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Not to be the naysayer here... But Cedar Fair doesn't make impulse purchases. Things are planned out well in advance. And if whatever CF is planning absolutely cannot be done without the removal of Thunder Road, then I hate to say it, but the ride's fate is likely quite sealed, no matter how much the fans lament it. Also remember that rides are machines and machines have a life expectancy. There's no easy decision to remove a ride (well, MAYBE Son of Beast...) because there will ALWAYS be backlash. No matter what you decide to remove, you're removing SOMEBODY'S favorite ride. So let this be a reminder that nothing lasts forever, and sit upright, hold on tight, and enjoy EVERY round on all of your favorite rides. I know that my beloved Vortex won't last forever. The day its removal is announced, I will probably cry myself to sleep that night (and I'm being quite serious). But I know it's coming, so I ride the heck out of it now while I can and enjoy every moment of it like it's the last ride I'll have.

Yikes- this worries me because it does show Cedar Fair will remove classic attractions if they feel they are in the way of future projects or park expansion. And there are a handful of members of the GP who don't see the value in keeping these classic wooden rides (usually they are also the ones who want giant steel coasters instead every year). Though looking at the comment responses to those FB posts, MOST of the GP seems ENRAGED. Whizzer @ SFGam was saved by fan outrage, and Thunder Road is still standing for now, so this may not be set in stone but I'm not sure if it'll be enough. Cedar Fair will go where the money tells them though, and if they see enough money in keeping Thunder Road, they may do it. This also makes me think about the future of Racer @ Kings Island, and the other coasters possibly on the chopping block. Racer might be OK since Flight of Fear and Firehawk being behind it already put Racer in a spot that really can't be used for much else but it may still end up cut at some point (for simply saving on ride upkeep) if its popularity gets too low. Coney Mall without Racer would feel very, very weird. Another big option is Vortex- a very different type of ride, but it is old and I noticed its ridership has been going down every year since 2012. It's the one I worry may get cut next to make room for a new roller coaster around 2019. The Bat did just get a re-theme, but it was a light one (a lot of old TOP GUN & Flight Deck stuff remains) and King Cobra was removed shortly after a new paintjob as well but one thing in its favor is its location isn't very prime for a major attraction and its ride type is known to be rare now. I hope all 3 stay but these are the major coasters I could see being removed within the next 5-10 years or so. I would hate it if it happens to ANY of them. One other thing I did just remember though- Thunder Road was once painted and had its paintjob stripped off, and it rotted badly afterwards. Could this have negatively affected its lifespan compared to its "sister" coasters, Racer & Rebel Yell? I honestly wonder, but don't know... Also I nearly called Thunder Road Rolling Thunder several times while posting this. Both were classic wooden racing coasters with similar names. One is already gone- and now the other may get the same fate. Sad and ironic at the same time.

One thought: I hope Racer never leaves KI.

Just curious but what dimension are you from? Where I am, today is the 24th.

Shouldn't affect opening. Rain or shine. If the park is super empty and is scheduled to be open very late, park officials might make the announcement that the park is closing early, but that's about the only thing. That's a low chance all things considered, and if it does storm for a bit, it'll only serve to clear the park out. See shows or relax in a restaurant until the storm passes. Just don't go for Flight of Fear. If you can imagine, that's the idea almost everyone will have.

Not knowing can be more foreboding. See also Flight of Fear, Camden Park's Haunted House, Adventure Express (especially the part after the second lift)...

Just get on Diamondback first then it will all be down hill from there.

Regular old Rain and Storms shouldn't close the park. One day we had a particularly heavy and long bout of Rain. Something kept telling me to wait it out, so we did. After about 4 hours we were left with a nearly empty park. Had 5 hours to ride all we could stand.

I finally scanned in the photos I won for the Twitter contest. I know a lot of the others at Coasterstock were really excited to see them, which was why I set up an impromptu photo shoot for some other fans on the pavement near the front gates right after I got the envelope I think I nearly gave Don a heart attack by laying them out on the ground because he came over and asked if I was enjoying my very rare photographs?! I was just in a very sharing mood after spending the weekend sharing all my experiences through Twitter. Anyway, this is a better (safer) way to see them. Since they're big, I don't want to post them in the thread, but you can get to them in this directory: http://crowchet.com/images/ki/ While the Phantom Theater picture and logo are very special to me (I really miss that ride!), I think my favorite of the bunch is Screamin' Demon with snow on the ground, before it even opened. That's one I only wish I could have ridden, it was removed long before I got into coasters.

