BoddaH1994

Eye witnesses as well as pictures confirmed that a cable snapped in two. Upstop, the rides brakes are magnetic and can only fail in the event of the Earth's magnetic poles switching. There are cables that bring the car up to the top of the tower, an most likely, the cable that snapped was on the same vehicle. Those cables are under intense tension and if it snapped, it is highly probable that the cable shot down underneath the car and unfortunately came in contact with the young girl. With regards to DZ at KI, if any of the cables did snap, the seats are far enough away to more than likely not come into contact with it. I don't remember if someone asked on this site if DZ's ride vehicle is further away because of this potential risk but that isn't the reason. It is like that to be able to hold more passengers. This is a true freak accident that was way beyond "worst case scenario". Even preparing for a cable snap during design cannot predict the violent behavior of something under such high tension. This is very tragic and the girl and her family, as well as the many witnesses including the ride operators, need our prayers. Magnetic polarity isn't the only way for it to fail. What if one of the magnets weren't installed properly? What if something became detatched? Certainly the ride vehicle can't bypass the brakes, that's just nature, however if for some reason the brakes weren't present... or at least where they should be, it's plausable.

I don't get the Starburst ones......

It's summer time, and Kings Island is in full swing! This past Saturday, the park debuted what we consider to be the best kept secret of the five live shows debuting this year. Meet the Nicktoons isn't your average meet and greet, it's a full blown celebration of summer! Nickelodeon characters are on hand live at 5:00 daily to interact with the children, pose for photos, and give out a lot of hugs... of course, not until after a brilliantly choreographed dance routine with all of your favorite Nickelodeon characters. So join Dora, Diego, Blue, Patrick, SpongeBob & friends at the International Bandstand, located near the Eiffel Tower, daily at 5:00! Also, while you're in the mood to relax, don't forget to check out the Endless Summer on Ice in the Paramount Theater, Hot Island Rhythms which is also located at the International Bandstand, Dora's Sing-a-Long -- which is another kids' favorite at the Nickelodeon Theater in Nickelodeon Universe, and of course Twistin' to the 60s, which is set to debut this Saturday in the International Showplace! It's been almost a year since we have seen Son of Beast make a cycle full of riders. We were on hand to get our first official photos of Son of Beast's new trains being tested on the track. Both trains were loaded with water dummies and were parked in different portions of the course. Of course, there has be no official word of Son of Beast's reopening, however this certain seems to be a big glimmer of hope! Now that Kings Island closes daily at 10:00, it means that the park closes with a bang... or several bangs in this case! Every night that Kings Island closes at 10:00 or later, the day is ended with an amazing Fireworks Spectacular presented by Kings Island and Rozzy's Famous Fireworks. This tradition dates back to the old days of Coney Island and we are thrilled that Cedar Fair is keeping it up! To see photos of Meet the Nicktoons, Son of Beast trains, Fireworks Spectacular & more click here to be linked to our latest update. Don't forget to keep checking Kings Island Central for the latest, news, rumors, photos, and everything else to do with Kings Island amusement park! Best Regards, Ryan, Dane & Ronny

Ha... sounds fun. I've seen a few of your videos and it seems like you and your wife have quite a unique outlook on the industry. Thanks for letting us know. Ryan

At the time there was a LARGE difference in quality between Japanese steel and American steel. The King Cobra, coming from TOGO, which was a Japanese company, was made out of Japanese steel since it was the prototype. The other TOGO standups at the other (former) Paramount Parks used American steel, which is why they still exist.

The lottery has been there all year, well the instant lottery anyhow. You're right. You can now purchase lottery tickets on the first shop on your right, entering the park on International Street. I take from the post on PKI.com that assoicates from the Lottery will be on hand for some sort of event. Not sure really. The link on the site doesn't have any further information. Did you guys notice that the Ohio Lottery now sponsors SlingShot?

This Saturday, June 23rd, the Ohio Lottery will be on hand at Kings Island and guests will be able to win prizes, per PKI.com.

