bkroz

^^ So it wasn't their fault. Viacom wanted Paramount Pictures. It didn't want the dinky regional theme parks that came with it. But, they tried to milk it and tried to make their way into the industry. Before too long, they simply gave up. That's when they gave the parks to CBS (which, by its very nature, meant that they would be given practically no running budget in the future), who in turn, sold them for immense profit to Cedar Fair (I start to sweat when I think of how much money that one transaction entailed). For a company that felt the same, but handled it much more efficiently, see the former Busch Entertainment parks division. Anheuser-Busch knew that it intended to sell itself, and that the parks would need to be sold. So, it immediately ended in-park, complimentary beer-sampling (thus greatly reducing the cost that any potential buyer would incur by purchasing the parks). Then, InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch in a monumental, multi-billion-dollar transaction (giving unit-holders $70 per share, I should mention). Within a year, InBev sold the Busch Entertainment division to The Blackstone Group, a private equity firm. The emancipated division was renamed "SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment." The transaction was harmonious! The parks retained their name (Busch Gardens) and numerous references to Anheuser-Busch remain in the parks - fitting, considering AB stayed on as a primary sponsor. AB knew that any purchasing company during such trying economic times wouldn't want control of their theme parks. So, they carefully re-evaluated and updated their in-park distribution to reduce costs in preparation for sale; InBev came into control, knew beforehand that it didn't want the parks, and (most importantly) didn't fart around and cut costs and damage the park's reputation - it sold to Blackstone almost immediately, and then stayed on as a sponsor in the parks, allowing the name & some AB images to continue to be used while the parks were given a fair budget under their new owner. And that's how you buy & sell amusement parks.

Right. Towards the end of the park's run under Paramount, there were big 'press-release-worthy things happening, like Winterfest (a last-ditch effort to find a buyer by increasing the attractiveness of the park), while everyday park operation was essentially motionless. It truly was a sad time - by that point, the parks were dirty. Some of the Paramount Parks in other states had really degraded to the point that people didn't feel safe, the parks attracting the "wrong kind of people" as fight broke out (which, apparently, the park is hoping to bring back this year!). The parks weren't known for being exceptionally clean, advertisements ran rampant, and many of the effects on rides perished. In some ways, you can't entirely blame Cedar Fair for the lack of theme. After all, in one year (and one off-season) under CBS, many of the rides effects died, with literally no attempt to revive them. Tomb Raider: The Ride was, quite literally, on its last leg. It was closed more than it was open, nearly every single light had burned out (today there's probably about a dozen theatrical lights inside the building - probably, the only ones left after CBS's year), there was no on-ride soundtrack (if you think the ride's cycle was tame, try riding it without its pulse-pounding score...) and the fog & water had been almost entirely removed. Across the park, pre-shows were shut off, lighting was reduced, and pretty much, the parks were put into a low-operation stasis until a buyer would take them over. Cedar Fair did. They fixed up many of the parks, improved infrastructure (if you ask me), and found a fair, regulated pricing system that kept the "wrong kind of people" out (a day at Kings Dominion is nearly $15.00 more than a day at Kings Island). They replaced many of the things CBS had let rust. Not enough to bring Tomb Raider back, though...

