bkroz

Do they still have problems? Not that I know of and I doubt they do. The Oliver Hazard Perry Peace Memorial in Ohio, the world's largest Doric column, features a large observation deck 315 feet in the air. In summer 2006, a 500 pound piece of granite fell off the observation deck and created a crater in the ground where it landed after its 300+ foot drop. The ride was structurally analyzed and found to be safe for visitors. However, the tower closed and is undergoing a $7 million renovation. In many ways, different. In others, similar.

True. Do you think that the Eiffel Tower (the real one) or the Empire State Building didn't have problems during construction? Or the Hoover Dam? It's absolutely silly to think that any "megastructure" is simply built with no issues right as the blueprints say and ends up perfectly constructed on the desired date.

That is incorrect. I have been able to get a bit of history regarding SeaWorld Ohio through work. While the Park was successful and popular, it unfortunately was an extremely expensive operation....more so than the other two SW Parks. A lot of this had to do with the costs they took on transporting animals back and forth during the winter months. It was Busch that was looking to sell the park and pull out of Ohio. I was quite surprised to see how many people from the Ohio park became transplants in Orlando...many are still with the company. - Todd Well, while we don't know the cause of the closure, I absolutely believe that most still work in Orlando - the Busch parks are probably the best in most regards - entertainment, operations, theme, guest services, involved and genuine employees, landscaping... It's no surprise to me that they'd find a place for each and every worker who wanted to stay with the company after SeaWorld's sale - and what happened to all those people who worked at Geauga Lake when it was closed?

I was flipped through the channels and saw Son of Beast on Discovery Channel's MEGASTRUCTURES special. My friend cracked up, because Discovery Channel was so blurry and so fuzzy and static-y, but as SOON as she flipped through it I screamed "Son of Beast GO BACK." While that special my incorrectly show a loop, Premier trains, and human beings riding it, it still deserves its spot in the top 10 Megastructures. Easily.

Too true. If I'm correct (which I may not be), it was SeaWorld who originally acted to purchase the neighboring Six Flags Ohio... Because the county line runs down the center of the lake, and the county in which SeaWorld resided was unable to build structures above a certain height, and therefore unable to fall into the line of SeaWorld parks that were adding roller coasters (Steel Eel, Great White, Kraken, etc). One can only imagine what would've happened if that deal went through... Yet another "what if," I know, but a good one - perhaps today, that SeaWorld Park would have all of the fantastic coasters there before Six Flags' expansion, and maybe some other gems - Journey to Atlantis? Kraken? Manta? It's almost painful not knowing what could've been. I'm certainly hoping for alternate universes where every possible scenario ever considered is alive - perhaps in that world, Ohio is still home to four flagships from four incredible park owners - or more. Instead of two parks owned by one company...

What Six Flags did to Geauga Lake honestly was full of good intention. They have done many awful things in parks. But to say that they hurt Geauga Lake in such an intentional way isn't necessarily true. Was the over-expansion a terrible decision whose negative consequences probably could've been anticipated with a little foresight? Yes. But to be fair, be it Six Flags, Busch Entertainment, Premier Parks, Cedar Fair, or otherwise, I highly highly doubt that there would still be orcas in Ohio in 2010... And, had Six Flags' expansion not occurred, Cedar Fair probably wouldn't have picked up the park (what would they want with a mid-sized family park in northeast Ohio?) - that is, no Firehawk, no Planet Snoopy (at Cedar Point), no Dominator, no Thunderhawk, no Voodoo, no Carolina Cobra, no Firefall, no Americana, no El Dorado, etc. Personally and emotionally, the loss of those parks is devastating. Logically, it was bound to happen due to the size. Six Flags certainly didn't expand to the park with intention to run it into the ground. It was simply a side effect of a management era past (thank God), poor advanced planning, and mismanagement. I think there are many who believe that, had Cedar Fair not purchased the Paramount Parks, Geauga Lake would still be open today. Who knows? What happened to the park can be blamed on many groups - Six Flags may be one of the biggest, but is far from the only, in my opinion. At the very least, it would be interesting to see Six Flags come into the same park chain as Wildwater Kingdom, and to imagine their absolute terror at what their once-loved "pet project" had become... Imagine if you built this and came back only a half-decade later to find this.... Ouch, right?

