BoddaH1994

I understand your train of thought, but I don't think the concept is unfeasable. Why not own your competition? That's kind of a win-win situation really. In response to those of you who are saying that they'll drop the Paramount name, I wouldn't count on that. I'm not saying that they'll probably remain PKI, I'm just saying that we simply don't know. If PP were to be bought out by an investment group, I wouldn't be shocked at all to still see the paramount name on the parks.

I know this is a bit late, but here it goes... I got to the park bright and early around 5:30am-ish to find that there weren't too many people there yet. Fortunately the crowds filtered in right on time so we weren't really short anyone. Around 5:45, Nathan (DirtySteve) showed up and not long after my good friends the Simon family showed up (their dad is my boss' boss' boss' boss' boss' at Best Buy, if that isn't awkward enough). Nonetheless, I had surrounded myself by some good people. Of course, to perfect the circle, Coaster N Sich and the one and only Karen showed up as well. We met up with Jennifer from marketing who asked me to lead a portion of the group to Reptar while the others went to Planton's Plunge. I must admit that it was nice being able to hand-pick my entire train. lol Long story short - we got in about 30 rides on Reptar, plus countless rides on Plunge and of course Avatar. I got to meet lot of nice and interesting people from different news agencies around the midwest, which is always thrilling. Around 9:00 we got a "break" (can't really call it a break when we're just riding rides, now can I?) and we took the opportunity to roam the park. Seeing the park in its dead and shut down phase is something that I have become accustomed to as I am up there often with my work on this site, but I must admit that I'll never entirely be used to it. Anyway, as we made our way back to NU still thinking that we had another hour or so to kill, we were asked to ride Avatar. (Darn... more work??) So we did. After a while, the rain started to come down so riding was over. SOB_Tom (oh yeah, forgot to mention that I gave him a ride up there), DirtySteve and I killed some time by tossing around a baseball under the old Nick Ampetheatre. Eventually we were given the all clear to leave. As we were walking out during a break in the storm, a guy came up to me and complemented the site. Of course, I graciously thanked him and made some small talk as we walked out of the park. Then he mentioned that he used to work for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and then it donned on me that this was Don Helbig that I was talking to. I know a lot of you know him, but I hadn't yet and found it to be quite an honor. We got along great considering the whole PKI thing and the fact that I was a Ducks season ticket holder for years. I thought that was cool. So then I went to Chipolte, and finally made it home. Long day, but quite a blast!

Seriously, hold your celebration to the end. You're not right quite yet. This was simply a small blurb as part of a big article. Also, weren't the parks on sale as one unit? Wouldn't CBS be more interested in dumping them all at once? This simply doesn't stack up. I think Kinzel was playiing the numbers game.

It's really hard to say. It all comes down to the demographic. People go to CP because they know it's a big thrill park while PKI seems to bank on the notion that they have a lot of season passholders and their organic growth would stem from keeping them in the park longer. It's really two totally different worlds.

Despite this news, I'd still be SHOCKED if CF was the loan buyer.

I can't wait to see how this all unfolds. You can love or hate Cedar Fair, but you have to admit, this is all exciting!

You very likely did. In fact, they were testing it yesterday around 10am or so... with 5 cars...

I totally agree. NOBODY should assure anything simply based off of what was posted in any forums unless it was a post by someone official, and no I don't take general employee heresay as being offical. Don't think I was knocking your site, I think you guys are doing a good job.

I can tell form the fourms of f of extremepki.com it will be opening This weekend and it has gone threw retracking if you call it that and from my sources say it will have only 5 cars instead of 6. So I hope it is open this weekend and alot more smoother. Oddly enough, yesterday at the filming PKI marketing as well as other employees were saying it was opening in June. Hmm... who to trust?

Despite the fact that it would take "thousands" getting the eagles going again, I still think that a lot of parks could afford them. It would even be nice to see PKI get them (although from what I understand they're un-snappable). In all of the negativity, let's take this time to appreciate that fact that despite the fact that Cincinnati amusements are at a loss, we still do have a wonderful park that continues to grow and change every year. You can claim you love or hate it, but if they didn't continually change, this would be the fate of our dear park.

Here's an idea Klocke: Go see School of Rock once it opens and then decide whether or not it's dumb. Trust me, the concept may "look" dumb to you for one reason or another, but it's rare that anyone is displeased with the show at all.

^ Unfortunately, a lot of new stations go on at 4:30-7am-ish so it would have been unfeasable to have it later. Then again, if any of you know me, you know that I HATE getting up early and I totally didn't regret this. It honestly was an awesome time!

This topic has run its course.

A very special thank you to everyone who showed up today.

I just wanted to thank everyone who got up bright and early to attend the media event at PKI today. For those of you who didn't go, you missed quite a good time. Some of us go upwards of 30 rides on Reptar! I'm sure they'll be doing different TV and commercial filmings in the future, and you guys will be the first to know. I'd recommend doing it at least once. A very special thank you goes out to Maureen and Jennifer for such a great opportunity and such a fun day! Regards, Ryan PKICentral.com - Jealousy, is that what it is?

Keep being a big kid Ryan. Based on what I've seen here you're becoming a fine young man. Woooooaaahh! What have you heard???

