bkroz

My first impression is that I'm confused how a ride like Hypersonic ever ended up at a park like Kings Dominion. Eight riders per train? Really? I understand it's a short circuit, but come on. Especially since a year later, Knott's Berry Farm added the higher-capacity, taller, faster Xcelerator for less money. It's odd that such a low capacity ride ever made it off the drawing boards for such a metropolitan park.

So, Flight of Fear is haunt-ified. Boo Blasters is haunt-ified. Think there are any plans to haunt-ify the most potential-haunt-worthy attraction we've got: The Crypt? A few lasers and strobe lights in there might make a difference! Ah, wishful thinking.

And except for the suspended alien in the queue, these seem like changes that could easily be kept into the regular season in future years... It would even be almost silly to remove them! Let's hope they stick around.

The reviews have come pouring in as of late concerning Halloween Horror Nights 21, and from the sound of things, this is the best year the event has seen since it moved back to being only at the Universal Studios park. This year's theme is "Be Careful What You Wager," and features Lady Luck as an event icon. As such, many of the park's houses and scarezones involve an element of luck or choice (for example, in the Your Luck Has Run Out scarezone, there are dozens of Lady Lucks scattered among roulette wheels and casino lights lying in shambles on the ground - some are her beautiful, temptress side while some are the dark, gnashing-teeth, sinister version and you can't tell which is which until you get close enough through the fog. Nightmaze is a physical, darkened outdoor maze scare zone where the walls are always changing, so you may find yourself exiting just next to where you entered. One of the more impressive effects, I think, is in the Acid Assault scare zone, which turns the park's New York Streets area into a town decimated by acid rain. Through incredible projection (not unlike Wonderland's Starlight Spectacular), the building's facades appear to crumble, then even their infrastructure falls. It's truly incredible. Overall, I think this year's theme is very cool. The mazes are all very classic, dramatic, and atmospheric, like a World War I maze where the nurses become Banshees (Nightengales: Blood Prey) and one that takes place in a classic cemetery, with the soundstage it's in actually cooled to 55 degrees with snow-machines all over the place (Winter's Night: Haunting of Hawthorne Cemetery). There's also only one that uses a movie theme (The Thing) and none rely on past event icons... It's been a while since I've seen their event be this original and non-"gimmicky." I'm not a fan of years like 2009, in which almost every single house was based on a cheap property tie-in (Saw, The Wolfman, Chucky, etc) or years when it relies almost entirely on the past like 2006's Sweet 16. Has anyone been, or have any opinions? You can read reviews and see photos at Theme Park Review and Screamscape to name a few.

It's the quintessential "heard it from a part timer" reply. People (see Kings Island's Facebook for example) always have a friend of a friend who designs roller coasters for Kings Island (uh, what?) or heard from a ride operator that such-and-such was going to happen. People say, "My friend works at Kings Island in the pretzel stand and they told him that Son of Beast is being demolished. Things like that. For simplicity, we say that these very factual, knowledgable words of wisdom came from "the Dippin' Dots guy."

Haha! I'm not thrilled that they say it's 'the park's star thrill ride," but the caption is indeed funny. I'm just glad we didn't get a 300 foot StarFlyer. It might not have opened yet!

Why shouldn't they? They got that massive park for $145 million, which couldn't even buy Kings Island's five largest rides nowadays. Then they got to distribute a couple great coaster across the country, and Northeast Ohioans got dumped on... ... By the big waterpark bucket, I mean. But then again... That was written almost exactly four years ago to the day by The Motley Fool... How'd that go, anyway?!

Pretty rarely does it rain all day (and if it even shows signs of it, Cedar Point slams the brakes on operation like no park I've ever visited). But on an overcast, cool, misty day, you can find very short lines.

