homestar92

I can't believe it's over. It seems like just yesterday, yet at the same time ages ago, that many of us gathered in the wee hours of the morning for a very, very cold Banshee Media Day. Truly a tremendous year for the park. It is very sad that it's over, but as was posted on the KIC Facebook page, "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened". I don't think I'll ever get through a closing day without tears, though. This park is really special. Look no further than this site if you want proof. How many other amusement parks have a community like this, a community so family-like that many of us know each other in the real world and keep in contact regularly? I've made many friends here, including a few people that I would consider among my very best friends in the world. Kings Island will always be special to me. And I think it's fair to say that wherever life takes me, Kings Island will ALWAYS be my "home park". Until April, I'm going to miss Kings Island like Shaquille O' Neal misses free throws.

^It's been used, just not for a ride. Until recently, it was the Dinosaur Party Pavilion. The queue was used for Kill Mart, and probably will be until Kill Mart leaves, or a ride goes on that pad.

Hey now, they did a great job with flying shoes. How different could a scooter possibly be? I mean, they both begin with an S.

Just imagine if INTAMIN made Flying Scooters. I'd imagine that snapping the cables on that ride could easily make it the park's Top Thrill ride.

^OK, I'll admit, you got me there. Very true.

Not to double post, but I see the Facebook commenters are already up in arms about how "lame" the new addition is. Little lesson for all of them, in case they stumble upon this thread somehow. Flying Scooters that are physically located in the children's area of an amusement park =/= a kiddie version of Flying Scooters. That is all. Furthermore, admission costs aren't increasing (to my knowledge) and no rides are being removed. Don't like it, don't ride it, plain and simple. No loss to you. I'll be happy to not have you in front of me in the line. You just got a 24 million dollar coaster. Let the families and the little ones have something to enjoy. Our coaster lineup is phenomenal, and frankly, it was even before Banshee was built. Our flat ride lineup and our childrens' area were in desperate need of attention, and now they are getting it. This is a win for the park in every conceivable way. No, they aren't our old scooters. Frankly, if anyone really, honestly believed there was ANY chance we were ever getting them back, they are delusional. The kids and the general public will not know the difference, and Cedar Fair is far too intelligent to take a successful attraction from its new home purely to appease a relatively small group of enthusiasts. And if you're an adult who doesn't want to ride them because they're in the kiddie area, then frankly, you don't deserve to ride this wonderful ride. On a busy Saturday at Cedar Point (whose scooters are in a children's area), I rode their Eagles several times with no more than a couple cycles waits. Meanwhile, on a dead weekday at Kentucky Kingdom (whose scooters are not in a kids' area) I typically had to wait several cycles to ride. Narrowing the demographics to whom an attraction is marketed means shorter waits for everyone who wants to ride. It was a great move. SR&R is returning to Coney, so that section will be just fine once again in terms of flats. If you happen to be the one person in the world that really, REALLY loved Snoopy's Splash Dance, then I guess you have a right to be a little upset. But personally, I don't know anyone who even cared that it was there, let alone enjoyed it. Facebook commenters: The lowest common denominator of humanity.

Or you could pick what's in the box. But if you did that, then that would make you...

I wish one of the tubs was going to be painted red. We could call it the Red Snapper, and it would be loved by all. And possibly delicious.

At least one member here is very excited about the new Starbucks.

For exactly that reason (as Terp has pointed out) I'm thrilled about the location. Capacity. Lines will likely be shorter in Planet Snoopy, especially at night. This does mean no night rides in late September and October, but as with all things, give and take. The scooters at Kentucky Kingdom are not in the children's area. In my visits, they frequently had fairly long lines, and that's at a park that does not get nearly the number of visitors as KI does. Just food for thought. This is a good addition. Not to mention, Planet Snoopy is very open, while Coney Mall has trees, coasters, and fairly big flats to block wind. That matters in terms of scooters. Look at Stricker's. There was a time when their scooters were fairly snappable. Then they moved them to the area between the two coasters, and snapping is nigh impossible. On another note, I second the petition to instead name them the "Flying Beagles".

Wait. They have a Woodstock costumed character? I've literally never seen him out and about. And I've been going to the park quite regularly for as long as we've had Planet Snoopy.