The following is all what I've come to understand from hanging around here - I haven't verified it on a website or anything, so feel free to correct me as needed. I'm not claiming it's correct or anything. This is just what I've picked up. I'm just typing it for RD Reynolds: The park has undergone many changes in ownership - more than its changes in name represent. The park (and its four sister parks, Carowinds, Canada's Wonderland, Kings Dominion, and Great America) were purchased by Paramount Pictures in 1992. I've heard (and it makes sense) that it was their attempt to "break out" in the amusement park world, as Universal, Disney, and (less successfully) Warner Brothers have done. In their first year owning the parks, Paramount had already begun to "nationalize" them. Carowinds was no longer just some dinky amusement park in in the Carolinas. No, it was Paramount's Carowinds, a place where the magic of the movies would meet the thrills of a lifetime! The parks were inundated with the Paramount logo, character meet-and-greets, movie props, and more. Paramount Pictures seemed pretty intent to make the parks incredible. In 1994 (just a few seasons into ownership), Viacom bought Paramount Pictures as a whole and folded it into its larger corporate scheme. The parks continued to operate much the same way. Kings Island (or, Paramount's Kings Island) was the "flagship" park - the main park. You can think of it as the one that would always be listed first, just like Cedar Point is typically listed before Dorney Park on lists of Cedar Fair parks. Basically, the parks were kind of tossed around (supposedly being placed under Viacom's Blockbuster division for a while? True?). During that period, I think it when people complain a bit. The parks (Kings Island, in particular) were known for being very, very corporate. Advertisements everywhere. The safety spiel for Top Gun mentioned Gillette Mach 3 razors, as did an advertisement on the side of the train (granted, nothing compared to what Six Flags has on its rides today...). The real problem was when Viacom split into two separate companies - the "new" Viacom and CBS Corporation. This was during the time when financial depression was nearing, and many companies began selling off non-core assets. For example, Anheuser-Busch, the beverage company, began searching for a buyer for its theme parks (Busch Gardens & SeaWorld, among others). Busch Gardens was profitable, and a wonderful place, but it had nothing to do with brewing beer. And when financial collapse is approaching, you have to drop the non-essentials. I believe that's sort of what happened with the Paramount Parks. While the "new" Viacom retained control of the Paramount Pictures banner, the Paramount Parks were weaseled onto CBS, who didn't do much of anything. As Terpy said, they were one of two truly dreaded owners in the parks' histories. CBS got the last laugh, however, because they turned around and put the parks up for sale. Allegedly, they got a few bidders, but Cedar Fair LP (best known as the owners of Cedar Point, but they also owned four or five other amusement parks at the time) stepped forward and paid... well... a lot. More than they should have. $1.24 billion dollars. That was in June of 2006, and the parks were immediately handed over to their control. It's been said (don't know if this is true) that Cedar Fair could've paid more big money to continue using the trademarked and licensed properties owned by Paramount Pictures (Top Gun, Tomb Raider, etc) in the parks, or paid even more money to bring Paramount properties into its Legacy Parks (the ones that had never been associated with Paramount). I'm not sure if the option was actually there or not, but either way, it didn't happen. So all of the rides that were named after Paramount movies were renamed to more generic, trademark-free titles (Top Gun -> Flight Deck; Tomb Raider -> The Crypt; Drop Zone -> Drop Tower). And, simply because of a difference of priority, "theme" was sort of diminished in the parks. For example, Backlot Stunt Coaster (formerly The Italian Job: Stunt Track) lost its water, fire & fog effects. Probably, that wasn't mandated in the turnover of the parks - it's just that Cedar Fair doesn't find those smaller effects to be important, for better or worse. Cedar Fair also has a history of large, standalone installations every couple of years (Firehawk, Diamondback, etc) whereas Paramount Parks did a lot of smaller, carbon-copy attractions with more theme (Italian Job: Stunt Track, Tomb Raider, Scooby Doo & The Haunted Castle). There are pros and cons of each. Myself, as a person who appreciated theme, on-ride-soundtracks, flames, fog, pre-shows, and attention-to-detail? I liked Paramount's Kings Island better. Cedar Fair's doing a fine job, though.

My question is, was Kings Island just arbitrarily chosen as the park that would get the mortifyingly white-trash event? Or was this a planned singling out of our event as the most trashy? Canada's Wonderland, Carowinds, Great America, Kings Dominion... Each had to transition from the much "lighter" FearFest to the "more intense" Haunt, and none ended up being so overtly and intentionally trashy as ours... Midget Wrestling at Kings Dominion? Valleyfair? Knott's Berry Farm? Dream on... And just think of the poor Knott's fans, who were perfectly content with their incredible, more-psychological-than-physical, classy, one-of-a-kind Haunt, and who now find some midget-wrestling event in Southern Ohio shares its name... And for those who haven't been to Knott's Haunt, know this - their event and ours are alike in name only. The similarities end there.

