cjeagle35

Yes that makes sense and thats how it will probably happen. But I was just hoping for something like they did with Maverick, with a seperate web page, photos, on-ride videos, construction notes, and all that stuff to come out at the same time. Guess that was wishful thinking.

Certainly not much of a release. I was hoping for some digital imaging. I'm wondering how the ride will fit into the area and how it will be themed. Also I'd like to hear from the park how this ride came to KI and what the management thinks of it. So hoping for a bit more info, and some quality photos and videos. While Vekoma coasters are far from the best, I definatly think this is the most excitement Kings Island has experianced for sometime, not since 2000 has there been this much interest in Kings Island. So kudos to Cedar Fair for adding something to the park that they haven't had for a while, a thrilling coaster.

Certainly not much of a release. I was hoping for some digital imaging. I'm wondering how the ride will fit into the area and how it will be themed. Also I'd like to hear from the park how this ride came to KI and what the management thinks of it. So hoping for a bit more info, and some quality photos and videos.

You don't seem to be understanding my point. It is not that I don't think themeing adds to the overall ride experiance. If it is very well done, themeing can make a park or ride much more enjoyable. Just look at Dueling Dragons, Flight of Fear, or anything at Disneyland. My point however is that just adding some themeing doesn't necessarily mean a better ride and a better experiance. Like I've said before, it is just that some themeing can take away from the beauty of a park, like at KI with Italian Job. While Cedar Fair doesn't theme their rides like Paramount or Six Flags does, it does't make their attractions any less fun. For example, I would much rather ride Skyhawk, by all the grass, tall trees and lake of Frontiertown, than Tomb Raider at KI. It has a theme, but its boxy building clashes with the beauty of Rivertown. The actual ride is themed pretty well, but that doesn't make it a more enjoyable ride than Skyhawk.

^This article http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060620/BUSINESS06/606200357 Which ironically shows that GL only made 7mil more than Michigan's Adventure, and people think GL is getting screwed by losing a coaster And as for a park caring about history, name one park chain that does. The only parks that I've seen that put history above making a buck would be Kennywood, Idlewood, Knoebals, and the other small family parks. This is a business and history doesn't mean much.

^Out of all the rides you named, I think only the Flight of Fears rides are the only ones were the themeing is actually very well done, and that didn't replace a much more classic and better looking attraction. You can call me old fashioned, but I just don't think some of these themes add much to the park experiance. Like I've mentioned before, I would much rather have the parklike atmosphere of the Antique Cars at KI than all the concrete, steel, and gravel of Italian Job. On the Batmans and Mr. Freezes, I just don't think there themeing adds all that much to the ride experiance. I think they are good rides because they are good rides, not because themeing made them better. Now there are rides were the themeing is very well done and it adds so much to the ride experiance, like Flight of Fear. But I just don't think you need great themeing to have a beautiful park. I think suttle themeing, like most parks do with Western themeing, that is not over the top, really makes a park more beautiful. Like Frontier Trail at CP, or in Dollywood. So I guess its not themeing that I have a problem with, just the type of themeing that Six Flags and Paramount put all over their parks.

I don't see why people say this. Its not that I believe Cedar Fair wants to save this classic amusement park that has been around since the 1800s, but because it simply doesn't make sense. Why would CF get ride of a park that is making about 26mil a year? No way the land that the park sits is worth 26mil, especially in the economy of northeast Ohio, as the area certainly isn't growing. Even if the park's revenue doesn't improve, making 26mil a year is still more profitable than closing the park and selling the land. GL will stay simply because it would not be profitable for CF to buy the park, invest in it, and then sell it.

^Yes but there are plenty of good parks without much themeing. Cedar Point, Kennywood, and Hersheypark are great examples of parks without much themeing that are very enjoyable. I just don't see how slapping a Batman logo on something or giving a ride a bad movie name, and calling it themeing makes the park a better experiance.

^Yes, with its lost the park could use a new drop tower. It would be a good way to put in a good thrill ride cheaply, unlike a new coaster.

^^That plan is very ambitions. I think the park would do good by adding a dark ride for families, a few more slides for the waterpark, and drop tower (Intamin or S&S) for the thrill seekers. As long as they continue the general improvements and do a good job of marketing to families, these installations could really help the park.

Does this mean that all former Paramount parks will be returning to their orginal names?

I don't see why you continue to bring up this issue. Where does it say you have to have great themeing to have great rides? Why does a park need good themeing to be an enjoyable experiance? Amusement parks went without themeing for 100 years until themeing became standard in the 1950s after the debut of Disneyland. Lets just look at Kings Island for a second, which would you rather have, the nice grass, trees, and flowers of the Antique Cars, or the themeing of Italian Job, with its concrete, gravel, and steel? The Cedar Fair parks on a whole just don't make enough to justify themeing their parks like yearound parks, like Disney and Busch. I'll tell you what, now that KI is out the hands of Paramount, I'm so glad that every new mediocre ride won't be themed like some bad movie.

Yes I do think that there is potential in the waterpark. It was extremely busy the last time I went, while the rides side was pretty dead. But again, I'm confused because I don't know if CF is headed in this direction. They cut down on planned upgrades for the water park even though it could use a few more slides. If they add a LIM water coaster next year maybe I'll rethink my opinion however.

I don't think there is any denying these were the most costliest rides at GL to run. I can understand why the park decide to get ride of them, their attendence certainly didn't justify them. However, I do think that Cedar Fair will definatly not look very good in the public's eyes because of this move. Removing 3 rides in one year and not replacing them just doesn't look good. Lets hope some good new family attractions, like a dark ride, are added in upcoming years. Yes I do think that there is potential in the waterpark. It was extremely busy the last time I went, while the rides side was pretty dead. But again, I'm confused because I don't know if CF is headed in this direction. They cut down on planned upgrades for the water park even though it could use a few more slides. If they add a LIM water coaster next year maybe I'll rethink my opinion however.

