BoddaH1994
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Posts posted by BoddaH1994
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On 11/27/2024 at 3:54 PM, disco2000 said:
Could the first 2 iterations have lasted longer had there been more rides....
My understanding is the 1st iteration attendance dropped every year to the point it wasn't worth doing. We all know why the 2nd iteration happened...
I totally get the seasonal atmosphere and all that jazz, but people can get that from other places as well.
Sure people would still want the event and a certain percentage would show up regardless (meal and drink plans LOL), but if next year they announced no rides, watch what happens to attendance.
People think rides with KI. If rides were not important, they wouldn't be adding rides to the event.
You are 100% correct.
While KK's event certainly affects things, the Zoo, Newport Aquarium, etc now have very popular Christmas events. You know what they don't have? Rides like Kings Island. That's the ace they'll have have up their sleeve when faced with competition.
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3 hours ago, Tr0y said:
A family launch coaster across from a family launch coaster (Backlot) will go well with our pair of B&M hypers.
Don't say anything in front of Snoopy's Soapbox Racers and Backlot. Parenthood is tough.
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Theme Parks By Don blog on this:
https://themeparksbydon.com/could-this-be-kings-islands-next-family-thrill-attraction/
Tower Topics on the subject:
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2 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:
Yet Kings Island " laughs" at the thought of competition from Kentucky Kingdom!
I suppose that's kind of like when you pick on that kid in high school, then they come back to school 50lbs heavier, all muscle. Got into CrossFit over the summer.
But let's be honest, that park is in capable hands with deep pockets now. If they didn't pay attention before, they should now. Kings Island's offerings have been complacent at best for half of a decade. A good percentage of their market is in KY and IN. Those people may look for alternatives if Kings Island doesn't make any waves in the near future.
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Kentucky Kingdom announced on a live feed that Herschend, the parent company, had committed to $25 million in capital over the next two years.
That likely eclipses the total investment that Kings Island has had since 2021.
Silver Passes on sale now.
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59 minutes ago, CoasterJack said:
Today's Youtube Advertisement for KI with a lovely spelling mistake
. The link is legit too...
To be fair, that's probably the agency's mistake.
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Hopefully it’s maintenance and not removal.
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I’m still holding out hope that it’s something like a Big Bear Mountain.
My fear is that it’s another B+ “cheap but cheerful” experience like we’ve seen every year since 2019ish (yes, that includes Orion).
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If you were hoping for something physically big for 2026…. well, I’ve got news for you.
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Demolition paperwork filed for several rides, including Green Lantern:
…and finally, the park is no longer blatantly denying the Kingda Ka rumors:
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25 minutes ago, Browntggrr said:
Ouch!
You consider Beast & KK to be on same level??
To the locals of SFGadv, I’d bet it is.
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12 hours ago, Orion-XL200 said:
I agree,and I definitely think it needs more of an intimate setting. When it was in the former location, though a bigger location, the animal stalls, the patio heaters and off the path made it much better.
As long as the menu features items with names that guests can determine what exactly they would be eating. I know a few years ago, I had to look up what exactly the menu items were. And as long as you can visit on the handful of dates that it is open:
I understand that they use the IR for corporate events, and it’s a bit disappointing that the dates are limited so much, but as long as they stick to those dates then it’s fine. One year they had a dozen or so dates listed and my group all arranged to do it one evening, only to show and find out that the date had been removed.
I’m guessing NYE details will be released later.
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5 hours ago, johnjniehaus said:
The Racer being open during the event because I personally like it better than Mystic Timbers.
Love love love tinker's toy factory
Thought I might try the buffet this year as I've never been in the International Street restaurant
I also have the meal plan this time around so I am looking forward to getting food and hopefully some of the holiday offerings will be included on the meal plan
You haven't lived until you have eaten a buffet in the IR during Winterfest.
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1 hour ago, MaestroJr said:
I kind of wish The Adventure Express was open as well for Winterfest because I think it would be a pretty nice addition to the lineup and it’s not a very intense roller coaster so I think it can operate most of the time. It’s nice to have The Racer though.
Me too; however, I think the minimum is somewhere in the 40s, which wouldn't work.
18 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:I remember when I was new here and KK was becoming reborn. That thread was a hot topic then. I was ridiculed for thinking the park would even survive the first season, much less pose any threat to KI
At that time, I was told that Kings Island laughs about the thought of KK and Holiday World providing any competition.
Times have changed, and Kings Island seems busier than ever. But I never thought I would have a Kentucky Kingdom season pass and would let my Kings Island pass expire.
Perhaps the time it was true, but it matters where it matters. With Six Flags having certain expectations, if they lose even 1% or 2% to people from Louisville who decide to just go to KK instead then that may wreck their entire season. As with Holiday World, it really only matters to certain markets. It won't be a meaningful amount of people who will go from Cincinnati to Louisville or Cincinnati to Santa Claus; however, people in Louisville, Evansville, Indy, etc may. These are slightly outside markets but are still a must-win. Much like how Universal measures success with if they can chip away one extra day from your week at Disney, if these parks can stick the landing for a small percentage these geographies, they can win big. These numbers add up and that's how Kings Island is affected.
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8 hours ago, DJSkyFoxx said:
Also, silly question in regards to Racer running during Winterfest. What makes it possible for it to run this year vs previous years? Was it the retracking or? Just curious. Either way I am really excited to see it on the roster for this year!
7 hours ago, DonHelbig said:Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom!
“It couldn’t possibly run during those temperatures!”
”It wouldn’t be ready for spring if they opened it for Winterfest.”
Then KY Kingdom announced their event.
