Should Kings Island get a record breaking coaster?

[The Interpreter]

They also own the hotel at Geauga Lake, which came with Six Flags.

It, too, needs about as much work as the park...

[CoastersRZ]

I actually stayed in that hotel when I visited the park in 2002 when it was know as Worlds of Adventure. If my memory serves me correct, that hotel isn`t immediately adjacent to the park but a couple of blocks from it.

[The Interpreter]

Yep...a bit further than that, actually...

[Delirium33]

I think KI needs a steel coaster of at least 300 ft, not necessarily one of the huge record-breaking coasters.

[CoastersRZ]

Why exactly do you think KI needs a coaster of that size? The park has done fine for thirty five years without a steel coaster of that size. However, I do feel that a large sized steel coaster along the lines of Millenium Force (although it doesn`t have to be 300+ feet tall) could be a huge hit at the park, I don`t see that happening at Kings Island anytime soon.

[tubaman]

Kings Islands terrain needs to be taken advantage of. (Yes, I know, The Beast does a very good job) But if I'm not mistaken, the park owns a lot of hilly land, correct? Think of the possibilities.

Build a coaster, it doesn't have to be very high, just a big drop into a valley or something. Or, a low-speed launch, over a small airtime hill, and then into a big drop.

[Captain Picard]

The park needs a large steel because it has been without one for thirty five years.

The world did fine without cars and roads for years too. The talk of not needing large attractions was Paramount brainwash. I think what Paramount was doing was about to kill attendance. Now that Paramount stepped to the side it may fall on Cedar Fair.

[CoastersRZ]

Well now, Flight of Fear is a major steel coaster. Granted, I also believe that the park could use another large sized steel coaster to round out their collection.

But, I don`t believe that Paramount did as much harm to the park as you think. Granted, they did install several gimmicky rides, and rides themed to poor movies and sited in poor locations throughout the park. But they also made some very wise installs over the year, such as Delirium, Drop Zone, Flight of Fear, and the emphasis on the children`s area seems to have paid off for the park. Now, had the parks continued under the stewardship of CBS, I feel that attendance would have suffered, no questions about it.

[Snake Attack!]

Rather off topic here but in terms of a big steel coaster will we be able to see Firehawk as a part of the skyline of Kings Island or is it too far back and too small

[Cory Butcher]

I believe it is too far back, and it will be blocked by not just FoF building but Son of Beast, I would say chances of seeing it as part of the skyline are well, nill!

[Tuskin]

I agree as of right now, however I can see them expanding even farther out that way to bring more people and draw more attention over there which is a good thing

[Gordon Bombay]

The park needs a large steel because it has been without one for thirty five years.

The world did fine without cars and roads for years too. The talk of not needing large attractions was Paramount brainwash. I think what Paramount was doing was about to kill attendance. Now that Paramount stepped to the side it may fall on Cedar Fair.

Yeah Paramount really shot the guests in the foot, constant golden ticket awards and high rankings by amusement today in attendance for the past 6 years really showed that guests werent coming because of Paramount. Everyone is so quick to criticize but really no one has any room to complain. Like its been pointed out on here bt Stevo3631 before.....Paramount did bring the chain back together and Paramount kept the parks open. It had been made clear by Carl Linder that KECO was not doing well and he had no more interest in his dealings with Keco. Had Paramount not come in annd re-unified the chain then we may very well have Six Flags over Cincinnati which judging by the other SF parks I've been to thats not necesrily a god thing, although I cant speak for SFGAdv's reputation.

Like Maureen said, the park is basically getting two new coaster this year with the addition of Firehawk and all the work being done on Son of Beast. I think the sign out front is the last of their worries.

[Captain Picard]

The park needs a large steel because it has been without one for thirty five years.

The world did fine without cars and roads for years too. The talk of not needing large attractions was Paramount brainwash. I think what Paramount was doing was about to kill attendance. Now that Paramount stepped to the side it may fall on Cedar Fair.

