What will replace Dinos Alive?

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

14 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

A lot of us are thinking Giga, myself included, but would it be wrong to rule out a campground with a new entrance?

I'm still thinking its a giga

I always thought of a campground near The Beast. Campgrounds tend to be in a wooded area and I think one not too far from The Beast would be awesome.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

On 1/5/2018 at 9:19 PM, jimbo t said:

i think a campground would be awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!

I think a campground should go near The Beast in the wooded area. Campgrounds tend to be in a wooded area and I think there should be one near The Beast where you could take a trail that could take you up to The Beast where you can get footage of the ride. Definitely they would need to have safety standards set in place to be sure nobody gets hurt. Like gates around the wood and have restricted areas.

[Gannersdaddy]

One thing that would have to be checked is the fire prevention.  It seems like it would be too tempting to a campfire, firepit, stove, or even cigarette to have some bad consequences. 

 

[fryoj]

2 hours ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

I think a campground should go near The Beast in the wooded area. Campgrounds tend to be in a wooded area and I think there should be one near The Beast where you could take a trail that could take you up to The Beast where you can get footage of the ride. Definitely they would need to have safety standards set in place to be sure nobody gets hurt. Like gates around the wood and have restricted areas.

 

Camprgrounds are typically flatter. Once you get back Behind The Beast and the Dinos area, the land is rather hilly. It really wouldn't be a good area for one. It would take a ton of money to make it useable for something like that.

[jimbo t]

I'm sure it would be costly ,no matter where you put one ....but I also know a lot of people would use it for sure ..myself included..in my family alone we have 5 campers..just a thought lol

[KIfan73]

I don't see a campground coming anytime soon to the Kings Island area.  Unless you grew up then, there's no way to describe how popular camping was during the '70's when Kings Island opened their campground.  If you drove down the street of your average neighborhood, there was a camper parked in probably more than half of the driveways.  While Kings Island definitely had a convenient place for guests to stay close the park, they were also taking advantage of a VERY popular pastime/lifestyle of the era.  

[Magenta Lizard]

The expense needed just to make access (roads, sewers, etc) to that part of the land would be prohibitive. If they really wanted a campground it would be much cheaper to try to negotiate repurchasing the land across KI drive where the resort used to be. It already has all the access in place. 

I don't think it is likely they will, but I would have to say it is much more likely than trying anything that would involve allowing guests to drive to the backside of the park. 

[Pez]

If they are going to add a campground, I think it would be accessed from Columbia road behind Great Wolf and be constructed in the area where they have been moving dirt north of Banshee.  There might already be sewer lines under Columbia.  I could see them adding a bunch of those cabins like they have at CP, Carowinds & WOF more than a traditional campground.  

[BoddaH1994]

Camp ground, hotel, golf course, other “resort” amenities... these are all things that were supposed to be part of the original vision of Kings Island. Unfortunately, the history of Kings Island is riddled with ownership changes which resulted in the original property being very carved up now.

Fun fact to make some of you feel old: in approximately two years, Cedar Fair will have owned Kings Island as long as Paramount did.

1992ish - 2006ish ~14 years

2006ish - 2018 ~12 years

[CoastersRZ]

Originally, the now defunct Kings Island Inn, the golf course across 71 and even the Lindner Family Tennis Center across 71 were all a part of the Kings Island complex.  They originally owned 1,600 acres.  Today, I believe the number owned by Kings Island is closer to 700.

[IndyGuy4KI]

So CF does not own the land where Kings Island Inn used to reside?

[shark6495]

That is correct....

 

I sort of hope that CF would purchase the land back both there and the current Lodge....

[SonofBaconator]

54 minutes ago, shark6495 said:

I sort of hope that CF would purchase the land back both there and the current Lodge....

I thought that KI, or maybe PKI, was able to purchase GWL a while ago but didn't.

Am I right or wrong?

[KImom]

8 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Camp ground, hotel, golf course, other “resort” amenities... these are all things that were supposed to be part of the original vision of Kings Island. Unfortunately, the history of Kings Island is riddled with ownership changes which resulted in the original property being very carved up now.

