Dan4646 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 What if paramount still owned Kings Island rather than Cedar Fair, how would you see the park today compared to what Cedar Fair has made it!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benred23 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I would see an open and fully operational Son of Beast, rides that are themed and named what they should be named, a Paramount Story walk that is actually an enjoyable walk through and not just a smoke stack. And overall, a feeling of enchantment and excitement when I walk into the park that I simply do not feel with the kidsy/Poppy music that's played when I walk into the park. A kids area themed to cartoons and shows that kids actually watch on a daily basis and love as opposed to a mascot who hit his strides in the comic books and cartoon specials in the late 60's and 70's but just keeps getting shoved down people's throat, a Racing Rollercoaster with a blue side that still goes backwards, no dinosaurs and a park that doesn't believe in letting people pay extra money to be able to jump to the front of everybody in line..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Benred, please tell us how you really feel, don't be so coy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benred23 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Oh I can go on and on if you want me to.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 No DB, no FH, increasingly generic uniforms, less park identity, outdated movie references, no FUNPerks, an increasingly faded and out-of-touch Nick Universe, decaying waterpark... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benred23 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 But alas we'll never know what could have been with a strong paramount owned park at this point. I foresee an expanded xbase, a rivertown that is actually, rivertown.. A carousel with a pipe organ that actually still works.. I can only imagine. As as far as nick characters being stale? Are you living on another planet? Anyone who thinks peanuts characters are more relevant than Nickelodeon Characters is, with all due respect, dillusional.. IMO.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Paramount often let their rides be awesome possum on media day, and even maybe the first week of full operation, but alas after that things started to fade out and further just die off. Stair effect from IJ:ST anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 But alas we'll never know what could have been with a strong paramount owned park at this point. I foresee an expanded xbase, a rivertown that is actually, rivertown.. A carousel with a pipe organ that actually still works.. I can only imagine. As as far as nick characters being stale? Are you living on another planet? Anyone who thinks peanuts characters are more relevant than Nickelodeon Characters is, with all due respect, dillusional.. IMO.. Only problem is - none of those things were really true under Paramount. Nick characters? Spongebob and Dora were relevant, but a lot of that stuff was off the air before the rides came to fruition. Peanuts is a little more "timeless" than irrelevant. Not exactly on the tips of everyone's minds all the time, but I think Snoopy is a little more recognizable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benred23 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 One of the only things that paramount did that I totally didn't agree with was moving the flying eagles to Carowinds. I still get ticked off when I see that stupid basketball game it it's place.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Danny Phantom comes to mind. The show had been off air for at least two years after the ride came out. However, I did like the theme to the rides even if they did diminish after a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjkjkj Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Well 3/4 of the shows rides were themed after in Nick Universe were no longer even being made. The park would have continued to go down hill if paramount (CBS paramount) owned it. Tomb Raider was already not working properly long before the park was sold to Cedar Fair, the waterfalls didn't work in Paramount story before Cedar Fair took over. Also, I believe it was the manager of Kings Island who wanted Son of Beast shut down...therefore, it would have happened either way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 bedred, I used to be like you. I used to think Paramount was the best because of the themes and movie names. We always see the past through rosy glasses. Behind the scenes, things weren't so beautiful. All the owners of Kings Island have made great improvements and had great drawbacks. In particular, though, there are members here who believe that if Cedar Fair hadn't taken the parks off of CBS's hands, the parks would no longer be open for one reason or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monroe Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hindsight is 20/20 that is why no one wears glasses on there a** Good topic though, now if you could only get the Lindner family to answer this question. I think the answer would surprise many if not most of you, a lot of things seemed to be should of, would of, and could of with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Of course. Great plans make better selling prices. See also Winterfest 2005. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I can just imagine all the iRides scattered throughout the kids area right now. Nick has gone to pot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloondoggle Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 We'd still have tv's everywhere screaming the latest Paramount promotional trailers for movies no one will see until they can be streamed. Nickelodeon would still be themed for shows and characters the target audience has never heard of - Rugrats anyone? Eifel Tower Gardens would still be littered with movie posters and a rusty old Garthmobile (or was it Mirthmobile?) and we'd still have to deal with Star Dreck characters wandering around looking like red shirts that missed the last transporter beam. I hated KI under paramount. It seemed that the "theme" of the park was simply to promote other Paramount properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benred23 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Wow! I'm surprised. A lot of paramount haters here. Personally, I think the Paramount years were the best years (evident by my first post ) I think Paramount lost its focus towards the end of there run and just wanted out. If they would have kept the fire and enthusiasm when they first got into it, things wouldn't have went downhill. I just always preferred Kings Island as a Theme park as opposed to an Amusement park. A good story behind a good ride always makes things better IMO.