TombRaiderFTW

I mean... Considering how the last four years have gone, it's only right if Josh is the one to come back, right?

Friend... They might have said "think," but we're still talking about an HR manager having the scoop on a multi-million dollar business's five-year plans. The HR manager where I work is an incredibly intelligent person, but they probably couldn't name everything our company produces. In terms of proximity to creative decision-making, that's like claiming that the Dippin' Dots guy's coaster enthusiast boss as a reliable source. I understand the desire for a giga and generally enjoy the speculation, but I think you might be barking up the wrong tree on this one.

^^ I'm not sure I follow. Kings Island has made it to that level of revenue without a coaster over 300' tall. Whatever it is that KI is marketing themselves as is apparently relevant enough without it. That doesn't mean we won't get one, but it also doesn't mean we're owed one or in dire need of one or something. A gigacoaster isn't an award for being towards the top of the chain's EBITDA... ...It's the head of Human Resources. I'm sure he or she is a very talented person, but his or her sphere of influence is in staffing. I'm not sure why he or she would be part of strategic planning for future attractions. I imagine that person is probably fluent enough in the industry to speculate on whether or not our apparently inevitable giga will come from Intamin.

I second that description. The times I've visited KD mid-summer, the dry park doesn't have extensive lines except for rides with lower capacities, like Volcano. On that note, I recommend getting to KD at opening and heading straight for Volcano (if passholder ERT on it isn't available.) Even if the park isn't too busy, Volcano's queue can be very warm because of how enclosed it is in parts. It's especially icky when it's humid. (And if the park IS busy, you'll beat the worst of the crowds.)

Am I a bitter old man and/or elitist hipster if I say that the areas of the park are not overwhelmingly distinguishable at this point? In 2007 or prior, I feel like they were considerably more pronounced than they are now. (I'm sure many would also say that about pre-Paramount KI.) I feel like Diamondback, Banshee (and the accompanying reworking of Action Zone), the removal of the Glockenspiel and addition of new Festhaus signage, the removal of Coney Mall's sign, and the clear-cutting of many trees have slanted the areas of the park towards a generic, modern feel. It's minimalism done in a way that looks clean and neat, but it's not overwhelmingly geared towards the themes the park already has. Pretty much the only indication that you're moving from area to area is that the buildings start looking different. Since almost all of them are food buildings (with foods that are entirely unrelated to the building's theme) or generically-themed games, it's pretty possible to spend an entire day at the park without realizing there even were themes. I'm not trying to tear down this poll for existing (it's great conversation!); I'm just mostly not a huge fan of how the themes have changed over the last 10 years or so. That being said, I feel like Mystic Timbers and the new Rivertown funnel cake building were a nice step in the opposite direction. I hope future additions work in that direction. I would not be upset if, assuming we're getting a gigacoaster and it's going in Coney Mall, it had some kind of amusement pier/California Adventure-Paradise Pier-esque theme. Some intricate white-painted woodwork in the station (think Kennywood's Racer) would be a really neat effect. But that's me.

I honestly don't think the outcomes of Tomb Raider and Son of Beast would have changed much. Tomb Raider was frankly unsustainable on a seasonal park budget, CBS was apathetic, and park attendance and guest spending slumped during the 2008 recession. If CBS had owned the parks up to the recession, I think Tomb Raider might have gone away even sooner than it did. I'm assuming that Son of Beast's 2006 accident and 2009 medical incident would still have happened in our hypothetical world; if so, I don't really believe that anyone in charge would have tried to redeem it much more than Cedar Fair did. Maybe some sort of leadership change at Paramount Parks during the rise of RMC might have saved it, but if PP's leadership around 2005/2006 was any indication, I don't think they would have been in the business of carefully trying to untangle the liabilities of that ride instead of just replacing it. As far as additions go... I imagine it would have been the "cheap and cheerful" route through at least 2008. If a new coaster showed up, I would imagine it wouldn't have arrived any sooner than 2009, and even then it would be because it was already well in the works prior to the recession. CBS wasn't enthusiastic about owning the parks; they wanted to get rid of them. If we're not selling the parks in this situation, then I imagine that some amount of restructuring within Paramount would have put the parks in some other Paramount-owned brand's hands sooner or later. At that point, maybe we might have seen some more movie-themed E-ticket rides arrive at the park. Oh, and maybe Flight of Fear would have gotten an MTV-related makeover that was rumored at one point. Kings Dominion either wouldn't have a Flight of Fear anymore, or it would be a completely different experience. Winterfest-wise... I dunno if it would have actually come back in 2006 or not. If it did, surely it would have had more attractive pricing than the 2005 version. I don't know what else you could predict more than a couple years beyond 2006, but if we're open to daydreaming, it would have been really interesting to see them switch hands after the recession and focus on turning the park into some kind of year-round destination with Universal- or Disney-quality rides. I realize that's not what Kings Island was originally meant to be and not what it is now, but that's where early-2000's KI was trying to head, in my opinion. It didn't work, but as an eternal fanboy of Tomb Raider, it would have been cool to see that level of detail work out and inspire similar additions. I know the original post specifies that the Paramount parks weren't sold in this situation, but I honestly feel like the parks would have been individually sold one way or another if Cedar Fair hadn't bought the lot. I don't know who would have bought each of them, but it feels like KI would have gone to Cedar Fair sooner or later. There was a lot of heavy speculation and rumoring around then that Kinzel wanted Paramount Parks specifically for KI. From a business perspective, that makes some sense. This was a fun topic to think about. Thanks!

