Outdoor Man

speaking of rides leaving/taken out. Who in here thinks that Tomb Raider/the Crypt's days are seriously numbered? I don't think I have been there too many times that the thing has been open this summer. Maybe I'm just there on the wrong days, but I can probably place it under the 25% of the time.

I'm not knocking the typical CF coaster... they just all share one common thread.... they tend to be skyscrapers with lots of hills. Nothing wrong with that. As far as personal taste I long for the type of coaster that a Universal or Disney for that matter would contemplate to design- an element of surprise tucked into the experience; sans, Dueling Dragons, etc.... I'm not knocking Diamondback. Its venture into the woods will make it automatically #1a with The Beast.... maybe #2. Just an observation.

Diamondback is going to be a pretty cool coaster to see/ride (it is the sterotypical CF coaster.... a skyscraper with little else)..... but the venture into the woods and interraction with the main walk paths will make up for a lot. As a sad piece, but one that will pass.... it's sad to see that Swan Lake will be reduced to a puddle.

I don't think that AE is in any threat of leaving; there isn't anything that could go there in its place. It's well-themed (maybe would have fit better with Rivertown but oh well). the only issue i have is the EXTREMELY lame ending. Maybe they should have a dinosaur-like creature lunge at you like the Jurassic Park ride at Universal at the end just like before you drop. AE will be there until maintenance makes it unprofitable to operate, not because something is ready to occupy the area. When it leaves, that parcel will likely just be trees and weeds. Flight Deck is a little fuzzier. I can't imagine that the lack of upkeep on the track bodes well for long-term retention. People on this board have talked about how remarkably terrible the tracks look for almost 3 years..... and neither Paramount or CF did/have done anything to correct it. I know someone who consulted on removing Top Gun and designing an entrance plaza while GWL was being built for a northern / alternative entrance to the park, but fell through in early 2006 when Paramount sought to sell the park. Not sure what KI's long-term plans are with Flight Deck but would have to assume that if they don't so some maintenance and much needed TLC soon, nature may take its course for them. I'm sorry, what was the topic again?

if the track looks sort of like Firehawks.... I'll go with the name "Son of Firehawk."

it could be an old "new" ride packaged with love from Geauga Lake.

i am ALL FOR getting the 14 and 15 year olds from making out in line. I think we should take the photos they like to snap so much with their camera phones and forward them to their parents. and i know its more than the teenagers do it- but if you were to tap the largest percentage of EVERYONE, gay, straight (i've personally never seen two gay people making out at KI) put together I'll bet it's a 90/10% rule. 90% under the age 18.

i'm for leaving the "debate" end out- i'm certain that whoever started the thread didn't do it to stir controversy. If I'm not mistaken a few years ago at Paramount's request the organizers moved it to it's own "rented" day because they were bringing a plethora of people on top of already busy days.

When i'm about to say something I think to myself- "would an idiot say that?" and if they would I do not say that thing!

13 seems pretty reasonable. but then again I know some thirty year olds that shouldn't be able to go without adult supervision.

eye wood lyke sum pi:

i think the target of the blame is SF- but if you look at it objectively, it seemed like a relatively small risk to take. With the population centers surrounding the park (Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, Canton and Pittsburgh and Columbus not too far off)- GL was much better situated to those areas than CP. Had this occured in the 80's GL may have stuck a fatal blow to CP. It was a risk, SF thought they had a shot- they took it, and it didn't go so well. The Worlds of Adventure idea was a great gamble but sometimes they don't work out. Not obtaining the rights to the Sea World side was a fatal shot to CF's chances- but again, adjusting the focus of the park and trying to fill out the land again was a good gamble by CF.... again though it didn't work. SF's fault- mostly- but i think it was a risk worth taking. I mean if being in the center of a 2-3 million person population that won't support it more than (what was it, 700,000 a year)- there's not much hope.

selling land wouldn't have made it profitable

yea, when was the last time CF produced a movie? I don't go to watch the shows so I couldn;t tell you if they're better or worse.... but they're doing something that Paramount didn't do much of: TRY.

