Chatter

I've been married for 10 years and my kids are nearly 7 and 8 years old. We have been going to PKI for the last 4 years and picking up more steam each year. We have never been to Fearfest. I have some questions: 1. How many scary attractions are there usually? 2. Are they really scary, or do they make you laugh like alot of haunted houses? 3. What's this Route 666 I keep hearing about? 4. Would the haunted houses be too scary for my kids? 5. As an adult, would I be bored to tears by the scary attractions? 6. Someone said something about kiddie attractions in Hanna-Barbera land......what kind of attractions? 7. Is it really free with a season pass because we just bought a family pass? Thanks, Chatter

__________________________________________________________ "1973 -- Bayern Curve opens in Oktoberfest. Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal opens in Rivertown." __________________________________________________________ Those were cool.........they just went in a circle, but they were really fast. I don't know why they removed them.......they were in the same vein as The Monster, The Scrambler and other oldstyle rides. __________________________________________________________ "1974 -- Lion Country Safari debuts on 100 acres, featuring over 350 animals. The Bavarian Beetle opens in Oktoberfest as Kings Island's first steel roller coaster." __________________________________________________________ I don't miss Lion Country Safari, although I do believe Cedar Point has some kind of Children's petting zoo in it.....that might be cool for the Kiddie Land. The Bavarian Beetle is missed by me. It reminded me of the "mouse" rollercoasters on Rollercoaster Tycoon II. It was fun. __________________________________________________________ "1975 -- Zodiac, a double ferris wheel, opens in Coney Mall. Also making its debut was Shake, Rattle, & Roll." __________________________________________________________ I don't remember the Zodiac at all. I'm not a fan of Shake, Rattle, & Roll.....it makes me sick.......but please don't remove it....alot of people like it. Another classic type ride. __________________________________________________________ "1976 -- The American Heritage Music Hall, now known as The Paramount Theatre, opens." __________________________________________________________ I'm not a big fan of the shows put on at PKI. Their entertainment value isn't very high.....but hey, you can't expect everything to be great. You want a good show, go to the Aranoff. __________________________________________________________ "1977 -- Screamin' Demon, a steel shuttle loop coaster, opens. The International Showplace opened after receiving a grant from comedian Dick Van Dyke, who was in the Park earlier in the year promoting the 5th Anniversary. This also was the last year for the Canoe Ride." __________________________________________________________ I always thought the canoe rides were in the pond by the Eiffel Tower, not the pond where The Beast is. But, I'm getting old and my memory is failing me...lol. The Demon was a cool ride.....but it definitely is outdated and needed to be torn down. No problem there. __________________________________________________________ "1979 -- The world famous Beast makes its debut where the former Canoe Ride used to be. Bavarian Beetle also makes its final run, as well as Haley's Comet." __________________________________________________________ They tore down the Bavarian Beetle and Haley's Comet..........WHY? I always hated when they did that. Two classic rides that should have been relocated. I still think they need to get a "mouse" type coaster back. I miss it. __________________________________________________________ "1980 -- Scooby Doo is renamed Beastie and receives a tunnel at the bottom of its first drop. The Sky Ride was also closed forever." __________________________________________________________ The Beastie is a great ride for kids. My kids will ride it over and over if there's no line. The Sky Ride was a maintenance hazard if I remember correctly, but it was another classic ride. __________________________________________________________ "1981 -- The Bat opens as the world's first suspended roller coaster. The Rotor also saw its final season in the Park." __________________________________________________________ I flat out loved The Bat. It was supercool. I know it had alot of problems, but it was far better than Top Gun for a suspended coaster. I miss the Rotor, too.....another removed classic ride. __________________________________________________________ "1982 -- Hanna Barbera Land gets a $2.1 million face lift. Among the new attractions were the Hanna Barbera Carousel, McScrappy's Farm, and the Jelly Bean Bowl. One side of The Racer is turned around backward, adding a new degree of excitement to the ride. Two new rides were also added to Oktoberfest, the Ferris Wheel and Viking Fury. Timberwolf Amphitheatre opens as well. This year also saw the debut of Winterfest, featuring the new Festhaus." __________________________________________________________ The Racer backwards is classic. Great idea. I don't remember the Ferris Wheel. Viking Fury is fun......but not after Pizza. I think Viking Fury is located in a poor place. It doesn't get enough traffic to draw attention to it for riders. That whole area can get overlooked very easily, like Festhaus. I forgot it was there until we cut through there last time. It's so easy to go back and forth from the Action Zone to Coney Mall and not even go near the Festhaus. I think the Viking Fury would be another ride that would do well to be moved to Rivertown. It fits in with the water theme and if positioned correctly, would get more people to ride it. I really think Rivertown needs to be worked on after they do this new waterpark remodel. I love Rivertown and basically think it needs some more rides and some enhancements to the existing rides.....possibly relocating the Viking Fury and Congo Falls over there to go with the theme. The Train ride needs