LoadAndGo

You are correct! I'm not sure what I was thinking. I feel as if I have offended some sort of Cincinnati god.

I've always thought an easy fix would be to swap I-Street Skyline with Panda. Skyline has German roots and Panda would bring some more international to International Street.

Certainly was not me lol. My style, but not me.

I don't know the actual cost. I've heard $12 to $15 million. I was just using $14 as an estimate. Seeing that the park hasn't announced anything, I take it all with a grain of salt.

It was almost certainly an associate.

It was almost certainly an associate.

I imagine something like the former Honey I Shrunk The Kids play set at Hollywood Studios or the net climb at SeaWorld Orlando. If I remember correctly, a city park somewhere in Cincinnati has a pretty cool tree themed play area. Sharon Woods as a great indoor play area as well. I think a diverse kids lineup is what drives the majority of season pass sales.

Knott's has a great family spinning coaster in their Camp Snoopy. The immersion that was achieved in the middle of the city was incredible -- it felt like I was really in the forest. I can only imagine what Cedar Fair could do in an actual forest!

I'm generally against putting ride statistics in the name. It seems too obvious of a marketing ploy for my taste. I prefer the name to invoke an emotion or allude to the larger story. I feel like the ride height cheapens the coaster in a way. However, if we are sticking with the military theme, I think the height could be added in a creative way. Most military equipment has numbers and letters in the name. F-35, AK-47, etc. I'm sure this convention could be used to slip the height in there without it feeling too forced.

I've always thought that the issue with the back half of Coney is Action Theater. The pathway around WindSeeker and under/between Racer is extremely awkward and ugly. I'm all for demolishing that monstrosity and having WindSeeker be the true end cap to CM. Reworking the exit/Fastlane entrance for Vortex would be appreciated as well. I'm hopeful that whatever is put in the dinos footprint will bring new life to the back half of Coney.

I know a lot of people hope for a coaster in this area, but I think opening up a new kids area would be a great use of that space. To capitalize on the dense tree cover, this could be KI's Camp Snoopy. Complete with a steel family coaster, tea cups, a balloon race, a Ferris wheel, one of those Zamperla happy swings, and a large climbing treehouse structure, I think families would be thrilled.

I think incorporating an allusion to Wright-Patterson is a creative idea. There are already stories about aliens at that base, so FOF would fit right in.

Firehawk is actually themed around an experimental fighter jet and the riders are the test pilots.

A park that can somehow drop $30 million on a coaster, but supposedly can't afford some blacktop and paint? Ok makes sense.

I'm fully aware that corporate handles development. That is why KI progressively feels more and more corporate. As far as KI as a theme park, the unifying theme was a celebration of Cincinnati. Each themed land, apart from HB, was a celebration of an aspect of Cincinnati. I would say KI lost its standing as a theme park during the Paramount years.

To be perfectly clear, I am not expecting Disney or Universal. I simply see no reason why the design philosophy cannot be applied to KI. Busch Garden parks are not very different. They reside in similar markets, contain similar ride systems, and are priced about the same. If Cedar Fair choose to do so, KI could look very similar to BGW.

I suppose you're simply okay with less. I grew up visiting Disney and Universal. While KI will never be in that league, there is no reason it can't be at the same level as a Busch Gardens park. I don't understand how you can't see that a poorly maintained roof, dated benches, or faded signs can negatively impact the guest experience. Simply because CF has done good things for the park doesn't mean they can do no wrong. Pointing out the park's flaws doesn't mean I hate the park or don't appreciate the progress. Quite the opposite, I want KI to be the best it possibly can. That's why I'm studying Arts Management with a focus on Theme Park Development. An amusement park shouldn't meet expectations, it should exceed the expectations you didn't even know you had. Back on topic, I would put the giga in the area between AE, FOF, and Racer. I saw a rendering someone made using Fury, I think. X-base would fill out the rest of the space with lockers, restrooms, a food location, and maybe a flat. As far as theme and color, military green track and military gray or tan supports.

I wasn't using social media to gauge the GP's perception of the park. I was using it to point out the way KI is not as guest centric as it should be. Regardless, we have veered way of course.