Just a few interesting comments from a FUNWORLD Article posted on our own CEO, Mr. Kinzel, before the Paramount Parks acquisition. Note that as anyone would, I have a specific intention for posting these snippets and am manipulating the article to display the information I find most interesting - give it a thorough read-through yourself to judge fairly. Emphasis added. One might argue that, while Cedar Point or Dorney Park are undoubtedly "dressed-up carnivals", parks like Kings Dominion, Knott's Berry Farm, Canada's Wonderland, and even Kings Island are far from it. Has his tune changed since the Paramount Parks acquisition? One might look at particular and nonspecific actions undertaken by the Company as of late and say, "no." It was shocking to me to read that. Perhaps I'm making more of it than I ought to. But to hear what so many of us have always thought come straight from the mouth of the Man himself - it's almost like foreshadowing. Again, emphasis added. One might argue that Cedar Fair continues to use the idea of "coasters" as their theme. Even in the Paramount Parks, there's clearly a phasing out of intentional theme going on - the negligibles (MINI liscence, lights, water, music, fog, pre-shows) are all removed without even an attempt at replacement. Not even a generic replacement. Just plain old removal. It seems this is no coincidence, and has been Mr. Kinzel's intention for quite some time. I imagine most people have read the article, but if you haven't you really ought to. Recall that it was from a time when Cedar Fair still saw the Paramount Parks and their theme-rich, family-sized rides as apples to their oranges. Note, too, that this article also states Mr. Kinzel's intentions to leave the Company in January 2008. For those who don't know, it's nearly May 2010... One can only wonder what his plans are today and perhaps more importantly, if his successor will share his view of our park being a "dressed-up carnival." Feels good, doesn't it? To know we have such an innovator at the helm? As always, food for thought, and nothing more.

I think they were well aware that WE (KICers, ACEers, etc) would notice and I'm sure they knew it wouldn't go over well in the enthusiast community. I think they were counting (hoping?) on the average person not noticing/caring though. A deadly mistake - you can get rid of fog machines, get rid of soundtracks, get rid of water and the public may say "Hm, something feels different / missing." But the trains were undoubtedly and unequivocally the thing that the ride was known for. People who didn't know the name of the ride knew it was the MINI Cooper ride. The trains were really charming, and I think a lot of people were taken aback by how nice they were (and how fun). It was just a feel-good aspect of the ride.

^ Psshhh how long have you been visiting Cedar Fair's Kings Island?! In other news, my friend (who I did not prompt by complaining about the changes to the trains) immediately gasped, said the trains were easily her favorite of any ride she'd been on, and commented that it looked like the MINIs were taken to a chop shop - hubcaps, mirrors, windshield, license plates, headlights, and doors all ripped off. Like some awful car thieves got ahold of them. I laughed, because that honestly is what it looks like.

YES! Saturday was an INCREDIBLE day to be at the park. I was on the last train of the night on Diamondback (before the rain really picked up, causing its closure) and had one of the most painful but hilarious rides on any ride of all time from it! So my friends and I decided to just ride all the water rides. It was too late, anyway. So I had my first (yes, first!) ride on White Water Canyon & Congo Falls, and also rode Race for Your Life Charlie Brown (is the water level supposed to be that low in the trough?). By about 8:30 there were probably only a few hundred people left in the whole park, and as far as I know only Flight of Fear, Crypt, and Boo Blasters were open. You know what that means - walk-on Flight of Fear over and over and over! It was a great day, and I'm glad I get to see your pictures to remind me. Thanks!

