bkroz

It's very true - Tomb Raider: The Ride was the only Giant Top Spin in the world (I say was because, while the structure is still larger than any other, it contains a capacity almost equal to a typical top spin, and isn't really the "giant" proper it started out as). The stadium-style, tiered seating and huge capacity was very intentionally designed as more of a "theater" than a "thrill ride" proper. Remember that, in its inaugural season, Tomb Raider: The Ride only flipped once (and had the "hang time" over lava). It was the high demand for more bang-for-the-buck (thrill for the wait time) that caused the ride be to reprogrammed to follow the same path, but include three more flips. (Though it should be noted, there is a reason they only made one...) That's why the transformation to The Crypt required the gondola to be downsized - the Giant Top Spin is simply incapable of performing the agile flips and spins of a typical top spin. Though I'm not sure this is entirely to blame, removing the front row certainly threw off the ride's center of gravity - the axels went from supporting the center of the gondola, to supporting the front half, which certainly misaligned things internally. Thus, (ironically) Cedar Fair's bid to overcompensate for the lack of theme by making the ride more thrilling actually caused the ride to become less thrilling than it had been during its main run as Tomb Raider and have only two-thirds its original capacity, seemingly for no reason (the ride could've performed its current cycle with all 77 seats in tact, so they essentially cut the ride's capacity for nothing). A suspended top spin with the same themeing, music, and ride cycle as Kings Dominion's would be a hit from a theme perspective, a thrill perspective, and as a one-more-great-flat-for-Kings-Island perspective... Imagine having Rivertown re-invigorated with what's inside that cavern! Imagine the fake rockwork climbing up the backwall, and upon boarding the ride, hearing waterfalls flowing around you. That's what Kings Dominion's is like, and mixed with our dark, disorienting building, it would be, as the website still touts, an all-out war on the senses! The heat, the mist, the lights, the music... Again I must finish this post: If Cedar Fair were to do this, I would personally do whatever is necessary to help. Anything.

Griffon and DarKastle are probably, in all honesty, the two best rides I've ever been on at a seasonal park (save perhaps Tomb Raider: The Ride and, if the day is right, Millennium Force). That may not be saying much to some, but it's incredible what they've done on a seasonal budget. It would be no surprise to anyone who frequents Busch Gardens that nearby Kings Dominion is very well themed - arguably the best-themed of all the former Paramount Parks. Any park within a four hour drive of Busch needs to have superior thrills and superior theme, since Busch Gardens is top notch in both (very rare for any park - not to mention for a seasonal park!) Plus, Apollo's Chariot is one of the greatest coasters out there. Adding DarKastle, Griffon, and Big Bad Wolf (RIP!) it's easily in my top five theme parks I've ever been to. Easily.

Should our current ride be replaced with a suspended top spin as I suggested, that same ride cycle would most likely return. Cedar Fair* chopped the front row off the gondola, assuming that gave the ride the capability of performing the ride cycles used by the smaller, more agile top spins. Obviously, that was not the case, as it left the ride closed at most times and lead to the installation of the current (at last operation) two-flip cycle. The more intense "Crypt 1" program that the ride had was a flip-for-flip copy of Kings Dominion's Crypt cycle, just not set to the same music and (because of our ride's massive size) more forceful. *certainly with the approval of the ride's manufacturers. I don't mean it to sound like they randomly decided to give this a go.

In Cedar Fair's defense (what am I saying?!) the goddess hasn't been removed from The Crypt's wall because... Well.. The goddess is the wall. The catwalks up the back of the building that lead to three hatches at the top? Those three hatches are where the lightbulbs for the fire, ice, and eyes go, respectively. It's not as if it's just some ornamental plaque hanging on the wall. It's far too large to be "removed." Again, though, I don't think it's possible for Paramount to raise a fuss about Kings Island tearing out the current top spin and replacing it with a suspended top spin surrounded in fake rockwork and waterfalls. Honestly, that's no different than what Cedar Fair commissioned for Great America's Firefall. Trust me, when the ride operated at Geauga Lake it had no fire, water, music, or rockwork. The fact that it was all added after its transplant (and further still, the ride cycle was synchronized to these new effects and music) leads one to believe that Cedar Fair actually is capable of theme. Perhaps if Great America is closed, FireFall will be shipped to Kings Island and placed inside our Crypt's building with its water and fire effects in tact. Of course, a suspended top spin would be much more notable, and afford Kings Island the marketing oppurtunity of "The Crypt is now floorless, and more thrilling!" Trying to explain a Top Spin I and a Giant Top Spin and a Suspended Top Spin would likely be right over their head - but saying its floorless? People know what that means, and they'd love it! In fact, putting a duplicate of KD's Crypt inside our ride building would please fans of Tomb Raider (themeing returns - not as great as it used to be, but it returns copyright-free none the less) and of The Crypt I (intense ride cycle). Virtually all of the Crypt's current problems would be avoided, while creating an incredible new ride experience for Kings Island... Why hadn't I ever thought of this before? Imagine that exact ride ^ placed inside our building, with the current volcano and goddess carving in tact, all lighting up as the flames erupt and our ride's current lights pulsate... ahhhhhhhhh... Again, if someone at Cedar Fair / Kings Island reads this - I will help to pay for this. Weekly installments! I promise.