to have some targets set up that you could shoot at and get points or some idea like that to make it more interesting other than listening to some dumb old jokes by a train conductor (actor). Action Zone and the Coney Mall are entertaining....I just think if some redesigning of Rivertown were down and relocating of rides......it could be more fun too. __________________________________________________________ "184 -- King Cobra, billed as North America's first stand-up looping coaster, opens. The Enchanted Voyage is also renovated and re-themed to the Smurf's." __________________________________________________________ Removing KC was a bad idea in my opinion. Another classic ride that people really enjoyed. PKI seems to think they need to build bigger and better all the time.....but my feeling is, for example, that breaking records, like SOB, doesn't necessarily add up to a good ride. SOB is very uncomfortable and if you check the length of the line, it will tell you that people don't like it very well. A wooden rollercoaster that fast and that high create a very bumpy ride that requires ridiculous constraints to hold you in and make you very uncomfortable. King Cobra was a very comfortable, simple coaster that was still fun. Tearing it down for new ride didn't bother me.....but why not relocate it? They still have it in storage from what I read on RCDB.com. I also miss the Enchanted Voyage.....and then the Phantom Theatre. New isn't always better. If people aren't complaining, why change? I never heard a bad word said about the Phantom Theatre. But then you hear complaints about how boring the Train Ride is, or not having this or that and they don't listen. Go figure. __________________________________________________________ "1985-- White Water Canyon opens in the Rivertown section of the Park." __________________________________________________________ My favorite ride in the park that is secluded for some dumb reason. They need to add a thoroughfare through there and add some rides to get more people over to view it. They could even build another Whitewater Canyon track to lighten the load on the line. Who knows? We have more fun on that ride than any other. __________________________________________________________ "1986--The Park's 15th Anniversary brings in 3 new flat rides. Skylab, Zephyr, and Dodgems open in the Coney Mall area." __________________________________________________________ I always thought the Zephyr and the Dodgems were there from the beginning, but I guess I was wrong. I guess now I know that the Zephyr is the swings by the first hill of The Racer. I love the Dodgem's, another classic ride. DON'T GET RID OF THEM! __________________________________________________________ "1987-- Vortex, a multi-looping steel coaster, opens on the site of the former Bat. Screamin' Demon also makes its final run and is dismantled to make room for a new attraction." __________________________________________________________ Great new ride. DON'T TEAR IT DOWN! __________________________________________________________ "1988-- Amazon Falls, an Intamin chute-the-chutes water ride, opens on the site of the former Screamin' Demon." __________________________________________________________ Another fun ride........but really there's more fun standing on the bridge than actually riding the ride. Still entertaining, especially on a hot day. I think this ride should be relocated to Rivertown. __________________________________________________________ "1989-- WaterWorks, a 16 acre water park, opens." __________________________________________________________ I guess it will be the 15th anniversary of WaterWorks......time for a remodel..lol. __________________________________________________________ "1990-- Flight Commander opens on the site of the former Zodiac. Flying Dutchman closes." __________________________________________________________ Essentially, we lost 3 rides since Flight Commander is gone too. Again, bring back some classic rides. __________________________________________________________ "1991-- Adventure Express opens on the former site of the Flying Dutchman." __________________________________________________________ My kids love Adventure Express.....the line is never long and it's a fun comfortable ride.....good family ride. Probably needed to be in Rivertown in terms of theming, though. In fact, a good place for it would be where the Country Show is......they could take it through the woods and down into the pond below which is useless. Good place for a "mine-type" coaster/family ride in Rivertown. __________________________________________________________ "1992-- Phantom Theatre opens, replacing the Smurf's Enchanted Voyage. The Enchanted Theatre and Scooby Zoom also open on the former site of the Smurf's Enchanted Voyage. This would also be the last year for the Wild Animal Habitat Monorail." __________________________________________________________ The Enchanted Theatre is stupid. My kids saw a Scooby-Doo play there and thought it was boring. We miss the Phantom Theatre. They should bring back some kind of petting zoo for small kids in Kiddie Land. __________________________________________________________ "1993- Top Gun opens on part of the former Wild Animal Habitat Monorail. This also marks the beginning of Paramount's Kings Island." __________________________________________________________ Top Gun is a fun ride, not as good as The Bat, but still fun......but again, there's no traffic down there and it gets very little attention. Poor space planning, IMO. They should let me redesign the park......they've made some serious bonehead mistakes in locations for rides or in terms of overall scenery and crowd flow. People want to be able to not only ride the rides, but watching them while you're passing by is fun too. I stand and watch the Drop Zone, Skyflyer, Slingshot, alot of them.....even watching The Vortex is fun.....or Whitewater Canyon (too secluded). PKI needs to make rides more accessable for viewing, IMO. It will bring more