cdubbs727

I get it, and I'm not suggesting Kings Island do away with Haunt at all. But in the summer, certain buildings -- "Black hole" or whatever is by The Bat, and the one by The Beast particularly -- stand out just because they're obviously only there for Haunt. Not being in use and just standing out in the middle of the summer with Halloween themeing just is a bad look. I'm not sure that there's a ton that can be done with permanent signage, but any way to hide the fact that "yes, this building only exists for two months out of the year" would be nice. Imagine if there was a Santa's workshop or some other Christmas-themed building just standing out in the middle of summer. Action Theater is out of the way enough that, in the end, it's not like it bothers me hugely. But when you ride The Racer, it's impossible not to notice the large, defunct building there (maybe turn it into another showplace during the summer that can be quickly retrofitted into a Haunt in the fall).

Thanks for that. Just looked it up -- yeah, quality is rough. Easy to see why that thing was tearing itself apart, though; those turns are rough. Also fun to catch a glimpse of Zodiac in the background, which was likely there when I started going as a kid, but gone early enough that I have no memory of it.

I've never much cared for Action Theater, to be honest. When it first opened with Days of Thunder, I'd already been on the simulators at Universal and Disney and I remember leaving feeling really disappointed. The illusion just never worked for me when I could see everyone else in their chairs moving around and laughing (and now, you can basically get the whole concept anywhere with D-Box and 4D movie theaters). It felt like a cheap attempt to try to take Universal and Disney on, although I suppose I could see the appeal for kids (opening a similar attraction in Planet Snoopy might be an interesting attempt). As for POV movies of former coasters to replace it, I don't necessarily see that as possible. Aside from maybe Vortex and Firehawk, I don't know that the video footage that exists would be high quality enough to sustain an attraction; especially when talking about old attractions like King Cobra or the original Bat (I doubt a POV for that even exists). But I do wish KI and other parks did more to honor the past; Cedar Point has a really nice little museum, and I wish KI would create something like that. And maybe a possible feature could be a video of old rides or a VR setup or something. As for Action Theater, I'd rather they just tear it down (I know, it's been used for a Haunt building, but I think keeping old buildings around to use once a year just turns them into eyesores in the peak season).

And, just like that...she's gone. RIP Vortex.

According to Weatherbug, as of 11: 15 a.m., no. Last piece (or pieces, depending if they're cutting that last bit into sections) are still standing.

I don't think Disney would ever be interested in a seasonal theme park. They make good money by making WDW and Disneyland destinations where people have to come and spend a week. And I think buying a chain of regional parks that they would then have to retrofit to bring up to Disney theming, cleanliness and friendliness standards would just be a waste of money -- and the fact that prices would likely shoot up and keep away visitors (who often go to parks like Kings Island and Cedar Point because they're cheaper family options than a week in Orlando) would likely also prove that it would be an unwise standard. Disney isn't threatened by CF, and I don't think CF views itself at competition with Disney. They are different business models that exist for different reasons.

I hate to see this alter the landscape. The Vortex was so iconic. But I do think this is the first time since I was around 8 years old that you'll be able to see The Beast on the skyline (although part of me has always liked that The Beast was so hidden from view).

Oh man, that's a sad image. At least when it had the lift hill and drops, you could still see what made it great. Now it just looks sad...hope they can tear down the rest and put it out of its misery.

Nice catch. A little unrelated, but when you do the time lapse overnight, you can see around 5 a.m. last night a large flash on IS. Wonder what that is (maybe this should be a ghosts thread).

The last few years, I've actually stayed off Vortex during our trips because I felt like I was "aging out" (40 and not in the greatest shape will do that to you). This summer, my nephew asked if I'd ride with him, and so I did, not realizing it would be my last ride on it. Thankful to have had one last go-round on a coaster that used to terrify me (the weightlessness on the barrel rolls always convinced me as a kid that I was about to fly out). That skyline is going to look pretty barren right behind the Eiffel Tower, and that walk from Rivertown to Coney Mall is going to be lacking one of the most photogenic places in Kings Island. I can't even fathom what that area will be like without Vortex looming over everything.

Yup. Logged on and thought the ride was gone, but it was just the glare.

When I rode Tomb Raider the first year it opened, I was so stunned that it was a ride existing at a Midwest theme park. I'd heard descriptions of it, but it didn't prepare me for how thrilling and well-themed it was; it was truly a scary ride (being held over the water or being unexpectedly flipped was such a thrill). It was great and quickly became one of my favorite rides at the park. I had a few years where I didn't end up going to Kings Island, but I went back in 2009 to celebrate my 30th birthday with my family. I knew it had been renamed the Crypt by that point, but I didn't know anything else had been altered. My sister and I made a beeline for the back of the park and then...what a letdown. Horrible theming in the queue, no theme at all in the ride itself. Just a few mild swings and halfhearted spins upside down. We got to the end, looked at each other and said, "Wow, that sucks now." And never rode it again. Now it's just a big ugly box looking out of place in Rivertown. I can't think of the last time a ride had that fast of a downturn in quality so quickly.

Growing up, King Cobra was always that one coaster that, when I finally rode it, meant that there would be nothing I was too afraid to ride. It was the most intimidating ride for me at KI when I was young ('80s and early '90s) even if it wasn't the tallest. I just remember thinking "no way am I going on something that stands me up and loops me upside down." I finally tried it in the early '90s and the funny thing is, I remember thinking it was fairly tame. Never really had a scary ride; it was just a lot of fun. Vortex and The Beast were the tougher rides for me. But that's not to undersell KC because, as I said, it was a fun ride. I remember it not being the loop so much that put a smile on my face but the bunny hills, which had some fun airtime. The helix at the end was a lot of fun, too. I was really bummed when I took a few years off going to Kings Island (Cedar Point was our home park and after I graduated high school there were several years I couldn't make it on our family trips due to work/college) and then came back to find King Cobra was gone (this was before the days when we had a website like this to keep us posted. I have fond memories of it. I had one aunt who was the only other person in our family who would ride it with me. She passed away a little over a year ago, and my happiest memories of her were riding the King Cobra.

