What rides will be at KI when you bring your kids there?

[KI FANATIC 37]

I was thinking about this. What rides do you think will be there in 10-20 years when you bring your kids to KI or any amusement park? Or, will Amusement Parks even be here in 10-20 years?

I honestly think Beast and SOB will be gone. Who knows what the park will look like at that time? Post what rides, if any will be at KI when you bring your kids there.

[Dbfan]

I really hope to let my first kid enjoy there first roller coaster on The Beastie. Hopefully it is still up by then.

My predictions:

Racer still operating

X-Base expanded with a new coaster and a flat and....Bathrooms!

Beast no longer there, now a blank land open for development

SOB and Flight Deck gone, expanded Action Zone with a flat and a small wild mouse ride.

Thats Kings Island in 15 years I think...

[coaster_junky]

as much as i hate to say it, i don't see magnum being at Cedar Point in 20 years, although it was the coaster to break the 200' mark, i just can't see it lasting that much longer.

the same for Vortex and possibly Adventure Express.

[Purplehaze]

I have to say beast will be there for a long long time.

[markr]

Does anyone know if steel or wooden coasters last longer or is their life span about the same? Just wondering.

[KI FANATIC 37]

I would say steel lasts longer...

[Purplehaze]

Not sure but I Know there are Roller Coasters still running for almost 100 years.

You would think steel would last longer but IDK

[coaster_junky]

i think wooden, not just to be different, but just the face that it seems that although they are harder to maintain, it seems like it would be easier to preform "fixes" on them, i'm not really sure why i think this, but it just seems to make sense to me.

[Purplehaze]

Which brings this question to mind. I notice when ever wood is replaced on Beast like railings and such they still use nails. Wonder why they wouldn't use screws?

[LordSkippy]

I once made a spreadsheet on roller coaster lifespans, and the average lifespan for a roller coaster was around twenty-something years. I can't seem to find the file anymore, though.

[coaster_junky]

^^easier removal at a later date? i mean, running an extension cord for a electric screwdriver verses a man powered hammer, although the electric power tool would be easier, it would seem to me to be a big hassle for maintenance.

[Purplehaze]

True but the fact that the battery power tools of today are very powerful but who knows.

[coaster_junky]

also take into account how long it takes for even a power screwdriver to remove just one screw, could you imagine standing hunched over for that long when you could have just pulled out three nails in the time it took to remove one screw?

[KIfan1980]

I'm pretty sure every single ride at the park will still be there when I bring my kids to KI. I really don't see any significant changes happening before ... Sunday

[Guest Millennium]

I bet we will have Crypt out with some small flat in that area, Action Zone redone, and X-Base with several new rides/flats. Flight of Fear, Vortex, Flight Deck, Firehawk even, I can imagine them being gone in 20 years..

^Lol

I do not think Beast will be gone in 20 years. Not Racer either. When people here Kings Island..they think The Beast.

I am pretty sure Vortex and Son of Beast will.

Wood may have lasted longer because it wasn't until the last 20 years we had B&M..and it looks like some of their rides will last a long time. No B&M coasters have been torn down yet. Time will tell.

[The Interpreter]

...Wood may have lasted longer because it wasn't until the last 20 years we had B&M..and it looks like some of their rides will last a long time. No B&M coasters have been torn down yet. Time will tell.

Um....no.

Orochi comes immediately to mind....

EDIT: You are right...it's moved to France:

http://www.thecoaste...ve-in-2010.html

http://www.rcdb.com/4478.htm

[BavarianBeatle]

Some parks are in areas where there may be tornados, or floods, or earthquakes, or fires, or other unanticipated events... We should just be thankful for what we have now, and feel the same in 20 years!

[The Interpreter]

Yep....look at what happened to Six Flags New Orleans...

[bkroz]

Then there are the unnatural events that abruptly stop decades, or even centuries of cherished and treasured rides and attractions. See, for example, the "development" of the Geauga Lake property!

[Purplehaze]

1941:

A tornado wrecks part of the Clipper coaster and destroys several buildings, causing over $50,000 worth of damage. Six people are injured.Geauga Lake

1952:

A fire burns parts of the dance hall, roller rink, theater and bowling alley, causing nearly $500,000 in damage.Geauga Lake

May 18, 2007: A carnival spinning ride in the eastern European country of Estonia caught on fire while operating, and 37 individuals were treated for smoke inhalation and burn injuries. Pictures and a video of this unfortunate incident are available on YouTube.

February 1, 2004: A carnival ride in West Palm Beach, Florida has a fire after an oil leak is ignited by friction sparks. Three minor injuries were reported.

June 9, 2001: A bumper car ride in Maine ignited after an electrical malfunction but no injuries were reported.

May 1, 2001: The Gebirgsbahn roller coaster at Phantasialand in Germany was destroyed by a fire caused by a short circuit in its electrical wiring. The fire also damaged other rides and buildings at the park, and 63 people sustained injuries.

July 21, 2000: A small boat ride at Thorpe Park near London, England started a fire that spread to other buildings and rides in the vicinity. No injuries were reported.

