marlfox_21

If you could care less, then that means you DO care. Otherwise, you would have said you couldN'T care less. Your Freudian slip is showing! And how anyone could say Top Gun looks like a junk pile in a park that sports Italian Job, I can't possibly imagine... "I simply must agree" Top Gun is in my view, going extinct. Not the ride itself, just the type of coaster. I love this ride. I ride it at least once every single time that I visit the park. It just would not be the same trip to Kings Island without it. And it does not look like junk. One view that I personally enjoy is how it corners close to the Son of Beast. If nothing else, it proves just how big the S.O.B. really is. And I have a lot of good memories of riding Top Gun. On the other hand, if someone wants to talk about a roller coaster successfully looking like a junk pile...... .....Then the award goes to......ITALIAN JOB: STUNT TRACK. Congratulations! You look like a junk pile! However, the evil helicopter quote is awesome! As for Cedar Fair, they are doing a much better job in their 1st season than Paramount ever did. The park is cleaner, the associates are friendlier, and the atmosphere just seems more fresh and original. m.f.21

It certainly looks like a newly themed area in the works to me. And judging by the pictures, a nice one at that. This is a good sign that there are probably some really good ideas being brought up and amazing things yet to come for Kings Island. Again, I am forced to applaud Cedar Fair for turning the park back around. m.f.21

I went to Busch Gardens again on Tuesday. When I woke up in the morning in Gainesville Florida (home of the U.F. Gators ) I stepped outside to a very smoky morning. The smell of smoke had been in the air for over a week now, due to the wild fires of Georgia, but it was much worse on this day. You could see it, smell it, taste it. So it would be a nice trip to drive 125 miles south to go to Tampa Bay and visit the GARDENS. So I went to my friends house ( Travis ) and left my car there as he myself and my fiance made our way south. After arriving at the park, I realized very quickly that this was not going to be the average day in the park. The wind had already carried the smoke to Busch Gardens. You really could not see the top of SheiKra. And the other coasters were not exactly clear to look at either. When we chose to ride these rides, especially going up KUMBA, I had to place my hands over my mouth for the smoke, and all of the trees surrounding the park looked like they were covered in a dark fog, but again, it was smoke. And the usual view of their Adventure Island waterpark was gone while on Kumba as well. And when we rode SheiKra, much later in the day, you still did not have your normal view of the city of Tampa, because it was blocked with smoke as well. Yes, even on SheiKra, you could not see the nearby Skyscrapers of the cities skyline. And again, even hours later the trees and the park itself were covered in a thick gray cloud. Walking through the park was no better. People were wearing paper masks to support their breathing. Which we ended up wearing as well. The shops were handing them out. This was an unreal day at the park. But when Travis's fiance called him apparently nervous about being home alone, we decided quickly to make our way back to Gainesville. Granted it was almost nighttime anyways, the beams off of Travis's Honda Accord did very little good when trying to drive through the smoke to get back to Gainesville. And upon reaching Ocala, the sky looked gray,and red, and just unimaginably thick. When we finally reached Gainesville, we stumbled upon an eerie sight....Ash. There was ash falling from the sky. Not incredibly thick, but just the same. When Travis parked his car, and I got out to look at mine, it was covered in ash. I couldn't believe it. Me and my fiance drove home pretty quickly, and the ash coming down, in my cars headlights, looked like snow coming down back home in Ohio. I parked my car, and grabbed my video camera and 1st proceeded to wipe the ash off of my motorcycle seat. In case of an emergency, I wanted to check the oil level in my car, which only took a minute, but the ash flashing through the flashlight beam was kind of well...creepy. Upon walking back inside, I myself had ash in my hair, and on my clothes. And after checking on all of our animals, I proceeded to close all of my vents, and turned on the news. Of course the news was not on, so I really had no idea where this fire was. After going online I was relieved to find out that it was still in Georgia, and a few controlled in Fl. but I felt so horrible for anyone in its path. And I now truly pray for them. m.f.21

I went to Busch Gardens again yesterday. And I got some good photos of the newly modified train to SheiKra....Floorless. They have one train on display in front of the coaster. And a countdown clock at the entrance to the ride which reads. 20 days ? hours ? minutes, ? seconds, which is constantly counting down until the train is switched. There is also a sign in front of the coaster which reads, FLOOR? or FLOORLESS? You are running out of time to decide which way you prefer before the change is made. When I have enough time I will post the pictures.

