bkroz

I know there are bigger pictures of it out there, but I can only find these. Other important aspects of the ride to remember: Via http://www.technifex...aider-the-ride# Truly awesome to think a ride like that existed... at a seasonal park... in Ohio... if only for a short time. In its early days, it easily trumped what Disney and Universal were doing at the same time.

66,000 annual passholders and 40,000 non-passholders visited either one or both of the parks that day. That's precisely where the problem was. I'd imagine that a very large chunk of the people who visited Florida's event were there by chance. Like many visitors to Walt Disney World, they'd probably booked their trips last fall or earlier and just decided to take part since they were there. There was certainly a tourist component, too, but the two month turnaround between the event's announcement and Leap Day really isn't even enough time for people to plan a trip to Orlando. Disneyland is much more a regional destination for many, and with the dirt-cheap Southern California passes (none of which were blocked out), people descended like flies after work and school let out. Not to mention, social media played a part here and it wasn't always good. Search "Disneyland rave" on Twitter and you'll find that a number of young people had gathered in Tomorrowland where firsthand stories say inappropriate language and illegal drugs overwhelmed Disney's security force. Allegedly, people began noticing the topic trending in LA and pass-holding teenagers and twenty-somethings flocked to the park in response. EDIT: This is also why rumors persist that Disneyland in particular is looking at how to change their pass policies and stagger ticket prices to make "park-hopping" more difficult. At Disney World, it's not entirely realistic to "park hop" all day long since boats, monorails, and busses separate the parks. At Disneyland, folks walk right from Disneyland Park to Disney California Adventure. The worst part is that when DCA closes at 8:00, probably 90% of people walk right out of that park and right into Disneyland, probably increasing that park's capacity visitorship(?) by 50% for a few hours, clogging pathways and rides. Remember that Disneyland is 85 acres and DCA is 60 (whereas Kings Island and Cedar Point are around 360). The idea being, people treat it like one giant theme park, so people with the $190 Southern California pass who come after work really bottleneck the place by traveling back and forth between the parks. When Cars Land opens in June, that ease of travel will backfire, as people flock to World of Color, then return to Disneyland for Fantasmic, then go back to DCA for Cars Land, etc.

Did you ride the ride in 2005? It was gone, alright... A much different ride than the builders had anticipated by that point. Lucky to get a ride with the sound working! Fog was dead, sparker was dead, the ride was closed for weeks at a time, when it was open it usually stopped at the lava pits...

Not to mention that basic common sense would have one believe that someone representing a multi-million dollar corporation would probably use pesky conventions of written language like complete sentences, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. But trust me: the people who read that will do as suggested and "ask one of the Kings Island employers for further details if [they] want to know badly!" And you better believe they'll just get more misinformation to continue the cycle. Again, stay off Kings Island's Facebook. Stay off Facebook altogether, really..

... Oh my. Do you now? (Hold onto your hats folks. Here we go.)

Many thanks! Again, savesonofbeastfb, I don't want to make you feel bad about what you're doing. There was a time when I very seriously started a petition to help improve The Crypt at Kings Island. I even began to get real responses from the park about an idea I had for an official enthusiast-based club. It fizzled out pretty spectacularly. The point is, those who are aware of discussions or decisions about Son of Beast won't be swayed by a fan-run Facebook page (where, observationally, many of the people commenting are people who have been blocked from Kings Island's official page). We're talking tens of millions of dollars no matter which decision is made, and you think 2,000 people on Facebook will be a deciding factor? It's good that Son of Beast is an interest of yours, and good that you've created a community for that on Facebook. I only mean that I don't think you'll find much support here from people who understand that the $40 million already spent on Son of Beast and the $20 million (or more) additional that you're suggesting could do much better elsewhere... Even at a different Cedar Fair park! You'd be hard pressed to find any reputable, knowledgable industry fans who would support your Facebook page. The "ignorant masses" are a good audience for entertaining Son of Beast discussions, not people who even marginally understand the many, many factors at work there.

