Gordon Bombay

I'm going to have to disagree with the ratio. Per Metropolitan Statistical Areas in 2015: Cincinnati: 2,157,719 (39th in North America) Charlotte: 2,426,363 (32nd in North America) Cincinnati when you combine it with Dayton/Middletown (which KI pulls pass holders and employees from): 2,956,951 (jumps it to 25th in North America) Toronto: 6,116,725 (7th in North America) There are other factors as well: access to transportation, distance to nearby population centers, demographics, disposable income, economic outlook, etc. I think what's become clear are two things: 1) For years, Kings Island was Paramount Park's big draw. It has a loyal season pass base, excellent regional location throughout the Midwest, etc. That was even evident during the OG TAFT/KECO years when the place was designed/marketed as a total resort destination (like many parks of the time, then regional parks became what they are today). 2) Under Paramount, Canada's Wonderland and Carowinds were successful parks, but clearly PP hadn't realized their full potential. Carowinds also benefits from the fact that Charlotte is growing at an immense pace and Toronto is a major, international city. Wonderland is finally taking advantage of the audience they can pull from in their market. I think what we're seeing here (in terms of disappointment) is that KI isn't the "golden goose" so to speak anymore. The powers-that-be are going to chose installations and expenditures that make sense. Ultimately, no group or demographic with true buying power cares whether or not this new attraction breaks any of the chain's records or competes with similar rides in the chain. It'll be a big, new ride that will excite the season pass base, draw people from the region, and get people to come spend money. I get it, though, enthusiasts want to see something big and spectacular. And that's ok. It's just not the determining factor when it comes to park investments.

Disappointment 285

@CoastersRZ, it's "footings" correct? I'm cringing hardcore at all the "footers" talk.

How do you figure it's under "fair use?" Simply because it's "news reporting?" As a professional photographer who's worked for multiple news outlets (both locally and regionally), whether or not they can "use it however they want" is up to some interpretation. I would argue that they can not. Most have policies against this sort of thing. At the very least, they should've sought permission from the person who created it, especially an organization that offers a subscription service and is known to not take kindly to those that copy/paste their full length articles. And as someone who's photos were used on here [KIC] recently, I very much appreciate the credit/attribution/link back. KIC has always been courteous about this and I appreciate that the mods make it a thing. Edited for tone, didn't mean to sound so snarky.

haha, glad someone else picked up on their technique. I think a lot of it had to do with costs. They were getting "Universal-style" rides, but on a regional park budget. Backlot was the best example. I do feel, though, that Tomb Raider and Flight of Fear were heartfelt efforts to truly create attractions on par with the year-round, theme park giants. Both of those rides had elaborate features that were focused on the "experience" throughout i.e. you weren't just waiting in line, you were living through something. And then in typical fashion, they never maintained any of it. Not even close. Tomb Raider ran at full strength for only a few months, FOF seemed to fade after year 2.

I can't agree with this post enough. Lack of a line is not an indication of "guest satisfaction" or "popularity." That ride has three trains that seat 28 people each and moves them through rapidly with a relatively quick operation. It's also reliable. And on the Vekoma trains: yes, yes, and YES. Vortex's biggest drawback is the head pummeling.

The fountains look terrible. I'm sure the new jet thing will be nice. But I-street now looks bland. Have a nice day!

Anyone have an idea which act that is performing at Timberwolf? I'd look again, but I'm cringing at those dance moves and outfits.

We be jammin' with mah candy dreads, ya hear me man!?

No doubt! But don't spend all your money or your savings will go 'up in smoke.'

They're not going to ban alcohol. And just you all wait until Ohio falls in line with Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and D.C.

Beast way.

Somewhat topical question (and maybe this is covered in the podcast (haven't had a chance to listen yet)): why do the B&M gigas utilize the "4-across" trains as opposed to the Diamondback style "stadium" seats?

I think your point is valid, but I'm going to fix one thing:

This guy is a real treat:

I feel like they did it because the existing structure offered up the best space to be converted in to a sit-down experience and since it was being underutilized. I don't think the theme played in to it at all.

How bout that wing sauce, though?

Love the elaborate menu descriptions as if the food won't be slightly below Applebees quality served by the park's renown food service staff.

Any idea why it went to CW instead?

Ah, I didn't realize the installations were that far apart. I thought they were back to back, season to season. Actually, I think they're both the same model/type with a few physical differences (KD's has more seats and a different gondola). Both rotate (or are supposed to) during the ascent. Also, I think Intamin calls them "Gyro Drops," the "Roto Drop" is a Roller Coaster Tycoon term.

I've always been curious: KI had slated a Drop Tower for the Flight Commander area a few years before Drop Zone debuted in Action Zone. Any idea what model was planned for the FC spot? Also, anyone know why KI got one particular model and KD got the other?

You know, I'm not entirely sure. If I recall correctly, I remember reading that Spielberg controls a good amount of the rights associated with his films, which is why we never saw much Indiana Jones in the Paramount years aside from posters, the theme song on I street, etc. AKA why we had "Tomb Raider" instead of "Indiana Jones." WHat's interesting, though, is that Adventure Express was planned, designed, conceived, and opened a few years before Paramount took over the park. So I think in that case, it was simply just a matter of the Indiana Jones films/franchise being incredibly popular for the time (Crusade opened in theaters in 1989) and KI knew what they could do with a mine train coaster. It seems like KECO was in to theming for a moment. Phantom Theater seems a lot like Haunted Mansion, no?

Except they weren’t. The ride wasn’t fun, but the State investigation found that the accident was due to a design flaw.

Paging @Shaggy — after reading this topic, I ended up going to watch that old Discovery Channel POV and all of that got me thinking about things I had heard over the years. Thought maybe you would be able to shed some light and dispel truth from fiction: - There's a pinch break on the straight piece of track shortly after you leave the station. I don't believe that was one of the ride's block sections, but once heard that the original station was supposed to be longer with zones for loading and unloading, thus allowing the ride to accommodate 3-4 trains. I also seem to recall seeing a third train Premeir train in storage and that the ride was originally supposed to have three. Any truth to that? - There was a kicker wheel just before trains crested the hill into the drop after the post-lift hill dip. I'd heard from many folks over the years state that the first train ever tested valleyed in that dip with all the park executives watching from the Eifel Tower. Did that happen? - Any idea why they never built tunnels into the ride ala its predecessor? - Also remember reading that SOB was the world's largest wooden structure and that it held a record for crossing over and under itself more times than any coaster. Did they ever promote it with those records? If you have any insight, I'd love to hear it! What an aesthetically pleasing ride it was. I originally thought it was odd that the lift hill was the only thing you could see, like it was just a massive wooden blob. Then you boarded the train and pulled out to see that loop in the distance. So darn cool. And at the top of the hill—everything out in the distance looked insane. And it was. Because the ride was never all that fun. But darn it looked good. Also enjoyed how the first drop ran parallel to the loop, making people think that the loop would happen first.