I think I understand what you mean... I'm almost 38, and the idea of being 21 again doesn't appeal to me at all. I think about the things I did and thought when I was that age, and realize how misplaced my priorities were. I think the absolute best thing about getting older is how much more comfortable you become with yourself and who you are. It also gives you the sense of presence to realize that I know a lot more than I did at 28, and I currently know a lot less than I will at 48. (And, to be honest, I'm in a lot better shape today than I was when I was 21...not nearly as much beer and junk food ) Of course, there are certainly some events that make me stop and say "I can't believe I'm that old!" For instance, my rapidly approaching 20-year high school class reunion, realizing that Ronald Reagan was President when I started college, and that a girl I went to high school with is now a grandmother!!! (Although, in fairness, she also had her first baby when we were 16, so she's always been on a somewhat accelerated course ) Ronald Regan was president when I was born. By the way, I'm 23 and that's like the worst age ever. It's definitely that "too old to be a boy, too young to be a man" age. But deep down inside, I'm just a big kid. Have a good day, Ryan

My exact thoughts. I have thought about this from the beginning of the season, I have just been afraid to say anything because I figured it would start a flamefest because no one wants to admit anything is wrong. Face it, Jeff was an awesome guy and he made everyone he talked to feel like he knew them and wanted to make sure THEY were having the best time in the park. JEFF WAS ONE PERSON! Doing the job of 10 PR people if you ask me. Now here is food for thought for your statement. Has things suffered BECAUSE Jeff has left? I doubt it, because we all know its about the money, but im sure there is a part of it. Also, how many CP commercials have you seen lately? And how many PKI commercials? No, Jeff was one of four people over the past few years doing the work of ten people (Jeff, Maureen, Stevie B, and Taney) just from the perspective of the outside PR as a guest. On the other hand, Maureen is one of two people (along with Jennifer) doing the job of ten people. I don't know how much her takehome is, but it's definitely not enough.

Actually, I'm willing to say that more people than not aren't familiar enough with the ride to know when things are working. i do however feel sorry for those people because they are being robbed of the true Tomb Raider experience.

I think they did it in 1996, does that sound right?

Are you talking about a "Fondest memories of PKI" thread or forum?

I still don't buy the idea that all of the Paramount themeing will be gone next year or any time soon. Unless another media company buys it, it's going to be less about promotion and more about money. I think licensing rights will definitely be part of the package.

I just got an email from Maureen Kaiser of Paramount's Kings Island marketing communications requesting your assistance. She is looking for 40 people: men, women, and children to participate in Nickelodeon Universe's satellite media event. She needs you bright and early at PKI at 5:45am and the filming will start around 6am and last through 8am. THEN she needs people at 11:30am to ride for about an hour. The rides that will be covered are Planton's Plunge, Avatar, and Rugrat's Runaway Reptar. Thanks in advance for those of you who decide to get there so early and help out. Maureen said breakfast would be provided but hey, what more can we ask than being able to get to the park on a day when it's closed, ride rides for hours, and get free breakfast? If you are interested, please make your reservations with Maureen Kaiser (Maureen.Kaiser@paramountparks.com). Thanks a billion everyone. Regards, Ryan PKICentral.com - Because we don't give a darn how they do it on America's Roller Coast.

Dane and I had an emergency meeting about the ideas listed above and this is my blanket response: Over 30 forum - Excellent idea, but nearly impossible to be feasible. How could you prove that you're over 30? Well, as you know the Invision Powerboards which is the engine that runs the PKIC forums requests that you input your birthday upon registration. Hence the fact that the boards wish you a happy birthday on your big day. Unfortunately, the administration does not have the ability to view birthdays when looking at their profile. It would come down to something like how the Employee Lounge works in which you would PM one of us and we'd basically have to take your word for it, which is something that won't accomplish much in the long run. Place to "vent your frustration" - Any of you old school PKICers might remember the old "Battle Room" which we had when the site first opened. It was intended for threads such as "PKI vs. Cedar Point" with the honest intention of having civil conversations. Unfortunately almost every thread turned into flame war which is not conducive to the type of community which we are trying to build here on PKIC. I've heard a lot of comments about people being tired of negative posts about PKI, and I totally agree. Unfortunately, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, no matter what they may be. The staff feels very fortunate to run a site that is literally visited by thousands of people a day. We feel so honored by the fact that you share you thoughts, opinions and criticism as well as view our videos and photos. If it weren't for each and every one of you, it would be completely pointless to do what we do. The inherent downside to this is that, being such a large community, not everyone is going to be pleased. That goes for the PKI and this site. Everyone is free to carry their own opinions and expressing them on the site is encouraged. All of our TOS guidelines are simply put into place in order to make sure that posts are intelligent and with respect to other forum members. PKI is my second home and I have made some of the greatest friends that I could have ever asked for as a result of it, so it pains me to see negative comments on the site. In the end however, everyone has one thing in common: a love for PKI. To me, it seems that negative comments about PKI are simply a frustration of the perspective that there is a gap between how great the park is, and how great it could potentially be, which is something we acknowledge and respect. Please continue with suggestions. This whole site is intended to make your visits to PKI a little more fun, thus making your life just a little brighter so help us to allow that to happen. Regards, Ryan

::Shows Ronnie his cell phone::