CoastersNSich

The slug line currently used for Kings Island press releases:

I remember seeing a Geauga Lake billboard in West Virginia along I-70, heading west when I was heading back home from Pittsburgh in February. About Cedar Point billboards in Cincinnati: I think the last time I saw one in our area had to have been in 2004. I doubt that would be happening now or in the future with Cedar Fair now owning the big park in the Cincinnati area. Heck, I don't think I've even seen any PKI billboards around town in the past couple of weeks. Does anyone remember the ad wars between Cedar Point and Six Flags Worlds of Adventure? It happened between 2001-2003. One of the TV ads had a guest claiming that they drove past CP to get to SFWOA. Of course, by 2003, the opposite was true. SFWOA was one of the most overhyped, pathetically run parks around! Sure, they added 5 new coasters in 2 years, and added SeaWorld to the gate, but when I first visited in '02, half the coasters were closed, restrooms were filthy, one-train operations, and rude employees (NO TAKING PICTURES!!). While I came back to Geauga Lake once every season there after - many others didn't. But the Kennywood/Geauga Lake competition IMO is healthy and honest. Geauga Lake offers 10 roller coasters and a large water park for only $25, while Kennywood is a beloved traditional park with great old wooden coasters and some newer thrills, and is still very popular. KW's POP at the gate is $28 - more than Geauga Lake, but still worthwhile. I've probably said this before, either here or somewhere else, but has KI ever had serious competition?

Many of the perks you mentioned are either a little misleading or most likey not going to happen: First, the free parking was an offer for buying pass in the fall prior to that pass's operating season. While Gold Pass offered a reserved parking area, it did not include the parking fee, if you bought your pass after Fall 2005. Because most parks Cedar Fair operates are on a seasonal basis (Spring-Fall), it wouldn't work the best to have a pass that truly lasts 365 days. That may work for zoos, museums, and aquariums, which are open year-round. It would be a bit too confusing for passholders and seaon pass/admissions folks. One interesting tibit, though, is that Cedar Fair passes are valid until March 31 of the following year, as Knott's is open year-round. One idea I had for the existing Speed Lanes is that should CF drop the perk, is to convert them to single rider lines, and maybe to introduce them to future rides. This could easily be done with Drop Zone and Delirium. Even one 'small park,' Holiday World, has it with their Liberty Launch. Honestly, the season pass I would like to own would have: - Access to All Cedar Fair parks (excluding separately gated water parks) - Parking to Kings Island, Cedar Point, and Geauga Lake - "Joe Cool Club" for Cedar Point, at least. ...even if it means I have to pay $150-$200 for the pass. When doing a season pass program, I hope they offer a range of passes, from a value pass that only does Kings Island - to a "platinum" pass that gets all amusement and water parks, parking to three parks, and possibly more - for the park-goer that loves to travel - sorta like Busch Gardens.

Son of Beast remains closed infefintely. Any other rides, on the other hand, you never know... So, expect everything BUT SOB to be open on Friday.

Hmm, how often did CBS, or Viacom, for that matter, really promote their parks in their other entities?

Hopefully Cedar Fair is listening and decides not to hold any more of these specific bring a friend free days. It was something that Viacom/CBS did as an effort to boost in-park spending among guests. Unfortunately, they forgot that many guests, no matter how much they paid to get in, don't like an absolutely packed park. I'm certain that guests who came in paying their way for a day ticket weren't very happy. All these things do is turn-off customers, IMO. Sorry for the power outage, though.

I'm with your sentiment. While a fan of the park, I think the plaintiff has a case. That person's injury resulted from possible negligence by the park/designer/builder, and not by way of misconduct. Everyone, from the most casual parkgoer who only goes once a year or so, to those like me who go weekly, expect a safe, comfortable ride everytime. Now, I might argue that intense super coasters like SOB are not for everyone, but what happened on 7/9 was unacceptable.

To answer my own question, this 3-Point Challenge has to be something Cedar Fair added on their own - and possibly the first real physical addition the new owners have made to the park. I went by Sunday, when they had most of it complete, except for some fencing and the scoreboard.

