bkroz

It's simple - first people convince themselves that we're getting a huge $30,000,000 giga coaster and a new Son of Beast complete re-tracking. Then, the timeframe becomes so small that they must acknowledge that it's not possible. As such, they immediately come to terms with the fact that, since we must be getting a new coaster (Kings Island is the most important Cedar Fair park, after all, and it's been over two years), it's obviously just a small one that won't take as long to build but still packs a punch. And come December or January when there's no obvious construction going on for that mid-winter installation, some will say that they are let down by Kings Island not following through with their never-quite-hinted-at, but still-obviously-planned-then-canceled coaster project. Then if something small and perfectly pleasant like a Dinosaurs Alive expansion or a new family flat in Planet Snoopy is announced, some will say they over-hyped their announcement. GYK, who still gets a kick out of Flight of Fear, celebrating its sweet sixteen. Why not quality over quantity? Now if'n you'll excuse me, I've got to tend to my Gardens.

I think that the idea of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure was far greater than the reality. After all, a SeaWorld and an expanded, well-invested Six Flags sit across the lake from each other. First off, what are the chances? So to see them combined was truly a strange and perplexing situation. It seemed awesome, of course, from a business point of view, that two opposing parks were now joined by a floating boardwalk, retaining their unique landscaping, architecture, etc. while uniting under one (or six) flags. The reality, of course, was that Geauga Lake (pre-Premier Parks) had always been a small, family-oriented park. In my experience, I'd say it was similar to modern day Michigan's Adventure. According to what those here have said, Six Flags intended to dump money into expanding their then-newly-acquired Kentucky Kingdom. Kings Island launched a pre-emptive strike by building the Paramount Action Zone area, so Six backed off of Kentucky Kingdom and decided to invest in the Geauga Lake / Six Flags Ohio property. Again, my understanding is that the "Six Flags" side and the "SeaWorld" side lie in two different counties, with SeaWorld's county forbidding building structures above a certain height. Since it was falling behind its three sister parks (who were each getting new coasters,) SeaWorld tried to buy out the rides park, who refused, but counter-offered to buy the animal park. The result was two parks each meant to cater to very small, local crowds suddenly being marketed to the region. Again, it was a lovely idea and even still the concept is captivating, but the paths were not wide enough, the restrooms were not equipped to handle the patronage they received, and two parking lots continued to exist, so if you ended your day on the wrong side of the park, you had a good 30 minute walk ahead of you. On that note, the only connection for quite some time between the "Wild Life" and "Wild Rides" sides was a long, hot, unshaded, floating boardwalk which switched positions three times in an effort to find the most direct and sensical route between the two. Not to mention, Six Flags undoubtedly found the work required to transport an arsenal of sea creatures to and from Ohio every six months to be very daunting and expensive... I vilified Cedar Fair for a long time for what they did to the park. I was a pre-teen when the switch occurred, so all I knew was that the themes were gone, the rides started disappearing, and the animals were removed. The truth as I now understand it, of course, is that Cedar Fair was trying to bring the park back to a small, family-oriented day trip place that had no reason or will to compete with Cedar Point, which is not wrong or evil of them. Still, I think the massive change (which had to have been publicly seen as a downgrade) was too much for many to accept. Simply based on area alone, a park that large must be impossible to run efficiently. Didn't it end up being something like 500 acres, even as the reduced Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom? Basically, I see it as the park having overexpanded far too quickly in far too small an area, trying its darndest to compete with an internationally-recognized park by attempt to cram people into two small family parks combined by a floating bridge. I can't stress enough how many great memories I have there, especially at the Six Flags Worlds of Adventure complex. But the reality of it is that it wasn't able to support itself. I don't think Cedar Fair's purpose was specifically to buy it and redistribute its rides, but it would've been moronic to keep all of its rides there until the bitter end. Firehawk did much more to earn money at Kings Island in 2007 than it could've if it had stayed at Geauga Lake that season. In the end, probably as much in spite of their efforts as because of them, the park couldn't reasonably stay open. I wish it was. I really do. Like I said, it's a very smart, unique, captivating concept that two parks could be combined like that, but the infrastructure wasn't there. "Cleveland," they purported. I have news for you: It was not in Cleveland. It was among farms, Amish communities, and small towns. I visited WildWater Kingdom last week, and passed two horse tack stores, an outlet mall, and a half-dozen big farms. The roads leading to the park were widened from one lane to three (and have now been reduced down to two), and the construction and lane shifts alone were nightmarish. People would forget which of the two massive parking lots they parked in... And the official "Geauga Lake Hotel" (now being re-modeled into a retirement home) was no better than a Days Inn, with no indoor hallways, and three floors of motel-style rooms. It wasn't ready to be the official hotel of the worlds largest Six Flags, and that showed. EDIT: Though I think Cedar Fair did what it needed to do, I do desperately wish they'd have warned us locals before it closed. Keep in mind that, after it closed for the season, they announced that it would never open again. That was in September, I think? Still plenty of time for them to say, "Come out and share one or two last weekends with us." We, as locals, never got that closure. And Geauga Lake was around a LOT longer than Kings Island, so we had generations of memories. It was a local landmark and a historic destination for many of us. To not get that last chance in the park was hard.