attention to the ride and make people want to ride it. Alot of people don't remember that Top Gun is even there. __________________________________________________________ "1994-- Days of Thunder, action simulator, opens. __________________________________________________________ I've never ridden Days of Thunder, action simulator.....is it still there? I have ridden the actual small race cars......but paying extra for it, totally sucks. Plus, when they blow the whistle to stop, there's always some wise guy that keeps going and then he slams into you.....that's what happened to me and my family last time......we got whiplash from being crashed into! __________________________________________________________ "1995-- Nickelodeon Splat City opens, replacing the Sunshine Turnpike and the Scrappy Slide. The EXtreme Skyflyer opens in Adventure Village as well. Flight Commander also completes its final season." __________________________________________________________ I've never paid to ride the EXtreme Skyflyer, but I think it's a great ride that is even fun to watch. My kids have never done Splat City. Flight Commander is missed by many, I know.......but I know somebody died while riding it intoxicated......so maybe that's why there axed it. I was there the night they had two separate incidents, totally unrelated, that lead to deaths......one on Flight Commander and the other at Oktoberfest in the pond. _________________________________________________________ "1996-- The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear opens. Along with its identical twin at Paramount's Kings Dominion, it was one of the world's first linear induction roller coasters." __________________________________________________________ Absolutely a great ride. Another one that is somewhat secluded, though. I think PKI needs a new big Walkway on the other side of The Racer's track that starts by Flight of Fear and works it's way back around the entrance of The Racer. Then add some more rides over in that area and draw more attention to Flight of Fear. __________________________________________________________ "1997-- PKI's 25th Anniversary. WaterWorks doubles in size to almost 30 acres! Skylab is also removed after the end of the season." __________________________________________________________ I know alot of people miss Skylab, but it had maintenance problems, from what I hear. __________________________________________________________ "1998-- Hanna Barbera Land receives its largest upgrade since 1982. 3 new rides, including Scooby's Ghoster Coaster, appear. The older rides received new paint jobs, awnings, and names. WaterWorks also gets Wipeout Beach." __________________________________________________________ Ghoster Coaster's line is always way too long and the ride is not worth the wait. They either need to add another one alongside it to lessen the wait or nix it. But maybe some people like it.......it just isn't that much fun for waiting in line that long. __________________________________________________________ "1999-- 2 new thrill rides begin a two year $40 million investment. Face/Off, an inverted coaster, and Drop Zone Stunt Tower make their debut in the all new Paramount Action Zone (the former Adventure Village). Kings Mill Log Flume completes its final season." __________________________________________________________ Great additions and design of an "Area". I'm hoping PKI begins redesigning and upgrading rides and Area's. I think they just have too many secluded rides that would get more attention if they were more visible. Hopefully Rivertown is up in the next couple of years. Tomb Raider is another awesome ride. Good idea. __________________________________________________________ "2000-- Son of Beast opens as the world's tallest, fastest, and only looping wooden coaster in the world. Outer Limits also receives a name change toward the end of the season." __________________________________________________________ I think PKI's ego's got the best of them on SOB. Should be listed as the World's most uncomfortable ride. __________________________________________________________ "2001-- Kings Mill Log Flume returns completely overhauled and re-themed as a Nickelodeon adventure. Flight of Fear receives new lapbar restraints, replacing the old OTSRs making the ride more enjoyable." __________________________________________________________ My family loves both those rides.....well, I'm the only one that will ride Flight of Fear.....lol. __________________________________________________________ "2002-- PKI's 30th Anniversary. Tomb Raider: The Ride opens to the public as Paramount's Kings Island's most ambitious project to date." __________________________________________________________ Another great ride........PKI is doing better except for SOB, IMO. __________________________________________________________ "2003 -- Delirium enters." "2004 -- ???????" __________________________________________________________ I think PKI is doing better. But I think while adding all of these "thrill rides", they tend to forget about family's. I"m sure the teenagers enjoy all of that......but alot of kids won't ride those extreme rides.....and they need to remember that. Bringing back some of the classic rides would be nice, I've said it over and over. And relocating some other rides over to Rivertown would be smart which would allow remodeling of where they previously stood....like relocating the Viking Fury to Rivertown.....and Congo Falls to Rivertown would open the door for another new Action Zone ride (Congo Falls location) and maybe some more restaurant area (Viking location). Overall, I think they're doing better in since Paramount took over. Son of Beast was a good idea that turned out bad because it is so uncomfortable. Maybe that's why no other park has bothered to build a wooden coaster that goes that fast.......because maybe they were smarter than Paramount and knew it would be uncomfortable? The Beast is still king after all of these years! See you on Labor Day!