The park should experiment with new ways of punishing people for line jumping. Because chances are, if they are permitted to walk away from one ride, having already accomplished the completion of the ride, they are going to perform the behavior at the next ride as well. Even if they are spoken to. Because that ride attendant that informs them of the zero toleration of the behavior is not going to be able to follow them through the park to the next ride. So the next attendant has no idea. If I could make a recomendation, that would not be popular, but would be effective, the park should consider WRISTBANDS, that are given to the participants who line jump ( only when there is a 100% confidence level of the behavior occuring. ) The wrist bands could have a time printed on them, indicating the time of the incident, and should ban the bearer of such from riding another ride until One full hour has passed. Does it sound like they are wasting money. Not if they are clearly informed of this before anything happens. And they still get to enjoy the park for the day. It would be better than being escorted out of the park without a discount. And if they are caught trying to perform the action again while wearing the band, the next printed band will ban the bearer for 2 hours and so on. This is just a spur of the moment idea. I'm sure there are some loose strings attatched in this brief description, but you get the point. m.f.21

I have to completely agree with you when it comes to teenagers and younger adults not acting their age and displaying total disrespect towards nearly everyone around them. Blowing smoke in peoples faces ( with children around ) and cutting in line does rank pretty high on the list these days. They are old enough to read the signs that clearly state that these such behaviors are not tolerated by the park, and they are simply old enough to not have to be RETOLD these behaviors anyways. The problem is that they are simply to ignorant to care. This is more than simply disrespectful behavior at amusement and theme parks. This has to do with their upbringing, and how well their parents raised them. And it also reflects the local school sytems success at producing mature and responsible adults. In a society that does not allow discipline, kids are learning that they may behave in whatever manner that they want. I am not saying to beat kids down, but I am saying that if parents and schools were allowed to perform discipline on misbehaving children, I think that it would dramatically reflect in the world in which we live. And I mean in a positive way. m.f.21

Despite the fact that I truly do love this park, one of my opinions will not be changed. The decision to place Italian Job: Stunt Track in its present location has got to be one of the worst ideas ever presented to the table. I simply refuse to ride it. I refuse to support the thing that took one of the parks best pieces of landscaping and dismantled it into what appears from the top of the Eiffel Tower to be a junk yard. A junk yard not kept in good maintenance. So what should they do with Italian Job?.....I say tear it down. Granted I realistically understand that this is not going to happen anytime soon. But they should tear it down, and plant some trees. Grow some flowers. Put in a couple of benches, and a trail. Maybe add a skytour, and make one of the docking stations be located somewhere amongst the garden. And they could add in a paddle boat ride or something going around the perimeter of the garden. I don't know all of the answers, but I am convinced of One thing involving this coaster. Anything would look better than Italian Job sitting where it is. m.f.21

Happy Birthday Kings Island! Tomorrow is MY FIANCES BIRTHDAY! I am taking her to Tampa to visit Busch Gardens! Just about a 2 hour drive away. I am hoping to give her a GOOD ONE! m.f.21

OK....How about in week number 2. Is anything else different? Because it turns out that I am actually going to be able to visit the park in 2 weeks. I can't wait, really. I'm bringing some friends up from Florida to visit the park for their 1st time. One of them has a slight fear of big coasters. But I managed to get him on SheiKra and Expedition Everest. So what do you think, should Vortex, or Beast be a problem to get him on? m.f.21

All that I can remember about the games really are the football throw and the rings on the bottle games. And my memories of these are of associate parties after park hours. I remember getting the football through the hole "target" on several occasions. And I remember the ring on the bottle game being surrounded by associates, all of them with BUCKETS OF RINGS, counting ONE TWO THREE.....NOW!!!!! On "NOW" every associate with a bucket of rings would hurl them at once onto the bottles. ( probably like hundreds if not a thousand rings at once ) And guess what. Not ONE of them landed on a bottle.

