RaptorGuy

Spongebob LIVES my friend! It will be there forever! The day Spongbob "Hey, Is That My Patty" stops showing at Kings Island, will be the day I stop showing at Kings Island!

I know some things I'd like to see have happened by the time Kings Island opens late on April 30th, but I believe if a certain person saw it, he would get mad and ask that it be removed from the forum, so I will do like Terpy and keep quiet for now!

Spongebob is coming back, dont worry. They actually made a NEW sign for it this past season. They just turn those columns to say Urgent Scare when they do that.

Cedar Fair don't like trees anyway. They prefer pavement over shade. They've proven that many a time. The only good news, however is, Mason Is a Tree City USA town, which means any construction done anywhere in the city limits requires that trees be re-planted or planted as part of any construction job!

I think Kings Island just needs to do whatever it has to do to get the coaster up and running by the next operating season! Even if they have to re-appropriate money from some other area (like Haunt) to do it, it needs to be reopened! It really does no good for it to sit there and look like a friggen statue or monument! It's a roller coaster, and it just causes all kinds of questions like this thread and others elsewhere, like on FB the one about Save SOB to happen! If they are tired of people speculating and asking about it, they need to do something about it! They need to get whoever they can find, like some wood coaster company to come out and do an evaluation of what needs to be done and then get on it and do it! It's sat idle for almost 2 years, and we've been denied the opportunity to ride it. That's not right. As my band director in high school used to say when you were doing something wrong, "Just Fix It!" Kings Island, JUST FIX IT!

Yeah, this is starting to get a little off topic, but Cedar Fair is NOT consistent about that. I understand that at Knott's you can't wear glasses for any reason on Excellerator, but at Cedar Point, you can wear them with a strap on Dragster, a much more intense coaster. Go figure!

Yeah, that's the reason I decided to start wearing a fanny pack this year for the first time in my 35 year coaster riding career! They raised the price of lockers 150% from 75 cents to $2, which is absolutely HIGHWAY ROBBERY! So, basically, that makes Firehawk a $2 upcharge! Instead of putting shelves up there, which they could easily do with running it the way they do. So, I have to wear a fanny pack to put my stuff in, so I wont lose it on that ride. I could see them doing that same thing for WindSeeker. If they do, I will be ready with my fanny pack on!

They won't make WindSeeker a pay per attraction ride, but they will charge you a buck for those cheap crappy 3D specs to use to "enhance" the ride experience!

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I will be quite frank. I really hope Kings Island doesn't do to SOB what is being done to Texas Giant. The Texas Giant will no longer be a wooden coaster, rather a hybrid steel. Son of Beast is a WOODEN coaster, and it should remain a WOODEN coaster! There's things that can be done to that coaster and track to make it more rideable. The only part that was not so good was the Rose Bowl, and it just pulls too many G's and goes the wrong direction there. The rest of the coaster is just great. Taking off the loop was an extremely dumb idea of course. That was the best part of the ride. It's rotting away in Geauga Lake's junk yard, or last time I was there, I saw it. It may be history by now. I have to believe they are going to consider some fixes for the coaster. I would think as long as it has sat there, if they were going to tear it down, it would be gone by now. They must be considering a way to fix it. It would be a waste of money, wood, and time to tear it down. That would be in the top 5 of their worst mistakes ever to get rid of it.

Awesome! I will do this!

Mr Couch is NOT the upstanding business man of Butler County by any stretch of the imagination! He has told one lie after another. He is nothing but a New Miami hilljack, just like all the other low lifes who live in that arm pit town. He absolutely had NO intentions of ever operating Lesourdsville Lake as an amusement park. It was all a facade what he did in 2002. He wanted people to believe he was going to refurbish and operate the park as the old glory days, but it was all LIES! He even was advertising their own version of some Halloween event for that year,but it never happened, because that was all a LIE, too! From what I have heard, and not sure if this is true or not, but he CAN'T just tear down the Screechin Eagle, because someone else bought the coaster. That may or may not be true. Maybe Terpy would have the insight on that. But, I know first hand from having been around that man and his business some 30+ years ago, that he is nothing but a crook! I would never ever buy a camper, RV or anything from him, because he is a con man. It's a pure crime what he did to that great amusement park. There was another individual who was trying to purchase the park when Couch took it. He would have done the right thing and made that park great! I know for a fact, that was NEVER Couch's intention. He bought Lesourdsville Lake for basically the same reason Cedar Fair bought Geauga Lake, to TEAR IT DOWN!

Those 2 rides are LONG gone! Screamin Demon was sold to Camden Park which ran as Thunderbolt Express from 1988-2000. It did not operate in 2001, but it had a sign saying it would re-open in 2002, but it never happened. The ride has been torn down and probably used as scrap metal. The Rotor sat behind The Racer for a year or so, and then it was probably scrapped as well.

Cedar Point did do a Christmas Event in 1994. It flopped from what I understand. It is WAY too cold on Lake Erie that time of year to do an outdoor event. Kinzel used that flop as a reason for not doing it at Kings Island. He wasn't here in the 1980's when it was a grand event and worked out well. So, he is clueless about what a great event it could be, based on how bad it went at his baby park. Maybe soon, he will retire. As some pointed out that Winterfest would not happen under his leadership. Maybe new blood in there would bring new ideas and we can revisit bringing Winterfest back at that time. And as I have said, if it's marketed right, and the event itself is done with grand glory, it would be an awesome event. Just have to get the right people in there doing it, to make that happen!