I do remember the doors on Skylab would open or come loose and they'd have to shut down the ride or cut your ride short for safety reasons.

I don't know if it's true or not.......but someone told me that Labor Day is the last day open to the general public and after that, all weekends are reserved for corporations.....is that true? Anyway, we're going to get our last fill on Monday......and going to get there early! My 8 year old wants to ride The Vortex!!!! Woo-hoo!!!!

I enjoyed reading the Park History section of PKIunlimited's site. I understand why some rides are eliminated, like the Screamin' Demon and The Bat. But why did so many of the Coney Mall and Adventure Land's rides get eliminated? Like the Bayern Curve (snowmobiles), the Rotor, The Zephyr, the Flying Dutchman, Skylab, the Bavarian Beetle, Hailey's Comet.............it just doesn't make sense to me that they didn't relocate these rides. Most of them would still be fun today and would give patrons more family type rides than they have right now. I always feel like PKI needs more general rides to compliment the Thrill Rides and coasters. I still think that's what PKI is lacking. Sure, I'd like to have a HyperCoaster or something like it............but bringing back alot of these oldtime rides would still be fun. My kids rode the big Swings (not sure of the name) near the first hill of The Racer, last time and THEY LOVE IT! They also love the Flying Eagles.........and don't forget, these kids have ridden The Beast, The Racer, SOB, and other coaster...........but there's more to rides than rollercoasters. These other rides have something to offer. I even miss The Bavarian Beetle. It would be supercool if Paramount created a new section of the park, by expanding into new land, and made it the Oldtime Park and brought back alot of these rides they eliminated. How nostalgic would that be? Bring back The Rotor, Hailey's Comet, the Bayern Curve, The Bavarian Beetle, The Bat, The King Cobra, The Zephyr, Skylab, etc., etc.........I think that would be cool. Just a thought. I'm sure it's a pipedream.