Firehawk is looking really nice. I can't wait to go back to Kings Island and ride it. It is certainly one coaster on my TO DO list this year. As for right now, I am eagerly awaiting the reopening of "SheiKra" at Busch Gardens Florida. When it reopens it will be floorless, and I will probably only have One or Two more chances to ride the coaster before I move back to Ohio. Then its all a go for Firehawk and Maverick! I can't wait to revisit Ohio's parks. m.f.21

Well, as stated in a previous forum, I recently got the job offer that I wanted. An opportunity to assist with care of the animals at The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The opportunity to work with Cincy's Mambas, and Sumatran Rhinos is WAY TO MUCH to pass up. And everything else that they have. Not to mention that Cincinnati has one of the best reputations of ANY ZOO in the country. And the educational outreach programs at Cincinnati are by far the best that I have ever been introduced to. So, YES, I am leaving Florida and my stepping stone job at Disney's Animal Kingdom for The Cincinnati Zoo. I will have to say goodbye to volunteering at Sea World as well. Its ok though, my entire family is located throughout Ohio. So I am welcoming the move back. I am not the kind of person that likes to be still. I like to keep moving about, I LOVE TO BE OUTSIDE, and I have to keep living to the best that life has to offer. So for those of you who still work at the park, and for those of you who have recently been to the park, let me know.... Is the park still what it used to be or is it better? Because granted my career move is obviously The Cincinnati Zoo, I would not mind getting my foot back in the door at Kings Island, as a part time associate or volunteer. I just want to know if it is still pretty much the same environment. Or if it has matured with the new owners. Because, just in case you are not aware of this. Because everybody in Ohio is always truly excited at the thought of going to PRETTY MUCH ANY of the Florida parks. Disney, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Universal. But the people who live down here equally idolize the idea of going to Kings Island, and Cedar Point in Ohio. I hear it all of the time. YOU'VE BEEN TO Kings Island! YOU WORKED AT Kings Island! WOW, I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO THERE. And I can also say that since I have gotten so use to the major record breaking coasters of Ohio, some of the rides down here seem to be YES FUN, but kind of lacking in strength. Its kind of disappointing in a way. I love the rides down here, but I have been spoiled into loving bigger, faster things. People down here call me "the crazy man from Ohio", when I go and ride coasters with them at the parks here. m.f.21

I will not get to enjoy Kings Island until later this summer. So I have some questions for those of you who have already experienced Cedar Fair's impact on the park. Has the music on International Street changed at all? And if so, what music do they play now.? My other question has to do with parking. Since Cedar Fair has announced that the paramount names will be changing over time, have they changed the names of the Rows for Parking? An example of this would be Top Gun 1, Tomb Raider 5, etc. And on top of this. What major changes, other than the obvious ( Firehawk, etc. ) did you notice? Also, what small changes did you notice? I am really interested in knowing this. m.f.21

Oh come on. This is just an excuse to complain about the new owners...About ANYTHING. Seat Belts are a part of a lot of major amusement parks coasters now. Busch Gardens for example. It reinforces safety measures, and this should be applauded, not looked down upon. I am sure that everyone who took part in the last ride of Son of Beast would be glad to hear that Cedar Fair is taking new measures to ensure everyones safety. And if something happened to anyone complaining about them, they would be too. And I will bet that when Son of Beast Reopens ( someday ) it will probably have seatbelts. This is not an issue involving proper management. This is an issue involving maturity, and realizing what is more important. Don't expect for my opinion to change. This is my first and last posting on this topic. m.f.21

