bkroz

Or perhaps they have not yet worked into any given year's financial plans the setting aside the tremendous amount of money doubtlessly required to inspect & plan for, and collect & remove the debris after a potential Son of Beast demolition? GYK, who can't say enough that demolishing it would seem to be a task near in scale to re-tracking it with steel... Scale... Not necessarily finances. I don't even have a stab in the dark to what that amount may look like.

I don't understand those who are saying this is not the "actual park map..." Am I missing something? P.S.: Hand 'em over, my friend!

Or on the new map, where (if you're going by the concept videos), WindSeeker is spinning the wrong way. GYK, who is at least happy that only the water park has a giant fence around it and not the whole park... And is actually thinking he wouldn't mind some three-pronged bushes as opposed to the vast emptiness around and between Flight Deck, Adventure Express, The Beast, Diamondback... But a map is a map is a map, right......? Now enjoy your leisurely ride through the grasslands on the Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad!

Agreed. Sometimes it seemed like the colored areas of the map were the only things left to even tell visitors there were themed areas. I think with the exception of X-Base and Coney Mall, all other areas lost their large, logo signs at one point or another (Remember the Paramount Action Zone sign? The Rivertown signs?) If you look at the labeled, download-able Kings Dominion map, you can see that the areas are labeled by little colored boxes, but the labels are jumbled in with the dozens upon dozens of ride names and complex pathways, making it difficult (to say the least) to differentiate them. At the very least, our park is a lot simpler as far as pathways, with more open plazas and less little alleys, so that makes labeling the areas a little more easy to visualize. And because our park appears a bit smaller, there is much more detail in our than theirs... (Look at Dominion's Backlot Stunt Coaster for example... It might as well be a waterslide). But I will miss the distinguished themed areas on the map.

I think it's fantastic. And personally, I vote for more years like this. When you think about it, it's a very Paramount-esque year for the park. A reasonably sized attraction that is being duplicated at a few other parks, and a lot of capital improvement. Perhaps Cedar Fair has caught wind that "if you build it, they will come" is not the only way, nor is it always the best. This year (and last year, too), were very well-rounded as far as investment. Last year we had Planet Snoopy (including pavers in Coney Mall and a lot of paint), Boo Blasters, Starlight Spectacular, Vortex's paint job, and (whether you think of them as positive or not, they were still a financial investment) major changes to the Backlot Stunt Coaster and The Crypt. This year, WindSeeker (with pavers in Coney Mall), Dinosaurs Alive, potentially a new film in Action Theater, some sort of investment in The Crypt, and Flight Deck's paint job. These are the years when change really happens. A huge ride like Diamondback is great and boosts attendance. But these "coasting between large rides" years are bursting with potential, and I think it's being adequately tapped. That's all I could ever ask for. Of course, I'm still waiting for a beautiful, classically-lit Tower Gardens, a re-invigorated Backlot Stunt Coaster, and better food quality / selection / options / pricing, but this is truly a good year so far. Another year like this and we may again have a beautiful, well-rounded, well cared-for park the likes of which we haven't seen since the 1980's...

To all who assert that ours is a rough draft and will eventually get trees, people, landscaping, etc... See exhibit A. For better or worse, this is the style of these maps... They do not have trees. Some have three-pronged bushes (Just ask CedarPointer!). Because they are exaggerated and cartoony, there are some areas that appear very sparse (see Action Zone on our map) while others looks cluttered. That's the nature of these maps. I don't hate it. I much, much, much prefer the older Citigraph style. But I'm not naive enough to think that anyone outside of this website gives a crap what the map looks like, unlike some people here... And as for the park's Twitter comment about "it's a map of the attractions, not each individual tree..." Well first of all, what professional behavior. Certainly, that's something that Disney or Universal or Dollywood would tweet to a visitor, right? I'd sooner expect a flying pig to defecate on my car than to see such a comment ever come from Holiday World or Legoland or even Six Flags. I'm a little ashamed and embarrassed that someone representing the park chose to be snarky or smart via a very public forum. It's unprofessional. The questions and comments of the enthusiast community may be irritating, but as a public relations manager, you either ignore the comment or respond courteously. Very sad, indeed... And okay, the map is for the attractions... Wouldn't you say that the The Beast, or Flight Deck, or Adventure Express is misrepresented by appearing in a field? For a park that has always been so highly thought of for its use of natural landscaping, this is just sort of a surprise. Sure, the map is about the attractions. But I think many of the attractions depend on the natural foliage to operate to the best of their abilities. That's something that this map does not express... So yeah, it's great to know where The Beast is. But does that map even hint at the experience you'll get while riding it? Again, I'd hardly go to war over it. I'm just sticking up for a valid point. It's just a thought!

