Browntggrr

Well given that the game is rather addicting to those who like to spend money resulting in the park making money hand over fist, it will not be closed down. I would think that the ride operators need to pay more attention to what is being brought on the rides. Of coarse finding the hooligan and ejecting him/ her from the park is effective as well. Perhaps the operator of the game could mention and a sign installed of what could happen to guests that do not follow the rules of bringing the BBs on a ride before taking the contestant's money. Sometimes a simple reminder helps for those who are intellectually challenged.

Sure it is possible. But you have to be rather determined and very focused. You can't get sidetracked by midway games, taking multiple breaks, or eating 4 times during the day. It also depends on the weekday. If you are planning to go during the first two weeks of July, it would be a challenge due to the 4th being on a Wednesday. If I were to try to hit all the major rides, I would start at the front of the park and work my way back. You could probably hit Raptor, WT, DT, BS, ID & PT within the first 1.5- 2.0 hrs. you are there since everyone will be heading to Maverick early on & due to Joe Cool. Maverick would be my last ride. As long as you are in line by 10:00pm, with the exception of a major breakdown, they will get you on the ride. Which reminds me of a great night at CP. Back in 2000 the wife and I left a wedding in $hitsburgh and decided to hit the Point. We got to CP at about 3:00am Saturday- no reservations but we tried to get a room on the Point. SS was booked, and HB had one room left. When we got to the room, there was a "Do not disturb" sign on the door (yes there were people in the room- I used a hotel phone to call). By this time I was so tired, I just laughed. We went back down to the front desk, and the employee there was rather upset about the whole situation, and since they were doing their purge for end of night, there was no way to tell what rooms were available. Well amazingly enough there was another room left and she told us it would be the same price as the first room we tried. It ended up being the Presidential Suite on the (concierge) 10th floor. 1 king bed, 2 Queen, 2 fold out couches, large dining room table, 2 balconies all overlooking Lake Erie. It was great. Than we woke up Saturday morning and found out that MF was hit twice by lightning the night before and would not operate due to the computer being fried. Well given that, we went back to bed till lunch, and did other things in the park we usually don't do. We went to SC, hit smaller rides, and generally took our time. We were at the Red Garter (beer break) at 10:00pm (park was open till 11:00pm) and noticed that there was all kind of activity on the MF platform. With not much else to do, we jumped in line. Come to find out that a CP exec (Monty Jasper?) flew to Germany and back with the part and the ride actually started operating at about 10:20pm. We rode 3 times in 45 minutes. The point is, CF will go to extreme measures to make people happy.

When the decision was made to bring X-Flight to KI, the powers that be probably looked for a parcel of land that was relatively flat and easy to develop given the time frame. Since the former helicopter ride was there previously, and the land was cleared for the most part, it was a rather easy decision. Now if CF is planning another major ride/ expansion, past history (CP) suggests they will add to an area of the park that currently does not recieve a lot of attention from guests. My bet is Rivertown.

Perhaps if she actually mentioned that the decreased attendence was for all of CF and not just KI. When she mentioned: "The numbers are in and it looks like the turnstiles are moving a little slow at Kings Island." There is nothing technical about that. She is plain wrong. It is quite possible that with Maverick opening late, CP is bringing the whole chain down attendence-wise (just speculating). In all reality, I can see KI having a better year than most parks. Ki is near a major city, whereas CP is between two cities that are both struggling right now. Add that with the current gas prices, people may not be traveling very far this year.

I doubt it. Since it seems that Paramount had nothing in store for '07, I would be willing to bet that '08 was not even in their plans. I seem to remember that after the purchase last July there was mention that CF would continue the plans that Paramount had. Obvoiusly for KI, that was not much.

A classic story of the media just plain getting it wrong. If you read this: http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm, her story makes more sense. She just read the press release and assumed it was KI. ^^And you are correct. I have not seen CF announce attendence for individual parks. I believe that the CF press release was posted here by Interp back on Saturday.

^ I hope your theory is not true. It would not be a true example of how many will enter the gates of KI if a brand new ride were to be built. FH is a good ride, but still a ride that many people have been on. I, for one, have not made a trip to KI this year only because I have already been on FH in the past. I have made my plans to get to CP before KI only because Maverick is the new kid on the block, whereas FH has a new home, but is still essentially the same ride.

