I think high gas prices are the main reason. I know it isn't good for the park but I kinda like it empty. I get a lot of riding done on Sunday mornings.

Economy-pure and simple. $3.19gal for gas, higher medical ins premiums, lower raises in salary, higher utilities, mountainous debt in every average household, plus high park food prices and admission. Simple, but it adds up.

What about '04? The economy was coming off of a pretty bad recession yet attendance was up pretty high. Trust me, as the economy gets worse, KI won't see nearly as much of a decline. Why? Because families who can't afford to go to Disney or on vacation will spend their descretionary dollars at KI instead.

Ryan is correct. Kings Island is the park of choice for local families who don't have quite enough money to go to Disney World. It is cheaper for my family to visit Kings Island 15 times a year than one visit to Disney World. That is why I love Kings Island so much and am there so frequently.

But, remember two things:

* Not all Kings Island's guests are day visitors. If they were, there would not be the HUGE buildup of hotels, motels, restaurants and services around the park.

* If more locals and fewer overnight guests come, per caps will go down. Locals who come again and again do not spend nearly as much in the park as one time visitors. This is particularly true of food and drink. There are many reasons for this, from it being easy to wait until one gets home to knowing the park so well it is far easier to avoid the higher expense, high profit items. And what has CBS/Cedar Fair raised the most in the park in the last two seasons? Food and drink. This is either a brilliant strategy or the seeds of a far bigger problem to come.