Two stories, but neither are "pay to ride" rides: 1. I had never ridden Flight of Fear but had ridden nearly all the other rollercoasters at PKI. I was standing in line, not giving it a second thought. Remember, I'm 38 years old and really hadn't been riding any rollercoasters for the last 10 years, and had been catching up on them at PKI......so I wasn't exactly prepared, but still, I didn't think I needed to be. My buddy, standing in line with me had bungie jumped from 150', so he wasn't fazed by it. We get up to where they load the train and watch it shoot out like a rocket and we both look at eachother like "wow". It was kinda funny. I still wasn't scared, but I did say to him, "I'm not sure how I"m going to like this jet propulsion thing". The next thing I know I"m sitting on it ready to blast off. I hear the ride operator say, "clear" and hold my breath. All I can say is, "WOW". It was a cool ride, but I really wasn't prepared for how intense it can be. I really had no clue about the takeoff. I want to ride it again now that I know. 2. I hadn't ridden The Beast in like 5-10 years. My wife and I talked our 6 and 8 year old into riding it, telling them it was just a "little" bigger and faster than The Racer.....LOL. Well, I think me and my wife were more surprised how "OLD" we felt while riding it.....LOL.....and meanwhile, our kids loved it......too funny. That Helix on the second hill is still incredible and intense. I love rollercoasters, but I am getting old.

My 6 year old sang "Jesus Loves Me" at Karaoke a couple of years ago and they miss it alot. I hope they do bring it back.

Yes, there was a pond there, mainly where you go out of the station and circle around to go up the first hill......where the cables are now installed. I didn't know why they eliminated it, but sounds good to me.

That is the truth. I had a very reliable source tell me it will be a complete remodel, expansion, removal of some less popular rides, bigger wave pool, and 2 new rides, and a new name. They might as well go ahead and announce it. The word is out.

In terms of intensity, comfortability, creativity, etc., etc........The Beast has it by far over SOB. I've ridden both recently and The Beast is more enjoyable, yet more intense, than SOB. SOB has that big first drop, but after that it's just alot of speed and normal rollercoaster hills with alot of bumpiness for your riding displeasure! Sure, it has a teardrop loop in it, but big deal......you can get that stuff on The Vortex. The fact remains that SOB is one of the most uncomfortable rides I've ever ridden, and now that I've ridden it, I really have no desire to ride it again. The Beast's first hill, while not as far a drop as SOB, is still very good, and the scenery and panoramic view is awesome. When going up SOB, you can look to your left and see the drop of the first hill.......YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON The Beast which makes it even that more scary. Going down and then curving through those tunnels and dropping down into the valley is really cool and can't be duplicated. And honestly, I feel like I'm going as fast on The Beast as I am on SOB......I know the statistics say otherwise, but I may only be going 65 mph on The Beast but it feels like 85 mph! Then going up the second hill by conveyor and looking to your left at the tunnelled helix, wow. Then you start down the hill and the track angles down on the left so you're going into it on a slant (that is the coolest, most scariest wooden rollercoaster moment in the World!). You feel like you're going to get your head cutoff, and then the roar of the tunnel is awesome! Twice! Cannot be duplicated.......it is flat out the funnest and scariest wooden rollercoaster in the World! Way better than SOB. As for SOB, I was reading on Intamin's site about some new wooden rollercoaster technology that combines steel with wooden veneer which allows for a smoother ride. I know it would remove SOB from the Wooden coaster category and they'd relinquish the lead in certain top 10 categories, but maybe they could encorporate some new technology to give it a smoother ride. If they don't do something about the comfortability of SOB, I fear that ride gets torn down in the next 10 years when the short lines won't pay for it's existence anymore. Everytime I go up there, you can nearly walk right on........no more than a 10-15 minute wait.......and it's only a few years old!!! Wow, what a great drawing card for PKI?????? The Beast still rules! I hope they never tear down The Vortex. I think it is a classic ride that encompasses every twist and turn known to man. Please don't remove it. I never understand how then can have so much land, but decide to tear down old rides and replace with new ones. Alot of the classic rides need to be left alone and PKI needs to spread out (expand into new land) and build new ones. I miss alot of these old rides. After riding the Scooby-Doo ride where you shoot for points.......I had an idea about the Old Train ride............why not have toy rifles on it and give people shooting targets that allow them to score points! That would be fun. Or even if there's no points.......give them rifles that hit targets that fall down and spring back up one they've been hit? I'm sure they can come up with a creative idea for the Train. I'd love to see actors again, but I know that costs money, so maybe put some mechanical people or items in place and give us something to shoot at! I still think Whitewater Canyon needs to have more of a thoroughfair that goes by it. Being able to stand up on the path and watch people get soaked is a pleasure. If there were more traffic going through there, I think it would be a viewing sensation. Rivertown needs some rethinking. I enjoy it's atmosphere, it just seems like it needs to be redesigned. The Train needs some action to it, and WW Canyon needs to be less secluded and more open for viewing (as in "on the way" to somewhere). I also think behind the Eiffel Tower where the Antique Cars are........they could eliminate one of the car stations and put another ride in......most likely the station near the pond. I rarely see both stations open anyway. Personally, I'd love to see the theatre by the Eiffel Tower eliminated and a coaster put in that starts by the Eiffel Tower and goes over the pond towards the Larosa Pizza place down below The Vortex between The Beast, and then back again. That is alot of wasted space and needs to be more than just scenery. I thought years ago you could take canoe rides on that pond? I thought when the park first opened, canoe riding was available there? Just alot of wasted space, IMO, in that area. I also think they could take a new street/thoroughfare from where the line of The Beast is to around the back of The Vortex and connect it back into the Coney Mall Street just past The Vortex, which would give them another area to fill in. It would also give The Beast and The Vortex more exposure. The could also do the same where you go to Flight of Fear. They could loop a street around the back of The Racer and connect up near Adventure Express and eliminate those silly games (Virtual Reality - Simon Says, rope ladders).....put a street in there that takes you down behind The Racer and connects at Flight of Fear. There are lots of ideas for expansion and remodeling that I can think of........but they continue to tear down classic rides, which really upsets me. There is not reason PKI can't be a classic park, a family-type park, and a thrill park, all at the same time. I believe they can fill the needs of different genres. Just my opinions. If they want to hire me for ideas, just e-mail me.....lol.

