part for me. I've been to the Geauga Lake water park and it really hurts looking across to see my first roller coaster--and one of the oldest in existence--sitting to rot. Such a shame.

Here's all the attractions featured and at what times. 0:03 - Dodgem 0:05 - Racer 0:12 - Flying Carpet 0:20 - Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad 0:49 - Gulliver's Rub-a-Dub (this is only the second time I've ever seen video of it, so kudos on the rare find) 1:00 - Enchanted Voyage 1:11 - Sky Ride 1:18 - Motor Mouse 1:20 - Scooby-Doo (in background) 1:24 - Kikky Kangaroo 1:54 - Winsome Witch's Caldron (it had multiple different, similar names at points) Definitely a great find, and the 1972 date on the reel seems accurate (at the very latest it's 1974, based off Winsome Witch's Caldron having colored cauldrons. They were black by 1975). EDIT - The cauldrons were actually repainted in 1974, so this footage is for sure from 1972 or 1973. I'm assuming that the date on the front is accurate though.

It did last year, kinda weird they have never fixed that since it's in plain view of anyone walking by.

Does Backlot Stunt Coaster still have the control panel from its days as Italian Job: Stunt Coaster?

It's cool man. No apology necessary. Just to see KI Super 8 footage took me back in time. Where's Marty McFly when I need him.

Don't forget the Pirate Ride...

As for myself I liked Scooby Doo and The Haunted Castle, not as much as I liked the Phantom Theater, but I thought it went quite well with Hanna-Barbera Land, I think it was a great ride addition and because I am a big Scooby Doo fan myself. But I never really understood the concept of Boo Blasters, so the ideas above would really better the ride for right now, until a new ride replaces it, and as I have said on here before a ride sequel would be a great idea, Kings Island brought back The Bat, it wouldnt suprise me if they brought back the Phantom Theater too.

I'd recommend breaking apart your ideas with paragraphs. Otherwise, many users - myself included - won't read it, as it's just a giant wall of text.

Really like your ideas. I wouldn't mind if they took the "shoot em up" aspect completely out of the ride. It's distracting. I'd take it a step or two further and convert the attraction to a reboot of the Phantom Theater using The Curse of DarKastle ride technology...The Maestro in your face could be quite scary.

Well sorry to reopen this topic but i Thought id make a list of all the remnants since it hasnt really been done all the way fully. 1. Son of Beast's Station along with its chain lift mechanism. also the original trains are behind Dinosaurs Alive if you ride the back seat of the Red racer (i think) and look youll see them. Also the newer trains were used for haunt last year the Blue ones but they took off the Son of Beast sticker not sure if y'all saw them or not. 2. The lights from Wild County Safari are directly under Congo Falls. 3. There are several Footers from the original Bat under Vortex and right next to the Station. Also the matience doors have two holes in them obviously to incorporate The Bat's suspened track. Along with The Bat's Station (except it was Orange not Blue.) and the stairs leading up the first lift hill on Vortex are from The Bat. 4. Going back to Son of Beast the queue line is still there and also whats left of the Track sticks out of the Station. 5. The original Enchanted Voyage entrance is still there. Its next to The Great Pumpkin Coaster Its the big mural of Snoopy or the Pumpkin Patch. Its doors are there and its used for Carnevil during Haunt. 6. Flight Commaders Queue is still there and I think is used for KillMart (correct me if Im wrong) 7. Phantom Theater's entire queue line is present along with the Maestro's Balcony and Spooky faces that I think were supposed to be Maestro are in the Hallway. They've got boards on them and glowing red eyes and are all from Phantom Theater. (My Profile Picture) is one of them. who looks like Maestro. Also Kings Island has about all of the Animatronics and the Phantom Theater Mouse is used in Board to Death. Along with the Boiler Room furnace in Slaughterhouse Reloded towards the end of that maze. And I think theres a few Phantom Theater things in Madame Fatales Cavern of Terror. 8. There may be a Few King Cobra Footers present behind Slingshot next to Banshee but they may have been removed although they were quite small and out of the way of Banshee's footers. Also King Cobra's Chain along with other parts of it might be in Flight of Fear. Althought the trains from King Cobra were moved back in 2008 to Kings Dominion to be used as spare parts for Shockwave. A clone of King Cobra down in Virginia. Those trains used to be in Flight of Fear but now i Think they are next to Volcano The Blast Coaster from what Ive read. 9. The Paramount's Kings Island trams are clearly visible from the Top of the Eiffel Tower. 10. Der Spinning Keggers have to Flag poles next to Viking Fury. 11. Sky Ride's Footer now has a tree in it but is still next to Adventure Express and behind the restaurant that used to be Bubba Gumps. I forget its present name but I think its Hanks Burrito Shack. 12. Top Gun's Stars are still there. If you turn around when you first step out of The Bat's entrance tunnel/Old Son of Beast tunnel you will see them. 13. SkyLab's queue line is now a prize storage room facility. 14. Tomb Raider The Ride's photo booth is still next to the same buidling that once housed it Madame Fatales Cavern of Terror. 15. The go cars from Thunder Alley are visible from Firehawk's queue line and lift hill. 16. A majority of the Scooby doo and the Haunted Castle Props and Cardboard cutouts are used on Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. 17. The track from Phantom Theater is still there but the actuation of the Cars switched. But its still the same track from Phantom. 18. Also I have no idea what happened to the Phantom Theater Cars maybe someone can help me on this they used to be on display at the Bandstand before Blood Drum's became a hit. 19. Not really a remnant but the sign for Invertigo along with the actual Station is still colored to represent the Face/Off days. 20. Many of the Wild County Safari buildings remain except you have no way of accessing them. Along with the Trams from the Safari are at Jungle Jims down the road. 21. Cars from the Jetson's Ride were also on display next to the Eiffel Tower and next to the Son of Beast trains. 22. The Crypt's seats are stored inside Flight of Fear and The Bat Demon is used for Haunt. 23. And does anybody know if there are any Screamin' Demon remnants? Ive never found any. 24. Also Im fairly sure the old Flight of Fear cars are stored inside Flight of Fear and there are some also behind Banshee. Behind Son of Beast's old Rosebowl Double Helix, near the Station of Son of Beast now. 25. The Flying Dutchman's launch pad is now the entrance to The Adventure Express. 26. I cant think of anyting else except for througout the park there are various things that still say Paramount's Kings Island on them like the Trams and other things if you look hard enough. 27. Well I hope you enjoy this list and hope you go find some of the Remnants or maybe learn about ones you didnt know about. Thanks for reading.

