Outdoor Man

faint.... faint memories of riding it as a child, and I recall the loading platform. There is a picture on a website somewhere of the Wild Animal Habitat loading station.... trying to find it.

actually one of the loading buildings for the sky ride is still there. In NickCentral across from the carousel there is a shop (i can't think of the name). That was once the Hanna Barbera loading station. The other was over pretty close to where the loop was on the King Cobra. But the building in Nick Central has two entrances on the Eiffel Tower facing side that were the openings for the cars to come in/out... and in between the doors is a glass display... Can anyone think of the name of that shop?

I just don't feel that the height, speed, and the rate by which they get there can be safe much past where they are. I don't care if they do sound a horn to scare birds, one still may fly into the path. And at 120mph... the bird (or insect) would have to move pretty fast to get out of the way. plus it just seems to be too nearing the limits of what a human body can take. In my opinion one of the best rides i have ever been on doesn't go faster than probably 5 mph and doesn't even leave the ground- but is stacked full of special effects. Anyone ever ridden "Spider Man" at Universal Florida? That is the kind of indoor themed ride that KI should look into. A big investment ride that is huge on special effects that would never get old. Anyone who has been on it would know what I was talking about. A few years ago when there was a buzz at PKI regarding the "7th Portal" I thought they were doing something like that... only to find out it was another "movie" with bouncing chairs at the "Days of Thunder" theater. So, in short- I would never opt to wait 2 hours in a line for it, but would prefer the direction PKI is heading with theming and special effects over height and speed.

If i'm not mistaken, IJST was advertised as a family class coaster, so the absence of "mega-thrills" was probably intentional. Now, I could be wrong on that one. My only complaint is that it- like TG, FOF, to name a few- is too short. It picks up where Adventure Express left off.... major theming, then you go up that tunnel with all of the characters saying "now you will pay!!!".... only to have the ride last 5 seconds more as you exit to the loading station. but not to knock it... i would still rather have IJST than a hyper or mega-coaster. special effects coasters will be fun to ride long after 500ft tall 150 mph coasters get stale and otherwise unsafe to ride. can't wait until someone pulls a Fabio on Top Thrill Dragster and takes a sparrow to the face... or heck at that speed even a fly would do some damage.

at the risk of being ostricized i offer my opinion, and mine alone. Be it "G&L", Black Family Reunion, Latin Pride, White Pride, etc.... I get irritated when any group tries to set itself off from others to celebrate a pride-thing. People come to the US because I guess at one point we were considered a melting pot, where it doesn't matter your background...... you're an American... honestly I dislike terms like Latin-American, African-American, European-American. You're an American. Period. Minority groups in my opinion get shunned from mainstream society when they try to set themselves apart from everyone else and shine the spotlight on the differences. I like 4th of July celebrations where there may be a person of Japanese decent on your left, a north african national on your right, a person from Europe across the way, a lesbian person to another direction, a muslim and a catholic talking in another, etc... all celebrating the american diversity together.... not polarizing to each their own.

I honestly feel for what some (probably most at one time or another) have to go through. A few weeks ago a few of us thought it would be fun to hit all the water rides as closing time approached (which by the way, has WWC always been open till closing?). We rode WWC 10 X's and Amazon Falls ('scuse me... Congo Falls) about 6 times. We get to the front of CF- there was no one in line (60 degrees, chilly, getting dark- go figure). and a family of 4 were in front of us. the children were small and the employees did their job to measure the kids and said they were too short to ride, apologized and were VERY respectful to the parents.... who just came UNGLUED on the employees. I'm not a small person by any means, but I even come out of my seat occassionally on CF... and I don't know what these parents were thinking in the least. Obviously not safety of their children. So they took the opp to air their grievances over the price increase as well on the ride attendants. These are probably the same folks who would sue the park for their own negligence. I don't know who the employees were at that ride (roughly 8:30, Thursday, June 9)... but you were very respectful and protected yourself and the integrity of the park.

Top Gun is a heck of a fun ride.... especially, I think in the back cars. I too would hate to see it go... but it sure does NOT look too good. The newsletters before the opening of the season said it was to get a "Hollywood Makeover"- and it seems like they started and stopped. That was all in about the time that Great Lakes announced the new resort.... and I wonder if the part of the old camp ground you see from the lift hill is where the entrance is going to be... signifying the end of Top Gun as we know it.... but then again, maybe the Hollywood Makeover is that they intend to move it to another location (possible, but not likely).

Good grief Kat... calm down; it's going to be OK. Honestly, as a guest of the park, and someone who has worked side-by-side with some of you in the Group Volunteer program, I feel like about 95% of the park employees enjoy their jobs. Now there are some who feel it is "just a job" and they're only there for $$ for the weekends. And that's pretty much how they'll view any job in their life. But honestly, you should feel great about the work you do. For most people your age, as far as jobs go, you are the envy of the state. The only thing that comes close is Cedar Point.... no knock to CP here, but who wants to be stuck in Cleveland for a summer? You have the best jobs at one of the most envious employers in the state for what I assume is the median age here. What can anyone north of dayton / south of the River say they worked at for a summer? McD's, maybe a public pool? Can park employees by jerks... maybe; I honestly can say I haven't come across any, but I'm sure they're out there. Most of the ones I come across are fairly happy-go-lucky... and their fun to be around- whether I'm a guest or "working." I know the Volunteer program can be stressing for some of you too... some of your volunteers are twice your age and may not know their right hand from left.... and who wants to go through that training everyday. I feel the park employees do very well! Besides, I'm sure the ones that hate their jobs probably do not spend much time on this site anyway.