I don't have a problem with them turning off the camera for the liability concerns mentioned above. And really, I'm 40 years old and have a job and two kids -- I can't be staring at a webcam all day in hopes that I might, at the right minute, see a piece of roller coaster come down. But I do wish KI would see that there might be something to be gained by taking pictures or video of the demolition and posting them somewhere...Instagram...here? Demolition of a ride isn't sexy, especially when there isn't a replacement in the works. But it's the end of a historic ride. I seem to remember CP documenting the demolition of Disaster Transport and the Space Spiral, and there was video of SOB's main hill coming down. Feel like some sort of documentation about Vortex, especially its loops coming down, might be proper.

I like the idea...but I wonder if a PR team might get a bit nervous about the idea of a haunted house that says "hey, imagine if after this you went on one of our rides and died". :-)

I think you could have kept the corkscrew or the batwing where it is and leave it as a photo opp until they're ready to do something to occupy the space. It was always one of the best photo stops in the park. That said, I get it. They're opening the biggest coaster in the park's history next season, and it would look highly tacky to have a brand new roller coaster standing next to a SBNO one, even if it was just the photo opp there (although I think a big dirt field is going to look pretty odd as well, as would a bunch of high walls that aren't touting any new attraction). Vortex's removal this season was inevitable; I just wish the park had provided more access to watch it. It was a classic, and I'm sure they would have known that its fans would want to see it through its final stages.

I like the idea of a better barrier between Planet Snoopy and Rivertown, because it all kind of blurs together at Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown. I remember the tunnel they used to have connecting Rivertown to Hanna Barbara Land. It was such a nice little transition area. Also, moving Back Lots entrance to Coney Mall would be nice, as I always find that area kind of an out of the way oddity, and you could put some trees and tables in there for a nice little dining section. Definitely get rid of The Crypt building. I'd get rid of The Crypt entrance, too. Make that a quieter section of the park. Maybe create a wooded area with some nice lighting that's kind of a hangout patio with good BBQ food, craft beer, a nice little hangout portion for us old folk.

To be fair, when Kings Island was built 50 years ago, it had one big roller coaster that likely didn't make the noise that today's coasters do, and I'm sure in the 1970s, there was no real expectation that rides would be built 200-feet tall and feature speeds that had this much noise. It's a fair complaint. Not that I think there's much that will happen here, although I don't doubt that KI will take measures to deal with the noise. But having worked at a local newspaper for years, this strikes me as a story that arose on a slow night at a city council meeting and the reporter knew that a citizen complaint about the popular amusement park in the area would make for a good headline. I doubt this is the beginning of some giant fight.

"I'm a tour guide on the Snake River ride. Trapper Dan is my name."

Man, that hits right in the nostalgia, as those were my prime KI kid/teen years. Loved the walk-through aircraft carrier queue for Top Gun. It was just this year that I realized that they completely removed all the flooring and catwalks for it (the effects were removed years ago). The dolphin show was always a lot of fun. And I loved the floral clock; we did our family picture in front of it every year.

Every year, one of my most-anticipated things about our annual KI trip is the food we're going to eat (this may be why I was not allowed to ride FoF this year). LaRosa's is one of my favorite things. But this year, it was really underwhelming. It was overcooked at the Festhaus, just really gross and unappetizing. I think I need to stop buying it there -- except that it's really a great spot to go on a rain day or to get out of the heat (and I'm not eating in-park Panda Express).

Re-open the International Restaurant as a LaRosa's sit-down pizzeria.

I'd love some TLC to be given to Adventure Express. I might be wrong, but I feel like the arrows no longer pop out of the wall/ceilings in one of the tunnels anymore, and I wish they'd bring back the smoke effect and do some better lighting or effect work in the lava tunnel. Although, really, it's still a really fun ride. My 7-year-old son isn't a fan of roller coasters with big drops, but he loves AE. I actually took my first night ride on it with him this year and it's a really fun ride in the dark.

The Bat ... it's fine! I loved the ride when it was Top Gun (and I was much younger). These days, I might not always trek out there (which is really weird, since I ride Banshee several times a visit...and can't walk a little bit more to The Bat?), but I rode it with my nephew this year and we had a good time. I grew up with Iron Dragon, which is a ride that has definitely seen better days (it's slow and dull). The Bat swings you around and is a gorgeous photo spot. That said, I feel like Action Zone is way overdue for an update. It's the one area of the park where the theming is incoherent or, honestly, non-existent (except: ... action?) . I'm not a big fan of all-year haunts (or, to be honest, haunts in general). But I feel like using The Bat and The Banshee to establish a kind of supernatural theme -- haunted castle/woods? -- ripping out Invertigo and Congo Falls and really doing something with that area would be a good call. It's the corner of the park that feels most Six Flags-ish and thrown together, even if there are some legit great rides (Banshee, Delirium, Drop Tower) there. But everything from Timberwolf back through Invertigo/Congo Falls really needs an overhaul.

I would love to see something like that. For the park's 50th anniversary, I'd love it if, instead of a ride, they put together some really nice exhibits throughout the park about KI history. Artifacts and photos from old rides, videos and commercials where possible. Maybe do something like that in Tower Gardens or clear out space for a museum. Or, perhaps better, just all around the park, maybe with commemorative plaques where the old rides once stood.