Cory Butcher

I was told that the Trains for the Flying Dutchmans have a possibility for their own set of brakes dependent of the track, in case of failures, since they have an onboard computer system this is made possible. I'm not sure how this works (probably some skids that clamp the rails harder?) and Im not sure that it is true either, so take it as you wish! It would make sense for trains with all these extra saftey restraints and things to have brakes on the actual train I would think anyways, if not now, possibly a design for the future--Im looking at you TYCOON! (inside joke)

Both of you are exactly right...scary, two posts that are nearly opposites are both right! Bottom line we arent Geauga Lake, and we all know that in the past KI has been much better off in all areas than Geauga Lake, but as far as being Cedar Fair is concerned CP seems to run alright, but Geagua didnt. The thing we have to remember is KI has a good history to build off of, Geagua Lake did not with SF and all, so they were constantly in a rebuilding term especially now. I hope that under CF's stewardship plus the prosperity that KI has had in the past that Kings Island Comes out better than ever before...and that Firehawk has a short line! haha In the end, we wont know until she opens!

Well, Im not sure that we know that much, however the rest of your points I believe are Very valid, especially the one concerning the Cincinnati-Dayton area of the future. You can go even further though and say we have a triangle, with Indianapolis-Cincinnati-Dayton! I have to believe this combination can be just as strong if not stronger than Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit. With both parks competing for Columbus as well, there is no reason not to pour cash into KI in a reasonable and viable manner. Also, Hypotheically KI has 700+acres, CP has (-)400, This deffinatly gives KI an edge and great potential!

Haha, I'm not talking complete monopoly here. I used the terms "largest market share". Cedar Fair doesnt need to be as exclusive as Microsoft is, but by having the largest share of the market, they stay ahead of their competitors in each area that I labeled as an arena to get into. As long as they arent the only parks standing in several years there isnt truly a monopoly. I just think businesses should push that antitrust bubble as far as they can before it bursts and then stop!

I wonder what is going to happen, or what has already happened to this mysterious person that pushed that button? Something tells me that was a NO-NO! At least it wasnt an unforseen problem with the ride mechanics, but rather a "human-error" which in all likelihood is just as hard to correct I would think that that button should have been disabled to start with as well, especially since it was obviously alright to fix it this late in the coasters life.

Let's hope its not the side any of us are on....or any body else, that would be very uncool!

Im pretty sure you wouldnt know that until you've been involved in that situation, I know for me, I would have felt very uneasy when the seats all of a sudden sat up

I have a feeling that niche, will soon be found at Geauga Lake! Our niche here at KI is ovbiously family oriented, but I would say that we will see better attractions come our way under Cedar Fair, and that Kings Island will be a crossover between Thrill-seeker and family in Ohio while maintaining its brilliant children's area! I personally think it would be in Cedar Fairs best interest to make the two parks compete...either way visitors are staying within the Ohio Monopoly of theme parks and going to one of their parks regardless. Plus, with competition within the chain, the guests experience can only get better, since they arent trying to outdo each other for attendance and revenues but rather, best park experience. Now, of course this experience can subtract attendance and revenues from either park but these monies are not slipping into the hands of another park group, they are staying in house. Other than some possible pride at Cedar Point, nothing at all is lost if CF keeps KI and CP in competition and sometimes KI or Dominion or Canada's Wonderland steal their thunder. Also if you look at it this way, before the aquisition of PP, Cedar Fair mostly had individual parks competing for Regional market share with Six Flags and Paramount in Cali, Paramount in Kings Island, and Hershey somewhat in Pennsylvania, and SDC in MO. With that being said all competition is wiped out in Ohio...except for maybe KK, Six Flags is all there is to deal with now in Cali, and other than SFOG, Carowinds has limited competition. I see this as time for Cedar Fair to move onto the next fish to fry...TOTAL National Market Share! They wont be content just sitting back now that they have all but conquered OH, and CA, and perhaps the entire Midwest Market. Cedar Fair will pour anything they can monetary wise over the next few years into all their parks, perhaps hoping to eventually cripple all competitors, This IS GOOD for any parks in the chain! Yes, I know I left out the big Movie parks in CA, and FL...thats a whole nother fish to fry. I see a hypothetical chain of progression as follows: 1. Monopolize the Mid-West 2. Eventually move into Southeast Markets (Carowinds is a start) 3. Possess the largest REGIONAL market share out West 4. Possess the largest REGIONAL Market share in the North East 5. Possess the largest REGIONAL Market share in the Southeast 6. Possess the largest NATIONAL Market share in the West (Disney and Universal are big, this is MANY years off) 7. Possess the largest NATIONAL market share in the Southeast (again, with Disney and Universal, and Busch Gardens...MANY MANY years off) 8. Worldwide? (disregarding Canada) The way I see it with all this work to be done, why not beef up the ride offerings at every park in the chain where profitable? I belief this beefing up is exactly what CF will do with the former PPs KI in particular! Also I would say that CF has completed objective 1, and is well on their way to 2, and 3! This all of course, is just one mans opinion of what any good business should attempt to do if they want to be Magnificent and turn a maximum profit!

