bkroz

ATTENTION TO DETAIL!?! Do they still play the sounds of the helicopter firing and stuff? And do the flames work? SO PUMPED FOR THIS YEAR!

I always tell my friends to not go on opening day. Last year, Backlot, Flight of Fear, The Beast, Invertigo, and Drop Zone were closed most of the day, as I recall. Is it simply because of the new operators using the rides and the lack of "dress rehearsal" days like Paramount used to have? I imagine that waking up all of that technology and subjecting it to patrons for the first time in months is also a factor...

I'm excited about it all, and easily cite this as the best offseason I have witnessed as far as the scope of improvement and the general care for the park. As others have said, this has been quite a tipping point. Even at the end of last season, many of us were saying that the "grace period" people were giving Cedar Fair had to come to a close. After five years, they either "get" the park, or they don't. It appears they "got" it this year. It's a well-rounded year in many ways. We even got two (yes, two) major additions that were honestly surprises - both were announced out of the blue when we weren't really expecting anything. With such improvements in painting, landscaping, paver-work, etc. I can hope that this sort of detail carries over in the following months / years to a major Stunt Coaster rehab, some better music selections, a renewed Tower Gardens, etc. The realistic potential is there now. Personally, I am very excited for The Crypt's changes. However, I'll wait until I hear / experience more to make my decision. After all, the park didn't bill this as a "re-theme." They billed it as "ride enhancements." They then posted two official pictures - one of the new skeletons' locations, and one of the new doors to separate the antechamber from the ride. However, that wasn't the beginning of a viral marketing thing as I had imagined. That's all they released, and may very well be the only changes that ever came to fruition. So while that's what I'm most excited for, I can't say that it's the highlight of the offseason until I know more. If it does amount to only those two changes, I'll still be happy that attention was paid to the ride, but I can't say I'll be peeing my pants with positivity about The Crypt in particular.

Yeah. right. That's wishful thinking. People have not only complained about the addition of an exhibit that only costs extra if they choose to, they complain about the placement of a fake advertisement dinosaur, trees dying in vain after the announcement of SoB's status, the potential removal of an 8 year old senory ride, and believe HH is satanic. People... Person... What's the difference!

Yes, but that first post (my post, by the way), meant it as a "let's see how long until Son of Beast is brought up because it was in this for 2 seconds..." Not unlike your own. It wasn't me going "ZOMG Son of Beast." We have yet to have anyone in this thread claim that it was featured as a hint to its reopening... But maybe that's because members who are in the group "banned" are not permitted to post...

But they produce multi-million dollar works that people enjoy... In other words, perhaps they do that, but they succeed. It's too bad that Cedar Fair (and others) won't listen to the young people who are telling them exactly what they want. Why not use Twitter, Facebook, blogs, or any of the countless other social networking sites that parks insist on running all at once (to the benefit of none) to take note of what's hip? If they'd asked, "What should be in the 2011 Kings Island commercial," people would've answered... And I don't think any combination of their answers could've developed into the commercial we see before us without a serious miscommunication occurring. Again, it's not deplorable or awful. But it's yet another commercial by Cedar Fair that seems to have a blurry target audience, a lack of a 'hook,' and a serious lack of any real information... Eh, to each his own. Hopefully this does its job. And if it doesn't, they'll change it next season... or not. GYK, who thinks people might be more impressed by the statistics of WindSeeker, immensity of the Dino Park, high-quality food, reminders about Planet Snoopy and Boo Blasters, and flashbacks to Diamondback than these commercial makers seem to think...

Agreed, Nemo. Especially when combined with the re-painting of Coney Mall. Hopefully the entire area will look crisp this summer! The temperatures will be cooler with the new, beautiful pavers, the landscaping is coming along, and hopefully this new lighting will be the rule and not the exception when it comes to the beauty of the area. A great year for the park, and Coney Mall in general.

I understand and agree with your growing frustration towards people putting the park down. But speaking for no one but myself, saying I don't enjoy this commercial as much as I have past ones by no means should be read as me not supporting the park. EDIT: To clarify, I just don't think that this commercial is as catchy or interesting as the past ones. It doesn't have the instantly catchy hook from the Fun & Only commercials, and lacks the intensity of the Diamondback Ride Warrior ones.

