TombraiderTy

Technically Sling Shot would qualify as an Oktoberfest addition; it opened in 2002. I was really excited to do the Plants vs. Zombies ride when I went to Carowinds last year and thought it may be a good fit for KI's theater. After riding, I'm not as open to the idea - in my opinion it was confusing and very underwhelming. 20+ people shooting at the same screen, even with little number identifiers, just felt very messy. Have they? I know all the chairs were removed from Side A in 2011 for Dinosaurs Alive! 3D, but I think most (if not all) remain in Side B. Maybe the bottom row of chairs were removed for Urgent Scare, but all the other ones should still be there.

Great Coasters Intl had an office in Florence, KY.

The original Arrow mine ride, Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Over Texas, is still running 53 years later. Adventure Express is 28, albeit arguably more intense and forceful than Texas'. I too hope it has years and years left in it though.

@Maverick44, to clarify, it was at Kings Island in Oktoberfest from 1973-1990, in the spot depicted in the photo WindingSon shared. After 1990, it was relocated to Kentucky Kingdom and you can still ride it there.

Yikes that page has a lot of errors... take most of that with a grain of salt. Regarding Boat Tag, it was added in 1992 (per an April 10, 1992 article in The Cincinnati Enquirer), but it was not included in the 1992 park guide. It was however included in the 1993-1995 park guides, but not the 1996. So it could be reasonable to assume Boat Tag was at the park 1992 through 1995, or four seasons. Edit - In terms of photo, probably but not what you had in mind, but here's Boat Tag (center) in a 1993 aerial, courtesy Ohio Department of Transportation.

Each of those rides you listed has a height requirement higher than 42"... and at Kings Island, there are only two coasters below that level (Great Pumpkin Coaster and Woodstock Express). Did you mean 52"? If so, then wouldn't Copperhead Strike be a family coaster at that level?

Which B&M flyer have you ridden? I'm surprised you rank Vekoma's above B&M's too - in my opinion, the B&M ones are far smoother, appear to have a much higher capacity, and just look a lot prettier.

They could have easily thrown "steepest" into the list of park records. I see a lot of enthusiasts wanting a T-Rex track, but does RMC even offer that anymore? Unless I'm mistaken, they haven't brought that piece of track to IAAPA since 2016 and there's no mention of the ride on their website. Seems like the Raptor track may have replaced it.

What about to ride a bad wooden coaster in Ohio?

Unless things have changed, that's not how crews work... I'm sure some of Firehawk's old associates went to KMAA, but others were probably dispersed through-out the park. I imagine Orion will have some of Vortex's, but it's not a simple "move crew from one ride to another".

Maybe it's a factor, but I'm still hesitant to believe it's solely Orion construction. Both of those are small items in the overall construction schedule, and realistically could even be done with FOF still open. Edit - Actually, if the park treats X-Base the same way they did Rivertown or Action Zone when Diamondback and Banshee debuted, respectively, then I could see that whole area getting overhauled with a new midway, infrastructure, etc. I could see that justifying closing Flight of Fear for the event.

Has the park cited Orion's construction as the reason Flight of Fear won't be operational? Considering they maintained FOF's operation through closing day, and even had Field of Scream's queue and exit cut through the construction site, I'm inclined to believe there's other reason(s) for FOF not running. Maybe it was a challenge to run in the colder weather, or keeping it open through December negatively impacted off-season maintenance.

For those unfamiliar, and to avoid confusion with any of Disney's Tower of Terror rides... this is the Intamin Reverse Freefall Coaster in Australia. It's similar to Superman: Escape from Krypton at Six Flags Magic Mountain. https://rcdb.com/1127.htm

Bumping this a bit, but wanted to share my Bat souvenir alongside @Alex103 and @standbyme. At work I have an original The Bat mug next to a new The Bat mug, both for holding pens and what-not. I don't remember where or how I got the original Bat piece, but I've had it for years now.

