Realistic Off-Season Improvement Ideas

[IndyGuy4KI]

Some things that we would like to see get some off season love can be posted here. Lets be realistic in idea's though! We saw improvements on FD, FOF and BLSC mid season, so let's share some good ideas that could be easily implement this winter or early Spring.

I would love to see more props be placed in the grass in the long queue leading back to FD. Even some retired engine or plane parts on a stand would be cool. They could even be models. GE is not to far away, who knows they might be willing to donate old or scrapped parts/engines for KI?

[The Interpreter]

I'd like to see higher quality food, with more healthy choices, and a table service restaurant.

Same wants as for years.

And at least one adult show that is NOT a musical revue.

[westcoaster]

one service restraunt with waiter staff

[thekidd33]

Ditto on the table service restaurant.

I'd also like to see a new coat of paint for Racer and maybe a little theming added to the train.

[CoastersRZ]

What kind of show would you like to see besides a musical revue, Interpreter? And isn`t Snoopy on Ice, not technically a musical review? Yes, it has songs in it, and the skaters skate to the music, but they are not singing in it.

Too bad the shows can`t return to the quality that they were in the early KECO/Taft days. Escapades anyone?

[windshawne]

Better food and repaving the parking lot.

[CedarPointer]

I'd rather see more indoor seating added for the current food stands rather than any table service restaurants. It's kind of silly that there only two in the entire park, and one is a buffet.

[Snowman]

Cold Fruit Cart! Not every patron likes frozen drops of sugar milk, sugar strands, salty popcorn, or sugary blue ice cream on a hot day.

How about an ice cold orange, banana, or apple?

[Pagoda Gift Shop]

Change Rivertown Junction Dining Hall into a table service restaurant. Backyard BBQ is a more suitable venue for All-You-Can-Eat anyway.

Edit: I thought of another thing. Stop trying to charge 6.29 for fries. I'm not buying those unless they are at least $2 less. Even at an amusement park they are still just fried potatoes.

[Bennett]

Give The Racer the attention that it so desperately needs. It's turning 40, and looks older than that.

[westcoaster]

yes The Racer is looking old, and should be turned backwards.

[kingsrattler]

yes The Racer is looking old, and should be turned backwards.

But, nay, it will not be turned backwards, because it is not within the "manufacturer recommendations".

[gad198]

Just a quick few items in a number of areas:

* Give Gold and Platinum passholders 20% off all purchases (or, at the very least, extend the offer to get Beagle Bucks for 10% off like some other parks in the chain. Dorney, KD, Carowinds all come to mind immediately)

* Open up more lanes for people leaving the park. Trying to funnel all those people through two (very small) openings at the metal detectors right up until the park closes seems silly at best

* While we're on the metal detector topic, have an express line for people who don't have bags. I wouldn't mind it if this lane were only open for the first couple of hours a day, however. I'd personally also like to see a Platinum pass express lane at the metal detectors for the first few hours as well, but I'd much rather see the former than the latter anyway

* Get some restrooms back near Long Line X Base. There are six outdoor restrooms in the dry side of KI (seven if you include the one just outside the park gates). By way of comparison there are six outdoor restrooms (seven if you include the standalone one outside the park) that I know of at Worlds of Fun, a much smaller park. I just get the sense that there are surprisingly few restrooms at KI for the size park it is

* Agreed about The Racer needing to be given some TLC. Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis and Great American Scream Machine at SFOG really showed how great these coasters can look if given a little time and attention

[benred23]

Hmm Lets see here,,,

1. Repave the Parking Lot

2. Repaint The Racer and bring back the recaR

3. Better theming and working Fog and Water Splashdown on BLSC

4. Bring back the fog on Adventure Express

5. Put the Water Pool back in around The Beast. (Would never be done, but I can dream. )

6. Bring back the Parking Lot Trams!

7. Do Something with the old Paramount Story

8. Have a Guided tour on what once was at Kings Island (Ex. Antique cars were here, this is the Site of the Screamin Deamin, The Bats que was the same as Vortex, Stuff like that)

9. Do something with The Crypt

10. Bring Back Winterfest!!!

[DropZone99]

I agree about Racer being repainted, GASM at SFOG and Screamin' Eagle at SFSTL both look beautiful! Since Boomerang Bay is becoming Soak City, I would love to see some of the slides repainted more vibrant colors like Cedar Point is doing with theirs.

