The Interpreter

Let me get this straight... You adored Hercules. You are a fan of Son of Beast. But you won't ride FaceOff again. Okay..... Ever ride Millennium Force? Or Laser at Dorney Park?

Some degree of flexing or swaying is normal in any wooden coaster.... Ever see the helix on Shivering Timbers while that thing is running?

Really? Hercules was not just removed to put in a steel coaster. And you are one of a very few people I have ever heard call Hercules great. And Top Thrill Dragster (and Kingda Ka at Six Flags) is down far too often to be called "running great." I know of many guests who have visited Cedar Point for an entire day THIS YEAR and Top Thrill Dragster didn't open at all on that particular day. Some days it runs all day. Some days, it's up and down. And some days, it doesn't open at all....

And probably NOT just for this year, either....

Ahem...Hercules at Dorney Park???? Last Day was September 1, 2003... http://www.rcdb.com/id241.htm Problems with their rides? Ever hear of Top Thrill Dragster?

SOME guards? For the MOST part? Is there no consistent, uniformly applied POLICY????

THAT depends on the state. This is a matter of state law...Here's Ohio's rules (note that there ARE provisions for hours of work even during non-school months for 14 and 15 year olds: http://198.234.41.198/w3/webwh.nsf/allbyke...52566180051AF2E

Probably because it IS. Those rides moved to Kings Island...the log flume I am SURE did...the slide? Well, Coney Island had one and Kings Island had one...so I think it moved, but I ain't exactly sure...

So, do I get a cookie? Then again, I went to the old Coney Island many, many times. Oh, how I miss the Shooting Star! And before some smart aleck asks, no, I am not old enough to have ridden the Wildcat. Drat!

Yep, they did...but THAT looks to me to be the old Coney Island...the flume surroundings in particular....

That sure looks like Coney Island pre-KI opening...

Gee...perhaps because: ( a ) there are so many of them now, and ( b ) they want to avoid the entire issue of what the parks' names are for this season! You will note they just couldn't resist naming the flagship park, even in a press release for a park known as Canada's Wonderland...

Snoopy shirts were available on my last visit to the park, prior to the Cedar Fair closing. As stated during the conference call, each Paramount Park will get what CBS had planned for it for next year.

That assumes they ever intend to have it again. I am not at all sure that is a safe assumption....

You are exactly right. But Cedar Fair really needs to do something about this:

Somebody better tell Mark Shapiro that.....or not.

Yep. And just look at that. Just like BPAmoco didn't stay BPAmoco and ChevronTexaco didn't stay ChevronTexaco, I doubt that Paramount's Kings Island, a Cedar Fair LP Park stays Paramount's Kings Island, a Cedar Fair LP Park. Nor do I think "The Best of Hollywood Entertainment--Now Playing" is long for this world, either.

ADA requirements do not allow such a substitute for proper access if there are substantial renovations made. Universal access...access for ALL, not separate and even less equal access for the disabled....yes, I know there are elevators for access to some newer rides. ADA is an area that can be very fuzzy. Fuzzy is what invites court actions. I don't see Cedar Fair using the service elevator as access to a newly reopened restaurant above the main gate...the main gate that was scheduled to be replaced at some time in the not too distant future anyhows...

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Hey, hey... Good bye.. --The Interpreter, from another era

It's a short walk from there to "...on days when the park isn't making money, it makes perfect sense to close it." Oh, wait. That's why Paramount shortened the hours this season...

Skyline overexpanded into Florida and DC about 15 years ago, with disastrous results. They are just now going back into Florida. Gold Star seems to have learned from that experience, as well. They say they are not interested in franchising either, except in very limited areas adjacent to their current markets. And a franchisee in London, Kentucky just went under in the past year...

My point is Eastern PA is not Cinci. You do what you got to do....

But...if the building had been closed to the public for many years, and it was rehabilitated for new renters, guess what? If there were major expenses in rehabbing it, an elevator would have to be provided. Landlords aren't amused by this. The purpose of the ADA is to stop the attitude of "THEY will just have to go somewhere else." Someday "THEY" could be you. I'm done with this part of this discussion, but let me assure you....there is no way International Street Restaurant can reopen to the public without access changes. There is a reason that for the last several years it has been open only for private functions. The attitude used to be THEY don't belong on amusement rides either. . .but that opens up a whole nother can of worms about what is and is not practical...or even safe.

Believe it or not, vandalism in Cincinnati (and most of the Midwest) is trivial compared to that seen in parks in Orlando, New Jersey, California or even Chicago. And it can be substantially reduced by three things: * Constant, vigilant security, and * Consistent, unvarying prosecution of offenders and seeking compensation for damages done, and * Immediate restoration and repair so that it is clear the owner cares and there is no invitation to others with the implication that nothing will happen to the offender. At least under prior management, there was no evidence of the latter two to the public at Kings Island. It was in a Cedar Fair shop in Pennsylvania where I first saw a bright orange sign blaring: Want A Free Ride In A Police Car? Steal Something from This Shop. We Prosecute. EVERY TIME. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Why do you all persist in thinking that the International Street Restaurant is grandfathered under the ADA? It is NOT a public venue. It has not been open to the public for many, many years now. There are large groups of people who go around the country just looking for places to file lawsuits under the ADA. Not to mention that NOT providing access to ALL the public is not smart. Not just because it MIGHT be a violation of the ADA (and it might), but also because it is not the right thing to do, is horrid PR and, in my humble opinion, is immoral. What if it was YOUR mother or son who wanted to eat with you and couldn't make it up the steps? Well????