Fun fact to make some of you feel old: in approximately two years, Cedar Fair will have owned Kings Island as long as Paramount did.

1992ish - 2006ish ~14 years

2006ish - 2018 ~12 years

Holy crap, that makes me feel really old!!!!!! 

[malem]

^^ The park originally retained partial ownership in Great Wolf Lodge, having owned the former campground property it was built on. Cedar Fair promptly sold its interest after acquiring Paramount Parks.

I don't believe the park ever had a contractual option to buy GWL outright, but they might have ended up under common ownership had Apollo succeeded in purchasing Cedar Fair.

[Gordon Bombay]

9 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Camp ground, hotel, golf course, other “resort” amenities... these are all things that were supposed to be part of the original vision of Kings Island. Unfortunately, the history of Kings Island is riddled with ownership changes which resulted in the original property being very carved up now.

And a lot of this was the result of changing trends over the decades that don’t necessarily appeal today. 

Kings Island (and several other regional/seasonal parks across the nation) was truly envisioned as a “Disney of the Midwest.” Not in the sense of totally themed attractions, but in the sense of being a destination. The park was a draw, but the idea was that there’d be a whole “resort” with options and activities that would attract whole families (and their money) for extended periods of time. At the same time, you could also grab up local passholders who’d routinely visit and spend money. 

The Kings Island golf courses were once renown and a step above simply due to availability. They were constructed at a time well before golf was a more “casual” sport and well before so many suburban neighborhoods (across the nation) were constructed around new golf courses. Over time, Kings Island’s golf center went from having limited competition to courses all over the region. Golf was no longer just the sport of the wealthy and those who had a Country Club membership/those who would travel to play at courses like KI’s, golf was soon found all across the suburbs and even in public parks. 

Then there’s the resort, which when originally built, was quite a few steps above standard lodging. KI’s also had no nearby competition. If you wanted to stay at a hotel near the park, it was by far the most convenient. Kings Mills and the Mason/Fields Ertel exit had close to nothing when the park opened, but soon piled up with a range of quality in hotel options as that industry changed too. Very quickly, the KI resort went from being renown luxury lodging to “pretty good” to “just ok” to “yeah, I just need a cheap bed for the night” to demolished. 

In terms of the campground, it’s been stated earlier in this thread just how popular camping was for a time. It seems to still be a popular pastime with enthusiasts, but the types of camping pursued has shifted. KI’s campground wasn’t just an attempt to capitalize on the craze of the 70’s, but to also offer a cheaper option for lodging when there wasn’t many alternatives nearby (except for their expensive resort). Around the time our campground was killed off and GWL built, Carowinds opened up a revamped and improved campground. If I recall correctly, that model was never really replicated in the chain by either Paramount or Cedar Fair. Nowadays, camping seems to just be a nice option to have at a park, but not something holding you back from attracting more guests. 

Overall, KI’s mission has changed too in an ever evolving world of entertainment options where you can choose to spend your disposable income. This has occurred at other parks built around the same time. The idea of “regional Disney’s” and massive “resort complexes” seemed to fade after the 70s. Soon parks began targeting local populations and regional visitors more strongly, realizing that the regular money comes from regular customers who spend within the park. Paramount Parks attempted highly themed attractions (usually executing them quite poorly), but the emphasis was always on the region rather than nationwide travelers. Under Cedar Fair, we’ve seen similar things. They know their core audience lies within the regions surrounding each parks (save for some wiggle room for exception at the larger properties such as KI, CP, KBF, and CW). 

This doesn’t always pay off, though. During the 2008 recession, CF banked on the thinking that most people would choose to stay home from vacations and frequent their regional parks more. Instead, people seemed to save up for that big vacation and take it at the expense of in park spending, season passes, and visits to their local/regional park. 

Sorry for the diatribe. Just bummed I can’t visit the “College Football Hall of Fame” anymore (because of course, that was once part of KI’s “resort” too).

Edit: just to add, the KI Resort property was supposedly going to get townhomes/apartments built on it via Towne Properties, but that seems to have stalled. 

[CoastersRZ]

I too was thinking that the former location of the KI resort was going to be townhomes/apartments.  There hasn`t been much movement on the site lately, from what I can tell.