Now that the ride has way better operational time than it ever has before, I don't know why they'd get rid of it. There seems little reason to demolish a ride that, for the most part, is proving its ability to work just fine. Could that same building house a suspended Top Spin? Oh yes. That being said, is it the best ride at the park? No. Is it quite embarrassing how what was Kings Islands signature ride (besides The Beast) a mere eight years ago is now seen as one of the most waste-of-time rides in the entire park? Yes. Extremely. Sort of ironically, I think that, in lieu of constantly having to fix the ride, if Cedar Fair were to replace the entire interior of the building with a duplicate of Kings Dominion's Crypt (rockwork, waterfall, etc. all included!), the ride would have increased up time, increased ridership, and increased draw that would pay for itself quite quickly. Imagine a suspended Top Spin with KD's Crypt's ride cycle, water fountains, flames, mist, music, etc. and inside our massive show-building with pulsating lights, and our incredible queue. It would easily be the best themed Top Spin in the world (again), and Cedar Fair has proven that they have the capacity to do that (see, FireFall at Great America, which was programmed to synchronize to KD's music and to interact with water and fire, had fake rock-work, etc. - Cedar Fair did that, not Paramount.) If Cedar Fair would agree to place an exact duplicate of Kings Dominion's Crypt (with all the effects currently maintained at KD's) inside our current ride building, I would pay for the installation myself in monthly installments for the rest of my life. I mean it. It would be nice to see the look on Cedar Point'ers faces when, as we once did, Kings Island pummeled Cedar Point in the flats department.

No. As far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong) Questor was sort of a "cabin" simulator in the vein of Star Tours. I don't know who made it or what exactly it is, but Corkscrew Hill resembles an Iwerks Atlas (though with tiered seating and was slightly larger) that sits in a large, open room with a movie screen fixed on the wall in front of it. (Sort of like Spongebob at Kings Island, but with one giant simulator base instead of many with only two seats on each. It hasn't been announced if Europe in the Air will use the same simulator base. But who knows?

Even if it is just a scenic ride, I don't think it'll be a huge problem. Corkscrew Hill was fun, but about 3 minutes of 'horseback riding' in the top row left me a bit exhausted. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has never let me down (save Big Bad Wolf), and I'm consistently impressed with their decisions (and might be impressed with Big Bad Wolf's replacement, so stay tuned!). I'm sure that they will do a fantastic job with the new ride. Perhaps the theme will be that we're in a hot air balloon or something - either way, the ride will be beautiful, fun, and entertaining, and I highly highly doubt folks will be leaving muttering about "that was a rip-off of Soarin'..." or anything. If there's one park I trust to stay ahead of the game with thoughtful, unique, and innovative rides, it's Busch Gardens. I'm just excited to see how the old cavernous queue and Stonehenge style pre-show room will be updated or changed to fit the new ride. And let's take a minute to recognize that this is Blackstone really stepping to the plate with these parks (see, Journey to Atlantis) and initiating ride rehabs and replacements just for the sake of an improved guest experience. Corkscrew Hill & Atlantis could easily continue on as they are, but Blackstone is taking charge where other owners might just let things get to an on-its-last-leg sort of situation.

In my opinion, nearly anything is better than "2 Parks For the Price of 1!", which was featured prominently on every billboard, map, brochure, and advertisement of [nearly] every Cedar Fair park for quite some time. In many cases, such parks had always been two parks for the price of one, leaving visitors unimpressed, or (in one particular, long-lost case) had actually been three parks for the price of one, leaving visitors less-than-amused with the twofer offer. That being said, I think "The One and Only" would actually be better than "Fun and Only." Puns are only clever when they have a double / reversible meaning... Literally saying that a park is "fun and only" doesn't make sense. So it's not really much of a pun. It's just... Well, in my opinion, stupid. But I've heard worse, and will likely hear worse in the future, too. Again, though, consistency would be pretty nice when you think about it. And while "Where else?" was kind of stupid (I, too, preferred 'The Best of Hollywood Entertainment - Now Playing'), it was growing on me.

I don't think it's going to be like "Soarin'" The name itself is a pun (which I thought everyone understood but my friends didn't notice til I brought it up Europe in the Air = You're Up In The Air", so I think it has the potential to be comical and such, too. Don't quote me on it, though.

Ghoster Coaster? In all honesty, I'd take a Dance Coaster over a Flight Deck any day... Especially when the trains are shoes. Clever!

