bkroz

I certainly do not know all the details, but it seems that we are a nation that simply cannot survive with $5.00/gallon gas. Yes, countries like France and the United Kingdom are even now dealing with gas prices of $6+, but they also are part of a culture that uses public transportation, walking, bicycles, etc. far, far more than we as Americans do. Like socialized medicine, it's a different mentality, and it's something that can not be ingrained in a society overnight. I know it's not this simple in any way, but it just seems that when gas starts topping $3.50 a gallon, the government needs to step in. Subsidies? I don't know. But when gas hit $4.00 a few summers ago, it undeniably devastated our economy. When you feel restricted in the jobs you can take, the cars you can drive, the places you can go all because of the price of gasoline, then we are living in a fear-based economy. I remember paying $60 to fill up my tank. It left me absolutely financially debilitated, and at the time, I was a sixteen-year-old with no real financial responsibilities, and a good job. That being said, you can see how high gas prices create and perpetuate a cycle of poverty. $5.00 per gallon gas (and even $4.00 per gallon) truly creates a very strange situation where part-time jobs become useless, because a significant portion of your income goes towards getting to and from work. It's painful to see it happen to our economy. And unfortunately, we as a culture have a very short memory. When gas was $4.00 per gallon, everyone demanded innovation. People wanted greener cars, and everyone rushed to sell their SUVs. But as soon as gas returned to $2.50, it's like we all just forgot what happened, and the SUV sales resumed and we just kept going like we always had. Now another wave of high gas prices is on the way, and everyone will panic again. If only we could've kept that environmentally conscious, go-green initiative even when we felt like we didn't "need" to anyway. But again, that's not the kind of people we are.

And in my opinion, it's deserved. Both Universal parks are among the best large-scale corporate parks I've been to. I'm happy that Harry Potter has put Islands of Adventure "on the map" again, because it deserves to be there. Port of Entry, Seuss Landing, Wizarding World... In my opinion, those areas deserve as much attention as Main Street, Fantasyland, Adventureland, etc... I'm glad that Universal's pulled ahead and learned the value of attention to detail.

Maybe we can get a Dale Earnhardt racing simulator. "Intimidator: The Ride." Makes the black and white checkered themeing (if it's still there next spring in some form) valid again.

We'll see about that, won't we?

Which is exactly why a repainted Diamondback is irrefutable evidence that it's going to be purple and renamed Reptile Cage. I say again that deceit is not the goal. Things are worded carefully, yes. That's what I mentioned with the "no plans to close it" as opposed to "it will be open." But nitpicking about how they "wouldn't have to "close" it in 2011 if it never opens in 2011," or "said there were no plans to close it. On November 23. I suppose that means they could have decided to close it on November 24, or later." That's paranoid conspiracy talk. In the same discussion as the one where the park said there were no plans to close Action Theater, someone here asked something along the lines of "What does the park think when you come to them with these outlandish rumors that start and then perpetuate from very simple, benign origins?" It's a good question! The park tries their best to keep us informed by saying that there are no plans to close Action Theater in 2011, and our first instinct is to decipher all the ways in which they are lying, wrong, trying to cover their own butts, being cryptic, dropping hints, and deceiving us. Maybe they meant exactly what they said: that there were no plans at that time to close Action Theater. Most people here don't even like Action Theater! This is just what the off-season has reduced us to, I suppose. No harm in that.

And I have no doubt that this is just another instance where, if Mr. Helbig visited this site, he would be absolutely flabbergasted at the way that people can pick apart a sentence. My goodness, the ways that such simple words can be rearranged, reconsidered, and understood differently! The man could say "Diamondback is being repainted green in 2011" and by the end of the week, people here would feel sure that it was closing, getting a new name, being painted purple, getting new trains, and that The Beast was having an extra helix added to retain its record as the longest wooden roller coaster in the world.

Yes, but that's the 2010 map. We have yet to see how or if it shows up on the 2011 map / website.

And the Flying Eagles did not have to be removed to make room for The Italian Job: Stunt Track. In reality, it seems they were removed to make way for a 3-Point Challenge midway game. It's really impossible to figure out what the park's intentions are vs. what the reality of the situation is vs. what the park says to us. We can just take them at their word (or not) and they will do exactly what they said (or not). What else is there that we can do? We'll see Action Theater come April 2011. Or not. And hopefully, the new website will be updated with a park map and a listing for the Action Theater long before then. Typically, amusement parks are not in the business of misdirection. There are secrets and surprises and innovation around every corner, and some things can't be said some times, but not everything is a clever play on words, or an attempt to stir the pot. They need the wiggle room you spoke of, because it's a very slippery, wiggly industry.