I had hoped this would happen... If you and five friends visit, you're looking at $25 per person. I think that's incredibly fair for unlimited front of the line access. And again, the best estimation I have is that this system is almost entirely profit, so they could charge $10 a pop and still make money... Of course, that would also cause madness to break out. If this system were implemented at Kings Dominion this year, I'd absolutely get it next week when I visit. I have a Platinum Pass, after all, and I only get to Kings Dominion one day a year, so for a grand total of $35, I could park, get in, and get to the front of each line. I think people like me (traveling folks who only visit once or twice) are who this system is aimed at, so the staggered pricing for groups makes sense. And given the right group of first-timers or rare visitors, I'd do it at Cedar Point for $30 or so a person, too... But $50? I can't swing that...

I can't believe this is still worth discussing, much less complaining about. I much, much, much prefer when the employee cuts off the line outside of the station. The wait is exactly as long as it would be otherwise, but there's less chaos and counting to match friends while in the station. You wait just as long, it's just that the line appears to move slower since it's stop and go. When they aren't cutting the line at Millennium Force's station, it makes me sad. It's just easier.

I would say that Iron Wolf is not worth relocating. It was truly one of the most unbearable rides I've ridden, and easily the most violent steel coaster. No matter what superhero they name it after, or what color they call it, I just don't think it's a very good ride. And it's not the fault of the trains or anything... It's just too compact, too many transitions, too much speed for me.

Terp, I just browsed the Knott's Rider Safety Guide to see if they made direct mention of not allowing eyeglasses. All I see is the following: From Knotts' Rider Safety Guide. In other words, if it used to be directly spelled out (which I feel like it should be), then perhaps the policy has changed? And if not, wouldn't eyeglasses be considered "headgear?" What else could they be talking about? Large orthodontia? Hats? Does an eyeglass strap not count as "secured?" That whole policy absolutely baffles me.

And the irony of the Curse of the Crypt's props being used in TOMB RAIDER: The Ride is nothing short of staggering, given what it ended up becoming...

OH YES PLEASE. Maybe they can find a way to put the BORG sphere under it. Now THERE'S a ride.

Right. Like on the Mummy. Or Backdraft. Or The Italian Job: Stunt Track. Or JAWS! Haha. Kings Dominion's Crypt and the similar Firefall at Great America hold riders over fire (or, cleverly disguised to appear that way to onlookers). But yeah, that would probably require a lot of re-coding the building and re-ventilating. It would be expensive. If our Giant Top Spin were replaced with a newer suspended Top Spin or something with a wild program and better reliability, I can see money being put into the ride. As is, I doubt any sizable investment will ever be set aside for The Crypt when - as was mentioned - it's not exactly a crowd pleaser. But who knows what the new head of the company has planned...

But Mammoth and the Halloween event are for 2012, not 2011. So make that two seasons without dry park additions. I agree with you both, though!

I have no qualms with the information you have shared. It's that the delivery creates a strangely elitist feeling. I spent all of my time on KIE and not KIC for a few years (I registered here in 2005, but didn't bother posting much till 2009) simply because I felt that when I tried to make a post on here, I was corrected, and not in a kind, mentor-ing way. Maybe the wording of your post (clearly aimed at the 33-post-count coasterdude) took me back there and I elected to speak out for him and tell them that he is not a total idiot for calling Son of Beast the "First wooden loop and First wooden over 200ft," and that he shouldn't feel looked down on or like he's incapable of being a productive member here. Your presentation, purposefully or not, contained a sense of annoyance at the fact that anyone could possibly think Son of Beast was the first. I didn't think it was necessary or welcoming, so I mentioned it. I'm happy for the information you share, and perhaps if you ever do post with a sense of superiority in this particular topic, it's deserved. My only goal was to help alleviate the feelings that I know posts like that can create. You know I've always defended the new people here and tried my best to keep them sticking around to develop into great members. As part of that, I think it's okay to say "All good points, coasterdude, but did you know Son of Beast was not the first wooden coaster with a loop?" Is that so wrong?