^Sorry for all those GL fans, but that has always been GL's major weakness. They are just sandwitched between 2 far superior parks. GL just can't seem to find a niche, something they can be better at than CP or Kennywood to thrive.

Wow, I never really expected this park to lose 2 coasters in one year. Obviously Steel Vemon and X-Flight were the parks most expensive rides to operate, so I'm guessing it was just a bussiness decision to let them go. Does any one truely know how GL was doing financially lately? It seems the park may have bigger problems than we thought. I'll tell you what though, by removing 2 coasters and not putting in any kind of replacement attraction definatly will make CF look bad in the public's eyes. I don't think their removal will help GL's attendance by any means.

I'm not asking for you to worship CF. I just didn't agree with some of your thoughts. I personally like CF parks overall better than SF, but I realize both chains have their good qualities and bad qualities. For example, Geauga Lake definatly seemed quite dead in my last visit there. I really enjoyed Six Flags New England also, speedy operations and nice location right next to the river. I just found the CF parks I've been seem to be run better, clean, and well landscaped. I think they at least make an effort to keep the park looking nice with trees, bushes, and flowery. Not that there aren't exceptions, but all I'm asking from a seasonal amusement park is to look professional, and not try to be the next disneyland on a budget. I just don't find the "slap a batman logo on something and call it themeing" to be well done. For example, look at Kennywood, except for a few of its rides it has very little themeing at all, but the park still is very beautiful. It proves you don't need themeing to be a great park.

Well first of all, all of the CF parks (pre Paramount) except for Valleyfair and Worlds of Fun were built before themeing in amusement parks became widely used after the construction of Disneyland. Only SFNE comes into mind as a Six Flags park built before the 1960s. In fact, Knotts was the first "theme park," and revolutionized themeing in the industry. Yes some of this themeing has been lost, but Knotts (and WoF) definatly have much more superior themeing to any Six Flags parks. As for the other parks, they don't have general themed areas as newer parks do because parks weren't as "planned out" back then. However there are a few of great themed areas even in the older parks. Frontier Town and Frontier Trail in Cedar Point is probabily one of the most beautiful places for a park anywhere. Secondally, does more themeing really make that big of a difference? I enjoy a ride on the Magnum and its beautiful lakeside setting much more than the themeing of the Batman inverts, with their dirty (some things that are supposed to be dirty and others that just are dirt) stations and a few old junked up police cars. Like I said before as long as I find the park clean and well landscaped, I don't have much of a problem.

I think the most important thing we have to remember in this debate about coasters is simply some people like different things. I think it would be wrong for a coaster enthusiast to just make Voyage his #1 wood or SROS his #1 steel simply because that is how he is supposed to vote, being a coaster enthusiast. This top coaster lists should only be used as a guide for the coaster fan to go out, find, and experiance himself the great roller coasters. Simply saying "SROS is the best coaster ever," and then discrediting everyone else who likes a different coaster as a "fanboy" or not as "experianced" is just wrong. Different strokes for different folks. I know one of my favorites, Magnum, which has what I believe one of the best moments of ejector airtime in its last tunnel, only placed 65th. Does this mean it shouldn't be one of my favorites because it didn't place high on the list? I don't think so. As long as we try to rank these coasters, there will always be controversy, but hey, it gives us something to talk about.

^None, but Six Flags had a few.

As we've seen with Six Flags, raising prices ecessarily doesn't hurt the company's bottom line. As shown by the recent Cedar Fair experiment, tickets only be a few dollars cheaper doesn't seem to bring in massive crowds. Disney will still get guests, people have shown their are willing to pay the increased prices, and its simple economics, the prices will go up.

I think your confused with Six Flags... SF theming is ten times better then anything at any CF park before the purchase of Paramount. CF parks are nothing but concrete. Yes, I especially love their parking lot coasters, those are my favorite themed rides ever. Honestly I don't see why we hold CF and SF to the same standards as the Disneys and Univerisal's of the world. These resort parks make exponentually more than the simple regional amusement park. CF and SF can't simply afford to have the same quality of theming. As long as the parks are landscaped well (flowers, trees, ect.). I don't have a problem with them.

^^Sorry, I just don't see myself as a fan boy. Kings Island is my homepark, and I like Cedar Point, but I'm not niave enough to think they've never made a mistake. Its just when you say Cedar Fair isn't going to put in any good attractions into a park attended by 3 million people, that I will make an arguement. That simply doesn't make any business sense. While I don't agree with the X-Flight decision, you have to realize, CF will do what is best for business, thats how amusement parks work.

^I never said all those coasters were made B&M. I know who made each ride. My point was that those are high quality coaster installations at every one of Cedar Fair's parks. And I still stay with that stat. I've never found a bad B&M, though some were kind of meh. Yes all those companies make a few good rides, Intamin especially. But the number of good steel from them is a small number. The majority of steel in existence today is either Arrow and Vekoma, and I'd say a mediocre B&M beats most of there creations.

My point only is that the recent coaster installations Cedar Fair has made lately are great rides, and there isn't any denying that. Okay, so I'm not as educated on Herschend, my apologies. Of these, I have only been to Busch Gardens Europe. But Herschend only operates 3 major parks. They are not nearly as big as Cedar Fair, Six Flags, or Paramount. All of the Busch and Herschend parks are high quality, I'm not doubting that, its just that are not as large of a nationwide chain as the others.