Aaron88stang Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 12 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said: I think they should invest in a raptor clone and an S&S 4d freespin since there aren't any of those anywhere close to Louisville. Anything to give them a more unique edge over KI. yes a Raptor would be very nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterfestguy Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Kentucky Kingdom re-opens June 29 with the water park shortly thereafter. And for those that already purchased a 2020 season pass, it’s being extended through 2021. From their website: “Kentucky Kingdom will open on June 29, 2020. Hurricane Bay water park will open shortly thereafter.“ “Concerning the 15,000 guests who have already purchased their 2020 season passes, Ed Hart, President and CEO said, “We are especially grateful to our loyal season pass holders who have been so patient as we awaited notice from the Governor’s task force on reopening the park. We want to thank these pass holders for their patience by honoring their “early bird” season passes not only for the 2020 season, but for the 2021 season as well.” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purdude86 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 On 3/17/2020 at 1:17 PM, Aaron88stang said: yes a Raptor would be very nice. Agreed a Raptor coaster would be great. And an off the shelf model would probably keep cost down more. It would be an amazing and affordable coaster for a park like KK and their smaller size would also help with the riders per hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbackdreams Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 On 5/30/2020 at 3:51 AM, purdude86 said: Agreed a Raptor coaster would be great. And an off the shelf model would probably keep cost down more. It would be an amazing and affordable coaster for a park like KK and their smaller size would also help with the riders per hour. Raptor coaster?? Is that like something like a coaster that looks like a dinasour? If they bring dinasours alive to Kentucky Kingdom, will say here just take my money!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 1 hour ago, dbackdreams said: Raptor coaster?? Is that like something like a coaster that looks like a dinasour? If they bring dinasours alive to Kentucky Kingdom, will say here just take my money!!!!! No- it is a name for a model of coaster made by Rocky Mountain Construction which has a single rail and riders ride single file. They are known for the fast pace and aggressive elements. Here is a example of a "Raptor" coaster: RMC is also working on a bigger model of single-rail coaster, with bigger track and 2-wide trains for better capacity, which will be known as the T-Rex but that model isn't ready just yet according to RMC themselves. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbackdreams Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 That looks AWESOME!!!! They made storm chaser didnt they? Its so much fun. I wish Kentucky kingdom could get a coaster like Diamondback the biggest fastest tallest longest meanest roller coaster ever to strike Kings Island!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 An interesting tweet from KK today. Could they be getting the raptor next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 What was the tweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Can you please provide a link and what the tweet actually says, please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 ^ I dont know if I copy and paste the link, if it will just post a Twitter log in page or the actual post, so I dont want to do that. I will paste the text of the tweet: SPOILER This morning our newest 2021 park addition was leaked! We are unsure at this time if our dream of a dueling Vekoma SLC (T4) will still be built, but we can hope. Below that is a construction document, I think. Edit: I am not on Twitter much, so I don't know how embedding links works on sites such as this. But you can easily go to Twitter and search Kentucky Kingdom and you will see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Here is the tweet. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofBaconator Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Talk about subtle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbackdreams Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 So I'd bet that coast is fun. I saw one youtube. Well this be wonderful woman too?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 2 minutes ago, dbackdreams said: So I'd bet that coast is fun. I saw one youtube. Well this be wonderful woman too?? Do you mean this coaster will be called Wonder Woman? No, KK is not a Six Flags park anymore, so they cant use that branding. That coaster is in Texas. I saw the YouTube video and it looks like a blast. I hope this is what KK is getting but it wont be Wonder Woman. Edit: I take it you really like Diamondback? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbackdreams Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 1 minute ago, BeeastFarmer said: Do you mean this coaster will be called Wonder Woman? No, KK is not a Six Flags park anymore, so they cant use that branding. That coaster is in Texas. I saw the YouTube video and it looks like a blast. I hope this is what KK is getting but it wont be Wonder Woman. Edit: I take it you really like Diamondback? I love daimonbdack the Kentucky's kingdom coaster look kewl. I hape they get it. I trying to get better spelling by using phone. Dad said okay because it suggestions words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofBaconator Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 At what point does KK seem like a legit threat to KI? They'll never be able to hit KI's annual attendance numbers however they have the potential to keep Kentuckians from going to KI. Is KI the superior park? Yes 100%, a but a healthy and growing KK could chip away at Louisville and Lexington which are two of the major cities KI pulls from. You might have families who decide to get KK season passes and make make KI a "once a year park" out of convenience and to save money. Maybe I'm wrong but if I worked for KI I would look at KK as a threat to my attendance numbers. KK would never be able to overthrow KI but they can make them bleed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Watch out, @SonofBaconator, people will throw you to the wolves like they did me when I pointed this out a couple of years ago. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Theater Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 3 hours ago, SonofBaconator said: At what point does KK seem like a legit threat to KI? They'll never be able to hit KI's annual attendance numbers however they have the potential to keep Kentuckians from going to KI. Is KI the superior park? Yes 100%, a but a healthy and growing KK could chip away at Louisville and Lexington which are two of the major cities KI pulls from. You might have families who decide to get KK season passes and make make KI a "once a year park" out of convenience and to save money. Maybe I'm wrong but if I worked for KI I would look at KK as a threat to my attendance numbers. KK would never be able to overthrow KI but they can make them bleed. Possibly, but I live in Louisville and I'd say the general public here doesn't seem to be too fond of KK. Whenever I talk amusement parks, everyone seems to point towards Holiday World or KI. In my experience, a lot of non-enthusiasts look at KK as a budget, dirty, carnival-like park, and the parking is horrible. Of course I am not speaking for everyone, but after three years of living here it's what I've come to find when talking about parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Why is it framed as KK being some sort of threat instead of being a niche park? There are a bunch of parks a few hours from Philly that co-exist as niche parks vying for attendance, but you never hear them being compared as one overtaking the other (like Dorney somehow 'overtaking' HP or SFGAdv). KK, HW, and KI (within the context of the IN, KY, and OH area) are niche parks. They've co-existed for a while now (KK's troubles not withstanding). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofBaconator Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 @silver2005 @Phantom Theater all I'm saying is that there's always going to be competition and that its unwise to underestimate someone who's in the same market as you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 What makes you think KI is underestimating KK, especially after just building a giga? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivertown Rider Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 While at this point IMO KK is a half day park, them growing can only be a good thing for us as KI fans. More competition is going to make KI invest more to keep people coming to KI. If the addition is a Raptor that is the perfect type of addition for KK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 ^exactly. The PIC at KI/CF know they must innovate to stay the market leader. It's no coincidence we gotten the gliders, frog hop, food enhancements, Mystic Timbers and 3 roller coasters in 6 years. Kings Island is being very smart, so is Kentucky Kingdom. Both are doing a great job playing to their strengths. I don't live in Louisville, but the vast majority of folks I talk to who go to KK do not regard it in a negative light. They love the water park. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofBaconator Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 3 hours ago, silver2005 said: What makes you think KI is underestimating KK, especially after just building a giga? I'm just saying, families who live in Kentucky (around Louisville and Lexington) might opt to go to KK more times over KI for the sake of saving money. Personally if I lived in Kentucky I'd to go to KI over KK anytime but other people don't see it that way. To quote @BeeastFarmer "KK will not stop people from going to KI, but KK might turn some KI passholders into once a year folks." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 But nothing KI has been doing in the way and rate they've been adding things suggests they aren't still going to attract Kentuckians or any other people out of state for that matter. KI also doesn't have height restrictions, isn't landlocked, and has a far larger budget to work with annually than KK by a mile. CF isn't suddenly just going to keel over. KI isn't just going to stop adding things after Orion. Again, there are several areas with many parks in a fairly small cluster that have co-existed for a while and none of the smaller parks have 'overtaken' the bigger parks because they work within their niches, why is the KK/KI/HW cluster any different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 It's called competition. KI should covet every passholder they have. I could certainly say that KI has lost an amount of SPH in the wake of KK's reopening. I think you missed the point of what @SonofBaconator is saying. Leisure dollars are hard to come by. It might be 1000 gold pass holders in Louisville who don't renew and 500 from others areas, but that's $150k lost right there. That's a lot of money, even to a multi billion dollar company like CF. Add on meal, drink, and one time purchase, and you are approaching a half a million. And I am being very conservative with those theoretical numbers. So if half of the 1500 went for one day to KI, the total expeniture might be $100 for tickets, parking and extras. So that's only $75k. Better than zero, but still an overall loss for CF. KK usually has about 100k SPHs. Kentucky Kingdom reopened in 14 which is when KI got Banshee. Ki should have got another coaster that year anyway. Kentucky Kingdom added the flying scooters rod and the frog hopper. The next season, Kings Island added the flying scooters and a moon jumper (same ride, different theme). Kentucky Kingdom upgraded their water park when they reopened, Kings Island added new slides and new water park restaurant. Kentucky Kingdom got Storm Chaser, Kings Island got Mystic Timbers the next year, just three years after Banshee. Kentucky Kingdom has rallied around their food offerings, and have been recognized for having some of the best food in a park. Kings Island has really started to ramp up their food quality, too. And now, we get Orion, just three years after Mystic Timbers. It is not a direct response to KK, of course. I'd bet it has been slotted, or the idea of a GiGa has, for a while. KK will not get a GiGa. So, they will have to come up with other things to add to get/keep those SPHs from KI. Roller coasters are big investments--to get three of them in six years--I doubt that would happen if KK did not reopen. And the other things that KI has done are no coincidence. Since 2014, and my becoming an enthusiast, I have not noticed that KI has increased any marketing here in KY. I get both Lexington and Louisville TV where I live. KI commercials are rare, but are more frequent in Lexington that they are in Louisville. No billboards. No direct mailers. They have not even promoted Winterfest here. They have responded to KK's offers in Indy. Meanwhile, Dollywood and KK are sending out promo materials, billboards and having spokespeople on news segments on a regular basis. I have not seen anything about Orion or the reopening of KK on the local news shows, but this morning, I saw segments about this tweet on the Louisville local news and then at 10 am, the Lexington local news. KK will never be a KI. Ever. Even if a major operator like SEAS, SIX or CF acquired the rights to operate it. Ed Hart and the fair board have been quietly buying up land around the park, and as leases expire on land that the fair board owns, they are not renewing the leases. There is plenty of room for expansion now and in the future. Niche park or not, the new KK has had an impact on the KI we have today. . 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoaster Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Indeed ky k8ngdom has had huge decisions being made for Kings Island Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 ^^Then all that proves KI isn't underestimating KK. The whole conversation is only really directed towards management (since no one here can affect what the park is going to add or dismantle) and they've shown no signs on not doing what is in the best interest of the park in relation to HW and KK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbackdreams Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 I like Kentucky's kingdom. The movies are fun and I like the bird and fish shows. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Of course Thunder Run gets an off season re-tracking on a year I'm not going to amusement parks. Penciling it in for next season en route to Holiwood Nights. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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