What was 2009 like?

[SonofBaconator]

2009 was a significant year for a lot of reasons- We just got Diamondback, Firehawk was in its second season, we still had SOB as well as Nick Universe and Scooby Doo. A year later, SOB was SBNO, Nick left in favor of Planet Snoopy, and Scooby Doo was replaced with Boo Blasters. As someone who wasn’t old enough to really grasp early CF KI was- I want to ask: What was 2009 like? 

[kingsislandfan1972]

I remember 2009, they were still doing the Scooby-Doo meet and greets and Nickelodeon was still big in the kids area. All the Paramount names had already been changed the previous year. I was in middle school at the time so I had been very oblivious to the fact that everything Paramount had been removed at that point. Oddly enough SpongeBob 3D was still in Action Theater in 2010, if anybody remembers that. I'm wondering if 2026 will be just like 2010 with all the rumors of Looney Tunes replacing Peanuts as well as the new ride replacing Boo Blasters.

[KI Guy]

It was an exciting time for the park. Diamondback was and remains the most significant ride added to the park since The Beast. You have to consider that nothing of that scale had been built since S.O.B.—which in all honestly was kind of a dud—and probably Flight of Fear before that.

Regardless, it was kind of cool to have two hypercoasters in the park at least for those brief couple months.

The food prices were expensive but more affordable than today if you knew what you were doing. I think two slices of LaRosa's was about $5.99 or $9 in today's money. Now that would be $16.29 (with two breadsticks) which is absurd.

When folks talk about Kings Island's value being higher than in the past that's really only true when speaking specifically about the gate price. The food is more expensive and the expected number of rides per visit is fewer due Fast Lane. The park had a larger calendar Summer/Fall in those days and there were more days during the week where someone could ride everything in just a few hours.

There was much more emphasis on the kids' area in those days and the Nickelodeon IP was still much more relevant than today's peanuts. The kids area got much more attention and investment in those days and it was updated more often.

There has been good and bad since then, but anyone who tells you that the park is much better now is probably not seeing the full picture.

Halloween Haunt was a lot better then than it is today and it was of course all inclusive. Today's park does offer Winterfest which is a nice thing not offered in 2009.

In short:

Today: Slightly better rides, more affordable pass, Winterfest.

2009: More expansive Summer and Fall calendar, Fresher Kids' Area, more rides per visit, more affordable food, better Haunt, better entertainment and special events (thanks Don!).

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

I have very vague memories of that summer as I was 6 (turned 7 that summer) and finished 1st grade. I was just about 48" that year and I remember bc the measuring was off at some rides. For example: I was measured with the height stick at Zephyr and was able to ride and then at Adventure Express in the station I was measured on the height scale things they had back then and was just a hare too short. I then got better shoes and measured tall enough for the 48" rides (I would not recommend doing that as ride ops do have the right to ask to remove shoes if they suspect the shoes were being tampered with). All that year I was terrified to ride bigger 48" rides like Beast, Racer, Vortex (RIP), Flight Deck (The Bat), and Drop Tower. I did end up on Adventure Express though and I remember hating it with a passion lol. I was in the process of growing out of my fear of coasters which took several years. During those days I would get dragged onto the Fairly Odd Coaster (now Woodstock Express) kicking and screaming bc I didn't like the "big" drop lol. I remember my Dad, my next door neighbor (who was a couple years older than me), and her Dad going on Diamondback and me staying behind bc I was too short and I remember thinking that was the biggest and coolest coaster ever lol. I remember going by the park while it was being built and seeing the big red crane and thinking that was the ride lol.

SOB I have zero memory of it operating as nobody in my family or group would ride it as I was always told how rough it was lol. In fact, my main memories of SOB is just seeing it sit there SBNO when going back to ride Flight Deck from 2010-2012.

[WoodVengeance]

I was fortunate enough (well, more like unfortunate) to get a ride on Son of Beast in 2008. Let's just say the experience was so bad, that it made me hate wooden coasters with a passion and I used to refuse riding any of them until 2013 or so.

