I miss Paramount

[jlopez]

sorry if this has been talked about but I recently went to Kings Island in July and it was my first trip since 2005. I was so bummed that Paramount sold. I really dont care for Cedar Fair. I miss the theming of paramount, and everything else about it when it was paramount. I cant even get use to the new ride names. I still call them by the old names. I dont like the peanuts characters either. my kids dont even know who snoopy is. Its not too popular with the kids these days. Dont get me wrong. I love Kings Island, and plan on getting a season pass next year but im just gonna miss Paramount a lot.

[Captain Picard]

That feeling that KI used to have back when it was Paramount what little was left is gone. There is nothing but a empty yet full of greed feeling now.

[dr_humor]

Really? Obviously we are all entitled to our opinion, but I thought Paramount ran Kings Island into the ground. They had some good ideas initially, but clearly a lot was left to be desired.

No company is perfect, but Cedar Fair is easily the best "major chain" in my opinion. But I guess it all matters what is important to you.

How do your kids not know Snoopy, by the way? Our 4 year old adores Snoopy and all the characters.

[Aaron88stang]

with a few exceptions, most of what Cedar Fair has done for KI has been way to the positive. and Snoopy is way better than most of the crap that is on Nick these days...

[jlopez]

My kids have never been yet. They are 2 and 3 and I plan on taking them next year, and they would have enjoyed Nick Universe a lot more than snoopy. They have never even watched snoopy. They only play it on tv around the holidays. They are more interested in Dora, Diego and and all the other nick jr shows. my daughter was looking at old pics of when it was Nick Universe and was getting excited but when i showed her snoopy she didnt act like she cared much.

[qscott86]

I agree with the main poster. Cedar Fair has ruined the park.. removing theming, removing queue TVs was OUTRAGEOUS. Nickelodeon is much better than Peanuts which nobody watches today. Nickelodeon is the number one rated children's network. Please tell me how an outdated cartoon that enjoyed moderate success at best is better. Even if it wasn't Nickelodeon, they apparently got the rights to the cheapest thing they could find.

[Jasper]

I am going to just sit back and watch this topic grow, my thoughts on this topic have been revealed one too many times on these forums. Viva La Paramount!!

[CedarPointer]

I agree with the main poster. Cedar Fair has ruined the park.. removing theming, removing queue TVs was OUTRAGEOUS. Nickelodeon is much better than Peanuts which nobody watches today. Nickelodeon is the number one rated children's network. Please tell me how an outdated cartoon that enjoyed moderate success at best is better. Even if it wasn't Nickelodeon, they apparently got the rights to the cheapest thing they could find.

Remember how the TVs left in The Beast station looked last year? Those TVs would mostly be broken by now, and the Pantel TVs that are in DB's line are really expensive, they'd need to sell quite a few Fast Lane wristbands to make up for the cost of just one.

http://panteltv.com/outdoorproducts.html

[Avatar]

I have always felt that every owner of Kings Island truly cared/cares about the park and in looking back I can point out flaws and appreciable enhancements. But the thing I believe the most is that the current owner of Kings Island at any given time is doing a great job keeping guests happy.

[Jasper]

I agree with the main poster. Cedar Fair has ruined the park.. removing theming, removing queue TVs was OUTRAGEOUS. Nickelodeon is much better than Peanuts which nobody watches today. Nickelodeon is the number one rated children's network. Please tell me how an outdated cartoon that enjoyed moderate success at best is better. Even if it wasn't Nickelodeon, they apparently got the rights to the cheapest thing they could find.

Remember how the TVs left in The Beast station looked last year? Those TVs would mostly be broken by now, and the Pantel TVs that are in DB's line are really expensive, they'd need to sell quite a few Fast Lane wristbands to make up for the cost of just one.

http://panteltv.com/...orproducts.html

Wow I really had no idea those TV's cost that much. Thanks for posting that link, very interesting.

Mmmmm......Skyline Chili-Vision.

[jlopez]

Maybe one day Cedar Fair will update , and try to find something besides snoopy. It def is very outdated. My husband is 43 and got excited about snoopy when we went. its from his time. Not the kids today.

[diamondhawk]

If one more person makes fun of Snoopy I swear I'll scream!

Now, I think Paramount brought get great theming in rides, (see Flight of Fear, TR:TR, and Italian Job).

Cedar Fair brought more extreme rides, (see Diamondback and Firehawk).

They both have made mistakes, (see Son of Beast) and are both great.

Sigh, the great Paramount/Cedar Fair debate. Will it ever end?

[jlopez]

Well when i first found out Cedar Fair bought, i was thinking,well now maybe we will get some big coasters like Cedar Point. But i miss the paramount atmosphere. I hope Cedar Fair does bring some great rides to Kings Island. We need something like magnum

[qscott86]

I agree with the main poster. Cedar Fair has ruined the park.. removing theming, removing queue TVs was OUTRAGEOUS. Nickelodeon is much better than Peanuts which nobody watches today. Nickelodeon is the number one rated children's network. Please tell me how an outdated cartoon that enjoyed moderate success at best is better. Even if it wasn't Nickelodeon, they apparently got the rights to the cheapest thing they could find.

