CoastersRZ

Wow. You guys need to chill out some. Interpreter is not with holding information, but rather commenting on his opinions of the situation, and throwing in the history of Hart at other locations. And Truth Seeker, you want the Interpreter to provide facts, but you yourself stated that "Studies done by the state have shown that the park can be very successful, given the correct dosage of support, leadership, and most of all funding." What studies? Where are your links to these studies? It is a two way street. You can`t be asking one person for his facts, and calling him out for not providing facts when you don`t do the same, just because his thoughts/facts/opinions differ from your viewpoint. Yes, I have been to Kentucky Kingdom. But that was many moons ago, before I really was into roller coasters, and before Kentucky Kingdom was even owned by Six Flags. The three coasters I rode when I went there: Vampire, Thunder Road and Roller Skater. I could have ridden Chang, and now wish I had, but I was still not big into the coaster scene then.

Why does he need a source? It is common sense. He obviously can get financing through conventional methods. If he could, he would have secured said financing and be able to open the park in 2011. But instead he is trying to rely on the state of Kentucky to help finance his project. I don`t understand why people think that it is a good business decision to try and reopen the park, especially with the backing of the state of Kentucky. The Louisville market has some stiff competition with Kings Island and Holiday World short drives from the city.

I wonder how difficult the Monster is to run compared to an Eli Bridge cable driven Ferris Wheel.

These questions seem tailor made for me to answer. Well, one of the most important questions is how old are you? Some positions like rides require that you be at least 16 years of age. Some departments like the grove (picnic grove) hire 15 year olds. But because the grove is usually busiest on weekends, expect to work lots of weekend hours. I know we have received some people in rides who also worked in the grove but were not getting enough hours there. Because of the size of the park, the landscaping department is not very big, and thus there are not many opportunities to be had there. You can typically start applying in February or March. You can apply online, or by swinging by the park to turn fill out an application. On your application, you will rank the top positions you want to work for. While ideally you will be placed in your number one choice, some positions get filled and you may be given a position in a different department than the one you applied for. Some departments, like rides, have more available positions than other departments like Guest Relations or pool porters. Each department has its perks and downsides. Having or not having your eagle scout will not likely impact your status to be hired at Coney. Although, it certainly would look good when applying to colleges, and would definitely help in getting hired at Coney. Coney doesn`t have very stringent hiring standards. The earlier you get your application in, the better though. The hiring process has changed a little bit since I was hired on at Coney. You now have an interview with one of the two seasonal personnel managers before interviewing with the department you had been selected for. When I interviewed for rides way back in 2002, there were about three other people with me at the interview with one of the rides managers. The interview itself only lasted about five to ten minutes, and I was hired on the spot and filled out my paperwork. The best piece of advice I can give you, is just be yourself at the interview! Myself, I`m partial to rides, so I`d suggest you apply for that department. I`ve been in Coney`s rides department for 9 seasons, and will be back for my tenth season in 2011. Good luck, and be sure to let us know what departments you apply for and if you get the job. I realize that it is still November and the hiring process is still a long ways off. And in case you were wondering, the first weekend that Coney`s rides are open in 2011 is for the Appalachian Festival the weekend of May 7th and 8th.

I think it might have been you. Were you with a girl? I was the one wearing a blue fleece jacket with glasses. By all means, do not hesitate to be a stranger on these forums. There are people on here that have a wealth of knowledge to share about the amusement park industry and other fascinating things in general. (My area of expertise just happens to be architecture, Coney Island and the history of Coney and KI and the Cincinnati area in general)).

But The Racer, when it opened did have BRAKE levers.

It should be noted that Zimmerman is one of the few remaining Paramount Parks people to still be employed at Cedar Fair.

The number I found most interesting was that their per capita spending was UP 5% while Cedar Fair`s was down 1%. How are the typical prices inside of a Six Flags park compared with a Cedar Fair park? Or is Six trying to go the opposite way of what FUN has done (even though FUn at one point in time said the integrity of the gate was important) and charge more for guests to gain entry into the parks and have cheaper food prices?

I believe that you are pretty much spot on. Most of the rides have programs. In the case of the flats, most of the rides simply require a start button to be pressed (sometimes in unison in the case of rides like the Zephyr and Scrambler. From there, the ride will run until the timer runs out and the ride stops. Granted, the ride operators have access to the infamous big red button, aka "E-Stop." The Monster is more of a manually operated ride. Monster also has to be balanced, in terms of loading arms opposite of each other. I can`t speak from too much experience at KI, as I have never been a ride op there. But I can speak about Coney`s rides. At Coney, most of the rides have "dead man" switches. In other words, the operator has to physically hold down a button the entire time the ride is running. If they let go of the button for any reason, the ride stops. There are some exceptions where all the ride operator has to do is hit a button once, and the ride will take care of itself the rest of the way (RIver Runner, Frog Hopper, Scream Machine, Dodgems and Python). THe two hardest rides to operate at Coney are Rock O Planes and the Ferris Wheel. Of those two, the more difficult to operate is the Ferris Wheel. Balancing of the ride is a must, otherwise "Bad Thing Happen." One must pay attention to not just the cars being loaded but the weight being loaded into each car. Ie, a solo rider who is just 49" tall would not balance well with a car on the other side that has two full size adults in it. And the Ferris Wheel is one ride where the weather can play a role in how sensitive the controls are. I`ve worked the ride where the controls went from being really loose, to extremely tight, and then back to loose again, all within a few hours!