As has been said so many times, Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards are a popularity contest and nothing more. Planet Snoopy is a fantastic kids area, no question about it. The best in the world? If you were a parent, would you rather take your kids to Kings Island's Planet Snoopy in Ohio? Or Fantasyland at Disneyland? Seuss Landing at Universal's Islands of Adventure? You're telling me that, from around the world, the most immersive, attractive, fun, interesting, [whatever else they take into consideration...] kids area is at Kings Island in Ohio? And to re-iterate what The Interpreter said, shouldn't a "Best Amusement Park In the World" sweep the other awards, too, or at least come close? Something tells me Cedar Point wasn't even in the top 5 candidates for Best Entertainment, Best Food, Best Kids Area, Cleanest Park, Most Beautiful Park, etc, but somehow that all sums up to Best Amusement Park? In all fairness, I believe that that particular award needs to go to one of seven fantastic parks in Central Florida, or a "little guy," like Holiday World or Knoebels. Even Alton Towers, Tokyo Disney Sea, Busch Gardens Williamsburg... All are living examples of quality over quantity, incredible entertainment, dining, attractions, kids areas, cleanliness, landscaping, etc. The Golden Ticket Awards are not really representative of the population's opinion. It's more ceremonial than anything - most of the winners this year are on running streaks, celebrating 5+ years of getting the same award. It's great for Cedar Point, because they get to hang up banners about it. But I don't even think that the general public is stupid enough to just go with it. I'm sure quite a few people mumble, "Well did that include Disney World?"

I believe it's doctors by Action Theater... The clowns are in the former Enchanted Theater... But yes, welcome to KIC and let's continue this in that other thread if you have any more questions!

I don't know how anything besides relocating the track could change a clearance by a foot and a half... Like... How would that even be possible based on any mechanical aspect of the trains changing or aging? Weakening shock absorbers somehow swinging the train out a further foot and a half? That would be a big deal. I have to agree that it hasn't changed since the first time I rode it.

You mention that the ride appears to come "within 12 inches" of the supports today. I guess my question would be, how close did it "used" to come to the supports? In order to be "noticeable," such a change would have to be in the alley of like, a foot... No change in shock absorbers would change the distance that much.

Well it's the same for someone who is just leaving the park at 6:00 PM. As they leave the park, they may wish to stop in Guest Services. Sure they may be aware that Haunt has begun, but certainly if they don't line up for a maze, or enter a designated scare-zone, they won't be "assaulted" by a grotesque-looking vampire or werewolf, right? Wrong. Stick around too long, try to make it to guests services (or even to the exit) and you'll draw the attention of the characters. And yes, those characters are played by well mannered, normal, everyday citizens (some of whom are great posters here) who can certainly tell when someone isn't looking for fright, or someone who is genuinely uncomfortable, right? I'm talking about people (like myself and Kirk) who do not want to be scared. We want to ride the rides with out friends. Certainly those wonderful people who just happen to be dressed in costumes still consciously decide who is truly uninterested and leave them alone, right? All I'm saying is, at Cedar Point, if you want to go from Millennium Force to Maverick without a fright, you can. It's a long walk, and it's nothing if not inconvenient. But it's possible. At Kings Island, you cannot even enter the park without becoming a celebrator of the "festivities." Not everyone wants to be. Simply assigning all of the characters to the right side of the fountains, leaving the left side free of "scares," and placing a simple sign at the front of either pathway would make the event more tolerable for those of us who really do want to come, want to spend our time and money, want to be with our friends, want to ride the rides, but do not want to be scared silly. GYK, who believes complaints should be paired with suggestions.

Exactly. And I understand the "fun" of immersing you right away and having a giant swarm of monster right past the turnstiles, literally waiting for a guest to enter the park so they can "strike," but can't that be moved to say, the plaza in front of the logo? Or even designate one side of International Street as the "scarezone?" I, personally, do not like Haunt. I do not like haunted houses, or anything like that. I just don't. But, my friends do, and they like to visit the park during Haunt. I go, and I ride some rides with them, as do many others who dislike the 'Haunt' festivities. It's in no way required or important or reflective of some hidden agenda of the park, but I would appreciate, as a guest, if I weren't forced to interact with the Halloween event just by visiting at night. And I know that that's expected, and that that's just how it is - but even at Cedar Point, there is always a way between point A and point B that does not require you to pass through a "scarezone." Usually you have to go out of your way, but the option is there, and its appreciated by scaredycats like me. And its not only for the convenience of wimps. What if someone who visited the park during the day needs to access Guest Services? Lost and found? Suddenly, just to have their concerns, questions, comments, or complaints addressed, they have to make their way through screaming, sliding, crying, screetching costume-clad characters. I understand that it's all in fun and everything, but I honestly dread going to the park during Halloween only because you're forced into the "fun" just to get into the park. Parents bringing 14 and 15 year olds can't appreciate that any more than I do.