Oh Lord, what will happen when people here spot that 1 second POV of Son of Beast? At least it didn't have the loop... Imagine the firestorm after that! Overall, not as catchy as the more "dramatic, darker" Ride Warrior commercials from the Diamondback era, and not as catchy as the "Fun & Only" commercials... Just my opinion!

Not sure if anyone else posted this, and it could go in the Dinosaurs Alive! and Coney Mall / WindSeeker threads... But Kings Island's twitter posted this link to a source that has some photos from inside the park. Here are a few of the photos (though it's really a great collection, and worth a full view). Call me an idiot but... Has this always been pavers? Coney Mall is really getting spruced up! Hmmm..... EDIT: Looks like this photo update was already discussed a bit in the WindSeeker / Coney Mall thread. Still worth a look and discussion here, I think.

$20?! Talk about a deal-breaker... And I honestly think it is. Perhaps their thinking is, "When they get here, they gotta park." ("They gotta eat," claimed the CEO of a rival company, whose per-caps are anything but spectacular). I'd offer that maybe the thought process will not be "Well we already spent $20.00 to get here, we may as well spend another $20.00 to park." In fact, I imagine it might be "Well we wasted $20.00 to get here, we're not wasting another $20.00 to park." To have spent that much money without gaining access to a single ride or having a soft drink or meal to show for it is... Wow... Ludicrous. There are no words (except to point out Walt Disney World's parking price, which is 70% of Six Flags Great America's, and Cedar Point's, whose is 50%...). Great Adventure's parking price is $17.00 (still prohibitive, and makes me re-consider my trip there this year) and a season-long parking pass is $50.00, compared to Great America's $20 and $70, respectively... The very idea of money is that you're bartering, just with pieces of paper that are socially understood to represent an otherwise arbitrary value. We trade those pieces of paper for goods and services based on the confidence that that same paper will carry its worth when you look to use it later. So apparently, parking at Six Flags Great America is somehow worth more than parking at Great Adventure... Pricing integrity at its finest, right? Sigh.

I belive the state has already clerded it for reopening. But not this year [according to the article]. It had been cleared to run in 2009 despite the claim made by the woman... I can't imagine that that permit from two years ago would still be valid. The state would have to come out and re-inspect the ride for this year. And something tells me that a year and a half of neglecting it would make the inspection and re-opening process a little more lengthy than usual.

Have you seen what amounts to the plastic bucket of broken electronics in the queue line for Diamondback? It does not seem to work well on coasters, to me. And in fact, it's expressly warned against. If you've got a $300 phone like some people do, then a) why bring it into the park unless absolutely necessary? b ) Isn't a $1.00 insurance policy actually pretty reasonable considering the alternatives?

^ I'm sure the increased minimum wage (which, didn't Cedar Fair oppose?) had a lot to do with it. Plus, the money made by Kings Island doesn't stay at Kings Island... There are CEOs to be paid, and records to break, and investments to be made, and cash distributions to be paid (maybe). So the money made at the parks funnels into Cedar Fair's vaults, where it's re-distributed as necessary (granted, the attendance figures probably mirror the financial investments pretty closely, so parks probably end up getting back money that mirrors what they bring in... Or so I'd imagine... Look at Michigan's Adventure vs. Cedar Point as far as attendance and investment. There may be a statistically significant pattern there.)

Fantastic first post, and quite the way to gain respect here! Typically, we tend to respond very warmly to those whose first post is phrased as an insult to not only a long-time poster, but a moderator of this website. I have a feeling you will be here for a long, long time!

It truly is to the point where I would imagine people arriving at the park, seeing the price, driving back home / to a library to purchase the discounted tickets from online, and then returning. For many, that would actually be worth it, even with gas / time wasted. And that says something!

Right! Like Chaos. And what about those dark rides that the park had... And Demon Drop. And of course, the year that Ocean Motion originally opened is also the year that the park removed the Sky Wheel, the Funhouse and the original Shoot the Rapids... And quite recently, White Water Landing was removed for Maverick... Sometimes rides are removed to make way for other rides. Sometimes they're removed so that another park can have a new ride, instead... But Cedar Point does it just like any other park (and perhaps even moreso - I imagine that we'll see one or two flats removed in the coming years, because at Cedar Point, roller coasters claim eminent domain, and Cedar Point "needs" more of them).

