Voicetek

I've seen this mentioned in various other posts, but have never been sure just what exactly it was. Could someone please explain to me what Gulliver's Rub-a-Dub was? I'm so curious!

I went to Disney World back in August of 2011 and both Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain weren't working. I was very disappointed especially since we only had one day in the Magic Kingdom and I had my niece and nephew with me, both of who have never been to Disney World. However, what can you do? These rides are just a big machine, and they break down. We just moved on to other rides and I occasionally would check back throughout the day. Unfortunately Thunder Mountain Railroad never re-opened, but we did get to do Splash Mountain when it opened for just a few minutes at the very end of the operating day. I never once thought about chewing someone out over it. And Disney World isn't really a place you can go back to again and again. It's usually a once a year (if that) vacation destination. So if you don't get to ride something on your visit, more than likely you'll have to wait until you come back again the next year.

^ Seems like a bit much for just not being able to do Action Theater.

If these were prototypes, it seems as if the manufacturers of these rides should be held somewhat responsible if they ever have to be demolished. Unless some type of agreement was signed by KI acknowledging that these were, in a sense, "test models" and could fail and be rendered useless at any time, I feel like KI should be entitled to some type of compensation. I know that's probably not how these things work, but still, I'd be pretty ticked if I invested that kind of money on a ride that was completely incapable of delivering any type of long term functionality.

No I know that the coaster is still there. I was just referring to when it was Runaway Reptar. Liked the whole Rugrats theme and the giant Reptar statue. It made for a very fun, themed, kids coaster!

This was kind of a fun ride! I especially loved the giant Reptar statue out in front of the coaster. That's something I wouldn've liked to have gotten a hold of when they took it down. I would've totally put it in my back yard and turned it into some kind of fountain lol!

I didn't join until June of 2012. I don't know why I waited so long to join. I've been coming here for a long time. I hate that I waited so long, but glad I finally did join as it has been fun and informative!

Wow, I forgot how cool this ride was! What a shame all the theming was taken out and turned into that depressing shell of a ride.

I remember taking a field trip back in elementary school to KI to ride the monorail through the wild animal habitat. We didn't stay to ride any of the rides, we just went to see the animals. Now that was a long time ago!

I'm kind of glad the Beach is going to be open again. It seemed like Soak City was slammed last summer when the Beach was closed, much more crowded then previous years. Perhaps this was because of the new expansion, perhaps it was because we got all the Beach's customers/crowds. Either way, I'll be curious to see how both Soak City and the Beach do this summer.

Wow, very nice!

Amazing pics! It would have been awesome to experience KI back then! I was born in 1980 and started going to the park at a pretty young age, so luckily I have some great memories of my own of a younger KI.

Gosh I loved the trams when I was younger and I loved trying to remember which "cartoon character" row we parked in. Scooby Doo row 3, Fred Flinstone row 4, Huckleberry Hound row 5...ahhh, those were the days!

What do you think Kings Island is, Fantasy Farm?

^ I second that!

I'd love a boat ride through a dino exhibit. I was kind of hoping that's what we'd get from Dinosaurs Alive when I first saw the teaser for it. Before it was announced as a walk through, upcharge section. Expanding that area into a Dino-themed land would be pretty cool I think. There are endless possibilities for themed areas/rides/attractions. I'm totally on board with this.

^ I agree that The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are/were much better rides than the Smurf ride. That's why I said, "that if the ride is done well, with interesting characters, scenery, and music that people will want to ride it again and again." That's why if KI ever puts in a new dark ride, I'd like to see them put some effort into it and do it well. Make it a staple for the park like Pirates and Haunted Mansion are for Disney. KI could have a memorable dark ride if they wanted to. They just can't skimp on the scenery and add cardboard cut outs like they did with Boo Blasters. It would have to be something more substantial than that.

^ I think that the end part of Boo Blasters is a little freaky for younger kids. That dark room with all the growling, screaming skeletons with glowing eyes is a bit much to take in. I remember thinking that my niece and nephew wouldn't like that at all and probably would be a little too scared to ride after experiencing that part. I questioned why they put something like that in a ride that was supposedly designed for families.

I disagree that it was a "ride once" experience. I think those old dark rides were classics! They were something that became trip traditions. Even up through the Phantom Theater, these were rides that my friends, family, and I would ride at least once during every visit. We usually would hit them up twice, once when we got there and once when we left. To say that if a dark ride isn't interactive you can't ride it more than once is kind of ridiculous. That's like saying that Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and The Haunted Mansion at Disney World are "ride once" experiences. I think that if the ride is done well, with interesting characters, scenery, and music that people will want to ride it again and again. I feel that's what we had with The Enchanted Voyage, Smurfs, and Phantom Theater and I think we could have something just as memorable if only someone would put the effort into making it that way.

This came up in another thread, but I think it's a fabulous idea. I'd like a Peanuts dark ride boat ride reminiscent of the Smurfs ride. I think it's time for Boo Blasters to go and for something to occupy that space that's more in line with Planet Snoopy and something that would be just as memorable as the Enchanted Voyage or the Smurfs. Something like a Peanuts dark ride could really bring back that classic feel to the area and would be something that could be enjoyed by families for many, many years!

I had kind of a scary dream about KI last night! I dreamed that I was at the park and was in line to ride Diamondback. It wasn't too crowded there, so I could pretty much have my choice of seats. Like always, when I have my choice of seats I choose the very back...it's so much fun! So I get on the ride and I strap myself in and the ride starts. We go up the lift hill and then down the first hill. The train is really flying down the track! It's such a thrill and I'm having such a good time. However, just as we get to the bottom of the first hill, I happen to look at the track and see that some parts of the track are eroding away, like actually rusting through. We go up the second hill, and then back down. I notice that the track is getting worse the further along we get. We're just about to head towards the turn around section when we hit a part of the track that's completely eroded/rusted through, so much so that the track has come disconnected from itself. The train actually skids off the track and into the grass! Amazingly no one is hurt. We're all pretty shaken up, but no one is injured. The next thing I remember is the fear that another train could be coming pretty soon and might hit us. We're still strapped into the train at this point! Now we're frantically trying to unlock the harnesses and get everyone off the train. We succeed and manage to get everyone off. Now we're just standing there in the field waiting for someone to notice and to come get us. I have no idea where this dream came from but it was pretty crazy! I woke up thinking, "What in the world?" I love KI dreams, even crazy ones like this!

Yes I actually agree with this! I was hoping they would do this when they decided to take out Scooby Doo and when they were putting in Planet Snoopy. Instead we got a pathetic Boo Blasters. Maybe we'll be lucky and they'll do this in the future.

I'd re-theme Boo Blasters to something that looked like an old, rundown theater. Then on the inside I'd add characters that looked like ghosts of the old performers. I'd have one of them playing an old organ in the ride queue, and throughout the ride I'd have all the ghost performers doing their act. I think that would be a great ride!

I seem to remember this ride being closed a lot. I know I always used to try to ride it when I was there, but it was usually closed. Fun ride though, way better than the Crypt! I loved the theming and the ride program that was used was a lot of fun!

Gotta love the fashions!