CoastersRZ

You can not change the group that you belong to. In most cases you will be in the members group. The PKIC Local, Expert, Enhusiast ect, is based on the number of posts that you have made on this site.

PKIJake13, your post makes no sense. First of all, the article mentions selling Paramount Parks as a whole, not individual parks. Secondly, Paramount`s Carowinds and Great America, while no the largest parks in the chain, still bring in quite a few people, and I would assume quite a lot of money as well. This will probably amount to nothing more than this brief article, but it is certainly interesting to note that Viacom considers the theme parks expendable.

Very interesting. I doubt this will ever amount to anything, but it certainly raised my attention. On the Hanna Barbera side of things. Doesn`t Paramount Parks` license agreement with the Hanna Barbera rights end at the end of 2009? If so, what happens to Scooby and the rest of Hanna Barbera Land? Will Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle be rethemed, and will there be just one big Nickelodeon Central?

Just checked out Screamscape today. According to Screamscape, "In an article posted in Variety this week, Viacom head honcho Sumner Redstone mentioned that he may be shopping around Paramount Parks and their Simon & Schuster divisions in addition to other small assets." I found this some what surprising. First off, I thought that the theme park division brought in good money. Secondly, the parks in recent years have been amping up their tie ins to Paramount Pictures movies. Whether this has any truth in it is beyond me. I don`t know if they would have any interested buyers. Six Flags, well they are not in a buying mood because they have sold parks reently to recover capital to pay off their massive debt. I doubt Cedar Fair would be interested, or at least in Kings Island, because they already own two parks in Ohio, and have competing parks in some of the other Paramount Parks market. That leaves Busch Gardens, and I really don`t forsee them being interested in acquiring more parks. So the low demand for purchasing parks and the fact that I thought Paramount Parks made money, leads me to believe that this will not be happening. But stranger things have happened.

Yeah, just imaging what they could do with the old animatronics and some new ones with today`s technology. It will never happen, and if it did then you would get people complaining about where the park`s B&M coaster is and why the park is wasting money on a dumb attraction like this. Personally, I think it would be a great idea, but I don`t think they will ever do it.

IJST is not meant to be a major thrill attraction like Drop Zone or Son of Beast (if you can call that ride a thriller). In all honesty, I am looking forward to IJST. Having visited Disney for the first time this past summer, a story and a theme really go a far way in making a ride more interesting and fun. Yes, IJST might not be the tallest or fastest, but it will offer a unique experience on a roller coaster that can not be found at other seasonal amusement parks. PKI is trying to become a seasonal version of Disney or Universal. While the park will never reach Disney or Universal standards, look how far they have come in the past couple of years. A nice renovated Nickelodeon Central, a new Spongebob Movie in the Action Theater, a highly themed and immersive dark ride experience in Tomb Raider, a new themed interactive dark ride, a themed water park resort and now a themed roller coaster. I for one am excited about IJST and the future attractions that the park has in store. The park has realised that they can`t compete with CP when it comes to roller coasters, so instead they are offering a different themed experience that other seasonal parks don`t offer. Only in Orlando, or in California can you find theming better than at PKI, and then you have to shell out big bucks to enjoy it! To each their own though.

Yes, I had a couple incidents involving spit on the Ferris Wheel at Coney, which is not a pretty thing considering when people spit off of that ride, it usually ends up in a car below. We can actually call a manager if we see someone spitting and they can remove their ride bracelet without refund. Back on topic, I think the best thing that can be done to improve Coney Mall, other than IJST, is to put another new flat ride in, where Flight Commander used to be. Pull some guests back into that section of the midway.

Phantom Theater was definantly a unique ride, with theming and animatronics that approached Disney. Scooby Doo simply has cutouts. I really enjoy Scooby Doo and the competition if offers is great. Also, the interaction with the guests is its biggest benefit to a ride. I liked the animatronic figures, and the fact that there was no other ride like it in the country (contrary to the Scooby ride). It was a classic ride. I am glad that they brought out some of the animatronics for FearFest this past year at Dracula`s Haunted Castle.

Keep in mind that in the survey a while back, they asked if people would ride The Beast when it was cold out. I don`t forsee them havening The Beast open if they have Winterfest, because that would be one frigid ride when it is 20 degrees outside. However, they could, as mentioned previously, have The Carousel, Dodgems, and Scooby open. Additionally, they could also have newer indoor rides like Flight of Fear, Action Theater and Tomb Raider open since they are heated. Although, they might not want that much of the park open, and they would have less time for the off season rehab, which would probably occur between January and opening day in April.