As for 2009, I was only 12 years old at the time and don't really have the most vivid of memories from that time period (other than being traumatized by Son of Beast the year prior), but I'll try my best. Similar to how it is today, the park still had a younger demographic of teenagers back then too, but without any chaperone policies in-place. Although there were a lot less smartphones, many still carried flip phones and iPods, so loose articles were still a major concern. Banshee, Mystic Timbers and Orion didn't exist yet, so the most popular coasters in the park were usually considered to be Diamondback, Beast and Flight of Fear. Diamondback was brand new with the red and yellow paint scheme before that faded shortly afterwards. Since Fast Lane wasn't implemented in Cedar Fair parks yet, Diamondback's Fast Lane line was originally used for single riders. Nickelodeon was also big at the park as well, their shows had a major presence in the park, not just with the kids area. It's rather hard to believe that only a year after that, Nickelodeon was completely scrubbed in favor of Peanuts. Several currently defunct rides like Son of Beast, Vortex, Firehawk, The Crypt, Thunder Alley, etc. still operated at the park. Son of Beast closed for good partway into the 2009 season, though that wasn't known at the time and many people were still optimistic that the ride could be "fixed" and reopen by the following season.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Like I said, I was only 6/7 years old during the 2009 season, but does anyone remember if there were rumors during the summer of Nick going away in favor of Peanuts and if a lot of people doubted it bc they just redid the Nick area 3 years prior? Just wondering as with the talk surrounding the Peanuts IP in recent weeks, it makes me wonder if history may be about to repeat itself nearly 2 decades later. 

In fact, I remember finding out that Nick was being changed to Snoopy that Winter (2010). I think it was during our "annual" New Years staycation that we would take for a few years at the Comfort Suites in Kings Mills and our room had a view of the park which I still have photos from that so I'll share a few.

Anyways I had no idea what Snoopy was at the time, but I knew of Charlie Brown as we would watch the specials at home and in school during Library. I didn't really know Snoopy and Charlie Brown were the same thing until getting to the park that Summer and seeing all the changes to kiddie land. 

 

[super7]

This was the period of time were Cedar Fair was just slapping new trail rides in the parks without much theming.    The “Golden” period of Cedar Fair ownership was after that around 2106-2017 and ended in 2020

[brenthodge]

I’d venture that “golden age” actually culminated in 22 with the anniversary celebration. We thought it was the beginning of a “new era” at KI with more entertainment, a focus on park history, better food, and a quality experience. Sadly instead of it being a new chapter, it seems like now it was the end of the book. 

[DJSkyFoxx]

Oh 2009 was such a pivotal year for me at KI. I started taking some of my first trips as an adult with my friends without my mom. But I also have some incredible memories going that year with my mom too. My best friend and I lined up opening day that year to be among the first to ride Diamondback. I still have my first rider t-shirt in basically brand new condition. Haven't worn it since actually. I can still remember how lively the park was with the likes of not only the shiny new Diamondback ( and I can still slightly recall the spiel they used to play over the speakers to describe the ride's unique seating and such ), but Firehawk was only two years into it's tenure at KI ( not counting it's time at GL ) and still a very popular coaster. Son of Beast was still roaring and I got my last ride ever on it in June of that year before it closed for good. Vortex was alive and well and still attracting lines. It was such a transitional year for the park as Cedar Fair was really starting to climb into the drivers seat and overtake the Paramount branding. Nickelodeon still existed and still had a super bright and lively take on the park. Generic names were taking over the former Paramount movie names. Haunt still had some teeth to it like its former Fear Fest days. I don't recall there being as much drama in the lines and upheaval among the crowds as there are today. Not saying that there weren't the occasional fights, but nowhere nearly as bad as it is now. We didn't have smart phones ruling our lives nor did we have to worry about getting hit in the face with one. If we wanted to take decent pictures we had to bring in a digital camera. I used to carry mine with me everywhere. 

I have many photos from this year archived on a hardrive I'd have to dig into, but for me 2009 was a truly special year. For it being such a transitional year, it probably holds some of the best memories for me with my mom and my friends. The park had such a major spark to it that year. Diamondback really kicked off a new era and gave fans a hopeful glimpse of what could be. 

[rexpostal]

I was 29.  I had never thought about it before, but it was probably my favorite year ever for Kings Island,  for reasons named in the above post.