CoastersRZ

Precisely my point. I think that part of the problem with the 2005 version at KI and Carowinds, when compared to the Zoo`s pricing, is they simply wanted way too much, especially for a "first run" season. Kings Island was charging $25 for admission, about $20 for pass holders, and they were charging regular price for parking (and passes did NOT get free parking even with a parking pass). That is a bit steep compared to the zoo that charges around $14 for admission. Had they had cheaper admission that first year, they likely would have built a large fan base and then could have made more money off of more bodies, as opposed to trying to get a higher margin off of each person through the gate.

The rumors I had heard at the time, was that when originally planned for KI, the ride was to go where King Cobra was located. I can assure you that not everything was previously planned for Firehawk...

That article is nice. However, the article fails to mention FastLane that was introduced at Kings Island this past season. Or the Fright Lane pass which was used at parks besides just Kings Island. Those passes are not cheap and are sure to add to the company`s in park spending among guests. I`m still waiting to see if we will eventually see more hotels/out of park revenue opportunities pop up. Cedar Fair runs quite a few hotels, and it seems that some of their properties would benefit from the added revenue of an on property hotel. I also wonder what Ouimet`s opinion of winter events at the parks are. With the success that they have had with the fall events, it seems only natural to look at winter events as a way to generate some additional revenue. Clearly, there is some money to be made from those events. On a recent visit to Clifton Mill, I was astonished at the amount of people that showed up for the event. All paying $10 to get in. I truly enjoyed Winterfest in 2005, although I felt it was over priced back then. With no competition from The Beach`s winter event anymore (it was discontinued this year), it would be nice to see a winter event eventually make its way back to KI. And they are focused on families, which just happen to be the group that Ouimet is trying to attract to the parks.

But, things did change rather swiftly when Cedar Fair took over. Look at what Kings Island got in 2007. I`m sure that wasn`t already in the plans under the old ownership.

And I beleive the people in the picture work for Baynum Painting. As you can tell from their website (http://www.baynumpainting.com/), they specialize in painting amusement park rides. That picture likely was taken in 1983, when Baynum first painted (or stained) The Beast. It is easier to ask which ride at KI they have NOT painted. See the list on this page: http://www.baynumpainting.com/latestprojects.html

Kings Island added their first wave pool for the 1997 season. I`m not sure when the pool in the campground disapeared. I believe Carowinds recently expanded/renovated their campground about five years ago, right after Cedar Fair took control of the Paramount Parks.

Indeed. The past ten years has flown by. This upcoming season will mark my eleventh season with the park. Time certainly flies by.

Now that is some funny stuff! And very good analagy, Interpreter with the closed restaurant reference. I think its safe to say that your bonus thought maybe true. With the changing of the guard that officially occurs tomorrow, the direction that Cedar Fair has taken in the past maynot continue to be the direction they take moving forward.

As The Interpreter stated, Coney Island is still alive and well. The park opens for the 2012 season on Saturday, May 26th. While there aren`t many big coasters like Kings Island has, it still is a nice little park with a very fun atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit. And the fireworks and activities on July 3rd for the balloon glow are simply amazing! Hard to believe that the balloon glow is in its 13th season this year. It was in its third year when I started working at Coney in 2002!

Yep. They were used in 2011. I actually made fewer visits to KI this past year than in recent years, I still managed 25 visits. It will be interesting to see what Cedar Fair`s total attendance figures were in 2011. Great photos Paul. You know how much of a history buff I am, and I simply love seeing old photos of the park back in the day. Of course, as I grow older, picures from the park in 2000 seem old now, since that will be twelve years ago. My how time sure does seem to fly.

The area where the helicopter rides were is approximately where the exit/photo booth for Firehawk currently stands. I have never been to SFoG. I hope to be able to make a trip down there this summer. I also want to check out the World of Coke while down there.

The radar tower at KI`s Flight of Fear was taken down not too long ago. I wonder why they took it out. Yes, the J.G. C. 96 logo still can be spotted on one corner of the building at KI. The thing X Base really needs more than anything else is a restroom. I think if they were to throw in a restroom, maybe a small food stand, and a flat ride on the triangular piece of land between Flight of Fear, Racer and Adventure Express, then they could have a real hit. And on that subject, I don`t think we will ever see X Base connected to Action Zone. A more likely scenario, if they add a ride in the location I named above, would be to connect the path right by the Jacob`s ladder game, between the exit of The Racer and Adventure Express. That seems a lot more feasible than building a path out behind Adventure Express, where there are steep grade changes.