Holiday World has three wooden coasters... Different layouts, different trains, different experiences... But no one complains about that? I can agree that it would've been nice to see a large investment to the dry side (for this price, couldn't they have gotten a nice GCI?), but don't be disappointed by it... It's not like it's a duplicate. It is a completely separate experience, just like Voyage and Legend... Just because they have similar features doesn't mean they're alike at all. It IS an odd sell, though... I wonder how the public is responding... Maybe this would've been good 2 or 3 years after Wildebeest.

Yes, but that's not how people speak... In all fairness, I hardly think that's worth a "sigh." It's not as if it's some massive, general-public fueled "fail" that Son of Beast was the first wooden roller coaster with a loop. If I overheard someone say, "Oh, that was the first wooden coaster with a loop," and I said, "Excuse me, sir? Son of Beast is not now, nor was it ever, the first wooden coaster with a loop," and then rolled my eyes, they might think me pretentious... And I would think so of myself, as well. Trivia is interesting, but using it to correct people is sort of... uppity. If my friend said Son of Beast was the first wooden coaster with a loop, I'd agree... I wouldn't say, "No, no, no, it's the first modern wooden roller coaster to incorporate a loop into its circuit." That's a good way to alienate people, I'd wager... "Longest water coaster? You poor thing, you must never have heard of the ice mountains the Russians used to make? And given that the friction from the sleds melted away layers, was that not a water coaster? Miles and miles longer than Wildebeest, they were!"

Let me establish a quick aside. I worked for years at a summer camp for children with special needs. What we learned more than anything is CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE. On the rainiest day when you're stuck inside changing diapers and averting disaster and trying to maintain control while you attempt so hard to communicate with non-verbal children, it's a drain. You're tired. You feel like you're not getting anywhere. But if you have already promised yourself that you'll CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE, you make the best of it. You see the light, and you power through. It makes you feel better and it makes everyone AROUND you feel better. I think many of us here are a testament to that philosophy. I have no doubt that so many people on this site could visit the park on the rainiest, coldest, bleakest day with every single attraction closed all day long and STILL have the time of our lives with friends, shows, food, dancing in the rain, being soaked but cracking up about it... Because we can choose our attitude. I'm sorry, RaptorGuy, but you are SUCH a negative presence here if not THE negative presence. Every decision the park has made, you have threatened to report to guest relations. I have yet to read a concrete, negative experience that you or ANYONE else has had in regards to Fast Lane. You still haven't actually said, "I visited the park on this day and watched 400 people get on the ride and they kept going around and around and around and I waited 3 hours for Diamondback." It's all just potential with you. It's all preachy hypotheticals. And you know what? If the very fact that Fast Lane exists can (and I quote) "keep [you] from having a good day at Kings Island," then my God, I don't know what we can do for you. It's a mentality, my friend. It really is. I have no doubt in my mind that you skulk around the park sighing and rolling your eyes and trying to preach to anyone near you about the evils of the Fast Lane like you do here. I'm truly not trying to be mean when I say: shut up and have fun. WORST CASE SCENARIO, you have to wait 5 extra trains for Diamondback (and that's given that more than 150 Fast Laners "cut" you). EVEN THEN, you're talking about an extra 5 - 6 minute wait based on dispatch times. I think it's been proven through testimony (of both Fast Lane users and those who have been "cut" by Fast Lane users) that the difference in wait time is truly unnoticeable. But if you have already made the conscious decision that you simply cannot and will not have fun at Kings Island because Fast Lane exists, then you would waste your own time and money by visiting. It is a happy place at its core, and if you choose to let your day suck, then (guess what!) it will suck. If you decide before you even step out of the house that you'll have fun, then you will. Try it sometime. Until then, just go to the f&*$)#g park and make a complaint at guest relations so you can stop threatening to do it. Trust me, while your opinions will be heard, they are NOT the opinion of the majority OR of those in power. So say what you need to to release steam to people who will actually listen and then be done with it. And next year, buy a pass, or don't buy a pass. THAT'S how to show them "who's boss," not by being negative on an unofficial online message board and threatening to maybe tell someone at the park. GYK, a little fed up. P.S. I'd love to work in guest relations long enough to hear you "file your formal complaint." "Hello, ma'am! I'd like to file a formal complaint about Fast Lane!" "Alright, what was your experience?" "Well... Nothing... But I don't like the idea of it!" "Did it make your wait times longer?" "IT SURE FEELS LIKE IT. But..... no." "Okay, thanks for your input." "Also make a note that I hate the Dinosaur thing that I've never seen, and that WindSeeker was a terrible idea... But I like it." "Sir, any additional wait time you experience due to Fast Lane users is pretty much negated by the addition of WindSeeker and the amount of people who are queueing for it at any given time." "Well, we'll see if I buy a pass next year!" "Okay, thank you for your comments sir, I'll pass them on."