I'd argue that the demographic of PKI has changed since 1992, when Winterfest was held before the long hiatus. Back then, there were many attractions that more passive guests, such as seniors, and even very young children - those that couldn't do most rides - could enjoy at Kings Island. For example, animal shows, the Wild Animal Habitat monorail, a wider variety of unique shopping, and many shows. And Winterfest definitely was made for this demographic - lots of shows, great shopping, and gentle rides like the Carousel and KI&MV RR - but no coasters or thrill rides. Within a few years, under Paramount, the amount of stuff to do for this category sharply declined, more in favor of the majority of guests. This move may have helped the park better compete, turned away a demographic that was small, yet still important. Fast forward to 2005 - you see PKI catering to two groups: thrill-seekers and families. Yet, they brought back Winterfest, which was pretty much true to its earlier years - shopping, live shows, and food, but did not offer more to the thrill-seekers that see KI synonymous with Beast, Vortex, and Drop Zone. Operating such rides in very cold temps is a no-no. Carowinds, which introduced Winterfest in '05, had the luxury to run its B&M invert, Top Gun, as they have warmer temps in the Carolinas. Still, a Charlotte paper used the caption 'Walking in an Empty Wonderland" to describe a scene fo the park. Oh, and paying $25 to get into the thrill park without thrill rides? Much of the public said "No Thanks," despite how well-done things inside the gate were. I don't blame Cedar Fair here. The park's previous owners gave the public the chance to come back to the event they wanted - and many simply didn't come. It just makes more sense to focus on Kings Island v.3.0.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/07/24/beast.html Injured Son of Beast Rider Files Suit Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Laura Hornsby Photographed by: 9News First posted: 7/24/2006 5:22:07 PM One of the riders who suffered injuries on the Son of Beast roller coaster at Kings Island has filed a lawsuit. The complaint against Cedar Fair and Paramount Parks alleges that the ride was not properly maintained. A structural engineer hired by the Ohio Department of Agriculture is now looking into what went wrong on Kings Island roller coaster. A preliminary investigation finds cracked and splintered wood may have caused the accident that left 31 people hurt on July 9.

http://www.americalovescrap.com/gallery/ma...g2_itemId=18507 Not sure of the exact year, but easily the 1970s as Scooby Doo!

I remember it being yellow when it first opened in 1972 as Scooby Doo. I don't know the history of the thing, but I remember the scheme shown above - then orange and purple. Now as Fairly Odd Coaster, it's all purple.

The season pass processing the first week of the season opening just plain stinks. The only nice thing is that the process stand will open one or two weeks before opening day, but, unless you live in the metropolis the is the greater Sandusky area, there is a drive involved. Many have complained that the process center is just way too small, but CP has not done anything about this. And the real kicker is, even if you buy a voucher prior to the season, it still saves no time in getting processed. Or, go the day before opening day, check into your hotel, go to the season pass center, get processed, and then take a trip on the Jet Express from Catawba Island, and spend the rest of your night at Put-in-Bay. ... not that I have ever done this. Or, better yet, if you are an existing season pass holder, and you want to renew your pass, you can simply mail your vouchers to the park during winter/early spring, and they send you... Your pass. With your picture on it. No more hassle. However, it's possible they will adopt some of the Paramount stuff. I doubt they're going to downsize Kings Island's season pass processing center.

Why do a lot of the CP shows end in mid-late August? Attendance and staffing. Many students and kids are returning to school - including the park's own employees. The park may remain open daily until Labor Day, but I'm sure staffing and operations are reduced. Shows are more like dessert, but the rides are CP's bread and butter, especially on these days. Of course, live entertainment does pick up again in a month or so with HalloWeekends.

"TAER IT DOWN!"

Update to the map: Bonfante Gardens and Star Trek: The Experience have been added to the map properties on Cedar Fair's web site. As they were under Paramount Parks, Cedar Fair owns and manages Star Trek at Las Vegas Hilton, and manages Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy, CA

Is this a carry-over project from CBS, or did Cedar Fair initiate this? Makes some sense putting something in what has been dead space, but I can't agree more about the darned basketballs. Deflate 'em. They spent the money to play the games, I don't see how they can't get a pump from Wal-Mart.

