BoddaH1994

That's not true at all. '96 was the best year ever for the park according to a lot of sources.

I think I've got your answer right here: Over the summer was saw some of the highest gas prices in history. PKI expected a spike in attendance as a result of that because families would elect to go to PKI instead of driving to Florida for example. Now, this may or may not have been true, but they probably lost a lot of their market from other states. This may also account for the low attendance at the Florida parks. Now, Toronto is a much bigger city than Cincinnati, so the same theory listed above may have worked to a much greater advantage to PCW.

At the final Beast run, Jeff said that PKI was expected to beat out all of the other seasonal parks again that year.

It depends on how you define "rougher" too, because it doesn't really jackhammer as much, but T2 at SFKK is definitely a lot less comfortable.

Nope, they're right. She was hot.

From their Geauga Lake page: What's the over/under on these things being written by 15 year olds?

You may know something that I don't, but every event that I've seen up there has always had food brought in from the outside. Also, since we're talking about wheelchair accessability, I think they would be able to bypass that. Granted, there's no public elevator, most of you know that there is an elevator behind GR. If they put up signs saying "Ask for Assistance for Wheelchair Access" and allowed handicaped people to use it, they could probably get away with it.

Just give me a few more years at UC and I'll give you the next 4th dimension coaster. While I do not have a subscription to First Drop magazine, many people have confirmed that an article in that magazine specifically mentions S&S has modified the 4D concept, supposedly making it a viable option for parks. From what I understand, there were even pictures detailing the changes made (shorter, lighter trains, different wheel/axle configurations, etc.) Here is a link to a website featuring the Intamin 4th dimension concept. If anyone is fluent in German, a translation would be nice Google looses a fair amount in translation. Here's the best translation I could get:

I love it... They charge for Winterfest and you guys are ****ed, they don't charge for Fearfest and you guys get ****ed. They'll just never ever win.

Will there ever be a 4D made again? I bet you anything there will be. Will Paramount Parks get it? Very very unlikely. It's the extreme thrill-style ride that they seem to be floating away from.

They would also drop the Paramount name if they split the company and Paramount Pictures and Paramount Parks were on opposite sides of the split.

I'm glad you had a good time. I mean, if you don't like Christmas events and drove over 3 hrs to get there and still approved of it, they must have done something right.

I sure hope so.

