SonofBaconator

And it's not hard to do either. There are a couple of coasters that have covered or enclosed lift hills. https://rcdb.com/773.htm#p=34506

@MDMC01 I really like how The Bat is out of the way, it's nice and secluded from the rest of the park. I guess I just want a little theming or something to look at. I love the trees and the quietness but I want some more effort thrown into the theming. If Firehawk's que was altered, I think you'd see a lot more ridership. To me it isn't worth it to go wait 20+ minutes for a ride in the hot, baking sun when I could wait 20+ minutes for a ride in the nice air conditioned building next door. When you're sitting in a long line sweating like crazy for a ride that literally points you up to the hot sun, you're not really going to want to stay at the park much longer. Even a shelter like Drop Tower's would be enough. After walking around the park, especially on humid days, I don't really want to keep baking in the sun waiting for a ride. Similar to how people don't like to stand in long lines to get on a ride where you stand up. There has to be a little incentive, even for roller coasters.

Bumping the thread. I like how ques like FOF, Banshee, and MT set the mood for the ride before people even get on. Two rides that I wish had an improved que are The Bat and Firehawk. Just walking to The Bat arguably takes the longest time out of all the coasters at KI. People walk to the ride, board, then leave when the ride is over. It's almost reminiscent of the old Beast plaza where people can sit if they chose not to ride and its quite off the beaten path. However, when I go to ride The Bat, I want something to look at. The perks about Top Gun was all the billboards and outside theming set the mood for the ride and gave people some scenery to look at before riding. Just some things like the original 80's Bat audio recordings, some appropriate music, and maybe a couple of farm props are inexpensive and could really spruce up the area. Firehawk has a long wait, especially on busy days during the summer. When I'm in the que the only thing I have to look at is the coaster itself and the Flight of Fear building. If the que would be semi enclosed or even fully enclosed I think it would increase ridership. Maybe have some air force audio and a slight back story- maybe call it "Project Firehawk"- and install some air conditioning and people will immediately notice. I always felt like Firehawk is the more ignored coaster in KI's line up. I know these things won't likely happen but a little love and theming goes a long way. Banshee and Mystic Timbers are prime examples of how theming enhance a coaster's popularity so why not spread the love to some of the older ones?

Things to point out regarding the video Dinosaurs Alive Starting at 7:10 Have plans in the near future that don't include that area Need's to do something that's different for guests Crypt Building Stating at 11:00 Extremely expensive The building needs to be utilized for something more than Haunt Would love to see it utilized for a ride in the future It seems like Mike Koontz wants to utilize underused space and turn them into something that can be loved by many instead of few. Dinos and the Crypt building are perfect examples of this. One is only used for Halloween and the other doesn't get stellar attendance.

If we're still talking antique cars or

One could argue that after Winterfest they could connect that area to Tower Gardens for Antique Cars. The demo site could be where the loading station would go.

Also try DA and see if there's anything. Highly doubtful but still worth a look

SOMEONE TAKE A LOT OF PICTURES TODAY!

Where is your source? Until you provide an accurate source to back up your claim don't say it's confirmed.

Just invest in color changing LEDs that can go from Halloween to Christmas

Then you shouldn't go to Home Depot anytime soon..

I'd still want the coaster height to exceed well over 300ft though. Have it drop an extra 100ft and you have a strata drop

I really missed the excess of foliage and scenery. When I was growing up, a lot of the park's interior was under developed and left untouched. Areas like swan lake and the mining building were nice because it was something to look at and it added to the charm of the park. Don't get me wrong, Diamondback is one of my favorite rides of all time but I miss the old mining company and the scenery it had. I love new rides and attractions but there are also times where I wish certain parts of the park were left untouched. Sometimes I like to feel like I'm not at a bustling amusement park, if that makes any sense http://kiextreme.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=79

I see billboards for Kentucky Kingdom constantly and with the small little park growing healthier and healthier every season, is it safe to say that Kentucky Kingdom is decent competition for Kings Island? Holiday World could also be brought up as well. Thoughts?

@chugh43 Also if you notice the locomotives have been a lot quieter. I remember in the more recent years the engineers used to blast the whistle whenever they got the chance. I used to be able to hear the whistles from the end of the parking lot. Now anymore it seems like the whistles have changed their chime to a lower pitch.

When I ride the train, I don't want to hear about the Guardian's of the Galaxy. I understand they're trying to be "trendy" and appeal to younger audiences but the train can be seen as more than just a transport ride. Year after year the original charm of the railroad has weakened and seems to be more of a gimmick. A some animals and some extra theming wouldn't be a costly investment on the park's part and could prove very popular. Plus the conductors wouldn't have make up jokes about holes in fences and Kanye West. Then Now

"Those deer just had their meal so they might look a little stuffed" In all honesty, I don't know why the park decided to abandon a huge chunk of the theming. Even when Water Works was built, Taft kept as much theming as they could.

A little theming could go a long way

I'm curious if we'll see a similar approach like what we saw with Banshee. 2012 Son of Beast's removal is announced and demolition begins shortly after 2013 Huge Clearing of land and some visual construction and new coaster is announced 2014 New coaster is opened Either that or the land will just stay vacant for next season

It looks like ScottFiasTV tagged Kings Island in the post where the picture was directed towards Six Flags DK

It might get hot inside if people are waiting long lines wearing coats and other winter clothes. That's what I always thought at least. Might be harder to secure lose articles if you're wearing winter clothes on a ride that launches you from 0-54mph in 4 seconds.

That's a shame. I know it didn't get stellar attendance but there were a lot of families that were disappointed in its leaving. It would be awesome if the whole park was moved to a separate location in the tri-state area and expanded and made an actual attraction but I doubt that would ever happen.

Question about the dinos- where are they going to go? Are they going to go back to the manufacturer or be sent off to add on to another Cedar Fair park?

I think its scary how a ride manufacturing company can be the source of so many accidents and even scarier that the company acknowledges this and treats it as normal. I'm sorry but I'll stick to Mack, B&M, RMC, GCI or literally any other company for my thrills.

Dennis Speigel has praised Kings Island's location in many interviews. Years ago it used to be extremely hard for people in the Midwest to find any type of coaster over 200 feet without driving to Cedar Point. Now that 200ft coasters are becoming more common, 300ft coasters are extremely hard to come by. I believe that Kings Island has kept the Midwest in sync with the amusement park world where people don't have to drive 4+ hours just to ride decent coasters. Hopefully we won't have to drive a long distance to ride a giga in the near future.