Ensign Smith

A couple posters have mentioned the fact that, as the cars leave the station and again during the return, riders' heads are below their bodies. This is my main problem with X-Flight. I have GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease), and whenever my head is oriented in that position for too long, my stomach acid washes up into my throat, even making me throw up if it continues for too long. It's not generally a problem, but if the trains get stacked up too long going into the station (or heaven forbid, a breakdown in the 'down' position), then I'm in trouble. That's why I don't ride Time Warp at Geauga Lake; they hold you upside down for 20 - 30 seconds at a time. Not good.

When I visited KI last April, I was on the platform to get on Beast when the crew broke into the lines to allow a group of men to get on without waiting. There were five or six of them, all dressed VERY business executive...not your typical batch of vacationeers. They had expensive tailored suits and overcoats, umbrellas, briefcases. (which they left while they rode). All but one of them were apparently Asian. That last point has no other purpose than to suggest that it's possible that they were representatives of an Asian company. They seemed very chagrined, almost embarrassed, to be getting on the roller coaster. When their train pulled out, I asked one of the crew who they were. He rolled his eyes and said, "More buyers." I was on the train after them, and when I got off I rushed down the exit and followed them over to...Vortex, where they did the same exact thing. The reason I posted this anecdote is this: there may have been a lot more interested parties than we can think of. Heck, they probably had potential buyers from half a dozen countries, maybe more. Can any KI crewmembers on this site corroborate my story?

Rides I miss the most: Enchanted Voyage (the original, not that headache-inducing Smurf knock-off!) Screamin' Demon Zodiac Keelboat Canal Witches' Cauldron Rotor I would say Bat, but it really wasn't around long enough/was operational often enough to truly get attached to. It's not a ride, per se, but the other thing I would add to this list is being able to walk up to the first level of the Eiffel Tower. No offense, but didn't we just do this thread a little while ago? Unless it's the same one...okay, nobody look to see if I double posted.

^^^ Good point, Interpreter. As you say, it will be interesting to see what stays, what goes, what changes they absorb as a chain, and what changes they mandate on their new parks.

It certainly won't be so difficult to collect all the park maps hence forth. Cedar Point typically only produces one brochure for the entire season, with a separate brochure for Halloweekends.

I have the large, fold out maps for 1973 thru 1979. The first three years are in bad shape, because I was a kid when I started collecting them and treated them badly. Also, until 1976 the maps were printed on this glossy paper stock that in later years started to crumble at the fold lines. Now I don't even dare handle them. Starting in 1976, they changed their map stock (not to mention the illustration style), and that material has done much better over the years. If I can get my scanner back from my wife's best friend, I'll try to post pics of them sometime. I don't have many maps from the 80's; I didn't visit the park between 1984 and 1991, when we visited on our honeymoon. From then on, I have sporadic years of the brochure with maps, and since 2000 I have every year. I wish they'd re-introduce the large, collectible quality souvenir maps; actually, I wish Cedar Fair would bring those to all their parks.

I really like the ideas that have been posted here. Clearly, a lot of deep thinkers frequent this forum. I especially agree with all the attention to detail regarding landscaping, beautification, all the little details that people have put forth. For me, I'll echo all those posts, and also add this suggestion: Cedar Fair needs to start adding some high capacity rides. With 3 million guests a year, the park is surprisingly short on attractions with big throughput, to chew up all those lines and get folks on to their next ride. My guess is, CF will strip everything Paramount reference from the theming over the next two years, and that will pretty much be that, at least for some years. They don't even do a very good job respecting the theming at their flagship park, so I doubt we'll see much improvement at KI. And their track record at Geauga Lake suggest a, how should we describe it, a minimalist perspective. Don't get me wrong, I'm really not 'dissing' CF. I'm merely recognizing their strengths and weaknesses for what they are. Now for what I would do? Hmmm. Well, that would be pretty crazy, as I have a heck of an imagination. But what do I think CF will do? That's an easier prognostication. 2007: phase one Paramount theming removal. Installation of X-, ahem, Firehawk. Improvements at future FOF midway, including new restrooms, concession stand, game stalls. SOB up and at 'em. 2008: phase two Paramount theming removal. Install 1 or 2 flat rides in Rivertown. Retheme TRTR with a Rivertown-appropriate connection. Maybe call it Riverghost, or some such. 2009: addition of new kids area, adjacent to new FOF midway past Racer. Possibly Peanuts themed, if they keep the licensing. Perhaps anchor with a spinning mouse. 2010: new B&M inverted, or Intamin hyper, beyond Vortex. Will definitely be launched. How about a bigger version of Maverick? 2011: significant revamping of Action Zone. Retire Face/Off (maybe sent to MiA). Design better layout of area, including landscaping, pedestrian walkways. Introduce a new flat in Face/Off's space. 2012: new GCII wooden coaster, between Hannah-Barbera Land (excuse me, Nickolodeon Whatever) and Boomerang Bay. I'm guessing KI will get put on a schedule of a new attraction three out of every four years, with a major coaster going in every two to four years. It probably won't be as much as we enthusiasts would like to see, but the huge building boom of the 1990s is over. Amusement parks are a mature industry, and rides will be distributed to parks with an eye on holding onto existing attendance figures.