Wow. Just wow. As far as waiting in amazing long lines. I have waited 4+ hours for Beast, MF & TTD. None of which I am upset with the wait. Each were in their opening years so it was not much of a surprise. Today, I would not wait that long for any of them for more than 2 hours. I have been on Firehawk at GL and I will not wait for it for more than an hour. I usually find it worth riding other attractions with a minimal line during the openings of new rides that have longer lines. Now when I go to CP later this year, I will wait no matter how long the line is for Maverick, but from early reports, the line does not seem terribly bad. Firehawk is not a waste of time. It is a decent ride and a very nice addition to KI. But what do I know. I still think Beast is one of the best there is.

http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8795 http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9190 http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9565 http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9596 Choose. Choose wisely.

Now if you got everyone else to agree with you, I'm sure that the prices would drop.

This is really not a surprise. And why would a guest even wear a shirt that did have questionable words/ graphics on it anyway? You know that there will be small children in the park. Most, if not all, parks have had the graphic material of shirts policy for many years now. And if you question why you could not just turn it inside out- it is a easy to turn back 200' from the gates. I applaud SF for sticking to their guns on this one.

KI can charge more for a Starlight pass than CP because people will pay it. The same idea goes for the reason why CP can charge admission at Soak City- people will pay for it.

^The rides do have some minor differences. Maxair swings 140' whereas Delirium swings 137'. I also remember that when MaXair was announced that some here were pi$$ed because MaXair was higher than Delirium.

That makes no sense. If SFWoA was taking any guests from CP, the park would have been successful. SF put in those coasters with the dream of competing with CP, and it turned into a nightmare. Less guests went to the park. And if CF was not putting money into the park, I would agree with you that they want it to fail. But that is not the case at all. SF did not destroy the park overnight, and CF cannot turn it around overnight as well. The additions to the waterpark is a plus. It makes it more of a regional park. And with the way things are going in the business today (all of the hotel/ waterparks being built) the waterpark industry is booming. Those rides were taken out for the plain fact that they are good rides in a park that was not doing them any justice. They were also easy rides to take out- basically built on rather flat land. It was purely a business decision.

What policy is that?

^What I meant by that is, the initial excitement for SF is early in the year. We will have to wait until August to see if the excitment continues, or if SF will go back to their old ways. The same thing with CF. Right now, most are rather upset about the current food prices. But CF could change that, just like they did a few years ago with soda pricing at CP. Guests stopped buying drinks and CP dropped the price back to (I believe $2.50) mid-year.

That is really not surprising. SF could only improve. CF has had SF's number for so long that any type of SF turn around will get people excited. Where CF could be shooting themselves in the foot is if they feel complacent. And by how much they are charging for food, that could be true. It is also very early in the year. Many things could change by August.

^ Even though CS will never see this today; the weather does not look too bad so far: http://www.intellicast.com/National/Radar/...mp;enlarge=true I absolutely love Intellicast!

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBG256ZG2F.html $230 to $265 million for WWoHP and the (unnamed) Simpsons ride. Weird article though. It reads like WWoHP is $265 and then the Simpsons ride is $230 to $265.

Great trip report. Please lets us know how the on- ride video turns out. I have heard nothing but complaints about it.

http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9190 http://www.KICentral.com/photos/displayima...um=42&pos=0

