disco2000

Local station actually covered it....and not the station many of us expected it to be https://local12.com/news/local/berlin-a-flock-of-seagulls-took-to-the-stage-for-kings-island-summer-concert-series-take-my-breath-away-i-ran-so-far-timberwolf-stage-admission-park-concert-performance-event-music-cincinnati-ohio

Yep lol. They need to find that happy medium between advertising and reality. Remember the Eiffel Tower 50th snack that looked anything but what the ad showed lol. And I agree and mentioned it in the earnings thread - it is the little things like providing your wings in some resemblence of the sign out front that will keep you coming back for that item. I think KI is probably leading the chain showing how attention to the little things can have a positive impact on guest experience, return visits, and per cap spending.

@Coasterteam - since it seems to be a cool hobby you are working on and developing algorithms, is there a way trusted members here could provide input as @NegativeGs suggested for FL+? Maybe with a timer and from when someone enters the line until ready to get on a ride? While that site does allow users to put in times, some are jokes like the almost daily one at CP of someone saying they waited 5 minutes for dragster. And then you could develop an algorithm that takes trusted times into account? Of course it's accuracy could be off because there are so many variables that come into play, but more data input into can probably start a predictive model with a little more accuracy.

So are you saying it should have came with a wing hanging off the plate too LOL? Should it have been served on a gold tray versus a basket with paper wrapping in it? Not that it makes it right, but this has been going on for YEARS in the food industry... https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-advertisements-vs-reality-2013-12#the-big-mac-looks-a-little-deflated-7 https://www.boredpanda.com/fast-food-ads-vs-reality/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic And has even resulted in lawsuits.... https://www.fooddive.com/news/false-advertising-lawsuits-are-ramping-up-in-food-and-beverage/604615/ https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/burger-king-false-advertising-lawsuit-whopper-burgers-rcna22916

Yep. One train operation though.

^It is a weird dynamic that would be nice to see this trend change from the past, but perception plays a big part in it. Past years all shareholders and the Board cared about was attendance, attendance, attendance. For years we would see record attendance, yet per cap spending was going down. Attendance going down is a perceived problem with publicly traded companies and shave value usually takes a hit, even if the revenue and profit are great. For example what happened to their unit price after this announcement...it's value dropped 6%... If the perception and narrative could be changed to focus on revenue and profit with attendance as a lesser factor, then I think we will continue to see all the "little things" improvements we have been seeing. When the narrative and perception is attendance is the guiding factor, that is when we see the gate given away and the attention to the "little things" pushed aside. When you focus on the "little things" then the revenue and profit increase because people are spending more. And then a funny thing happens...you get increased visits despite not giving away the gate.... The "dip" in attendance is mainly due to the lack of group sales and picnics as many companies have yet to re-engage in those types of events.

The entitlement "rules don't apply to me" philosophy. How many times do you see a security guard nicely inform someone vaping or smoking that this is not allowed in the park and the guest jumps the security guards case? Or heaven forbid a guest kindly inform the smoking/vaping guest about the policy or point to the PA system as that announcement is being said and the f bomb flies. How many times have you told a guest in front of you or next to you with a phone out that it is illegal and they keep right on doing it...

It was testing today.

And this is why they need to be more vigilant and maybe keep the train locked when they see this come in to the station so the violator can be caught. Manually release the injured to get them medical assistance, but leave everyone else locked in until security gets there. Or just give one warning on the lift hill and stop the coaster on the lift if they do not comply. I have heard it two and three times going up Racer and they don't put away and the ride continues. Not that anyone would comply and they would run, but it would be nice if a train came in and a guest said the person in front of me had their phone out and said guest would have to either prove there is no video on their phone or be escorted from the park for not wanting to show their phone (as that would admit guilt LOL). This would never happen, but parks need to start thinking of ways to get compliance before even more serious injuries occur. It is nonsense like this that will end up being no items in the line for EVERY ride. "He was looking for his phone talking to the workers and then he came over, he saw my little cousin covering her face and was like, 'Stop freaking out. It's not a big deal,' and then he left and walked away," A trip to the ER and an MRI and 10 stitches doesn't sound like no big deal to me... This happened to a lady several years ago at KD on Twisted Timbers and the person with the lost cell phone did the same thing - simply walked away with no consequence other than a lost phone. https://abc7.com/six-flags-magic-mountain-girl-injured-by-cellphone-riverside-child-hurt-on-ride-rollercoaster-injuries/12024980/?ex_cid=TA_KABC_FB&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A New Content (Feed)&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2_fpCEXmygIR4hg4M_ei4jnIJGOk43cW9DKaSyPG6Fws3IJySmRjEG95s