I also hope that Cedar Fair has the intention of fulfilling the desires of guests of all ages. Not just the overexcited crowd that thirsts for more intense thrills. Granted this is the type of person that I am, but I feel bad for individuals who pay to get inside of the park only to find that over the last few years, anything that they could enjoy due to being elderly, having infants, or perhaps injury has been slowely removed without a trace. I have noticed that Cedar Fair is bringing back some shows such as Ice Skating that people of every size and description can enjoy, and I applaud them for doing so. And I sincerely hope that this is only the beginning of a lot of fantastic shows to come. Events that actually touch peoples emotions, and leave them begging for more have been long lacking at Kings Island. I just copied the above statement. But I will have to say that I agree with a lot of this. Especially the shows at Kings Island. I really hope that what Cedar Fair is introducing to the park this year is just a taste of what is yet to come of their ownership. The park really has lost a lot of its emotion during the Paramount years. Especially for individuals of all ages. It would mean so much to see that emotion return to it's atmosphere. m.f.21

Thank Goodness....AMEN!!!!! Bring a Friend Free Days were HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE, THEY MADE ME WANT TO PUKE. These days were so horribly busy, that guests who came to the park from a great distance, and most likely had to pay for a single day admission, and were unlucky enough to stumble upon the park on this day COULD NOT RECIEVE ANYTHING FOR THEIR MONEY, except for long exhausting lines, and the ability to pay more money after waiting in another long line to buy food, or merchandise, or to wait in another line to go to a restroom. THANK YOU Cedar Fair for doing away with Bring A Friend Free Days. It is the 1 gold pass perk that I would have removed myself. m.f.21

GREAT PICTURES....It looks like Cedar Fair is going to bring some class back to Kings Island. Thank Goodness!

I have to agree 100% with The Interpreter on this one. There are many more important things in this life than an ex boyfriend/girlfriend. And to dwell on the memories of one is only taking away from your opportunity to live. In this world there are the things that seem important to us for a given period of time, that really should not be even taken into account. A TRUE LOVE , a husband, a wife, a child, a parent, sibling are the things that really matter in life. Don't mistake your current attempt at love for the desired result that is in your heart. You will find it when the time is right. m.f.21

THANK YOU SO MUCH.....THE SKYRIDE!....I GOT TO SEE THE SKYRIDE BEHIND THE Eiffel Tower!!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT. m.f.21

Kings Island needs to make a roller coaster that like Flight of Fear, starts in one place and ends in another. For instance. It could start in RiverTown and end in Boomerang Bay. I also feel that Kings Island could make good use of a Hyper-Diving-Flying Coaster. Over 200ft. Diving like SheiKra. Flying like Firehawk. And going through tunnels, and splashing through water, with a splash zone trailing from the coasters rear train. Granted that this would not be a record breaker for speed or height. But oh buddy. What a rush that would be. m.f.21

Looks like the possible beginning to a brand new section of the park to me. Walk through The Racer to get to Flight of Fear and Firehawk. Sounds like the early phases to "Coaster Alley" or something. m.f.21

At Busch Gardens in Orlando....North America's only Diving Coaster..."SheiKra" is going floorless and getting it's feet bars removed by June. This should make the 200ft. masterpiece a little bit more exciting. What do you think? C'mon, lemme know. m.f.21

I went back to the park again with my fiance on the 29th. And your very right. Rhino Rally is a truly incredible ride. The only reason we did not ride this the 1st time, was because it was shut down for maintenance. We also viewed Katonga. And it is a pretty good show. Better than most amusement/theme park shows anyways. And we rode SheiKra 4 times in a row. SWEEET RIDE!! I also went back to Busch Gardens on Sunday the 31st for another showdown with SheiKra, only this time I went with a bunch of Zoo students. m.f.21

For those of you who simply cannot resist turning anything posted into something totally out of the ordinary.....THIS IS NOT A COMPARISON.........It is a joke........Not to be taken seriously. And to the other 98% of you, I am sorry that you had to read the above statement. Firehawk vs. SheiKra.......WHO WILL WIN THE EPIC RAPTOR COASTER OF THE WORLD BATTLE. Raptor?...........stay tuned to next week's exciting issue....... ShaKira....SheiKra has a twin sister!!!!! m.f.21

This is an interesting webpage..... if you type in www.knottsgreatamerica.com then you get greatamericas webpage. At least this works on coasterbuzz. try it m.f.21 http://www.knottsgreatamerica.com/