Ask Kings Island a Question

[IndyGuy4KI]

We have a few questions answered!! They started with @VortexBFForever questions about Vortex.   Thanks to Chad and @DonHelbig!

How much does a single Vortex train weigh? 
10,880 lbs.

How much is its yearly upkeep? 
Ride maintenance varies from year to year depending on what work needs to be done on the ride, what parts are needed, etc.

How many rides did it give in 2017? 
863,494

When will get it a new coat of blue and orange paint?  
You’ll recall that Mike Koontz addressed repainting rides during Coasterstock.  Ride needs are all considered and prioritized.  Vortex was re-painted this decade

What is the record for most rides on Vortex? 
1,038 – Don Helbig One day high – 66.

[Diamondback2112]

What is the record for most visits to the park in one season?

[Oldschool75]

16 hours ago, Diamondback2112 said:

What is the record for most visits to the park in one season?

My guess it's one of 3 people I know: Don Helbig (most rides Racer 12,000+, multi-records), Gary Coleman (most rides DB 13,000+), Brendan Carey (most rides Banshee 4,000+).

Brendan confirmed with me he had 118 visits in 2017, but probably had more the first couple of years Banshee was open.

 

 

Why do they always have their models keep their arms down in advertisement photos?

Seems to be a Cedar Fair thing, but have always been curious as to why.

[disco2000]

28 minutes ago, Oldschool75 said:

Why do they always have their models keep their arms down in advertisement photos?

Seems to be a Cedar Fair thing, but have always been curious as to why.

Because it is the only time they can actually control and enforce park policies  and why would you want ads with people doing things that are opposite of what signage on ride says ... and it makes for a cleaner picture...

[Gannersdaddy]

On 7/30/2018 at 1:48 PM, Oldschool75 said:

My guess it's one of 3 people I know: Don Helbig (most rides Racer 12,000+, multi-records), Gary Coleman (most rides DB 13,000+), Brendan Carey (most rides Banshee 4,000+).

Brendan confirmed with me he had 118 visits in 2017, but probably had more the first couple of years Banshee was open.

 

 

Why do they always have their models keep their arms down in advertisement photos?

Seems to be a Cedar Fair thing, but have always been curious as to why.

Gary is over 16K on Diamondback now.

[IndyGuy4KI]

Additional questions answered by Chad Showalter at Kings Island. Thanks Chad for answering these!

1.    Will the band organ on the Grand Carousel be fixed anytime soon?

By the reports I’ve received, the band organ works, although there are times throughout the season when it may temporarily not work.  Check out this story about Mikey Mills, and his pain-staking efforts to get the band organ working again from 2015

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2015/09/08/kings-island-wurlitzer-band-organ-carousel/71642452/

 

2.    Any plans to give Viking Fury some long over due TLC?

I love the Viking Fury, and it’s one of the first attractions I rode at Kings Island. I even remember eating at the Bier Garten with my family in the Fall of 1981 when it was being constructed across the lake. 

Personally, I like the ‘old theme park’ feel that Viking Fury has, but I know that park leadership addresses painting, refurbishment, etc. by prioritizing each attraction by its need.  Unfortunately, it’s a living document that can change multiple times throughout a season or year, so it’s not something that we make public.

 

3.    Any chance that Kings Island could start selling those big giant fun size park maps that Cedar Point sells for $1.99?

It is something we’ve talked about.  I would not be surprised if it’s something we offered in the future.

 

4.    Where do you store all the Winterfest stuff?’

WinterFest items can be found all over the park, behind the scenes.  From buildings be constructed just to house the decorations, to previously unused areas, our team has done a great job making sure that all WinterFest materials, décor, props and more are safe during the offseason.

 

5.    Is there a list of attractions/shows that were in the Kings Island theater? If so, can that be shared?

   The information is available, but unfortunately, it’s not compiled into one document. 

[VortexBFForever]

Now that we know the most-rides-in-a-single-day record on Vortex (66), I have another question (or two):

If I manage to break that record at some point -- would I need to provide proof somehow? Is there a book or document containing ride records that would need to be updated, or would I just need to get word to the right people that I broke the record? I may or may not attempt to ride Vortex at least 67 times on one of my days off, so I'm just curious.

[JCJTheHurricane]

I did manage to find a list of the former shows throughout the entire park on Wikipedia, Here's the link for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_Kings_Island_attractions#Former_shows

[CoastersRZ]

I do not believe that that list is a complete list of shows.  I know that there is at least one magic show that was held in the Kings Island Theater (I want to say the name was Spellbound).  There have also been several shows in the International Showplace for Haunt (Hot Blooded comes immediately to mind).

[OTTER9919]

Yay,some of my questions were answered,thanks 

[KIghostguy]

I’m not sure if the park wants to answer this, but are there plans to give Coney Mall, Oktoberfest and Action Zone themed music a la International Street and Rivertown?

[Rivertown Rider]

A question I have is will the Antiques go back into the former Dinos area or will it all stay on the midway side of Racer?

[Magenta Lizard]

Who wrote the back stories that are on the website for the new Haunt attractions this year? They're really fun!

[kingsislandfan1972]

1. What does The Beast really look like?

2. What ever happened to the feet leading to The Beast?

3. Is it possible not to get wet on White Water Canyon?

4. Why isn’t there ever a line for The Bat? 

[Kenban]

There are two questions that have bugged me for a while.

1) What exactly is the water tank behind The Racer used for?

2) There is a square piece of land which is 200 ft by 200 ft and located behind Firehawk which according to the Warren County property search is owned by the county.  It is parcel number 16172000020 if anyone is interested.  The satellite view of the location just shows a maintenance road looks to be lined with large rocks every few feet (no other section of road I can see on property is like this.  Also there is short piece of maintenance road which goes around the property.  What is special about this location?  Why does the county own it?

