jzarley Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 And while the landscaping was definitely a LOT better prior to Paramount's ownership, it was still never in the same league as the Busch or Disney parks. BGW's landscaping is incredible. Cedar Point puts such importance on landscaping they actually have a portion of their web site devoted to it: http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/landscaping/index.cfm Maybe PKI should do the same thing on their site...they could have a page that says "we mow the grass and mulch!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 And while the landscaping was definitely a LOT better prior to Paramount's ownership, it was still never in the same league as the Busch or Disney parks. BGW's landscaping is incredible. Cedar Point puts such importance on landscaping they actually have a portion of their web site devoted to it: http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/landscaping/index.cfm Maybe PKI should do the same thing on their site...they could have a page that says "we mow the grass and mulch!" Maybe I'm in the minority but I'm not impressed by Disney's construction and landscaping. Everything is plastic and very little is natural. Hell, in the center of the Animal Kingdom is tree that is made out of an oil rig! I'll take a park like BGW or Dollywood. Honestly, the park I felt had the most incredible landscaping of all was Opryland. You can see some of the carry over from that in the Gaylord Entertainment complexes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Hell, in the center of the Animal Kingdom is tree that is made out of an oil rig! Yeah, but in all fairness, it's kind of hard to put a 4D movie attaction inside of a real tree I agree about Opryland...that was a gorgeous park. Gaylord does a quality product...it's too bad that they decided to move their focus completely into lodging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkGuy Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Oh cry me a river, Paramount has done more for the park than anyone and as much as you complain theyre not gonna bring it back to how it was, if you look at KI how it was back in the brady bunch days yeah it looked neat but it was just like a large carnival. PKI never has been and is not now Disney calliber but Paramount has put it more in that direction than anyone, yeah not every decision has been great but with time comes change and you people need to stop complaining about it, PKI Is still a great place for young kid and adults with or without fences around the fountains. Sorry but I disagree I much rather have KI as it was when I was a kid / teen back in the 80's/ 90's than have how it is now paramount doesnt up keep the rides I rode the new scooby doo dark ride this past summer with my nephew and trash was everywhere the wall paper was torn among other things..then when I rode The Beast kids were line skipping, cussing and why the heck do they have seat belts now? when I rode The Beast they didnt have seat belts and they didnt slam on the brakes during the hill drops...aww how I miss those days sorry but I really dont think paramount has done much yeah add they added couple of crappy themed coasters(IJ:ST) and what not. What I love most about what paramount has done is how they have used the rights to NICK I love NC now to be NU Reptar is a great starter coaster for tweens as was Scooby doos ghoster coaster. also I loved the smurf ride when I was kid that was the highlight of my park visits also I love how Winterfest was all about christmas...I feel the themes that paramount uses are like those that six flags uses..paramount goes the cheap route with most of the attractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gburn07 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Yes Busch Gardens is a much better landscaped park. Need I remind you of the lack of rides they have at BGW? What do you prefer, more rides or better landscaping. If it was the other way around i'm sure some of you would be complaining about that as well. I never said PKI is the best landscaped park. It is much nicer than most parks though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingMaster Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Okay, just because BGW has fewer rides doesn't mean that those rides aren't good. Heck, Universal Studios Florida only has seven actual sit-down attractions (Mummy, Twister, BTTF, ET Adventure, Earthquake, T2:3D, MIB, Jaws), but they're each meticulously designed and are truly state-of-the-art. BGW has five coasters (Big Bad Wolf, Alpengheist, Loch Ness, Apollo's Chariot, somethin else) that really are amazing ride experiences that kick some ass up and down a few of PKI's coasters. *cough*ItalianJob:StuntTrack*cough* Not to mention they have a few dark rides that are state-of-the-art, particularly Escape from Pompeii and DarKastle. I'd much rather have six or seven really amazing/groundbreaking thrill rides within gorgeous scenery than 20-30 average/cheap thrill rides in a parking lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legend Rider Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I agree about Opryland...that was a gorgeous park. Gaylord does a quality product...it's too bad that they decided to move their focus completely into lodging. Um, Gaylord Opryland Hotel was there long before Opryland closed. I hate the mills malls, They bought out the property for the Mall. I was so angry. Nashville did not need another place to friggin shop! I would do anything to get my SDD back! I loved the Demon so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I agree about Opryland...that was a gorgeous park. Gaylord does a quality product...it's too bad that they decided to move their focus completely into lodging. Um, Gaylord Opryland