I would be totally against the park becoming Six Flags Kings Island. But should Cedar Fair and Six Flag's parks be united under a common banner, I can honestly see a lot of good coming from it - DC Superheroes invading Action Zone, for one! But most importantly, any company that were to own both chains would undoubtedly and correctly see fit to close at least half of the parks - that means a lot of freed up money and a lot of freed up rides... Plus, many of the "issues" within Six Flags can be corrected by fusing them with Cedar Fair's policies, and vice versa. An emphasis on safety and cleanliness wouldn't kill Six Flags, nor would adopting Cedar Fair / Paramount's season pass system. And Cedar Fair would definitely benefit from Six Flags' attempts (I said attempts) at themeing... Look at Dark Knight Coaster's preshow, and even ride - not Universal or anything, but lightyears beyond anything we can expect from Cedar Fair alone. I'm sure that's grossly oversimplified, but I don't get into the politics of it or anything. Just thinking out loud.

I would still love it to happen, but the more days pass, the more negativity I feel. I really don't want to pursue it with my heart and soul if most people are saying "that's already what KIC does" and "you can forget actually doing anything physical" and such...

I would cut off a toe for Universal to come into the picture. Honestly. And of all the Cedar Fair parks (should they one day be sold off individually) I think Kings Island would be in the Top Three for a big, incredible owner like Universal or Merlin to snatch up. I imagine fans of Cedar Fair, fans of Paramount, and everyone in between would agree that Universal's Kings Island would be... Wow. Incredible.

Alright guys, nevermind then. Just forget I mentioned it.

Same here. I have said time and time again that I miss the theme that the park had under Paramount. I know Paramount did their share of theme-destroying, but I'm talking about Tomb Raider, Italian Job, Top Gun, Adventure Express, International Street, etc. But I have always maintained that, love it or hate it, Cedar Fair is the owner of Kings Island now, and has done many great things. Sacrificing theme for thrill seems to be a side effect. The eternal question is, is it worth it? To me, no. Cedar Fair is doing great things for the park and improving it in many areas that needed improvement. In other areas, they're deteriorating just by the nature of their business (which is not theme parks). I would say take it or leave it, but we don't have a choice - we are owned by a company who specializes in thrill > theme. You may not like it, I may not like it, but apparently the public doesn't mind much at all, or things would change. We should be thankful for the thrill rides we get, but not lose sight of the themeing we deserve.

From Kings Island's Facebook.

Plus, competition or not, Canada's Wonderland is a great park. It's unfair to say a park doesn't deserve its attendance because it doesn't have competition... If Kings Island didn't exist, Cedar Point would (more or less) have no competition, and would still draw in about the same crowd. People go to Canada's Wonderland because it's a good park, not because there's no where else to go to.

No, he was not revived. And you'll notice that Son of Beast has officially had nothing to do with the injuries suffered on it besides the 2006 incident (which, granted, is a big deal). If even one death had been the fault of the ride, don't you think it would've closed immediately after, as Firehawk did? And GrandsonOfBeast makes a valid point - if you end up with a sore back at the end of the day, and you rode Son of Beast, you may immediately attribute your pain to the ride just because of word of mouth or the ride's roughness. I'm certainly not Son of Beast's biggest fan or champion, but the way enthusiasts bash it is really and honestly undeserved. It is too rough, and perhaps even rougher than you'd expect for the tallest and fastest wooden coaster on Earth - but it's not the worst thing to happen to the amusement park world, or (arguably) even to Kings Island. Not even top (bottom?) ten of the worst.

By removing all the smilies and the "haha"s in my question, it makes it look as if I was being rude and impatient...! Hahha. But I was not, and I want everyone who doesn't believe me to check the note's comments to see that that's not how I asked the question.

As a layman who can only guess, was Water Works added to compete with The Beach, or just a coincidental water-park expansion across all of the KECO Parks? Also, when did our water park open in relation to the other parks in the chain?

