One of these owners, Paramount Parks, was in my opinion detrimental to Kings Island. Kings Island, by contrast, faced a different challenge, that of adjusting to five different ownerships.
There was no Great Depression, no 1937 flood, no World War II, no devastating Island Queen steamboat explosion that ended the park’s main source of patron transportation, no 1950s polio scare, and integration of the park. It is interesting that Kings Island never experienced the external challenges that Coney Island did. The park functioned well and was a success from the beginning. I did succeed in opening the park on time-May 27, 1972. I felt, however, it was a big bang for the buck. But I did not succeed in keeping it on budget, the final cost being thirty million dollars. I was responsible for keeping the project on budget and on time. A new wooden coaster had not been built for decades in the United States. But the prior years of research and planning, I believe, produced a unique theme park with the inclusion of its iconic International Street, the Hanna-Barbera characters, and the re-emergence of the wooden roller coaster, The Racer. My on-site responsibility at Kings Island ended in September 1972 when I moved to Richmond, Virginia to build a sister park, Kings Dominion. Taft also brought to the merger the resources of its newly acquired Hanna-Barbera division on the west coast. Coney Island and Taft shared a vision to build a new theme park in Warren County utilizing Coney Island’s management and Taft’s financial backing.
The purpose of the merger was to move Coney’s operation out of a flood plain and limited space, shed its aging “amusement park” label, and become a modern “theme park,” a term inspired by Disneyland when it opened in 1955. I think it would have made sense to give them something more unique.I was the first General Manager of Kings Island when it opened in 1972-forty-eight years ago! I oversaw design concept, construction, and its first season of operation following the merger of Coney Island and Taft Broadcasting in July of 1969. I feel like most people that have KI as their home park have been to CP and may even go there on a somewhat regular basis so its bizarre that 20 years after MF they built a giga coaster with blue track and gray supports, and not only that but one that seemed mailed in and not that special. The Coney Mall area is old and worn out and could use renovations as well. That area where the Bat, Invertigo, and drop tower are badly needs to be renovated (just take out the Bat and Invertigo and start from scratch IMO). I really liked Adventure Express when I was younger but now its just a rough old Arrow they could do without and I felt the same way about Vortex and the Bat/Top Gun/Flight Deck, BLS is a decent family thrill coaster, Face/Off is garbage at this point, the drop tower is okay. Its good that they have an indoor launch coaster that can stay open in weather and its still a decent ride. Racer is alright though doesn't really have a special spot in my heart because American Eagle, which is a lot better IMO, occupies that spot for old wooden racing coasters. Banshee is one of the weaker inverts and also had a bad rattle i'm also the perfect height to be choked by the vest restraints (to be fair I have this problem with most vest restraint coasters).
Diamondback i'd put in the middle to lower of the pack of B&M hypers, the rattle at least on the train I rode was very pronounced. Mystic Timbers when it gets cooking is a really good GCI i'd rank it in the top third, though you have to ride it later in the day when its warmed up (this is not a park where you can knock out the two best coasters early and consider them done you have to stay until late).Īfter those two and Orion (which I have not ridden) the parks lineup dropoffs in quality quite a bit. If KI spends the kind of money KD did a few years back to beautify the park that would definitely make KI one of my favorite parks.Īs long as KI has the Beast it will always be a must visit park, Beast at night IMO is still one of the best coasters anywhere and is a must do for any enthusiast. When I first visited Kings Dominion I liked Kings Island better, but after visiting both again in recent years I think with all of the cosmetic improvements made to KD pulled ahead just a bit.
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