[CedarPointer]

Change Rivertown Junction Dining Hall into a table service restaurant. Backyard BBQ is a more suitable venue for All-You-Can-Eat anyway.

Edit: I thought of another thing. Stop trying to charge 6.29 for fries. I'm not buying those unless they are at least $2 less. Even at an amusement park they are still just fried potatoes.

RPW fries are one of the few things at the park that I actually do buy a few times a season... they're soooo good if they're straight out of the fryer! Especially since they actually are fresh cut, they don't come frozen out of bags like most other fries. I hope they're not made cheaper, because I'd probably gain 20lbs if they were cheaper!

They should have different music in different sections. Also, the areas that don't currently have signs should.

[XGatorHead 8904]

^I wish that they would have the smaller portion size of the fries again. One upon a time there were two sizes but they did away with the smaller one. With GatorGirl's peanut allergy and KI using peanut oil to fry them in, we can't share them as a family. The large is just too much for me to eat, so that's why I only get them once every year or two. I'd definitely get them more often if there was a more reasonable size available again.

[standbyme]

It would be too much to hope for that The Racer would be painted back to it's Red , White & Blue colors for the 40th Anniversary of the park.

[mccarthysnerd]

1.) Improve walk back to WWC

2.) Reopen SOB (why let it sit for 2 more years?)

3.) Repaint the red on Invertigo!!!! It has become a faded red instead of the shiny red it was for many years. which makes it look OLD

[Outdoor Man]

lot of good ideas represented; some new- some repeats (in no particular order):

a) Winterfest

b paint to Racers

c) paint to Flight Deck (and/or better color scheme)

d) something.... anything to the former Tower Gardens

e) poop or get off the toilet regarding Son of Beast

f) restrooms by x-base

g) reopen international restaurant

h) history museum, with old Coney exhibits

i) fix the "band" on the carousel. (hey if some random gift shop on Put in Bay has one that works... certainly a park with millions can have theirs working!)

[teenageninja]

g) They can't reopen the International Restaurant due to ADA restrictions. They do not have an elevator in place for guests to use to get to the restaurant. They would have to build an elevator. In addition, they use it for meetings and trainings, etc.

[flightoffear1996]

Repaving the parking lot would be extremely expensive. Have you ever got a quote to black top just a driveway!

Take out that stupid WIngs buffet and ad a sit down restraunt/sport bar. That could bring in tons of money.

Get rid of that waste of space family dryer right outside of WWC. Im not going to go get wet then pay 5 to stand in a oversided blow drier.

[HHauntFanatic]

I don't go to Kings Island nearly as much as most you guys. I go maybe once every 2 years. And I'm definitely not a KI fanatic. I've just always been interested in the inner workings of the industry and I enjoy learning something new everyday from all of you, which is why I joined. Therefore, I don't have anything original to add to this topic, but I agree with what previous posters have mentioned:

--Do something, anything with Tower Gardens; has so much potential, yet sitting there wasting away. I remember when it used to have the Paramount movie signs in there. It was such a nice little area.

--Do something, anything with SOB. Gives the company a black eye just sitting there idle.

--Paint Racers.

--I don't know if it was just that night or if it's like this all the time, but when I was at Haunt this year, one side of the park (WindSeeker to Rivertown Junction) was crowded and the other side (formerly called Action Zone area) was dead. This is more of a long term thing, but I think they need to add some more rides and spruce up the former Action Zone area. That side seems to be the red-headed step child area, so to speak. I understand why one side of the park is more heavily populated, because that's where the more popular and new/er rides are, such as Beast, WindSeeker and Diamondback. I'm just saying they need to balance it out some.

