What does PKI need to take the next step as a theme park?

[TH13TEEN]

I am just curious what loyal PKI fans think their park needs to take as the next step?

My suggestion is that alot needs to be done.

Let's start by stating that PKI needs a B&M Invert.

what do you think?

They need a S&S power swing like SkyHawk

I like the fake cobblestone asphalt. I think it would add a nice touch the the pathways, maybe if one was created to The Beast, much like the footprints do. Well, actually, I'm not sure, are the footprints still there?

No footprints

Expect 08' to be a great year!

If I had a dollar for everytime I've seen that phrase on a this site... We heard that about 02, then 03, 04, 05(IJST, then everyone was disappointed), and 06. Now in 07, we are getting a major coaster, but it seems to not count just because it isn't a *new* ride.

Firehawk is going to be a GREAT addition to bring the thrillseekers back to the park. To everyone else who visits Kings Island, Firehawk is a MAJOR thrill ride, and that will draw people in the gates just as much as a B&M Invert will. The general population isn't going to care that this ride isn't brand new, 200ft tall, have 9 loops, or go 80mph.

No matter what KI installs, some people just never will be happy.

Back to topic. Does Racer and Vortex still have the chasing lights on the lifts? The last time I was in the park at night was 2001, and I thought there was talk a few years ago about them not working anymore.

I will be great because it is new to KI

[Gordon Bombay]

^X flight fan, this is the last time I'm merging your posts together. Quit doing the back to back posts, I've warned you twice now before this, this is the last time.

[Tuskin]

ught oh gettin in trouble with the mods! lol

[Steveo3631]

Back in the pre Paramount days KI kept to the themes pretty well. Once Paramount decided to place branded attractions throughout the park without thought to keep to a theme KI looks lige a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces don't fit. If Cedar Fair wants to maintain a strict theme in each area, they have a lot of work ahead.

[Jamesv7]

I would like KI to bring back the animals. When I was a little kid I always loved to see the dolphin show and the wild safari.

[Tuskin]

Back in the pre Paramount days KI kept to the themes pretty well. Once Paramount decided to place branded attractions throughout the park without thought to keep to a theme KI looks lige a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces don't fit. If Cedar Fair wants to maintain a strict theme in each area, they have a lot of work ahead.

agreed paramount really messed up the entire layout that Kings Island had set up

[aimeeplesa]

Hi all-After reading this thread, I decided I had to become a member and put in my 2 cents worth.

I have lived in Warren county for most of my 33 years and KI is my home park. What Paramount did to the park was atrocious and someone should be shot for it!

Here are the steps I think need to be taken (in no particular order)

1. Paint, paint, paint!!! I think the park needs a new paint job from top to bottom. Liven up the rides and queus (sp?).

2. Landscaping. They need to better incorporate landscaping into ride and park themes.

If done right, a good paint job and revamped landscaping could make waiting in line more of a part of the ride-build up anticipation, etc.

3. FOOD-I haven't been to KI in a few years, but it seems like everything in the park is a friggin franchise! The food used to be unique, not commercialized. They need to go back to that made to order/just in time service they used to have. The quality was better and the food was awesome.

4. Retro rides-some of the biggest mistakes Paramount made was removing rides and replacing them with themed "attractions". Bring back some of the rides of yesteryear. The Antique Cars are a MUST have. And while the Screamin Demon isn't a big deal for today's thrill seekers, it could be an awesome re-addition to the kids area, for the thrill seekers of tomorrow. The Enchanted Voyage was a great way to sit down, unwind and cool off for a few minutes before plunging back into the hustle and bustle of the park. And it was a great family ride.

5. Traveling entertainment needs to come back. It made the park have a "total experience" feel to it. You could be sitting on International Street, eating your LaRosa's and still be entertained. A wandering band, barbershop quartet, balloon artist in the kids area are all just some ideas.

6. REPLACE THE PARAMOUNT THEMING! It Sucks! Kings Island had great theming (IMHO) and Paramount wrecked it by commercializing everything they could.