Well, Cincinnati is not necessarily in the bible belt. And doesn`t Carowinds do their Haunt on Sunday nights? Still seems like a missed revenue opportunity to me. And only $70 million in cap ex. in 2011? Sure seems like Cedar Fair is cutting back and trying to take the cheap route. Especially with four rides of the same name and specs, going to what they have in the past cited as their four premier parks.

Right. But bear in mind, that the earlier start of daily operation has some draw backs. Most ride operator positions are high school and college age students. So while daily operation may be beginning earlier, it is likely that those early days will be marked with limited operation and rides and attractions not opening up until mid afternoon- if at all. Trying to save on labor? Perhaps. But I just can`t see the daily operation beginning earlier resulting in an increase in revenue for those shifted operating days, given that most schools are still in session. It might be somewhat different, if Cedar Fair actually owned a hotel on property at Kings Island and could benefit from an early start to the summer vacation season with some out of park revenue. But alas Kings Island does not have such an option.

I`m still amazed at the increase in attendance through October. 29%! Which begs the question, with as light as attendance is at Kings Island on Sundays in October, why hasn`t Kings Island experimented with Haunt on Sundays like the other Cedar Fair parks?

But how many years has KI opened around April 9-19? Dozens. Yes, there were some years that they ended up closing early due to cold weather. But it still kind of leaves me speechless. What happens if April turns out to be October? They could be leaving lots of money out of their coffers by NOT opening when they normally do. And why does it seem that Kings Island is the only Cedar Fair park so far to have a markedly later opening day than in past years? Something seems odd to me.

Indeed a correct statement. The black from the asphalt absorbs the sunlight and creates a heat island. Concrete is lighter, and reflects the light not causing the heat island. However, because it can reflect the light better (if it isn`t colored concrete) it can also create more of a glare. Many new big box stores are installing white roofs now as opposed to black roofs, because the white roofs actually reduce the urban heat island effect, which in turn reduces their cooling needs in the summer.

Yes, the vat of knowledge that some people can amass is purely amazing. I had a friend trying to stump me on Coney/Kings Island trivia while at Kings Island Friday night while we were stuck on Firehawk for ten minutes. Yes, to corroborate that Skyflyer did indeed open in 1995, I present this video as evidence: The video (dated 1995) was shot from near the present day entrance/exit to Delirium looking off towards where Drop Tower is today. You can see part of the support for Skyflyer off to the right at various points throughout the video. (I also thought some of you would like to see this variation of the Clown Band if you had not already. I really wish something like this would return to KI`s entertainment offering during the regular season. It adds a lot to the atmosphere).

I just realized something else. This is technically the park`s 40th operating season, not its 39th. The park will be 39 years old next year, but it is in fact entering its 40th season of operation. (The park was one year old in 1973, its second season of operation).

"Quack quack quack Mr. Ducksworth." I wasn`t doubting you Sheikra Rocks. I would be thrilled just as much as the next guy (or lady) if Kings Island received a new coaster in 2012. Do I see it happening? Potentially, but it is still early. A lot can happen between now and even the start of the 2011 season. Let alone the start of the 2012 season. I wouldn`t say that ride ops don`t know anything. They have a very important responsibility. They are responsible for running the ride in a safe manner and ensuring the safety of the guests on the ride. They must fully understand their training, be able to handle difficult situations with sometimes belligerent customers, and work in extreme heat. Trust me, I have worked as a ride operator at Coney for nine years now (and been a post season manager the last two years. I have had to deal with a lot of unruly customers, and as a manager, had to try and appease angry customers. It is a job that is not for everyone.

And now we may need to shine some light on the situation so those who are un-initiated may fully interpret the messages posted above.

Which I find kind of odd, since Cedar Point has been doing some Haunt stuff on Sunday nights. I would think with as large of a metro area as what KI has to pull from compared to Sandusky, that doing Haunt on at least Sunday nights would be a success, especially if the weather cooperates, like it did this year.

Ah, but for how much longer will he have both titles? Will Q ask any questions tomorrow? And will they give an indication of how well their October season was? From what I`ve seen at KI this October, they packed in LOTS of people.

And we all know how that ended up. Refunds. Which is a shame, because I think if done right, a winter event could benefit Cedar Fair`s bottom line. Also on the subject of winter events, Holiday Fest at the Beach Water park, has been renamed to The Beach on Ice.

Wow! Are they STILL having issues with their season pass system? To be honest, I had some issues renewing my Platinum Pass at Kings Island this year. (I still have the receipt in my wallet, just in case it decides not to scan next year).

Now that is a very astute observation! I completely missed that, and I even looked closely at that picture to see the tower for the ride operators for Skylab.

And what, prey tell are your sources for such a bold statement?

I think those pictures might have been from 1994 or early 1995. Why do I say that? Well, the one picture from the Eiffel Tower that shows Coney Mall still clearly has a maintenance building and no sign of Flight of Fear or even construction of Flight of Fear yet. And Flight of Fear opened in 1996.