Hotel was there long before Opryland closed. I hate the mills malls, They bought out the property for the Mall. I was so angry. Nashville did not need another place to friggin shop! I would do anything to get my SDD back! I loved the Demon so much. "Um"--yeah...I know. I was staying at the Opryland Hotel when I went to the Opryland park... My comment was that the company has made the strategic decision to focus solely on lodging since the closing of the park (and, that actually faciliated the closing of the park). Hence the development of Gaylord resorts in Orlando, Grapevine, TX, etc. Those new resorts are a direct result of the capital infusion from closing & selling the Opryland park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Yes Busch Gardens is a much better landscaped park. Need I remind you of the lack of rides they have at BGW? What do you prefer, more rides or better landscaping. If it was the other way around i'm sure some of you would be complaining about that as well. I never said PKI is the best landscaped park. It is much nicer than most parks though. Sheikra, Gwazi, Scorpion, Montu, Kumba, Python, Stanleyville Falls, Congo River Alpengeist, Apollo's Chariot, Big Bad Wolf, Loch Ness Monster. I'd say their all pretty good attractions. Not a whole lot less than any of the Paramount Parks. And top it off - EVERY ONE of the attractions fits the theme of the area it is in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gburn07 Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Alright now calling PKI a parking lot is a little ridiculous. A parking lot is a Six Flags Park. Even Cedar Point is a Concrete Jungle in the park next to KI. If the park sucks so much woudlnt they be struggling attendance wise? If I can recall, they did pretty last year. As for BGW and having enough rides.... Yes they have four rollercoastesrs, a couple good flats and a couple good dark rides. Thats it though. Call me weird but I like alot of flat rides from carnival types to the newest ones. I can finish BGW in a few hours. Comparing 2 awesome and 2 alright Coasters to the 9 adult ones here isn't the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Given the topic of this thread, perhaps it would be more fair to compare Kings Island's Coasters to those of Paramount King's Island in 2005. I wouldn't trade the King Cobra for Italian Stunt Job. I wouldn't trade ONE ride on Beast the year it opened for a whole season on it now. Same for Racer. Please don't get me started. You really don't want to hear it. As for Six Flags being a parking lot, get thee to Six Flags Great America or Six Flags Over Georgia. Then get back to me. You obviously do not know what you are talking about. There is more to Six Flags than Kentucky Kingdom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gburn07 Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I dont know what i'm talking about...hmm ok lets see.. The Six Flags parks i've been to are Darien Lake, the once Worlds of Adventure, America, Great Adventure, and St Louis. None of them compare to PKI. Im def not bias towards PKI either. If you dont like the park then dont go buddy. They wont be missing you much. Now run along before you start going crazy over a "which park is better argument" As for the 'wouldn't trade a ride on so n' so for a ride back then'.... Are you sayin that the rides at PKI are the only ones that dont run as well as when they opened? You havn't been to many parks if you mean that as EVERY park's older rides do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Not so. Many older rides run as well now as when they opened and some do better. By all accounts, for example, The Big Dipper at Geauga Lake runs as well as it ever did. Great American Scream Machine at Georgia, also by all accounts, runs no differently than when it opened. Same for Phoenix at Knoebels, and that ride didn't even open at that park! And none of them, unlike Racer, have entire hills taken out of them! (But Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom shares that with Racer!) You seem to want to set up other parks as strawmen, and then say that Paramount's Kings Island is better. You apparently have not read all the posts in this thread, or you would have seen I am not particularly a fan of Six Flags, especially when it was under Burke and company. I in fact denigrated Italian Stunt Job by saying it made the part of Kings Island where it sits look like a Batman theming job at Six Flags (see page two of this thread). You have your opinions, I have mine. When it comes to personal choices and beliefs, both are valid. But when you say it is a FACT that EVERY parks older rides do not run as well as they did when they were new, that is an asserted fact, not an opinion. And it is not correct. You tell me if I don't like the park, not to go. Where do you get the idea that I don't like the park? On the other hand, I do find I spend a lot more time these days at other Paramount Parks, from Dominion to Wonderland to Carowinds (in particular). Those parks have gotten a lot more attention from Paramount than has Kings Island in recent years. . .especially as to groundskeeping, landscaping and maintaining the theming. Perhaps that is one reason that Wonderland now gets more visitors per year than Kings Island, and its attendance is up bigtime (more than seven percent), while Kings Island's is down (more than five percent). Wonderland had an estimated 400,000 more visitors than did Kings Island in 2005. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gburn07 Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Saying that Kings Island does not maintain their grounds as much is opinionated. PKI is one of my fav parks but is not my fav. Every park has something that seperates it and makes it good. Being to Kings Dominions I thought it was a pretty run down park. Carowinds and Wonderland dont have the rides that Kings Island has. They are certainly improving but saying that PKI is a deteriorating park or starting to in that matter imo just think is not true. I"ll tell you one thing, they take care of their flat rides much better than parks such as Kennywood and Hershey do in terms of appearance and down time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Yep, compared to Kings Island, Paramount has done an excellent job maintaining its flat rides such as The Flying Eagles, The Antique Cars, Flight Commander, Skylab. I don't think any of them were down at all last season. You've got a point there. Again, this thread is supposed to be about Kings Island vs. Paramount's Kings Island. NOT about Paramount vs. other parks. Want to talk about that? I'd think you'd want to start another thread in the appropriate forum.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 The Interpreter, I wouldn`t say that the other Paramount Parks have gotten more attention recently than what PKI has. True, Canada`s Wonderland has more attendance last year. But there are several factors that have caused that. One, is that Wonderlans has an awesome collection of flat rides. Another factor is that there are no nearby parks in direct competition with Wonderland. PKI competes with several other parks in the area, namely Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, and to a lesser extent Cedar Point up in central Ohio. Over the last decade or so, both Cedar Point and Kings Island have hovered around the 3.3 million mark. Some years they improve, while other years they decline. One interesting thing that I just realized. Paramount has been the owner of Kings Island for a longer amount of time than any other owner. Taft owned Kings Island from its opening in 1972 until KECO bought out Taft`s park division in 1984. Taft had control of the parks for 12 years. KECO has control of the parks from 1984- July of 1992 when they sold to Paramount (although KECO was sold to American Financial and Carl Lindner in 1987). KECO had control of the parks for eight years. Paramount has owned the parks since July of 1992 through present, or thirteen years (going from 1993 when they rebranded the parks under the Paramount moniker). As has been stated before, many people of the younger crowd have only experience the park under the stewardship of Paramount Parks. I myself think that in the last couple of years, the park has been making some excellent decisions, especially with live entertainment. From WinterFest, to FearFest, to School of Rock, to the Nickelodeon Celebration Parade, these things are not so much about the rides, but the environment and entertainment aspect of the park. Which is a big part of an amusement park. True, some ride removals have been questionable, the classic Antique Cars in favor of IJST, (which seems out of place in the once serene and tranquil central area of the park), and the shipping of the Eagles down to Carowinds. In general, though, they have added some very popular rides in the last decade. Delirium, Drop Zone, the expanded water park, and a TR:TR a ride that has good overall theming for a ride not at one of the big themers down in Florida or California. Everyone will have their own opinions about what they like and dislike and what they think the park has done/needs to do. I just think that the park has become a better place in the last couple of years, despite the losses of some classic rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 CoastersRZ, I agree with you. But I still think, as I said before, that the other Paramount Parks have gotten more attention in the areas of groundskeeping, landscaping and maintaining the theming. Whether that was a corporate decision or local management decisions on how to spend the allotted budget, I don't know. But I do know that especially at Wonderland and Carowinds, the aesthetics of the parks are much better. And I TOTALLY agree with you about the flats at Wonderland. If Kings Island is missing anything, it's a great collection of flat rides. There are theme parks with worse flat collections (Six Flags Over Georgia comes to mind), but there aren't many. For a long time, it seemed the park only removed flats. Delirium (if it can be called a flat!), was certainly a step in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Six Flags a parking lot? Six Flags Over Georgia is a darn fine layed out parking lot then. As I've said before, Carowinds has benefited the most from the Paramont purchase. The park has actually received the TLC that it has always deserved. And being as land locked as the park is, they've been able to achieve a great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 But I still think, as I said before, that the other Paramount Parks have gotten more attention in the areas of groundskeeping, landscaping and maintaining the theming. I believe that Paramount has not kept up with landscaping, themeing, cleanliness etc. at PKI like it was before they bought the parks, but, after going to PKD twice and comparing the two parks; PKI is leaps and bounds over PKD. And for those who are comparing BGW to PKI (even though this is not the place), I have been to BGW numerous times with my family and I have never noticed that BGW has less rides than PKI. We go open to close and have never been bored. IMO BGW may have less rides, but the rides they have are more quality rides compared to most parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AamieAndShawn Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 oops sorry double Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AamieAndShawn Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 I know you people miss the good old days of Kings Island but its 2006 now and we