I believe the last day of the season is typically one of the "bring a friend for cheap" days, but is still very, very slow. Last year I went to Cedar Point on its last day and walked on Raptor all day long. And as always, the crowd at Cedar Point and all amusement parks is based largely on the weather. Towards the end of October, on a cold, rainy Sunday, I've waited 10 minutes for Millennium Force and 15 for Maverick. Of course, the scare zones are closed then, too. So that last Sunday of the year is often pretty empty, as far as I've noticed.

Sounds about right!

A good year. I hope for many, many more like it, and think years like this do better for the park's long-term growth and visitor experience than years like 2009. I expect / hope we'll see more years like this with Ouimet, too.

The people with the orders to set up the displays? Sure. But I would imagine there's someone directing things, and that they know which jokes will "land," and which would be seen as very inappropriate by the higher-ups.

Maybe if Son of Beast is replaced or re-tracked, it can be called, Ripsob. Even Bospir. Sounds like a very powerful Norse creature, doesn't it? Ednör?

http://www.kimarketplace.com/Kings-Island-Towel-Park-Map-P222.aspx Also, http://www.kimarketplace.com/Kings-Island-Pen-with-Pull-Out-Park-Map-P332.aspx :]

I try to mention that I found it via Screamscape when I post a link to an outside source, but Screamscape in turn heard it from a "source" or "friend" who heard it from so-and-so, so it's just an endless chain of credit anyway. I think it's appropriate to mention that you heard of it via Screamscape, but to link to the original site... I don't know.

Son of Beast?! Just sayin'!

It's also early on in the season, so who knows how things could change. Of course, one might expect that earlier is better when it comes to Halloween events, since a lot of the time, folks tend to have "checked out" in mid - late October. :\

But, didn't you avoid Six Flags Great Adventure for years because of things you'd heard? Maybe it's a mistake to avoid a certain place for certain things you've heard, but I think we've all done it.

In my opinion, yes. The most recent official news was posted this afternoon:

And that's exactly the point. Kings Island has a low gate price (and a very low season pass price) for exactly that reason - to get you in the door. Then, "they gotta eat," park, see the cute dinosaurs, watch the 3-D movie, buy a few refreshing Coca-Cola products... It's not better or worse, just a completely different financial plan than the others you listed. The others charge [relatively] high prices for admission and passes, but then have cheaper food options and more included events and activities. The idea in theory is that you spend the same regardless. The advantage to Kings Island's is that it attracts more people initially. The disadvantage is that, at least in our experience, people elect not to buy the food or souvenirs sometimes, which (in this business model) is sort of detrimental, right? Even the Platinum Pass at $160 dollars... Considering $50 a day at Cedar Point, two days at Kings Island with the pay-once-visit-twice ticket, and $12 for parking each of those three days, it's essentially paid for itself and begun saving you after three visits. That's very, very, very cheap. if you visit the parks once a week all summer long, the cost of parking alone would've paid for the Platinum Pass.

As someone who moved to the United States and Ohio at a young age, I can't be meta- enough to think about what other's may think about Ohio, or what first arrives in someone's mind when they hear the word Ohio. I'm sure every state can be applied judgmental words in stereotype. California = rich, snobby, tan, material people. Is that true for even 10% of the population? Certainly not. But it doesn't stop us from considering it. West Virginia = inbred, trashy, hicks. True? Not usually.

I did not put down the entire state - or did not mean to. My intention was to point out that the stereotypes surrounding Kentucky kept me from the park. If it had been named "Discovery Kingdom," I would have visited at least once, period. I hardly think all Kentuckians are white trash or thugs, but (as you said, just as in every state) some are. And in all fairness, amusement parks are historically, in my experience, places where the "worst" types of people can tend to congregate. I never said that the stereotypes were true or false, or delegated them to any percentage of the population or area. I only said that they exist, and that their mere existence kept me away, as close-minded and selfish as that may seem. Again, my interaction with Kentuckians has been quite limited to Kings Island, but some of those whom I have seen are "loud and proud," and not the type of people I'd like to be immersed in. I wouldn't assume that "all Kentuckians" are a certain way any more than I'd say "all Ohioans" are farmers. It's just not true. But like I said, the CONSEQUENCES of the stereotype's existence are real whether or not the STEREOTYPE ITSELF is. This is why - right or wrong - if a group of young African American men enter a store together and go separate ways, the staff may be more alert or nervous. Do all African American men rob? No. Do most? No. But that doesn't stop the stereotype from changing the atmosphere and behavior of those in the situation. Same thing here - whether or not most or even many Kentuckians are "trashy," I still elected to not visit because Kentucky Kingdom does not sound like a place I'd be comfortable.

