Browntggrr

I am not a particular fan of IJ, but thinking that any ride like IJ is going to raise attendance by a significant amount in a one year time span is asking a little much. Now considering that PKI spent millions more on a ride like SoB, and that SoB's unfortunate reputation by a majority of riders is that it is a horrible coaster, I could agree 6 years later that particular investment is a failure.

It's not that I don't like Screamscape, but in thier "Rumor Mill" they post all the rumors that people send in. I was only stating that CoasterBuzz has been the "go to" site for BeastBuzz. If Sceamscape would have posted the infomation on BeastBuzz before CoasterBuzz I would have my doubts. Yet it is funny on how people with deep connections with one site seem to dislike other people from other sites more often than not. CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?!?

I hope that you are only referring to the cost of themeing when it comes down to MF or MS (which there is virtually NONE). Both of those rides have high maintenance costs; for MS- CP bugets close to $1 million/ year for the yearly rehab and the repairs to the end of the first drop hill (which is why there are brakes going down the hill) and normal wood replacement. And with MF- CP replaces the elevator lift cable at least once a year if not twice, and I am not sure about this one- but I bet that CP also has to replace the mechanisims that connect the lift cable to the train itself on a regular basis just due to normal wear & tear. It is too bad that some people have to vandalize certain parts of the park just so they can "leave their mark". If they wanted to do that, I would rather they go and pee on a tree. But there are so many other things that the park could do to keep up with the themeing that could have never been touched by vandals which would give the park a much better image.

Sounds like you have a grudge against someone. If it was a site like Screamscape, I would tend to agree with you. But even though Jeff may come off as being brash or arrogant, but he does not post information without the facts behind it.

http://www.coasterbuzz.com/forum.aspx?mode...d&TopicID=44259

I won't laugh at you for the question, but "shoulder starps" gave me a good chuckle.

I believe that Paramount has not kept up with landscaping, themeing, cleanliness etc. at PKI like it was before they bought the parks, but, after going to PKD twice and comparing the two parks; PKI is leaps and bounds over PKD. And for those who are comparing BGW to PKI (even though this is not the place), I have been to BGW numerous times with my family and I have never noticed that BGW has less rides than PKI. We go open to close and have never been bored. IMO BGW may have less rides, but the rides they have are more quality rides compared to most parks.

Paramount may operate PKI well, but when it comes to PKD- the operations are plain embarressing. It is quite easy to see that Paramount treats PKI like the signature park. I have been to PKD twice. Once in 1999, and again last summer. Both times the park was a major disappointment. Rides were down, limited concessions available, lack of security, not clean, etc. Quite honsetly, back in '99 my wife and I planned to go to PKD for two days with our PKI season pass, but about 3:00pm on day one, I found directions to get to Busch Gardens for day 2. Going to BGW saved the trip.

Actually, the original tunnels for for Beast was one tunnel, and the other "tunnel" had just a roof on it, just like the mid-coarse run. Neither tunnel on the helix uses concrete. I have a nice copy of an on board ride just before Beast opened in 1979 with actual workers still working on the ride.

Kings Island was much better prior to Paramount taking over, and it was more of a family park as KI before PKI. There is a family atmosphere that PKI just does not have anymore, even though they claim to be a family park, it was much different pre- Paramount. And it really does not have anything to do with the rides, just the way that I (and my family- I have 2 kids) feel. I am not sure if it is the way the Paramount has marketed themselves in the park or if they have just crammed the "theme park" into everything about the park, but it just does not have that "natural fun" feeling that used to be there in the 80's & early 90's. Not to mention the various themeing elements that just do not work anymore does take away from the overall park experiance. When I went to BGW this past summer, I recalled how KI used to be. BGW had beautiful landscaping, was execptionally clean, the food was well above average- KI used to be up to this high level, but it just seems average now.

Yeah, we all know that is what you meant... My bad.

Actually, both XLR-8 and Big Bad Wolf in Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened in 1984 with Arrow's banked track modification. And if you REALLY want to get technical, The Bat at PKI was the third suspended coaster behind Arial Coaster at Riverview Park in Chicago (1908) and Bisby's Spiral Airship (1902) at Queens Park in Long Beach, History of suspended coasters on RCDB

There are currently no new owners for PKI or any other Paramount Park. I'm sure there are potential buyers, but nothing definitive as of yet. So there are no new owners, and nobody is being fired because of the sale.