It has worked flawlessly the past few years Does it only work for Gold passes? If it works for platinum, does Pass Perks accumulate and be rewarded at each park visited or only the "home" park where the pass was purchased? For example, if you purchased the platinum at Cedar Point does that mean you are only eligible for the pass perks at Cedar Point or can you visit KI 20 times and potentially be rewarded at KI as well? And let's not forget FunPerks from many years ago...

^The damaged piece has been removed and replaced.

I seem to recall the last positive post they made was after @BeeastFarmer called them out the last time for being so negative LOL. Lasted about a post or two LOL.

I guess technically it is true, but they have been having daily fireworks since May 28th until August 14th.... the article makes it sound like it is just this weekend lol https://www.wlwt.com/article/kings-island-to-have-fireworks-show-every-night-of-holiday-weekend/40489385

^And in that other thread, people posted what they thought the issue was.....When you are dealing with an older IP and companies have merged/split/remerged/family issues, etc. it doesn't take a lot for someone to make claim to an IP if it ever passed thru their hands. And in an instance like this, the drone show would be long over by the time the courts settled it, so the park simply quickly changed the animation. Doesn't impact the quality of the show at all. Personally I think the Knievel change is better now. Given how CF protects their IP on violations, it would be surprising if they didn't seek approval first for other IP...

Skyline confirmed lol. Working on the coney holders now

Let's get The Bat is down thread back on track...speaking of track, the damaged part of The Bat track has been removed (already noted above, but getting the thread back on track)....

^+1 this! A developer buying 25 acres is one thing. One developer purchasing 300+ acres at that cost/acre and the lag time associated from purchase to approval to build to occupancy would mean that developer has some very deep pockets to afford outlaying that much cash without income on the site for a period of time. Sure they may have some pre-sales, but probably not enough. You do realize most developments that fail are a result of a developer over extending their line of credit and run out of cash before a single unit is occupied. And then someone gets it partially developed at a fraction of the cost in many instances and finishes it off. A subdivision near me is on its 4 developer for that exact reason. Now a large national home developer came in and snagged it at a bargain price to finish it out.

^+1 exactly! We certainly don't need another round of basketball games LOL. Despite the official "reached its useful life" status, given the short notice, many believe that during a comprehensive inspection that it was determined that an expensive repair was on the horizon that accelerated when the useful life status hit....meaning that if that were the case, this was an unplanned piece of land to be slated for an attraction in the 5 year plan and thus had no plans slated...meaning that unless they revamped the CIP plan significantly (which can happen), that other attractions are already slated elsewhere and this one would be worked into the next round of planning cycles. Still surprised we haven't heard someone post a Son of Beast rumor next to The Beast so The Beast can watch over the child

I am sure part of it is there have been so many acquisitions/mergers/split off/re-mergers, etc. that everytime that happens, an organization sold off or spun-off will take claim to an IP whether it is valid or not. So the park could have obtained clearance from who says they own the IP, and then some spinoff organization claims that IP is theirs as part of the spin off (which would seem odd considering all the players remerged, but maybe the estate of Sherwood Schwartz makes claim to the logo?). It could be anything really. We are talking about a tv show that is over 50 years old, and its IP has gone thru lots of hands over the years. And the Knievel "1" could be some family dispute where a family member claims they own the IP and not the estate or something along those lines. These things can get messy over time. I seem to recall not to long ago a family dispute with Buzz Aldrin's family on who owns the IP of certain things he has. That is likely the case and the process to go thru courts to determine who owns the IP could be years, so it is much simpler to simply change the show. In the big scheme of things it doesn't distract from the show and isn't as super critical as some other IP conflicts have been regarding movies or other IP issues. Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if at some point some IP is disputed between CF and Paramount Global (what CBS/Viacom/Paramount are currently calling themselves). These things can get messy. Wouldn't it suck if Paramount Global made claim to the Phantom Theater IP...