You'll find many, many, many of the "naive" posters on Facebook willing to blindly get behind this cause because they want their big, tall, coaster back. Most of the members here are at least somewhat literate in terms of industry players, cost vs. benefit analyses, etc. People here don't just say, "YEAH MAN SAVE SOB SAVE SOB." It's not that we know everything (because God knows we don't) but we do recognize that there's more to it than just putting the loop back and opening it. There's tens of millions of dollars worth of decisions to make on a ride that's already cost tens of millions of dollars. Then there's opinions of those in charge, the marketability of the ride even after a re-build, the safety of the ride, insurance rates, demolition vs. reconstruction, estimates from manufacturers... Even when we're not privy to the exact information, we're aware that those variables exist and thus look at it much more realistically than just "OMG BEST RIDE EVER OMGOMG YEAH MAN OPEN IT AGAIN." An actual post from the "Save Son of Beast" Facebook page linked to earlier: So now, Cedar Fair's official Facebook page had a status asking for people to comment on "their favorite ride that [someone had been] hurt or killed on." And when this poster said "Son of Beast," Cedar Fair replied that it may return in 2014... Is there a quadruple facepalm I can borrow? This is also why I have often rallied for people here to just stay away from Kings Island's Facebook. It's much, much, much simpler that way. Let them believe what they need to. No reason for us to get bent out of shape trying to fight that. Also, someone suggested that Bluegrass Boardwalk might be in talks to buy Son of Beast from Kings Island. Over and out, guys...

How in the world do I get this as an MP3 to make it my text tone?!

I assume it's pronounced from the French... Rajure.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/us/politics/obama-calls-for-an-end-to-subsidies-for-oil-and-gas-companies.html?_r=1

Tomb Raider's been gone for about seven years now...

Or better yet, the commenters? But then again, no one really needs facts to comment on something nowadays... (Myself included!)

It's my favorite roller coaster at Kings Island, too.

I imagine CedarPointer is right. Even if they do happen to call when you're in class, they will leave a message. "Oh, he didn't pick up, so scratch him off the list. We'll just go with someone else." Doubtful.

Disneyland is (in so many words) intimate, charming, sweet, and endearing. Walt Disney World in comparison feels sterile. It's grander, but much less intimate. Disney Parks enthusiasts refer to TDO - Team Disney Orlando - as unwilling to invest, blind toward the resort's issues, and far too cowardly to approach any real change. In a way, you can tell that Disneyland was made "on a budget" and that The Magic Kingdom didn't have those same limitations. That's both good and bad. A towering, 180-foot otherworldly castle is an incredible centerpiece, and far more majestic than Disneyland's 70 foot tall one. But Terp is right that the originals are unequivocally at Disneyland Park. California's Pirates of the Caribbean is nearly ten minutes longer than Florida's, and that trend continues through the resorts. It just feel homier to me and many others. And almost regrettably, I have to admit that I'd choose Disneyland over Walt Disney World if only because California has the Indiana Jones Adventure...

You're entirely right, and I edited my post almost immediately to better reflect that I agree with that. Disneyland being #1 hardly means that The Magic Kingdom should be #2, but "Disney World" being wrapped into a single package doesn't translate well either. Haha. I always choose Disneyland over any of Walt Disney World's parks. Bigger is not always better.

