Guest Millennium Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 This is a good topic. PARAMOUNT THE GOOD STUFF +Added Flight of Fear (though it needed an overhaul to reach it's full potential) +Added Drop Zone (Now Drop Tower) and Face/Off (Now Invertigo) +Added Top Gun (Now Flight Deck) +Added Tomb Raider: The Ride (Now...Ugh...Crypt!) +Added Delirium +Did a great job on themed rides +Played excellent music while in line for rides, etc. +Did several overhauls to kids area (however...see below...) THE BAD STUFF -Did not do, especially in later years, a very good job running the parks or keeping them clean. -Added Son of Beast, one of the biggest head-aches KI has ever had. Some love it, but none can deny the ride has become a problem with injuries and lawsuits. -Removed the Antique Cars and Flying Eagles for a fun, but inapropriate, ride: Italian Job Stunt Track (now BLSC) -Removed the Wild Animal Habitat -Removed King Cobra -Removed Hanna-Barbera Land, replacing it with Nick, thus destroying a KI founding tradition -Plotted to remove Flight of Fear (thank goodness it failed!) Cedar Fair THE GOOD STUFF +Added Firehawk +Added Diamondback +Cleaned Up The Park +Made Staff Well Trained & Friendly +Made another kids area overhaul that seems to be going well +Added new landscaping to help certain areas of the park THE BAD STUFF -The "ride downgrades" of Crypt, BLSC, and Racer -The "feel" of Rivertown has been destroyed by a giant red roller coaster towering over it -Did not use a golden opportunity to undo the Hanna-Barbera land removal, placing Snoopy instead, and kicking the last HB Character, Scooby Doo, out of the park -Closed Son of Beast...though this wasn't a problem they started. I choose Cedar Fair, because I'll take a well-run, clean, fun amusement park over a run-down, dirty, and poorly run theme park any day of the week. Though I know from experience, it wasn't always bad during the Paramount years... How? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel_SoB_fan Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 This is a good topic. PARAMOUNT THE GOOD STUFF +Added Flight of Fear (though it needed an overhaul to reach it's full potential) +Added Drop Zone (Now Drop Tower) and Face/Off (Now Invertigo) +Added Top Gun (Now Flight Deck) +Added Tomb Raider: The Ride (Now...Ugh...Crypt!) +Added Delirium +Did a great job on themed rides +Played excellent music while in line for rides, etc. +Did several overhauls to kids area (however...see below...) THE BAD STUFF -Did not do, especially in later years, a very good job running the parks or keeping them clean. -Added Son of Beast, one of the biggest head-aches KI has ever had. Some love it, but none can deny the ride has become a problem with injuries and lawsuits. -Removed the Antique Cars and Flying Eagles for a fun, but inapropriate, ride: Italian Job Stunt Track (now BLSC) -Removed the Wild Animal Habitat -Removed King Cobra -Removed Hanna-Barbera Land, replacing it with Nick, thus destroying a KI founding tradition -Plotted to remove Flight of Fear (thank goodness it failed!) Cedar Fair THE GOOD STUFF +Added Firehawk +Added Diamondback +Cleaned Up The Park +Made Staff Well Trained & Friendly +Made another kids area overhaul that seems to be going well +Added new landscaping to help certain areas of the park THE BAD STUFF -The "ride downgrades" of Crypt, BLSC, and Racer -The "feel" of Rivertown has been destroyed by a giant red roller coaster towering over it -Did not use a golden opportunity to undo the Hanna-Barbera land removal, placing Snoopy instead, and kicking the last HB Character, Scooby Doo, out of the park -Closed Son of Beast...though this wasn't a problem they started. I choose Cedar Fair, because I'll take a well-run, clean, fun amusement park over a run-down, dirty, and poorly run theme park any day of the week. Though I know from experience, it wasn't always bad during the Paramount years... How? It seems instead of expanding, they would tear a ride down, just to build a new one. Also the park was not nearly as clean as it is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faeriewench Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Also the park was not nearly as clean as it is now. I tried my best! Bust my tail bone keeping my area clean Honestly.. I prefer Cedar Fair to Paramount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel_SoB_fan Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Also the park was not nearly as clean as it is now. I tried my best! Bust my tail bone keeping my area clean Honestly.. I prefer Cedar Fair to Paramount. One person can't keep an area clean. I know this as a sweep. It takes team work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faeriewench Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Yes it does.. Whole team is better now. 3 1/2 seasons I did under Paramount and 3 1/2 in CF.. I like the team better now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeastForever Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 This is a good topic. PARAMOUNT THE GOOD STUFF +Added Flight of Fear (though it needed an overhaul to reach it's full potential) +Added Drop Zone (Now Drop Tower) and Face/Off (Now Invertigo) +Added Top Gun (Now Flight Deck) +Added Tomb Raider: The Ride (Now...Ugh...Crypt!) +Added Delirium +Did a great job on themed rides +Played excellent music while in line for rides, etc. +Did several overhauls to kids area (however...see below...) THE BAD STUFF -Did not do, especially in later years, a very