MDMC01 and I are in the front row for the 5:00 show of Cirque Imagine. We have two empty seats right next to us if someone sees this quickly and gets here before they get filled. EDIT: The seats next to us have been taken.

Sorry! I meant to put the 26th! I've been writing dates on paperwork all day for work and It's imbedded in my brain.

Not a dumb question. I'm sure someone on here has a clear answer; however... I can only give a perspective, rather than an answer. In Kings Island's 43.2 of my 46 years, I've never seen, nor heard of the park scrapping an entire operating day due to intermittent storms. That, of course, doesn't mean it's never happened, but from my perspective, I doubt it.

I was confused until the 4th post...then I got it.

Four times? Perhaps a record...

I'll also be sad the day Vortex is retired but hopefully that's a long time down the road yet.

On three row cars, the center seat isn't over a wheel, so it is smoother. It wasn't your imagination. I rode Racer on a "wheel seat" last year, accidentally, and it vibrated so much it made me think I had gotten too old for riding Racer.

Kentucky Kingdom has done ~50,000 in attendance over nine days. Worse, they claim it took them seven weekends to do so. A local high school fair is said to do 100-125k+ in attendance over four days. Hmm...

Again! Would like to say thanks for all the awesome and very helpful replies. I am a natural worrier, so thank for helping me put the worries to bed and get ready and totally pumped for my Tuesday trip!! As much as I love Kings Island and usually go several times a year, I unfortunately did not get to go last year at all, so I am ITCHING to ride Banshee!!!!! And KI Central is one of my favorite websites ever since I stumbled upon I love reading all the posts and joining the conversations and since finding I've recommended the sit to a few friends who also love it!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too popular." --Yogi Berra.

And just to add to that there has been a few occurrences where it did close early....one example being opening weekend many years ago where it was nonstop freezing rain/snow, lol.

This thread is a prime example of why I love KICentral. One good thing about the chance of rain- it'll mean low crowds.

Strange Coincidence - I just bought that movie yesterday! Maybe I should return it now.... lol!

You mean it's going to be the same day for three days?!? Quick! Get Bill Murray on the phone!

You're welcome! Pass processing seems to have been a fly-through this season! Anyway, storms or no, always be safe! When I hear thunder, I make my way into any indoor location until the storm blows over. My fave is the Festhaus, because you can eat and watch a show. In Rivertown, it's Reds Hall of Fame Grille, because you can eat and watch a... well, this season, anyway, a baseball... match (not seeing anything that can be called a Reds 'game' this season ). Have a great time Tuesday!

Thanks! I was pretty sure that I wouldn't affect anything but I just made me a little nervous. We are traveling about 3 hours and I just didn't want it to be to much a waste. but we are going no matter what (unless they are closed haha) As for the closing early - On the calendar on Tuesday they show being open 10am to 8pm! My friends and I decide on a Tuesday hoping it to be less packed (and that when everyone could go) but hopefully the rain will help with that some too!! and after 11am their is only a 20% chance of rain and then if just cloudy the rest of the day! Thrill_Biscuit - Thanks for making me feel like I didn't have a dumb question! goodyellowkorn182- Thanks for the tips! We will probably spend the first bit of time getting out season passes processed (first trip of the year!!)

Kings Island's attendance in the early 90's was in the multi-million category...I believe it was well over 2,000,000 and closer to 3,000,000. To give Ed Hart great credit, when he owned Kentucky Kingdom the first go-round, he tried to target a different audience than the competition--be it Holiday World, a much smaller park back then, or Kings Island. He positioned Kentucky Kingdom as The Thrill Park, a positioning that worked very well in that time and given the competition. This time around, he says they are aiming at families. Yet, a Drop Tower (again!?). T3? Last year, before the park opened, projections for attendance he helped whisper around the industry (probably to help a sale in the then near 2015 or 2016) were a million guests for 2014 with more in the outyears. They got...less than 600,000. And now, two days for less than 30 dollar deals for out of state residents, subject to certain conditions. It may well be the 2 more admissions is even more critical than the two more being out of state.

Rolling Thunder was removed for "future park expansion." Terp, notin'.