Is it? Perhaps. But I didn't invent it out of thin air. The stereotypical Ohioan lives on a farm, and I realize how inaccurate that is. Citizenship in each state comes along with an unintentional stereotype. My point from the beginning was that whether or not there's any truth to them at all is irrelevent. Intention means nothing. The fact that they exist - true or not - makes their consequences real. In the same sense, the idea that Ohio is full of farms doubtlessly is a hinderance to tourism here. Though we may know in actually that there are many suburban and urban areas in the state, the fact that the farming stereotype exists - even if untrue - may be a hurdle for Ohio tourism. And if I'm the only one with that particular stereotype about Kentucky, then that's fair enough. But for me, the consequence of that stereotype's existence was that I never visited Kentucky Kingdom. It was of no interest to me, unfortunately. Perhaps I missed out.

My point exactly. The idea is that some people cling to their state identity even more than their national identity, and in fact may perpetuate stereotypes in support of their state. Some (or even many) Kentuckians, from those whom I have experienced, are, as you said, proud to be from Kentucky, and proud to be (pardon the phrase) "white trash," with "trash 'staches" and "wife beaters" and tattoos done by friends while intoxicated. That's the image I've always had, and those who I've seen at Kings Island seem only to further it. (And the fact that I know they're from Kentucky means that they speak about it in everyday conversation, loud enough for me to overhear - again, that's that state-pride). And I think you're sorely mistaken in their marketing. While their name did very much limit their audience to Kentucky folk (in my opinion), I believe every amusement park targets as many people and metropolitan areas as it can. Especially under Six Flags, I doubt that their goal was to market to "Kentucky." Rather, I think that it was (or under better leadership, should've been) marketed to Indiana and Ohio in large quantities. Most of Indiana could reach the park in shorter time than most of Kentucky. Again, say what you will, but the fact is that they lost at least one paying customer because of the stereotypes associated with the state that they were named after (and as evidenced here, some are proud to further those stereotypes). The (EDIT:) MY stereotypical Kentuckian is aggressive, unafraid to confront someone, die-hard republican, anti-equality, and probably very much in support of the Confederacy despite never having joined it. That, to me, does not create an audience with which I'd like to share an amusement park.

But people didn't complain about lost individuality when every single park got an Action Zone, or a Drop Zone: Stunt Tower. I don't recall a fuss about The Italian Job being duplicated three times, or two Flight of Fears. There were also four Top Guns, and while the rides were different, the argument that it's all about keeping local, unique "identity" would seem to indicate that it's the name repitition that's the core of the problem anyway, since that's where the identity is drawn from. I mean, maybe the complaints were around back then and I didn't realize it, but still it's a good question.. I think one of the thought processes back then might've been, "So what if there are two more Italian Jobs? They're six hours in either direction, and don't influence the existence or popularity of ours." But now, it's as if duplicated attractions are personally offensive, and that if another park has a Dinosaurs Alive, ours is somehow less valuable or entertaining (but, to whom?). I also notice it's always the duplicated (and not the duplicators) who have the problem... Walt Disney World fans were ****ed when Disneyland got a Tower of Terror - Disneyland fans were delighted. So, if Cedar Point had gotten Dinosaurs Alive, and then it was transferred to Kings Island, would we be complaining about lost uniqueness? CoastersRZ, I totally, absolutely feel what you feel and agree with what you said. I'm just playing devil's advocate and asking questions.