^ I think you're right. And as a testament, we don't typically see many NEW, large-scale theme parks being built anymore. It's not that it's a dying industry, just that the financial investment needed to get one off the ground would be so staggering. The best one can hope for is a smaller park that grows a loyal local following, or for a major corporation (typically a film studio) to show interest and pour in investment. As far as new parks go, aren't MOST by Disney, Universal, Warner Brothers, Merlin, etc? And places change hands and are re-branded and receive large investments that jump start them, but to build Kings Island from scratch would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. I'd say that no individual or family could do that anymore. You are right Gator, and remembering that I posted that, I almost kept my mouth shut in this parking topic. But I suppose I imagine that things like Dinosaurs Alive, Fast Lane, etc. are much different than parking. Maybe I'm wrong. But parking is parking is parking, and I think it's clear enough that that money isn't being re-invested into parking. For things like Fast Lane and the Dinosaur exhibit I think that the money will return - even if not in full - to power expansions of the dinos. And I have no doubt that the money will be re-distributed to many parks from our Fast Lane, but I also imagine that the fact that people are buying it says something to Cedar Fair about Kings Island's popularity. In other words, Fast Lane is a testament to how popular Kings Island is, so that sort of encourages reciprocity financially. Kings Island's Fast Lane brings it in, so Kings Island (to me!) seems more likely to be rewarded. And by next season, I imagine more parks will feature Fast Lane, so that should also even out that playing field and bring in more money PERIOD which can then be distributed between parks in accordance with their popularity, etc. So yes, I was aware of my contradiction there. But I think re-investment from parking is far, far less likely to happen than re-investment from Dinosaurs Alive, for example.

In all fairness, they don't need to recycle that parking increase back towards us when it comes to benefits. In fact, they don't need to keep that extra money at Kings Island at all. And if they want, they can just use it to pay their CEO's salary. No where did anyone at Cedar Fair sign a contract saying that if you park at Kings Island, Kings Island will get new things. Again... Business. Just like those $3.00 parking lots that charge $20.00 on the night on concerts and baseball games, think of the parking lot as a separate entity. When you pay to park at those parking garages on concert nights, what you pay isn't re-invested back into maintenance of the parking garage - at least, not in full. It's going into someone's pocket. The money Kings Island's parking lot makes belongs to Cedar Fair, and they can do what they want with it. I think things like that are so obvious and logical from a business point of view. But since we all have these intense emotional ties to Kings Island and know it as this happy place with great adventures and incredible memories, we sort of refuse to think that they'd *gasp* charge us an unfair price for something. And if something does cost money, we convince ourselves that it's going towards our next family-friendly adventure or riveting roller coaster. That's not always the case, and if we could remove the sentimental contacts for long enough to see that Kings Island is not only a business, but just one appendage of a much larger company, things like parking increases may make sense. All that said, I do completely agree with what others have said about the price being average, but the service being below-average. But like I said, I think they try to keep the prices even across parks, and the traffic directors, causeway maintenance, re-painting, and camera towers at Cedar Point are certainly bringing up the average cost to maintain all the parking lots. And if we had our tram service still in operation, maybe that would make each park's rate $13.00. But again, there's no guarantee that parking fees go towards parking lots anyway. Just in theory.