I'll bet a quarter that CF puts in an Intamin hyper within the next four years. I don't often engage in hyperbole, so listen well. With Cedar Fair's dedication to ride quality, the engineering talent at Intamin, and King's Island's amazing terrain, we're talking a coaster that could be one of -- if not the -- most amazing ride experience on the planet.

First off, Cedar Point has plenty of room left with which to build new attrractions for years to come. Secondly, I'm at least mildly reassured by Falfas's statements about the Geauga Lake's future. Just knowing they have future attractions planned is encouraging. Also, that bit about the aesthetics of the park entrance does not suggest to me that they are planning on selling it for condos, as one poster mentioned about four pages back. No, it tells me that they actually intend to do something with it, and that is good news indeed. I hate to say it, but I wouldn't be surprised if one more GL coaster ends up moving. We may see more shrinkage before new growth begins again. The whole park is being reprofiled away from the SF monster thrill ride incarnation it failed at, and toward a family park with accent on the park experience and atmosphere. Think Waldameer south. But if another GL coaster does end up being moved, I wouldn't expect that to happen before at least after next season. Doing this any faster than they're already doing would be risking park suicide. Put this in your pipe and smoke it: what do X-Flight, Steel Venom, the monorail, Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall and the paddlewheel boats have in common? They're all rides that were costly either to operate or maintain. Perhaps in a year or two we'll see the Happy Harbor rides move over into the newly vacated area, perhaps eventually with a spinning mouse as an anchor attraction. That would probably look less intimidating to families driving down Route 43. The more I think about it, the fact they haven't bulldozed the old waterpark encourages me. CF is not in the habit of leaving eyesores like that lying about. They're very conscious of their park image, much more so than Six Flags was in its later management. So to me, this says they're merely waiting until their park plan dictates putting in more attractions in that area. The tear-down will be one and the same as the future buildup. That could save a nice little wad on demolition costs. I seldom rode X-Flight, as I found it physically uncomfortable and more showy than substantial, so I won't miss it all that much. (Although I do have to say I always liked hearing the chain lift heading into the park.) Steel Venom, I will miss, but in recent years its operation has been spotty at best, so it won't be that much of a loss personally. Dominator is still a terrific ride, and Raging Wolf Bobs too since the rehab was finished. If Villain is a little bit smoother from its off-season work, that could very easily become a coaster I ride often. And don't forget Big Dipper -- Ohio's oldest wooden coaster, and an airtime monster! So Geauga Lake still has plenty to do, and it's with an encouraged heart and bated breath for what will come that I'll go back this summer.

My first major coaster was Racer, back in 1975 when it was the queen of the park and both sides ran forwards. Every fuse in my brain popped. I've never been the same.

Kings Island will not be getting Steel Venom. Don't be greedy, people. If KI gets SV, I will personally eat my SFWoA paint shirt.

I think there are some bruised feelings among enthusiasts whose 'home' park is GL. Can't say as I blame them, considering the park seems to be shrinking yearly and may actually be in danger of turning into a waterpark-only-operation sometime in the future. I would number myself among them, since I do live closest to GL. Personally, I love all amusement parks. Kings Island, Cedar Point, Kennywood, all of 'em. Any place I can grab a coaster or enjoy a classic flat is my home. Truth be told, X-Flight is probably not as great as its most ardent admirers claim, and not nearly as bad as its detractors would have you believe. It's an okay ride, used or not, and it will fit in nicely with KI's lineup of coasters. Moving X-Flight was a pragmatic, and logical, decision for Cedar Fair. On the one hand, they inherited in mid-season a huge, popular park that hadn't seen a new ride in a couple years. It was too late to think about contracting for a new attraction to be built over the off-season, and especially given the flak they knew they would end up receiving among local fans for delooping SOB, they needed to get something in there fast. On the other hand, they had a huge park with dropping revenues that they obviously needed to shrink. So.... The nice thing about this move is that it gives CF some breathing room to figure out what to do next with KI. They can see how Renegade shakes out at Valleyfair, and then maybe consider putting in a new woodie in 2009 or 2010. I sometimes say deprecating things about Cedar Fair, mostly because they do such a good job that they start getting a little bit too much unleavened praise, when in reality they aren't perfect and they do make their share of mistakes. But rest assured, they will do well by KI.

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing webekingsislandandstuff.com is still available.

The ride itself is very smooth. I find the harnesses uncomfortable, probably because I have some (but not a ridiculous amount of) extra gut. The experience of the ride is not what I would call overwhelming. It never really feels like it builds up much speed. From a Cedar Point perspective, I would characterize it as the elements of Raptor but at Iron Dragon speed. (I almost used Top Gun, but I think TG actually may go a little faster than X-Flight). Begrudgingly, I admit there are some brief 'flying' sensations. I say begrudgingly, because the rest of the ride really doesn't feel like it's worth it. Caveat: I really don't like flyers that much. Others I'm sure will have a much more favorable opinion than me.

I predict they'll name it Thunder Force. Or maybe Steel Hawk.