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveTheSmurfRide Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I never liked the Paramount years. I loved the music, that was it. The Racers would still both be going forward because it wasn't a park decision by Cedar Fair. I'm willing to bet that SOB would be in the same state that it is now. We'd probably have a few more rides with bad Paramount movie themes (and the theming would be left to collect dust after the cost of maintenance got too high). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Eifel Tower Gardens would still be littered with movie posters and a rusty old Garthmobile (or was it Mirthmobile?) To be fair, the current state of Tower Gardens isn't any better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloondoggle Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 It was exciting when they first announced the purchase, but what I saw of the result was disappointing. Keep in mind though, that when Paramount bought it I hadn't been there in close to 10 years and was only an occasional visitor before that. They trashed my childhood memories when I wasn't looking! Since Paramount bought it, I only went 2 or 3 times and was really put off by the themes they chose - and especially the televisions everywhere. This year is our first with passes. I agree with you that the park has lost the themed atmosphere. I think that may be why my family keeps gravitating to the Coney Mall; it seems to be the only section outside of Planet Snoopy that still has a coherent tone. I do miss the Rivertown area, not much of it left. Action Zone still seems to be "in transition" from Safari to .....something.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloondoggle Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Eifel Tower Gardens would still be littered with movie posters and a rusty old Garthmobile (or was it Mirthmobile?) To be fair, the current state of Tower Gardens isn't any better. Too true. With the posters out of the way, you can see just how dilapidated the area has become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthunterross Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I just always preferred Kings Island as a Theme park as opposed to an Amusement park. A good story behind a good ride always makes things better IMO.. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveTheSmurfRide Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 A good ride can stand on its own and doesn't need a "story". Diamondback doesn't need a story. It could be called "Roller Coaster" and be just as good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 ...or Drop Tower. Terpy, who just can't help himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskerchad Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I guess I'm halfway in between on the theme issue. I am not from this area and moved to Indiana in 1996. My first visit to KI was in 1997. Compared to, for example, Worlds of Fun, I found the theme a little weak, even under Paramount. Some of it was good--I liked Outer Limits but did get tired of the looped video after waiting in line for hours during a breakdown. Some of it was so-so or just dumb. Still, given a choice between (to take LLTSM's position) Diamondback with no snake theme and re-named to "Roller Coaster", and some lesser coaster (say Vortex) with a totally tricked-out theme, I'd take Roller Coaster any day of the week. The rides are king to me. I realize not everyone has the same take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveTheSmurfRide Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I guess theme comes more into play with rides when you're waiting in line. Did the theme for the Top Gun ride really affect it once you got on the ride? Nope, but it made part of the wait a little more interesting. And lets face it, we typically wait longer than we ride, so when people talk about theming a ride, they're really talking about the line, right? In the case of theming an actual ride, I find it's cool, but seems like more of a chore than its worth if you're a park like Kings Island who may not be able to keep up with the maintenance. Look at Tomb Raider. It's a top spin in a box, but they themed it. It would have been fun if it was outside with no theming (on a ride cycle that wasn't akin to a ferris wheel, that is). But now that it's themed it gives more for people to complain about. "There were lights out on my ride." "The water didn't splash". "The music wasn't working". Seems like just too much for a regional park to have to deal with on a ride that's really just a top spin in a box. Sure, Disney and Universal can handle it, but I don't think Kings Island is a place that needs heavily themed rides as the norm. Why not just focus on making the ride great and not worry about the theme? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Without theming, Tomb Raider: The Ride would have been extremely boring. The ride was designed to do less athletic maneuvers than a regular Top Spin. People would have giggled uproarishly at its lameness had it been outside with no theming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveTheSmurfRide Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 And people wonder why it's no longer used as a ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benred23 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 A good ride can stand on its own and doesn't need a "story". Diamondback doesn't need a story. It could be called "Roller Coaster" and be just as good. While this May be true On Rides like Diamondback, Vortex, Etc., Theres alot of Rides that could Offer so Much more of an Immersive Experience as opposed to "Wait in Line, WEE!, Get off" Ill give Days of Thunder for an Example. (The Original, Not the stupid Go Cart track). When it first opened, The walkway back included a Pseudo Movie Set with Nascars In the Middle of the Que, Loudspeakers With Directors yelling Action, The Cars Roaring, Twin Turntables at the Base of the Theater Rotating, It was just a fully immersive experience. Top Gun (Flight Deck) Comes to mind as well..The walk back in the Que took you into basically an Aircraft Carrier like atmosphere with Air Force Memorabilia to look at, Bombs, Flight Suits, (Speaking of flight suits, the Ride Ops wore Flight suits actually), and just, as i said before, a immersive experience that built of the excitement of riding the Actual ride.. Thats what Made it Better and thats what Themeing is all about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan4646 Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 I'm personally more of a theme person, i loved all the themeing done on tomb raider And Flight of Fear becaus it made waiting in line so much easier, when I go to Cedar Point, I dread the lines, waiting in line for 2 hours with nothing to look at makes it so much worse. Having to wait in line for Flight of Fear gives you something to look at and do, same with tomb raider. I agree that paramount let go toward the end of their run but Cedar Fair makes their parks more generic. But I agree with those paramount haters Because paramount did let go on the up keep of everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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