Yeah Paramount really shot the guests in the foot, constant golden ticket awards and high rankings by amusement today in attendance for the past 6 years really showed that guests werent coming because of Paramount. Everyone is so quick to criticize but really no one has any room to complain. Like its been pointed out on here bt Stevo3631 before.....Paramount did bring the chain back together and Paramount kept the parks open. It had been made clear by Carl Linder that KECO was not doing well and he had no more interest in his dealings with Keco. Had Paramount not come in annd re-unified the chain then we may very well have Six Flags over Cincinnati which judging by the other SF parks I've been to thats not necesrily a god thing, although I cant speak for SFGAdv's reputation.

Like Maureen said, the park is basically getting two new coaster this year with the addition of Firehawk and all the work being done on Son of Beast. I think the sign out front is the last of their worries.

I agree there was nothing to complain about back when they bought the parks. I am talking about the last 3 or 4 years.

I think the low cost, high hype and lack of repair days is about to show the lower attendance results. If that happens it will be at the worst time for it. I think this year could set the pace for the next 10 years.

My bet on the new coasters is that one will not open in 07.

Watching the park over the years I have found that the park spokesperson has a job to do.

[CoastersRZ]

Low cost in the last three or four years? That puts 2003 in that time frame, and by all accounts I`ve seen, Delirium has been a huge hit among guests. Yes, it has suffered some bouts of extended down time, but that was in part due to the park having to wait for a part to arrive from Germany. Also, while it may be a cheap replacement for Phantom Theater, Scooby Doo is still bringing in long lines of people three years after it opened. Also, the water park expansion in 2004 was a much needed expansion, that helped to bridge the large concrete gap that resided between the original WaterWorks that was built in 1989 and the new expansion that was built in 1997.

Yes, it will be interesting to see what happens with one of the "new" coasters in 2007, and when (or if) it opens for this year. Personally, I hope the park can get the issues with this ride straightened out. But I, like a lot of other people on here, are somewhat skeptical.

And I don`t think that the park will have a bad year as far as attendance goes, based solely on the reported 'reputation of Paramount.' A lot of things play into attendance; weather, economy and how well the new attraction is received by the public. I think that people in the Cincinnati area will get a kick out of Firehawk, even if it is a relocated ride. Like it has been said before, the people that have ridden the ride when it was up north and known as X-Flight will be in the vast minority of the public that will be visiting the park. So to most of them it will be a brand new experience. I feel it will be an experience that most will fall in love with.

[flightoffear1996]

I only went to the water park once or twice last year but there is still a great amount of walking around in your bare feet on concrete. A complete renovation of the park was needed. I good idea is to make the path ways a giant lazy river. Yea it would cost a lot but I would probably along with thousands of others enjoy the water park a lot more. One of the main reasons I don't go to the water park is because it just kills my feet.

[CoastersRZ]

Well compared to how the water park was pre- 2004, it is a lot better. Especially since they added a major water slide over by the wave pool. I didn`t say there wasn`t still a lot of concrete to walk on. And, to be honest, I`ve only been in Boomerang Bay once since it opened, and that was when they had a pass holder preview weekend for it back in 2004.

[Tuskin]

they should take out all the concrete and make it sand lol

[flightoffear1996]

The sand would be way to hard to keep clean with people littering.

[marlfox_21]

See, that makes me worry. If KI starts to outdraw CP (as it has been known to in the past), will CF embrace KI as being a winning park or arrogantly take ephasis off of KI and put more on CP?

I don't think it is going to take as long as some people think for Kings Island to get something REALLY BIG. I mean Kings Island is one of the main reasons that Cedar Fair made the purchase. And unlike Paramount ( P that must not be named ) I don't think that Kings Island will change hands again soon, if ever. This being a probable factor, I am willing to make a sure bet that Kings Island will be made into one of the most competitive parks around. ( I AM NOT SAYING THAT IT ISN'T ALREADY ) If Cedar Fair was willing to place X-Flight at Kings Island instead of shipping it not even half of the distance to Cedar Point, then I am compelled to think of it as the company desiring change, and going in a whole new direction with Kings Island. Because, lets face it. If Cedar Fair was putting Firehawk in Cedar Point instead of any of the newly aquired Paramount Parks, then people would be in an uproar about how Cedar Fair is only catering to their Flagship park, and they would complain about how the paramount parks would recieve nothing. But since this is not the case, I think that it is a great however only small start of things yet to come to Kings Island.

m.f.21

[Cory Butcher]

The sand would be way to hard to keep clean with people littering.

