Erosarrow05 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Don Helbig knocking on his door like he won the publishers clearing house, of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tchu Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 First of all, I do agree that Kings Island should have their mobile site up-to-date. If you're going to debut, and advertise, a new mobile site, it should be held to the same standards as the main website and should be updated along with the main site. But, with that said, an amusement park can only do so much to deal with weather situations and the announcement relating to such,. Updating the mobile site would be nice, but unless it has been designated by Kings Island as the official and final word on all urgent announcements, its nothing more than an extra method to try and reach customers on top of several other methods. Using the KICentral website is a good method. And while the park shouldn't rely on a fan site, it should use a willing fan site to its advantage... again, as just one of several methods. For that matter, the park shouldn't rely on its new mobile website for the benefit of those with iPhones and other spiffy cell phones. At the end of the day, calling the park (on the same iPhone/cell phone that accesses the interweb) is the best method. Also, I think people are failing to see why the park closed. It's not just because of severe weather... its financial. The park is almost never open on a Thursday night during the fall. As such, many people simply aren't going to know the park is open, which will likely lead to light crowds. Its the very reason several of the people on this website were anxious to go. Everyone was expecting small crowds. Between the fact that it was a one-off occasion that many of the GP wouldn't even know about, many of those who did know of the special event wouldn't be able/willing to attend due to it being a week night and many having school/work the following morning. Throw in predicted bad weather (and all I can attest to is weather.com, but that website was calling for heavy rain and thunderstorms all evening) and eve more people will stay away. If the park remains open during that sort of weather, many of the rides would close anyways. And while this might happen often during the season, its a whole different story to shut down coasters for 2 hours when the park is open from 10AM-10PM. When the park is only going to be open from 7-Midnite (5 hours compared to 12), shutting down the rides for two or three hours would be the equivalent of shutting down the rides for 8-10 hours during the summer. It leaves the rides shut down for the better part of the operating schedule. All of a sudden, the park is looking at: 1) A special operating hours occasion that many won't know about 2) On a weeknight when many can't come due to school and work 3) With nasty weather in the forecast for the better part of the evening The park has to keep its own financial status heavily in mind. Canceling the event might anger some customers and cost them a few nickels, but opening a park, running rides, paying hundreds of employees etc, all for what they had to assume would be a virtually empty park... that's gonna cost them a LOT of needless nickels. This really was an entirely different scenario than a random Saturday in June or July where heavy rain and storms are in the area. People flock to the park in the summer for a full-day of fun in warm (even if rainy) weather, and they'll stay through a couple hours of rain for eight more hours of fun afterward. People don't flock to the park on a cold October Thursday night, and they won't stay through a couple hours of downed rides for just another hour or two of ride time afterward. It all comes down to the bottom dollar and making sensible business decisions. Staffing and running an entire amusement park for a handful of customers doesn't make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 First of all, I do agree that Kings Island should have their mobile site up-to-date. If you're going to debut, and advertise, a new mobile site, it should be held to the same standards as the main website and should be updated along with the main site. But, with that said, an amusement park can only do so much to deal with weather situations and the announcement relating to such,. Updating the mobile site would be nice, but unless it has been designated by Kings Island as the official and final word on all urgent announcements, its nothing more than an extra method to try and reach customers on top of several other methods. I agree and disagree at the same time. I agree that the park should update their mobile site, but I disagree on the fact that it cant be a final say on emergency scenarios. I worked in radio and tv and dabbled slightly with the web at both jobs (mainly during emergency storm situations) and I can tell you, this depends on the software they use, that it would not be difficult to post something on their mobile and land websites. I get the whole idea of this thread was started because KI failed to update their mobile site, and this is a very valid if not prominent complaint. RECLAIMER correctly stated that if the park is to "use" the social networking and mobile sites then they should use them all the time correctly. If they can make phone calls to the individual park managers why couldnt the IT or the web guy get a phone call that says "send out a message haunt closed for the night due to weather" it could be sent to twitter, facebook, and the mobile site. iPhone or any other phone that accesses the internet could have seen this update very quickly. Yes the OP could have made a quick phone call to the park at any point during his drive, but it raises another question: Are the new social networking accounts and mobile sites put in place to advise the public about the park or is it just a way to funnel money into Ceder Fair's bank account? Honestly it can be