http://www.rcdb.com/ir.htm?cls=277&des...=1&order=-6 I seriously doubt that KI, or any other park, will be planning another stand-up coaster. The stand-up is the gimmick of all gimmick coasters. There is a clear reason why there has not been another stand-up built since 1999- a majority of the people just don't like them. They are not comfortable. Load/ unload times are terrible. The layouts are boring- due to extreme forces on the rider. Oh ya, they are umcomfortable as well. I can't say it is impossible, but it is just really unlikely for KI to get a stand-up. Quite honestly, I would rather see the park install another log flume before another coaster. I really loved going on KCKC, and was rather upset to see it go. The same goes for WWL at CP. I want to have a decent water ride w/o getting soaked. But I would not be upset with a B&M inverted or hyper as well!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...95.html?sub=new Slides, Slime and Suites Marriott, Nickelodeon Team to Create Water Park Resorts By Michael S. Rosenwald Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 1, 2007; Page D01 NEW YORK, May 31 -- Marriott International announced Thursday that it is joining with Nickelodeon, the children's TV network, to create a chain of upscale water park resorts aimed at catapulting the hotel chain known primarily for business travel into the family-themed vacation business. By 2020, Marriott plans to open 20 such resorts, which will feature state-of-the-art pools and towering water slides for children (and adventurous parents), as well as interactive attractions featuring Nickelodeon's cartoon characters Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants covers Marriott International chief Bill Marriott with slime as the companies announce a partnership to create a chain of upscale, family-themed resorts. (Getty Images) Bill Marriott, the Bethesda company's 75-year-old chairman and chief executive, demonstrated his enthusiasm for the new business opportunity by standing on a stage next to Mr. SquarePants as Nickelodeon's trademark green slime was dumped over his head. Marriott's cheek took on a green finish, as did much of his suit -- albeit an old one, as he had previously consented to the sliming. Entering the family-themed vacation business with Nickelodeon helps Marriott further tap into travel dollars being spent by Generation X -- people now in their 30s and early 40s, many with families. The company has been trying to deepen its appeal to that demographic with new technology in rooms and upgrading its bar scene. GenXers came of age with the Nickelodeon brand, which traces its origins to 1979. A Nickelodeon generation is well heeled and traveling. "They've grown up with these characters and with this Nickelodeon programming," Bill Marriott said in interview after a brief disappearance to change suits. "They have the kind of respect for it that we had for Disney when we were growing up. So there's a lot of allegiance here." Cyma Zarghami, Nickelodeon's president, said some parents take their children to Disney theme parks out of nostalgia for family vacations of their youth. However, she said her company is seeing a new trend, with children persuading parents to share experiences that are important to them. That phenomenon lets Nickelodeon deploy a new strategy by extending its brand through the lodging business while not necessarily competing with behemoth theme park operators, she said. The deal, which was announced in a news conference at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, also enters Marriott into the fast-growing water theme park business. Attractions such as Great Wolf Lodge, which has a location in Virginia, Water World in Colorado, Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Texas and Disney's Blizzard Beach in Orlando have become popular vacation spots. But Marriott and Nickelodeon say they have come up with something different. For starters, their resorts have a connection to a popular children's network. Also, Marriott has an extensive customer-rewards program, which borders on obsession for some business travelers, and the hotel chain hopes those travelers will turn to the Nickelodeon resorts when the family takes a road trip. Also, Marriott is making the resorts as much a playground for adults as for kids, offering the latest in-room technology; flat-panel, high-definition TVs; ultra-modern furnishings; spa facilities; and sprawling meeting spaces for companies that want to host work and play events for their employees and families. "We want them when they are traveling on business, and we want them when they are traveling with their families," said Richard S. Hoffman, an executive vice president in Marriott's development group. Instead of capturing business travelers on the road, this gives Marriott a chance to catch them when they're on the road with young children in tow, Hoffman said. "We don't have a product that's directed to this kind of traveler," he said. The company does have an extensive network of high-end vacation ownership resorts. The first family-oriented resort is scheduled to open in early 2010, in San Diego's Liberty Station area. Designed by the Gensler architectural firm, the property is to feature 650 rooms, most of them large suites including character themes for children, and a 100,000-square-foot water park and activity deck. There will also be an adults-only lap pool and poolside cabanas. Marriott is considering other locations around the country -- even in cool climates, where pool facilities would be indoors -- as well as in the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. The hotels would each cost $200 million to $300 million to build. Nickelodeon has a pilot resort in Orlando in partnership with Holiday Inn. That deal will end in 2009. As part of the new deal, the network, which is owned by Viacom, will be paid an undisclosed licensing fee. Miller Global Properties, a developer in Denver, is to develop and own the resorts, paying Marriott management fees to run the properties. Marriott stock closed at $46.05, up 1.6 percent.

Perhaps he was comparing the PP's to a certain Ohio park that CF has also purchased?

^ Absolutely. Sometimes the forcast is correct. But I have not seen a consistant 8 hour shower/ thunderstorm very often. I have experianced CP in bad weather more often than any other park. And I have never had a washout. If the policy has changed, there is not too much we can do about it- especially since most of us all have season passes. They already have our money. ... a bad day at the park is still better than a good day at work.