Well happy new year KIC its been a while since ive posted anything i just want to share my ideas of how we can upgrade our much broken ride Boo Blasters on Boo HIll. Well there was one thing that they did fix and that was Boocifer he actually worked at the end of last season. But this ride needs so major TLC. Now dont worry im not gonna start another Bring back Phantom Theater post because i know thats pointless. What i will sugest though is four basic things. 1. While waiting in the queue line instead of Fun TVs lets go back to organ music instead. I know everybody just loves to hear Let it Go for the 100th time while waiting in line for a haunted castle ride but i think we could all benefit from Kings Island installing some more loud speakers and just playing music from Bach instead. You know that song that sounds like its from Dracula that one. Heck maybe you could even put the Maestros voice in there somewhere. Have him taunt the guest without actually being there (then it really would be Phantom Theater). 2. When entering the long dark musty hallway for some reason Paramount thought it would be a good idea to cover the spooky faces with boards. Why? I can see how that wouldnt have fit Scooby. But now I think we should reincorporate sorry if thats spelled wrong, that peppers ghost effect. You know where the faces followed you as you walked. That would be so cool and its such a cool affect to go to waste it would deffienatly fit the Boo Blasters theme. It also would be fairly cheap but at least remove those boards. 3. During the ride there are several things that need fixing but mainly the blasters themselves. I rode it a few times last season and both times the guns hit nothing basically that ruins the whole ride for the kids and also the gimmick of the ride. Also the music is terrible because there really isnt any. This is where the Phantom Theater soundtrack could come in handy Kings Island owns the rights to it just play it over the loud speakers while ridding and its already ten thousand times better in the audio department. And lastly this isnt really necessary but i really strongly think we could use a few of the Phantom Theater Animatronics or Props on the ride. I know they dont look the best but they still have a charm to them. Just stick the Maestro or Houdelini in there somewhere you wouldnt even have to turn them on because some of them didnt move anyway and play there voices and Boocifer and Maestro would go great together. Ive always immagined Maestro at the part with the skeltons. Any of them would be fine considering they store them in the same building and the ride would really be awesome for the whole family. Or at least use the animatronics somewhere. They arent used for haunt anymore but they could be great theming for The Bat or Banshee. But keeping them inside would be best, They could just be like backrounds for the main attraction. And hopefully Maestro could go back to his empty balcony but really the only ideas that will probaly be reasonable and might work is the music and maybe the spooky faces. Really the organ music is key here and the Maestros voice would make it better to enhance to queue line experinece. Again the Dracula song. And you could have the Maestros voice at the end saying You'll be back! Overall I think these are fairly reasonable changes to help the struggling dark ride and they could be done quick and easy without little time, effort, or money. The music change in the queue and on the ride is simply a change in what music you are or arent playing and could easily be done but i really stress the queue line theming I really only want the organ music back while waiting in line. Well what do y'all think? I really think we should push for this considering we brought back The Bat and the Flying Eagles (sort of) so lets make it a major more enjoyably dark ride for everyone to enjoy with a little touch of help from The Phantom Theater. Thanks if you read even half of this Im sorry for making it a rant and going on forever but I really think this is a reasonable change that I hope the park listens to at least with the queue line organ music and im really passionate about Phantom and Dark Rides in general. And also congrats to the Buckeyes for bringing the trophy back home. Thank You that'll be all i hope they'll consider it.

