Gordon Bombay

There should be a book one day, because man oh man.... you wouldn't believe.

haha, totally get it. And I hope they pull it off well. Food at the park should be unique and an experience just like everything else. They've made great strides over the years. Just need to maintain and deliver on their goals.

Hope it has a little kick to it. Yes, but will the food... Actually be any good? Actually be available? Be prepped and delivered by adequate staffing?

Thank you, @AZ Kinda Guy. Any insight on generators and power redundancies?

Depends on the ride model (@pkiridesmaint please correct me if I’m wrong), while most are pneumatic, I don’t think Diamondback/Banshee’s are? Or they may be pneumatic, but are configured differently than “pinch brakes” seen on rides like Beast and Racer. I also believe that the Arrow coasters (AE/Vortex) don’t have default position of closed. I.E. in some areas of the ride (stations I believe), the trains have to be chained up at night because the air drains from the brakes (by design) and is no longer holding the train in place. That’s what I remember, but again @pkiridesmaint—feel free to correct. I’m also not sure that the generators automatically kick on? By default, the coaster’s will come to a stop at their prescribed brake locations, but even if a generator were to start up, the ride does not continue operating as normal. In the event of a power outage, they’d be more likely to evacuate the ride rather than get it running again. Not to get way too off topic, but I’m not sure which rides have generators. I know Diamondback has the Kohler that’s visible by its lift hill. I believe Flight of Fear has one too. The Crypt/Tomb Raider had one as well.

Diamondback has a Kohler Diesel Generator situated nearby. Several other rides have a similar one. However, these are rarely used. In the event of a power outage—so long as the trains are in a normal stopped locations with proper accessibility—they’d most likely just evacuate the guests and wait for power to be restored before firing up a generator.

That's my bad, @BSBMX. I mistakenly thought "Hot Shot" was "Big Shot." Could totally be a similar/updated product, but I was remembering the wrong company.

You mean Grand CarnEvil, a season long celebration of the classic Haunt maze.

Edit: Don't listen to my ramblings. Go to the park and have fun.

Agreed. Snoopy's Starlight "Spectacular."

FFS, hasn't it been confirmed by multiple people on here that they waltzed right up to city hall and requested said blueprints?

By having the ride breakdown repeatedly then they’ll rip it up, move it, and shut down KI after a few years.

I’m not sure if that’s the correct company linked to, but “Hot Shot” is in fact a brand of ride/souvenir camera systems. When Cedar Fair took over in 2006, most ride/souvenir cameras were upgraded to “hot shot.” Six Flags also uses them. I can’t find a photo off hand, but if anyone has a high res photo of Beast’s first drop, Vortex’s boomerang, or Firehawk—you’ll likely see the hot shot logo on the camera.

I did always wonder what The Beast would be like with Arrow track and a Ron Toomer inspired layout.

This photograph is amazing. I knew the exit path once went under the station and out near where KCKC was, but I never realized there was another path under the keelboats. I wonder where it went.

Prove it.

K, thanks.

To be fair (and I'm no fan of that company), they've been investing in it since they took over. From all indications, this will be a big investment, but as the other threads have pointed out—it's not always about that. Sometimes simple things make the most difference. Credit where it's due, CF has poured money into KI in various areas (except food service apparently ;-) ).

Anything for you. Love your FB page.

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.