Keep in mind also, that the ownership stake in GWL was in the range of 24%.  At the time, GWL was a publicly traded company.  It has since been taken private by Apollo, shortly after their failed attempt to purchase Cedar Fair.

The KI Resort land was not owned by Cedar Fair.  From what I can tell, it hasn`t directly been associated with the entity that owned Kings Island since the mid 1980s.  The plans to build were announced way back in 2014.  See this article:  http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/plans-emerge-redevelop-kings-island-resort-with-housing/HEQBvCglNZepSsBKCFc9SI/

[BoddaH1994]

Viacom got 15% of the Mason resort in exchange for the land. They retained it through the CBS split. Cedar Fair did not buy it as part of the acquisition. Apollo bought it from Viacom shortly after they acquired the chain.

[Maverick44]

Camp Snoopy in Dino Alive. Giga in Xbase.

[Magenta Lizard]

I noticed toward the end of Winterfest that they are building something over on that side of KI drive but it is on the edge near other buildings (end opposite from the old movie theater/current church). I don't know if that particular piece of land was part of the resort property or not. Because of that, I'm not sure if this is them finally moving forward on the plans to put in housing or not. 

[Maverick44]

Interesting. I guess I have never noticed employee housing at KI like it is visible at CP.

[Magenta Lizard]

^I think you misunderstood me. It is not employee housing. The plan, as far as anyone has heard it (although construction has seemed to be stalled) is to put multi family housing on the land that used to be the resort. That land is not owned by KI. 

If there is any employee housing at KI I've never heard of it. I'm fairly certain there isn't. 

[jcgoble3]

KI has no need for employee housing. CP needs it because their seasonal staff is mostly college students from all over the place, including international workers. KI, on the other hand, mostly relies upon local high school (and some college) students.

[Maverick44]

Ahhhh I got ya. I must have CP on the brain since on their forum page is talking about the recent purchase of land CP made.

[mayaman2]

2 hours ago, Maverick44 said:

Ahhhh I got ya. I must have CP on the brain since on their forum page is talking about the recent purchase of land CP made.

Slightly off-topic, but wanna give the rundown on that?

[Maverick44]

Well people are back in forth on what CP may use the land for. Some say they won't do anything. Other think they are making way for off site housing for employees. I think that as well. I think they may be trying to remove some non needed building inside the park to make room. CP has other lots they have bought in the past year ago that are still vacant. So who knows. The lots they bought are close to the Thirsty Pony so its right by the entrance. I wish they would just tell us. People are pretty adamant that nothing is going to happen any time soon. Here's to hoping though.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Update. Hold your hopes down since this might be just blocking the area, but it looks like by the way the fence is set up, it's temporary. I peeked through the fence on Pass preview and I didn't see much, but that could change in the coming months since (I might be wrong) Fury 325s construction didn't start until Fall 2014. We could very well see teasers pop up mid season and construction begin mid season. But, I do recommend we do not get our hopes up for a giga next year, but we won't know until they announce it. I just think that this fence isn't permanent since I think they will open up the area back there and the fence looks to be set up like something is going there. 

[KIghostguy]

34 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Update. Hold your hopes down since this might be just blocking the area, but it looks like by the way the fence is set up, it's temporary. I peeked through the fence on Pass preview and I didn't see much, but that could change in the coming months since (I might be wrong) Fury 325s construction didn't start until Fall 2014. We could very well see teasers pop up mid season and construction begin mid season. But, I do recommend we do not get our hopes up for a giga next year, but we won't know until they announce it. I just think that this fence isn't permanent since I think they will open up the area back there and the fence looks to be set up like something is going there. 

Mike Koontz said in a KI Central video that there are no plans in the works that involve the former Dinosaurs Alive! area.

[Oldschool75]

Mike Koontz said in a KI Central video that there are no plans in the works that involve the former Dinosaurs Alive! area.

They wouldn’t say something was coming even if it were. The park usually doesn’t say anything about future plans until they are ready to say something.


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[gforce1994]

Here’s an update: https://t.co/z3pbHHnGZr