My wife and I rode The Beast with the kids yesterday and we agree that The Beast is still much better than SOB by a landslide. She said she even got nervous going down into the helix...........and I have to admit, after waiting 10 years to ride it again.....it still is it.

Took the kids last night, but didn't realize that the park now closes at 8 pm. Totally a bummer. We got there at 4 pm after school. I was shocked as to how many rides and shops were closed. The amount of people was not that many. We were able to walk right onto The Beast and The Vortex, that was cool. Both my 6 and 8 year olds rode The Beast........and my 6 year old rode The Vortex, also. We rode The Racer many times and the lines were nothing. I rode Tomb Raider by myself, the line was almost nothing. It is hilarious just standing in line for TR and watching the faces of those people that haven't ridden it before. When we got to the room (cave) right before you enter the ride, PKI makes an announcement that this is your last chance to exit if you've changed your mind about riding TR. Well, these country rotund farmer type people were waiting to ride, and one of their large sons (about 12) got all wide eyed and scared and headed toward the exit. They lambasted him, it was absolutely hilarious. I've never heard more people scream on a ride than on TR. I like TR, it's different. We were ticked when trying to ride The Beastie. They only had one train on the track and line was ridiculously long considering most rides had little or no lines. The Scooby Haunted Castle (name?) had a mediocre line...........I think the interest in that ride won't last too long. It's really very boring and my kids could care less how many points they scored. The Flying Eagles weren't open.....that sucked. Neither was Whitewater Canyon.......THEY BETTER NOT BE DEMOLISHING WHITEWATER CANYON FOR THE NEW WATER RIDES IN BOOMERANG BAY!!!!! I LOVE WC! We rode the Reptar.......line wasn't too bad.....we also rode the Log Flume (wild thornberry's?). I was shocked that the Larosa's Pizza place near The Beast was not open........WE ALWAYS EAT THERE! It was a decent time.........not great. It's nice that the lines are mostly short, but it seems to have no atmosphere and you feel shortchanged when certain things aren't even open. We did catch a show near the Eiffel Tower. It was a musical review...............it cracks me up how those performers act so cocky and serious about what they're doing. I know they have to.........but both of the female lead vocalists consistently drag their solo's, slowing down the music. I was disappointed in that.......but I know they're mostly just high school kids.......so I'll cut them some slack....lol.

