homestar92

If the website is down, perhaps they are just "people posing as imposters". The Kentucky Kingdom Facebook page: always good for a Harty laugh.

Not to mention, a stronger Kentucky Kingdom also necessitates a stronger Holiday World, Dollywood, and Beech Bend, All of which in turn serve yet again to force Kings Island to keep up. Plus, an operating Kentucky Kingdom means I can ride coasters in the two weeks between the end of KI's summer season and the start of Haunt, which I have already taken advantage of once, and may again this weekend!

Another thing nobody is thinking about - the park giving out a refund opens a potentially dangerous door. Now the park has made a judgment call that THIS disability deserves a refund even though they've never given them out in the past. The park has established a precedent of giving a refund because of being unable to ride most of the rides. Now they will be forced to make judgment calls as to which situations that bar a guest from riding are refund-worthy and which aren't. Even if they give out no more refunds ever again, that in itself is a judgment call that Logan deserved a refund, but a future angry guest does not. It's a lot safer to just not give any out ever or to always give one to anyone who asks. Obviously the latter would not be good for business.

^And for some of us, the park looks very different WITHOUT it. In 2013, it was not necessarily "bad" different or "good" different, just different. Though the thing that went where it once stood is definitely a good different in my book.

If last weekend was any indication of how things are going, Thunder Run was literally a walk-on all day. On a Saturday. With beautiful temperatures and crystal-clear skies. On a coaster that runs one train. Every single time I went to ride it, there was at least one row in the station with nobody in line for it. So, in what should be ideal circumstances for drawing a crowd, they couldn't reliably get 24 people in line for one of their flagship rides within any given two minute period. And, this was with their only other (non-kiddie) coaster down for well over half the day. Things aren't looking so hot in the Hartland.

Perhaps they can't afford to dress up the park for Boofest, or pay for more than 8 hours worth of staffing...

Too bad we all missed our chance to see him at a REAL team's stadium...

^ Seconded. Pronto Pups are very good. There is also an eatery with burgers, chicken, and the like (you know, typical picnic type fare) near the Flying Scooters. The food is good, but nothing too special. But the pricing is very fair, and it's not any more expensive than it would be to leave the park and eat.

^That can't be it. If Cedar Fair is offered a means to add trims to a ride, they would be there. (Kidding, of course!)

While I happen to really like Blue Streak, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for saying nice things about Mean Streak. It's my favorite woodie, and I, too, do not understand the hate for it. It's often lonely in the Dinn fan club. But it's a club that somebody has to be in. -Homestar92, enormous fan of Mean Streak, Predator, and Thunder Run.

The Rivertown box looks like a warehouse. I recall a faux brick facade on Exterminator that looked like a real building from a distance.

I don't think RMC has any need to make a family coaster. Their marketing strategy basically involves adding new elements to wooden* coasters and doing things never before done on that style of coaster. There aren't a whole lot of elements you can add to a family coaster without making it no longer a family coaster. Then again, if Gatekeeper is anything to go by, apparently you can have a coaster over 100 feet tall with 6 inversions and call it a family attraction... All that being said, however, if you had asked me two years ago if I thought B&M would ever make a family coaster, I would've said there's not a chance of it. And yet, look toward China, and there one is... *but not really...

So basically, this is nothing new and everyone is having knee-jerk reactions to something that is probably not a big deal? Well, except the train wraps. I think if I see my beautiful Vortex all wrapped up in ads, I might cry... Unless that wraps are cool like the ones on Viper. I enjoyed those a lot.

Don't worry, in a few years, Kentucky Kingdom will go under again and Kings Island can just buy Deluge. For a pessimist, I'm pretty optimistic.

They can be done well. One of the reasons I like Exterminator is because its box actually looks presentable.

I saw one of these with Kentucky Kingdom branding yesterday, so they sell those inside the park there too. Perhaps they can sell them at KI. With these new fountains, it would be a convenient item, and cut down on lines at food stands from people who only want water. On another Kentucky Kingdom note, I asked for water at the pizza place next to Thunder Run yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to receive it not in a Kinzel Cup, but in one of the 32-oz Coca-Cola cups.

I will admit, I didn't completely hate it. They had the best Whip I've ever ridden. The food was kinda meh for me, but the pricing was fair, so I can be a bit more lenient there. I spoke to a nice young lady working the register at one of their shops who noticed my Vortex shirt and we had a great discussion about how Kings Island is far and away the best theme park in Ohio (for some reason, I seem to only ever meet cute girls at parks that are several hours from home... Sigh...)Two things were red flags, and they are the main things that scared me away. Bathrooms. Absolutely filthy that day. I didn't want to touch the sinks to wash my hands. And the second, the train on Big Dipper. It looked unloved and poorly maintained, and it didn't give me the warm fuzzies to ride. I appreciate the rarity of the Century Flyer trains, but perhaps it's time to invest in a used PTC that's in good shape. If Stricker's can afford it, I'm sure Camden can, too.

The park simply being there and open has brought happiness to many people. To an extent, that's enough for me to call them a success. Now, from a business standpoint, I think my general way of thinking is, if you are staying afloat, you are currently a success. Once you no longer can, you have failed. Arrow Dynamics and Saturn Corporation are my favorite companies in any industry. Neither exists anymore (though in both cases, their assets were absorbed by other companies, and the situation is a mess). From a business standpoint, both of these companies have failed. That doesn't mean that their successes can't be boasted in other areas.

I can watch the Golden Ticket Awards? Oh good, I've always wanted a convenient list of which parks hold the best events and give out the best freebies to enthusiasts! That's what the Golden Tickets are, right?

Also, was there not once "Top Gun: Sponsored by Gilette Mach 3"?

And I love Kennywood. It's my favorite park. But it is also over twice as far from my home as Kentucky Kingdom. I can go to KK 3 or 4 times a year and it would be pretty affordable. A bit harder for me to make it to Kennywood more than once a year, tops.

You know, while I'm a raging Kings Island fanboy, I really like Kentucky Kingdom a lot. And I think I've figured out why. Their ride selection covers pretty much everything that Kings Island is missing. A fun, compact Woodie, a solid ejector airtime machine, a ferris wheel, FREAKING FLYING SCOOTERS, and a good selection of unique small flats.

*NEW FOR 2015* A giant tan box surrounding an old coaster, which we will then market as new! Déjà Vu? (No, that's Goliath now...)

I don't know that the equation would be purely linear. I'm sure there's a parabolic curve somewhere, and a whole lot of other variables we aren't accounting for, too. If height were solely responsible for quality, Apocalypse would be one of the better standups, and from everything I've heard, it isn't.

I, for one, happen to love that woodie up yonder, and would be far less likely to spend my dollars at The Point if it goes anywhere. I love Magnum and Maverick, but I can ride a better hypercoaster and an almost-as-good launched coaster at my favorite amusement park in the Pittsburgh area. I can ride a better Mine Train, Suspended coaster, Invert, and Arrow Looper in Mason. Millennium Force excites me about as much as mowing the lawn with a pushmower and Dragster is a one-trick-pony, so I'm not missing much if I don't ride them often. Take out Mean Streak, and suddenly I become a lot less excited to go to Sandusky, especially since I discovered that Kennywood's corn dogs are every bit as good as the ones at The Point. Blue Streak is pretty good, too, but not good enough for me to drive three hours when again, there is an out-and-back woodie in Mason that I find to be very, very close to it in terms of fun and excitement. And yes, the corn dogs WERE a driving force in me going to Cedar Point again this year. And yes, they are that good.