May 11, 1984: The Haunted Castle dark ride at Six Flags Great Adventure had a severe fire after a rider used a cigarette lighter to try to illuminate the ride’s interior. Eight deaths are attributed to this tragedy.

And that is just a minor partial list.

[KI FANATIC 37]

Oh my....

Thats not good.

[Pillsberry123]

EDIT: It's 1:43 in the morning, I'm going to bed. I posted this but didn't have time to proofread. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes.

Wooden coasters last longer than steel coasters. Cyclone, Giant Dipper, ect... The reason many rides from this age aren't around today isn't because they couldn't, but because the depression and the following decades weren't kind to coasters. If a wooden coaster is maintained well, which many of the popular rides around today are, then they will last a good long while for generations to enjoy. Therefore I can picture The Beast remaining at the park for another 40 years and The Racer lasting at least another 30, and that's being pessimistic. This I'm positive and I say this with 100% confidence.

I'm not as sure about steel coasters, so maybe someone else can back me up: Steel doesn't seem to last as long. Steel coasters don't age well, which is obvious. Re-tracking steel coasters isn't as cheap as re-tracking wooden coasters, either. Therefore, I can picture The Vortex, Adventure Express, Flight Deck (obviously), Back Lot Stunt Coaster, and Flight of Fear being gone in 30 years if not less. As far as Magnum XL-200 is concerned, I believe that Morgan has the situation covered as far as replacement parts are concerned if need be. If it was located at any other park than Cedar Point I would be a little worried, but Cedar Point seems to be more worried about maintaining their rides than any other park, so I don't picture any Cedar Point coasters leaving any time soon. I can also imagine that newer steel coasters like Millennium Force and Diamondback will last a lot longer than the steel coasters of the 70s and 80s.

With that being said:

- In the future years I predict that Action Zone will decrease in size and eventually fade. Son of Beast will be demolished within the next few years (2011-2013), Flight Deck will follow shortly after (2012-2014), Invertago will probably leave soon after (2017-2019). This leaves Congo Falls, Drop Tower, and Delirium. As sad as I am to say it, Delirium doesn't look like a ride that will last much more than another 7-9 years, and after it is removed Drop Tower will see its fate within the next 5-7 years. Congo Falls seems like it will last the longest of the rides currently in Action Zone.

- When Son of Beast is removed I picture the park eventually expanding in that direction. Who knows what will be built. I've thought of putting a B&M in that area, but it would seem more efficient to expand in that direction instead of enclosing the park with yet another ride at the edge of the map.

- After consideration, I think that X-base will receive new modern flats to replace the ones that we will eventually loose from Action Zone, but I don't see it becoming as large as the other areas of the park.

- I picture Coney Mall being untouched with the exception of Vortex being removed and replaced by something else. I picture the small, family (carnival style) flats remaining.

- I picture Oktoberfest remaining an area. After Adventure Express stops operating it will probably become an area similar to the Frontier Trail at Cedar Point. More of an area about shops than rides.

- I picture Rivertown being left alone with the exception of the Crypt being removed and probably replaced by another flat or (hopefully) trees. The Beast will most likely stay open as long as the park does. White Water Canyon will remain for a while. Diamondback will probably remain into the foreseeable future.

- Planet Snoopy, or whatever name it may be changed too, will doubtfully see a lot of change. Rides will be removed and replaced. Woodstock Express and the Log Flume will remain.

- International Street will remain the same it always has been. Shops will change, but the tower will stay and the fountains will stay. The Carousel will hopefully stay, and I hope Cedar Fair brings it back to it's full potential again.

- Not sure what area of the park it's in, but BLSC will be removed soon after Invertago. I don't see BLSC lasting till 2020.

- Boomerang Bay will hopefully receive more attention in the coming years.

Sorry for the long post. Feel free to pick at it and tear it apart as you please

[coaster_junky]

^i see Flight of Fear lasting longer than you stated, based on the maintained aspect, it's protected from basically all the elements, except cold, which could cause fractures in the track and other parts of the ride, but as long as the park wants it, i see it being there, after all, why would they want to lose the worlds first lim launched coaster?

[rivertowngirl]

Well, since I take my kid there now I guess I can't really answer this one. I will say this though...the rides that I wish were still at KI, that I remember riding when I was younger, that I really wish were still there for my kid to ride are the flying eagles, the smurf ride, and the spinning barrels or tea cups. He would really love the flying eagles. So sad those are gone!

[The Interpreter]

And it should be pointed out that virtually no outsider could have predicted the Flying Eagles' leaving. In fact, when rumors began that they were, Kings Island park lovers were adamant the park would never do such a thing. I'd also add the antique cars to your list...

[Guest Millennium]

I remember going to the park several years ago and LOVING Action Zone. I still do.....I think they have a nice collection of rides and I think it could look good. They need a couple more rides, sure, but every morning when I go to KI I get there first. Marathon Flight Deck then Delirium then Drop Tower.

EDIT: It's 1:43 in the morning, I'm going to bed. I posted this but didn't have time to proofread. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes.

