Browntggrr

I am not surprised about the comments that are made there. Most of what is there, we have discussed here. As far as SoB's record, here is another site stating some violations concerning the ride: SoB in 2000 I find it intresting that it mentions about the children's area being top notch, and about SoB's line being shorter than other lines, and that PKI recieves more positive comments than any other Paramount Park (which after going to PKD twice, I completely agree with them). The comments there to have truths to them. But it is not just a PKI bashing site. It also has negative comments about BGW, MM, and PKD.

The only difference between having the food made in the kitchen vs. being catered is the amount of detergent being used in the dishwasher and how hot the water would get during the washing cycle. Assuming that the dishwasher has not been used in quite some time it could be an issue. Other than that, health inspectors will look at refridgerator/ freezer temperatures (41 degrees & zero degrees respectively) which sould be no problem for any units that are already in place, any type of salad bar needs to be kept at 41, heating units (for soups etc.) need to be kept hot (it has been two years since I owned my restauraunt- I forget the exact heating temp, but I believe it to be above 100). The inspectors will also look for the condition of the floors in the kitchen- if the tile is torn or ripped up etc. Inspectors will determine on a license on how clean the entire restauraunt is- no drain flys, water damage, pest contol etc. Where PKI may have an issue would be is it up to fire code. Is the Ansul system up to date? Have the vents above the grill been kept clean? Are there enough fire extinguishers and emergency exits? But just given the fact that there are events held in that room- it should already be within fire code guidlines. It actually is not that difficult to meet health code guidlines since a majority of them are common sense.

This poll is a prime example of how bored we are in the winter. Any bets on the over/ under for SoB?

PKI should have IR operating. Rumor has it that IR lost money. Even though I find that difficult that it did lose money having that one entity improves the park as a whole. It would keep guests in the park as opposed to leaving to go elsewhere and have a sit-down meal. The longer that guests stay in the park, the more money they will spend. As far as the health code issue; if they are serving food in IR, it has to be up to code, it does not matter if the food is being made there or if it being catered by an outside source. It was mentioned earlier that there could be a issue with being non-wheelchair accessible: Elmer nailed it. As long as there are no major renovations or structural changes to the building, IR is grandfathered. Now, that would be bad business. About $10,000 is all PKI needs to have a wheelchair only elevator installed, and if PKI is worried about that amount of money being spent on a person that is in a wheelchair we should all have major concerns about the park we love.

If everything was great for WinterFest, why would PKI make changes to the admission prices and give discounts? Obviously PKI's attendence expectations have not been met because they would have no motivation to change anything if people were coming through the gate.

It's not that people hate PKI, but how things have worked out is very intresting. - Forcing guests to have a specific "reservation" and only go on a specific day (so the guest can save a couple bucks. - Not allowing season pass holders free admission or discounts (origionally) - Making the decision to reduce the price of admission/ discounts - and now closing the park for questionable weather. It is intresting that this is a PKI fan site, and it seems to me that there is a 50/50 split as to those who liked/ disliked Winterfest. PKI did hype it up, and it looks as if they are not living up to their own expectations. But at least they are trying to tie up some loose ends by making decisions that change the costs for the guest. As far as closing the park because of the weather it was probably more of a supply/ demand situation- Since attendance has been low, and the weather is bad, close the park so there will be more guests on a given night in the future. And please people, stop getting upset because some want to air their personal dislikes for PKI. I personally love PKI, but not all of their decisions. It is actually a good thing for people to talk about the negative side of things- this keeps PKI on their "toes" so they try to continuously improve. If all PKI hears is "Your doing great, everything is perfect", they have no reason to improve. I actually enjoy hearing some of the negative side of things, it keeps me open-minded.