Because of your statement alone, why would Canada want to lose that attraction and associated property taxes, payroll taxes, out of towner spending to the community? Sure some of that is recouped once housing goes in, but then there is lost revenue of out of town spending, which can be significant. You underestimate how much of an international draw Wonderland is. Look how many come from overseas to experience Niagara Falls and New York, etc. Since they are international visitors, they already have the credentials to enter the US and Canada and in about 2 hours they can be at Wonderland. And maybe they visit Toronto and take in a ballgame or other event going on there. And then from that they are about six hours to Cedar Point. Maybe it was an anomoly, but in every visit I made to Wonderland, talking to people in line most were not from Canada or the US, they were from other countries. Had a wonderful discussion with a family from Germany. Shared with them the rich German history of Cincinnati and joked about the lack of German food in the FestHaus lol. Spoke to many from India that were coming to the US to visit their children at a University in the states. Talk to a few from Australia. And a whole host of others from other European countries. Did speak to one local that could tell where I was from based on my accent LOL. But even if it wasn't an international draw, a park drawing 3-4million visitors per year would be a significant loss to the local community. And why would CF want to get out of that "monopoly" that is basically a cash cow for them? As long as the financial terms are beneficial and CF continues to basically have a "monopoly" on the theme park industry in Canada, it isn't going anywhere. Comparing a 25 acre movie theater site to a 300+acre Amusement park is a stretch. There was a movie theater across from KI that is now a church. Is KI next? The movie theater industry has been on a slow decline for years and covid certainly didn't help. This proposed 25 acre sale probably reflects that the owner can make more selling it than continuing to operate it. Top Gun and a few others have brought a resurgance back to movie theaters lately and time will tell if that can be sustained, but consumer habits have been going more to on-demand streaming services. Kinda hard to replicate the amusement park experience in your home LOL. Glad to see you do realize Mason is considered part of the Greater Cincinnati Area....and by every Chamber of Commerce in the region, KI is considered a significant asset for the entire region, just as I would believe Wonderland would be to its community. Believe me I get your point that the development around Wonderland has far outpaced what happens around KI and for likely what you said vertical development versus horizontal single family homes. Sure anything is possible, and a future government master plan could end up showing that the highest and best use of Wonderland property is for housing, but I would be shocked if that happens anytime soon. Highest and best use designation takes into consideration all the social-economic aspects of the region, not just that piece of land in isolation. And then of course once the highest and best use designation for a piece of property is different than what the land is currently being used for, you then need not only a willing seller, but a willing buyer. Unless Wonderland completely falls off the profitability chart, I would be shocked if a developer could pay enough to buy the property and recoup the purchase price into whatever they did with the land...I guess it is possible with vertical construction, but then you would have to deal with zone changes, greenspace, etc. and I do not know if the neighbors would be supportive of that all becoming high rise housing? I guess time will tell if your fears are justified!

The disassembly begins (just kidding...I hope...)

Sadly you are probably correct.... How many current teens on this site grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons? Is that even a programming choice anymore....

But how many that remember Phantom Theater were that younger guest at the time and have fond memories of it despite no interactive piece? New poll Lol - how old were you when you first rode Phantom Theater and how old were you in 2002 when it disappeared?

Look behind the sign lol. Some of the red bricks where people sit came loose and are now missing and just simply replacing them so that someone doesn't get hurt.

That is right up there with increasing the number of recycling cans (for those not paying attention the number of recycle bins in the park has been declining to almost non-existent right now....look at all the drink plan cups going to the landfill)....