In this Issue (Wednesday, December 14, 2005) Step Inside Santa's Toy Factory Home for the Holidays Parade Holiday Illuminations - Swan Lake in Rivertown Four Hours of Traditional Family Fun! Upcoming Events Unsubscribe/Contact Information Renew your 2006 Season Passes now, pay nothing until April Renew your 2006 season passes now and we won't charge your credit card until April, 2005! You'll receive the best price we're ever going to offer on 2006 season passes PLUS we'll upgrade your passes to GOLD for free! For more details, visit our Holiday Sale. Step Inside Santa's Toy Factory Have you ever wondered how Santa and his elves hastily satisfy the demands for all their Christmas toys each year? If so, the lively Toy Factory Musical featured nightly in the Paramount Theater is a must see for your family and friends. This stage show gives the audience a glimpse into the hectic Toy Factory in the North Pole as one lonely elf, Wendell, struggles to find his Christmas Spirit. Witness Wendell and his fellow elves as they prepare the toys for their spots beneath each tree on Christmas Day and help fuel Santa’s yuletide journey with their overwhelming Christmas Spirit. The musical culminates in a dramatic finale and is sure to bring your family and friends plenty of Holiday Cheer. Show times begin at 4:30pm, and occur every hour throughout the evening (excludes nightly 7:30pm show). All show times are by reservation ticket only. All reservation tickets are available at the Toy Factory Ticket Booth across from the Paramount Theatre. Tell us about WinterFest, win an iPod Nano Have you visited WinterFest yet? Tell us about your experience and you could win an iPod Nano, a pair of season passes, or tickets to the park for 2006! We want to know what you thought! To participate, visit http://www.pki.com/winterfestsurvey. Home for the Holidays Parade Each night at 7:30pm, International Street at Paramount's Kings Island fills with magic as the Home for the Holidays Parade glides though the illuminated streets. Guests of all ages can witness a mix of Holiday vignettes as they enjoy the many parade floats and huddles of Holiday performers who dance, skip, and even hop as they are sprinkled throughout the procession. The parade floats include a breathtaking winter wonderland filled with gigantic snowflakes and a wacky float of silly elves electrified with excitement over decorating their Christmas Tree. It wouldn’t be a holiday parade without Santa, as Jolly ‘ol Saint Nick himself, tops off this collection of Holiday fun on his very own float! Consult the park map for the complete parade route. Great vantage points to the view the parade include Rivertown and the Nickelodeon Holiday Tree Lot. Buy One Get One Free WinterFest Tickets Season Passholder exclusive! Order your WinterFest tickets online before the end of the day on November 18th and we'll give you one ticket free for every ticket you buy at the regular price of $24.99! (you get 50% off, or only $12.49 per ticket). Don't wait until the last minute -- we only have a limited number of tickets available at this price, and they're going fast! To order, visit our web site. Holiday Illuminations - Swan Lake in Rivertown Every evening during WinterFest, time seems to briefly stand still during Holiday Illuminations. Guests will be mesmerized by an innovative, immersive light show reflecting off the waters of Swan Lake and the surrounding forest. Lights dance and pulsate on larger-than-life Christmas trees to a high-energy medley of old and new favorite holiday tunes – just enough to put that festive magic in your head and in your heart! Holiday Illuminations is the perfect way to end your day at WinterFest. This special holiday program uses a dramatic combination of music, water and light to deliver a spectacular performance. While snowflakes appear to drift amid the nearby trees, the waters glimmer and dance to reflect some of WinterFest's most memorable scenes. Showtimes are 5:45pm, 6:15pm, 6:45pm, 7:15pm, 8:15pm, 8:45pm, *9:15pm and *9:45pm. *On 9pm closes, there will be no showtimes after 9pm. Host Your Holiday Party at Winterfest With everything from discounted admission to prepaid meal tickets to private catered events in the International Restaurant, we make it easy and affordable for groups of just 15 or more to gather and enjoy the magic of the seasonâ€â€together. For more information on company outings or group rates, click here. Four Hours of Traditional Family Fun! Don't miss the Nightly Lighting on International Street. Each evening at dusk, one lucky family will help light the Eiffel Tower Tree. Peek into Santa's Toy Factory Musical in the Paramount Theatre to see Santa and the elves getting ready for Christmas. Dancing reindeer and singing penguins help spread season greetings in this musical celebration. Your favorite Nickelodeon friends are getting ready for the holidays. Come see them at the Nickelodeon Holiday Tree Lot on International Street, where snow falls magically each day. Spin, twirl and glide across the Ice Skating Rink on the Royal Fountain or just watch the action and sip hot cocoa. Skate rentals are available next door in the skate shop. Holiday Illuminations fountains and lights dance at Swan Lake in Rivertown for a exciting display of "liquid fireworks," which are choreographed to cheery holiday tunes. WinterFest Haus lets you enjoy a home-cooked holiday dinner without all the work! Ham, turkey and all the trimmings make for a very merry meal. The Christmas Parade brings holiday cheer through the streets of WinterFest. Take a Ride on The White Christmas Express in Rivertown for an enchanting train journey through Kings Island history. Look for our next issue in March, 2006!

I'm the exact same way, but the GP seems to disagree. I'd walk around the park if nothing were open, in fact, I have several times and always considered it a great time, yet I pitched the idea of going to Winterfest to my sister and she didn't want to because not many of the rides would be open.

You are 100% correct, sir. Personally, I think the park gave us what they told us what they were going to give us. I mean, if you thought everything they said at the press announcement sounded stupid, you could have made the decision 6 months ago not to go. I have come to know some of the members of the entertainment department personally and I know they have worked VERY hard to get this event right. This was their time to shine and if I must say so myself, they did a darn good job at it. Personally I would be pised if I worked so hard rehersing this stuff, put on a magnificent show and came on here and saw people whining about the trees on I-Street not being lit up. What's the big deal? I'm going to say this for the 18 bajillionth time: Winterfest is about live shows and entertainment. If you don't like going to live shows, or hate the holiday season, or don't like being out in the cold, or hate PKI, or anything of that sort, it's not going to be for you. Once again, there are very few rides opened and that's for good reason. NO Tomb Raider is not open, NO FoF is not open, NO The Beast is not open and if Wintefest comes back in the coming years, they likely won't be open. Now I'm not going to deny it, PKI's out to get your money. If they weren't they'd be rotting like Americana. It's a matter of what value you'd put on what's offered. Personally I loved the event, but I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone. If you go to the park expecting the same type of experience, you're not going to get it.

