bkroz

One thing we can imagine is that even with past performance not necessarily indicating future performance as powers and strategies change, Cedar Fair is still tending to share concepts between parks. That can be good (Planet Snoopys, B&M inverts, Disk-o coasters, Dinosaurs Alive, Triotech dark rides) and bad (Boo Blasters, WindSeeker, etc). In that regard, the absence of any modern wooden coasters (assuming we don't include GCI, who they've worked with a few times in the past 5 years) would seem to indicate that that's not the route Cedar Fair is taking... yet. Same with revamps of wooden coasters the way Six Flags is doing. Their big thing after acquiring the Paramount Parks seemed to be getting those new parks "up" to Cedar Fair's standards, which necessitated a big tall fast shiny colorful steel coaster in each. They've since gone through and added a second at most parks in terms of large single attraction investments. So far, a round of modern wooden coasters distributed around them hasn't been part of that. With a new emphasis on family, that could conceivably change? I think every Cedar Fair park would benefit from a Prowler or Gold Striker, and a more modern wooden coaster might be even more desirable.

Another one for the ages!

The photos and links throughout the thread don't work anymore, but the Nickelodeon Studios building wasn't demolished. It was converted into the Sharp Aquos Theatre, currently hosting the Blue Man Group. They just built a fence between the studio and the rest of the park, which annexed the former attraction building to CityWalk. Unless I'm missing something. (I usually am )

The other scary thing is that this was the big return. The year that everyone and their cousin was supposed to check out the NEW Kentucky Kingdom. If they were going to come, this would've been the year, right? If even some of those 600,000 had an experience that would deter them from returning, then next year's numbers could be worse. Unless T3 and the other new attractions are enough to double the park's attendance from what was supposed to be it's "wowza" knockout year...

Unfortunately, not everything is rosy. "Ways Son of Beast Could Come Back." We could start a whole thread offering ideas on ways to successfully bring it back and ask for others to give their ideas, too. Absolutely! That's what the site is for. We can talk about it if you want to look at it in a blue-sky way and ignore reality for the sake of discussion. That's fine. But you can't fault people who say, "It's not in the cards right now; here's why." As is written here over and over and over again, Winterfest came back - in large part - for a very particular reason. It succeeded in that regard. Now, current management deems that it's no longer worthwhile or necessary. In essence, they've traded it for the very lucrative Halloween season, which was never emphasized so entirely in the past. They rake it in during Halloween, and you can say that September and October contend with cool weather too, but tonight's forecast calls for 20-degree weather with freezing rain. That's not something Halloween events contend with. If Winterfest were open this season, would you go to Kings Island in 20-degree weather with freezing rain? 4 or 5 inches of snow and slush? Blisteringly cold wind chills of 10-degrees or less? Maybe you would! But would enough people go to finance the lights and employee shifts needed to run the place, front-of-house and back? Yes, people have lovely memories. Yes, it would be a lovely event if it was done right. Yes, it would be financially successful if the weather cooperated, it was priced perfectly, interest was high, and activities were thoughtfully prepared. Sure. But there are some wise folks in this thread providing worthwhile stories, reasons, memories, and information that should help to inform your opinion about Winterfest and the role it played. They shouldn't be brushed off as pessimistic, bothersome trolls. Is it worth trying again? Kings Island has done their due diligence (as we would hope and expect) and has determined: not this year. Not last year either. Or the year before. If they were staring at an obvious profit center, their own research would inform them of that. Maybe it has and they're just purposefully turning down money. But for now, the answer is no. And hopefully reading this post will help you see why!

Yay! Please do!....."Famous last words..." Bwahahahahaha!!!

Especially here. Images of ice skating and hot cocoa and fire pits are cute, but imagine the realities of a park having to keep up with snow fall and truly frigid, icy, dry wind. It's an admirable notion, but Ohio winters can be incredibly unforgiving. And that's no fun.

Both of those rides can operate only one train, so riders stand in the station and wait while the train is in the course. With this, a train can be loading while the other is in the course... really not a whole lot different than most full-circle coasters. See Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast.

We could all buy out a whole block and have a KIC neighborhood in WDW!

Since you state that lots and lots has already been said about Winterfest then the topic must be relevant enough to let people comment on each year since it is the season for winter events. Isn't that the point of KICentral? So people never comment about things discussed before? Isn't this the reason for this site for people to comment on topics related to Kings Island but at the same time be open and coridial to people that might not share your same opinion? Not once did I say that we should never discuss it again. Neither did I state what my opinion is. If I was not cordial, I apologize (but I think I was). You're looking for interest research, and the site is filled with it. Rather than beginning yet another new topic, I always recommend using the site's search feature (especially to a relatively new poster who may not understand how it works). There, you can review what's already been said and use the threads already in service to discuss the topic. For example, you could post in the (aptly named) "Would YOU Attend A Winterfest Event" thread (there's your market research!), the "Winterfest Returning Soon?" thread, or your OWN very active "Winterfest Wishes and Ideas - A Way To Bring It Back," which have all been active this fall. I'm sure that that already-active thread would be a fantastic place to ask, "Do you think Kings Island's Marketing Department should conduct an interest research poll?" It also would be a great place to read why interest isn't necessarily the only or even main reason why Winterfest isn't around today. My suggestion was that those threads are a great, natural place to start and might actually answer your interest question! It's a good thing! There's also "What If? Winterfest 2013," "Kings Island Brings Back Winterfest (Teaser)" and "When Kings Island First Had Winterfest..." Plenty of places to do research.