The SeaWorld parks are all very, very, very different parks, so it's interesting that all three get forth place. And Sesame Place probably wouldn't make it to the top ten on most lists! Also, "Disney World" is comprised of four theme parks that are lightyears apart from each other. It's really not fair to lump them together. For example, if Disneyland Park in California is #1 (and presumably not paired with Disnet California Adventure), then why is Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom lumped with its three sister parks? It's almost like saying "Cedar Fair" is number 10 - grouping together parks based on a common denominator and applying one value to a whole chain. My opinion would be: 1. Disneyland Park 2. Universal's Islands of Adventure 3. Busch Gardens Williamsburg 4. Disney's Hollywood Studios 5. Disney California Adventure 6. Epcot 7. SeaWorld Orlando 8. Busch Gardens Tampa 9. Universal Studios Florida 10. Kennywood

^ There ya go! Various identical clones of our Flight of Fear exist around the world (with the presence of brakes on the straightaway in the middle of the course being the only difference). Obviously, most are outdoors. TRIVIA: A different roller coaster manufacturer was challenged to create a ride that was similar to the "Flight of Fear" style, with tightly intertwined, compact, thrilling, launched layout. Their result was: ... which was later closely duplicated and placed indoors as Walt Disney World's Rock 'n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.

If there's any inkling of truth to this, than gas increasing from (let's round) $3.50 to $4.25 will cost the American economy $105 billion. And there's not a single subsidy or assistance the government can offer to combat that? We'll just lose that $105 billion? Why not offer something to at least combat it? We'll still loose money (on top of trillions of dollars of debt, mind you) but at least the economy will remain stimulated so we will not lose jobs, exports, etc. along with it. I'd rather increase the already-laughable national debt than loose individual, American jobs that won't come back. Just in my humble opinion... the government subsidizing anything sounds like a moral hazard to me and also... we are more than flat broke and can't afford it. The money must come from somewhere, and I don't think our friends in the Far East are going to keep coughing up the dough for our benefit. But the government does subsidize agriculture and transportation. In other words, the money a farmer makes from farming is not enough to support him in continuing to farm, so the government lowers certain prices by paying the difference and offers deals and loopholes for farmers in land ownership, etc. so that they can continue to farm. The truth is, our agriculture industry is not exactly a national treasure, nor a great export. We import much of our fruits and vegetables, not grow them here. While agriculture is an important aspect of our economy, we subsidize it as though it were the only thing keeping us afloat. Gasoline actually does keep our economy afloat, but the message I hear is: "When you can't afford the gasoline to get you to your minimum wage job that you managed to get twenty minutes away and the cycle of poverty begins once again for you and your family, that's just too bad. We'll continue to make white bread for you for cheap, though." For an increasing number of Americans, the cycle of poverty occurs when their car breaks down and they've spent so much on fixing it that they can't afford to gas to run it, which means they miss a day at a minimum-wage job where they're highly replaceable, so they're replaced. Without a job, they don't have money to buy gasoline to get to a job interview, etc. How do you get out of that hole with $4.50 a gallon gas? That's what I've picked up from my limited exposure to the situation and my limited understanding of government.

I think this was their way of preserving the ride. Maybe they thought they'd breathe life into it by infusing it with a well-loved (and "classic in its own right") property. And truth be told, I've never seen the line shorter than 15 minutes on my trips. It's a shame in terms of classic dark rides, but I think it made sense as a viable family park. That's not to say a resurgence of the original theme wouldn't be highly celebrated by all.

And I forgot to quote this: If there's any inkling of truth to this, than gas increasing from (let's round) $3.50 to $4.25 will cost the American economy $105 billion. And there's not a single subsidy or assistance the government can offer to combat that? We'll just lose that $105 billion? Why not offer something to at least combat it? We'll still loose money (on top of trillions of dollars of debt, mind you) but at least the economy will remain stimulated so we will not lose jobs, exports, etc. along with it. I'd rather increase the already-laughable national debt than lose individual, American jobs that won't come back. By the way, in our strangely-similar-to-this posts from a year ago, gas was expected to reach $5.00 / gallon by memorial day 2011. It never happened. Last year's high was $3.98. I'm not saying prices won't increase in the future, just that every single year since 2008, it's been like an annual panic attack as all these estimates come rushing in promising $5 or $6.50 a gallon gas that - so far - have never come to be. This very thread was made in response to an article with expectations that gas prices would start that sky-rocking process in summer 2010. Again, they didn't.