Like it's sister Alton Towers, Thorpe Park's viral marketing has been a force to be reckoned with as of late. Finally, their promises that WAR IS COMING have revealed their 2012 coaster... And the shadows have been lifted from either side of WAR to revealTHE SWARM. The ride is a B&M wing coaster that seems to carry a similar theme and experience as Gardaland's Raptor - very industrial, a monster on a rampage, apocalyptic, a government theme, lots of near-misses. Great to see another really nicely themed, fun, unique attraction. But one can't help but wonder... Why doesn't the U.S. get cool things anymore? All of these parks overseas are getting B&M prototypes and Intamin prototypes... But I truly can barely even imagine the day when Kings Island gets a B&M Wing coaster. It feels like, despite all the hub-bub about American parks, we're very content with our tall, fast, airtime-filled rides that don't offer much new. Why didn't Dive Machines catch on? Griffon was what, 3/5 the price of Diamondback when it was built? Shouldn't they be a staple in Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks? But they're not... Magic Mountain is truly the only park I can think of offhand that bothers with new ride types. Like the ZacSpin or 4th Dimension. Everything else seems so traditional. Am I alone in this? P.S. I really do enjoy the end-of-times theme going on with rides today (again, mostly overseas, but still). Everything has these really intense, industrial, rusted sort of themes. I mean, TH13TEEN, Saw: The Ride, the new Rita, Raptor, Swarm, Apocalypse at Magic Mountain... It's a very heavy, dramatic route to take, but I like it. Meanwhile, in the U.S., snakes and race cars are all the rage.

And based on what else we've heard of the park, I'd be surprised to see it remain in business for long. I don't know that I've ever heard a positive thing said about the place, and this just gives me a "carnival" feel that I don't much enjoy. It only took one accident to send the Kingdom down the river, even if it was indirectly. Accidents happen, but their consequences are very real nonetheless.

Yes parking is $12.00, but I'd say that's at or below industry average. Most Six Flags parks are $20 (though it varies). Disney & Universal Parks are up to $18.00 I believe. Dollywood is $8.00. As far as SeaWorld Parks, Williamsburg is $13.00, Tampa is $12.15 (don't ask me why) and Orlando is $13.15. Basically, no one is still hanging out at $10.00 anymore. And while Six Flags' $20.00 looks incredibly expensive, remember that Busch, SeaWorld, Disney, and Universal all have ticket pricing schemes that encourage multi-day trips... And you'll be paying that $12.15 - $18.00 each day. I'd say Kings Island's price is reasonable for a park its size, and considering pretty much every park has increased parking prices this year, why would you expect less of Kings Island? People always say, "Don't complain about the food prices, because that's pretty standard for big venues like ball games." Same goes with parking. I was attending a concert in Cleveland last weekend (which was smartly scheduled the same night as an Indians game), and the closer parking garages were $20.00 while the farther were $15.00. And that's for two hour parking located a half mile from the venue... The problem I think we can agree on is that the price hike isn't justified if the parking lot is full of potholes, poorly staffed, and has faded cardboard directional signs.

And how might this affect the Flying Eagles (or the Flying Aces) if they resided in this area? One can't help but wonder!

If you mean the half dozen picnic tables under the green umbrellas under FACE/OFF and near the ticket sales windows... But Cedar Point has a set of massive, covered pavilions accessible to the public from outside the park. People often drop off their coolers there as they arrive and return around lunchtime with high hopes that their food has not been eaten. It's a giant covered pavilion whose sole purpose is for groups to eat lunch. I think that's what he was asking about. But yes, I suppose technically there are picnic tables outside the park. But do you want to leave the park, walk to your car, bring your cooler to the front entrance, eat, return it your car, then walk back to the park? There isn't enough space or shade to realistically leave a cooler the way people do at Cedar Point.

Not sure how familiar you are with the park, so I'm going to be awkwardly specific and maybe repeat what you already know. 1. Very crowded. Kings Island's waterpark is free with park admission, so you'll find a lot of people there. Tuesday or not, Kings Island is largely driven by season pass holders who get in for free, so scorching hot Tuesdays this time of year are very crowded in that regard. Slide lines tend to be pretty long, and space is - for lack of a better word - limited. Set up early. And keep in mind that the hottest part of the day is theoretically a good time to explore the dry park, since people who get to the park at opening will be very hot and yearning for the wave pool by 2 or 3. 2. There is no picnic area, and food and drinks are not allowed in the park. You'll need to set up in your car or use the grassy pathway leading up to the park's front entrance. There are plenty of trees there to eat under, and people do. 3. Kings Island is unique in that it doesn't have a sit down restaurant where you're served by a wait staff. There are a number of places to eat, including an all-you-can-eat buffet in the Rivertown area between The Crypt and Diamondback. People here also tend to recommend Outer Hanks near Adventure Express, which has a bar and back patio that's quite relaxing. Festhaus in Oktoberfest has La Rosa's pizza, Panda Express, and some generic park food. It's also air conditioned and live shows occur throughout the day. Kings Island's food prices are pretty high and comparable to a ball game or other large venue, and the quality doesn't match the price generally. I rarely eat in the park. It's easier (and truly a fraction of the price) to get a hand-stamp, drive a mile, and eat at Wendy's or Burger King or even Big Boy if you need to sit down, cool down, and be served. But if your time is limited and you're only visiting once this year, staying in the park may be worth the extra money, and others here can recommend places to eat better than I can.