WIll my expenses be covered?

If you look closely at the rafts of White Water Canyon, some of the Rafts still have the old Paramounts Kings Island logo on it, this is because the new logo has begun to peel off revealing the old Paramount logo. I noticed this while waiting in line, I wonder if anybody else has noticed this.

According to the website, it's $9. If you like it enough, a wristband (~$40, if you buy online) will pay for itself in 4-5 rides. I liked White Lightning enough to ride it about 3 or 4 times. Your mileage may vary.

How much is a ticket for White Lightning? I haven't went to that place because I thought they had admission tickets, but if it is pay per ride, I'd give the woodie a try.

I for one was a huge fan of Phantom Theater and wish that it was still around. The change over to Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle I think was a big let down especially when the ride started to degrade. I do think that something needs to go there similar to Phantom Theater or at least put a haunted house dark ride like the Haunted Mansion somewhere else in the park maybe in the old TRTR ?? As is the current ride is severely broken.

Some Rouga-pieces have arrived at The Point !! ....And winter work continues throughout the park. See all of that and more in the newest Cedar Point "OnPoint" blog post by Tony Clark: HAPPENING NOW

Yeah I've been checking every day to sign up. Remember folks in Coaster Crew, you need to be a platinum member. I know membership changed to all platinum now, but you need to pay the difference to upgrade to the platinum if you are still a standard member.

First time i've ever seen that site. Read some of you articles. Really good, very cool.

Six Flags Worlds of Adventure ran ridiculous ads featuring local families who claimed they passed Cedar Point to go to Six Flags. After families drawn in by those ads went and found the reality that was SFWoA, many went right back...to Cedar Point. The final chapter on the last surviving piece of SFWoA has yet to be written. Since I like to ask questions: * How many stand alone waterparks does FUN now own? * What new things have been put into Wildwater Kingdom in recent years? * How profitable is it? * Is it a distraction from the core business? * Would it likely have a buyer? * If not, could the things and management there be better used elsewhere at FUN?

Thanks! (I wrote it. ) Like Terp said (and I'm no where NEAR as versed in this stuff as he is), Worlds of Adventure marked just about everything wrong with Six Flags at the time, which then turned around and informed their operations elsewhere. Rides on top of rides on top of rides. But customer service? Entertainment? Atmosphere? Food? No, no, and no.

And here we are... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIt42gkIfYQ (Period-correct stock music is included instead of obnoxious projector noises.) More to come.

Right, the elevator part of Gringotts' que is a ride by itself.

Left my heart where KCKC lived.

I hope that our old Wheel of Fortune is well-kept at its new home. I'd hate to think of its future being in Jeopardy! Perhaps one day, it will change hands again if The Price is Right. I wouldn't Press Your Luck with a park in Santa Claus, Indiana, though. I hear they have a bit of a Family Feud going on, To Tell the Truth. I have no idea why, but I couldn't resist the urge to make that post.

I've been to the one in Orlando. I went in November. It's clean and nice, and both White Lightning and Freedom Flyer exceeded my expectations. It, like a lot of what you'll find on International Drive in Orlando or the main road in Pigeon Forge, feels like a side attraction that's riding the popularity of the big places, although Fun Spot is very nice for what it is. White Lightning puts Gwazi (even more) to shame, and the seemingly minimal restraints on Freedom Flyer make that ride (which isn't bad to begin with, for a family coaster) a lot more exciting. They also have a Zamperla Air Race that runs an extremely dizzying cycle. Truthfully, there wasn't much there that appealed to me and/or was possible for me, a non-child who can't do too much spinning, to ride. The nice thing is that it's ticketed instead of pay-one-price, so you can pay for what you want. They do have wristbands, though. For me, it's a fun place to spend a couple hours after Universal closes--and obviously, I'm not the family demographic the Fun Spots are aiming for. The Space Invader ride looks like a fun addition; I'm sure it'll be a hit. Next time I'm down there, I'll have to try the Fun Spot in Kissimmee. I've heard the Flying Scooters are pretty good.

