Hey gang,

I recently posted a gallery of Royal Fountain photos here as part of my writing work. I also have a confession to make. The Royal Fountains have always turned me into the worst touristy shutter bug. During the day, I'm willing to weave my way through tables of pizza-eating families to get just the right angle, then take three more of the same frame to get it perfect. Even after a lifetime of visit KI, the fountains make me want to have a photo session with each visit.

Night time photos are a whole different story, leaving my kids to groan behind me as mommy takes YET ANOTHER PICTURE of the fountains from the side, facing the Eiffel Tower, toward the entrance, on different camera setting and the worst... waiting through the light sequence for red to come around again. Sheesh.

So, I put a few to good use in the gallery, but I don't really have a good excuse for the multitude still on my hard drive. If you have some great fountain angles to share (flagpoles included ) I'd love to see them in this thread!

I'm always amazed at how much more I like Kings Island's version of the Royal Fountain than I do Kings Dominion's. I love the trees around Kings Dominion's far better, and I miss the wide open plaza feeling both had when they first opened, with no barrier between the fountains the the public, while International Street had curbs between the fountains and the shoppes. Oddly, Great Adventure's Dream Street still has curbs...

During Paramount Parks' last days, a light curtain even had to be installed around the fountains, since, even fenced, the fountains were then having near weekly incidents of some misguided, deranged, and/or idiotic park guest attempt to go diving in the fountains. It always amazed me that even after this, CBS allowed ice skating on the Kings Island Royal Fountain. That was very expensive to do and was one of the major expenses for that particular version of Winter Fest.

The Royal Fountains are one of the signature attractions that make visits to Kings Island so memorable. They are a visual treat (especially when the 'right' music is playing over the loudspeakers). I love your pictures of them, especially the nighttime shots!

They immediately set a mood far different than what you might find at Cedar Point or Worlds of Fun (though worlds of fun is exponentially closer to the old, grand entrance to Paramount's Kings Island ) and create a lasting memory. It's so different to enter into a beautifully landscaped boulevard full of fountains and trees and shops than to enter into a wide open midway...

I have never been to Kings Dominion, so looking at the photos of the tower and the fountains there after a lifetime of attending KI is like looking into a Bizarro world. I'm half expecting Snoopy to walk by with a mustache on.

Thanks, Terp, you've sent me down a Google images rabbit hole that will probably take up most of my afternoon.

Haha too true! So much of that park feels like Kings Island's evil twin (though I'm sure Dominioneers feel the same of our park).

I, for one, actually prefer Kings Dominion's fountains. Ours are painted that "Shamu tank" fluorescent blue and look very pristine and proper, with those large white urns spraying water up, while smaller fountains all around spray little streams. And we have a few smaller trees here and there, enough that the fountains are very bright and majestic. Ours would be perfect for synchronizing music or something.

Kings Dominion's, as Terp said, are flanked by huge, towering trees, leaving them (and most of their International Street) in shade. The fountain pool itself is not painted bright blue, but rather, are a dark, natural blue. Add to that, there are no urns or waterfalls - they look like giant geysers simply erupting from a natural lagoon. To me, it's peaceful, and reminiscent of real nature (a theme that continues through most of the park).

They're really as different as could be - it's strange that they started out looking so similar.

At least for me, neither of your Kings Dominion picture links are working. For the first, I get the words: Posted Image. For the second, clicking on it gets me:

FORBIDDEN.

You don't have permission to access /50/6/73/94/473867394NFFfsu_fs.jpg on this server.

At least for me, neither of your Kings Dominion picture links are working. For the first, I get the words: Posted Image. For the second, clicking on it gets me:

FORBIDDEN.

You don't have permission to access /50/6/73/94/473867394NFFfsu_fs.jpg on this server.

They didn't work for me, either.

Thrill_Biscuit, thanks for the kudos. I'm never sure if a photo is a really great shot, or just something I'm in love with at the time!

That's photoshopped, right? Hahah! I ask, only because I've always said they should color them red for Halloween, whether it be by dye or just lighting. I mean, really, it's the end of the season, and they'll be drained at the end of the year anyway, so why not!?

That was the color and it was Halloween.

So awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Here's mine,

Here's my go at this...Enjoy!

That's all I have from my Big Whoppin' 3 Visits this year. More to come Tonight as I'll be in the park 9/4 in the PM. I'll be looking for all of you with cameras. lol.

A time for everything....

0800 on 12-13-14.

Wow, I must have missed this topic on its "original run," but I'm glad to see it now. I love seeing pictures of our Royal Fountains, to me they really make walking into Kings Island so much more than just walking into another amusement park, I especially love seeing them lit up at night.

Hopefully they'll be properly present again soon with the instrumental/theatrical music, rather than pop music as it has been for some reason since shortly after Cedar Fair took over...

Edited December 14, 201411 yr by Delirium13

one of my favorite Royal Fountain Images:

As I've said before, I would think that the fountains and Eiffel Tower alone would qualify as a "world class" attraction!

Light curtain?

Nope, that's why it uses the big tall doors.

Wicked Twister on the other hand...

^Wrong thread?

Here are a couple of my favorite (from when there was an awesome sunset, which matched the colors in the fountains as though by design!)...

Here are a couple of my favorite (from when there was an awesome sunset, which matched the colors in the fountains as though by design!)...

Absolutly magnificant, I wish I was there to see that.

Thanks. I don't remember if there had been storms that day or not, but the sky appeared deeply fluorescent, fiery and beautiful. The view of the fountains against that backdrop stopped me in my tracks. With the right music, this would have been a dream-like experience (the awesome Playlist Live was performing at the time, but in my mind, the strains of John Williams or Gabriel Yared music was trying to come through). I was amazed by the color schemes of the lights, and wondered if someone was at the controls somewhere, matching up the colors with that mind-blowing sunset.

From this past October (2014):

A time for everything....

0800 on 12-13-14.

Let me guess: A revamp of the fountains will be announced before opening day?

It's a stab in the dark, but your thread bumps tend to mean something important...

I'm ready for some fountain spray.

I found some video of the fountains (from the night of the brilliant sunset above) and made this... montage. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RySSVbcr_UY&feature=youtu.be

Was that the "Ghost" soundtrack by Maurice Jarre I heard in the background? It's a very beautiful and fitting piece.