I'm friends with the stage manager of the PT, and we had kind of an interesting discussion about the show. A lot of what makes a good show vs. a not so good show is how the crowd reacts to it. When the crowd is alive the excitement spreads like the plague and inherently makes more people have fun. A problem that's persistent with Endless Summer (which it in a way succeeded School of Rock) is that people aren't sure how they are supposed to act during the show. When a skater puts on a good performance, it seems as though people want to clap, but are afraid that it's inappropriate. Obviously you know that I attended the rehearsals to make the update for the site, but I also made a special trip up to the park to see the final product. The biggest thing that I noticed was that people were basically sitting on their hands during the first act of the show. A few people began to clap during the duet part of the camp scene, which opened the flood gates to applaud in the NASCAR scene. After that, it dropped off again. I kind of theorize that people were afraid that their reaction was inappropriate for the show, so when it got "out of hand" everyone stopped. I noticed a bit about the quality of the audio too, which was something I brought up with the manager. It really wasn't loud enough at the beginning of the show. I sat immediately behind the sound board, and could hear the skates strike the ice during the opening number, which I don't think is appropriate for that style of show. The sound did get much better as the course of the show went on. I'm not sure how that pans out. Oh, and trust me -- the Paramount Theatre... it gets loud... LOUD... and with amazing quality too. The problem isn't with the equipment. May I ask you what you would have done different for an opener? Comparing any amusement park show to Broadway, by the way, is really inappropriate. Not that I'm accusing you of doing that really.. Let's be honest, having the "best" show in a seasonal amusement park is like being the tallest midget. I honestly think that there's something really special about KI's entertainment department which makes me keep coming back. I must admit that I saw School of Rock dozens of times... I really couldn't get enough of that show. I'll probably see this show far more than once too. I have nothing but the utter most faith in the entertainment department at our park.

I disagree. There isn't exactly a smooth transition between scenes, but I think they all sum up to a reasonable continuity under the understanding that you are going through the events of summer. Just think -- Last day of school, camp, NASCAR race, 4th of July and then back to school. Granted, if they were at camp and said, "Let's get out of here, I've got tickets to a NASCAR race!" or whatever it would have made the scene transfers a little more predictable, but I think part of the fun of the show is predicting what they're going to emulate next. Just my take.

Don't forget that Meet the Nicktoons Live at 5 happens daily on the International Bandstand, located on International Street near the Eiffel Tower. That's a perfect opportunity to meet your favorite Nickelodeon characters. Also, if they like Dora then they'll LOVE Dora's Sing-a-Long, which is located in the Nick Ameptheatre right in Nick Universe. I saw it on opening day and the kids could barely contain themselves. It's very interactive and a lot of fun for the little ones.

It's funny -- you say that but it's the park's responsibility to make sure that the "greedy hands" of guests can't access things that can apparently so easily be destroyed. Oddly enough, two other Paramount Parks have WORKING models of IJ:ST. Are the guests' hands less "greedy" at the other parks? Probably not. Let's face the facts, IJ:ST, at KI simply isn't maintained the way that it really should be. I don't know if they have the wrong people in the wrong positions or if it's simply a money issue, but the fact of the matter is, the exact same rides are done right at other parks.

I'm guessing ACE puts some sort of plaque displaying their name at every park that hosts Coaster Con.

Gotta love ACE physics: The value of a park is directly proportional to its roller coaster collection.

Almost certainly not. It'll probably be just the same logo without the loop. You guys may recall that after they announced the removal of the loop, the park borrowed some photos from us which were of SOB, but did NOT feature the loop. I guess it comes down to not wanting to falsly advertise.

I'm still a little schocked 7-Eleven hasn't broken into the Cincinnati market.

Could be that I'm the know-all of Kings Island. Could be that I have a direct phone line to Dick Kinzel's office. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Maureen said they were on site at Winter SOAR.

The show originated at Knott's Berry Farm years ago, then emerged at Cedar Point a few years ago. Now it's nearly chain-wide. You are correct in saying that Snoopy was replaced with HBL characters. The only major difference you'll see in the show is the addition of the NASCAR scene.

The trains are on site.

Heck, I'm just glad people are finally talking about this show.

Makes you wonder how profitable having it for free really is. Let's be realistic -- a lot of the revenues generated by the park are far beyond gated admission. I remember going to FF as an upcharge attraction back in 02 and the park was completely dead until right before Halloween. Do you really think they'll profit more from having a $24.99 per head admission (or whatever) and have a lot fewer people, or to have a ton of people who got in for free? I do however agree with Young Gunz in saying that they can do a lot more with an upcharged Fearfest. Fearfest, even the night stuff, has to be moderately family friendly since it is free. As an upcharge, you know exactly what you're getting into.

I think he's asking more of a "what if" question rather than saying it's actually going to happen.

They did have a celebrity execution show. I saw it. Alice Cooper was there.

I wouldn't limit it to just coasters considering the placement of TR:TR I really don't think Tomb Raider looks so out of place. I realize that it's supposed to be an Asian temple or whatever, but let's be realistic... it looks like a cave, and caves were found all over the west.

Sundays are typically less crowded than Saturdays, but they do have their fair share of guests. The best days to go are mid-week, like Tuesday through Thursday.

If I had to guess, I'd say they'd be slight lighter than a typical Sunday. Simply because there's a lot more to do on Fathers Day, like cookouts and whatnot. Of course as you stated, there's no way to really know.