^ The wording, to me, seems pretty industry-standard. Can we guarantee that Diamondback will be operating for the 2011 season? Nope. But there are no plans to close it. Budgets diverge, things change, and priorities get rearranged. That has to be taken into account when information is shared between a business and its fans / clientele. If Diamondback's trains are recalled due to an across-the-board safety hazard, or its electrical systems fried by a lightning strike April 29th, 2011, then what happens to the park who promised via an official platform like Facebook that it "would operate in 2011," and sold season passes based on that promise? But maybe it's not being removed for WindSeeker; maybe it's being removed for a restroom! These are the things that we must point out, lest our conspiracy-theorist reputations might be lost!

Not that you're splitting hairs or anything.

Due to the placement of WindSeeker, the entrance and exit will almost certainly have to be diverted from their current location. Many here noticed that it was removed from the official website a few months ago, though an administrator here who is in direct contact with the park has assured us that it is not being closed for the 2011 season. That being said, it's removal from the website seems to indicate (to me at least) that it's changing (perhaps a new ride film), though I certainly don't know for sure. I just can't imagine any other reason that it would be deleted from the site if it will be open next season. We shall see!

To my knowledge, you could count the days that the stateside Disney Parks have been closed on two hands... Or thereabouts. For 50+ years of operation, that's not bad at all! Plus, when it comes to operation, Disney is a completely different creature. If an "important" light bulb goes out, it's fixed. Simple as that. When a ride like Indiana Jones Adventure fails mid-cycle, it's quickly evacuated, fixed, and re-opened. At Kings Island, the fact of the matter is (and this isn't necessarily wrong for a seasonal amusement park) if Backlot Stunt Coaster goes down at six, I highly doubt that maintenance is scurrying to fix it before 9:00 closing. And at Disney, they've developed time-tested methods of operation (like the Epcot one in question) that they've found to be effective for staffing, maintenance, visitors, transportation, and entertainment. Good for them, I say.

That's why they (reportedly) sell a limited amount, and it's likely one trip to the front per ride. Honestly, I think $40 is a good price for it if you have to sell it - to me, it's nothing short of outrageous to charge $40 for such a pass when it doesn't even include the park's "signature" ride. So hopefully, that $40 price tag will all but eliminate a potential clientele and this will die quickly. And really, that's another point. At $40 per person, I doubt we'd even get close to "everyone" buying one, much less lining up for the same ride at the same time.

Probably just once. And knowing Cedar Fair, it will be kept track of by an employee with a sharpie scratching off the ride's name on a little card or bracelet.

Which, in some ways, is the nature of The Beast - the park was "Kings Island" for a few decades. Things were removed and added during those years, too. But "Paramount's Kings Island" (which, make no mistake, was actually owned by an entirely different entity than the one who owned Paramount Pictures) came in between. As of today, it's the middle age - the one where the most growth and expansion occurred. Some is for better, some is for worse. But don't forget that without "Paramount's Kings Island," we would not have (or have had) Drop Zone, FACE/OFF, Son of Beast (love it or hate it now, it was an important milestone in the park and in the industry), Tomb Raider: The Ride, Flight of Fear, The Italian Job, Scooby Doo, Boo Blasters, as well as many internal improvements, like our season pass system. So yes, Paramount removed many things, and added many more. Perhaps to some, the costs outweigh the benefits. That's all opinion. But of three things I feel very certain: the park would have changed drastically regardless of who the "second owner" was; Kings Island would be a very different park today if it weren't for Paramount's interest; the park truly couldn't have withstood another year of it's prior owner before Paramount anyway.

Because a museum that caters to fundamental Christians deals with an entirely different crowd than an amusement park of any theme. As for the 50 year lease with Kentucky Kingdom, to my knowledge that sort of thing is not uncommon in the industry. Amusement parks are long-term things, not traveling fairs, so if the park owner can get a tax cut / incentivized program in place by agreeing to stay long term, then why not? Kings Island signed what, a forty year deal with Hannah Barbera? Because why not? Amusement parks last a very long time in most cases, so if they secured the rights for cheap by buying "in bulk," then it's better for everyone involved, right?

Recognize, too, that the Constitution that acts as a framework for this country does not contain the phrase "separation of church and state," or any sentence like it. In fact, the term "separation of church and state" was only used in a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists Association in 1802. The first amendment to the Constitution only asserts that the United States will not establish an official religion, but makes no mention of church and state being incompatible. Of course, many would argue that the nation's way of making absolutely sure that no religion appears officially preferred is by avoiding it altogether... Usually. I went to a Catholic high school, and the government does pay for books, Smart Boards, and other essentials that would be used in a secular school... Just not for the religion classes. We had Smart Boards for our religion classes, and they were purchased separately with money from the school. How that interacts with this theme park idea, I can't say. But it's worth noting.