I can't wait to see it! It should make a really nice new entrance icon.

Ocean Motion is being given a bit of new life. The ride will now have fake rockwork and a 4100 square foot filtered pool of water around it, which should make a good impression on visitors since it's the first thing they'll see upon entering Cedar Point. This small sort of detail is such a great sign to me. If you recall, this is pretty much exactly what Cedar Fair did when transporting Six Flags Ohio's Texas Twister to Great America as FireFall... The simple addition of this volcanic looking rock and a pool of water will undoubtedly create an entirely different experience than a simple 'swinging ship' would by itself. Yet another step in the right direction. Small details are worthwhile, and we have seen so much evidence to support that Cedar Fair is finally "getting it." Now I'd be happy as a clam if they utilized those small details that are already present in our Crypt and Tower Gardens... They're willing to build it from scratch, but not to utilize it when it's already there... Hopefully that changes, but this is still nice!

To me, no experience at Kings Island can top Backlot Stunt Coaster with great friends at night. Time after time, without fail, we have a blast, with perpetual re-rides for the last fifteen minutes the park is open. And the experience is so different with the police lights, the billboards lit up, the signs... It's honestly such an incredible ride when viewed through the correct lens (which can be said of most rides, really...)

It looks much, much larger than I imagined. Even the physical gondola is intimidatingly large! This is definitely going to be more of a thrill ride than most of us gave it credit for... Look at the diameter of the arms as is, much less once they're all raised and swinging outward.

Kings Island posted the following messages and photos this afternoon: Coney Mall is looking spectacular. Bright new paint scheme, new pavers, hopefully some new lighting, a brand new ride... It's a good year! Now let's just see if the Tower Gardens are reinvigorated... But this is a great leap in a good direction, regardless!!

Totally agreed... To those who are visiting the park opening day, please come let us know about any changes that night. Even if you're dead tired. It would mean the world to us. Hahhaa.

Yes I just actually was at a science exhibit this evening done by college students. One group did a study on hybrid cars, and of the four models they researched (using simple gas mileage, current gas prices, and the cost of the hybrid version vs. the gasoline version of each make) and the number of miles one would have to drive to actually make the higher fuel economy pay for itself was 240,000 miles for the most economic model, and 360,000 at the most... Obviously that's a very grounding thought...

I can't tell you how depressed and pessimistic this makes me. As I said earlier, there comes a point when a part-time job is barely worth it; when gas literally hinders you from visiting friends or family who live only a town or two over. So many people in this country are literally living paycheck to paycheck as is, and increased gas prices truly do put many many families over the edge. With so many people on a the poverty line, when gas prices go up (which raises the prices of everything else) it truly does escalate the cycle of poverty. If you can hardly pay for gas to get to work, and you work to pay for gas, what's the point? And then, when your car breaks down but there's no money to fix it, and any fixing you did do would render a car that has no gas, what's the point again? I know it's not this simple by any means, and I don't know a lot of the technicalities or terminology, but it seems like we need a gas subsidy or something... Gasoline, for better or worse, is something that our country and economy depends on. The government is what, trillions of dollars in debt due to wars... And yet there's nothing that our leaders and elected officials can do to alleviate the single most draining burden that we have (our reliance on and lack of gasoline)? I don't buy it. It may not be easy, but our country cannot function with $5.00+/gal gas. And if that's what it's expected to be this summer, what will be in summer of 2013? I mean, honestly think about that... One of the biggest pitfalls against us is that Americans have a very short memory. Remember last time gas prices skyrocketed? There was a massive movement to switch to more efficient vehicles, and research to develop better methods of transportation and power were all the rage. But then what? Gas returned to a comfortable $2.60 or so, and everyone forgot. Trucks began rolling off the assembly line once again, and we all resigned to the fact that gasoline is necessary, and that we're okay with that. Now we hear speculation that drives panic, and once again everyone decides to freak out and buy better cars. And come next winter, gas may return to a then-comfortable $3.20 or so, and everyone will again forget the issues and carry on in ignorance until the next spike. It's a shame. I almost wish I were born 50 years or so down the road. By then, this will be cleared up one way or another, because the oil will be gone. Think of how much of the world's oil we've used since the mass production of the automobile about 100 years ago? If we could just come up with an alternative that was realistic and get people using it, then the demand for gas would be less, and the price would drop as well.