Remember how the TVs left in The Beast station looked last year? Those TVs would mostly be broken by now, and the Pantel TVs that are in DB's line are really expensive, they'd need to sell quite a few Fast Lane wristbands to make up for the cost of just one.

http://panteltv.com/...orproducts.html

Uh they didn't need to replace them with Pantel ones. I liked the look of the original box ones and those were not expensive. The TVs should have been replaced as they were worn down. You don't remove theming (i.e. video theming) because the TVs stop working - you replace the TVs. Just like how they ruined the Crypt and The Backlot Stunt Coaster... not everyone has amnesia.

[Fire-Beast-OF FEAR]

To me the Peanuts are a family tradition to watch there specials on all occasions, before the addition of Planet Snoopy I thought every last red blooded American family did the same exact thing. to me the peanuts have a place in my family and thats why I think Planet Snoopy it the best thing that has happened to the park ever.

and also the stuff on Nickelodeon right now is just absolute garbage, at this point Spongebob is on total autopilot and the rest of the network is family sitcoms the only good show on there is TUFF Puppy and if that was a show in the 90's it would be the worst of all of them. Would you really want your 4-year-old to be riding a roller coaster themed after a teenage pop icon?

[jlopez]

well They could have eventually changed it to just a Nick Jr area. Nick jr is more for kids, i think Nickelodeon is more for older kids. I would have loved to see some Yo Gabba Gabba characters running around. My kids love that show.

[dr_humor]

How is it possible that Camp Snoopy is flooded with young children hugging and running and laughing and dancing with the Peanuts' characters every day?

The thing is, Snoopy and Charlie Brown are timeless.

Spongebob is already old news.

[bkroz]

I think when people say they "miss Paramount," what they truly mean is that they miss when the rides' names still contained film titles, but not much more.

Just from what I've seen here, it appears that a lot of the Paramount-lovers (myself included) were young during their era in the park. As such, I recall The Italian Job being far, far grander than Back Lot Stunt Coaster. Was it? Probably not. But it's what I knew; it's what made me fall in love with Kings Island; and to me, Paramount's Kings Island will always be the "original" Kings Island (others who were here before Paramount will always imagine Taft's Kings Island as the "original," and more rightly so).

Another thing that I try to remember is that, despite our rose-colored, hindsight glasses, Paramount was arguably worse at special effects maintenance than Cedar Fair. Sure they extended themselves to begin with, but had very little interest in upkeep. Cedar Fair scaled Paramount's exorbitant effects on each ride to a smaller, more realistic spectacle much more appropriate for a seasonal park, and actually does work to keep it functioning. The unfortunate part of that is that most of the effects were already dead when Cedar Fair took over, but because they changed the name, many (myself included) naturally tend to associate the dead effects with their arrival. In reality, the were dead before they came at all.

All in all, I agree that the park felt grander and more "epic" and dramatic during Paramount's reign, and I certainly feel that the details are sorely missed (The Paramount Story, the more obscure effects that the rides had in their hey day, etc) but I also recognize that more than likely, Backlot Stunt Coaster might be in worse shape than it is now if it still carried the Italian Job name, and it would be a miracle if Tomb Raider: The Ride was even still standing. Paramount - if they were smart - would've also closed Son of Beast, and eventually even the best of their themed attractions would do as they always had: crumbled to nothing. Winterfest was a last-ditch ploy to sell the park as a year-round destination and not a heartfelt attempt to honor the park's history.

Terpy often says that he doesn't know if the park could've lasted much longer under CBS' leadership. What does that tell you?

Cedar Fair runs the park well, and with the lone exception of special effects maintenance and detail-oriented presentation, I have very few qualms with their ownership of the park. It just so happens that I am a detail-oriented kind of guy, so my initial reaction (like the OP's) was that Cedar Fair sucks because it has The Crypt, Backlot, Flight Deck, etc. where Paramount's Kings Island had TOMB RAIDER, The Italian Job, and Top Gun.

[The Interpreter]

Well said. Remember, too, that oddly enough, it was under Paramount the shows were drastically cut in quality and quantity.

Just don't get me started as to what Cedar Fair calls food, or the pricing thereof.

[jlopez]

I really could care less for the crypt. I sorta wish it was gone.

[diamondhawk]

The Crypt could be a lot better with some work.

[KIfan1980]

You miss Paramount - I miss KI of the 1980's and complained about Paramount the way you complain about Cedar Fair. For example, it annoyed me to no end that they changed the logo and had the audacity to add Paramount's in front of the Kings Island name.

In some way, what each of us grew up with is what we remember as the "best times for KI". But as I've grown older, and experienced KI through my young boys - I've started to realize that to them, KI still has a magic that is bigger than who owns it at the time. Each owner, I believe, is doing what they think is best for them as owners, the park as a whole, and guests in total - do I agree with it all, no and will comment on what I think are issues, but don't think a Paramount was better and CF is awful assessment is valid either.

[qscott86]

I really could care less for the crypt. I sorta wish it was gone.

