rip-phantomtheater Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 As each year progresses, it seems more and more of the orginals parks charm is losing its edge. Loss of two beautiful lakes, to put in a roller coaster, and now a ride no one rides any more(crypt). From the loss of the quaint Old cars up to lossing the Old town with the indian attack on the train . KI is moving ahead and not looking back. I fear that it has became a realty. "We hope they enjoy the land-scape and take a lot of pictures, We are intrested in making this park one of the most beautiful parks in the country" -Kings Island 1972. Loss of camp sites and trails, adds to the list of long gone things. Any one wanna chime in? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rip-phantomtheater Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 ^^^^^^^^^^^^Follow the "Watch on YouTube" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan73 Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Wow, I never get tired of that video. Yes, I'll chime in. I think a lot of the old beauty of KI has been lost, although I still think it's a beautiful park. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 A resort. And it was, too...until Carl Lindner kept much of it and didn't sell it to Paramount. And how ironic that "Things you couldn't even see in the movies..." comment would turn out to be. For those who don't know, the suited gentleman seated on Racer was none other than John Allen. Racer WAS a wild coaster, with far stronger airtime than any coaster at today's Kings Island. The tower construction? Suffice it to say there was no OSHA, and fall protection was for wusses. It was a very different time. Yes, the park has changed, in some ways for the better, in many not. I doubt the 1972 version of the park could be successful in today's market, but, oh, what I'd give to go back to opening day again (was it really nearly 40 years ago?) knowing what I know now. Better still to go again with the dear departed ones who sacrificed to take me that day. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotag Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 granted that i wasnt around until 1985, but it was a staple for me & my family to go once every year since i was 3 (same can be said for opryland). but when i reached the age of 15, we started to venture to other places to see what else there was. im now 26 & ive had a season pass to ki since 2008 & while there are things currently @ the park that i enjoy, i still long for the early days with its nostalgia factor. when did going to an amusement/theme park switch from being a treat to a commodity with a lack luster taste in the mouth? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbeast1968 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I do miss the old park, but with the changing of times, the park has moved forward.(not always to my liking) The beautiful landscape, is what I remember most. Some of it has been lost over the years. What happened to the tunnel walk-way? What year was it removed? I just couldn't quite remember. I used to enjoy the train ride also, but the cowboy/ indian theme was lost and it is now like CP's RR, mainly for transportation, and not a relaxing ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan73 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 For those that have been to a Disney park, how have they changed visually over the years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlopez Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I miss the campground. I have so many memories there. We use to stay there a week at a time and go to the park everyday. we went every year from the time i was 3. It was always nice because you could ride the tram back and fourth from the park to the campground as often as you please, and it was cheap to camp there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rcfreak339 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 A resort. And it was, too...until Carl Lindner kept much of it and didn't sell it to Paramount. And how ironic that "Things you couldn't even see in the movies..." comment would turn out to be. For those who don't know, the suited gentleman seated on Racer was none other than John Allen. Racer WAS a wild coaster, with far stronger airtime than any coaster at today's Kings Island. The tower construction? Suffice it to say there was no OSHA, and fall protection was for wusses. It was a very different time. Yes, the park has changed, in some ways for the better, in many not. I doubt the 1972 version of the park could be successful in today's market, but, oh, what I'd give to go back to opening day again (was it really nearly 40 years ago?) knowing what I know now. Better still to go again with the dear departed ones who sacrificed to take me that day. Ride 5-3 on either side and The Racer still has the most airtime then any coaster in the park. Iv'e been saying for a while that if The Racer was touched up in terms of paint and aesthetics, the ride would feel new again. If I could point out one ride that needs more love and attention it would definitely be The Racer. I just hope Kings Island will also see that the ride is worth too much to the park to leave it chipping away because the state it is in right now is down right pathetic. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faeriewench Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 What happened to the tunnel walk-way? What year was it removed? I just couldn't quite remember. I couldn't tell you when they chopped it short preventing you from walking to the other side, but the last surviving part got removed around the time Nick Universe first opened I believe. Though for a few years following it would still show up on the maps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill_Biscuit Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I miss the music. Nuff said there; but what else is sadly gone is how Kings Island used to be isolated from the sprawl. That is, Mason, Landen, South Lebanon and Deerfield Township hadn't yet boomed into the near asphalt jungle' of today (tongue in cheek). Seriously, though, the park used to be 'out in the country,' so to speak. Beyond the 'fringes of the suburbs' and just inside the 'far unlit unknown' (quoting Neil Peart loosely) The Eiffel Tower once dominated the night sky, bathed in bright lights. Now, it looks tiny, dim, just another object amid thousands of ordinary streetlights of the now-intrusive surrounding communities. Not that that's a bad thing necessarily (I understand that you just can't stop progress), but it did add to the 'magic' of the park in years gone by. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Nature trails in secluded woods simply couldn't exist today. Thank the behavior of the park's valued guests for that one. You see what they do in line? Imagine what they'd get into in the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coney Islander Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 ^ I wouldn't be so sure about that... See The Beach, less than a mile away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rip-phantomtheater Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 I understand times have changed but i feel the park has lost its beauty... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Somone posted a PTR of several landscape pictures mid to late season and I thought that it looked great this year. I understand it may not look the same as you remember it as a kid, but the changes CF has made the last several years (Rivertown, CM, and PS) have been quite positive in the beautifying department. I am hoping to be just as impressed with SC this spring as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Racer WAS a wild coaster, with far stronger airtime than any coaster at today's Kings Island. Very true. I remember being a little skinny kid (yes, at one point I was VERY thin ) and practically standing up on Racer, holding on to the buzz bar for dear life and loving every second of it. That coaster is really neutered from what it used to be in the 70's and 80's. Diamondback may come close in it's airtime, but the restraint is so tight compared to Racer's buzz bars that it doesn't give you anywhere near the same sensation. I used to enjoy the train ride also, but the cowboy/ indian theme was lost and it is now like CP's RR, mainly for transportation, and not a relaxing ride. At least CP's still has some fun scenes along the way (I especially love the one with the fire in the window). At KI we just have a few old store fronts (with a tire shop? ), and of course the bear which has miraculously survived the massive de-themeing of the KI&MVRR. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 The thing that bothers me has always been the trees. For example, when Tomb Raider: The Ride was built, at least there was an effort to keep a tree line in front of the building. But why wasn't the earth built up around the building, even a third of the way up its sides, then planted with new trees? I understand there's an access area with the garage doors facing The Beast, but painting the building "go-away green," creating a hill that enveloped it, and planting trees around it would've done wonders. Most recently, my problem is Diamondback's splashdown area. It has truly turned Rivertown in a large, open plaza with a concrete pool at the center. Again, I think this would be forgivable if there was a true effort to replace those trees, even if the area wouldn't be grown in for a decade or more. What would be so wrong with a backdrop of pine trees back in their place around the Crypt / Beast side edge of the lake? Instead, a few dogwoods were placed on either side. The result is that what you see there now is approximately what you'll see there in two decades. If real, true trees had been planted (and a lot of them) then the splashdown might actually be able to pass for a real lake, and the train might look as though it's diving beneath the canopies and racing along a pond. As it is, I think Rivertown is the most poorly affected area by the tree thing. It is truly a giant plaza with Diamondback in the center - it's the only ride that crosses a midway, and the only coaster that's not set back off a path. It truly attempts (and succeeds at) dominating the area, which is not always great in my book. But that's just me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 As it is, I think Rivertown is the most poorly affected area by the tree thing. And Action Zone is better with the mass quantity of trees it has? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I suspect there would be more landscaping there if the guests didn't destroy so much of it. I once saw an *entire rose bush* uprooted there... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondhawk Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 In my book, Cedar Fair is doing a good job to at least make the park cleaner. Coney Mall looks about ten times better than before. Now, will Kings Island ever have the landscaping of the 70's? Probably not. Pesonally, I think that the park is still beautiful, just in a different way. I think watching fireworks from the distance at the end of a day is beautiful. I think watching WindSeeker light up is beautiful. I think singing the Star-Spangled Banner at the beginning of a day is beautiful. I think that blue ice cream all over someone's face is beautiful. I think looking out in the distance while riding Drop Tower is beautiful. I think see park employees love their job and smile at you is beautiful. I could list tons more, but I think you get the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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