both, but it would take just an ounce of effort from the park to do such a thing..... Edit for content Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 I get the whole idea of this thread was started because KI failed to update their mobile site, and this is a very valid if not prominent complaint. The OP correctly stated that if the park is to "use" the social networking and mobile sites then they should use them all the time correctly. As the original poster (or OP) of this topic, I said nothing about the mobile site. I was just trying to spread the word that Haunt had been cancelled that night. It wasn't until Reclaimer posted that the mobile site was brought up in the conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I get the whole idea of this thread was started because KI failed to update their mobile site, and this is a very valid if not prominent complaint. The OP correctly stated that if the park is to "use" the social networking and mobile sites then they should use them all the time correctly. As the original poster (or OP) of this topic, I said nothing about the mobile site. I was just trying to spread the word that Haunt had been cancelled that night. It wasn't until Reclaimer posted that the mobile site was brought up in the conversation. Thanks, and my apologies..... i fixed my mistake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 If they can make phone calls to the individual park managers why couldnt the IT or the web guy get a phone call that says "send out a message haunt closed for the night due to weather" it could be sent to twitter, facebook, and the mobile site. ...but it was Twitter Facebook Twitter (Haunt Specific) Haunt Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather (KICentral) No Hallween Haunt Tonight (KIExtreme) All of this is in addition to it being posted on their main website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 If they can make phone calls to the individual park managers why couldnt the IT or the web guy get a phone call that says "send out a message haunt closed for the night due to weather" it could be sent to twitter, facebook, and the mobile site. ...but it was Twitter Facebook Twitter (Haunt Specific) Haunt Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather (KICentral) No Hallween Haunt Tonight (KIExtreme) All of this is in addition to it being posted on their main website. but what about the mobile site, I did not bother to run to my phone that day to check it out, and thus the main idea of my post. I understand they did the twitter and facebook sites, but if its as the dude said not on the mobile site why didnt they do that one. I included the twitter and facebook sites in my post as part of digital media convergence..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 If they can make phone calls to the individual park managers why couldnt the IT or the web guy get a phone call that says "send out a message haunt closed for the night due to weather" it could be sent to twitter, facebook, and the mobile site. ...but it was Twitter Facebook Twitter (Haunt Specific) Haunt Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather (KICentral) No Hallween Haunt Tonight (KIExtreme) All of this is in addition to it being posted on their main website. but what about the mobile site, I did not bother to run to my phone that day to check it out, and thus the main idea of my post. I understand they did the twitter and facebook sites, but if its as the dude said not on the mobile site why didnt they do that one. I included the twitter and facebook sites in my post as part of digital media convergence..... But we can agree that with the exception of the mobile site (which even I had completely forgotten about) and the robo-caller (which according to Terpy is illegal) they used every means they had to inform people of the closure, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamesaudio Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Are they open tonight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverick2007 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 As far as I know, yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 ...But we can agree that with the exception of the mobile site (which even I had completely forgotten about) and the robo-caller (which according to Terpy is illegal) they used every means they had to inform people of the closure, right? Whoa...using a robo-caller to sell goods or services appears to be illegal with rare exceptions that I listed previously. Using that same robo-caller to inform callees of an emergency would be different. That being said, I doubt that anyone would think that a park being closed would be a good reason to call every single customer of that park, robo-caller or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 If they can make phone calls to the individual park managers why couldnt the IT or the web guy get a phone call that says "send out a message haunt closed for the night due to weather" it could be sent to twitter, facebook, and the mobile site. ...but it was Twitter Facebook Twitter (Haunt Specific) Haunt Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather (KICentral) No Hallween Haunt Tonight (KIExtreme) All of this is in addition to it being posted on their main website. but what about the mobile site, I did not bother to run to my phone that day to check it out, and thus the main idea of my post. I understand they did the twitter and facebook sites, but if its as the dude said not on the mobile site why didnt they do that one. I included the twitter and facebook sites in my post as part of digital media convergence..... But we can agree that with the exception of the mobile site (which even I had completely forgotten about) and the robo-caller (which according to Terpy is illegal) they used every means they had to inform people of the closure, right? No I agree with you the park did a good job of trying to inform