What do you miss from Paramount?

[smalls]

I miss greatly the themes of the park Cedar Fair downgraded like Rivertown (removing Swan Lake and the fitting music), Hannah Barbara, international street and the gardens having an actual majestic feel, and also i hate when the fireworks go off they now play Katy Perrys worst song (in my opinion) Firework. Oh and i deeply miss the original Tomb Raider: The Ride.

[savesonofbeastfb]

The great vive and atmosphere which always started in International Street throughout the entire park. Paramount Kings Island was never cookie cutter at all, now I feel as if it is. Cedar Fair adding random rides here and there ( WindSeeker REALLY!, worst spot ever!) Diamondback, taking out the historic and beautiful swan lake. The true theming all throughout each ride and the park in general. The name changes to the rides never bothered me but the de-theming of the rides when Cedar Fair stepped in and plus the removal of The Crypt and of course Son of Beast. BUT I have faith in Cedar Fair with Ouimet to bring the park back to life. Very excited to see what goes in the now vacant Action Zone!

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

I miss the original theming that Top Gun had. You were made to feel like you were on the aircraft carrier with the billboard size picture of the USS Enterprise going full speed on the ocean and the music playing from the movie.

Throughout the park, you would have characters walking in the park as Federation officers and Klingons from Star Trek. Their costumes and make up looked like they were from the movies and the Klingons must had been taught how to speak in Klingon. The park had an exhibit of items from the Star Trek movies and TV series. They also had a very large scale model of the USS Enterprise starship hanging in the Paramount Story area. The park was alive with everything regarding Paramount movies.

[Tanna]

Klingons!!

I cant agree with you more. I used to LOVE seeing the Klingons walking around the park when I was younger.

I met Optimus Prime coming out of the employee break room once. The Transformers had a tough job, because they could talk, that meant they had to know Everything! about the Transformers.

[Jr for Birdy]

I miss the original theming that Top Gun had. You were made to feel like you were on the aircraft carrier with the billboard size picture of the USS Enterprise going full speed on the ocean and the music playing from the movie.

Throughout the park, you would have characters walking in the park as Federation officers and Klingons from Star Trek. Their costumes and make up looked like they were from the movies and the Klingons must had been taught how to speak in Klingon. The park had an exhibit of items from the Star Trek movies and TV series. They also had a very large scale model of the USS Enterprise starship hanging in the Paramount Story area. The park was alive with everything regarding Paramount movies.

Everytime I walk past that silly model fighter jet I just shake my head,laughing and sad at the same time.Who's brilliant idea was it to put that there? I would rather have no theme than something a toddler could come up with!

[TheCrypt]

I would rather what we have now versus nothing at all, because it shows they do care and are trying.

Sometimes, something is better than nothing.

[Jim Halpert]

Well I definitely miss the old Nickelodeon slime show and the green slime tower that sprayed water every so often in Nickelodeon Central.

[Jr for Birdy]

I would rather what we have now versus nothing at all, because it shows they do care and are trying.

Sometimes, something is better than nothing.

really? Thats funny, MY BEST FRIEND HAS THAT SAME THING IN HIS BASEMENT! LOL

[TheCrypt]

...what? If you're making some kind of allusion, I'm not getting it.

[Jr for Birdy]

I would rather what we have now versus nothing at all, because it shows they do care and are trying.

Sometimes, something is better than nothing.

No, Top Gun was awesome,it made the ride better than it is,if they want to theme it,they should go all out or nothing at all. Just my opinion,nothing more.

[The Interpreter]

I won't make any half-a@@-ed comment, then.

[diamondhawk]

Here's my humble opinion about the great Cedar Fair vs. Paramount debate.

Paramount hit the jackpot with Flight of Fear (after the OTS restraints were replaced). The ride was thrilling, and had good theming. I feel like all of Paramount's failures were from trying to go too extreme in one direction or the other. Some rides were too themed (TR:TR and Italian Job). The theming was great, but Paramount wasn't commited to keeping it up, and it was just too much for a seasonal park. Then some rides were too extreme (Son of Beast, and even Delirium). Trying to break records or make a "giant" version of a ride doesn't make it better. Why Paramount didn't add rides similar to Flight of Fear, I don't know, but I think that the extreme ones killed Paramount. The hard thing however, is that we like extreme rides. Even if they failed, we liked them when they worked, which is why some of us have a hard time with Cedar Fair. Cedar Fair usually will picked tried and true over uncertainty. And at this point, while the park is still recovering from a dark spot in history, I think tried and true is best for us now.

[Jr for Birdy]

I won't make any half-a@@-ed comment, then.

Wow,I laugh hard.You didnt build the cute little fighter jet did you,truth be told im probably going to miss it when its gone one day!

[The Interpreter]

One word:

WindSeeker?

[diamondhawk]

Well, usually tried and true. I was thinking more along the lines of Diamondback, and how the chain is starting to turn away from Intamin.