I'm hoping for a new pre-show. Heck, even a new lighting package would be welcome, and if they could fix the rising door I would be the happiest camper of all. The tweet does say "ride enhancements," and while I hate to be one of those people who hangs on every word, I feel like there might also be changes in the ride chamber and not just the queue. If that could include maybe even one extra flip, some new lighting, or Kings Dominion's Crypt music (which I've been rallying for for years) I think that the ride would be very enhanced. Not gonna get my hopes up too high though... It's just really gratifying that they really do seem to care at least a little bit, especially after we all got that "build it big then let it go" feeling back in the pit of our stomachs with Dinosaurs Alive announced. We shall see!

You won't be disappointed. 040111

The picture with the skeletons displaced and the Triangle of Light visible was posted on March 16th of this year... That's pretty early for an April Fool's joke! Especially since these photos were found independent of the park's Twitter posting! Besides, saying the ride will be enhanced and then saying "April Fools!" would be a mighty poor way for the park to claim that the ride is sufficient as is... If the best joke they have is the notion that The Crypt might be improved, then they're admitting it sucks right now...

The Tomb Raider Triangle door is half closed.... Perhaps the return of a dedicated pre-show? I can't see why else they'd be changing around the antechamber, removing skeletons, and opening and closing the Triangle of Light door. Also, they wouldn't literally tear up the queue for an April fools joke...

Days of Thunder...1994 Remember, the theater was actually made for Days of Thunder. The checkered ground outside the theater's entrance is a testament to that. I believe I've heard from people here that there were also cars from the film in the queue. The ride itself was called simply "Days of Thunder" until the film was replaced. Only then did it become known as the "Paramount Action-FX Theater," which indicated that they intended to change up the film. When it was Days of Thunder, it was presented as a permanent attraction.

The Crypt made three cameos! GYK, who longs for the day when it is "featured" in one of these videos on purpose... Great work, though! The only question: Where's Kings Island's first interactive 3-D dark ride?

No, I completely agree. The people should vote! This is a democracy, after all. Safety, security, insurance rates, board members, park management, and common sense be darned! It does not matter if the ride is painful, ill-designed, ill-constructed, or just plain dangerous - we are Americans and we get to decide what we want! Anyone who thinks otherwise is clearly a communist. Count me in the group that would enthusiastically vote for its re-opening, ride it once, then sue the pants off of Cedar Fair for knowingly opening a ride that has caused injuries before without a single thing done to improve the ride experience. Cha-ching.

Yes, on Facebook they said that it would be released "around April 1st."

Grammatically correct? How so? Is it written into Kings Island's story that it is owned by one king? Kings Island (with no apostrophe) could be grammatically correct if it is an island of kings. Of course, it's almost certainly just because of Kings Mills, Ohio, which does not contain an apostrophe even if one is "implied" since apostrophes are quite rare in city names.

Maybe because no one of importance cares... The paying customer. Management. The Board. Insurers. As a test, point it out to your non-enthusiast friends and see if they show something resembling enthusiasm or interest. Comment that, if it were you, you would get out a ladder, climb it, and use a black Sharpie marker to blot out the apostrophe. See if they still agree with you... Check Facebook if you don't believe that most of the general public (at least of Facebook's age demographic) spell it King's Island anyway... Ironically, one of the few times nowadays that people use seemingly correct punctuation is actually incorrect! GYK, who has always thought that it should be an island belonging to a king, and not an island of many kings, anyway...

Not unlike The Crypt when the brakes fail to catch the gondola properly! Ah, I see! The standards are becoming clear! Oh, what a tangled web we weave!

Is this a roller coaster? Okay, how about this one? And, what if you make it a little smaller? And add a hump in the middle? Now a little smaller than that? Where is the line drawn? When does it become "not a roller coaster?"

That's true, too. Isn't Disney's Animal Kingdom's hours 8 to 7 usually? My understanding has always been that animal-based parks operate the same number of hours, just shifted back a bit since animals are active during the morning, and lazy come afternoon. Guests who come primarily for the animal exhibits would probably end up disappointed if the park didn't open until 10 just so it could stay open until 9... They'd miss all of the animals active times.