I LOVE the idea of the "Ghoul Repellant" whistle for pre-teens who want to experience Fright Fest, but are "iffy" about the barrage of monsters. It's a good idea for park visitors, makes some extra income for the park, and the constant whistling and screaming and shuffling feet probably make for a very cool atmosphere...

If you ask me (oh wait, no one did? Well I'll continue anyway) next year will be a real tell-tale sign of the park's future under Cedar Fair. This will be their fifth full season with the park (not including 2006), and at this point, they are no longer "adjusting." Cedar Fair Entertainment Company now knows what is expected at the former Paramount properties. They've been recieving comments, complaints, questions, and concerns for the better part of six years in relation to their policies, choices, maintenaince, cleanliness, theme, entertainment, etc. By next season, there will be no room for excuses (not that they're using any now, necessarily). People say it takes four or five years for a new owner to really make a park "their own." Well next season is year number six, so the policies, theme, attention-to-detail, and every other aspect of the park is pretty much locked, for better or worse, barring a major financial change. And to top it off, compared to other years, there will be very small financial additions to the company's parks in 2011, so hopefully, that leftover money will all go towards fantastic capitol improvements throughout the parks. Everyone, for the most part, agrees that Cedar Fair is doing well with the parks, but missing an essential element of immersion. At the Legacy parks, it doesn't matter. At the Paramount Parks, people expected a certain style of music, lighting, entertainment, dining, and storytelling. Hopefully, the 2011 season shows an improvement in those aspects. They are, after all, the only things holding Kings Island back (in my opinion).

Which makes your username especially interesting. Pretty much any B&M or Intamin coaster would be a hot commodity at this point. For B&M, the biggest likelihood would probably be a Dive Machine since that's what they're producing nowadays, maybe even one of the new X-Raptor things like Gardaland is getting. Of course, on that note, I would be thrilled to get the United State's first Intamin Wing-Rider. For those unfamiliar, it's essentially the same seating as Six Flags Magic Mountain's X2, but the seats do not rotate. Maybe it's Port Aventura's beautiful setting, but the ride looks so tranquil and impressive. It's launched, but interestingly, there's very, very little elevation change through the ride... Like, fourty feet or something, I believe? It's all very low to the ground, sweeping motions and one inversion that looks so smooth and incredible, I'd kill to try it out. Not sure where it would go since we don't have many open, beautifully landscaped areas the way Port Aventura does, but it's a beautiful ride. Out in the "savannah" behind Son of Beast, it could be themed to a lion or something.

Hey, in many perfect-world scenarios floating around here, we'd have them both! (And maybe, Backlot Stunt Coaster would be located in... oh, I don't know... the Action Zone area, which is themed to a stunt movie backlot area where an action film might be taking place? ) As for the Twilight Zone house, do you really think that Cedar Fair (or, more appropriately, Kings Island) could pull of a classy, classic, blood-less, gore-less, purely-creepy haunted house that the Twilight Zone theme would require? Come on... Not saying I wouldn't want to see it, just that I wouldn't want to see how Kings Island would handle it... Would it be located next to the midget wrestlers? Or the live-animal butcher shop house? And besides, our park had the rights to the next-best-thing television series. That ship has sailed. Er... blasted off? GYK, who now knows what happens when the human body is pushed to... something or other.

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/6997/haunt2011.jpg And your dream Haunt has Antique Cars return!

where do you find this map? It's not on the haunt website, is it? Yes. Go to the Attractions page and click the tiny little map towards the bottom right.