I would respectfully speculate that there are multiple companies that offer LSM technology that could be applied to roller coasters. I very much doubt that RMC designed the LSMs. That Lightning Rod's didn't work right out of the box and Thunderbird's did probably says more about one or more entities involved (not necessarily the coaster manufacturer, either) than it does about whether or not LSMs can be applied to wooden coasters. TRFTW, tremendous fan of RMC, B&M, Lightning Rod, AND Thunderbird.

I've got two. First: this is a little cliched around here, but it annoys me that the park has front-and-center buildings being used as Haunt attractions. I don't mind having structures that only exist for Haunt that are unintrusive during the regular season (e.g. Slaughterhouse, Board 2 Death, CarnEvil.) I don't love that an entire arcade (KillMart) and a themed ride building (Madame Fatale's) are very much visible components of themed(-ish) areas but aren't accessible except for six weekends in the fall. Especially since both could be used to further enhance the themes of their respective areas, given the right funding and focus. Second (which I don't know necessarily qualifies as a nitpick, but I'll throw it in anyway): I'm finally going to Disneyland this year for the first time after having visited Walt Disney World a couple times over the last few years. When you buy a ticket for Disney World, there's so much pre-planning to get excited about. "Make your profile and reserve your FastPasses!" they exclaim. "Have you booked a hotel room? Made your dining reservations? Do you want us to shoot a reminder to your phone when it's time for [show] or [character meet and greet]? How do you want to receive your Super Special Plastic Ticket Card(s)? Get your magic ready to go!" There's a whole hype train attached to buying a Disney World ticket. If you want it, your experience starts at least 30 days before you ever go. When you buy a ticket to Disneyland... you buy a ticket. And that's it. The lack of hype is comical (to me, anyway) compared to WDW. Did you buy your ticket? Good. Now go print it off and sit on your hands or something. I've got all this Disney park-related excitement but literally nothing to channel it into, haha.

I would definitely say I'm Flying-- --straight to the answer of Adventure Express. Eh heh heh... heh. Actually, I think I'm a CCI. Well-meaning despite the execution sometimes not being great. Also, I get mean when it's hot out and sometimes beat the tar out of people. Just kidding. I'm an Intamin. I always let people down when they make plans with me. Nah... nah. That's not it. I'm a Larson looper. No one's excited to see me coming. I'll be here all week! (Serious answer, though: probably something like Verbolten? I like having fun outside, but I have a lot more fun in my imagination [the inside]. Let's go with that.)

EDIT: What @jcgoble3 said.

Dane's just looking out for your theme preferences!

I mean, *I* think it is, but I'm also not as giga-crazy as you. I thought Leviathan was pretty forgettable, and not because it's a B&M--Fury is one of my favorites. For me, the draw for Wonderland is Vortex, Wild Beast, Thunder Run, and the unique flat rides, foods, and live entertainment. (And Wonder Mountain's Guardian, but I think I'm alone on that one.) It's a really well-rounded park that unfortunately just doesn't seem to have a singular star coaster. It's worth at least one visit, if nothing else.

