mullimann

Winterfest is still up in the air, but further evaluation is needed... UGH... hopefully the management at KI will help bring it back and show CF that it is worth the funding

From the Dayton daily news reporter question during the conference call The nickelodeon contract will be passed down from the previous owner to Cedar Fair The paramount teeming would be reevaluated as they take over the parks The season tickets will be considered, but currently all the CF parks accept season passes from other CF parks

Will they push the metal detectors back to where the booths were to open up the old tram stop area?

Will the Beach,Linder Family Tennis Center, and The Golf Center at Kings Island also have this tax for there guest? I think mason gets enough from the guest of KI. The park has guest that stay at hotels (including the brand new Great Wolf Lodge that will have 401 suites), see movies, eat at resturants and fill up there gas tanks ALL in the city of Mason. Will they also charge a tax for the guy who had the Wizards of Winter house in Mason?? Common.. 1% income tax for the employees in the city, which most citys also levy any subcontractors that work inside there city so its likely that the crews building NU would have paid that tax as well and probably don't know they are eligable to get 1/2 of that returned if they pay anouther city tax (likely their home city)

Its understanable why they would have cheaper prices when you pre-purchase your tickets. It is easier to have extra employees when you have several days to schedule them. Other reasons cost are going up is the fact that gasoline prices are through the roof. Kings Island like many business are feeling the cost of high gas prices. They pay for it from the cost of food that suppliers charge more for, to trucking companies that charge more for delivery charges due to fuel surcharges. Not counting the hundreds of vehicles that they operate every day. This effects Kings Island in many ways. If gas prices stay too high through the summer then many guest will not take that longer trip to visit Kings Island thus costing the company more due to lower gate income. This really has nothing to do with Paramount/CBS they are financially stable and are only trying to maintain their profit margin.

When I worked at USF in the late 1990's, the nick studios were mearly a shell. The productions were down to a skelleton crew. The main thing that was taped there was the breaks with games outside the studio. Occasionally nick would have a pilot filmed there to save cost and to have the live studio audience reactions. But going to a Theme park to watch a TV show be taped was no longer accepted by guest who are paying $50+ to spend 5 hours inside watching a taping. The Universal Production Group has approximately 6-7 soundstages (revised now 8-9 studios with the acusistion of the paramount soundstage). Film there in the 90's included American Gladiator, TNT wrestling, now TNA wrestling, battlebots, a heath channel. The facilitys were designed to be a real production studio and would allow guest to see productions but with the rank group merger with universal the parks began to compete with disney more than just the MGM studio portion of the park and to add more attractions and abandoned the tour trams. The studios will remain on the property and can be used for attractions if GE desires. I do not forsee any attactions going into those buildings soon. One example of a conversion of a studio on the USF property is Kong, now featuring the Mummy ride. The building is actually built as a soundstage and then converted. One unique feature of all the soundstages on USF's property is they are built to withstand a Catagory 4 hurricane hitting orlando and still stand with there own power generation. As well as many of the buildings on the property. The security command center and the vaults are all built to the same standard to protect the property and assests.

The Disney Parades are all pre-recorded in the months of October and November, sometimes early December. The Performances are done early and at the artist open times. The lipsinc is done at Disneys request since the entire sound system is computer controled, and the fact that they want the best sound on the program. I have been there when the parades are taped and have seen it where they will have an artist go back through the "Film zone" because of a mistake or something just not looking right. I've also seen where they have had artist record programs like Garth Brooks or someone around the park at nighttime... Nighttime is like 1am sometimes and its not fun. Well I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas/ Hanukkah.

That was a great find. I have been looking for some operational photos of The Bat for a while now. I was truely the 1st of its kind. Taft spend millions on a ride that was short lived. IF!!!!!!!!! Vortex were to ever be raized, or anouther coaster be built The Bat lives again should be built, but as a modern B&M or Arrow suspended coaster. To rebuild it in its orginal station would be a return of history. I love The Vortex and all, but it is starting to show its age with ride quality and rider counts. That site is a great Terrain coaster site too. I noticed that 90% of the trees that were on that ride are gone from the building of Vortex. I used to work at USF IOA. And I would ride Dueling Dragons daily the feeling of a suspend coaster. Thank you Coasterdad for the video and I hope that he has more of KI from the old days..

Wow its great to see the park begining to look more like the year long parks. Hopefully CBS/Viacom will see the value and keep the park open closer to a full year. Thanks for the pics zozobeast and coastersrz.