Today I learned - thank you! Aha! Thanks a ton for sharing that - answers one of my long-standing Kings Island questions. Probably only like 100 or so more to go I was searching all the combinations of "Kings Island" and "LaRosa's" I could on Newspapers.com, but it appears Cincinnati Post isn't included. Even if it had been though, LaRosa's probably wouldn't have popped-up with that stylized logo.

I shared a scan of the 1972 Kings Island Guide Book a few months ago, highlighting all the interesting details from the 47-year-old park guide, and noted I'd share the 1973 Kings Island Guide Book soon. I've been slowly scanning my Kings Island collection for archival purposes and realized no time like the present to share. It's mostly the same as the 1972 version, but I'll do something a little different (and very nerdy)... I'll point-out all the differences between the guides with some commentary thrown-in. I find it interesting, but I don't know if that'll be a shared feeling Feel free to share additional information if you have it, and please don't hesitate to correct me if I say anything wrong. Cover - Showcasing the park's fireworks and fountains. I personally like the cover of 1972's better, but it's interesting to see the long-exposure effect the Sky Ride cabins had on this one. 2-3 - Advert for Sherwin-Williams, identical to the one in the 1972 guide. 4-5 - The Host and Hostesses section on the left is identical to 1972's, but the Table of Contents was rearranged a little bit. Also note the "Kings Island costumes are styled to fit each themed area of the park" line - most employees now have department-specific uniforms, although Planet Snoopy associates have a unique polo compared to other ride operators. 6-7 - General Information is very similar to 1972's, with a few minor differences: northAmerican Van Lines is correctly stylized (the "n" was incorrectly capitalized before) Stroller rental is now "Strollers & Wheelchairs", although wheelchairs may have still been offered for rent in 1972. Traveler check limits were raised from $20 to $50. Larger checks were also shifted from the Administration Building to Guest Services. 8-9 - BankAmericard Service Center and northAmerican Van Lines. Like before, the stylization of northAmerican was updated, but nothing else really changed between the guides. Also, free strollers - I wonder when that stopped? 10-11 - And into the interesting stuff... International Street. I love how diverse and interesting all the shops and restaurants sounded in the early 1970s. In terms of changes, it's interesting that item 6 (Refreshment Stand) was previously marked as "Schnell-Imbiss (Refreshment Stand)" and items 28 and 32 (Front Gate Souvenir/Shop and International Restaurant) were added with the entrance building expansion that year. 12-13 - Kahn's Sausage Haus description. The process for the sausage was changed a little from 1972's guide. 14-15 - Rainbo Mini Bakery (or Rainbo Backerei, per the map) Fotomat Camera Shop (or Fotomat Fotografia). The bakery page is mostly unchanged, but the description for Fotomat was completely re-written - no more references to Hanna-Barbera characters, but instead a more dry explanation of the store's location and purpose. Also a 50-cent coupon. 1973 was the final year for Fotomat's sponsorship. 16-17 - Oktoberfest map, featuring two of the new rides for 1973: Flying Dutchman and Bayern Kurve. 18-19 - Descriptions and artwork for Toys Internationale and the French Bauer, both on International Street. No changes between 1972 and 1973 guides. 20-21 - The order of the pages differs between the two guides starting here, but the Coney Island maps are comparable. The biggest difference is the addition of the new Arcade & Games Building, which remains to this day. Interestingly, items 17 and 18 (both Refreshment Stand) are referred to by their actual names at the end of this guide. 22-23 - Overview of the park... albeit not quite to scale 24-25 - Map of Rivertown. Few minor changes: Salt Water Circus (dolphin show) was renamed to South Sea Excursion Powder Valley Nature Trail added as one of the 1973 additions Floral Clock now added, although it's technically more part of International Street than Rivertown. The clock was also present in 1972, just not featured in the guidebook. Pizza Shop (Rivertown LaRosa's) was added. It was another one of the many 1973 additions. Super X General Store is now identified as SupeRx General Store, although I assume the earlier naming was a typo. 26-27 - SupeRx General Store and South Sea Excursion ads. The General Store is today's DB Trading Post, and the location of the dolphin show is an empty field (as it has been for 25 years now). 28-29 - Last map of the guide, The Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera. Only changes between the guides are Winsome Witch's Caldron to Cauldron, and the addition of the Fred Flintstone Floral Face. The piece of landscaping lasted 1973 through about 1977 I believe - anyone know its last year for certain? 