CoastersRZ

That would be an interesting play for Herschend, if it turns out to be true.

What is wrong with Gemini? I find it to be a very fun and enjoyable ride. Personally, I would rather they remove Rougaru before Gemini. Even with the new floorless trains, that is a ride that I can skip on any visit to Cedar Point.

I will offer some clarity on this issue. Zoning departments are only responsible for reviewing items that maybe on the drawings as they pertain to enforcing the zoning codes of the specific municipality. The building department would review the drawings to ensure that they meet the building code that is applicable in the jurisdiction. Kings Island is in the city of Mason. It used to be in Deerfield years and years ago, but Mason annexed the park from Deerfield. Other than the foundations for rides, I believe that the actual drawings of the coaster fall outside of the review of the local building department. So you unfortunately will not likely find any entire blueprints of rides in the local building department for Kings Island or any other park. Most ride manufacturers, and parks, are highly protective of their designs (for copyright and proprietary reasons) for trade secrets. It is not uncommon for people directly involved on these projects to have to sign NDA. NDA`s are non disclosure agreements. Essentially meaning you agree not to disclose or talk about projects. So in short, you likely will not find any coaster blue prints at a local building department.

While I would tend to agree, there have been bigger surprises. Who say Cedar Fair purchasing the two Schlitterbahn properties? I think some of the Sea World parks could fit rather nicely into the CF portfolio. Especially since it would give them a few more year round operations to keep cash flowing in during the winter months. Given how the pandemic has hit the hospitality industry rather hard, I don`t see CF purchasing any of the Seas parks anytime soon.

Yes, the first drop was amazing. The rest of the ride was just meh. I actually rode Hurricane at Myrtle Beach Pavilion, before it closed, and the trains made their way to Son of Beast. I am glad we got Banshee on the site of Son of Beast. I can`t say that I miss Son of Beast, even with the first drop.

Son of Beast was extremely rough. One of the few coasters that gave me bruises on my thighs from the vibration and shaking that the ride did.

I am eager to be vaccinated. Just have to wait until I am able to get one. I am a 36 year old and do not work in the healthcare field. I might be waiting a while. My sister in law already was vaccinated, my sister who is a RN is going to be vaccinated this week. Hopefully supply increases, and people trust the vaccine. I know of several people that will not get the vaccine because they do not trust it.

Be sure to check out the latest KIC Podcast: Episode 12- KIMVRR: The Early years, with special guest, Denis Larrick (kimv1972) here.

Sad to hear of his passing. Sending condolences to his family. I never made it out to Surf Cincinnati.

https://kicentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Episode-12-KIMV-RR.mp3 Robbie (CoastersRZ) and Brad (IndyGuy4KI) are joined by Denis Larrick (KIMV1972), who worked on the Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad in 1972 and 1973 at Kings Island. -Highlights include some stories from Dennis`s time running the trains those first two seasons. Please share with us your thoughts on this podcast. Or if you have any additional questions for Dennis. Dennis has contributed several posts in the Amusement Park Railroad thread. If you have not had a chance to read that thread, I strongly encourage you to do so. Especially if you are a rail fan. Thanks again to Denis for being our guest on this podcast. Let us know if you have any thoughts for subjects for future KIC Podcast episodes. Robbie CoastersRZ

I didn`t think the ride was that bad. I have certainly been on coasters that were far less enjoyable. The wild mouse at Lake Winnie comes to mind. My wife and I were wanting off of the ride before it was even over because of the way it was beating us up.

Last I heard, it was sent to South America.

I agree with Indyguy4KI. Update the roof, and maybe get rid of the banners to some digital displays. Also, as others have said, it would be nice if the incorporated the facade structure that they typically build for Haunt and Winterfest into part of the permanant facade of the building.

I still think that a Peanuts themed dark ride would be wonderful. And the area does need an update. Dollywood`s Wildwood Grove is simply amazing.

And from what I understand, Michigan`s Adventure attendance has remained relatively consistent without significant (and costly) capital investment. Why spend money to put in a big new ride, when the park is already making money. Doing so would produce lower profit margins. Also, Michigan`s Adventure is not in a major metro area like Kings Island, Carowinds, or Canada`s Wonderland. The closest large city is Grand Rapids, and the park is about an hour drive away from the city, depending on where in the city you are coming from. The Grand Rapids MSA (metropolitan statistical area) had a population of 1,059,000 as of 2017. The Cincinnati MSA by comparison had 2,114,000 as of the 2010 census. Cedar Fair has been investing some in MiA, just not large scale capital projects. And on the most recent conference calls, Cedar Fair has stated they are going to try and spread out the cadence of large capital projects at their parks for new rides, and try and fill in with more special events, like Grand Carnivale, to drive urgency and visits. Remember, the point is for every dollar invested to make the most money with that dollar. If Cedar Fair only needs to invest $0.10 into Michigan`s Adventure for Camp Snoopy to make $1, why spend $1 if it is still only going to make them $1? That would not be a good return on investment in that case. Yes, I know I oversimplified the situation. I don`t think Cedar Fair is looking to sell off any parks anytime soon.