Actually, that is wrong. Keeping your hands INSIDE the car does not mean in the air, which is considered outside the car. It is all lawyer talk and leaves many gray areas, but if you were to get hurt, that arguement would never work.

I think you may be interpreting the article too literal. Just because the land is leased, does not make it impossible for a company to buy the park and either lease the land themselves from the city, or buy it from the city outright, sell the rides for a decent profit, and develop the land as they see fit. When it comes down to developers, nothing is out of the question.

This will be a change for the better. I have seen in the past few years PKI take a small turn for the worse; but not as bad as PKD. There were certain areas where Paramount could have made the park better (i.e.: cleaner, keeping up with failed themeing, better rides, better upkeep for the rides etc.). If a holding company were to buy KI, we should all hold on tight because there will be big changes on the horizon, two years after the sale. I work for a corporation that is owned by a holding company (KKR) and they have owned the company for 6 years now. In those 6 years KKR has invested hundreds of millions of dollars. The company started just making aluminum wheels, then became the 2nd largest aluminum manufacturer in the world (2nd to Alcoa) and just last year aquired another corporation (TTI) to become the largest manufacturer of truck parts in the world. A holding company is in the business of making tons of money, and they willing to spend tons of money to get there. If (and this is a big if) KI were to be bought by a holding company, I do not see anyone being disappointed with the results. They will try to double their investment ASAP and then sell it, which is good for us.

Well, I am glad you cleared that up. It just sounded like you did not respect someone's opinion. ... guess I was wrong.

Are you referring to the same type of uproar that was done to try and save the flyers? I didn't think it was stupid.

I doubt it. The resort/ hotel will still be used by guests that are using the Golf course or the tennis arena. Some of those guests may have not want to be in a family/ playtime atmosphere. But this would be a great time to renovate the hotel. GWL in Mason Edit- Great Wolf Lodge info & pics

If it like other Great Wolf Lodges (Williamsburg VA, Great Bear Lodge in Sandusky) it will not have rides, but water attractions (wave pool, slides, lazy river, kids area etc.) This is an excellent addition for PKI.

Nah, I agree that changing the name is a poor decision. It is too bad that Paramount's marketing department is forgetting that The Beast back in 1979 is what put Kings Island on the map. Beastie was a way to have kids enjoy a ride when they could not get on The Beast. It doesn't matter what the ride name is, it is still a good ride, but PKI is certainly squashing the nostalga behind it. The Odd Parents is just a fad and will eventually disappear like the Smurfs.

Here is a link for SFMM. Ticket info $59.99 at the gate? They must be out of their minds! Especially for a park where the main attraction rides have an uptime of (guessing) 75%.

Lighthouse Point is a nice facility, but the cabins need to be either bigger or the price reduced. They are great in July & August when the weather is warm, but in May, June and September when you have to be in the cabin due to cooler weather the cabin is too cramped. You can get a large room at Hotel Breakers for the same price as a cabin at Lighthouse Point.

I also read on a CP website that Magnum was sinking. The site in question has the area clearly marked for public opinions. And I can't see anything wrong with a public opinion, especially when there are other parks in the mix with the same type of information. I mean, really, was there anything on that site that we have not already discussed here?

I do not believe that the ride is unsafe in any way. There are certain inspections that are done by trained & qualified people and I have faith in their inspections and I also have faith in PKI. Unsafe IMO is: their is a known condition that could possibly cause harm to those riding it. I do not believe that these conditions exist on SoB. I just believe that SoB is more exteme than most other rides, and to a first time guest they cannot gauge how the experiance is until they ride it since there are like warning signs and recordings on other thill rides as well. Now if PKI was to put out a larger warning sign or a louder, more direct recording, or say that this is the most extreme ride in the park, they actually open themselves to a potential lawsuit, since they admit that there is a more extreme condition on SoB. And saying that SoB was closed early in 2005 because of a safety issue is just stirring the pot.