30-31 - Marathon Turnpike spread, identical to 1972's. 32-33 - Shops and Stores, the majority on International Street. As previously noted, the only new things are the Front Gate Souvenir Shop and the SupeRx spelling change. 34-35 - Food and Refreshments. There are a lot of changes between the 1972 and 1973 guide: International Restaurant was added, as it was a new-for-1973 addition Munchen Cafe (today part of Emporium) now lists the "Kings Island Julienne Salad Bowl", plus pastries The former Schnell-Imbiss has been renamed Refreshment Stand (today's Funnel Cakes). The Bavarian Sundae, served in an old-fashioned double-head cake cone, is no longer listed. La Fiera Pizzeria (today's LaRosa's) now lists pizza by the slice or whole, and beer. Both may have been offered in 1972 though. French Bauer (previously referred to as French Bauer Gelato) now includes coffee and Danish pastries. Der Alte Deutsche Bier Garten (today's Hank's Mexican Grille) removed reference to serving frankfurters, but includes several new items in their place. Sweet Tooth (today's Subway) now includes sundaes, ice cream, parfaits, and caramel corn. Lunch Basket (today's Skyline Chili) now includes french fries, onion rings, and sandwich platters Thrill Burger (removed for Coney Bar-B-Que) and Antique Treats (today's Refill Station near Dodgem) both received names, whereas in the 1972 guide they were referred to as "Refreshment Stand". Thrill Burger also now includes fish sandwiches, onion rings, and sandwich platters... is there anywhere in the park you can still get fish today? Pizza Shop (LaRosa's) is added Whistle Stop Patio (removed for Mystic Timbers) now serves fish sandwiches, french fries, and onion rings... and "Kings Island's own 1/3 pound double deck 'Burger Biggy'" Watermelon Wedge, a stand serving exclusively fresh watermelon slices, is added Columbia Palace Dining Hall (today's Miami River Brewhouse) now includes "deep-water clams and Icelandic whitefish". Humble Pie also includes fish sandwiches and a couple other items - fish seemed to be very popular in 1973. Granny Sweets Treats (today's Snow Cones, next to Woodstock Express) includes nutty bananas now Kings Island Cooler becomes "Kings Island Kooler" and the Antique Popcorn Wagon is added 36-37 - Kings Island Campground and the Jack Nicklaus Golf Center. Both were expanded for the 1973 season - the campground jumped from 200 to 300 sites, and now includes Wayfarer Motor Homes and bicycle rentals. The golf center's Executive Course was also lit for night play, starting in the 1973 season. 38-39 - Kings Island Inn was also expanded for the 1973 season, with the new Brauhaus cocktail lounge and an indoor swimming pool. And whereas the 1972 guide has Kings Island Inn over two pages, the 1973 guide uses some of that space for the entertainment offerings. There's a handful of new shows, like Saturday in the Park, Give My Regards to Broadway, and The Family Jewels. 40-41 - The 1973 guide included two more sets of pages than 1972's. This was used to highlight the new-for-1973 rides and attractions. Here's some additional information on each: Bayern Kurve (often misspelled "Curve") was a Schwarkzopf Bayern Kurve attraction in Oktoberfest. It was removed after 1982 and relocated to former Kings Island sister park Australia's Wonderland. Games & Arcade Building, featuring over 90 mechanical and skill games, remains today. It's the large arcade next to Monster. Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal was an Arrow Development hydro-flume, a variation on their classic log flume model. It operated through the 2000 season, then was replaced with Tomb Raider: The Ride. Rivertown Pizza Shop remains, today known as LaRosa's. I don't believe Kings Island served LaRosa's pizza initially, but I cannot find a definitive answer either way. Anyone know more? 42-43 - Last two pages, highlighting even more new-for-1973 additions: Flying Dutchman, a swinging suspended ride. After it was removed in 1990, it found a new home at Kentucky Kingdom, where it still operates. Powder Valley Nature Trail, a 1/2-mile walking path in Rivertown. Remnants remained into at least 2007. International Restaurant, featuring the panoramic view of International Street. The restaurant was originally intended to operate year-round. Back Cover - And finally, the Back Cover. Whew... that was a lot But Kings Island grew a lot between its first and second seasons. 1974 was also big, although a lot of that expansion was focused in a single area. I'll try and upload that at some point too, but hope you enjoyed the look back at 1973's guide. Feel free to leave any comments or questions, and please don't hesitate to correct me if I said anything wrong.

