DonHelbig Posted October 3 Share Posted October 3 16 hours ago, disco2000 said: I agree. As enthusiasts we want to know every little detail, but I don't think the GP really cares. Look how surprised the GP is about a new attraction announcement even though it had been decoded on social media channels for days/weeks/months... Regarding the differences between the Raptor and Banshee incidents, the difference though was initial rumors of Raptor was that someone was ejected from the ride. The park wanted to get out ahead of that. And it was the "infancy" of social media where there was more interaction from companies because social media was a new thing everyone was wanting to be part of. Whereas the Banshee death this summer, from the very beginning it was rumored that a guest jumped fences into restricted areas, and that was factual. That story ended at the very beginning. The park issued a statement to the media and the media reported on it and the GP accepted what the media was reporting and it became old news quickly. There was nothing to gain from the park issuing a statement as the GP had already moved on to other news. When Banshee reopened, its ridership was like nothing happened. Had the park made social media posts, it would have been flooded with what we saw flooding the news media posts - "Darwin award winner" "Stupid idiot" "Can't you read" and much worse stuff. Then the park is put in the situation of do they let some of these types of comments (and some derogatory comments people made elsewhere) sit on their official social media channels, or do they delete those and then get beat up for censoring posts and then the story continues to have stay relevant. They wanted it it behind them. If they don't engage, the story goes away.... A lot has changed in the social media landscape since that Raptor incident. As Tr0y pointed out, many companies are taking the silence is best approach to negative issues. Boar's Head has 10 deaths associated with it and no comment about their thoughts are with the families of those that died, blah blah blah. Just some generic posting about they take health and safety seriously. Just because we think companies should be transparent and spill every little incident, they are paying people big bucks that have apparently decided that silence is the better long term strategy. Take the lumps quick and move on. Maybe legal is telling them or maybe the marketing folks above the park level have decided, who knows, but that is the trend we are seeing if we look big picture at different industries. Many companies are cutting back their posting frequency in general, then when they are silent when an issue happens, it doesn't look odd because they don't post frequently to begin with. The GP have short attention spans. Let it run its course in social media, usually a day or a couple of days and the GP moves on. Once the company starts engaging, the story lives on and stays relevant and on the top of people's minds. There is a reason why when Elon or Trump attack people, the people don't engage in a response. It will be old news tomorrow unless the company engages in a back and forth. Take the bump this weekend. It was the chatter among guests on Saturday and yet they still got in line to ride it. Many were talking about the bump while in line to ride it. Didn't bother them in the least. Same with Sunday. KI posting about it will make it sound like a bigger deal than it was and may actually do more harm from the GP perspective. We are enthusiasts and want to know every minute detail. The GP doesn't. Do you know how much goes on behind the scenes we are never made aware of....Do they have to report to us about every popped nail hammered back in or split board that was replaced on The Beast as part of the daily inspections....What good would it do.... While we want to know every detail, the park isn't under obligation to post about it. I am sure there is stuff that happens that our curiosity would love to know about, but there is no good that comes out of them posting it. Enthusiasts are part of the GP. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted October 3 Author Share Posted October 3 Maybe @DispatchMaster can comment on the matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted October 3 Share Posted October 3 On 10/2/2024 at 7:05 AM, RedSummit20 said: well yeah actually I can, i use to work at Kings Island, i worked Diamondback, its the same control panel...so yes.. Working on any ride under normal operations is one thing, knowing the design of the panels and what it can/ can't do when it is not under normal operations as well as not being present when the accident happened is another. What needs to be considered was the state of the ride prior to the accident- which will come out as the investigation continues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 For those interested, it is two train ops. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 I hear it has not operated all weekend. I am here right now and all the trains are in the storage shed. No word from the park it seems. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 It was open on Friday. I rarely recall the park making a big deal or even announcing about a "short term" ride closure on social media... 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion742 Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 27 minutes ago, IndyGuy4KI said: I hear it has not operated all weekend. I am here right now and all the trains are in the storage shed. No word from the park it seems. It was open Friday when I was there. 2 trains all night. Opened about 20 minutes late but they figured it out. Purple and blue were in operation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 Does it suck that a people eater is down on a busy day? Yes. But it is what it is. Why should the park make a big deal out of it? For years, I never saw much if anything if The Beast was down for a day, or if the parade characters were going to not dress in costume because of the threat of summer rain. In a like manner, when I went to Camden Park last year Big Dipper was down. Disappointed that I didn't know, but glad I could enjoy everything else. Same with BGW. Tempesto and pantheon down. Just a sign at the rides. My point being...rides go down. As enthusiasts, we are passionate and want to know why etc. But I don't think it's an injustice if the park doesn't have the Royal Court of KI blow from the trumpets on the news station and social media that a ride is down for either a day, right now etc. An extended closure like TT2, sure. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonHelbig Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 5 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said: I hear it has not operated all weekend. I am here right now and all the trains are in the storage shed. No word from the park it seems. Silent radio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Fair Fanboy Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 53 minutes ago, DonHelbig said: Silent radio. S-I-E-T, S*I*E*T Radio. The podcast channel of shutting up conspiracy theories of Ohio. (The opposite of W*E*R*D Radio) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 5 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said: Does it suck that a people eater is down on a busy day? Yes. But it is what it is. Why should the park make a big deal out of it? For years, I never saw much if anything if The Beast was down for a day, or if the parade characters were going to not dress in costume because of the threat of summer rain. In a like manner, when I went to Camden Park last year Big Dipper was down. Disappointed that I didn't know, but glad I could enjoy everything else. Same with BGW. Tempesto and pantheon down. Just a sign at the rides. My point being...rides go down. As enthusiasts, we are passionate and want to know why etc. But I don't think it's an injustice if the park doesn't have the Royal Court of KI blow from the trumpets on the news station and social media that a ride is down for either a day, right now etc. An extended closure like TT2, sure. Exactly! Some act like the park has announced on social media every closure of a ride that that was for a couple of days or extended period. There has always been a sign out front of the park announcing rides not operating that day. The sign used to be closer to where the security checkpoints are, but in recent years these announcements moved to a TV screen overhead when your pass is scanned in (that most probably never even noticed LOL). Also, depending on the length of the closure, there will also be a sign in front of the ride and possibly a greeter telling guests the ride is closed for the day. Just since CF bought it in 2007, there have been dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of times that a ride went down for a period of time (days or more) and most of them never made it to a social media post. But they showed up on the board in front of the park and at the ride itself. The ones I recall that made it to official park social media posts include: Son of Beast closure Beast retracking delaying opening in 2022 Adventure Port delayed opening in 2023 (which ironically when it did open, the website said opening date TBA for almost a month) Camp Snoopy delayed opening in 2024 Obviously the permanent closures of rides like Vortex and Firehawk. Again I am sure there are a few more, but probably nowhere near the amount of times rides were down for a period of more than a day. Let's look in recent memory of some extended closures that I do not recall social media posts on from the park (but they made fan site pages): Vortex chain breaking in 2012 (maybe 2013) time period and closed for extended period. The various extended closures of Delirium over the years waiting for parts. The various extended closures of The Beast over the years waiting for parts. Diamondback getting temperamental after Orion was announced in August of 2019 and in addition to several days being down, it was down the final weekend of 2019. Drop Tower closed last two weekends of Fall 2021 for repainting. Backlot closed August -September 2022 waiting for parts. Almost all of Action Zone had a delayed 2023 opening: Drop Tower closed from August 2022 thru May 2023. Delirium closed until May 2023. Bat closed until end of April 2023. Congo Falls delayed opening. I welcome someone to prove me wrong that the park made social media posts about these closures with links to the social media posts....maybe your all memory is better than mine, but I don't recall many extended ride closures being announced over official park social media channels... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 7 hours ago, disco2000 said: It was open on Friday. I rarely recall the park making a big deal or even announcing about a "short term" ride closure on social media... I didn't make the comment, "no word from the park it seems" to insinuate that they owed us an explanation. Just that nothing official has come out about it that I had seen or heard. My apologies if my post made it seem they did/should or otherwise. That was not my intent of the comment. That argument can be had over the years going way back as @disco2000 pointed out in the post above mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted October 21 Author Share Posted October 21 While I don’t believe Banshee’s closure is social media post worthy. They should at a minimum, update their attractions advisory page, out of courtesy of guest who travel from afar. On that note, should we start a thread for how much longer for the Eiffel Tower? It seems that it is closed every time I check the attraction advisory page: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions-advisory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 16 minutes ago, Tr0y said: While I don’t believe Banshee’s closure is social media post worthy. They should at a minimum, update their attractions advisory page, out of courtesy of guest who travel from afar. On that note, should we start a thread for how much longer for the Eiffel Tower? It seems that it is closed every time I check the attraction advisory page: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions-advisory Since it appears the chain is going to regional PR instead of local, someone in Charlotte said Eiffel Tower is closed and the person updating the website selected the wrong Kings park 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkyFoxx Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 Our ET was open yesterday. And mannnnnn it had a line! Also yes, it was a bummer seeing Banshee closed yesterday. It's oddly quiet when she's not running. I hope she gets some much needed TLC during the off-season. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodVengeance Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 54 minutes ago, DJSkyFoxx said: Our ET was open yesterday. And mannnnnn it had a line! Also yes, it was a bummer seeing Banshee closed yesterday. It's oddly quiet when she's not running. I hope she gets some much needed TLC during the off-season. What time did you go on ET? I went up on it during sunset and the line was only like a one elevator wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkyFoxx Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 I got in the FL line around 1730HRS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonHelbig Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 16 hours ago, disco2000 said: Exactly! Some act like the park has announced on social media every closure of a ride that that was for a couple of days or extended period. There has always been a sign out front of the park announcing rides not operating that day. The sign used to be closer to where the security checkpoints are, but in recent years these announcements moved to a TV screen overhead when your pass is scanned in (that most probably never even noticed LOL). Also, depending on the length of the closure, there will also be a sign in front of the ride and possibly a greeter telling guests the ride is closed for the day. Just since CF bought it in 2007, there have been dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of times that a ride went down for a period of time (days or more) and most of them never made it to a social media post. But they showed up on the board in front of the park and at the ride itself. The ones I recall that made it to official park social media posts include: Son of Beast closure Beast retracking delaying opening in 2022 Adventure Port delayed opening in 2023 (which ironically when it did open, the website said opening date TBA for almost a month) Camp Snoopy delayed opening in 2024 Obviously the permanent closures of rides like Vortex and Firehawk. Again I am sure there are a few more, but probably nowhere near the amount of times rides were down for a period of more than a day. Let's look in recent memory of some extended closures that I do not recall social media posts on from the park (but they made fan site pages): Vortex chain breaking in 2012 (maybe 2013) time period and closed for extended period. The various extended closures of Delirium over the years waiting for parts. The various extended closures of The Beast over the years waiting for parts. Diamondback getting temperamental after Orion was announced in August of 2019 and in addition to several days being down, it was down the final weekend of 2019. Drop Tower closed last two weekends of Fall 2021 for repainting. Backlot closed August -September 2022 waiting for parts. Almost all of Action Zone had a delayed 2023 opening: Drop Tower closed from August 2022 thru May 2023. Delirium closed until May 2023. Bat closed until end of April 2023. Congo Falls delayed opening. I welcome someone to prove me wrong that the park made social media posts about these closures with links to the social media posts....maybe your all memory is better than mine, but I don't recall many extended ride closures being announced over official park social media channels... When I worked at Kings Island, managing PR and social media, if a major ride was going to be closed for more than one day I wanted to be transparent and did post on social media to advise guests the ride would be closed, and apologized. This includes multiple day closures for Son of Beast, The Beast, Vortex, Diamondback. Once the ride reopened, the posts were removed. But I felt as the person responsible for communicating to the public, it was important to let guests know. And guests appreciated the advisory. I didn't go into detail as to why, but a simple "X ride will be closed through X" was always appreciated. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiian Coasters 325 Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 6 hours ago, Tr0y said: On that note, should we start a thread for how much longer for the Eiffel Tower? It seems that it is closed every time I check the attraction advisory page: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/attractions-advisory The Tower's been operating pretty consistently since like mid summer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartCat7162 Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 On 10/21/2024 at 3:03 PM, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said: The Tower's been operating pretty consistently since like mid summer. I have a feeling it might not be open this weekend due to the start of WinterFest set up that may have started. But I could be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted Sunday at 06:01 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 06:01 PM 09/28/24 will always be the day the park got rid of the master of dispatching.. RIP. 07/27/16 - 09/28/24 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion-XL200 Posted yesterday at 01:07 AM Share Posted yesterday at 01:07 AM To be fair, it had been struggling for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterJack Posted yesterday at 03:26 PM Share Posted yesterday at 03:26 PM 21 hours ago, Tr0y said: 09/28/24 will always be the day the park got rid of the master of dispatching.. RIP. 07/27/16 - 09/28/24 A bit confused...would you be able to elaborate a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondback_Is_King Posted yesterday at 04:13 PM Share Posted yesterday at 04:13 PM 46 minutes ago, CoasterJack said: A bit confused...would you be able to elaborate a bit? I think he means that the fast operations were over for Banshee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted 23 hours ago Share Posted 23 hours ago 25 minutes ago, Diamondback_Is_King said: I think he means that the fast operations were over for Banshee I conjecture he is referencing a person who posts here on kic some times. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysticTimberwolf Posted 23 hours ago Share Posted 23 hours ago The focus in operations is just different now, and dispatches across the park have gotten steadily worse over the last 5-6 years. Removing "Priority Seating Not Guaranteed" signs, shrinking ride crews, and reducing operational budgets have all caused the decline in efficiency. It's a story the park has grappled with forever, every new department head has a different idea on how these things should be run. When ambition replaces passion, all becomes hollow. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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