Sin City Antiques. I may head back there this week to see if any of the other reels are worth buying. Watched the rest of the reel, and it features some pretty good shots of Wheel Of Fortune and the Marathon Turnpike, as well as a short Enchanted Voyage cameo. Unfortunately, I've somehow put the reel on backwards and don't exactly know how to "rewind" it properly...will work on that when I return Friday evening. (For the record, I think the ride in question is indeed Gulliver's Rub-A-Dub, judging by the proximity to the rest of the rides.)

Kings Island has posted the following Starbucks construction photo on Facebook: Photo: Kings Island via Facebook

I've seen it (in person and YouTube)- it makes me a nervous wreck just watching it.

Many years ago, I did the 300' Skycoaster. In front of my Mom. Months later, she told me she was not amused, and asked me to not ever do that in her presence again. I never did.

Opryland by all means is the defunct park that I personally went to that I'd love to see rise again. Geauga Lake was planned as part of vacation in which I scrapped that part of the trip something I now regret. So there's now much mystique for me there. Similar situation with Hard Rock Park. However the park that held the most memories for me that is now defunct is Magic World Pigeon Forge TN. While part of the remains of the small park are now a putt putt golf course, it was a place of wonder for me growing up. Loved entering the pirate ship, crossing the suspended bridge past a dinosaur into a Magic World. You could ride a UFO high above the Smokies (simulator) Ride a flying carpet over an Arabian land. Journey through a haunted house or board the dragon train (may not have been a dragon that memory is fuzzy) through a prehistoric world. Plus there several other rides but nothing huge, still I often asked to go there instead of Silver Dollar City/ Dollywood. It wasn't a huge park by any means but that place was great growing up. Edit: seems the suspended bridge entry was also fuzzy memory but for a view of this as well as some other lost attractions see http://www.volunteercabinrentals.com/smoky-mountain-blog/pigeon-forge-extinct-attractions-what-they-are-today/

Good stuff. I think the ride with sails might be Gulliver's Rub-A-Dub.

I honestly was not aware of Mr Story going after KI and KK, thank You very much for that tidbit of knowledge. That, is why I returned to this site, despite my serious reservations, because of people like You and the continued knowledge I require in my Life about the topics I am passionate about. Im like Johnny 5, need more input! I just wish DK would have taken the high road when Mr Story came after CP, instead of getting into a "My credit line is bigger than your credit line" contest.

Six Flags, and Gary Story in particular, was so single-mindedly going after Cedar Point, it never occurred to them THEY might fail. At first, Kings Island was the target, and a newly flagged Kentucky Kingdom was to be the ammunition. Paramount Park's massive Action Zone $35,000,000 response moved them north pronto.

That drop of water on the camera looks like Millennium Force is missing a 100 ft section of track.

As cold as it is, it really is beautiful to see the lake and beaches when it's snow covered and frozen in ice.

The server of late has been much more consistent in its service. Someone must have done something to help ensure promptness. Thanks!

I'd say as far as the park hopper option goes, if you can purchase an upgrade at the gate I'd get it your third day to check out the rides you like at both parks before you leave. If you are just wanting to re-ride some rides the last day there are some great ones at both parts that you can easily get to them all in one day. I went in the middle of summer when the first Harry Potter stuff opened and made it around both parks in a day, so sure in winter you should be able to. I would definitely check out the queues for both Harry Potter attractions, but aside from those if the lines are long for something definitely try the single rider lines. They can save a ton fo time and all the major rides have one. Some are hidden so ask a worker if you can't find it. Last time I went my friend and I used them all the time and we were on most rides in 5-10 minutes while the standby lines would be up to 2 hours or so.

That is one thing i truly remember from 5+ years ago. All the things to look at and be distracted by in the lines. Its a rejuvenating feeling when lines are forever long. However, this will be the first time I have been during whats considered to be an off-season, so I am hoping crowds are light, that of a KI crowd during a monday - wednesday

I have them set up to backup to my personal home server every week. Pay a third party site to back up nightly onto my second server and the host does a backup every 3 or 4 days. I'd say we have a pretty good backup plan.

When does fundraising start? Mid-late jan or what? I would like to start to fundraise sometime soon so that i could get even more for CFK. Also this is just on my mind that i want to put out there: This is not just a chance to go pay some money and ride coasters; nor is this event a right, but a privledge. It irked me last night thinking about it and i just wanted to say that this goes out to the kids who have had a terrible time and to the families for all their hard work. When you actually see these kids, it breaks your heart and makes you just want to thank the parents for all that they do for them. I truly think that this event is one of the things that an enthusiast should do to give back and help those who have been struck with hard times. Im sorry for ranting but it has been on my chest.

Theme park? Opryland. Amusement park? I could go for days. But, my number one in the USA would be Riverview Park. In Canada, Crystal Beach.

Geauga Lake minus the overbuilding Six Flags did.