KI ran out of excuses.
As with all things, it comes down to how little they can spend without people ceasing to show up. Clearly they feel that risk.
If you think KY kingdom doesn’t matter to Kings Island, it certainly does. Their success will force Kings Island to do slightly more than the bare minimum.
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June 6th here. Excited!
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I missed the anniversary, but the merger was announced just over a year ago today. How we feelin'?
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What it boils down to is that the company is clearly eager to move forward with this restructure. The director level will not be Chad, at least in the Midwest Region. Both he and/or Elizabeth may be one of the positions below that, but as Don said, they won't be exclusively for Kings Island. This may mean that they get placed in roles that are within the region or they may get "future endeavored." If I were to guess, I'd say that we'll have a pretty good look at what this where people will be by the start of Winterfest.
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12 hours ago, Platinum Bass said:
I finally got to this episode recently. First let me say I love both Tower Topics and The Attractions Group podcasts. Always interesting stuff...
That house has fascinated me for some reason. At one point not too long ago I went down the rabbit hole of seeing what historical information might be available about the property online and learned quite a few things. None of that is super exciting, but perhaps a few details might be worth sharing...
Based on various property records, I believe the house was built sometime between 1954 and 1956.
I can't speak for or against the accuracy of the supposed agreement to not tear it down, but FWIW it was actually one of three houses side by side all along what was the east side of Columbia Rd that Kings Island left standing, and apparently used in some capacity, for many years. Each property had different owners prior to Taft purchasing each of them separately in early 1970. All 3 houses were still standing at least until 1986. 2 of the three until at least 1993. By 1997 only the one in the fort remained.
Hopefully I'm attaching these images correctly...
The first one is snip from a survey from 1984 showing each of the original property boundaries of the three houses KI kept around. The house in the fort is the southern most of the three plots in the red circle.
The other images below are all snippets cropped from aerial photos made available online by the Ohio Department of Transportation. In each one the "fort house" is circled in red.
Here is 1956. Fort house is recently built. The middle of the 3 houses is being built. No sign of the northern house yet. The old farm house further north in this photo would not survive the park opening.
Here is 1957. The middle house is now complete. The fort house has added a pond. Still no sign of the northern most house.
Here is 1964. The northern most of the 3 houses the park would keep is now present. The middle house has added a garage or large shed.
Here is 1970, the year Taft purchased each property. All 3 houses were purchased on different dates in Jan and Feb of that year. The northern most house looks to have added an addition to back since the 1964 photo. This one is at an angle that gives a reasonable idea of what the housed looked like before the park owned them. Also of note the old farm house further to the north is still standing at this point.
Here is 1972. The park is open now. All 3 homes are still standing. The older farm house that was further north is gone. This photo shows what Don described in the episode that the train did not originally come particularly close to the house.
Here is 1974. Cars parked at all 3 houses. This one is angled to show a bit of the front of the houses.
Here is 1975. Another one showing a decent look at the houses.
Here is 1986. All 3 houses still standing and appear to still be used in come capacity.
Here is 1993. The middle house is now gone. It would have been in the way of the re-route of the train for the water park. The fort is now build around the southern house. The northern house is still standing though.
Here is 1997. The northern most house is now gone, only the southern one inside the fort survived this long.
THIS is why I love the internet!
This made my day!
In regards to whether or not the house had that tear down agreement, I always thought that sounded a bit absurd. I always assumed they since they actually used the house, and had it disguised, no one wanted to foot the bill for tearing it down and the “agreement” was just urban legend. The same day we recorded this episode, we spoke with a former park executive from that time period to verify the story. He said he “remembers something like that.” So that gives some indication that there may be some truth to it.
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1 hour ago, Tr0y said:
So what I take or at least expect is things won’t change from the current “hands off” approach of the current team.. I can’t imagine there will be more involvement now that PR / Marketing is being controlled from Charolette.
What will happen to Coasterstock?
Coasterstock will be back in 2025, per the park’s announcement.
. .. Unless they decide not to, of course.
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Grace will be a regional PR, and have “helpers” who just facilitate on the park levels, but they will not have direct ownership of the parks’ efforts. They will also have a region Social Media person and have local “helpers” that will work on general projects across the region.
If I were a betting man, I’d say that there will be a spot for both Chad and Elizabeth, but Chad at least, may be taking a bit of a haircut when it comes to the take home pay. Just speculation.
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I know you’re being facetious, but to give them kudos, the fountain seems to be drained later every year. Had they not added the weekend, they would have done all of Haunt with it, which is impressive based on previous years.
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Name leaked.
Reddit is Soooo not invited to media day.
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Coney Freestyle is where I’ve always seen them. I’m not big on sugary drinks, so I haven’t tried it. I’m a big fan of the coffee. I’ve had success at French Corner and Graeters. I was on the fence because I bought it more out of curiosity than anything, but now that it’s coffee season I think I’m happy enough buy it again next year.
I think the Hot Chocolate thing will “fix itself” during Winterfest because of the prominence of that option during that event. I do agree, the poor communication, which has been indicative of the park the past several years, is frustrating. I remember when the park opened and they were telling people that it only worked at the place by the Dodgem and Planet Snoopy, and that the “Mix Up” places didn’t count. A day later, it was, “LOL jk you can use it there. We just didn’t have the cups yet.” I understand that the “first day stuff” is going to happen, but being so grossly unprepared gets harder and harder to excuse every year.
…but as… wise man… man once said (repeatedly, about you - the most loyal park guests) “Your complains are as adorable as they are predictable.”
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Winterfest 24
in Kings Island
Posted
*Meatloaf Burger