dr_humor

A suspended and an invert are not even in the same ballpark. The coaster formerly known as Runaway Reptar is also in a different ballpark for obvious reasons. Kings Island has never had a "big boy" invert, and I have a difficult time naming parks that do not have one (parks that are coaster-centered). They exist, but it's the exception to the rule. Like I said, I would not say it's a neccessity, but it's certainly been an obvious missing piece to the coaster collection. What else does KI need? Like Cedar Point, a "modern" world-class woodie the likes of Thunderhead, El Toro, etc. 1. No invert 2. No modern twisty fun woodie 3. No giga 4. No intamin at all (a la Maverick, etc...) If I was a betting man, these would be the leading nominees. I would hedge my bets on a coaster only because it's replacing the coaster we do not speak of, even though we're no where near confirming that either.

@UnrealNightmare; Yes, a B & M invert is exactly what I was talking about. Then again, I;m not as "in-tune" with KI as I am Cedar Point (meaning as a fan...not in the term of actually being in any kind of "in the know" circle). What does KI need? At Cedar Point this question is easy; a family ride (namely a dark ride)...but I think this gets trickier at Kings Island. True, KI has never had an invert, which is a staple at most parks, but do you really "need" it? I'm not so sure. And, this new attraction could simply be viewed as the "replacement" for the ride-we-do-not-speak-of. Hard to see, the future is.

Not that this is as fun as simply daydreaming about dive machines and 4-d monsters, but one way to decode what KI is getting is to ask a simple question: What does it need? In other words, are there any "holes" i the lineup that need filled? Diamondback finally plugged the "hyper" hole. I seem to notice KI has always been lacking a certain type of coaster that is both wildly popular and reliable, and a staple at almost every major coaster-centered park I have ever been to.

Yep; the green one.

This is truly heartbreaking. A young man with children and a wife...you've all said it above, but prayers and thoughts with his family in this impossible time. As a father, it brings tears to my eyes. He was, and continues to be loved.

There's nothing nostalgic or remotely redeemable about Disaster Transport. I, for one, could not be happier that 100% of it is going right where it belongs. The only shame is that it took this long.

Going with the Outlaw. That just looks intense and fun from start to finish. Now if we knew more about Iron Rattler, perhaps I could consider that. Need more info there. Gatekeeper will be a blast as well.

No.

So now it's time to evolve, and go from being an "energetic Kings Island patron" to a more mature, educated and responsible patron. It's time to let go of the junior-high mentality of getting overly emotionally reactive when a ride breaks down at an inconvenient time for you. There is, and never will be, anything more the park employees can tell you. Once you make this leap, your enjoyment of parks everywhere will increase exponentially. No need to "fire away" at all. I hope you got it out of your system, and are ready to move on.

The problem is, KI does not have a "feasrome four". Three at best, but I think Vortex is a stretch. Just not that kind of collection. But that's OK, Kings Island is just a different kind of park. There are only a handful of parks that would pull this off. The Racer was one of them?

And here I thought my screen-name was enough to give it away.

Wait a minute, what? The trains are gone? Guys, this is definitely a clue that SOB is history. OMG.

A little off-topic, but you should all know that not only is Mean Streak smoother, but they have cut-back the trim usage on the first drop. It still catches, but not nrealy as bad as recent years, and the number of trimless rides has increased quite a bit. I'm no Mean Streak fan-boy, but I was quite impressed this season...went from a 1 to at least a 5 or 6...which is pretty incredible for this ride.

Maybe he just works security.

Gargoyles have wings.

I personally like the name Gatekeeper quite a bit, especially with a Gargoyle theme (potentially). Why is Gatekeeper bad when the signature elements of the ride include at least one (rumored two) passes right over the new soon-to-be-built main gate? It's the new Gatekeeper to the park. I dig it.

Something tells me there is a lot more on site than has been revealed. When they're ready, they will be set free. I have a feeling this could the mother, er, father, of all coasters. - DrHumor, who doesn't really know anything, but found a name that he likes that fits all the "clues" so far. This is also my first Terpian moment.

Space Spiral's ridership has diminished quite a bit over the past decade, and it has also become a mainentence liability. I honestly can't remember the last time I visited Cedar Point and saw it open on two consecutive visits. That whole area of the park is getting a facelift, and I think they just thought it would not fit. Just time to go, and now it's the right time. That layout should not be conisdered legit or exact; it was a best guess by whatever info was contained in the memo. And so professionaly drawn!

The picture has been floating around for quite some time. It was published in the Sandusky Register when they leaked all the info about the memo they somehow got their hands on, and then in very tabloid fashion, chose to publish the next day without telling Cedar Point. Apparantly the journalists there still use Mario Paint.

It's not as simple as it used to be. Wood coasters, steel coasters, coasters with a wooden from and a steel track, etc... Human beings innate need to classify and categorize things is amusing.

We've only traveresed between CP, KI, and Dorney with no issues in the past 8 years.

KI has a lot of issues with season passes apparantly? And Terp, I would hope your comment about decisions has changed. John (hildebrandt) has been given pretty much the reigns at Cedar Point since Kinzel took a step down. This is a BIG change. I hope whoever the KI equivalant is has also seen an analgous shift.

I should probably stay out of this, since CP is my home park, and not KI. My season pass has worked for 10 years.

But the honest answer is, no one knows. It probably wouldn't be all that different. There would be some cheesy cardboard cutout superhero theming, and different characters. That's all.

I really do feel for the folks at Kings Island. It was a calculated risk, and it's just an extremely unfortunate ending to something that never seemed to work out. I just keep thinking back to the excitement around the announcement, and the awe of looking at it for the first time. That said, it's a new beginning for that entire section of the park.