Notice however "at this point", that was the same thing said at Winter Soar. Things taken for granted always seem to change, I think we should take a wait and see approach still!

One more person on the ride filling an empty train that would otherwise not run full....is one more person out of my way!! Thats how it benefits the line, one more single rider not in the line, is one less person waiting to ride!

unless it gets stuck . There was a case a few years ago that made national news. A ride nearly identical to Face/OFF got stuck up on the lift and the riders were stranded for nearly four hours (i believe, it could have been longer), there was breaking news about it on MSNBC and Fox, and cnn, it was all over the place. They couldnt quite get the mechanism dislodged or get the riders out, so the firefighters kept up water runs, getting bottles of water to the guests! Quite a sight! They were all prolly really uncomfortable.

I completely agree!

Well, Id like to think I had the idea first, you just said it haha. And in fact many people here have had the idea before me and people before them! It just so happens that they never have thought it to be a)economical or b)achievable! So I tried to prove that wrong in my post.

Hmm, I wonder how Daytona can keep their beach clean? Or Cocoa Beach...just how do they do it? The word you are searching for is not hard, but "more maintenance intensive". If people litter as much as you put onto them and a beach can be for the most part clean before a high-tide rolls in, then I would say that a beach within a very controlled environment such as Boomerang Bay with no tide-restraints could be extremely clean. How is the Beach clean you may ask. Well many parts answer this question: Littering isnt the only activity beachgoers engage in.There are things called rakes, which depending on nesting schedules, groom the beach intermittently. Also you have people that dont mind going out of their way to pick up a empty cup of pop and put it in the correct trash receptacle and Rangers, lifeguards, etc. who routinely survey the beach and swimmers, and pick up trash as well. There is no reason why Boomerang Bay couldn't have sand and a group of "pan and brooms" who keep the area free of the occasional litter attack. I for one wouldnt mind seeing that, or one of those synthetic rubber playground surfaces used at water play areas at Dollywood and the like. The only real constraint with this material? More cost, and More maintenance! And there are materials of this nature that when the sun heats them dont smell like dirty feet...again "Dollywood"!

I have to disagree with that last statement alone, covering up the paramount part of the sign in a "fast tacky" manner would be just that...tacky! Besides, people know that change is coming I do believe, as most everyone has heard of Firehawk by now. If part of the sign is just covered for a full season, although it removes Paramount from the name, it would really look unprofessional on Cedar Fair's part. For some reason I keep imagining a Big black tarp or trashbag, or even white canvas covering the Paramount part of the sign, and its givin' me chills, I hope they dont do that! And someday said covering would come undone on a corner, and drape over the K and the d and you would have "ings Islan"! I know the example is a tad dramatic, but it would look bad to say the least!