Huh? You lost me..... Ha! And yeah, let's be realistic. Son of Beast re-opening as is would be nothing short of a disaster. Mr. Scheid already commented that he was personally displeased with the experience it offered. That being said, why in the world would it re-open until that changes? And let's add up the money lost in court just this past year from the ride... Would it ever re-open while it holds even a slight resemblance to the ride that cost so much? Logically, the only way that could change is with a major, major refurbishment - one that would have been visible from outside the park... (Comment all you want on how track work could've been done on parts not visible from outside the park - the fact is, every part of the ride would need re-configured to even be passable in operations). And besides that, we're talking about a company that is only now approaching a slight, slight rebound from the brink of financial disaster. Their expenditure this year appears to be quite down from the past (although perhaps the sum of all the WindSeekers and capital improvements does about match prior year's large additions), and there's a reason for that. I don't think even a simple re-tracking of a small, select area could be completed in the time left before the park opens - and even if it could, it wouldn't solve enough problems to make the ride operable. If it has a future, I reckon we might see initial inspections occurs throughout the summer. Then, be it construction or demolition, I wouldn't expect a smidgen of work until the end of summer at the earliest --- and that's all if any decisions are in the works whatsoever. If you are still holding your breath for Son of Beast to open in 2011, you're about to faint for more reasons than one.

Well then you of all people must've been very fulfilled after riding Son of Beast - it's wooden, it's a hyper coaster, and it's a blast to be sure!

I wouldn't call that "the only difference." It's sort of a big difference. So in other words, for a difference of about $70, a Platinum Pass gets you unlimited access (pending computer problems, which some people here have encountered) at all of the Cedar Fair parks. In Ohio alone, that's unlimited access to Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Geauga Lake. There's also Dorney Park (Allentown, PA), Kings Dominion (Doswell, VA), Carowinds (Charlotte, NC), and Canada's Wonderland (Vaughan, ON) to name a few. A little more distant is the famous Knott's Berry Farm (CA), Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, MO). Parking is also included at all of the parks, and you get that park's "home perks." So if you're at Kings Island with a Platinum Pass, you get all the benefits that a Gold Pass at Kings Island would afford you. At Kings Dominion, you get all of their perks, etc. etc. If you're planning to be a Kings Island regular and go to Cedar Point two times, the Platinum Pass is the way to go. As I said, the difference in price is like, $70. It's $50 for a day at Cedar Point, and $20 for two days of parking, so right there it's paid for itself. And with a Platinum Pass, there's no shame in going to Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom water park (which, without a pass, would be $40 itself just to get in - totes not worth it). So yes. A Platinum Pass is the equivalent to having a Gold Pass at each park Cedar Fair owns. The trick is figuring out how many of those parks you could realistically get to, and then to research the other parks' admission and parking prices to determine if the Platinum Pass would save you money or not. You can see your proximity to other parks by viewing the map here.

There won't necessarily be a new show. I believe that the "Action Theater will be open, but the film it will play has not been finalized" statement was also issued last year at this time. Later, in a 5@5 question and answer session with the park, they said that they played Spongebob again because visitors seemed to like it and its ridership proved that it was still a successful film. Keep in mind that, prior to Spongebob 3D, the film in Paramount Action-FX Theater changed every 2 or 3 years, even adding Halloween themed simulator to one side of the two-sided theater for Paramount's Fearfest. Spongebob has been around since the 2003 season (which would make this year its ninth - imagine the state of any reel of film which plays continuously, every twenty minutes, daily, six months a year, for nine years. If Spongebob stays, I vote for at least a new ride-film. The one that played last season lacked anything resembling a bright, fun color and the 3D was hit or miss for weeks at a time).

Surf Dog does not coast down from the hills? It is never without a power source? It is powered up the hills, then the motors reverse and power it down? I don't know, I'm asking... And regardless, I do promise that gravity is working its magic on the ride. Plus, remember that in most every other language, the equivalent term for a "roll-er coast-er" can be translated to "Russian Mountain." The idea of a roll-er that also coasts is an exception and not a rule. So can the definition proposed here (of something that rolls and coasts) of such a ride really be inferred from our etymologically whimsical nick-name? Montaña rusa... (Spanish) Rutchebane... (Danish) Montagne russe... (French) Vuoristorata... (Finnish) Muntanya russa... (Catalan) Montanha russa... (Portuguese) And yet the standards are based on our name for it? Ethnocentric? Food for thought!

http://www.cagreatamerica.com/visit/visit_park_map.cfm Great America's Action Theater is open this year, though the film for it has not yet been announced, it would seem. At first I thought it may be evidence to a new film that the theater's supports are colored pink (as if the map was slightly altered to reflect a change at the theater to incorporate the new show) but it appears that those supports have always been pink on their maps. With any luck, we'll know what show ours will be playing when the new map is released which, according to Kings Island's Twitter posting from Monday will be "in a matter of days!" Then again, Great America's map didn't mention it... Doesn't that seem like something that should be on the map? Like, the building should be labeled "Spongebob 3D" and not "Action Theater?" That doesn't help people much...