the park but my thoughts are more directed to my original question of are these extras (twitter, facebook, mobile site) for the use of information of guests or just some high tech, in fashion commercial for the park. I think it could be both, but why bother to promote any if you dont utilize all of them.... I hope my point is clear if not let me know and I will restate it, hopefully more clear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 If they can make phone calls to the individual park managers why couldnt the IT or the web guy get a phone call that says "send out a message haunt closed for the night due to weather" it could be sent to twitter, facebook, and the mobile site. ...but it was Twitter Facebook Twitter (Haunt Specific) Haunt Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather (KICentral) No Hallween Haunt Tonight (KIExtreme) All of this is in addition to it being posted on their main website. No, you were clear. My original posted was intended to agree with you. It was I who misstated. but what about the mobile site, I did not bother to run to my phone that day to check it out, and thus the main idea of my post. I understand they did the twitter and facebook sites, but if its as the dude said not on the mobile site why didnt they do that one. I included the twitter and facebook sites in my post as part of digital media convergence..... But we can agree that with the exception of the mobile site (which even I had completely forgotten about) and the robo-caller (which according to Terpy is illegal) they used every means they had to inform people of the closure, right? No I agree with you the park did a good job of trying to inform the park but my thoughts are more directed to my original question of are these extras (twitter, facebook, mobile site) for the use of information of guests or just some high tech, in fashion commercial for the park. I think it could be both, but why bother to promote any if you dont utilize all of them.... I hope my point is clear if not let me know and I will restate it, hopefully more clear... No, you're clear. My original post was intended to agree with yours. It was I who misstated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashOverRided Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Well, one would hope cleaning and repairing is not done ONLY during the off-season! Though I think CBS didn't even do the cleaning part of that the last off-season it owned Kings Island! Terpy, who remembers well boarding a Viking Fury on opening day, sitting in leaves from the last autumn... well you got me there.....but close the park for 2 weeks to do it? hows that reworded? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Not sure why you quoted my post, but go back to 31 and look at the picture from the movie. THAT was the park closed for two weeks for cleaning and repair.... http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=341211 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Sorry, but calling the park every hour to make sure it's still open? That's a great idea to do while driving. I guess you missed the point that there would be others along for the trip. See here (bold emphasis added): There is 100% chance of rain for tomorrow evening. We are leaving at 11am. Going to travel a little over 5 hours. I hope the park isn't closed. Talk about disappointment. Think outside the box! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashOverRided Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 yea i know good ole wolly world. they just do things diffrently then KI i quoted so you knew what post i was responping to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcc Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Meh. All of the planning and worrying for nothing. We left out at 11...arrived here and have been in our room all evening. My husband decided he didn't want to go tonight. Nice. To say I am upset is an understatement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 But did your husband update his mobile site to reflect that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Meh. All of the planning and worrying for nothing. We left out at 11...arrived here and have been in our room all evening. My husband decided he didn't want to go tonight. Nice. To say I am upset is an understatement. I can see it now. In 10 years, your child will come up to you and ask: "Mommy where did I come from?" And your response will be: "Well honey, your daddy decided to be a pain in the butt and instead of having fun at Kings Island, he decided to stay in the hotel room." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcc Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Meh. All of the planning and worrying for nothing. We left out at 11...arrived here and have been in our room all evening. My husband decided he didn't want to go tonight. Nice. To say I am upset is an understatement. I can see it now. In 10 years, your child will come up to you and ask: "Mommy where did I come from?" And your response will be: "Well honey, your daddy decided to be a pain in the butt and instead of having fun at Kings Island, he decided to stay in the hotel room." Hahhahaa...NOOOOO sir No more children for us lol, but that would be hilarious. After a good night of rest, my head is clear. We really didn't need to go last night. I had been up from 6am Thursday morning until a little after 8pm last night. I was very much sleep deprived. Slept 11 hours...I'm good to go today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 No, I would judge yours to have been slightly more inappropriate. Not much more, but a little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakePit Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Recliner is one in a long line of people on this board that just wants to ***** and moan about everything the park does. So, it wasn't on the mobile site. Big Deal. The rest of the world was smart enough