7. A Haunted House is a MUST! Not a kiddie shoot em up ghosty kind of ride-a good old fashioned haunted house type ride. Not everbody wants to get their thrills going 70+ miles an hour hunderds of feet in the air. I (and others like me) prefer my thrills a little closer to Earth.

I could go on and on and on, but I think I have gone on for long enough.

[iChase]

^[iChase slowly stands and claps]

[FOFirehawkFAN]

OK In a perfect world heres what would happen withen the next 5-7 years (rough idea)

Get rid of Timberwold Theatre so you can get to Top Gun from Congo Falls by walking behind Drop Zone. (And for god sakes shorten the q-line for Top Gun to meet up with this NEW path. With the new path a new paint job and maybe some fog and or tunnels would be nice too a new non-Paramount name like "Flight Commander". Also the extra land and more unused land around here could be used for a "Challenge Park like CP has so they can tear down the crappy Days of Thunder Go-Karts.

Move IJST to the current location of Days of Thunder because it does not fit at all with Coney Mall. And make Coney Mall just like a carnival, IJST would help A LOT, but id love to see a ride like The Zipper and another flat ride where Flight Commander used to be. Also bring back the Old Fashioned cars and a Ferris Wheel where IJST currently is.

Move Adventure Express to the pond in the middle of Rivertown and add a lot more theming in that area similar to the Frontier area at CP. Also if CF wants to remove all Paramount ties to the park I think they should keep TRTR but re-program it to be a different ride and re-theme it.

Finally the new area X-Base, add a couple flat rides, a bathroom and (a lot of people will fight me on this) GL's Dominator mostly where Adventure Express currently is.

Once again this would be in a PERFECT KI world

[jcold1]

all King's Island needs to do is to add a top of the line, brand new, record breking coaster! It would bring in all kind's of new guests from everywhere!!

[Scooby_Doo]

^ That might work for Cedar Point but not for KI I mean KI targets families not coaster seeking thrilllovers like us on these forums I think KI needs to take it slow and relax and work on the smaller things first and foremost.

[welchce]

The thing that caught my eye when I first started reading this thread was it's name, "What does PKI need to take the next step as a THEME park?" While I have just scanned most of the responses a lot have had to deal with many things that would make KI a better amusement park or thrill park but not necessarily a theme park. As was stated earlier...

Back in the pre Paramount days KI kept to the themes pretty well. Once Paramount decided to place branded attractions throughout the park without thought to keep to a theme KI looks lige a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces don't fit. If Cedar Fair wants to maintain a strict theme in each area, they have a lot of work ahead.

... not alot of KI goes with itself anymore. IMO, the best "themed" rides (outside of Nick Universe) are in the most random spots (TR:TR in Rivertown, IJ:ST in Coney Mall, FoF in Coney Mall, Scooby-Doo on International Street). I have been wondering for a while how Action can be a theme unless the rest of the park had little to no action going on.

So in conclusion, for KI to "take the next step as a theme park" they need to try to bring centralized themes back to specific areas of the park.

[KIBeast]

I see many good ideas for KI in this thread.

My Wish List.

I won't mention paint because they paint someting every year.

1)A B&M or Intamin coaster, not necessarily a hyper or invert. Something unique to Ohio.

2)More landscaping. Pre-Paramount, it was very nice. Today, still pretty nice, but not over the top nice like it used to be.

3)Additions to BB.

4)Sorry, I'd rather have concrete over blacktop. My feet aren't any more sore from one to the other.

5)Better live shows. I agree with an earlier post about the dolphin show coming back. Although, word has it that the shows this year are an improvement over last year.

Although Firehawk is not totally new, most guests will never know. A great addition for KI. Ironically, wasn't Firehawk the flying coaster that was supposed to come to KI originally? If so, how funny that it wound up here anyway.

[backtrack132]

When people think of Kings Island they think of The Beast and SoB. What KI truly needs is a record breaking, unique steel coaster. They really do not have any that are truly notable. The park is stacked with inovative woodies. To balance out the park it needs a world class, record breaking, unique steel coasters. And I am sorry, but no matter how fun Firehawk is... it is not unique nor will be identified with KI. The Beast and SoB, together, sweep the record books for wooden coasters. KI badly needs an identifiable steel coaster period. I remember when SoB first came out, it brought HUGE publicity to the park.

