Shade and Beauty Add to the Bottom Line

[KI Guy]

This is for all you who say that anything that can't easily be tied back to the bottom line is wasted effort and money.

Mr. Ouimet, former CEO of Cedar Fair, explains that shade and beauty add to bottom line:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matt-ouimet-42387521b_when-i-was-on-the-cedar-fair-team-we-routinely-share-7446895894349836288-gdUZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAABMEnvEBukWk_4JZ4j5b8tmanp0ZAE6r0KA

[DonHelbig]

He’s right. 

[beastfan11]

He’s a great LinkedIn follow for those brave enough to use it. 

[CoasterJack]

Had the opportunity to meet him in 2014 and have always had a great impression of him. Can agree that he's a great LinkedIn follow.

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

Nice upkeep of foliage, trees, tables, trash cans, and paint all help guests feel so much better in a park. What's sad here is that — just as Matt Ouimet said — not enough industry professionals seem to understand that fact. Some things can't be immediately helped, but change can happen over the course of a few years.

Something Kings Island really needs is a renewed interest in trees and foliage. Little displays like the floral calendar, carousel horse, and season-marking Eiffel Tower display (behind the Grand Carousel sign) are really nice. On the other hand the Floral Clock has been broken for a while, the Eiffel Tower topiary often looks like a... well a... poorly kept topiary. The park could also place some non-foliage-based displays if they don't want to put strain on the gardening teams. If I had to choose three areas of Kings Island to plant more trees, it would be 

1. Camp Snoopy, specifically near Franklin's Flyers
2. Rivertown, specifically near Diamondback's entrance and near the path at the area formerly known as Swan Lake
3. Vortex's plot (this one is very specifically foliage that a new coaster would go around and/or that would compliment a new coaster)

Action Zone is somewhere on this list, but I would tie any new trees and foliage there directly into a larger area redevelopment rather than somewhere as a quick fix. I'm sure there's a worry about obstructing some sightlines and getting trees too close to coaster tracks as well.

[brenthodge]

8 hours ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

Nice upkeep of foliage, trees, tables, trash cans, and paint all help guests feel so much better in a park. What's sad here is that — just as Matt Ouimet said — not enough industry professionals seem to understand that fact. Some things can't be immediately helped, but change can happen over the course of a few years.

Something Kings Island really needs is a renewed interest in trees and foliage. Little displays like the floral calendar, carousel horse, and season-marking Eiffel Tower display (behind the Grand Carousel sign) are really nice. On the other hand the Floral Clock has been broken for a while, the Eiffel Tower topiary often looks like a... well a... poorly kept topiary. The park could also place some non-foliage-based displays if they don't want to put strain on the gardening teams. If I had to choose three areas of Kings Island to plant more trees, it would be 

1. Camp Snoopy, specifically near Franklin's Flyers
2. Rivertown, specifically near Diamondback's entrance and near the path at the area formerly known as Swan Lake
3. Vortex's plot (this one is very specifically foliage that a new coaster would go around and/or that would compliment a new coaster)

Action Zone is somewhere on this list, but I would tie any new trees and foliage there directly into a larger area redevelopment rather than somewhere as a quick fix. I'm sure there's a worry about obstructing some sightlines and getting trees too close to coaster tracks as well.

The whole pad where Franklins Flyers and Space Buggies are should've BOTH been incorporated into CAMP. Space buggies could've easily been rethemed to PigPen's MudBuggies with a waterfall and sign right at the entrance area - Make KiteEatingTree also part of CAMP maybe slightly rework the queue to incorporate the sign/waterfall. Then the concession stand right there get a light retheme into CampCanteen. Suddenly the whole CAMP area has a really strong and clear entrance and you dont have two rides - one of which is actually nature themed - in, but NOT in the CAMP area. 

[disco2000]

In part why I have said for years other kid's areas within our own chain are better fits for "best kid's area" than ours ever was.....

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

I've said it many times Camp Snoopy feels unfinished. You can tell by looking at the concrete in the area. It's a mess of old and new concrete with some brownish stained concrete in different areas. The area over by the "new" sign near the flume is pathetic imo. It should've been all the brownish stained concrete kinda like in Adventure Port the year prior. Also why on earth does Kidzbop play in that area when they could be playing Vince Guaraldi music there? Soapbox Racers queue was done fairly well imo with the wooden posts, lighting, and decor but the whole area should have gotten that level of detail. They could easily have swapped out the metal ride fencing at the flats with wood fencing like other parks but chose not to. They could've done more wood light posts with lanterns (like Adventure Port) but chose not to. They could've added more trees to eventually become more shade, but chose not to. They could've added more "camptivities" to the area (ie scavenger hunts, craft parties, dance parties, and even bonfires as the sun goes down), but chose not to. They could've added a better soundtrack/playlist to the area but chose not to. Notice a common denominator? Goes back to my rants in prior threads. 