Sad, for sure, to see a classic removed. Hopefully a worthy replacement is part of the park's expansion plans. I do wonder how this decision will be viewed 5 years from now. With this announcement, I definitely plan to take my first visit before the ride's closing weekend.

Yeah, that's the part that perplexes me. That the park would spend such a large sum of money to refurbish a coaster, ensuring guests could continue to enjoy it for many more years... and then demolish it. I'm sure the Soak City expansion will be great and feature a nice collection of family-friendly attractions, but it's still sad to see an older coaster like Thunder Road go.

I cannot. I can say individual parks at Cedar Fair are largely captains of their own destinies, subject to overall corporate oversight. I can also say five years from now Carowinds will be one of the South's finest parks, and have top of mind unaided recall and presence when vacation influencers decide where to spend their amusement dollars. Truly, the best is yet to come for Carowinds.

It's simple. Thunder Road is blocking in the water park from developable land in the parking lot and beyond. It's not as if they could alter the structure to create a new walkway to the other side, and put the new water rides over there. Wait... Why don't they do that?

There's nothing to fix because it was an intentional design decision. They don't want you to see that the park has hours-long wait times on the rides and decide to stay home. Whether or not enough people would think to check before leaving home is another question. Then again, given the popularity of smartphones and the internet, the word could quickly spread. This just in to the news room: you can check how busy Kings Island is before deciding to go! Many might decide to skip a KI trip altogether, thinking it a horribly overcrowded place, rather than wait for a lighter day, thus distributing crowds. The theory behind the park's decision is surely something similar to this, eh?

Yes. You can also buy discounted admission to Dinosaurs Alive for others you've brought with you.

Side Note --> As someone who lives near Camden Park, even when the coaster was here and operating pretty much everyone still called in Screamin' Demon, I honestly didn't even know that they renamed it to Thunderbolt Express

I can think of worse songs to have stuck in ones head!

For those who haven't seen it yet, here's CoasterBob62's video from Coasterstock

Your tonearm needs a new pickup needle. (That joke only available on vinyl).

Yes it is. I love taking first timers on the ride. The entire ride up the second hill I tell them to get ready because the crazy part is coming, get ready to flip, etc. Their cry of "what the"? when nothing happens makes me smile every time. For once I agree with Don'tWant. I always get the jitters on my first trip of a new season and head right for Diamondback and get on the back row. Nothing like a back seat ride on the tallest Coaster in the park to make your mind realize you love riding.

Adventure Express' second lift hill is such a tease.

One of the things I find unusual about The Beast, is that you don't see a majority of it. Most rides you can see the intimidation factor as you are waiting in line- that's part of sell, your fear rises as you take in all of the ride's features.

I prefer the front seat of them all, honestly. But that may be because roughness or bumpiness doesn't bother me. IIRC, the second seat on The Racer, blue train if it makes a difference, didn't seem very bumpy. Maybe it was just me, but it seriously felt like it was abnormally smooth in that seat.

Thinder? Is that a clue or a typo?

^ And no Arrow flume. Sadly for Ohiocolts, plans changed and we still have it.

There was once a boat, an island, a plantation house. And Terp once adored Coney Island of Ohio...it was the grandest amusement park he had ever seen. Shooting Star, Lost River... Most of all, for him...Rolling Thunder...

I do not approve of the destruction of classic woodies

Just keep hopin' But be prepared to be let....down.

See Rolling Thunder. And there have been hints dropped here by at least one poster for more than a year. I rode Thunder Road opening day. Nothing else. Then quietly, sadly left the park. Nothing is forever. And ACE Coaster Landmark status counts for exactly nothing.

Considering the one at KI is an ACE Coaster Landmark and has a bit of history as helping to revive the wood coaster industry, I doubt it's going anywhere. Why Carowinds wants to take out what appears to be a popular ride is beyond me.

Truly a terrible mistake, if you ask me. Nothing was wrong with that ride except for the last leg of the trip being a bit bumpy. If they actually remove it (who knows -- maybe we could see RMC do something to it), they'd better put something SPECTACULAR in it's place to justify it's removal.

Arrr! Speakin' o' Waterrrr, ye riders of ye olde White Water Canyon bewarrrre! Fer ye Cap'n Thrill Beard be approachin,' and I be bringin' me pieces of eight fer the Geysers, and there be much soakin' in storrrre! ... arrr!