I don`t see them rerouting the train in the near future. Why? Cost. It would cost too much to have to build new infrastructure around the new track if they made it travel to different areas of the park. Additionally, the current locations is good because in addition to going over to Boomerang Bay, it also is a location that is out in the woods and removed from the chaos of the rest of the park and can be a relaxing ride.

Yeah, I am looking forward to using the Xtreme Skyflyer passes I won from the site as a Christmas gift. Definantly support this site by cliking on the adds so that this site will remain around for years to come!

Didn`t Paramount`s Great America redo their entrance this past year making if feel like the entrance to the Paramount Studios in California? Coould PKI be doing a similar treatment?

I agree with your comments HauntGuy. However, The Beach seems to be doing a pretty good business attracting people to its Winter Celebration in Decemeber. I don`t think the park should scrap FearFest, or shorten it. I do think that if they forgo the extra weekend in November though, there will be no loss to FearFest. If done right, Winterfest can add even more guests and income for the park. The trick is making it so that people want to come to the park in the winter, and not just the diehard fans.

I wonder what exact changes they are doing to the parking lot and entrance area. New blacktop in the parking lot, in addition to the landscaping the park is adding?

But didn`t the park end up canceling all the extended play events last year because of problems, and remained open until midnight? I know I was at the park a Friday in July when it closed at midnight, and people left the park in droves after the fireworks went off at 11 and the park was still open for another hour!

Well, I honestly hope that there is some information about Winterfest in August (which is just the time when they start pushing sales for passes for the next year). Fear Fest did not occur the final weekend the park was open this year in November either. I hope that FearFest returns. It would be nice to get in at least a ride in the long winter months in Ohio!

Patience is a virtue. Assuming the tour started at 9 on time, it was probably about an hour, with half an hour to hour Q&A session, that puts the end at 11. Now, the site was muddy so there was probably some clean up involved before people could get into their cars to leave. Additionally, it would take a while to upload the pictures and format the html to support them. I`m sure the pictures will flood in in due time.

You bring up a very important point familyman. Since the park will probably enter into some sort of partnership with Great Wolf since it will be built on PKI`s land (the details if they will still own the land, sell it or lease are still being negotiated). PKI could enter into a partnership and earn revenue from the resort. They would then be earning revenue 12 months of the year instead of the 7 months in which the campground is open! More revenue could lead to bigger expansions and more roller coasters.

To my knowledge, the park has not commented on the future possibility of a new campground, behind the resort. While the current campground as it exists will no longer operate, they may plan a new campground (it was in the survey a while back about themes for a new campground.) The point of the resort is to provide people who are staying there, to have some entertainment after the park has closed at their hotel. A lot of people seem to be upset with the loss of the campground. Things change and people have to deal with change. I personally think that the new waterpark resort will be an added benefit to the park and the surrounding econonmy.

I imagine a lot of these issues are still being worked out between PKI and Great Wolf. Here is a longer article about the resort that appeared in today`s Local Section of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

As much as some are sad to see it go, I think that the new water park resort will help then park out more than the campground has. Plus, as with the Eagles and Tique`s things change for newer and better things. Out with the old in with the new. PKI and Great Wolfs are still negotiating terms of the deal, so who knows, they may end up building a new smaller campground behind the resort.

For your information, Winterfest used to have some rides open. The Carousel, Dodgems, Smurf ride, and the Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad were all open. The have finally placed the actual, correct 2005 calendar online (instead of just calling the 2004 calendar 2005!). It appears as if FearFest will be back and run the entire month of October, with the park now being open until 10 on Sundays, like in 2003, instead of 9, like last year. While they eliminated the weekend in November, they usually don`t list that this early anyway, so I`d guess thay Winterfest will not be occuring this year, unless shortening the season by one weekend allows for enough time to prepare for Winterfest. (They could always change the schedule later in the season.) One can always hope that Winterfest will return in 2005 right? One thing I found odd, is that Saturdays in July and August, the park is now open until midnight, and on Fridays in July and August (save for right before labor day), they are now open until 11! Do they have special event planned these days, or are they just anticipating longer crowds/more money from in park sales from being open later?

This article didn`t mention it, but I am assuming that Great Wolf is still the one building this lodge. Anyone know for sure? Also, how many rooms/square feet is the indoor water park of the Great Wolf in Sandusky? When I was at the Steak `N` Shake by it this summer, it didn`t seem as big as Castaway Bay (I stayed at the Radissen Inn that is now Castaway Bay.)

Secondly, I highly doubt it will be like Breaker`s at Cedar Point. I doubt it will have a seperate gate to enter the park from the Action Zone. More likely, the resort guests will be bussed over to the main gate by one of the parking lot trams or the former campground shuttle.

Yeah, I was wandering about that one myself.