King's Island Update 2009: Theme Park Review

As a theme park geek, I consider myself something of a steward of theme parks. That sounds completely ridiculous, but let me explain. As the people who love parks, rides, attractions, and shows, in a way, we're the ones who make the decisions for the summer tourism industry. What we like and don't like decides where the dollars flow in the industry. So whether you know it or not, you're a steward of the industry as well. We have to communicate our experiences not only to the companies who run the parks, such as Disney, Universal, and Cedar Fair, but to each other. We need to spread the word about how it's going.

Theme Park reviews are sort of becoming the new movie reviews. Once upon a time we needed movie critics, we still do, but not as much. Because we needed them to tell us whether or not we should spend our hard-earned money. Now the internet is booming and we can communicate to each other more quickly about the films we've seen. The same thing is true when it comes to summer vacations, and it's true more so now than ever because we really have to protect our investments. A day or a vacation centered around a theme park isn't cheap, and you should know before you go whether or not it will be worth your money. Unlike going to the movies, if you don't like your vacation, you're losing at least a hundred dollars if not hundreds.

It's no secret that I was less than thrilled when Paramount sold Kings Island. When I went for the first time post-Paramount last August, I was definitely disappointed. But I visited Kings Island again recently, in the first weekend of May 2009. The good news is, things are far better when they were last August. It could be due to the fact that it's the beginning of the season, before the dog days of summer. But it's also possible that Cedar Fair is figuring out how to take ownership of Kings Island.

There is the new roller coaster, Diamondback, which is literally the only one of its kind in America right now. (Diamondback will be getting its very own review shortly.) The park was cleaner than it was last year, the employees seemed more engaged, and it looks like it's going to be a great season at Kings Island. There's plenty to be excited about, and if you were planning on cancelling your vacation to Kings Island for any reason, I would recommend that you go ahead and go forward with it anyway.

There's the still new Great Wolf Lodge, Diamondback, and all of your old favorites like the Eiffel Tower, the Nickelodeon kids zone, and more. It's true that some things are lacking, such as, "The Crypt" and its off-kilter theming as well as the still lackluster oomph to the overall park theming. I also took a little bit of issue with the non-stop classic rock. They played some good songs, but it just doesn't feel like a theme park without movie music or at least cartoon music. It just kind of feels like they turned on the radio, and that definitely detracts from the experience for me. But then again, as a Disney geek, I'm definitely spoiled when it comes to theming. (That's not to mention how well Paramount did with the park.)

But I must say, Kings Island looks sharp. It's definitely worth a trip. If you live in the mid-west, go ahead and give it at least a day or two this summer. Ride Diamondback, take some time and comb the park looking for new experiences. Firehawk is still fairly new to the park only arriving last season. You may have to shift your focus to coasters, as that's what Cedar Fair does best. But by all means, do give Kings Island a chance this summer, even if you had a lackluster experience last year. Let the healing begin.