So the park that was meant to open in 2010, then in 2011 with a "major new ride" is now "on track" for 2012 (though we have no idea whatsoever what "on track" means, much less if the many pieces of the puzzle that must fall into place will do so) and promising all that they did last year plus more? Though I don't understand this process as thoroughly or completely as many here, I think it's safe to caution you from getting excited about anything. The park isn't even committed to opening yet, so any plans for multi-million dollar expansions, coasters, parking lots, etc could, for all we know, just be a way of inciting people towards action. "Trust us, it'll be worth it. It'll be a fun water park!" Then the next year, "Okay, we didn't get it this year. But NEXT year, we're gonna have a very nice water park AND add a coaster!" "Okay, well maybe not this year, but NEXT year, we'll have a water park, a coaster, and FREE PARKING." "Alright, well things fell through this year, too. But NEXT year, we're gonna DOUBLE the water park, add a B&M roller coaster, FREE parking, and CHEAP, HIGH QUALITY food!!" The promises have to get bigger and bigger to compensate for the inevitable issues that arise, and suddenly what could be a nice little local park is promising water coasters, B&M's, parking galore, huge wave pools, new entrances, etc. and the final product (if it ever arrives) just can't live up to the hype. It's happened before. Maybe the fans of a park up north can tell you about that with their awesome new water ride just this year... Stay tuned?

^^ A really nice video. But the kind of person that I am requires that I point out that what is not shown is almost as important as what is. The "dirty secrets" of Kings Island amusement park, one might say... And contrary to what an outsider might expect, all of the apparent negligibles seem to have one thing in common: they were built between 2000 and 2005 - incredibly recent attractions were left out of this promotional video (two of which were $20,000,000+ additions!). Why? Even the ride that was recently re-marketed as the park's very first [insert fine print here] was given little more than a second of promotion (which is about one fifth the amount of time that the Snoopy Boutique facade got...) ... Again, why? GYK, who only notices things, and believes there are always reasons! ... And who also believes he is known by some here to be hypersensitive and conspiracy-driven... If the shoe fits!

Kings Dominion responding to people's thoughts and feelings? While I'm sure that that played a part in all of this, I have a very distinct feeling that, if the grayouts and blackouts were stopped by the trims, then the ride would stay that way. We can personify the park as a caring, adaptive force that listened to visitor comments all we want, but the old adage still holds: If it weren't broke, they wouldn't fix it. That's not to say the ride wasn't working. The ride was clearly safe, but it wasn't winning many fans, and there's no denying that it wasn't living up to expectations mostly because the designing and planning was done poorly. Intamin has clearly been working on fixes for quite a while since they were able to start dissecting the ride so soon into the off-season. My guess would be that it was as much their idea as anyone's. Perhaps they feared legal action for creating a ride that was forced to operate under conditions that promoted false marketing. Maybe they just feared what might happen to their reputation after yet another ride of theirs came to a sputtering halt halfway to it's promised statistics. But this is a hefty investment for whomever is paying for it (almost certainly Intamin, since it's their product that didn't operate as promised), and if there weren't a real reason to change it, I just don't think they would. Either way, I just don't know that I'd chalk this investment up to Kings Dominion's love and care for its guests. And everyone knows I love me some Kings Dominion.

Oh man! GYK, who absolutely hates that the two Intamin giga coasters in the world seemingly have to be compared at all! Talk about apples and oranges... One's forceful, and one's intimidating (though I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're named correctly), and they only get more different from there!

For whatever it's worth, the official website now calls the fireworks show "Nights of Fire." Perhaps someone got wind of the fact that "Nights of Fire" is a name that was used by the Paramount Parks (and thus, likely in Cedar Fair's catalogue), while "Illuminations" is a show that is put by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts... How that one slipped by them, I'll never know. Granted, they probably focused on the root word illuminate while Disney saw the genius of the nations part. But I imagine it was the laughable comments on the facebook image linked above that tipped them off.

Good point! Some of the most well-known parks in the world achieved that status through things other than roller coasters. And in my opinion, some of the best parks in the world have one or two great ones, if they have any at all!

True. And the Mr. Freeze's have LIMs on their vertical spikes, which I think are to get the train a little further up the spike, right (or are they to slow it)? Another vertical launch proper!

Well, since the roller coaster inside of it was built, at least. GYK, who can't recall if The Land of Dooz had a vertical launch... Perhaps! I'm no where near as good at this as Terpy...