This is from the Warren County GIS website

[Hampshire24]

What are the all time records, yearly records, and single day records for times ridden for all roller coasters in the park? 

I think it would be kind of cool to have a leaderboard somewhere in the park. Kind of like how the Reds have the big leaderboards in the Reds Hall of Fame for all of the baseball statistics.

[Magenta Lizard]

1 hour ago, Kenban said:

2) There is a square piece of land which is 200 ft by 200 ft and located behind Firehawk which according to the Warren County property search is owned by the county.  It is parcel number 16172000020 if anyone is interested.  The satellite view of the location just shows a maintenance road looks to be lined with large rocks every few feet (no other section of road I can see on property is like this.  Also there is short piece of maintenance road which goes around the property.  What is special about this location?  Why does the county own it?

This is from the Warren County GIS website

I would think there is a high chance that is another cemetery from your description, like the missing parcel in the parking lot. 

[Kenban]

1 hour ago, Magenta Lizard said:

I would think there is a high chance that is another cemetery from your description, like the missing parcel in the parking lot. 

I believe it is not since the cemetery in the parking lot is actually clearly marked as such on the GIS information.  This is just marked as being owned by the county. 

I should point out I have done some research in the past and my guess was it deals with the parks sewage system.  A copy of the quit-claim deed is available online and it lists the Ohio Water Development Authority.  But I have also found an old description of the plot of land which mentions sewage lines.  The Ohio Water Development Authority being involved means it is likely utility related in someway.

[Imperial79]

Is the Killmart building going to be torn down and the cars going there as well? 

[IndyGuy4KI]

16 hours ago, Imperial79 said:

Is the Killmart building going to be torn down and the cars going there as well? 

From Don: The addition of the Kings Mills Antique Autos will not result in the removal of the building that houses Killmart at Halloween Haunt.

[silver2005]

On 7/26/2018 at 4:52 PM, IndyGuy4KI said:

 

What is the record for most rides on Vortex? 
1,038 – Don Helbig One day high – 66.

@VortexBFForever- Do you accept this challenge? 

[IndyGuy4KI]

Thanks to Chad, we have a new set of answers!

1. Can we possibly see more of the classic rides return someday (Skyride, Trabant type ride, etc?)
Adding classic rides is something that leadership is open to, as evidenced by the return of Antique Cars in 2019.

2. Can we see the floral style bushes along the Royal Fountain brought back?  This looked very nice! 
Anything is possible, but I’ve not heard any talk of their return.  I enjoyed them too, and for me this is one of the best, most nostalgic areas of the park. 
 

3. What happened to the antenna that was on the Eiffel Tower, is it in storage at the park somewhere? 
I looked into this, and as far as I can tell, it was disposed of when it was taken down.

4. Can The Racer get repainted back to its original colors? 
I love the pictures of The Racer from the days when it had its original colors. I’m sure it will be discussed the next time that The Racer is being considered for repainting.

5. Why is there no Coca-Cola freestyle refill stations in Action Zone?

It’s a good idea, and I will pass that suggestion along.  I would imagine that we were able to build a number of freestyle refill stations, and park leadership placed them where they could serve the most guests.  But, as the park changes, it’s something that we could evaluate as we consider future locations.
 

6. Why are there no bathrooms in x-base?

Currently there are two restrooms in Coney Mall, on each end.  Unfortunately, X-base is right in the middle of Coney Mall. I went out and walked it today, and it takes approximately 2 minutes to get to either end.  If you ever have to make a decision about which one to go to (in an emergency) go to the Vortex restrooms. They are approximately 37 steps closer.

[King Ding Dong]

Follow up questions Chad:  How can a Freestyle stand serve the most guests when it is closed 95% of the time?  Why are there no refill stations of any kind in Action Zone?  

[BeeastFarmer]

9 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

 

2. Can we see the floral style bushes along the Royal Fountain brought back?  This looked very nice! 
Anything is possible, but I’ve not heard any talk of their return.  I enjoyed them too, and for me this is one of the best, most nostalgic areas of the park. 
 

 

Maybe the park could consider changing some of the turf out to flowers like Kings Dominion does.  But I will say, the park looks fantastic this year.  The trimmed trees, the flower pots on the lighting footers, Tower Gardens...everything looks wonderful.

[MDMC01]

Good to know on the whole X-Base restroom question! Thanks for getting these answered Brad.

[standbyme]

On 8/8/2018 at 12:45 PM, IndyGuy4KI said:

Any chance that Kings Island could start selling those big giant fun size park maps that Cedar Point sells for $1.99?

It is something we’ve talked about.  I would not be surprised if it’s something we offered in the future.

I did not ask the park map question because I notiiced that it had already been submitted...but this was at the top of my list of questions that I would l was curious about. The big park maps have always been one of my favorite souvenirs, this answer gives me hope that we will see their return!

A sincere thanks to Chad & Don for taking the time to answer the questions...and of course Indyguy for asking them.

[TheBeast54]

On 7/8/2018 at 8:39 PM, koasterkid said:

Why were Diamondback's old seats so dirty?

My best guess is sweat from guests heads or the wear from heads also. I'm not too sure.

[Oldschool75]

My best guess is sweat from guests heads or the wear from heads also. I'm not too sure.

The black you noticed on DB’s old seats was not dirt, it was the core material showing through. The orange coating on the seats started to wear off due to sweat, rain, and other factors.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KI Master]

Does anyone have a picture of Boo Boo's Buggies?

[kingsislandfan1972]

On 8/28/2018 at 6:08 PM, KI Master said:

Does anyone have a picture of Boo Boo's Buggies?