The ONLY real way for people to enjoy WinterFest, is to open SoB. In all reailty, even $17.99 (advanced tickets) is way too pricy for a Christmas event. Now if the $17.99 included everything (skates, rink time, hot chocolate w/o food, parking, etc.) then it would be a worthwhile event. I understand that it is PKI's first WinterFest, but using that excuse as to why all the "i's" were not dotted and the "t's" were not crossed is a horrible way to defend PKI, as is the excuse "Well there was not that much time to set everything up after FearFeat." If they can take $17.99 to $25.00 they should have all their ducks in a row- first year or not. ...Or for that matter, give the people a discount coupon for next WinterFest upon their entry for $5.00, and simply state that "If you enjoyed WinterFest 2005, 2006 will even be better." I personally enjoy going to the zoo. It is nice to see al the animals actually moving and doing things at night.

I am a smoker, and I don't have a problem with PKI's rules; it is their park, and they can run how they deem appropriate. I have no problem with taking a break at one of their smoking sections (especially if it is near a beer stand). This constant battle between 2nd hand smoke being bad/ unhealthy/ causes death is as bad as Roe vs. Wade. ANYTHING in excess will harm you, even water (yes, if all you drink is water, it will EVENTUALLY kill you- there are even MSDS on how water could harm you.) There have been studies that a corroded penny will become shiny after "x" amount of time in Coca-Cola. Given these scenarios it is quite evident that; yes, second hand smoke can harm you, but so can many other things used/ abused in excess. Now if someone is concerned enough that they will not go to PKI from 10:00am-10:pm because of second hand smoke, they are obviously over-concerned and over-protective, which is their choice. And if in those 12 hours, you think you could get sick enough from second hand smoke, please don't ruin your health because of one of those "rude" smokers that don't follow the law. Stay home and leave the lines shorter for me. And also don't speed, drink, get a suntain, use a refridgerator/ air conditioning, wear make-up, etc. etc.

I have been under the impression that, per Ohio state safety laws, all parks in Ohio have to perform these yearly rehabs. I do know that CP does these rehabs on all their coasters. And I believe that Six Flags parks do them as well (I think it was on one of the Discovery Channel shows). I would be surprised to know about any other park that does not perform these tasks. If in the event that an accident would happen, and it could be traced to the fact that these rehabs are not being performed, the lawsuit would bury the park.

The increase in attendance at PKI and the decrease in attendance at CP has nothing to do with thrill rides, family rides, or which park is better. It has to do with location. Cincy to PKI- 21.52 miles Columbus to PKI- 85.40 miles Dayton to PKI- 35.10 miles whereas... Cleveland to CP- 64.96 miles Columbus to CP- 129.86 miles Detroit to CP- 115.65 miles Toledo to CP- 61.52 miles Given the state of the economy over the last 3 years, especially in Detroit, Cleveland, and Toledo, where the jobs are mainly manufactoring, and in Cincy and Columbus where the jobs are more geared toward the corporate level- there have been less layoffs in Southern Ohio. Add in the gas prices- since it is quite obvious that the main population sources are closer to PKI than CP. There is more money around PKI. And trips that are above about 115 to 130 miles are about a two hour trip require some guests- mainly families- to stay in a hotel is not to be overlooked. Tis is the main reason that CP has four different resorts to stay in, and PKI has currently zero. Up until recently (the additions of the Great Bear Lodge and Castaway Bay) the city of Sandusky is almost a ghost town. Many of the hotels and restaraunts would close for the winter because there is no draw to spend winter days in Sandusky. So basically, CP is the driving force behind the economy there. PKI is fortunate to be close to a major US city where the population does not have to drive a great distance.

I would hope that PKI is considering bringing back the International Restauraunt. Years ago, the first thing my family would do upon entering the park is make reservations for lunch/ dinner at around 4:00pm. It would be a nice addition. Also- a cleaner park. This issue is not necessarily a PKI issue, but a Paramount Parks issue. After going to Hershey & Busch Gardens Williamsburg (both of which were amazingly clean parks), and then PKD; it was easy to see problems with the cleanliness, and PKD mirrored PKI in that aspect.