Now that I've discovered this message board and website, it has really gotten me to think about alot of different things that I usually don't notice at PKI. My eyes will be more open to the things that have been mentioned (good and bad) about PKI and I'll post my observations after tomorrow night. I don't know how many thrill rides I'll get on since my wife and 2 kids (6 and 8 years old) are going, although they're pretty daring and my 6 year old rode SOB and Top Gun. My kids want to ride The Beast, I do know that. I'll give a full report sometime this weekend. I should get there between 3 and 4 pm.

I would agree. My kids would ride Phantom Theatre like 4 to 6 times while we were at KI. They loved when the Opera Singer belted out her high note! They had it all down to a science. The new ride is hard to hit the targets, atleast in my opinion. I scored over 1000 points but my kids had a hard time. I wonder if they took a poll, if the patrons would pick the new ride over Phantom Theatre? I doubt it. I like thrill rides. But I still contend that more family-type rides would be better. I would say that the two groups of patrons PKI has to satisfy are the teenagers (thrill rides) and the family groups. The last 5 to 10 times I have been there, it has been with my own family (2 adults, 2 kids under 10 years old) or with my family and another family (friends) with kids under 10. We ride The Beastie, Adventure Express, the Reptar, Top Cat Taxi, (the phantom theatre before they changed it), Boulder Bumpers, Log Flume (or whatever it's called now), the flying swings chairs, Congo Falls, The Racer, the Scrambler, and a few of the kids (my 6 year old) have actually ridden SOB, Top Gun, Vortex, and Viking Fury. I think they should bring back the big slide where you use rugs to go down. Also, a Bavarian Beetle (mouse type rollercoaster) would be fun. I miss Skylab too. I will say that I think PKI is doing things smarter than they use to.......and Action Zone says alot about their planning. Hopefully this new section will be similar to the way they planned Action Zone.

That brochures site is awesome. I'm looking at the 1972 map of KI right now. If you go to that site, here's the direct link to the 1972 map: 1972 map of Kings Island What's cool is if you enter KI and turn left at the fountain and head where Faceoff is right now, you can see where the Bavarian Beetle was and right past it is where the Bobsled circular ride was. And back in Coney Island past the Monster you can see where the big Slide was.....where you used rugs to go down.......that would be cool if they brought that back. I know they had a Rotor back then, but I can't figure out where it was located......my memory tells me it was in Coney Island.....i thought it was located past the Scrambler, like near where Tucker's Stand is now, but I'm not sure. It's hard to believe they only had 3 rollercoasters back then.......The Racer, The Bavarian Beetle, and the Scooby-Doo (now called The Beastie). It also amazes me how few rides they really had back then. I did notice they had the Ski Lift that went from Coney to Hanna-Barbera land back then.....but I think they had alot of problems with it. I couldn't remember what Skylab was (everyone was talking about it) and now I remember......it was near The Racer and Adventure Express........that was a cool ride. Those are the kinds of rides I think they need to bring back.........they need more basic family rides like the Carpet Slide, the Bobleds, the Bavarian Beetle, Skylab, and the Rotor. That's probably all of $20-$30 million in rides right there.......not that much in comparison to one ride and it adds more options to ride when you go there. Neat map. I enyoyed that.

I miss the Bavarian Beetle. I also miss The Bat. I liked the Rotor too. I wish the train ride was more lively like it was when I was a kid......kinda boring to take your kids on.......except for that hilarious guy on the microphone with his great jokes (barf.......is that guy drunk?). I can't believe they're considering getting rid of WaterWorks. I love Waterworks and I differ from those who like the Beach better.........the toddler area and Pirates Cove is much better for kids than The Beach. The Beach has a better Wave Pool but not as many rides, IMO. My favorite rides right now are Whitewater Canyon, Flight of Fear, and Tomb Raider. I hope they don't get rid of Whitewater Canyon.......it is the best family ride in the entire park!