[CedarPointer]

Imagine how nice it would have been if it looked anything like the art they used to advertise it.

[BeeastFarmer]

@Hawaiian Coasters 325, all great points!  I'm glad you are able to now express your opinions without fear of reprisal of when you were employed. 

If I were in charge (lol), I'd put more trees around Diamondback, but near the splashdown, I'd use native plantings that dont distract from the splashdown. Until junkyard coaster is removed, I'd add fast growing and easily removed...think white pine, redbud, Mimosa etc. When junkyard is gone, reimagine with existing large trees, fountains, topiaries and shade structures. The whole area from the tower to Vortex plaza needs to be redone. Heck, how about some push up ginko trees while we are at it

Poor Peanuts area. I don't see how it ever objectively won best kids area... besides smoothing up to voters. 

Back to Rivertown.  It has good bones, but needs an overhaul. I think you can keep the flume in peanuts, but smooth the transition. Redo the queue for Diamondback and either change the name or make the story fitting. We do have native timber rattlers and they are forest dwellers. The current tie in seems to be with western Diamondback rattlesnakes which are desert dwellers.  When I first moved back from Phoenix, I thought that was the case, or KI was somehow tied into the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Neither of which makes any sense since a desert in ohio or a team out west when the Reds are just down the road. 

Fix the aluminum box by utilizing it to potential ( new ride, paint it to be less of an eyesore, use projection mapping) and use the grassy area behind it. 

Rework The Beast promenade and widen the exit path... ideally, push the entrance back closer to slaughter house to where the outhouse is.

Thank you for listening to me Ted Talk. 

[Imperial79]

It would also be nice if they brought back the Coney Mall, Oktoberfest signs, and maybe even add a Rivertown and Action Zone sign as well. The only signs showing you’ve entered a different land is Area 72, Planet Snoopy, Camp Snoopy and Adventure Port. So much the park could do to add to the experience to make it better. 

[DonHelbig]

1 hour ago, Imperial79 said:

It would also be nice if they brought back the Coney Mall, Oktoberfest signs, and maybe even add a Rivertown and Action Zone sign as well. The only signs showing you’ve entered a different land is Area 72, Planet Snoopy, Camp Snoopy and Adventure Port. So much the park could do to add to the experience to make it better. 

Area portals would be good additions. But they won’t spend the $$ to do it.

[KI Guy]

13 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

Area portals would be good additions. But they won’t spend the $$ to do it.

Come on Herschend...

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

7 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

Back to Rivertown.  It has good bones, but needs an overhaul. I think you can keep the flume in peanuts, but smooth the transition. Redo the queue for Diamondback and either change the name or make the story fitting. We do have native timber rattlers and they are forest dwellers. The current tie in seems to be with western Diamondback rattlesnakes which are desert dwellers.  When I first moved back from Phoenix, I thought that was the case, or KI was somehow tied into the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Neither of which makes any sense since a desert in ohio or a team out west when the Reds are just down the road. 

Fix the aluminum box by utilizing it to potential ( new ride, paint it to be less of an eyesore, use projection mapping) and use the grassy area behind it.

I agree with most of your points except for these ones. The area between Diamondback and the log flume, in my opinion, has no chance of being cohesive unless they are in the same thematic area and/or there is some serious work done to make those two plazas feel like one. Kings Island started this process by including that area in Camp Snoopy, but it still feels disjointed. The Diamondback theme is fine — even though it doesn't fit into the "History of Cincinnati" theme as mentioned — but it does need more trees and foliage around it. Anything to make the splashdown look less constructed. The gravel is probably good for drainage and isn't really affected by any (presumed) chemicals in the water, but there's so much manicured grass around it that makes the basin look empty. 

This image from Kings Island History on Facebook shows a comparison between the area in 1972 and 2019. 

This photo from Robbie Zerhusen shows just how many trees were still in the area around the time of Diamondback's construction. Now that I'm thinking about it, most of my problems with the splashdown are with how manicured it is. Is a giant patch of neatly cut grass good theming for a historically themed area? (Side note: The theme of Rivertown as a "History of Cincinnati" based concept is not rigid, as shown by The Beast and more by Mystic Timbers. That being said, I would still love to see more nature incorporated into the area.)

As for the big box, I'd much rather it be demolished and replaced with a new expansion of Rivertown than try to shove something into it. A small but natural-looking lake, an entertainment venue and/or dining location, and a new ride would all fit around that area with ease. The largest issues would come up with the parts of the building that are directly adjacent to Diamondback's track and supports. 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

People really thought the queue would be next to showplace and the station would be where the brake shed is? 

Tbh they should've kept the old Rivertown Mining Company building and used it as the queue kinda like how Maverick used WWL's old station. Now it's just cattlepins with tarps as shade structures which doesn't scream "rusting/old west" to me.