The hours are pretty surprising. http://www.thebeachmountain.com/operation-hours/ Open 10 AM - 10 PM for much of November and December. I understand that people will be off of school, but that's a long day! Still, looks like a fun little event if overpriced.

But then we'd have to pay not only for the ride, but for the relationship with DC. As it is, Cedar Fair has kept their partnerships and licensing agreements few and far between. Six Flags did the opposite, and promptly dropped most of their innumerable licensing deals all at once... thanks to their bankruptcy.

Use the site's search feature. Lots and lots has been said about Winterfest. Every off-season the topic is brought up, and it's already been the subject of much discussion this year. There are countless reasons it came back for its most recent reboot, and countless more that it probably won't be seen for a very long time. Browse a bit!

^^ Plenty of discussion about this around the site, and well worth searching for and reading. Lots of arguments and valid points from both sides, but a great topic to discuss and read through. In short, Disney started it as we know it today. Equal access, yep... Unless you can't afford to go to Disney Parks at all, right? That kind of stratification is everywhere. Some can't afford to enter Kings Island at all. Some can, but can't afford season passes. Some can, but can't afford season passes with season-long dining. Some can't afford Fast Lane. Some can't afford VIP tours. Some can't afford to rent the park out. Is that wrong? Does morality have anything to do with it? (This is not to you, Skyrider, just to a general "you" and worth pondering for everyone): Just paying to get into Kings Island doesn't seem offensive to your sensibilities even though there are many who can't do it. Does it only become immoral or unjust when it gets to the point that you can't comfortably afford to do it yourself? Tiers? Gate prices? What's included in your admission price? What's really "free"? Unlimited access, or once on each ride? (EDIT: See everything Terp said, too.) Lots and lots and lots of questions, and lots of good discussion. Search, and dig in!

Being a REAL Marvel fan who loved Marvel LONG before Disney's acquisition that's brought on all those new age wannabe fanboys, you certainly know that the Joker is a character owned by DC Comics and licensed to Six Flags under their agreement.

A great example of what Sally is capable of when given the resources! Some of us are limited to associating them with Boo Blasters, broken guns, and blacklight cutouts, but Sally is a true leader in the dark ride industry!

The ticket is $59.99. When purchasing it, the "details" of the ticket point out that Fast Lane is a $60 value. It's fun to think that they're paying you one cent to visit, then you're paying them $60.00 for Fast Lane. This does give incentive to pay the full gate price (which practically no one does) and remember that Fast Lane costs very, very little for Kings Island to run. In essence, they've come up with a way to get full price for admission with practically no expense on their end. Smart.

The ticket is valid through Labor Day once purchased. The option to purchase it might be available only for another few weeks, days, or hours. The fact that it can be used through Labor Day is good. It'll disperse all of these ticket holder across the length of the season. Imagine if, instead, the offer was admission + Fast Lane valid only on Saturdays in June. Being less restrictive in that is helpful. The online system doesn't give any more specific information, but I would assume that this offer is available only in this pre-holiday season - a way to try to encourage people to buy this as a gift if the Gold Pass is outside their price range. A Gold Pass gets you unlimited access to Kings Island all season for $117.00 plus processing. For half the cost, you can still give your loved one a "best day of the year" experience. Oh, and let's hope their friends are also gifted an admission + Fast Lane combo. If not, they'll have to do a little extra purchasing to keep up. Get it?

And, as it turns out, you can build a roller coaster without turning forests into barren fields. Who knew?! Via Twitter. I guess it simply depends on the park's priority. If they say, "We're willing to go out of our way to keep this area planted," it happens. Otherwise....

It's odd to think of all the companies Cedar Fair seems unlikely to partner with. HUSS? Doubtful. Intamin? Not for a while, I bet. Mondial? Nope! S&S? Probably not. Those are some big names that are more or less non-options for at least the next couple years, we can imagine. Right? Weird.

Gulp... This is bad. Horribly bad. Oh man. I hate seeing this happen. How many possible outcomes are there at this point? Seems there are MANY directions this could go and none look spectacular.

Just got into a bit of a Twitter war with an individual who tweeted at Knott's that he was planning a trip to Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland, but because of Voyage to the Iron Reef, would cancel his day at Knott's. You read that right: he's canceling his day at Knott's because they're adding a ride to a building that's been vacant for a decade. I obviously tried to insist that that was an absurd thing to do... "Just skip the ride and then it's the same park you had been planning on going to anyway." Nope. He's "boycotting bad decisions." I said, "You're skipping an entire park because you don't like the new ride they're adding. That's outrageous." And he replied: "people do that all the time would you say the same to the folks who don't go to SeaWorld because of shamu?" (sic) Yep. I asked: "Why aren't you canceling your day at Disneyland? Or do you just intend to skip Toy Story Midway Mania and enjoy the rest of the park? Get it?" Gah. Why do I try? And since when have Facebook morons migrated over to Twitter?

It's one thing when a fresh construction zone is devoid of tall, mature trees for shade. It's quite another when you finish off a construction project and don't plant any. Very shortsighted. See also, Diamondback's splashdown lake. If more trees and fewer dogwoods had been planted there in 2008 / 2009, that area would at least be well on its way to being "reabsorbed" into the forest. It looks to me that this Stunt Show was very cool. I pictured it as a fella suddenly appearing on the water tower and firing into the crowd where a few "actors" took chase. It looks like it was a very fun demonstration type show that was well-announced and had a sizable cast and props. Not that that made it any less distasteful after Columbine, but it's not what I thought it was. Which is good. At least they didn't break into '80s hits or "down home country!"

We've also been asked to link back to the source when quoting tweets or press releases. And why wouldn't we?