bkroz

I will maintain til the day I die that the loss of Scooby is an unnecessary one. Dense as it may seem, I truly believe that the Hannah-Barbera could've been renewed and paid for itself even if Scooby was the only character from the library used. If the former Paramount Parks switched from Nickelodeon Centrals to Scooby Doo's Ghastly Island, there would be respect from the "elders" for maintaining such an integral part of the park's history, and kids and adults alike could connect over the fact that Scooby is, in many ways, ageless. He is still being featured in big-budget movies and TV specials alike. Plus, Scooby Doo fixes one of the blaring errors of Planet Snoopy - there are so many repeats. The source material offers only so many recognizable characters - Linus, Charlie, Snoopy, and Woodstock, primarily. With 18 or so rides, you've doubtlessly noticed a lot of repetition - a lot of "Snoopy's _______." With Scooby's vast array of villains, each ride could relate to a favorite - Snoopy's Splash Dance could be themed to that evil SCUBA Diver, Avatar could be themed to Black Beard The Pirate or whatever... There's a lot more to draw from that would give the area a very diverse nature. And the main color could be purple, which would be fun.

I am very surprised and happy at the changes that have been made - look at the little Woodstock perched on top of the Snoopy banners! The whole area is being redone delicately. I can't stress enough how great it is that, contrary to their previous efforts with the park, this is not a "de-branding," but a "re-branding." Instead of simply making the area a "generic" version of its former self (see, Flight Deck, Kidzville, Backlot Stunt Coaster, The Crypt), the area is being given a fresh face. As always, the names leave something to be desired, but they have done a marvelous job with what could have really cost the park its noteworthy family reputation. I maintain that the Peanuts are far from the best idea for a children's area, especially at the former Paramount Parks - but while the source material may admittedly be aged, the physical area couldn't look more brand new. Touche, Kings Island.

One could argue that there aren't many people who visit the Kings Island website looking for an exact menu of every item featured at every store... Be they first-time visitors or enthusiasts like us, most people just want a general overview if they care enough at all. Kings Island is an amusement park and has a selection of food items to match that. For the most part, the things that are vegetarian outside the park are also vegetarian inside the park. If you have a question, ask it, or don't eat it. Not having an exact listing of every single option offered at every location should be the least of our worries... Besides, I feel that, unless you're a vegetarian 100% because of the poor treatment of animals etc. etc., there's no reason to be so strict. If it's meat, don't eat it. If it's made in chicken broth and you don't want it, don't eat it. If you don't want jello because it has traces of cow, then just don't have jello. Do we really need a menu to demonstrate that? To just go through the listing of each restaurant and delete "hamburger" and "hot dog?" I'm vegetarian-esque - I don't eat meat because I'm not a big fan of it. Perhaps it offends really strict vegetarians that I do it so casually. Vegetarianism, if done correctly, is a healthy way to live if only because, as was said, you have less exposure to the fries and stuff... If you ask me, that is. Which no one did... Oh well!

I'm not sure what page you mean, but are any of the water parks at the other theme parks listed? In general, the "free with park ticket" water parks don't count as Cedar Fair parks because you can't just buy a ticket to Boomerang Bay and go to Boomerang Bay. It's just like one particular area of Kings Island no different from Rivertown or Coney Mall, it just happens to be one that has water-slides. The four Soak Cities count as "parks" because they're separately gated and require a separate ticket to enter. But in general, "free" water parks do not count: Boomerang Bay at Kings Island, Carowinds & Great America, WaterWorks at Kings Dominion, Splash Works at Canada's Wonderland, Wildwater Kingdom at Dorney Park, etc. They would be grossly overselling & misrepresenting the number of properties they own if all of those parks were counted as standalone parks.

From Kings Island's Facebook, here is the new exterior to Outer Hanks... But... What's different? Here's the old one... I don't know what's different other than they moved the "Come On In" sign... EDIT: Oh, I see: they moved the doors to the center of the building instead of the side. Not what I expecting from the "new exterior." Haha!

Great that a photo gallery for each ride is on the way! Get it, Kings Island! Woohoo!

A preview of the new International Street webcam! This image was posted on the park's Facebook. That likely means we'll see the new webcam up soon! They got the idea from someone on the Facebook's discussion board about Webcams, so if someone here suggested it, nice one!

Certainly no Mystery Machine!

(Eagerly awaiting what it is that you noticed....) I'm sure I'm an idiot for not knowing, but... What?

