KIfan73

Since we're back at the decoding thing again, can anyone point to any of the "clues" that the park put out for Diamondback or Banshee that, if somehow correctly interpreted, gave an actual hint to what was going to be constructed?

That sounds like a pretty good little side trip I might do sometime when I visit the park. That's been one of my favorite things I've done over the years is to explore the area(s) around Kings Island.

This could just be my imagination, but I feel like I've noticed a general change in people's attitudes when I've visited Kings Island. One of the nice things about going there was that it seemed like an upbeat, fun place to be. Anymore, it's almost like being at the BMV. People standing in line because they want to use their season long dining plan. Other people standing in line to refill their drink cups. People elbowing each other in line to get their Fast Lane passes. I would imagine FunPix is going to be the same. All of these opportunities for pre-visit spending seems to have given the vibe that almost everyone there is there to "collect" what they've already spent money on. No more "Wow, we got to visit Kings Island today, let's have fun". Now it's "I had better get what I've been promised or there's going to be h*** to pay!"

I've come to the conclusion during the last few seasons that, while maybe just short of impossible, it's definitely not worth the hassle to eat at Kings Island. My only visit this season was the gold pass preview night. Even on that night, my usual "go to" place (RHoFG) didn't work out. Both the hostess and myself agreed it was best if I didn't stick around. While maybe not indicative of what it will be like once the season gets rolling, the food service experience park-wide was certainly similar to the last few seasons. Luckily, I can get by for hours without a lot to eat. However, I really feel for those with families with small children that have to eat while they are there. It just seems like it would be a nightmare.

In the midst of all the continuous speculation, it would be so interesting to hear why a certain attraction was chosen to be placed in a certain spot. Not that they ever would (or could) ever release that kind of information, but it would be fascinating to learn about.

One of the most useful things I've learned from my many years on this forum is the phrase "those who know don't tell, those who tell don't know"...I use it often, much to the chagrin of my friends and family.

If you haven't visited the site vintageaerial.com, it is really interesting. I have searched the Warren County area in the past for shots of the Kings Island area before it was built, but the older pictures don't have the flight path they used detailed like they have more recent pics. Anyway, I did a quick search of the Columbia Road area from 1968, and came across this. I'm not saying this is the house, but if you compare this pic to shots of the fort in the Bing maps view, it does look similar. Maybe someone that has actually saw the old house could confirm or deny? Once again, this shot is from 1968. Other pics of the area: http://vintageaerial.com/photos/ohio/warren/1968/OWA/58 http://assets.vintageaerial.com/39/165/1968/OWA/650x433w/058-OWA-36.jpg

I have no interest in the re-fillable cups. I couldn't drink that much pop. IF they had a re-fillable COFFEE cup with stations all over the park, however, that would be AMAZING!!

Many have posted that the zoos, etc. run successful Christmas events in Ohio. I'd also like to throw in Easton Town Center, and other malls similar to it. Easton is packed all the time, including during the Christmas season, and it involves A LOT of outdoor walking...If Kings Island could tap into the the Christmas shoppers/diners with some unique merchandise, it could help bring in more people.

Finishing that toll building on time must have been one of the more stressful projects...you're throwing a huge party with thousands of people coming, and they all have to pass through that gate to get in!

I've always hated the thought of them "messing" with the entrance like that. One of my favorite things about KI is the entrance building, just as it is. Having said that, if there's not a coaster zipping over and through the entrance of Kings Island within the next 3 years, I will be really surprised.

While I really like RHoFG, I can't help but think how perfect that would have been in the old International Restaurant location.

On Bing maps, you can get a real good look at the area they are working on: It just seems like a really somewhat obscure area for (what appears to be) so much work going on...

It certainly looks like it. That building looks fantastic. You know, we are all so spoiled by Kings Island's normal capital improvement budget. This may seem like an "off" year to some people, but that building alone is a sizable investment/project...not to mention the new slide complex. Kings Island's construction might is really staggering, when you think about it....

You know, I've thought that whole area looks like it could be a water feature. Do I really think that could happen, though? No. But I would probably be in the severe minority in that I would be more excited about a new pond than a new roller coaster. Speaking of, I was hoping that the "digging" viewable in the Banshee cam was a new pond as part of a possible new area.

Much like a discussion that was going on with games a few weeks ago, it's important to remember that, for many families, a trip to Kings Island is a HUGE deal. And might only happen once, or once every few (or many) years. I know that those photographers many years ago captured moments with people that I most likely will never visit Kings Island with again.

I'm surprised they don't have photographers lined up for when you drive into the parking lot... "Oh, there's a picture of us driving into Kings Island from our trip last summer!".... CarPix anyone??

It will be a sad day when you can walk through Kings Island's entrance and not be asked to have your photo taken.

Thanks for posting those pics! You know you've got it bad when you're glad you renewed your Gold Pass just so you can drive through the new entrance. I've come close to making the 2.5 hour round trip to drive by and check out the construction, but I didn't because the money I'd spend on gas can go towards another trip during the season.

Did someone say cranes?

I find it kind of interesting that they chose to route all Kings Island traffic so close to GWL, sort of making it seem like it's more a "part" of Kings Island itself.

Google randomly sends me alerts that it has created an enhanced photo, or album, etc. I have over 10,000 photos uploaded on the Google server, so it's always hard to tell how old the pic would be. Today, it send me a panorama that it had created from my photos...it looks like opening day 2008. Anyway, it turned pretty cool, thought I would share!

Yeah, in my mind, it seemed like there was a century between the '70's and the '80's. I was just a very young kid, but the '70's had a massively different vibe than the '80's.

Thanks to the Internet, a lot of interesting historical pictures/videos of the park has been uncovered in the last few years...one I'd really be interested in seeing is the land that Kings Island sits on, pre-Kings Island...

We all like to complain about things like the bouncing basketballs, and the silly games. I really don't think they're all just completely sinister, high-profit generators for the park, either. Most people that visit the park enjoy these types of things (and they probably don't participate in Internet forums discussing the intricacies of every square inch of the park, either). If it weren't for these people, there would be no Kings Island. For the record, for anyone that has read my posts for years know which camp I fall into...but I still can appreciate those people that aren't Kings Island analysts. Luckily, the people I usually visit the park with fall into the latter category. But, if needed, I am able fill them in on more details about Kings Island than most sane people would want to know .