Hmm, I wonder how Daytona can keep their beach clean? Or Cocoa Beach...just how do they do it? The word you are searching for is not hard, but "more maintenance intensive".

If people litter as much as you put onto them and a beach can be for the most part clean before a high-tide rolls in, then I would say that a beach within a very controlled environment such as Boomerang Bay with no tide-restraints could be extremely clean. How is the Beach clean you may ask. Well many parts answer this question: Littering isnt the only activity beachgoers engage in.There are things called rakes, which depending on nesting schedules, groom the beach intermittently. Also you have people that dont mind going out of their way to pick up a empty cup of pop and put it in the correct trash receptacle and Rangers, lifeguards, etc. who routinely survey the beach and swimmers, and pick up trash as well. There is no reason why Boomerang Bay couldn't have sand and a group of "pan and brooms" who keep the area free of the occasional litter attack.

I for one wouldnt mind seeing that, or one of those synthetic rubber playground surfaces used at water play areas at Dollywood and the like. The only real constraint with this material? More cost, and More maintenance! And there are materials of this nature that when the sun heats them dont smell like dirty feet...again "Dollywood"!

[Tuskin]

The sand would be way to hard to keep clean with people littering.

Hmm, I wonder how Daytona can keep their beach clean? Or Cocoa Beach...just how do they do it? The word you are searching for is not hard, but "more maintenance intensive".

If people litter as much as you put onto them and a beach can be for the most part clean before a high-tide rolls in, then I would say that a beach within a very controlled environment such as Boomerang Bay with no tide-restraints could be extremely clean. How is the Beach clean you may ask. Well many parts answer this question: Littering isnt the only activity beachgoers engage in.There are things called rakes, which depending on nesting schedules, groom the beach intermittently. Also you have people that dont mind going out of their way to pick up a empty cup of pop and put it in the correct trash receptacle and Rangers, lifeguards, etc. who routinely survey the beach and swimmers, and pick up trash as well. There is no reason why Boomerang Bay couldn't have sand and a group of "pan and brooms" who keep the area free of the occasional litter attack.

I for one wouldnt mind seeing that, or one of those synthetic rubber playground surfaces used at water play areas at Dollywood and the like. The only real constraint with this material? More cost, and More maintenance! And there are materials of this nature that when the sun heats them dont smell like dirty feet...again "Dollywood"!

Well, thankfully you seem to back me up on a lot of things Cory! Thanks for that, at least someone aorund here thinks my ideas are somewhat good.

[Cory Butcher]

Well, Id like to think I had the idea first, you just said it haha. And in fact many people here have had the idea before me and people before them! It just so happens that they never have thought it to be a)economical or b)achievable! So I tried to prove that wrong in my post.

[AintNutinElse2Do]

Okay first I would like to say sand almost seems like an excellent deal. But let's think about it walking on sand on a sunny day is just about as hot as walking on concrete. Granted however the sand doesn't scratch up your feet though. Another thing on the sand idea is that it would also create a big insurance issue. Loose sand can often equal twisted ankles, knees, etc. I could just see the lawsuits pouring in now. Whether legitimate or not.

Now to the topic at hand, should Kings Island get a record breaking coaster? ABSOLUTELY but perhaps maybe not the typical highest or fastest record. I've had a couple coasters racing around in my mind for a while now. I think it would be great if they made a steel or hybrid coaster with just a couple of HUGE (possibly tallest) loops in it. It could be a low to the ground terrain-hugging experience with many tunnels (possibly a record amount of tunnels or tunnel length). Maybe they could make it decently high but taking advantage of the terrain they could make it the longest drop of any coaster especially if you put a tunnel at the bottom. Now the name of this coaster of which is much better invisioned in my head than I can describe in words could be.