[The Interpreter]

It certainly did. It closed the next day. And stayed closed for weeks.

I don't see Cedar Fair building record breaking steel coasters any time soon.

Especially not at any park known by any other name other than Cedar Point. And probably not even there.

[Nickelodeon Nicktoon guy]

big fast smooth stell roller coaster

[DropZone99]

I want KI to get a B&M diving coaster in Rivertown, above the lake.

I even made the layout for the ride. Here is how the ride goes.

The station is in the bottom part of Rivertown by the lake.

Your turn right and go up the 210 ft. lift hill.

Then you turn right two times and you are then held on brakes right before you dive straight down 200ft. You then glide over the water and there is a huge splash, immediatly you go into a immelman loop. After that you curve your way up a hill then go down almost straight down. The track goes right into a long tunnel, when you least expect it you then enter an overbanked turn going left. The track then goes on 2 small air time hills, and you all the sudden start going 30mph. faster so you can make it up another immelman loop. You now go down a small hill and go into an underground tunnel and slow down right before you turn left and then go into a helix turning right, lastly you make your way into the station.

[Nickelodeon Nicktoon guy]

thats preety good but it sounds like the one dive coaster

[ERICTD1411]

When people think of Kings Island they think of The Beast and SoB. What KI truly needs is a record breaking, unique steel coaster. They really do not have any that are truly notable. The park is stacked with inovative woodies. To balance out the park it needs a world class, record breaking, unique steel coasters. And I am sorry, but no matter how fun Firehawk is... it is not unique nor will be identified with KI. The Beast and SoB, together, sweep the record books for wooden coasters. KI badly needs an identifiable steel coaster period. I remember when SoB first came out, it brought HUGE publicity to the park.

Yes I agree that we need a record breaking steel coaster, but Firehawk is unique but also not record breaking. We need something that will attract new fans and more publicity!!

[welchce]

and you all the sudden start going 30mph. faster so you can make it up another immelman loop

All the sudden? I'm sure they'd make the Immelmann smaller then add a random boost in the middle of the ride.

thats preety good but it sounds like the one dive coaster

Which one: SheiKra or Griffon?

[MarketingExpress]

I don't think a ride will take KI to the next step. I think what the needs to be decided is what kind of park does CF want to make KI

They are obviously running out of room at CP to debut the newest rides/coasters without having to start taking out more rides. The ideal location would be KI because of all of the excess land that they now own. Do they want to have KI compete in the coaster wars again, or are they going to take the Viacom approach and invest in family thrill rides that all members of the family can ride like IJ?

I believe this is the question that faces the current CF execs. With talks of CF up for sale, who knows what path the park will take in the future.

[CoastersRZ]

The one thing that CP has that KI doesn`t have is the neighboring resorts. Cedar Point has several resorts, which provide Cedar Fair with additional income outside of the park. Kings Island doesn`t have any outside sources of income from hotels or campgrounds.

[Scooby_Doo]

I miss the campgrounds I thought that they were going to be replaced.

[The Interpreter]

A lot of things WERE going to be done. Given the current debt load and uncertain future of the park's owner, I would place my bets that any investments in the near term are more likely to be in the nature of things that raise per cap spending, such as hotels, restaurants, food stands and the like. That and attractions financed and built by others but paying license fees to the park's owner.

[Racerrider]

What Kings Island really needs is a giga coaster or a twister coaster or something high and fast

[DropZone99]

One thing KI doesn't need is more kid rides... we have Nick Universe and that is enough, the thing we do need is more roller coasters, more thrill rides, and a resort where people can enter the park 1 hour early like at CP.

=]

[The Interpreter]

I fear you will be disappointed about the more coaster/thrill rides in the short term. The industry trend is towards more, not fewer, family attractions at the moment.

As for hotels, restaurants and campgrounds surrounding the park, you may well get your wish much earlier than you think.