At least Kentucky Kingdom gives me a good, Harty 32 ounce cup when I ask for free water, rather than one of our infamous Kinzel Thimbles (or Kinzel Kups if you prefer alliteration over near rhyme). So, I suppose that's one positive, right?

(Hartland photo posted for relevance) Notice, as Terpy mentioned, two speeds, with the dial set to the lower speed. Notice also the orange thing on the bottom-right. That is a foot pedal. The ride operator must have a foot on that at all times the ride is running. When they let go, the ride will begin slowing to a stop, ending the cycle. If you snap one of these sets, and the operator has never witnessed this phenomenon before, it is quite likely that they will be startled. When startled, they might jump a bit, causing them to slip off the pedal for a moment, which ends the ride cycle. And that's the story of how I accidentally caused a bunch of people to get a shorter-than-expected ride on Professor John's Flying Machines... Even in the low speed, the Larsons are fairly snappable. Not as much as the old set now at Carowinds, for sure. But better than most. Much better than the Bisch-Rocco set at Holiday World, so at the end of the day, the manufacturer does not completely determine the snappability of these things. No, it wouldn't be OUR Eagles. And we aren't getting them back. Technically, that's speculation and I don't KNOW that, but I'd put good money on it. There are children in the Charlotte area that love those things as much as any of us did. They are a part of Carowinds' identity now. Sad for us, but true. That said, while the Larsons are not AS good as that set, they are solid flyers, and unlike the ones at Holiday World, they are better than nothing. I've ridden three sets of the Larsons (Darien Lake, Hartland, and Cedar Point) and they are pretty consistent, too. If we were getting a set, you could have a pretty good idea what to expect out of them if you've ridden another one. For what it's worth, I think Flight Commander's pad would be a great place for a set of flyers. The slight elevation above the main midway could provide some snap-friendly wind conditions too.

Darien Lake has a storage facility (well, to be more accurate, a field...) across the street from their park. In it, among other things, is the INTAMIN standup once known as Batman: The Escape. Six Flags relocated the ride to Darien Lake shortly before their ownership of the park came to an end. Presumably, the intention was to install the ride there, but I can't find anything to confirm that. It would seem, though, that the future owners had no desire to install the coaster that is readily available and sitting on property that they own, as it is still sitting, in pieces, in that field nearly a decade later. It is extremely visible from the road. You could theoretically drive up to it and take a closer look, but I can only imagine that would constitute trespassing. Regardless, even sticking to the public road, the track is very visible and you can still see it fairly close-up. When I saw it, I had to do a double-take, because it's one of the INTAMINs that used B&M-style box track, and I didn't know of any dismantled B&Ms. The fact that the park has plenty of open land in which that coaster could fit, and has the coaster itself on their property, but they choose not to install it, speaks volumes about the desirability of standup coaster.

Maybe we'll get an oversized, permanent version of a typically small, portable carnival ride. Heck, maybe we'll get SIX of them. But that wouldn't be very FUN, would it?

Hey, Darien Lake has an awesome INTAMIN standup coaster. And you can get a fantastic view of it from the road next to the park! Oh... wait... (Somehow I get a feeling that one will go over the heads of a lot of people here...)

^ Which is why it's an issue that I wish taxpayers could see the importance of. If we, as a nation, are willing to fund the teaching of computer skills, the money will come back into our economy via the products that it will enable us to produce. The other problem though is that frankly, our schools seem to be underfunded across the board, and I think taxpayers (and the schools themselves) would probably have other areas that they feel are more important to allocate money to than technology. And maybe they're right. I don't have the expertise to know the answer to that. Ah well. I suppose in a worst-case scenario, it's just job security for me.