Thanks for the kind words about the podcast. Wait until you hear the next episode! It will be a real treat!

https://kicentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Episode-11-2020-Year-in-Review-Part-2.mp3 Don`t forget that you can get this podcast on iTunes, and on Spotify! Be sure to subscripe to not miss an episode! Show notes: Join Robbie (CoastersRZ) and Brad (IndyGuy4KI) as they are joined by Tom Pavlik (Tjpavlik). In this episode we conclude the review of the 2020 season at Kings Island. We discuss Orion, Area 72, Tricks and Treats Fall Fest and the food. We also discuss the cancelation of Haunt and Winterfest for 2020. We hope you enjoy this episode! Watch for Episode 12 to drop really soon! It is on a really enjoyable subject. As always, if you have any ideas for future episodes, please let me know!

Thanks for sharing those photos, Gordon Bombay! It is amazing how much Banshee is starting to fade in those photos. Even though there was a pandemic going on this year, I really missed working rides at Coney Island this past summer. Yes, I still worked there this year, but the place just wasn`t the same. I truly miss it.

It does look like something Cedar Fair would be interested in owning 100%. So they can in turn receive 100% of the profits. I wonder how their management contract is set up. We likely will never know, but I wonder if they get a percentage of profits.

Very interesting about ownership, licensing and management of that property. I am sure that will help Cedar Fair with some out of park revenue opportunities without having to front the capital costs of developing the property. I wonder if long term plans for the property include trying to buy out the developers/original owners.

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon. We also just recorded episode #12. It was a really fun episode to record, and I am sure many people will love to listen to it when we release it. Stay tuned!

Well, if you are going for coasters, then Cedar Point is an obvious choice. My vote for best well rounded park with shows, rides and just a wonderful atmosphere, it would be Dollywood. That is the one park besides Kings Island where I have had a season pass before. I have probably visited Dollywood more than I have visited Cedar Point at this point. Don`t get me wrong, I love coasters, but Dollywood is just something special. Disney World is a must to, Having visited both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, if someone has visited neither, I would recommend going to WDW, as there is a lot more to do and experience there. Although everyone should visit Disneyland at some point to, so they can "walk where Walt walked."

Alabama Splash Adventure is owned by Dan Koch and Pat Koch. Dan is the brother of the late Will Koch, and Pat is their mom. There was a dispute over how much shares were worth of Holiday World several years back (in 2013, see the article link below) (from what I gathered, it got fairly nasty, and the courts were involved) between Dan and Lori Koch, Will`s wife. The end result was that Dan and Pat left Holiday World. I don`t know if they still maintain any ownership in Holiday World, or if it is now owned by Lori and their three kids (Lauren, Leah and Will). Shortly thereafter, Dan and Pat purchased Alabama Splash Adventure. https://duboiscountyherald.com/b/family-feud-rattles-holiday-world

https://kicentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Episode-10-2020-Year-in-Review-Part-1.mp3 Don`t forget that you can get this podcast on iTunes, and on Spotify! Be sure to subscripe to not miss an episode! Show notes: Join Robbie (CoastersRZ) and Brad (IndyGuy4KI) as they are joined by Tom Pavlik (Tjpavlik). In this episode we begin to review the 2020 season at Kings Island, and the impacts that Covid had on the season and park operations. We hope you enjoy this episode! Watch for part 2 of the 2020 Season in review, Episode 11 to come out soon! We also will have episode 12 out soon as well, focusing on a fascinating topic. As always, if you have any ideas for future episodes, please let me know!

I agree that the kids area could use a refresher and a couple new rides. The Camp Snoopy area at Carowinds has a very nice feel to it. Cedar Fair has done a decent job upgrading the look and feel of Coney Mall, Riveertown, and International Street. Planet Snoopy hasn`t really received any tlc or aesthetic updates to the entire land since really 2006 (prior to the Peanuts gang moving in). Yes, we saw the addition of two new kiddy rides in 2015, but the area could use something added to it. There just seems to be a lot of open, unused space in kiddy land right now.