Shared on Rides-4-U's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/rides4u/) At the bottom, "2004 25-meter Moser Tower (never used)" Anyone know more about this? Was it in storage at Coney? For how long? And was it relocated from another park before-hand?

I'm pretty sure I voiced that opinion in a trip report years and years ago. That was 2008, when CornSTALKERS was relocated to Action Zone due to Diamondback construction. The queue started near Invertigo and you approached Drop Tower, so you'd see the big tower while walking through. For 2009 though, the trail was reversed so you now entered near Drop Tower and exited by Invertigo. I assume the shift was more operations than anything else though - the trail probably drew more people in a more centralized location, plus they could use Congo Falls' queue to accommodate the guests. I'm fairly confident Kings Island has never used White Water Canyon's trough as part of the trail. The secondary queue used WWC's overlook (including a large portion that was unused the remainder of the season), and the trail itself was the exit pathway. It never took advantage of the trough though. Perhaps you're thinking of Cedar Point's Thunder Canyon? They used it for their CornSTALKERS at one point (and maybe still do? I haven't been to their event in years and don't know its history as well).

Just curious, did you ever ride Python? In my opinion it's the last ride I'd want relocated from Coney to Kings Island

For some reason I missed the Flying Bobs - I could see that type of ride fitting nicely at Kings Island. It doesn't appear the park currently has a Musik Express though (did they previously?), and the Trabant and Super Round Up were unfortunately removed a few years ago. And just 2 were previous models at Kings Island - Halley's Comet was a Round Up and Wheel of Fortune was a Trabant.

I agree with @Gordon Bombay - it'd be neat, but I'd be surprised. Most are low-capacity, and those with moderate through-puts Kings Island already has versions of (swinging ship, Scrambler, etc.). The exception is the Tilt-A-Whirl, which would fit beautifully in Coney Mall... if only. I hope they find homes elsewhere though, especially the classics like the Rock-O-Plane. You don't see too many of those around anymore.

Link to an article: https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/coney-island-removing-all-rides-at-the-end-of-the-season?fbclid=IwAR3uQTHLt9nYGCcLZMLc6-lL6XP6KRc_omfZFMleq53nglD0wt4J6ZrmjkI I was always hoping the park would get a small wooden roller coaster, like Kentucky Flyer. It would've been reminiscent of the park's golden age. Oh well.

^Very cool! I've never seen that Bat souvenir before. Please don't ever throw that away - I guarantee plenty of Kings Island fans will be more than happy to take it off your hands once you decide to part with it

Thanks for sharing! Your first set of pictures appear to be from 1973 - I don't believe the large snail was added to the front of Enchanted Voyage until the 1974 season, and he's absent from your shots. You also have a few Cedar Point and (maybe?) Geauga Lake pictures mixed-in, which are cool to see. Are the pictures from your second and third post maybe the same year? The Enchanted Voyage ones appear to be from Winterfest, as Gary Gulliver is wearing a scarf (the park decorated the attraction with Christmas theming). Enchanted Voyage and Winterfest only overlapped in 1982 and 1983, so it'd have to be from one of those two years.

Two years later, but the arch was actually added in 2010 with the addition of Planet Snoopy. It wasn't around during Nickelodeon's in-park existence.