have to move on and enjoy ourselves at the park. Yes they are going to remove rides for new ones and keep updating safety on the rides that exsist still. The accidents in the country on rides are due to idots that just don't follow instructions,signs. We the public should know whats right and whats not when being on a ride. The park has to enforce suggestions that should be made for the safety for all guests on the rides. I'm glad more safety restraints are being put on rides now. I used to not feel safe on rides when I was about 8... I now know how to feel safe on rides and enjoy myself on the ride. I don't need to do something stupid with my friends or get attention and get myself killed. I always will enjoy my time at the park and other parks I get the chance to go to when i'm traveling. I hope everyone on here can understand what the meaning of safety should mean to you. Actually the deaths that occurred at the park in 1992. ( All on the same day. One on Flight Commander. Which was a Drunken woman who stood up while on the ride. And the One who got a little too close to the electricity by actually going into the water. And the security guard who died while trying to save this individual) did occur while under the ownership of Paramount. Granted the park did not grace the Paramount Logo until the following year. The sale had been completed by summer "92" At this point the announcement that WinterFest's last operation was going to be held during that year had already made as well. So to state that no individual has died during Paramount's Ownership is a false claim. Paramount was already making changes to the park at the time. And I do know a lot more details about this day. My sister worked at the park on this day. And One of my good friends was working Flight Commander when the woman fell from the ride. I'm not going to go into details about it. If you don't know than you don't need to know. M.F. You forgot one more, there was a suicide, a guy jumped off the bottom tear of the Eiffel Tower. How do I know you asked? I was there wasnt a pretty site. That is the reason they closed it off and you can only go to the top 2 floors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 No, there was not a suicide off of the 50 foot platform of the Tower. There was a death that occured at the top on one of the grad nights in the early 80`s. This death resulted when a teen entered a restricted area and was struck and killed by the elevator counterweights. The reason the lower deck of the tower was closed was most likely a result of fears of people throwing objects off of the 50' level, and the fact that the park would have to staff people up there to make sure objects (or people) weren`t thrown off the edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paramountfan Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 I personally like the Park since Paramount bought them in 1992. Personally, with Paramount's Kings Island being their "flahship park" I think they could have done more. One thing that humors me greatly though, "International Street". Now back in the day, it was just that - international. I guess the Eiffel Tower and La Rosas count for French and Italian? LOL Well, they did have a Mexican and Chinese place didnt they? Still, I am kinda shocked though that as much as Paramount likes to put their names on things that they have not changed the name to reflect the "Hollywood" image that they are going for. Paramount Plaza was used at Paramount's Carowinds, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Well, there was a rumor of that a few years ago, but nothing ever materialized. PGA redid their entrance to a Paramount Plaza type theme. It was rumored that PKI would follow suite the following season, but nothing ever materialized. I street used to have each building themed to a different country. But that has been gone for quite some time. The Mexican restaurant will not be returning to I-Street. Instead, Skyline Chili will be back in that spot (it was there for WinterFest). So, I-Street has Greek and Italian food at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reon Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Considering Kings Island still had Cobra, PKI officially fails. I remember a time back then when I used to enjoy going to the park for more than just Vortex (not that Vortex is bad ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldMacRonald Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Lets just remember that this is a pki FAN site, not a pki bashing site. If you really want to go bash KI go do it on some crappy six flags site and quit using our server space and bandwidth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Excuse me, but criticism of Kings Island is accepted here, as long as it is constructive. And some of the best things I have ever read about PKI have been on Six Flags fan sites. Paramount and Taft did much that Six Flags would have done well to emulate. But, your bashing of Six Flags sites is uncalled for, to say the least. As for "our" servers bandwidth, when did you last send a donation to Ryan and/or Dane? Well? Get real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Lets just remember that this is a pki FAN site, not a pki bashing site. If you really want to go bash KI go do it on some crappy six flags site and quit using our server space and bandwidth. Let me guess? You work for the Bush Administration? <G> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Not to be confused with the BusCh administration, of course.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Not to be confused with the BusCh administration, of course.... I know! I hope that all the former Paramount Parks are to soon be under the BusCh Administration. <G> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.