Oh right. Hahha. Yeah that's true. Except, of course, that everyone who was sitting alone in New Orleans was given a friend for Magic Mountain.

You must admit, it's very funny to see the coaster sitting in a beautiful green glen in the middle of what appears to be a city park, bright sky with gentle, rolling clouds... I'm sure many ride promotional photos have this sort of treatment, but this is the first time I've really looked and noticed. Then to look at the original, cloudy day, electrical poles all over the background, grimy carnival rides, dead grass and dirt/gravel, etc. Hahha.

I'm guessing (though I don't know) that that image is probably "official" and goes with the Magic Mountain press release. I can't see the LA times going to such trouble to change an image, photoshop in people, add a blue sky, etc... If there were no official images and it was up to the LA Times to find one, they'd probably a) put in a photo of a ride clearly not related to the future Mr. Six ride, or use an image of the ride from when it operated at New Orleans.

I know there was a thread about this, titled "Six Flags Magic Mountain to take Crown" or something, but I couldn't find it. And besides, it isn't really taking the crown, it's just tying with a big, fat 17 coasters! Link. Interesting, the article also notes: Of course, the cloning is doubtlessly not going to be noticed, but it's interesting that this same situation (just with different parks) caused one of the more controversial points of the Demon Drop situation - a park advertising a hand-me-down as new, though an exact replica of it debuted years and years earlier at a nearby park. Just funny, I suppose! And luckily, unlike it's New Orleans incarnation, this new version will be in a nice, forested park with a bright, chipper sky... And better yet, no child will be left to sit by his or her self as they were at New Orleans! Photo credit.

Haha it was cleared up a few days ago. I didn't want to sound like a jerk (hope I didn't) but was just making a blanket announcement to prevent the same belief in the future (since it's been brought up at least five or six times that that particular map must prove Son of Beast is going to operate.)

Eh hem... Attention fellow KIC'ers: The Kings Island map provided via the official Planet Snoopy website is not, was not, and will not be the 2010 season map. Thank you.

That's the real problem with on-ride videos - an actual movie on DVD is $6 or $7 less than a 1 minute ride video. If it cost $8.00 or $9.00 (which would still create quite a profit) they would sell more. Like the food situation, my thought is "if they charged half as much, they'd sell three times as many."

I didn't know there were in-car videos... Were they in night vision?

The thing is, you know exactly the type of person who wrote this: Someone whose friends think he knows a lot about theme parks. As was mentioned (but I just have to stress how ridiculous), who knew that Universal's Islands of Adventure had such incredible rides as "Incredible Hulk’s Escape Vehicle," "The Duelling Dragons coaster" which "can be tried out by the brave ones while exploring a middle castle", The Revenge of The Mummy, and The Woody Wood Pecker’s Nuthouse coaster. Ah, it was good for a laugh!

Actually, Terp, sharing is fun. Absent that day in preschool? GYK, who can't believe he just said that.

It certainly seems to me that in order for Cedar Fair to remain out of bankruptcy: 1) A new company will have to step forward and offer a higher payout. 2) Apollo will have to offer a higher payout. It seems incredibly unlikely to me (though I am a layman when it comes to laws and money and that sort of thing) that the deal will go through as is. Even now, the stock is higher than the proposed buyout price - in simple terms (correct me if I'm wrong) stockholders would be foolish to vote for this transaction to proceed when they can get a significantly larger amount of money in the current market...

Doesn't the sale period end tonight? At 11:59? This will be a very important evening in the future of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company...

That link doesn't work ^ Fixed link. Should the deal go through at $11.50 per unit, Q Funding III will be at quite a loss. That being said, with 12% of the shares, the approval of this deal is looking less and less likely.

I believe it's safe to say that the Son of Beast trains have been found to be safe. That being said, it's the same "all clear" that a Top Thrill Dragster train receives moments before a bolt may come lose or a piece of plastic snap off... (not that that's happened, it's only an example). Nothing that has been "found safe" by anyone can be ridden without risk. That's why the state of Ohio has laws in place to prevent and protect certain folks from riding, and still more to protect those who ride and are injured by an event outside their control. Just because Maverick, or Voyage, or Diamondback is cleared each morning doesn't mean it cannot cause future harm. Do the Son of Beast trains have an impact on the ride's comfort, and guest satisfaction? I'd say so. Perhaps they lead to more injury complaints. Whether they're more safe or not, I don't know. They were replaced to save the ride's structure, and I suppose the fact that it's still standing (to the chagrin of some...) means they've done their job.

Yes, there's also http://planetsnoopy.com/kingsisland/ The web sites are, for now at least, devoid of information. Every link returns to the park's main site, and the map provided for each park is the 2009 map (clearly just meant to show the general location of the Planet Snoopy area and not the specific rides).