I've always imagined that maintenance costs played a big part in that. Kentucky Rumbler is the worst maintained GCI of the ones I've ridden*. There are 12 cars to a train on that ride; when I rode a few years ago, maybe half of them had all of their ornamental pieces still attached. I wouldn't accuse that ride of being rough. It opened in 2006. Meanwhile, Voyage frequently has extensive retracking (or even redesigning of supports, like in 2012) that the park actively promotes alongside any additions or renovations to the park. Steve Gorman has said at enthusiast events that Ravine Flyer II has two layers of steel on the insides of the track to try to keep it firm and resistant to damage (which causes roughness.) Boardwalk Bullet is probably second to only Son of Beast in terms of how rough it can be. All opened the same year as Kentucky Rumbler or later. I love both companies, but I get the impression that one costs more longer-term. *Not including the ones that originally operated with PTC trains. Those ones are in a class of terribleness all on their own. I'm just talking about the ones that have always operated with Millennium Flyers.

Does anything ever come out of B&M vs. Intamin debates besides flames? Not trying to police what y'all talk about, but it seems like we hit up this subject every six months around here and never get anywhere constructive with it. Not to mention that in recent years, manufacturers like S&S and RMC have opened more rides in America than either B&M or Intamin... But that's just my two cents.

And then you wake up in a cold sweat.

Ooh! I know this one!

^ I own the book. It's essentially a college textbook on the amusement industry (except, to my knowledge, no college uses it in class.) I don't think there are a huge number of copies since it's kind of a niche publication--kind of like the books ACE has published over the years. I hate to say it, but you actually might not be able to find it outside of Amazon. That being said, I have to second LoadAndGo's review. It's a great book, if a bit dry sometimes. If you're seriously passionate about the amusement industry and have an opportunity to read through it, I can't recommend it enough.

It's been said before, but my vote is for the Antique Cars. I like Backlot quite a bit, but it's not something I would have made the centerpiece of the park. I would argue that the cars were a much more family-friendly ride that gave families more opportunity to experience the rest of the park outside the kids' area. And the trees, of course, are dearly missed. (I feel like post-Firehawk Kings Island has been very eager to take out trees without planting replacements, and to me, that's a shame. Parks that blend well with nature just have some extra charm to me that I can't quite describe. It's one of the reasons I prefer Kings Dominion.) Of course, I LOVED Tomb Raider: The Ride, but I honestly don't feel like the park was prepared for its operating costs and complexity when they got it. It was literally a Universal-quality ride dropped into a seasonal park operating on a seasonal park budget. I'd just about kill to experience its early years again, but I don't think you could objectively accuse the park of making a mistake by removing it. Still never not going to miss it, though.

I voted for Time Traveler, but it's a tie between it and Steel Vengeance. I have a friend who works for Silver Dollar City, and his excitement has been really contagious. But, I'm also super hyped to finally have an RMC in Ohio.

Between reading TRs over the years and experiencing CP's opening day myself a couple times, it seems like there are always a ton of ride breakdowns, regardless of weather. No idea why. I've never experienced that phenomenon at any other park. I wouldn't change plans because of it, but it does seem to happen that way more years than not. I'd probably go for it, but bring some patience with you, too.

^ If I'm not mistaken, they have the same buy-out days they usually have: the first Sunday in the season, the two weekends in September, and the first Haunt Saturday till 7pm.

^ Well, except for April 15...

This article does a decent job of chronicling Tomb Raider's life and includes video: https://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20160207/31467/tomb-raider-how-one-americas-best-ever-themed-rides-was-buried-good And no, I didn't write it.

Cedar Point is not what I'd call a well-rounded park. Flat ride additions seem to somewhat have a back seat to coaster additions, and there isn't a dark ride in sight. Prior to the Gemini midway makeover, what was their last dry flat ride addition? Maybe Skyhawk in 2006? Or the inherited kiddie rides from Geauga Lake in 2008? I'd argue that Canada's Wonderland or even Carowinds are a much better example of a well-rounded park that hasn't sold its soul to the coaster craze the way Cedar Point or Magic Mountain have.

Oh my gosh, that is incredibly tempting. I've been dying to go to Disneyland but could never find flights for less than $250-$300. If only I didn't have trips planned in the spring that I need to save money for!