It is a nice addition for CP. What surprises me is the price reduction of $5.00 for general admission as well as some other admission prices for smaller children and seniors. According to the press release CP is also going to be dropping some food prices. I'm glad to see that some buisnesses are finally listening to consumers. CP press release

So you are suggesting building a whole new ride? Sounds good!

Yes like the kind of medicine containing a blowtorch and a gasoline can...

Much worse coasters? Now that IS bad. Which coasters' would those be?

What about Raven, Legend and Voyage? Those are all three Terrain Coasters - especially Raven that totally hugs the ground - and they have extreme airtime. Whereas you could compare Legend and Raven as being a terrain coaster because they hug the ground, each was also designed for periods of airtime. And also each is much younger than The Beast (Legend in 2000 and Raven in 1995). I cannot comment on Voyage since it is still under construction. If a ride was designed to have the feeling of weightlessness, then it will. The Beast does not have these features, so for some of the newer "enthusiasts" it seems boring. Take FoF for example. It does not have any airtime, because it was designed to be a different type of ride.

When The Beast was built in 1979, it was the state of the art coaster. No other coaster had 3 tunnels, 2 major lift hills, the 360 degree helix, or had a footprint that was completly closed off to the public. These are the traits that made The Beast one of the best ever. The Beast is a terrain coaster, so the effect of "airtime" is not present. To give another example: Just because it is a steel coaster, does not mean there are inversions- it is built for speed. It is disappointing that the new, so called "enthusiasts", do not appreciate something that was made 26 years ago. It is almost like saying that it is a disappointment that the Ford Mustangs of 30 years ago are not as fast as the ones being produced today.

They don't have the option of having a parking lot coaster...

Considering that SF is selling the property that SFA sits on after the 2005 season because the property is valuable, I highly doubt it. http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/kho...d.4f6d3367.html

I guess I should have been more specific, $ 1 mill per train.

The ride has been retracked, but like PKIBeast stated, the cost of the cars is a large amount. On the other hand, spending $2 million to save a ride that had a price tag of almost $20 million is not that expensive. Considering how much the origional price was and the additional money that has been spent to make SoB a more enjoyable ride and less like an S.O.B Only time will tell.

SF "may" (Given the price tags of rides such as MF, WT, and TTD it is hard to believe that SF signature park, Magic Mountain, spends close to that) spend more to build rides, it is too bad that they don't spend more on maintaining their rides.

Just remember: "Paramounts Kings Island is a family park, and the much anticipated addition for 2006 is a Nickelodeon area expansion that will please all our guests." ... hold me back from racing to get my '06 season pass. I am not trying to be a fanboy for CP, but after CP won the Golden Ticket again this year, many wondered how they could, even though CP did not have the traditional 1- 5% increase in attendance. SF is not building a "record breaking" coaster, but a style of coaster that has a successful track record from a successful company. If PKI would build a coaster like the new one at SFoG, they could quite possibly win the Golden Ticket for best park. Being the park that FINALLY beat out CP would be quite an accomplishment. Some questions are easily answered...

Geez, I wonder why.... Breaking records is fun to do, but not necessary. CP is known worldwide for it's coasters and the records they break (PKI was also known worldwide in the early 80's w/ the additions of: Beast, Bat then Vortex, and KK), but when CP does not add a coaster every year, it is a disappointment to the general public. Some coasters are just made to break a record (i.e. TTD, SoB, Mean Streak) and SoB is a really BAD coaster that broke two records. MF at CP and SoB both came out in 2000; MF was $25 million- SoB was pushing $20, but MF still has a good wait on any given day, whereas SoB has a very minimal wait even on a Saturday. I would have loved to see Intamin build SoB and I just hope that SF is building a great coaster, not just another record breaker.

Those are a great find. I particularly enjoyed the web cam in the 2000 link. I would have thought that PKI would have fixed it by now. Oh well.