One thing I highly suggest is that no one judge any ride anywhere based on a "poll" or a "ranking." Son of Beast is Son of Beast, and is known by enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes as thee painful wooden roller coaster. Even those who haven't ridden it just see it and think 1 / 10. The general public, representing 98% of those who visit the ride on a given day, do not go home, search for sites like this or Mitch's poll, and fill it out. They just don't. Maybe their opinions would match the enthusiasts, maybe they wouldn't. But never judge a ride by a rating. Gwazi is nearly universally known as an awful wooden roller. Myself and my party loved it, with one assigning it as his number one ride of all time. I've heard similar things from people here, who heard nothing but hate from fellow enthusiasts, and found the ride to be a lot of fun. I'm not saying Son of Beast is the best or the worst or anywhere in between, just that no ride can ever be fully understood by a ranking based only on the opinions of a minority of visitors. To do so would be silly. It would be about as representative of the ride's popularity as polling only 34 year old Hispanic males exiting the ride - it's a random, arbitrary group whose opinion is being shared, and certainly not representative of the ride's real patrons.

Please be aware, I do not actually know of a lightbulb burning out in The Crypt, and I'm certainly not crying about it... One thing that's always bothered me is that people praise Cedar Fair for replacing one (yes, one) effect on Adventure Express. Besides the fact that it took them three years to do so, they're the ones who took a majority of the effects away to begin with! In other words, they take away 10 things, we cry, then they give us back 1 and we just can't stop raving about them. I understand that many of the effects on Adventure Express went out during Paramount's years, but its the idea of it. My point is well-evidenced - look at Backlot. The water effect stopped working. Were they fixed? No. It was simply one less effect that the ride operated with. Now one of the fire effects has stopped working. Will they fix it? Maybe. But I would happily point you to the identical ride at Canada's Wonderland (which has none - yes, none - of it's original effects) and its twin at Kings Dominion (which still has its fire effects, but they ignite after the train has launched into the tunnel). As for the music, it may be owned by Paramount, sure. But what is keeping the park from playing generic cop-chase music? Play "Bad Boys" from COPS for goodness sake. But, they don't... I'm not saying Cedar Fair is right or wrong. Just that theme is not their thing. They do not add it to new rides, and thus do not know how to maintain it in old rides. One might question why they would chose to purchase theme parks if they do not intend to learn to integrate theme, but alas, we are Cedar Fair's Kings Island, for better or worse. And yes, you are complaining about Son of Beast... Heavily. And if you really have confidence that it will be fixed to its fullest potential... Well... Stay tuned, kids.

That's pretty much my point. Take Adventure Express. Some lights burn out one year. Whatever. Then maybe the fog is cut in half and only works sometimes. No one makes a fuss. Then the next year the fog is gone. Then two years down the road, some of the statues in the finale have no lights in their eyes. No big deal, right? Then some of their arms stop working. Who cares? Individually, these things aren't that important. Once they've accumulated, you can take a step back and say to yourself, "My God, what happened here?" You must recall that many of us are passionate about The Crypt (or, more appropriately, Tomb Raider) and Backlot Stunt Coaster the way that others are connected to Adventure Express. Everyone has a ride they honestly connect with and feel for, and when it becomes significantly reduced or ruined, it's not easy. I have a feeling that most if not all of the folks who "like" The Crypt do so because, at least for a second, they can see Durga on the wall, or get a glimpse of the volcano... I'm fiercely protective of The Crypt because it would pain me to see that ride that it literally brimming with potential come to an end - to see the goddess torn down, or the volcano ripped apart - it would hurt. It's a good, but empty feeling to revisit a favorite ride that's been lessened in any way, and when little changes (no MINI Coopers, no flames, no music, no water, no splashdown) all accumulate, it's essentially a different ride. That's what happened to Backlot. It's still fun, but it honestly should be considered a different experience than The Italian Job (which, in reality, was a different experience than what it was originally intended to be). It's sad, but it's how things work. Theme vs. thrill. Paramount focused on the former with hints of the latter (see, Flight of Fear, Backlot, Tomb Raider, Top Gun) while Cedar Fair admittedly focuses on thrill with hints of theme (see, Firehawk, Diamondback, Crypt '09). It's arguable that only Universal and Merlin have found the near-perfect balance of the two, and it certainly shows in their parks.

^ I suppose we shall see!