That's The Beast. Compare the train to the one in Beast1979's avatar...

I love being able to zoom in and really see the details of BLSC, the Adventure Express sign, etc. These maps are very well-crafted. Yet again, the map says 'Bubba Gump's Shrimp Shack' and the site says 'Outer Hanks.' Which is it this year? Also, the Diamondback trains look odd. Hahha. Those are my observations of the hour.

Also, I don't believe Action Theater is listed as an attraction, which it was when Carowinds' site premiered. Just sayin'!

The 2010 Rider Safety Guide says "The lap bar and seatbelt must be tightly fastened at all times."

I wish I could just go into hibernation for a year and wake up once this is all settled. There are SO MANY questions, most of which can't be answered until an earlier question is answered, which could take months! This is really odd to have this happening, and I just want it to be over one way or another!

They didn't switch to the four-seater ones at Kings Dominion and Carowinds just for Boo Blasters - their dark rides were built specifically for Scooby Doo during the Paramount Era, and featured those vehicles from the start. Ours, meanwhile, was already a functioning dark ride, so they just used the same vehicles (the Omnimover style) and added guns. It was said on a 5@5 some time ago that Boo Blasters will use the same vehicles as Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle.

And to think - we could have a suspended top spin with the money that was essentially spent for nothing... :\ Of course, now the chances of anyone getting much of anything are slim to none... It looks as though 040610 will live in infamy? Says Dick Kinzel: (Via Cedar Fair). Emphasis added. And we may need some interpreting for this: A safeguard against Q's rumored takeover?

I also think that some rides should be in both family and thrill rides, as they were on the last website - apparently, Adventure Express and Backlot aren't thrill rides? It just makes the park seem a little less roller-coaster laden for newcomers. As for the number ratings, though they seem out of place, they really can't be changed oftentimes. As far as speed / height, Adventure Express is a three or four, but it does meet the parameters of a 5: The same can be said of The Crypt - while it might not be as intense as it once was, you will experience unexpected changes in elevation and direction that you can't always necessarily brace for or anticipate. As such, it must be placed in the 5 category.

I don't really think they changed the map much at all... They added ghosts on Boo Blaster's castle, but that's really almost it. I was actually looking forward to Planet Snoopy being "pale yellow" on the map as it is at every other park, because I thought that would shift Action Zone back to bright yellow and Oktoberfest back to brown... That would be a welcome change if you ask me. Haha! But the site is incredible. EDIT: Also interesting: They finally removed the "car" from Tower Gardens. Haha! EDIT 2: The map also displayed lockers next to the Crypt (labled "Lockers near The Crypt"). These were actually moved over to the raft ride last year, weren't they? It's obviously not a big deal, I'm just asking out of curiosity.

Hey, I'll take it. There are small errors here and there, but I honestly don't wanna be the one to nit-pick on our brand new, fabulous website that we've been waiting for for years. Also, as people have likely noticed, the official blog is on the new site: http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/fun/blog/index.cfm

Notice also, "after 5:00 meal deals." http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/park/meal_deals/index.cfm This banner is all over the site, too: Looks like they're really pushing this, and rightly so: they need to prove that they're at least working with food prices. $40.00 for a family of four to have food and drinks? Really not too bad... P.S. Wow the site is incredible! This has been so needed, and the wait has paid off! Love it.

So basically, they're attempting to break a contract? But it requires the votes of the public to do so? Again, I'm really clueless about the legal aspects, and am just trying to understand how it's even under consideration that the lease can be broken prematurely. And, if this passed and the stadium was approved, what does this mean? Would it simply be the end of Great America's parking? Would they have to search elsewhere and buy property to create a parking lot, perhaps shuttle visitors from miles away? Would the loss of the parking lot essentially mean the failure of the park in the long-term?

Ah, so in essence, the city has the right (or that's what's in question?) to use the parking lot however they please, and would find it necessary to use it for stadium parking at times...? Hmm... Why would area locals want Great America's parking lot to be used? Certainly it has some impact on local revenue? And even if the stadium were built, isn't it true that the parking lot would only be used during games a dozen or so times a year and increase Great America's attendance?

Could someone just lay this out for me: What is the issue? Is the stadium supposed to be built on or near Great America's parking lot or what? I know it's something along those lines that would "spell doom for the park," but what exactly is the issue?

The idea of sunshine touching Ohio between November and March!

Ugh. Tell me about it.