good job running the parks or keeping them clean. -Added Son of Beast, one of the biggest head-aches KI has ever had. Some love it, but none can deny the ride has become a problem with injuries and lawsuits. -Removed the Antique Cars and Flying Eagles for a fun, but inapropriate, ride: Italian Job Stunt Track (now BLSC) -Removed the Wild Animal Habitat -Removed King Cobra -Removed Hanna-Barbera Land, replacing it with Nick, thus destroying a KI founding tradition -Plotted to remove Flight of Fear (thank goodness it failed!) Cedar Fair THE GOOD STUFF +Added Firehawk +Added Diamondback +Cleaned Up The Park +Made Staff Well Trained & Friendly +Made another kids area overhaul that seems to be going well +Added new landscaping to help certain areas of the park THE BAD STUFF -The "ride downgrades" of Crypt, BLSC, and Racer -The "feel" of Rivertown has been destroyed by a giant red roller coaster towering over it -Did not use a golden opportunity to undo the Hanna-Barbera land removal, placing Snoopy instead, and kicking the last HB Character, Scooby Doo, out of the park -Closed Son of Beast...though this wasn't a problem they started. I choose Cedar Fair, because I'll take a well-run, clean, fun amusement park over a run-down, dirty, and poorly run theme park any day of the week. Though I know from experience, it wasn't always bad during the Paramount years... Paramount had to remove King Cobra because the manufacturer TOGO, went bankrupt so they it was then hard to find replacement parts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Uh, no. As stated again and again here, King Cobra, being a prototype, was made of what was then inferior Japanese steel. You will note that neither Shockwave at KD nor SkyRider at Wonderland has been removed...and parts are still available...neither had the steel problem that King Cobra suffered from... Besides, most major parks (with or without the assistance of a local machine shop) can make most parts if needed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeastForever Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 I guess I was wrong! Anyone else realize that KI is known for having the first kind of this ride... and the first kind of that ride ... and so on. But if we have the first kind of a ride we have a prototype. And then this prototype ride will screw up itself a year or two later. There will be a major problem with the ride and the next park that builds this kind of ride will refrain from doing from what the prototype was.See: The Bat, TR:TR, Anyone else know what I mean? Oh yeah and please don't go through every word of my post and point how I might be wrong because I'm really not in the mood. As I write this post I am really tired and about to fall asleep... YAWN! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 ...and not just KI, either. See Hypersonic XLC at KD in particular. Many speculate that it was prototypes like Hypersonic and Son of Beast that helped to oust Jane Cooper, who was then replaced with the now President and Interim CEO of Six Flags, Al Weber... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Before riding DB last year I had not been to the park since Vortex was brand new so I can't comment on Paramount. The park looks great this year and has been very clean the 3 times we have been so far this year. The Action Zone does need some major attention though. As for the Kid Zone, my kids go for the rides and love them regardless of what Character is walking around. I prefer Snoopy to most any of the crap they put on Nickelodeon these days anyhow. Both of them (6 and 7) were THRILLED to walk in and see Snoopy on our first trip this year. The 6 year old could really care less about anything that isn't a Coaster, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Of course you mean couldn't care less...if he could care less then he does care some! In any event, you are raising a coaster nut! How awesome is that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 The Action Zone does need some major attention though. I did notice Invertigo's paint is getting faded again when I was there Friday. It still looks good, but almost seems like it needs a coat of wax to restore that shine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Of course you mean couldn't care less...if he could care less then he does care some! In any event, you are raising a coaster nut! How awesome is that! It is VERY awesome. The looks on his face while riding Beast are priceless Gonna get a ride pic when we go back in a couple weeks and will show it off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 I can kind of concede that Nick might have more drawing power than Peanuts, but CP did a wonderful job with the transition. I don't think CP had a smooth transition from the Bears to Peanuts... I thought it was kind of rough, the old Bear Country area never was the same. Unless you meant Cedar Fair in general Oops! Yes, of course I meant CF, not CP! And now, thanks to you, I have The Berenstain Bears theme song running through my head! (Yes, I know the song... I have a daughter who would have loved to visit Bear Country at CP). