Friday, April 02, 2004
Kings Island about ready to rev up
By Felix Winternitz
As in crocodile, that is. "Crocodile Dundee" (actor Paul Hogan) will officially christen Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay when it opens to the public on May 29 at Paramount's Kings Island.
The new water resort, which replaces WaterWorks, is free with park admission. The new waterpark includes themed attractions and rides, plus such plush concepts as chair-side waiter service.
Also new at the park in 2004: The Beast, in honor of the roller coaster's 25th birthday, gets a new musical soundtrack and audio-visual effects (June 26, if you are counting, is the official birthday for the ride). And the Paramount Theater, after a $1-million renovation, introduces the show "Paramount's Magic of the Movies Live."
Other new shows at the rest of the theme park - which opens April 9 - include "Meet the Nicktoons Live," introducing such new characters as the Fairly Odd Parents and Bill Cosby's Little Bill. A Nick parade will run during July, featuring 75 performers and character themed floats, created by a Mardi Gras float manufacturer. The $1-million parade effort, a la Disney, is a first for Kings Island.
Be aware the lines may be longer at the admission gates then they used to be. The park has begun using metal detectors at the entrance, joining the sad ranks of its east and west coast comrades. Expect delays at the park entrance during crunch times such as the opening of the gates.
Many roller-coaster enthusiasts claim this is the finest park in the country for thrills and hills - most notably the record-setting Beast and the Son of Beast wooden coasters.
The newest ride at Kings Island isn't a roller-coaster, however, but the theme park's first interactive family ride. "Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle" replaces the Phantom Theatre haunted house attraction; riders travel through the castle equipped with Fright Light ghost blasters to zap ghosts and collect points. Also new at the park: "SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D," an ocean motion ride and 3-D attraction where riders strap on viewing goggles and plop into moving seats for a motion-simulator movie experience; "Delirium," a spin and swing ride that rockets riders 137 feet in the air and also sways them in a 240-degree arc; and "Tomb Raider: The Ride," a multi-sensory adventure in which park guests explore a tomb before strapping into the only possible vehicle of escape. Ice caves and boiling red lava follow.
Here's a checklist of major attractions you can expect to find at Kings Island:
Coasters: The Beast, world's longest wooden roller coaster for many years; Son of Beast, world's tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster; Adventure Express, a runaway mine train ride; Face/Off, a suspended, floorless coaster (a face-to-face inverted thrill ride racing at 55 m.p.h. through three 70-foot loops, forward and backward); Flight of Fear, an indoor linear induction coaster with a 54 m.p.h. takeoff; The Racer, forward and backward coasters (running on matching dual tracks); Top Gun, a steel suspended ride; and Vortex, a steel looping coaster with six inversions.
Wet Rides: In addition to the rides at Boomerang Bay, there's White Water Canyon, an inner-tube raft ride through rushing water; Congo Falls, a churning boat ride down a five-story waterfall; and The Wild Thornberrys River Adventure log flume.
Other Rides: The 315-foot-tall Drop Zone, world's tallest free fall; Eiffel Tower, a one-third scale replica of the original; the classic Carousel, built in 1926 with 20,000 sheets of 23-karat gold; spinning Monster; the Scrambler on the midway; Dodgem bumper cars; Flying Eagle scooters; the simulated Smash Factory ride; the Taxis antique car ride; the Viking Fury swinging pirate ship, the Zephyr carnival swing ride; Delirium, a swing and spin ride; "Tomb Raider: The Ride," a multi-sensory ride, and "Stan Lee's 7th Portal" 3-D action adventure, a motion simulator ride starring comic book superheroes.
Kid Stuff: Beastie, a mini Beast; Ghoster Coaster, a suspended Scooby Doo coaster; the Top Cat's Taxi Jam miniature steel roller coaster; the steam engine Train Ride; the Yogi Sky Tour monorail helicopters; the new Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle ride, the new SpongeBob SquarePants attraction, plus scaled down Dodge 'Em, Scrambler, Mini-Cars, Swings and Carousel rides in Hanna-Barbera Land. Be sure to hop aboard the Rugrats Runaway Reptar, the world's first junior inverted roller coaster (a 25 m.p.h. ride with ski-lift style seats suspended below the track). The ride is the centerpiece of Nickelodeon Central, an area stocked with lots of activities that both parents and children can enjoy together - including the Green Slime Zone as well as "Blue's Clues" and "Rugrats" characters.
Shows: Programs are devoted to children's shows based on the Nickelodeon channel and Scooby Doo characters. There are also a limited number of small outdoor areas featuring country and pop music as well as karaoke.
Pay-Per-Experience Rides: A few rides cost extra beyond the admission price. Aerial Helicopters Flight Team is a helicopter tour of the park, in flights lasting from two to 45 minutes (prices range $25 to $155 per rider). The Virtual Reality Simulator on Coney Mall allows ride-goers to experience simulated underwater dives or a walk through a minefield ($5 to $7). Days of Thunder is a go-cart raceway experience ($2 to $5). Xtreme Skyflyer is a ripcord freefall that lets you feel what it's like to hang glide or sky dive ($45).
Where are you most likely to encounter long lines? The ten most frequently ridden rides are: The Racer (No. 1), Adventure Express, Vortex, Beast, Top Gun, Phantom Theater (replaced last year by the Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle attraction), Beastie, Flight of Fear, Congo Falls and Viking Fury.
Timberwolf Amphitheatre is the park's summer concert venue, primarily programming Christian rock acts such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Audio Adrenaline, Newsboys, O-Town, Aaron Carter, Plus One and ZOEgirl, as well as classic rock bands such as REO Speedwagon and Styx.
Felix Winternitz is a long-time Cincinnati resident and author of The Insider's Guide to Cincinnati.
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