and the original crux of my message was- is there any credible rumors out there regarding Top Gun.... looks a bit run down- almost like they intend to do something to or with it. No one bothered to answer this question. The doctor comment was made in "humor." Guess no one on this post can take a joke. I'll learn better next time (take a pill....). Never thought such a benign comment would start such a trail of responses

I would have to side with the original. I wish SOB was much better than it is because it is soooo intimidating to look at. But the designers of The Beast used the terrain and surroundings so much better. On The Beast the surroundings add to the experience (overgrown trees, etc.)- on SOB you don't have an experience without the coaster itself..... granted, I have not ridden it at night. I do have a question for maybe anyone who works the SOB station. How much different are the trains on it. It seems like they bounce alot more than even The Racers.... and I'm not just talking about when it's speed is maxxed out. It seems like they tried to make it a ride smoother by adding "shocks" to them which seem to only make them bounce harder. Almost like if you were to replace the trains on SOB with the ones from The Beast it would be a completely different ride. just wondering.

glad to see we're all still entitled to an opinion. Appreciate your rather "pointed" feedback.

just went to the park today. Are there any "credible" rumors regarding Top Gun. The whole place looks terrible, the paint is shot, the track is rusting, and even the ride today was a little "iffy." Is this area going to get knocked down to create a new entrance to the Indoor Water Park/Resort? Also today i saw no traces of the antique cars.. could they be gone? IJST: WAY TOO SHORT! I think that it is a rule that all new attractions need to be <1 minute. and SOB....... worst roller coaster ever..... to whom may I forward the doctor bill to?

they are probably taking track to PKD or Carowinds. One of those parks has an identical coaster named Shockwave that they could use the track to repair and add several years of life to.

was at Kings Island today for a work day and got to see the new coaster both outside and from above (Eiffel Tower). special effects look pretty good, but it seems to suffer from the same fate of other PKI roller coasers of late (Top Gun, Face Off, FOF).... too short. Didn't have time to ride it, but it seemed that special effects would have to be pretty good to justify a long wait in line.

I just came across it in a "Kings Island History" site in the YahooGroups.

I agree with your ideas.... which are good (though I'm not sure how the whole Hollywood sign would work in it). My thought is just that International Street has buildings on it that are really outdated and do not represent their original purpose anymore, which makes their design passe. But I agree that there would be a "fine" line between done well and cheesy. But Paramount has their own backlot studio on Melrose in Hollywood. Was there back in March, and all they would really have to do is mimick the facade.

Here's probably an unpopular idea, but what would anyone's opinion (and I'm sure there are some) if PKI were to makeover the International Street buildings to resemble a 1930's Hollywood Street- much like the entry to Disney's MGM Studios in Florida. Since International Street really isn't International Street anymore anyway. Just a thought.

look to the following web site. it is the 1991 winterfest map.... and it looks pretty limited; however, I seem to remember in the 1992 season a lot of the park open.... will try to find that. http://www.themeparkbrochures.com/1991/pki1991_4.html

i agree with The Beastie post..... even though it's a small roller coaster- any cold temperature in December just screams frost-bite..... law suit...., etc..

I spoke with a person in PKI management earlier this spring who said that Winterfest was the worst kept secret. He didn't even know much about it when a map of the winterfest park printed out on his office computer by mistake. It was also said that last year around June they almost impulsed having it 2004, and that several trees in the HB area were tested with lights to see if the electrical cirucuits would need upgraded. They said it was determined to hold off because too much worked needed done to the infastructure of the electrical system to do it... but that plans were well in motion as well as much of the promotional material has already been created.

PKD4LIFE...... learn to spell or spell-check your "ranting" before you post.

How long does anyone think it will be before we see the end of the Hyper-Coaster era? Maintenance is probably going to cause Hypersonic at PKD to be pulled, I think one of the Superman coasters at Six Flags has already been dismantled, and in it's first year TTD at Cedar Point was real unreliable. Will parks start going with special effects coasters similar to IJST? Special effects take an ordinary ride to a completely other level. Without special effects, the Tomb Raider ride is just another flat. But with the special effects. Heck the line que is almost worth the wait itself. Has anyone ever ridden Spiderman at Universal Orlando???? Could ride that time after time after time. I just think that sooner or later- taller, faster, etc.... will just get redundant and really unsafe..... if not already. you take an ordinary insect and smack it with your face at 80mph.....

not a doomsday post, but Racer and Beast are made of biodegradable / organic material... wood. Someday they will come out. The Racer is afterall 33 years old, though it may outlast The Beast because it is built on level ground.... plus the area around The Beast is covered with trees making it susceptible to moss and other "rotting" activities. Some day the maintenance will become as such that replacement is a necessary option over that of constant repair. In 1984 The Bat was the star attraction but had to be removed because maintenance was eating them alive..... and retention was not financially feasible no matter how many enthusiasts attended or protested..... and somehow the park survived. They did it before, they'll do it again.

actually I believe the Flying Dutchman was right where the Adventure Express entrance is. Dutchman was still flying after King Cobra was installed.

I'll chime in and show my age as well. I only remember short phrases of the song. I believe, though, it contained many lines from the old Hanna Barbera cartoons.... and character "catch phrases"