to call before they came, check the regualr website, or just use common sense, and said, "Hey, it's raining. Maybe another day would be better for my visit." But then, you have people like Recliner who want to go when the weather is bad so they can complain about not all of the rides being open, or the lines being too short with not enough time to rest between rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Judging from your previous posts, seems like you're just here to whine about people who don't worship the ground that Don Helbig walks on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 why such anger at each other over something the park did. As paying customers, everyone is entitled to their opinions about how the park is operating. If one person feels that the park is not utilizing something they promote, then that person has the right to stand out and say "Hey how come you told us this, but are instead doing that." SnakePit, check the tude at the door and be chill..... we all should be more chill while discussing the park..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dvo Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 This thread is getting ridiculous. In my opinion the park did a pretty good job getting the word out as best they could. Weather is something that's very difficult to predict with much accuracy, so they probably waited until they could say with good confidence that there was going to be significant rainfall that night. And I think that's the right move. Would you rather have them announce it the day before that they're not going to be open because of a "chance" of rain? Right now they're calling for rain next Friday. Should they close the park? Thursday was a lose-lose situation. Get over it. And I'm glad Snakepit said what needed to be said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 It would have been wise, if they knew of the chance of rain the previous day, to post as the red box notification that, in the event of the rain, the park would not be open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StalkerChick Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 All of the weather resources I use here locally have been predicting a MAJOR rain event for several days now... they were predicting rain on the order of 2-4". So this is no surprise to me whatsoever... According to Accuweather, Intellicast, WCPO.com, WLWT.com, and Kings Island's own mobile site, there was a chance for some rain in the evening but most of the rain would be coming in the afternoon and then again early Friday morning (KI's site, for example, claimed a 30% chance) And guess what? While I was in Cincinnati yesterday between 5 and 11pm, it pretty much stopped raining around 8pm and didn't start again until I was well on my way home (around midnight). I'm not trying to say you're wrong, because I'm sure we all know you could ask 5 weathermen what the weather will be like and probably get 5 varying (to some degree) answers. I hope you aren't trying to imply I didn't plan my trip very well. Considering I was missing out on wages from work, driving ~3 hrs each way by myself, using gas money, etc., you can bet I planned and looked at the forecast. Cuz we all know how accurate weathermen all are... cuz I recall a day a little over a year ago of slight showers and occasional gusts of wind, then ended up being one ginormous gust that lasted the good part of an entire afternoon.... just to point out Your cell phone is your friend. Call ahead and then keep calling if you think there will be a chance they will close. I prefer not to use my phone while I drive. Thanks. And again, I see excuses being made. You seem to be saying it's ok the don't update their website with current info simply because I could call? If I am able to get to the park next year, I'll be sure to call Guest Relations for my questions. Nearest bathroom? No problem. Nearest food stand? No problem. but yet you check the mobile site when you drive?! Recliner is one in a long line of people on this board that just wants to ***** and moan about everything the park does. So, it wasn't on the mobile site. Big Deal. The rest of the world was smart enough to call before they came, check the regualr website, or just use common sense, and said, "Hey, it's raining. Maybe another day would be better for my visit." But then, you have people like Recliner who want to go when the weather is bad so they can complain about not all of the rides being open, or the lines being too short with not enough time to rest between rides. ummm.... take a look Mr. I Just Joined This Site. Reclaimer has been around here for awhile, and normally has some pretty good input that is very valued around here. What i see is some noob snot nosed little brat looking for attention and to get an epic post count. Sorry, thats just not what we do around here. Run along and go play with you ball.... Judging from your previous posts, seems like you're just here to whine about people who don't worship the ground that Don Helbig walks on. *coughs* I'm really gonna not point out the crazy amount of hypocrisy in this post... instead i'm going to bed and ending my rants for the night... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 How many of us were ACTUALLY planning to go on Thursday, anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 How many of us were ACTUALLY planning to go on Thursday, anyway? I was on the fence. Planned on going but wasn't sure once the weather rolled in. Then again, I'm the type that can have fun at KI -- rain, snow, sleet, title wave... doesn't matter. I think the vast majority of people who would have gone Thursday would have been absolutely miserable since almost no rides would have opened, outdoor Haunts would likely have to have been closed and you'd be soaking wet within 10 minutes of arriving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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