Paramounts Kings Island

Has anyone been there this year?

I used to live about 45 minutes away and would go 4+ times every summer, but in the last 4 years I have only been able to go once. I live in a different city now and have work, school, etc. And I'm very sad I haven't made it back down to PKI lately or even CP.

The last time I was at PKI was when they opened Face Off I believe (oh, too long ago). I had an excellent time, but there were 2 things I noticed and I was wondering if it was just a fluke occurence when I was there or if this is something that has changed.

Flight of Fear: I remember this ride being pretty cool. It was pitch black with cool lights and the launch was a lot of fun. The last time I went, it wasn't very dark inside. You could see the sides of the walls and the strobes were hardly noticeable. Also it seemed slower than usual. That was sort of disappointing.

Okay, then The Beast. 1st coaster I had ever ridden back in the day and probably my favorite night time ride ever. I remember the double helix tunnel to be very intense. I would always brace my toes agaisnt the car and hold on REAL tight so my head wouldn't bang around. The last time I was there, it was like a walk in the park. No teeth chattering or eyes bulging, ha ha .

And believe me, I knew The Beast by heart I had ridden it so many times. So, I guess since I haven't had time to go back, I'm still hoping that these two rides just had a "bad day" and when I return, hopefully in August, I will find my good ol' PKI rides.

Anyone else go there as a kid every year? It has seemed to change so much. Very corporate now that Paramount owns it. It was like a "vacation" for me, I'd have to get a Scooby Doo stuffed animal or a Flintstone keychain, insert some other crazy park merchandise here, etc.

Just would like to share thoughts about my childhood park .

Anyone remember The Bat or the Scremin' Demon? I remember seeing them when I was really really little, obviously too small to ride.

i used to live in Dayton, so my family got season passes every year until we moved over to small town in Southeatern Ohio. PKI is definetly the best Paramount park there is. i too remember the Screamin' Dmeon, but not The Bat, i've heard of it though. i've also been to the park where the Demon currently resides.

[flgirl]

I drove by it in June on the way to play putt-putt.

[Harpo]

It's rather sad what's happened to Screamin' Demon. It's currently rotting away at Camden Park in Huntington, WV. When I visited that park in 2002, there were major supports missing from the ride, and a tree had fallen on the track. I know the park had plans to restore and reopen it, but I'm not entirely convinced that they had the necessary funds to do so.

The Beast does seem to have slowed down over the years (although I've not yet been to the park in 2003, but I was there on closing weekend for 2002).

yeah Camden Park sucks balls. It's basically a county fair, with two old coasters. If you ever get the chance to go PASS!!!!!!!!!

[Frito]

I haven't been to PKI since June 2000, but from what I've heard and/or read, the following changes have been made since your last visit:
King Cobra - stand-up coaster has been removed.
Flight of Fear - horse collars replaced with lap bars (YEAH!!!!!)
Son of Beast - built (SoB is good, but not as great as his daddy)

I've also heard they've taken out some haunted house thing-a-ma-bob or retheming it, but I'm not sure.

PKI is by far the best Paramount park, I just hope they don't start building crappy rides like they do at the sister parks like PKD. (Can we say Volcano?...Hypersonic?...Richocet?)

[Harpo]

For Camden Park, I wouldn't flat-out reject going there. Big Dipper is a fun ride, although it really needs some money to be put into it. For wooden coaster lovers, Big Dipper is worth a brief stop.

Here was my opinion of the park, as recorded in my log:

"Park appears to be in terrible condition. Everything needs paint. Visible sign of rotten wood on Haunted House ride flooring. Weeds growing over some rides. Sky ride supports creaked, sounding a bit like metal fatigue. Looping shuttle coaster (note: that's the former Screamin' Demon from Kings Island) was not open and appears to be in terrible condition. Three major support posts are missing, lots of rust on other posts, tree resting on tracks at one point. Wouldn't surprise me if the ride simply collapsed on day. Staff was rather unfriendly, and appeared quite inattentive to ride operations. I did see an operator pick up some trash on the midway, so apparently they do value a clean park. With the condition of the rides, however, it looks like a tetanus shot is needed just to enter park."

Overall, my impression was that the park simply lacked the money to be able to properly maintain their rides. I suspect that lack of funds may also have accounted for poor morale. Of course, that's not a good excuse, but it's something that can easily happen to small, privately-owned parks.

That's sad about the Screamin' Demon. I remember being really little and standing with my parents looking at that ride and being amazed and scared. I was always a scaredy cat about roller coasters and then when I was about 10, my best friend and her older sister took me to PKI and I rode I think every roller coaster there. That was a big step to overcome my fear. Now, I love them, but that little fear is always lingering in the back of my mind.

Actually I didn't ever know they had moved the Screamin' Demon, that's crazy.

Yeah, I knew SOB had been built, my little sis rode it and said it was alright, but not as cool as The Beast.

I really need to go back soon. I think they are building a scooby doo haunted house or something, so maybe that's what they are remodeling.

[Joshua H]

Did anybody else get sick on Son of Beast?
I have a pretty good nausea tolerance, but something about that ride REALLY got to me and my girlfriend...we both walked off totally sick! (like in that game we all play)
It's been a couple of years, but I remember I had the worst headache....maybe it had something to do with the fact that it had just started raining when we rode it? Who knows....

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the original Beast!

I don't think I ever got sick on any coaster...Not that I know of anyways.

PKI is by far the best Paramount park, I just hope they don't start building crappy rides like they do at the sister parks like PKD. (Can we say Volcano?...Hypersonic?...Richocet?)

Volcano at Paramount's Kings' Dominion is pretty good, better than I expected. I especially enjoyed Roll Out and 3 Zero G Rolls. And the scenery is fabulous seen here and here. Plus the going vertical up the volcano is very cool.

Hypersonic was okay, very short though. I wouldn't wait more than an hour for it. The seconds before the launch show a red, then yellow, then green light. They could have built it higher. Add about 40, 50 ft to the currently 165, then it would be better.

As for Richochet, I don't know what you want, All Wild Mouses tend to be like that.

But overall, PKI is better, altough PKD isn't that far behind.

[TopThrillJunkie]

i really need to go to PKI, never been there, but I never went to a amusment park til i was in 7th grade (which was 1997) and that was Geauga Lake... obviously its now SFWoA never went to CP til the year MF opened, i know, i was a deprived child I need to go on a road trip to PKI now!!!

yeah definatley check out PKI, maybe it's all nostalgia for me, but I love going there. I just miss the old charm of the plain old Kings Island when I was a kid. Paramount made it more commercial, but it's still an awesome place. I love The Beast and The Racers are fun, and I can't leave without getting an elephant ear from the pastry shop on the corner by the eiffel tower. I want to plan a trip with my BF where we hop to CP and to PKI and maybe check out Six Flags, never been there. We're going to Cancun this year though, so the park trip might have to wait until next summer . Oh well.

It's been years since I have been there.I used to in the teenager years go there 3-4 times a year.One thing I aan remember though that I loved the place.As for the elephant ears what about Mama Rosas Pizza.Nothing like eating there for lunch.Who here remembers the smurf ride?