I am a definite supporter of bringing back Winterfest. I am not sure why Carowinds bothers to decorate their tower if they are not going to have the event. I wouldn't want Kings Island doing that, at all. If Winterfest were operated properly, it would be a great event. The one problem with 05 was, they didn't allow pass holders to get in and that was a HUGE mistake. I think they could honor passes, and still make a ton of money with the people who would come. They did a great job with it. Toy Factory was the best show Kings Island ever produced in its show history. The only other one that even came close was the one that ran this past season, Way Too Much TV. If they hired me as a "Winterfest Director", I would make that park to be almost as good as Dollywood! I know I wouldn't be as good, because the location doesn't allow for it, but I could make it magical and bright! I am not sure why they gave up after trying it one year, because of the poor marketing they did for it. They should have just looked at it again and tried to fix the situation, instead of abanding it. I'd like to survey everyone who goes to Kings Island and lives in the area and see who would love to see it come back and stay this time. I believe one of the reasons it may have failed was, they let the best marketing/PR Director in the history of the park go just as Winterfest was getting underway. If they hadn't of gotten rid of that great person, we'd still have Winterfest and things at Kings Island would be a million times better than they are now! But, yes, BRING BACK WINTERFEST!

I think Ed should purchase some land out on I-64 between the 2 big Kentucky cities, and move Kentucky Kingdom out there. Or perhaps somewhere near Frankfort. I think if the park was more centralized in the state to get drawings from both of its major cities, it might do better. Plus, it could pull from Nashville, Knoxville, and other out lying places! Then he wouldn't be so land locked, and not have to worry about passing planes and so forth dictating how high he can build something! That's my suggestion.

I have to agree here. I mean the line about "A publicity stunt by a local amusement park for their latest attraction" is so outdated now. When the park opens, FOF will be 15 years old. That's hardly their latest attraction! I say its well time for that to discontinue. Maybe they will paint it with 3D paint and sell those $1 3D specs for THAT too!

Yes, Way Too Much TV was best show they've had at Kings Island in 5 years! It wasn't as good as the best show ever, which I believe was Santa's Toy Factory at Winterfest in 2005. It was probably the best show Cedar Fair has put on at Kings Island for sure! Hope it comes back next year.

Screechin' Eagle!

This definitely does NOT make the Raptorguy a happy camper whatsoever. Another one of many poor business decisions from Cedar Fair. The only thing that I can think of is, opening day at Kings Island has consistently been the week after Easter Sunday since Cedar Fair has run the park. Easter is the last Sunday of April this year, so maybe they just looked at the calender for when Easter was, and said, we open the next Saturday. Still, a poor business decision, and have no reason for why they wouldn't want to be open on Easter Sunday. They don't honor any other religious things. They're just shooting themselves in the foot and missing that business. Oh well, I am sure Dolly would welcome all of the would be Kings Island business, no problem!

Yes, this was probably my best memory of the season, too. Not just because it's the most recent and freshest on my mind. It was just the most fun of the year. I would say besides this day, was the KIC behind the scenes day on the train. That was really interesting!

My Top 5 B&M Inverts are: 1. Raptor (Number one steel coaster altogether) 2. Montu 3. Afterburn 4. Dueling Dragons Fire 5. Goliath

I think it's time to say goodbye to The Crypt. I had a discussion on Facebook this week about how Cedar Fair has not removed any ride for expansions as Paramount was notorious for. That is true, but I believe The Crypt has passed it's shelf life. It was a lemon to start with. If it could go back to its 2008 programming, it would be a wonderful ride that I would ride every visit. Just going up and over in the dark, and a couple of flips as it did this year, is just flat out BORING! I don't even ride it when you can walk on. I rode it twice this year. Once for morbid curiosity to see if it was still that bad, and the other to show someone else how boring and bad it is. As was mentioned, it was a good idea with poor execution. Even when it was removed and reprofiled and put back up, it was no good. Apparently, that great program it had in 08 destroyed it. If there was anyway to make it better, I'd be all for it. I'd want it removed from its current location, though. I think it should just be an outside flat ride and moved over the old Action Zone area where that useless water tower is. Then the box its in can either be used for maybe an indoor spinning mouse or just torn down and have the land available for maybe an Intamin coaster like Maverick or Cheetah Hunt.

Even though Diamondback is in Rivertown, and I probably could see riding it all day and getting my count up, I went with Coney Mall. There are many more rides to ride in Coney Mall. I could do Racer a lot, and of course Spongebob is in Coney Mall. I could ride that all day. Call me crazy, but I could.

I agree with PKISecurity here. The 3D effects with the glasses (which glasses is a funny term since they're really paper!) makes the attraction! Maybe it would have been more financially doable if they would have bought 3D specs like the ones used in Spongebob and just recycled them every so often. Then you would have to turn them in at the end. OR, since Spongebob is closed during Haunt, why not just use THOSE??? There's an idea for you. Anyone think that might be something to consider? By the way, I need to clarify an earlier comment. I said something to the effect about Boo Blasters being a bad ride. I did NOT mean it was bad as in it stinks, I meant bad as in good like we used to say in the 1970's. I think the ride is a good ride, I just don't think 3D specs would enhance it at all. Everything is 3D in there without 3D specs. I think its a rip off to buy the specs for that ride. I am not sure how many really think they add to THAT particular attraction.

The 3D glasses absolutely adds ZERO value to Boo Blasters. That ride is bad enough, so why anyone would want to try to make it better with 3D glasses is beyond me. There is nowhere in the ride that even suggests a 3D effect would be great. Maybe the misty video effect towards the end, when it works? On the other hand, Carnevil is totally painted in 3D paint. The best part where the 3D effects come in is in the spinning tunnel. That makes it even more dizzyfying (If that's a word!) And the glowing bubbles, you can see better when they hit you with the 3D glasses. Anyway, I will keep my FREE ones for future attractions where they use them and decide to charge for them!