My family went last week and Whitewater Canyon was drained and closed. I had no official word that it would remain closed, but by appearances, it looked to be shut down for the rest of the year. Correct me if I'm wrong. The water was drained.

Here's what I know. From people I know at PKI (I live in Lebanon) and reading between the lines of what people have told me......here goes: The land that is in question (15 acres of Water Works) is between Kiddie Land and part of Water Works. Either Kiddie Land is getting expanded or it's a new area for teenagers/family rides (strongest rumor). Part of Water Works will MAY remain (the South section with the Wave Pool and Pirates Cove/Toddler Pool and the surfing pool, and maybe the big slides. Whitewater Canyon has been shut down, but is it being demolished or just reworked? Whitewater Canyon is a very popular ride. Rumor has it that PKI designers don't like the way it is buried deep in the woods and has no traffic or people that come back just to watch. The Canyon may be getting a facelift.......the woods may get cleared and a new pathway put in with more rides in that area to attract more patrons to this area. Whitewater Canyon may be one of the center pieces. A Super Saturator or something like it may be put in. Will Congo Falls be relocated to this area? to make room for another Action Zone Ride? Possibly, or down the road. Also, the train ride will be worked into this area with new scenery. Also, could Adventure Express be moving to this area? possibly.......it fits the type of ride slated for this area and would free up room for a more intense ride near Action Zone and Coney Island. The discussion I had with those "in the know" leaned toward these ideas. Of course, if they told, they said they'd have to kill me! LOL.

I'm 38 years old and my memory is failing me.....lol.......but the Rotor spun so fast that you were plastered to the walls and then the floor dropped out but you didn't fall out due to the force of going in circles. They had a mouse rollercoaster, I believe that was called the Bavarian Beetle.......it was cool. the bobsleds were a larger version of something you see at a Coney Island type park. I don't know why they ever got rid of them. I've read on another site that The King Cobra is actually being stored by PKI and is for sale. I often wonder about The Bat. I loved The Bat........it was very cool. It was kind of like a combined version of Top Gun with some Vortex mixed in. Sorry, I don't have any pictures. They also use to have the Spinning Cauldrons that would make you sicker than a dog. Everything has gone toward super intense, and sometimes I think they forget about the general family rides.

How much did Tomb Raider cost?

10 years ago while dating my wife, we rode all the intense rides that were available. For the last 10 years, I've spent most of my time in Kiddieland with my 6 and 8 year old daughters. This past week I got to break away with a friend and ride some of the adult rides. Here's my take: After riding The Racer, Son of Beast, Top Gun and then Flight of Fear........I have to say that Flight of Fear is my favorite.........I wasn't sure how I'd like that jet propulsion thing at the beginning, but it left me breathless and wanting more.....lol.......too cool.....it was worth the 40 minute line wait. Son of Beast is too rough. Didn't scare me, the first hill was cool and so was the loop, but the rest of the ride just left me beaten up from all the roughness......and the dag-on restraints are painfully annoying. It's not a ride I long for over and over. Top Gun's track has rust on it, but I rode it anyway.......kinda a scary thought! My kids love Adventure Express and The Racer. We have been riding Whitewater Canyon as a family favorite for the last 5 years and now it's closed??????? Why? Man, we've had more fun on that ride than most any other. I didn't get to ride The Beast........but I love it. I rode Tomb Raider twice last year, but didn't have time this year......I loved it though. My 6 year old rode SOB twice.....what a frickin' daredevil. She's also ridden Top Gun. She wanted to ride FOFear but she's not tall enough. I made a mistake and ate 2 coneys before FOFear........and paid for it! LOL. I still resent the fact that you have to pay extra for Days of Thunder.....ridiculous. They need to bring back the Bavarian Beetle or some kind of mouse ride. I also miss the Rotor and the Bobsled circular ride from 30 years ago....lol. I really miss the Mouse type coaster.....that was a good family ride. The games are priced too high. I see more employees standing around bored begging people to overpay to play games. LOWER THE PRICES AND THEY WILL PLAY! LOL. That's my two cents.