Due to my location in Northeast Ohio, I definitely think a Platinum Pass is worth it. One day's admission to Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom topped $30 last I checked (not worth it, no many how many times you re-ride the seven slides and enjoy the complimentary Wifi). For $150, I can visit Kings Island for two days ($48.99 + tax + $20 parking = $70), Cedar Point once ($50 + tax + $10 parking = 60) and Geauga Lake once ($30 + $5 parking) which amounts to $70 + $60 + $35... Well over the price of a Platinum Pass. So after those four days at the park, all other visits to Cedar Point, Kings Island, Geauga Lake, Kings Dominion, and Carowinds are, essentially, free. Parking is the real place that the pass pays off for me. If I had to hand over $10 each and every day I visited the park, I would think twice. So assuming I go to Cedar Point once, Kings Island twice, Geauga Lake once, and Kings Dominion once (which is way underestimating what I'd do in any given season), I'd have spent $50 on parking alone. And when you travel, it feels incredible to get "home park perks." To travel to Kings Dominion and get in for free, free parking, and early entry, re-ride Wednesdays, etc... It's honestly a good feeling, and is well worth it. And parks like Kings Dominion & Canada's Wonderland have food-related pass perks that closely resemble that of Disney's - 15% off at some food locations, 20% at others (as opposed to Kings Island's five-meals-for-the-price-of-four option, which is all but useless for a group of teenagers or friends, and still costs quite a bit more than going to Wendy's). I say go for it if you have the financial means. You'll feel freer to visit, enjoy your visits more with park perks, and you'll feel less restrained and rushed to fit everything in to one day. One of my best days at Cedar Point was when myself and three other Platinum Passholders drove up around noon, ate for cheap at the buffet, and then napped on the beach until dark, when we got in some great night rides. If we had paid for admission (or even had a regular season pass and had to pay for parking) we wouldn't have felt as free to do that, because we'd say "we paid $10 just to park, we gotta ride as much as we can."

Yes they are. Click on any one of the "attraction" logos to be taken to a short description of that ride, and (if you scroll down) a so-called "COMPLETE LIST OF HAUNT RIDES": - Delirium - Drop Tower - Invertigo - Flight Deck - Adventure Express - Racer - Monster - Zephyr - Vortex - Shake, Rattle & Roll - Flight of Fear - Backlot Stunt Coaster - Firehawk - Scrambler - Dodgem - Beast - Diamonback - Crypt But even then, who knows? If they had gone through with Thursday & Sunday Haunts, I highly doubt you'd see all of those rides open... And I don't even want to guess at how they'll run Flight Deck's entry & exit, what with a Haunt taking up it's normal queue, and another haunt probably using Son of Beast's entrance & exit (which was Flight Deck's backup queue last year, creating quite a mess of cross-traffic, people entering through exists, haunt traffic getting in line for rides, etc). Meanwhile, the first year of Haunt, Crypt, Scrambler, etc. were not on the list of ride's meant to operate (which, at the time, I used as a testament to The Crypt's suckiness - it already has a built-in Halloween theme, but wasn't good enough to run during Halloween!). They ended up running after-all, and had 45 minute + lines for each. Of course, that was the first season with Cedar Fair's new names, so perhaps people just thought Tomb Raider: The Ride was transformed into a haunt named "The Crypt" that culminated in the normal fire & ice ride cycle...?

According to the map, yes, this is the Son of Beast haunt. (Does anyone else think Kings Island looks like a shriveled, sick, boring version of itself when Boomerang Bay, Planet Snoopy, and half of Action Zone are missing?)

I mean, the much-talked-about permit filed with the city did request permission to build a 260+ foot tower ride... The fact that everyone is looking forward to Busch Garden's new drop tower next year is all just speculation... You never know! (And even if the permit did specifically list something, remember Stratosoar?) You may have been joking (or maybe not) but I can see Busch Gardens getting something more like a WindSeeker than a Drop Tower. Recall that none of the Busch Parks have Drop Towers (except Tampa's recent, family-oriented Wild Surge), and it's certainly out of character for a giant, Drop Zone-esque tower being plopped down in the center of their lush gardens, theme, and atmosphere. And indoor one, like the newer Tower of Terrors, or Mystery Castle? Maybe... But then again, the rumors that it will be indoors and themed to a cursed German castle... Uh... look 40 feet to the left. Two German-themed rides that include "falls?" Why? Plus, so far, the "new" SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has done a great job of keeping with the high-quality, immersive work that Busch Entertainment always did, and I don't see them blindly bringing in a 260 foot Intamin Gyro Drop and setting it where Drachen Fire used to be. In my perfect world, this would be an indoor drop ride (more well-themed than Mystery Castle, but realistically not as themed as Tower of Terror) that opens as the new flagship ride for the much-rumored "Spain" addition to the park. Even before I mentioned it, my friend who I first took this summer pointed out that they really need either Spain or Russia, and I think a Spain area would be so bright and festive and lively, it would fit so well.