Um no.. the Crypt is an excellent attraction... or is was before Cedar Point.. err Cedar Fair started messing with it. Just like taking the water out of BLSC for no apparent reason.

[qscott86]

How is it possible that Camp Snoopy is flooded with young children hugging and running and laughing and dancing with the Peanuts' characters every day?

The thing is, Snoopy and Charlie Brown are timeless.

Spongebob is already old news.

How is it possible that kids were hugging Nick characters everyday? That seems like an easily invalidated argument. Kids will hug any characters without even knowing who they are. What do you mean Spongebob is old news? Snoopy and Charlie Brown are way old news compared to them.. nobody even cared about them until Cedar Fair resurrected them.

With that said, NIckelodeon Splat City (which conformed to Nickelodeon's 90s programming) was far superior to Nickelodeon Universe with the Nicktoon characters. Nickelodeon's heyday is sadly over.

[raptor]

I miss The Enchanted Voyage, The Tumblebug (and it's replacement The Skylab), The Antique Cars, Gulliver's Rub-a-Dub, Fool House, The Flying Dutchman, The Backwards Racer The train when it was actually more than transportation to a waterpark ......but, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Life goes on and it's still fun

[Titan]

I'd rather see a Snoopy inspired ride than a Spongebob ride. 1. Snoopy doesn't have an annoying laugh and 2. he doesn't have holes all over his body.

[bkroz]

I really could care less for the crypt. I sorta wish it was gone.

Um no.. the Crypt is an excellent attraction... or is was before Cedar Point.. err Cedar Fair started messing with it. Just like taking the water out of BLSC for no apparent reason.

No apparent reason? This is what I was talking about in my lengthy post above.

You say "the Crypt [was] an excellent attraction ... before Cedar Fair started messing with it." I remind you that, even before Cedar Fair purchased the Paramount Parks, and even when that particular ride was still called TOMB RAIDER: The Ride, it was in a state of disrepair. Even under the Paramount flag, even when the movie tie-in still existed, the ride was on its last leg. Mechanically, as we've noticed, it seemed to be in a state of turmoil. It was closed far, far more than it was open, even closing in late summer of one season and not re-opening until the next summer. Under its last years as TOMB RAIDER, it had absolutely no music (the ride taking place in complete silence, which really put a damper on the experience) and the once-great theatrical lighting was reduced to about what you see on The Crypt today.

But humans, on average, like to average things. And they also tend to like very clear, precise groupings. As such, we (incorrectly) tend to associate Paramount with Tomb Raider with great lighting, water, music, lasers, effects, and fog. Then, we associate Cedar Fair with no music, minimal lighting, no fog, no water, a ride that's always broken... In my experience, The Crypt of 2011 operates with more lighting and music than the Tomb Raider of 2005... And the key word in that sentence is operates. The ride is usually open, which is far more than anyone could say of TOMB RAIDER: The Ride.

Was TOMB RAIDER a better experience? In my opinion, yes. Did it have grand ambition and an initial grandeur unmatched by other seasonal park rides? Again, I'd say yes. And I was young when I rode it - impressed by the immersion and size, and far too naive to actually consider the operating cost to the park, or the mechanical wear-and-tear on the ride itself. It was an incredible ride, of course. But it didn't stay that way. Like most of Paramount's special-effects-driven rides, it experienced a very steady, very noticeable decline. It was not that Cedar Fair ripped out everything worthwhile the second they signed the dotted line to buy the parks. Rather, it seems that they did what they could with the experience they had and the material and limitations they were given.

Also, I encourage you to spend more time around these parts, qscott86. I have learned many a fact from many wise people here, and just a short search will yield plenty of results on why water (also in fog form) was removed from rides like The Crypt, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Adventure Express, and Flight Deck. It was not for "no apparent reason." For a long time, I thought that the special effect lighting on Cedar Point's Maverick was removed for "no apparent reason." I recently learned differently, and now I don't vilify that park quite as much in that regard.

[diamondhawk]

How is it possible that Camp Snoopy is flooded with young children hugging and running and laughing and dancing with the Peanuts' characters every day?

The thing is, Snoopy and Charlie Brown are timeless.

Spongebob is already old news.

How is it possible that kids were hugging Nick characters everyday? That seems like an easily invalidated argument. Kids will hug any characters without even knowing who they are. What do you mean Spongebob is old news? Snoopy and Charlie Brown are way old news compared to them.. nobody even cared about them until Cedar Fair resurrected them.

With that said, NIckelodeon Splat City (which conformed to Nickelodeon's 90s programming) was far superior to Nickelodeon Universe with the Nicktoon characters. Nickelodeon's heyday is sadly over.

Okay, Peanuts are amazing. And I cared about them long before Cedar Fair came to KI.

[ki lover]

When you were at Paramount's Kings Island you thought you were somewhere, now days its kind of ehh.... You just can't beat riding rides themed to your favorite movie or show. A little bit of Hollywood in your backyard. I galdly take Paramount over Firehawk and Diamondback anyday. Who wants to party like it's 1993-June 2006?

[jlopez]

They need to put the water effect back on BLSC . whats the chances of that.... soon there will be no fire