Funny how "Middle East tension" peaks annually just as American summer draws near, with people planning to drive and fly to vacation destinations, family visits, beaches, etc. Like any political decision, I'd say there's way more than politics affecting gasoline prices here. I'll break it down to the three things I find at fault here, in my limited and layman view of the world. 1. Short memory. I brought this up last year to mixed reaction, but I still make the case that many (maybe most) Americans have a short memory. In summer of 2009, 2010, and 2011, gas prices reached $4.00 / gallon and there was immediate outcry. People wanted subsidies and innovation and tried desperately to sell off gas-guzzling trucks. By autumn, prices had receded to around $3.00 (briefly falling toward $2.90) as they had annually, and so many people just... forgot. Their worries were over, after all! The push for reform and innovation subsided because gas prices had, and now that they're back, the panic will ensue all over again as if it had never been gone to begin with. (Next fall, it will wane again). 2. The government. Again, I have very, very limited understanding of these matters, but if the government can subsidize milk, the entire agriculture industry, and transportation, why can't something be done about gasoline? I think it's been made clear that American cannot survive on $4.00 / gallon gas. It just can't. Every year that the milestone is reached, the economy absolutely tanks and psychologically, I think it takes a toll on people. Filling a ten gallon tank, the difference between $3.70 / gallon and $4.00 / gallon is really only an additional $3.00 per tank, but it's a tremendously apocalyptic feeling. It's already been shown how expensive gas was a major contributor to 2009's recession / economic depression. Why should we allow ourselves to experience it again if government subsidy could be available? I don't know much about government, but I think there's an overwhelming feeling of 'there must be something the government can do.' 3. Innovation. The push for innovation needs to happen, because eventually, some alternative source will need to be as widely available as gasoline is today. That said, we also need to drill. Electric cars are fantastic, and certainly something we'll see more of, but today, this year, this decade, they're not reasonable for most of the planet. So we really need to divide time and resources between innovation and drilling, because we need to sustain what we have while we can as we press toward the future. I'm sure that as the recurring summer reality of this sets in, we'll again see a push for drilling like we haven't seen since last summer, but it needs to be done. I'll say again: America can't survive this year after year after year. We just can't. I'm not sure if this map is still accurate: By the way, I literally posted almost this exact same post this time last year, and many argued that Americans don't have a "short memory" concerning these things. Faced with $4.50 a gallon gas, I have to ask... Did you "forget" during the winter? Do you think American citizens did?

I would say there's a lot of truth to that. But we may never know, because his asking for public financing appeared to have left a sour taste in many people's mouths. Why else could one object to nearly a thousand new jobs, a re-stimulated local economy, and a man who knows his stuff at the helm? Having concurrently operated a successful theme, the Kochs came to the table with their own funding and only asked for the tax incentives offered to any business that would consider moving to Louisville (as far as I know), which sounds better from a political standpoint.

He is, except for fighting for his money back? And probably mighty jealous that this deal came together so quickly (at least, in the public's eyes) and that his brainchild will now - again - have someone else at the wheel. After all the political tension and gambling he did to win back that park, it just took a single family to swoop in out of the blue and in what feels like weeks, an official announcement had been made. (Where's that topic that promised Kentucky Kingdom would re-open in 2010 under Hart with fantastic new additions?)

So basically, the only thing TIME finds weird about the park is Dolly's association. They even point out the "weird" attractions like Dolly's Demolition Derby and Dollywood Express, just to try to insinuate that many, many attractions are named after her in some sort of voyeuristic off-brand way. It's as if they ask, what role could music by a country singer have in a park? I wonder if they'd have said Disneyland was weird in the 1950s, all because of blatant connections to the middle-aged animator and amusement park novice? Perhaps they'd ask, what role could animated characters by a cartoon artist have in a park?