It's non-news. Screamscape is fun. I generally read it every day. But true to form, his "Son of Beast" section now includes rumors of a conversion to steel using the Iron Horse track, GCI coming in to fix everything, and the ride being demolished. Honestly, he does his job, which is to report rumors. If one person working at the Xtreme Sky-flier attraction reported that he had seen Mr. Scheid and associates walking past Son of Beast and overheard their discussion, it would be posted... As it should, really. Rumors are rumors, and they're fun to imagine and speculate on. I think all of us here have seen information transferred directly from this site to Screamscape, even, as he uses our ideas and suggestions as potential fixes for the ride. But as for Son of Beast, "insiders" are NOT talking. I think we've all come to the conclusion two+ years later... Either no decision has been made, or a decision has been made. And either way, we do not know yet because we aren't meant to know yet. Even if this whole community knew, what good would it do? If news broke that the ride was being demolished, what could we do to save it? And if official news broke that the ride was being redesigned/profiled/tracked/etc., would us knowing speed up the timeline? Could we help influence decision making? Nope. Something will happen to Son of Beast when something happens to Son of Beast, and not a moment before. Throw enough darts and one will hit the bulls-eye, but there's really no logical importance in us knowing or guessing. It's a worn out, tired topic.

Coronado Springs is SUCH a beautiful property. Takes the classic Disney hotel experience and really amps it up in my opinion. I haven't stayed there for years, and got online just to browse. Like you, I was amazed it's a "moderate" hotel in their pricing structure. It's very, very nice. Looking forward to more, and wishing we were closely related so I could accompany you.

If you truly truly truly believe that these people are being somehow conned or unfairly pressured into buying this Fast Lane option, then be thankful that you are smart enough to not "waste" your money as you believe they are. Yes, the park is adding more up-charge attractions to the park. But I stress again that on a most basic economic level, they cost x amount of money to install, period. That amount, x, can either be made up separately by guests selecting if they'd like to partake, or wholly by increasing the cost to enter the park or to buy a pass. Perhaps with a $1.25 price increase for a daily ticket or $10 extra for a season pass, things like Fast Lane and Dinosaurs Alive and the laser maze could be included with park admission. But if you aren't going to bother using Fast Lane on that Wednesday in May, or going through the laser maze, or seeing the dinosaur exhibit, than you are paying more than you did last year, but gaining nothing new. As it is, you pay the same amount that you paid in 2010 to get the same experience you had in 2010 (and essentially get a $4 million new attraction for free). If you'd LIKE to upgrade to some other new things, you need only pay a bit more. It's clear that some people will never be happy. Whether YOU like it or not, Dinosaurs Alive is a massive addition, and the park HAD to pay for it. Now, that cost is being passed on to visitors, and instead of spreading it out and charging EVERYONE (even those with no desire to see it), the park has chosen to charge only those who wish to gain access to it. That's about as fair as it could be, right? Because if daily tickets were $64.99 this year and Dinosaurs Alive was "free," people on here would complain that they don't like dinosaurs and that their admission price went up to see an exhibit they'll never see. "For just a few dollars more..." That is how businesses make money. The $9 dollar toaster on the end of the aisle at Walmart is a throwaway, but it does its job - to lure you into the middle of the aisle where things are regular priced or even higher than at their competitors. "Wow, a $9 toaster?! Well if the prices are this low, I may as well get the $13 version. Oh, but look at the $15 one... That's ONLY two dollars more..." "You've got two of the buy three get one free... Would you like to grab two more and only have to pay for one?" "If you make this a combo you'll pay only 40 cents more and get a small drink!" "If you'd like to add the 3-D film, it'll only cost two dollars more per person!" EVERYPLACE does it. I understand that Kings Island is close to our hearts, so we feel more emotionally struck by a "nice, benevolent, loving, happy" place doing it. But at its core, Kings Island is a business.