That's all I have.

[Bennett]

I don't go to Kings Island nearly as much as most you guys. I go maybe once every 2 years. And I'm definitely not a KI fanatic. I've just always been interested in the inner workings of the industry and I enjoy learning something new everyday from all of you, which is why I joined. Therefore, I don't have anything original to add to this topic, but I agree with what previous posters have mentioned:

--Do something, anything with Tower Gardens; has so much potential, yet sitting there wasting away. I remember when it used to have the Paramount movie signs in there. It was such a nice little area.

--Do something, anything with SOB. Gives the company a black eye just sitting there idle.

--Paint Racers.

--I don't know if it was just that night or if it's like this all the time, but when I was at Haunt this year, one side of the park (WindSeeker to Rivertown Junction) was crowded and the other side (formerly called Action Zone area) was dead. This is more of a long term thing, but I think they need to add some more rides and spruce up the former Action Zone area. That side seems to be the red-headed step child area, so to speak. I understand why one side of the park is more heavily populated, because that's where the more popular and new/er rides are, such as Beast, WindSeeker and Diamondback. I'm just saying they need to balance it out some.

That's all I have.

I would look for a major "Action Zone" revamp to coincide with whatever way SOB is resolved.

[CedarPointer]

g) They can't reopen the International Restaurant due to ADA restrictions. They do not have an elevator in place for guests to use to get to the restaurant. They would have to build an elevator. In addition, they use it for meetings and trainings, etc.

How can they use it for Breakfast With The Characters if it's not ADA accessible?

[CoastersRZ]

There are ways around some issues with ADA. And keep in mind that there is a new version of the ADA out right now, that has even tighter restrictions than the former one that came out in 1991. Remember, that on the conference call, they made mention of setting aside some money to bring the parks up to the current ADA standards for next year.

Yes, repaving the parking lot would cost a lot of money. But if they phase it over a couple of seasons, it won`t be that much. The parking lot as it stands now is in deplorable shape. The main drive aisles are full of pot holes, that you have to dodge when entering. All they have been doing so far is piecemeal patches. Over time, if nothing is done, the paves surface will return back to a gravel state...

And Action Zone (save for the little bit of Oktoberfest that is still there and International Street) will be the only area of the park that hasn`t seen a major face lift since Cedar Fair took over control of the park... Boomerang Bay used to fit that category, but that will change for next season when the park is rebranded as Soak City. Just a little thing to ponder as 2012 comes nearer and we start talking about 2013...

[alsoran17]

Eliminate fast passes!!! I just can't stand seeing people spend hard earned money to get into the park, then do nothing but wait in line all day.

[benred23]

Eliminate fast passes!!! I just can't stand seeing people spend hard earned money to get into the park, then do nothing but wait in line all day.

While I totally, Utterly, 100% agree with you on this one, Cedar Fair has already decided they can capitolize on the Whiner Crowd out there that dont wanna wait in line, so its not going anywhere. I would have rather paid an Extra 5 bucks for my Gold pas and had them impliment a FastPass system like they have a Disneyworld..

[Burgtoad67]

e) poop or get off the toilet regarding Son of Beast

^ Might be the best thing i've ever read.

[ahank]

Eliminate fast passes!!! I just can't stand seeing people spend hard earned money to get into the park, then do nothing but wait in line all day.

Why should the people that pay more for passes not be able to take a faster route? Pay the price for the pass, get through the line faster. It's their decision to spend money on the passes, and if trying to get through the park quickly or not wanting to wait in line, can come in handy.

The people who spend their hard earned money to get into the park can also use their hard earned money to purchase a fast pass and, while it might not seem fair, it's their money they're spending.