^ I'm in this same boat. High school was very easy for me. I breezed through classes with little to no effort and maintained a 3.84 GPA. I suppose that after all is said and done, I should be grateful, as my GPA and my ACT scores (32 composite) earned me a full-tuition scholarship to college, where I actually learned things that had some appeal to me and felt challenged and motivated to learn (not to mention, expanded my social bubble FAR more than I ever did in high school). I'm no education expert. I can't even begin to comment on all of these matters with the same level of expertise and knowledge that some on this site have demonstrated. However, there is one glaring problem I see with public schools, and it isn't just Ohio, it's all over the country. And pardon me, but I'll be getting on my soap box for a moment. Schools need to embrace technology, and in some ways, they are beginning to do so. And yet, very, very few schools in this country offer classes on computer programming. Frankly, I think one entry-level course in the subject SHOULD be required for all students just as we require art, music, and sometimes foreign languages, but at very least, I just wish it were offered at all. I went into college with literally zero knowledge in my field of study. Frankly, it was complete conjecture as to whether it was really a field I would even like to be in. I think it's a crime that American students don't get this opportunity. Especially now in this age of iPads and Androids, computers have been dumbed down to a point where you need no technical knowledge at all to use one. In some ways, that's fantastic. In others, it's truly frightening. As a young kid, the only computer I had access to was my dad's old 286. If I wanted to play a game or write a document, I had to use floppy disks and navigate the command line, and by the age of seven, I was more or less fluent on a DOS prompt. Had we had the money (or need) for a newer computer at that time that DIDN'T require this kind of technical knowledge, I would have learned almost nothing about how a computer actually works, and I would have been far more disadvantaged going into college than I was. If we want to keep innovating, we need the next generation to have an opportunity to learn these skills. I witnessed the culture shock of my peers having to use a command line for the first time to compile their code in my freshman year of college. This was a generation that grew up right as that era of computing was coming to an end, and a generation that would have had at least a small amount of exposure to that sort of thing. Imagine what will happen when we have a world of people whose only computing knowledge involves tapping an icon and we need developers to make the next big software breakthrough. Everyone has different skills and interests, and technology is not the road to a career for every student. But it's where the money is, and will be for the foreseeable future, and if we as a nation aren't raising a generation prepared to excel in this area, the economic ramifications could be devastating. OK, I'll get off my soap box now.

I often struggle to find the entrance to the pirate ship...

What about parks like Stricker's Grove that simply don't offer maps of any sort, paper or electronic?

^ And honestly, even if you don't intend to split the food, you're still looking at some of the best value in the park. Of course, as it is a table service restaurant, you need to factor in any gratuity, which would not be the case elsewhere, but even still, you can order from the appetizer menu, and it is probably enough to fill an average person, usually at much less than the cost of a combo meal elsewhere in the park. At almost every food location, a combo meal is in the neighborhood of $15. If you will be there open to close on Saturday, an All day dining plan might be a good investment. You can eat as many meals as you wish with only 90 minutes between, and you won't need to carry cash or a credit card to pay for it. Not to mention, it will allow you to sample the different food offerings at the park if you wish.

^ That was the joke.

^looking at Google Earth, I can see that now. From Rutherford, you can turn onto Canada's Wonderland Drive, which runs over toward the park, down along the side of it parallel to Behemoth, and into the tolls. Rutherford Road itself is still a good distance from the park though, which still raises some questions about what the article meant. Maybe it'll become more apparent when/if more details are released.

Jane Street is more or less the main road in the commercial area of Vaughan. As far as I know, it is the only entrance to the park. You have one lane that turns in to the lot itself, which branches out to several lanes to get you to the tolls. You're basically already in the lot when you get to the tolls, which is a difference from the layout of Kings Island's lot. Otherwise, the lot itself is very similar to the one at KI, it runs the length of the park from North to South, with the entrance to the park in the center. There is a pick-up/drop-off area on Jane Street directly across from the park entrance. With the exception of the placement of the parking tolls, the lot is structured very similarly to the Kings Island lot. Rutherford Road is about a block south of the park's actual entrance. So I would assume this means the south side of the lot. If this did actually occur near the intersection of Jane Street and Rutherford Road, then that would place the occurrence well off of the park's property.

^ Unless, of course, it turns out that the alleged attacker's life was in danger from these people and he or she was acting in self defense. We just don't have all the facts yet. There are so many different scenarios that all seem equally likely. I'm sure local law enforcement will do everything in their power to uncover the facts, but as it is right now, we know almost nothing for sure, and speculation isn't prudent. On a lighter note, I love the word "prudent" and like to find ways to inject it into conversation.