[spitfire]

That was the era that I really remember from my childhood at KI so thinking about it makes me very nostalgic. I miss the theming, the music, and the general ambience of the place then, as well as the rides that were there then (plus their original names). I have a lot of amazing memories with family, friends and classmates from that era. But I'm also happy with how certain things have changed since then and the direction the park seems to be moving in, for the most part. It's just nice to reminisce!

[Captain Nemo]

The following quote was posted in January...

I miss Rivertown. Diamondback really did a horrible job to the area. Don't get me wrong I think DB is a great ride, I would rather have the Rivertown that truly had the essence of the old west than the city street it is now. That place is one step from having a sports bar in Rivertown Junction.

The following phrase was posted today...

I GIVE UP!

[MyOtherCarIsTheBeast]

I think a better way to look at this would be, "What do you miss from the pre-Cedar Fair KI?" Even though I grew up with Paramount's KI, many of the things that I miss weren't contrivances of Paramount. I miss the Kenton's Cove keel boats, The Eagles, Skylab, the Antique Taxis. I miss the characters, the Paramount music, and themes of the rides. For me, Vertigo will also be known as Faceoff, Drop Tower as Drop Zone, Flight Deck as Top Gun. I miss the bridge that the train used to traverse, and the pond that was behind the foliage clock. And who can forget the Paramount Walk of Fame? They had the frickin' Wayne's World car, party on! While we convene on this matters, though, we should probably remember that the youth of today will hold similar memories of today's park, recalling them in nostalgic wonder.

[SonofBaconator]

For me, Vertigo will also be known as Faceoff,

I don't think its called Vertigo either

[westcoaster]

Days of thunder, and the theming :

[BB1]

Oddly enough, no one really has said something I didn't miss till last year. Many of us probably still remember these, the old boat and monster truck games, although they were nickel and dime games, they were classics of my days at KI, I still see the old remains and think about what if, which I think about many things..

[calakapepe]

I miss the ambition that Paramount had with the park year after year. Now things ended up (over time) to not work out so well, but I really liked how they pushed the envelope often.

[MatthewAlWaltz]

I had the opportunity to ride TR:TR one time, when the park remained under Paramount. I really, really loved it. Obviously 5-7 spins is much too straining on a ride only meant for 3-4, but I still really loved the theming and all.I also really just miss the movie magic atmosphere; for me, CP and KI now have virtually the same atmosphere. They're wonderful parks, but I feel like if they changed just one small thing, they'd improve it drastically in terms of ambiance. I'm not sure what it would be though...

*And yes, I know that CP wasn't Paramount, but I needed to make a comparison, ha ha.

[Sonofbeast2.0]

Got to drive a Antique Car ounce, but replacement was good, but man I miss them...

[SonofBaconator]

I also miss the old advertisements like this

[mullimann]

Like Most, I miss that rides/queues were themed. CF is typically pretty plain jane with ride themeing. Paramount was trying to keep up with Universal/Disney in ride themes.

If you look at CF's history with rides, they are pretty much the same. Not even Knotts gets $ to compete with their market.

They also build copies of rides, IE WindSeeker, Linus Launcher.

Taft and Keco were known to duplicate, but always kept themeing up.

[The Interpreter]

As a Paramount defender, you got to be kidding me. Kept theming up? Like on Italian Job? Tomb Raider? Flight of Fear? Top Gun?

Where did they do this? They may have installed great theming, but then it was typically neglected.

Oh, you said Taft and KECO. You are exactly right. And how.

[BB1]

I remember when the slides had simple colors but great colors at that. As well as the lush walkways that I could walk, then there was the walk around the lazy miami, ah the memories of the Paramount era. I remember as a younger BB1, being the most excited of the new waterpark. I went through every part of that place as far as I could, I always liked going to the waterpark. Then I remember going around in the hot concrete feeling like I am going about the outback, which I went to after many visits. Everything was just grand The era of looking at signs that I get and decor that is part of a movie theme, the memories go on. Then when I went to Top Gun it had the best ride quene theme with the props, it was almost like going to MGM only in my own area. Every time I went to HB land I loved it, I would go there even today if I could. The Bat ride was always fun in HB land, and I knew almost every character in the park. I did as well watch Snoopy when I was a younger BB1 too. Then the backwards Racer, I rode that almost every time I got on to The Racer. The one thing I detested about the Paramount era is the extraction of my Taxis, I was saddened about this and I wanted them back, as well as the Eagles, which I did not get to experience, and was missed by many in my family. If only Cedar Fair could somehow bring the Taxis back, or possibly the Eagles back, I will miss them, and always remember them.

The past sometimes are the best times in your life

[SonofBaconator]

When I see old KI photos from back in the day, this is how I feel:

[shark6495]

I think its easy to look back at paramount with nostalgia. Same thing we will do when CF sells the park (when it happens, 10 20 50 years in the future). But I do miss the movie characters walking around the park and scooby. It was pretty awesome to get a picture with scooby and then walk to the other side and get a picture with a klingon.