Yes it has been! I like the surprises that guests could find in store for them. Secretly, I`m still hoping for the return of the Kings Island Clown band. One can hope.

And remember that his impact is already felt on the parks. The Fast Lane is clearly a result from him, and it helps bring in additional revenue for the company. He clearly is an operations guy but understands the finances of the business. He clearly gets it and understands what needs to be done to continue to grow Cedar Fair as a company and make the parks prosper.

Indeed, that was very short. I wonder what the surprises will be. It also looks like he intends to embrace technology. Something that in the past, Cedar Fair has been reluctant to do.

Especially with a new CEO at the helm. I still find it odd that they want opening day so far back. If they could develop an early season festival, or push Music in the parks into April, I would think that they could pack people in during those first weekends, and in turn make lots of money. After all, a closed park is not making any money.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ride Warrior Weekend. It was an extremely fun event, even if I had to curtail my Sunday visit due to wrapping up my thesis at the time I`m not sure why KI hasn`t brought it back in some form or another. I know that besides Cedar Point, several other Cedar Fair parks host park events for enthusiasts. I would support an event at KI and be there for the entire thing if they were to bring it back. I would pay for an event like Coastermania at Kings Island. Nothing outrageous since I do have a Platinum Pass, but $10 to $20 (especially if a meal is included) is well worth it to me, if they have the amount of ERT that RWW had in 2009.

Very well written post, Gordon! Great to see you posting too! All very valid points and thanks for the comments about my post. Few people really understand the business operations aspect of amusement parks, and the removal of a ride is not a simple decision that any park takes lightly.

I think a ride like that or a ride like the Splash battle would be a huge hit at KI. Both would fill a need at the park that is currently unsatisfied, as Ty pointed out with the whole kid coaster comment.

I actually have never ridden a Chaos ride. They look like they could be fun, albeit a bit disorienting. Two of my favorite flat rides can actually be found at Coney Island. I love the Rock O Planes (one of the few rides left where riders can actually control their ride experience), and the Tempest. If the weight is distributed just right, the Tempest can be down right dizzying!

Rides come and go. Kings Island will be different ten years from now, just like the park was a much different place back in 2002. Rides come and go at all amusement parks. I don`t want to wear a rut in this topic, but at the time the ride opened, Tomb Raider: The Ride, was a unique attraction at a seasonal amusement park. I distinctly remember one day visiting the park, and the ride opening late because they were painting the bamboo queue line that used to lead into the cave. It indeed was an interesting ride concept, and rather unique. However, after all of the changes that have been made to the ride over the years, I do not bother to ride it on my visits to the park. At a certain point, a ride is just not worth the maintenance or labor costs that it takes to run and maintain a ride. While I hate to see any ride leave the park, I think the time for the Crypt to exit the building has definitely come. Only time will tell what, if anything, ends up replacing the ride.

Thanks again, J.D. for the wonderful thread and many never before seen historical pictures I always enjoy seeing the way the park was in its earlier days before I was born. I definitely enjoyed seeing this topic and all the wonderful comparisons you did. I`ve thought about doing something similar for Coney Island, just haven`t had the time to take the present day shots. Maybe this upcoming season, I will make it a point to do the comparisons. This is such a wonderful topic. Too bad it has to end now! Again, thanks for all of your hard work in this thread!

Facebook has its place. And KIC does have a Facebook page. But KIC has a place, and I don`t see it going away any time soon. Yes, Dane does the coding for the site. I do have some experience on coding (I have built ConeyIslandCentral after all and keep that pretty up to date). Granted, I have been a bit lax on the main page of that site. Coding/content takes some time, and can be frustrating at times. And given the time of year, and the attraction that is coming to KI next year, its not really surprising the traffic volume that KIC is getting right now.

Another great picture! I believe, on initial inspection, that the skyride station in the 1974 picture is in fact the Octoberfest station, just based on the background and elevation of the station floor to the midway. The building in kiddyland has a floor that is at grade with the surrounding midway and is not "elevated." like the one in the 1974 picture. Thanks again for all of these WONDERFUL, and often never before seen historical pictures of Kings Island. I just love this thread! Of course, I am also a history buff/geek when it comes to these things.

No, there were some issues with that slide. As I understand it, Coney hopes to open that slide in 2012, but have not heard anything definitive yet. I`ll keep you posted.