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faeriewench Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 It was great! I thought Nick Universe looked cheap in comparison >< I still have the VHS tapes I used to watch during the offseasons waiting for CP open again so I could see the Bears again back then those bears were the closest thing to playmates for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahank Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 My turn. For me, a visit to a theme park is not simply about the thrills (anymore). It's about the overall experience, which is the reason I voted for Paramount. While Paramount did not keep the park clean, by any means (note the picture at the bottom), they did deliver a certain uniqueness about their rides and themeing. For example, I remember I loved Tomb Raider: The Ride, not because of the adrenaline rush or anything like that; it was because of the experience. I grew up with Paramount, so I may be biased here, but; if I had grown up with Cedar Fair, would I have been a Kings Island (or, in this case, roller coaster) enthusiast at all? Maybe. But I don't think so, simply because Kings Island isn't an experience for me anymore, even if the park is clean, even if we have Diamondback (which, mind you, is in my top ten roller coasters). Now some are probably like, "He's a nut, did he ever see how trashy the park was before Cedar Fair?" My answer to you is yes, and here is my proof - This picture was taken by my mom in 2005 while in line for White Water Canyon. So yes, I have seen how trashy the park was, but to me, it didn't matter, because the experience I had was still a top notch one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplehaze Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Even though that picture is unsettling I still miss Paramount and so wish it was still in their hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I've said it before, and I'll say it again: It is too bad more people did not know KI pre-Paramount. It truely was one of the best, if not the best, seasonal parks back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Indeed it was...but Paramount was a major improvement over Carl Lindner. Taft and KECO ran superb parks...Mr. Lindner engaged in the same sort of cost cutting that CBS did...and it showed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplehaze Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I agree brown it was an awesome sight to see, I miss those days also, I usually just go back to Paramount days for the fact a lot of members were not even born back in those days...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Which has done a better job, IMO Cedar Fair. Which do I still prefer, Paramount. I really miss the old days of HB Characters roaming the park, the theming around the park, and the magical atmosphere I got every time I visited the park. Those days are never coming back so from now on, it is time to move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplehaze Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 jasper it is possible for things to return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Not likely with Paramount...the possibility that Paramount itself will ever again run Kings Island is very, very remote at best. One must also wonder what is to become of Six Flags, now that the former CEO of Paramount Parks is running it...stay tuned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplehaze Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Terpy, I did not mean my statement as Paramount taking back the park, I just meant things might run like they used to someday ") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Millennium Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Wow, that looks awful! Can someone please post other pictures of the Paramount days? To whoever said a park is about the experience, IA. Though it was several years ago and I didn't ride any coasters, I remember going to Knotts in California and wandering around the park and seeing how beautiful everything was. I loved it so much, I wanted to go back the next day instead of Disneyland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplehaze Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Paramount was not that bad as has been portrayed in threads on this issue. Now compare it to the other owners then maybe so but it was not the pig sty everyone says it was. there was a trash can last night across from the potato works that was over flowing pretty bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TH13TEEN Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Wow, that looks awful! Can someone please post other pictures of the Paramount days? To whoever said a park is about the experience, IA. Though it was several years ago and I didn't ride any coasters, I remember going to Knotts in California and wandering around the park and seeing how beautiful everything was. I loved it so much, I wanted to go back the next day instead of Disneyland. I agree with you go to Knott's, CF can run a beautiful park if they want too. And Knott's is that example. I have to say it may be my favorite park period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faeriewench Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I thought Knott's looked even better before CF threw their weight around >< (IE Silver Bullet) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TH13TEEN Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 ^ The park is still mighty fine. My favorite part of the park is "Fiesta Village" or "Ghost Town." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faeriewench Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I want Reflection lake back at Knotts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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