That's it right there, it was a theme park. It was absolutely built as a theme park. Regardless, the industry is shifting to more immersive experiences every year. The GP are looking for more than just a ride. KI should capitalize on that. Oh I completely disagree. It simply takes more planning and a better design. Take the staircase at the exit of Banshee. A simple fence or wall would have blocked that view. Everything a guest comes in contact with once entering the gate should be intentional. Repainting isn't updating. Everything should be constantly getting repainted. The Bat's sign has been damaged for about half this season. That's just unacceptable. The size of the park doesn't matter, this sort of design mentality should have been in mind along every step of the way.

Again, you're missing the point. It's the small details, the soft skills, the things that most people wouldn't notice. They sound insignificant individually, but are what make or break the guest experience when put together. It's the magic of the industry. Regardless of what you think about the GP, they are the ones who matter. They are the ones who buy the 400,000 gold passes every year. KI needs to do more to streamline the guest experience both operatically and from a developmental standpoint. KI needs to bring back is magic and charm. Cedar Point can be the roller coaster capital of the world, I want more for KI. I don't want my home park to simply be Cedar Point South.

You're not hearing me. I'm not talking about ride maintenance. I'm talking about park presentation. Look at Rivertown from WWC to Diamondback. In regard to pathways, you have concrete, stamped concrete, blacktop, pavers, a different style of pavers, and painted concrete. You've got buildings that were built last year and buildings that were built in 1972 -- the difference is obvious. You can clearly see into backstage areas and maintenance roads. KI sits in arguably the best market outside of LA and Orlando. We shouldn't be comparing ourselves to small, local parks and settling for what's ok, or what gets the job done. We should be comparing ourselves to the best parks in the county and striving for that. Sure, you can come to KI and ride rides, but can you be immersed in a story or setting? Can you forget that you're at an amusement park? Shoot, current KI doesn't even stack up to 1970s and 80s KI.

I think social media reviews tell the real story. If you take a look at Kentucky Kingdom's or Holiday World's Facebook reviews, you'll see a much more positive culture than on KI's. First off, KK and HW respond to every review and many comments. KI does not -- it's like the Wild West on there. If you visit all three parks, you'll find that the culture in person is just as guest centric as online. Kings Island, as much as I adore it, is not very good on the guest relations front. That lacking extends to the physical facilities as well. How many picnic tables and park benches have been there since the 1990s? When was the last time the KI Theater's roof was cleaned/replaced. For the love of God, when was the last time the parking lot was repainted or repaved? Guests may not specifically notice faded signage or mismatched pathway materials, but it all contributes to an overall run down and tired vibe that the park currently presents. I love KI as much as the next guy, but we'd be lying if we said KI's presentation was even on the same level as even CP's.

Absolutely! First of all, KI's maintenance department is not there 24 hours a day, and they are reactive not proactive -- they only fix things once they break. I'm not talking about ride safety, however. I have full confidence on that front. I'm talking about the more nuanced, finer details. Yes the park operates, but how efficiently does it operate and to what level of quality does it operate? Take AE for example. Nothing has been done to that ride's theming since the day it opened. The park should freshen up everything during the off season instead of simply leaving it sit until next season. When Cedar Fair bought the park, they simply ripped out the Paramount IP and left the rest to rot. There isn't anyone who's job it is to ensure a quality, immersive experience across all attractions. You shouldn't be able to guess an attraction's age based on its state of decay. It's a lot of little things that keep falling through the cracks that amount to a large issue in aggregate. You shouldn't be able to see backstage areas from the midways. You shouldn't be able to see outside of the park from the middle of AZ. There isn't enough thought put behind what the park looks and feels like from a guest's perspective.

It's a whole bunch of little things that collectively amount to a large issue. I would love to see KI take a year or two for general park improvements. I think that would improve the guest experience more than the addition of a giga, or any new ride for that matter.

I'm not looking for a pattern in past decisions. I'm looking at it from a business perspective. It seems that a lot of enthusiasts forget that decisions are made with ROI in mind. In the end, amusement parks are designed to make money. Building a $30 million coaster two or three years after building a ~$14 million coaster just doesn't make business sense. Furthermore, what is after a giga? If KI builds a giga in the near future, how do they follow it? Look at the GP's reaction to Mystic -- "why are they building a smaller coaster after building Banshee?" KI really doesn't need a giga, at this point anyway.