Actually the ride did get to its back up, It stopped before the loop when the restraint lock basically timed-out. Based on looking at the ride and assuming where the lie-fly broke loose, though we dont know for sure, They were only in the upside down position for I would say 10-15 seconds at most before coming to rest. And they were absolutely in no danger to actually fall off of the roller coaster, or out of the restraint. It also looks as though there wasnt really a possiblity that the indiv. seats could become detached from the train, though anything is possible. The ride is still "SAFE", an industry-safe coaster being one that when working properly completes a full circuit without injuries to a healthy rider every dispatch, but in the event of a systems failure or multiple systems failure is able to minimize guest injuries, if not outright preventing them, and at all costs preserve guest life, due to numerous other built in fail-safes. So again, although it isnt being debated; to supress perhaps some of our members fears of riding Firehawk now or BORG, the coasters are safe. Once the ride has its cars put back in place and is rechecked to be in Full safe, working order, you will be fine! I completely agree that there are more than likely numerous fail-safes implemented to "lock-down" the cars in the Lie down position, that failed. However if there aren't, the ride worked as it is supposed to and was able to stop safely without any serious damage to the riders.

According to The Herald Online: FORT MILL -- Carowinds could open for the season next weekend without its tallest roller coaster if workers can't fix a mechanism that malfunctioned this weekend on the BORG Assimilator. Employees were riding the coaster on its 51st test run of the season Saturday when the mechanism that keeps the seat in position disengaged, said park spokesman Scott Anderson. The ride had already passed a state inspection this year. That failure triggered a safety precaution built into the ride: The car the employees were riding in stopped at the base of the vertical loop. The ride hits 115 feet -- 11 stories -- at its highest point, according to the park. When the car stopped, the 16 employees riding it were about 8 feet from the ground and climbed down a ladder to get out, Anderson said. Seven were treated and released with minor injuries at Carolinas Medical Center, Anderson said. The S.C. Department of Labor will investigate. The theme park is scheduled to open for the season next Saturday. The park will open as planned, although the coaster will not operate until they know what went wrong and fix it, Anderson said. Workers are taking the passenger train completely apart to find and fix the problem, he said. This is the first time in four seasons that the park has had a problem with the coaster, Anderson said. "We're not going to open it until it's safe, and we know what happened and whether it will happen again," he said. http://www.heraldonline.com/109/story/14547.html

Ill volunteer to help pop off the lettering! haha

I personally like the Park Marquee, however I would like to see the Paramount and mountain taken off, with something else, possibly the Eiffel Tower in its place! I wonder how easy or hard this would be to accomplish?

I believe it is too far back, and it will be blocked by not just FoF building but Son of Beast, I would say chances of seeing it as part of the skyline are well, nill!

I would imagine that some people can! I know in my case, that I obviously couldn't and shouldn't have, but you bring up a good point. I wonder if there is anyone to warn people other than parents, there are lifeguards obviously but I dont think they would time people in the water. My local pool has times on every hour where for 15 minutes you have to get out of the pool. They call it "Adults only" but in all reality it is really to give the pumps a quick while to recirculate and clarify the pool. This also serves I was once told, as a break to help guests NOT contract Chlorine poisoning, Im just unsure if GWL and other resorts have an actual warning system! Also I have never at any resort I've been to noticed someone policing the 15 minutes in the hot tub rule, obviously there is a sign that indicates the dangers and things but if something did happen, lawyers can find any loop...and talk about liability sign or no sign!

I wonder how long it is until someone gets chlorine poisoning. Its actually fairly easy to contract, in Florida this past Fall break I was in the outdoor pool area of the resort for probably 4 hours, and in the pool for 2 hours at a time. My legs and lower stomach had never felt and itched so bad! I hope that noone contracts that but with the stong levels of chlorine, now brought back to state minimums, I fear that many people wont be very smart and do what I did and stay in the pool for hours!

Ok, who will be the first member here to point out that those are 2005 numbers? c'mon, roll up, roll up! Place your bets here!

Im pretty sure the most historical coaster was started in Russia on one December day, back in 1874. But then again, its debatable!

Yes, it is somewhat of a combination of what you have said and what I stated. Compliance in some areas, and respect for the ban in others. However it was originally deemed that allowing smoking in the concourse level was allowed. I am not sure if that had changed upto the current policy at the ballpark. Also the Cincinnati Zoo went Smokeless I believe!