I see they've added a new "opening times" sign for Whitewater Canyon: 12 noon Sunday-Friday, and 10 am on Saturdays.

Tri-County Press Found this in my newspaper today: Note: This hotel reopened last year after being closed in October 2002.

True, Breakers Express does not offer a shuttle to Cedar Point. Shuttles, however, may not be your best option, and you may have to wait a long time to get one to and from your hotel, for the ones that offer it. Not to mention the limited capacity at opening and closing times. Be a man and pay the $9, and come and go when you're ready.

Maybe they didn't want to be a part owner of it, since their own Castaway Bay competes against Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually bought the property outright in the future, as I'm sure they want to own their own hotel property at Kings Island. Maybe they'll buy the Kings Island Resort?... Also interesting is the proposed Paramount park in China. Obviously Cedar Fair's in no mood to go a long ways, especially for THEM to build a Paramount park from scratch. Any chance Viacom would still want to build it? That I doubt since the 2 Viacom companies (the new Viacom and old Viacom, now CBS) decided to unload their North American parks...

Hotel Breakers has a good combination of old and new. Two newer sections, Breakers East (4 stories), and Breakers Tower (10 stories), have a variety of larger rooms, lots of amenities, and elevators. The main original section, while older and smaller, can be cheaper. It's got some charm, but no elevators. Obviously being the closest accomodations to any park entrance, and I think you even get your parking fee reimbursed, it's something to consider, if you're willing to spend extra for the convenience. Sandcastle is all-suite, and has a beautiful view out onto the lake, but it's a bit of a hike to the gate, though they offer a shuttle, My choice, most often, has been Breakers Express. It doesn't have a lot of amenities, but it's newer, very clean, has elevators, and pricing is comparable to the other Sandusky motels, some of which can be a gamble. It's the closest off-point hotel, yet being owned by Cedar Point, guests get the opporunity to ride early.

Probably essential items like a launch cable/mechanisms, restraint systems, electrical stuff. I don't remember exactly what, but looking at the state of the park then (and maybe even today), there was practically no way they would come up with the money. Just a few years later they finally managed to tear it down, while costly, it brought finality to the thing. I'd be surprised if Fun Spot's Arrow shuttle is running way too much longer either. It's about as old as Demon (it opened at now defunct Circus World in FL) - and it got stuck, upside down, earlier this month. I got to do it in 2002 - I liked it more for sentimental reasons than for the quality of the ride itself.

So far, I've only been to two parks that are now defunct. 1) Surf Cincinnati: My only visit came in 1994 (or '95). I live(d) not too far away from there, just about 10 minutes. Yes, it wasn't in a tourist-oriented area, though very visible from I-275. That year, it looked very worn yet clean. Some of the slides required mats to lay down on because of the bad seams. (The Down Under Thunder at KI-BB is getting that way). When compared to other parks, yes, it was affordable, but the other places were running deals and simply offering more for the money. Other than the go-kart track and bumper boats, there hadn't been any investments there since the early-to-mid 1980s. 2) Americana/LeSourdsville Lake The place had several things that I'll miss, and others that I don't. Besides the Screechin' Eagle, I enjoyed that log flume, the sky ride, and Fascination. On the other hand, there weren't many "new" things. In '02, they brought in a carnival company to bring in portable rides, as well as to operate the permanant rides. Let's just say this was the lowest-quality operation of any fixed site amusement park I've visited. (And that year, PKI wasn't having its best year either for me, but still leaps and bounds better!) I'd rather not rant anymore.

Camden Park, in Huntington, West Virginia, is still in business today, operating since 1903. In 2004, they dismantled and scrapped its Arrow shuttle looper, Thunderbolt Express, formerly the Screamin' Demon at Kings Island. It last ran around 2000, when necessary repairs to keep it running were too costly. You can still see the footers from the old coaster. I last went last year. From what I've heard and seen, things are getting a little better. A lot of the overgrowth has been removed, some new rides put in recently. This year's addition is a set of Flying Scooters. If you ride the Big Dipper in the very back seat, you will probably get the most violent bout of airtime that I have ever experienced on a coaster!