The only thing that CF did that didn't make a lick of sense is closing before they made the announcement. They could have had some very large paydays with very significant goodwill attendance. If anyone wants to blame anyone it would be Premier Parks for the massive expansion to GL to get it to a point where it was too large to its base. However, to see the population centers it was near I get why they gambled it. Despite what anyone on a GL board says- CF didn't buy the park with investor money out of personal agenda to close the place. It's sad to see what is happening, but dollar and cents speaks. And yes, it is about money. It should be... example: i love my car... but with a long commute, 17 miles per gallon, and $4 gas... next week my beloved V-8 is getting traded in for the smallest engine I've had in my life, a 1.3liter 4 cylinder Civic Hybrid.... which is not what I ever expected to drive. BUT, saving money and making a wise financial decision for me and my family is more important than my pride. ie- CF tried the experiment to make GL work, and scale it back to a financially manageable size failed. And with the current state of the economy- they only saw more years of losses coming. Sometimes you have to make the tough decisions; and trust this- Mr. Kinzel isn't happy about this stain to his management record. To take GL back to a manageable size would have alienated the people who had come to expect the larger thrills only making attendance that much worse. If you were to take a completely objective look at this through a case study you'd see that there really were no appealing options. Unfortunately, in the long run the prospects for WWK don't look very good either. But again, what I cannot figure out is why they didn't do a few farewell weekends. In the end my thought is that was the biggest mistake.

wow, it's interesting to read the comments on this thread. I've been on a Geauga Lake forum glancing over the "deconstruction" pictures and there is NOTHING but BLISTERING comments for CF there. interesting contrast.

Of course Uncle Henry- you know the Empire music theming would last about a month before it went silent for eternity.

passholder or not, the $1.99 cup refill is a pretty good deal too.

A friend of a friend of a lady who used to be friends with some boy with a rock in his shoe (now you know the credibility that this begins with) said that the western themed facade buildings in an area of Geauga Lake were going to be dismantled and loaded on a truck bound for Cincinnati later in the year for their new "attraction." The info seems reasonable enough (though never been to GL to know if they had a western-themed area)- but the person who remarked that had never been to Kings Island to know that there was a Rivertown area. This was volunteered by an individual who went to GL auction as a spectator and had asked the question of "what's happening with this stuff?" So- based on that I concur with the Western-themed/name thoughts. He said that man who told him had been told the information while he was sitting on his grandfathers lap in a bar. According to Gary Burbank (700 WLW) that makes it legit, right? I dont' write the news, I just report it. (as a side note, did anyone that frequents this board go to the auction?)

sounds like a fun day was had. between the two of you you laid down $115 at the park. That just makes my heart skip a beat. ps- can we get spell check on these forums?

one thing I will never understand. I get the closing of the park- although with the creative minds and resources that CF has i can't believe that they could not make a park work in a metro area that consisted of Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, Canton, Columbus, and Pittsburgh all within easy driving distance. Another is why even after they made the decision to close why they wouldn't open for 1 or 2 more weekends after announcing the "swan song" to get a few more large paydays from the park- all the while offering a bit of goodwill to the residents, faithful and enthusiasts.... CF certainly is above my scrutiny and petty questioning- but I cannot figure that out. in a few short weekends they could have made more money than in the entire auction. Someone explain that logic. I don't need the symantecs of why close the park- that's sort of an easy one. So hows the waterpark holding up?

at a max of 350 feet tall- I'm not sure you could make a case that the Eiffel Tower (at Kings Island) is capable of 50 floors. Perhaps you mean the 50 foot observation area.

what was that space ever used for anyway?

also- if the original story calls for an "indoor" attraction, I can't imagine that would translate to Swan Lake- a very ominous outdoor location.

how about the theater back between the turn-arounds for The Racer? Someone mentioned the "abandoned" photo stations in RiverTown. I'm going to say not likely. I was pushing a stroller with a sleeping toddler in it Saturday and was walking on the "porches" of those buildings. can you say- MEGA storage locations?