Wooden coasters last longer than steel coasters. Cyclone, Giant Dipper, ect... The reason many rides from this age aren't around today isn't because they couldn't, but because the depression and the following decades weren't kind to coasters. If a wooden coaster is maintained well, which many of the popular rides around today are, then they will last a good long while for generations to enjoy. Therefore I can picture The Beast remaining at the park for another 40 years and The Racer lasting at least another 30, and that's being pessimistic. This I'm positive and I say this with 100% confidence.

I'm not as sure about steel coasters, so maybe someone else can back me up: Steel doesn't seem to last as long. Steel coasters don't age well, which is obvious. Re-tracking steel coasters isn't as cheap as re-tracking wooden coasters, either. Therefore, I can picture The Vortex, Adventure Express, Flight Deck (obviously), Back Lot Stunt Coaster, and Flight of Fear being gone in 30 years if not less. As far as Magnum XL-200 is concerned, I believe that Morgan has the situation covered as far as replacement parts are concerned if need be. If it was located at any other park than Cedar Point I would be a little worried, but Cedar Point seems to be more worried about maintaining their rides than any other park, so I don't picture any Cedar Point coasters leaving any time soon. I can also imagine that newer steel coasters like Millennium Force and Diamondback will last a lot longer than the steel coasters of the 70s and 80s.

With that being said:

- In the future years I predict that Action Zone will decrease in size and eventually fade. Son of Beast will be demolished within the next few years (2011-2013), Flight Deck will follow shortly after (2012-2014), Invertago will probably leave soon after (2017-2019). This leaves Congo Falls, Drop Tower, and Delirium. As sad as I am to say it, Delirium doesn't look like a ride that will last much more than another 7-9 years, and after it is removed Drop Tower will see its fate within the next 5-7 years. Congo Falls seems like it will last the longest of the rides currently in Action Zone.

- When Son of Beast is removed I picture the park eventually expanding in that direction. Who knows what will be built. I've thought of putting a B&M in that area, but it would seem more efficient to expand in that direction instead of enclosing the park with yet another ride at the edge of the map.

- After consideration, I think that X-base will receive new modern flats to replace the ones that we will eventually loose from Action Zone, but I don't see it becoming as large as the other areas of the park.

- I picture Coney Mall being untouched with the exception of Vortex being removed and replaced by something else. I picture the small, family (carnival style) flats remaining.

- I picture Oktoberfest remaining an area. After Adventure Express stops operating it will probably become an area similar to the Frontier Trail at Cedar Point. More of an area about shops than rides.

- I picture Rivertown being left alone with the exception of the Crypt being removed and probably replaced by another flat or (hopefully) trees. The Beast will most likely stay open as long as the park does. White Water Canyon will remain for a while. Diamondback will probably remain into the foreseeable future.

- Planet Snoopy, or whatever name it may be changed too, will doubtfully see a lot of change. Rides will be removed and replaced. Woodstock Express and the Log Flume will remain.

- International Street will remain the same it always has been. Shops will change, but the tower will stay and the fountains will stay. The Carousel will hopefully stay, and I hope Cedar Fair brings it back to it's full potential again.

- Not sure what area of the park it's in, but BLSC will be removed soon after Invertago. I don't see BLSC lasting till 2020.

- Boomerang Bay will hopefully receive more attention in the coming years.

Sorry for the long post. Feel free to pick at it and tear it apart as you please

You corrected yourself. I thought you said you expect to see AZ fade, but you think they will add a new coaster?

I do. The GP loves that coaster.

[Pillsberry123]

^ When I say that Action Zone will fade as an area, I mean that in 30 years there will be little to no evidence of the Action Zone we have now. This will lead to a re-theme or a changing of the name. When I say the park will expand in that direction and beyond, I mean that the park itself will expand to the left (Son of Beast's current location) rather than to the back (the location of Vortex and The Beast). New rides will be added to the area and beyond, but I doubt Cedar Fair will maintain Action Zone as a "movie set" themed area. Again, this will lead to a re-theme.

The GP may love BLSC, but Cedar Fair doesn't. It has lost 70% of its themeing, and it will soon be a skeleton of what it once was. As soon as it is in need of a costly repair I foresee Cedar Fair scraping it instead of fixing it.

These are all my predictions. I don't claim to know any more than anyone else.

[Guest rcfreak339]

i think wooden, not just to be different, but just the face that it seems that although they are harder to maintain, it seems like it would be easier to preform "fixes" on them, i'm not really sure why i think this, but it just seems to make sense to me.

I have always thought this as well. If a steel coaster tracks become damaged it will be far more expensive and time consuming then if a wooden coaster track becomes damaged. I see Beast staying at Kings Island for a long time to come.

[KIMonster14]

Guesses On What Will Be Removed By 2020:

Action Zone-

Son of Beast- 2012

Flight Deck- 2014

Invertigo- 2020

Oktoberfest-

Adventure Express- 2015

Coney Mall-

Vortex- 2016

Spongebob 3D- Replaced By 2017

BLSC- 2019

Rivertown-

Crypt- 2016

Beast- Possibly Around 2020

Planet Snoopy-

Name Change By 2020

[IslandAddict]

^ So pretty much every year something is removed? I can't really see that happening, unless we get some mega-awesome-expensive expansion.