What a year it's been! I can't possibly write as genuinely and sum up my feelings any more eloquently than everyone else here has, but this has been yet another summer that I have come to understand as one of the best of my life. It's so cliche, and it's so silly, but I'm nineteen years old and this summer has meant a great deal to me - it felt for a while that this may be my last summer of "unrestrained" fun, being able to drive to the beach, expendable income galore, fantastic friends, and (due to many outside circumstances) a new view of life. This year, I took a week long visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg & our own Kings Dominion, and learned so much about myself, my interpersonal relationships, and what I want from life. The memories I have from that trip are not about roller coasters, wait times, food prices, ride operation, or anything else so material - yes it is a cliche brought on from a newly released CD, but I truly came to understand that I'm living a "teenage dream." Everyone, everywhere, of any age, who can allow themselves to be carried away by adventure, or by science, or by new, uncomfortable, but rewarding experiences is living that dream, and I know many folks here who are living proof - age is nothing. If you can find the beauty and adventure in life, live that "teenage dream" by making incredible relationships and living exactly as you must to do the best good and live as authentically as you can, things like roller coasters do fade away. I don't remember which of my half dozen rides on Apollo's Chariot was the best, or which seat gave me the smoothest ride. But the way my best friend Alexa screeched her way over the hills, the funny faces she made, and the excitement with which she lived for that experience will stay with me forever. What The Interpreter said in other thread really made me think. When discussing The Crypt (or, "it," whatever that may be), he said that the ride we have now is, in and of itself, a unique & grand experience. How true it is, and how wrong I have been in the past. These silly individual amusement rides sum up to nothing. The memories I have on that ride and many others, though, do shape me, and make me who I am. What a fantastic world we live in, and how grateful I am for Kings Island, other theme parks, beaches, discussion boards, friends, communities, families, pets, and strangers for making this world an adventurous place to live!

I hadn't seen that second posted picture... The area really does look very beautiful in that. I'm sure I did see it, but simply don't remember, which saddens me. But it looks incredible! Too bad it didn't stay - if it did, Tomb Raider: The Ride would almost certainly have been built there, and perhaps Diamondback, too. That would fit well thematically, and leave Rivertown as an isolated mining town (perfect for The Beast) that actually had river rides.

Well that's the area I was talking about, right? That's the area that was supposedly so beautiful and adventure-y, right?

You are correct... in addition... Originally, the exotic bird show was in a similar ampitheatre near the location of Timberwolf. The bird show was tucked away in the corner where the Invertigo Plaza now exists. Here's a pic: Shaggy So, is that the entirety of the Adventure Village area? From the things people here had said (real parakeets in the trees, waterfalls, jungle music, etc) I imagined it being similar to Kings Dominion's current Congo area (forested, jungle drum soundtrack, dark, well-landscaped, secluded)... The area in that photo looks rather devoid of trees, theme, and... well... beauty. Is that photo of the adventure area in its prime? Am I missing something? GYK, who always blindly agreed with those who said Adventure Village was much nicer than Action Zone simply based on the theme, but who, upon seeing this photo, is thinking he may have been wrong...

A different time? Only ten years ago, SeaWorld transported an arsenal of dolphins, whales, tigers, birds, and much more from Northeast Ohio to Florida and back again every year. Even more recently than that, Six Flags did the same, but took its animals to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Cedar Point only stopped having dolphins in 1998, with that stadium now housing the "All Wheels Extreme" bike stunt show. I believe Cedar Point's aquarium left the year after, in 1999. Sea Animals were at home in all the Ohio parks at different times!