Live show trailers is a great idea. It's not a secret that PKIC will have a greater emphasis on the live shows and entertainment next year. Out of respect for the people doing the shows however, we likely won't put up enitre shows. If we ever did, it would be with special permission and likely after the show has closed. Music from the park would involve all sorts of copywrite red tape, so I doubt that would ever happen. Then again, the Podcast is a great idea. We actually toyed with the idea of having PKIC Radio years ago, but never got it off the ground. If we did have a PodCast, it would mostly be staff members hosting and and allowing call-ins. Would any of you know how to pull that one off? POV videos are illegal so we won't do that ourselves. They can only be done with special permission and special equipment. We'll try to get our hands on videos that have been done legally and get permission to upload them. Thanks for your continued input. More suggestions are of course welcome!

If they actually had a series of elements after the top hat, an intro like that could make for a very good ride. Unfortunately the most we're going to see is a bunny hop for now.

Is it just me or does that ride deisgn seem completely pointless if the top hat isn't incredibly tall?

That sounds like an interesting new show ... I wonder if it is like School Of Rock . This is what I would like to see ... More content (More pages to really get in depth on PKI) Park Maps More general photos When I mentioned the School of Rock interview, I meant that as an example. But on that same note, it's been confirmed by countless sources that we will see a new and improved School of Rock 2.0 in 2006!

If you could have anything on PKIC as far as content goes, what would it be? Examples: More live shows and entertainment coverage i.e. Schoof of Rock interview Exclusive PKIC content i.e. Winterfest construction tour photos General park photos General park videos More event coverage i.e. Beast Buzz Please be specific in your ideas. Remember that this is your site and we just run it, so we try to cater to what you, the members, find interesting and enjoy seeing on the site. Thanks, Ryan

I did not know that. I actually wondered how they conditioned the ice. They could have always turned the freezers off at the end of the event and turned them back on a few hours prior. That would be risky, but it would call for a smooth surface to start the day with.

^ I don't have any actual numbers, but based on the PKI I know, a sellout would be wall to wall people.

I'd say so... First of all, you're right, the train should have no problems running under any conditions if it's anything like a real train. Ice, snow, hail... nothing to a train. Secondly, if PKI had a Zamboni, which I don't think they do, I don't think that would be the way to go to fix the rink. With out cold it is, putting warm water on the snow would just cause lumpy ice patches (kind of like what up and down I75 right now). Festhaus as well as any indoor venue should be fine under any condition. As far as the Winter weather goes, Jeff warned me and I think I warned all of you that if the weather did get really bad, they would cancel the event. It's not like they backed out at the last second, they already had the policy instilled. The park's pathways have been and continute to be pretreated. That's not the problem. I'd say the problem is within the lot. That thing is big... really big. Even if they took every truck that PKI owned and stuck a plow on it, they still wouldn't be able to have to done to a reasonable degree within a 24 hour span. Just remember, PKI didn't do this because they hate winter, they're afraid of snow, and they weren't paid off by Scrooge. They did what they thought was in the best interest of the employees and guests. They put safety before profits, and yes, I'm willing to bet anything that they loose money by having the event closed for the day. Even if they made "free" money off of people who bought specific date tickets and won't attend the event at all now, they still loose the food and merch revenue from those people and everyone else who intended to attend today's event. I actually applaud the park for this. You guys can point fingers all you want, but this is definitely a sign of decency.

I'm going to level with you guys... I think that $25 is really expensive for the event. Now, anyone with half a brain can pay a lot less than that so it's not hard to get a good deal. I think $16.99 is a pretty fair price for the event. Even parking isn't bad. I mean, I challenge you to go to a Reds game or a Bengals game and get parking cheaper than that (on the Ohio side). I mean, if you start nickel and diming how much it's going to cost, PKI is always going to loose in your eyes, but if you just think of it as a big family night out (as I think it's intended to be) it's really not too bad. I mean for an average family, it would be nothing to drop several hundred dollars in a day at the park during the season. So $100 for a family to do their business is logically a good rate. But once again, if you're looking for value entertainment, go to the 2nd run movie theatre, Winterfest isn't that. It's not cheap, it's cold, and for a lot of us it's a long drive. Now, counter that with the fact that the park looks amazing, the shows are some of the best ever, the atmosphere is fantastic, and the food is to die for, then decide what you want to do.