METAL BEAST

or with loops

EYES OF BEAST

Now for the other coaster invisioned in my head would be a much needed Inverterd (full circuit) coaster this could be called

FLIGHT OF BEAST

One record I would personally love to see broken on any coaster at Kings Island would be ride duration and/or length. As long as it doesnt take any records away from Beast or SOB. That's my thoughts on all this.

OH YEAH..... can't wait to see "what happens if there is no light at the end of the tunnel" FRIDAY 13th

[CoastersRZ]

I have to say that I doubt we see any new roller coaster with the name of Beast in them at Kings Island. The park is still trying to recover from the whole Son of Beast situation.

[Cory Butcher]

I completely agree!

[AintNutinElse2Do]

I get the whole SOB situation. But I'd like to say this and I think I'm completely right on this. The whole SOB situation I think is a bigger issue to us "enthusiasts" and is not as big of a situation to most park guests. Just like a used ride to us often seems like a travisty but to most park goers it's a new ride. As sad as it may be people get hurt on rides and at theme parks all of the time and likely even more so in water parks. I know some people got hurt on SOB and I know that may create a stigma for some people but chances are those people that won't ride it now after the accident are likely the same people that you would of had to drag on there before the accident. SOB was and hopefully still is an intimidating coaster for most park goers. I don't think that SOB has ruined the reputation of The Beast. Believe me I'm pretty much obsessed with theme parks and especially roller coasters and time after time I have to drag friends out to the parks. Even after the accident those who wouldn't of rode it before still wouldnt and those who would (my little nephew in example) wished he could be a test rider bump or no bump. Anyways my whole point on this is I think the SOB situation is a bigger deal for "enthusiasts" and not as big of deal for the general public and I don't think it hurts The Beast name for the general public. Which I feel for most will still think of Beast before they think of SOB and think of how great of a coaster The Beast has been throughout the years (especially at night)

[Tuskin]

Did you guys ever think about who created The Beast tho.... I know I have and its not the same people that made the SOB which creates a big part in why the two coasters seem totally different in feel. On one hand you have the SOB which was created recently within the last 7 years and had quite a lot of complants, while you have The Beast which over and over again is rated as one of the best wooden roller coasters ever built.

[CoastersRZ]

Yes, those are some valid points.

However, the park has spent a lot of time and money on trying to make the ride a more enjoyable ride for guests. I mean, it was on its second set of lap bars, and they even shortened the trains to five cars in an attempt to make the ride more enjoyable and less of a maintenance nightmare. I think that if you were to ask the general public their opinions on the ride, a lot of them would say that they enjoy the ride but that it is just too bumpy and rough. Hopefully, the park can get Son of Beast squared away to where it is an enjoyable ride by the general public.

As far as used rides go. I spent five years working at a park (and I might go back for a sixth year) that the majority of the rides are used rides. At Coney, other than the Bumper Boats and Pedal Boats, only the Frog Hopper and Scream Machine were brand new rides when they were installed at Coney. And you know what? The general public seems to love all the rides at Coney. Some more than others, The Ferris Wheel, coaster, and Dodgems seemed to be the big crowd favorites. But the general public really seems to enjoy them. Just a little tidbit, all four Cincinnati area amusement parks/water parks are getting "new" attractions this year that are actually used rides that once resided at other parks in the state of Ohio.

[The Interpreter]

Having spent a lot of my life watching people as they get off amusement attractions, I must say I have seldom seen a more uniformly high percentage of far less than happy people than riders exiting Son of Beast. I know many, many people who swore that they had ridden it for their last time long before July 9, 2006. I think the ride's relatively short lines, on even the busiest days, are further proof of this.

If the park can fix this thing and make it enjoyable, I truly think it deserves a different name. Even if the name is somewhat the same:

The New and Improved Son, it won't throw you for a loop and will leave you happy and smiling!

[SOB_TOM]

Ive always like the name Son of the Wife of the Second Cousin of the Third Nephew (twice removed) of The Beast. But thats just me.

Does KI need another record breaking coaster? Absolutely NOT. That is not the market KI is in anymore. Remember, KI once tried to go toe to toe with CP, and now with the same company owning both, I doubt that we get a First of its kind coaster, or definitely not a record breaking. Thats why KI is now family orientated. Its their niche in the Ohio amusement industry.