SonofBaconator

I think mainly because Kentucky Kingdom is in an area that has a much higher population. The metropolitan population surrounding Kentucky Kingdom is double that of Wild Adventures.

Do you see less marketing efforts in the Cincinnati region in favor of Louisville/Southern Indiana?

All jokes aside I think this will definitely push them to compete more

I could see that as a possibility, especially if SIX decides to cut some parks to alleviate lost revenue coming out of the pandemic. Those two parks would definitely fit in with Herschend. I'm curious if Herschend would ever make a jump towards bigger parks like SEAS if the opportunity ever presented itself.

Herschend has been mostly seen as the smaller chain in the industry operating just three theme parks in addition to resorts, aquariums and other attractions. Though they are smaller compared to chains like Cedar Fair, Six Flags, and Sea World, they seem to have a strong presence in the southern market. This presence will be even greater with the addition of Kentucky Kingdom. Lets look at what Herschend has been doing to their amusement parks these past few years: Expanded Dollywood in 2019 with Wildwood Grove Added a total of 6 coasters to their 3 parks in the 2010s Introduced us to the B&M wing coaster, the Mack extreme spinner, and the world's 1st launched wooden coaster (last one is controversial) Added a ton of additional attractions Might RMC Cheetah which would put Wild Adventures on the map I honestly think Herschend might become a major player in the industry. With the Kentucky Kingdom being just two hours away from Kings Island, Herschend is bordering Cedar Fair territory. Will Kentucky Kingdom overtake Kings Island? No, but they can hurt KI's attendance numbers with more Kentucky families opting to go local to save money. Additionally they have Silver Dollar City which competes with Worlds of Fun as well as Six Flags St. Louis. Also think of this: what if Kentucky Kingdom is only the beginning? What if later down the road they acquire more independent parks like Adventureland, Holiday World, and so on?

Theming has been solid at KI for the past 10 years. It started with Banshee and only progressed with Mystic Timbers and Orion. If you could apply this new theming practice to older coasters, which one would you chose? I left out the Planet Snoopy coasters. I also didn't include Flight of Fear because they did a good job tying it in with Orion and I personally think its been perfect for 25 years.

I don't want a big wheel for the reasons @IndyGuy4KI said. The Eiffel Tower is our centerpiece and looks great at night. I'd rather see Racer feature color changing lights underneath the support structure

How bad does this whole thing hurt Cedar Fair?

I still think Cedar Fair should try and acquire Adventureland to bridge the gap between VF and WoF to sell more platinum passes. Relocating an SLC would make sense but would CF want to do that? I know if Kinzel was still in charge that would be a possibility but under current management I feel like Flight Deck would be scrapped or sold before they'd relocate it.

I cannot speak since I have not been there, but I know people who have. All joking aside, from what I've been told its not anything like Dollywood and SDC. It opened in '96 so it's about to turn 25 years old- the whole park is basically the same age as Flight of Fear. They started out as a petting zoo and grew. Herschend bought them in 2007. The park kinda like Michigan's Adventure where they installed a lot of their "thrill" rides before they got bought be a larger chain. They have a ton of carnival-esque rides and outdated coasters with 3 Vekomas and other smaller kiddy style coasters. From what I heard their animals and their water park are the main attractions with the coasters kinda just being there. Not that they're unpopular but they're not at all comparable to what you see at Dollywood or SDC; but again they were acquired in '07. If they do RMC Cheetah that would definitely put them on the map and put them a little more on par with their sister parks in the thrill category. I've said this before but if a park gets a RMC, they're pretty much guaranteed to see a boost in attendance. Coming from someone who hasn't been there, the closest comparison I can make is Silverwood and Michigan's Adventure got married and had liked animals; and I'm saying that in the most polite way possible. The park looks cool, and I'd definitely visit; especially if it gets am RMC. If this park is any indication as to what a Herschend owned KK would look like, I think they're in good hands.

I never gave that a thought

I am not opposing a Mack, I've mentioned numerous times how awesome Helix looks, but would people notice two launched coasters next to each other or would that even matter? As long as its reliable and has multiple inversions, I'm all for one; maybe with orange track and blue supports though.

People mention dives a lot too. I've said this before but a 6 row-mini dive with 5-6 inversions would be out of this world. https://images.app.goo.gl/QwaxDy5Dk7gAhwNF9

I feel like having a tall dive machine next to a tall hyper would be repetitive. I think the max height I would want to go is 170ft which is 60ft shorter than Diamondback. Heck they could go the Orion route and have the drop go further than the height. I just want those lost inversions made up and have a decent ride duration.

Complaints against floorless coasters come from enthusiasts who have the luxury of traveling to multiple parks. The same can be said for hypers, inverts and dives. Not many GP go to other parks.

Please no. The ride is a coaster icon and I would hate to see it converted

I think if the park opens up in 2022 it'll get high attendance like it did pre-covid. Remember its not just Canada's Wonderland that's affected, several other entertainment venues have been affected. Look at the Toronto Blue Jays... I wouldn't think Cedar Fair would give up on the park that easily, especially considering how they lead the chain in seasonal attendance. The best they can do is prep for 2022 and go from there.

I argue both coasters are the best themed of their kind. With that being said however, what you get out of Orion comes from Mystic Timbers.

I think something different would work: go kart tracks, high ropes/zipline courses, mini golf, etc

So Geauga Lake the place? Dibs on Yukon Striker

From what I read online (and its the only figure I could find so don't take it as a solid source) Valravn cost between $20-$25 million https://www.google.com/amp/s/accountingintheheadlines.com/2016/08/30/would-the-costs-related-to-cedar-points-valravn-roller-coaster-be-expensed-or-capitalized/amp/ I thought I heard $23 million somewhere but don't quote me. To what @Kenban said, the cost isn't just the ride itself but the whole project. They had to demolish the theater and the turnpike cars before clearing the land Pay to have the coaster designed and manufactured Ship it Pay a company to install it Pay for additional things like a new entrance and such It all adds up

They used to have the world's tallest inversion with GateKeeper. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Valravn had the 2nd tallest at the time. Going back to your comment, I agree that CP would want the inversion record.

What would be advantageous of a chain operating a park operating in a competitor's territory? KI pretty much has dominion over the area. I'm just curious

@TombRaiderFTW my argument is that Paramount neglected the park so people were fans of mediocrity. The park saw high attendance when their best coaster was an Arrow suspended coaster. They are trying to compete with other things people like to do for fun and I believe retiring their old rides for new ones would be a good step. I would like to see them incorporate animation and theming into their overall plan. I think Wonder Mountain's Guardian was a good attempt but I think it fell short imo

https://www.whitewaterwest.com/en/