Ticket prices at PKI have greatly changed over the years. At the opening in 1972 the fee was $6 (children under 3 free). 1980 saw a price hike to $10.50. 1986 began a tiered price schedule with a $14.95 general admission price and $7.45 for children ages 3-6. From there it stayed tiered as follows:
- 1991: $21.95 and $10.95
- 1996: $28.95 and $15.95
- 1998: $32.95 and $18.95
- 2002: $41.99 and $24.99
Rides and attractions were also updated over the years…
- Scooby Doo became Beastie
- Salt Water Circus's live dolphin show became WaterWorks theme area
- Kafe Kilimanjaro became Stunt Crew Grill
- The Swiss Sky Ride has become Xtreme Skyflyer
- The indoor ride Enchanted Voyage has become Phantom Theater
- Used to watch the Firestone International Air Show but now you take a Flight Team Aerial Helicopter Tour
- The daily parade has become a nightly fireworks spectacle
Over the years PKI has achieved many memorable milestones:
- 1972: Preview weekends began in the spring with the grand opening on May 27.
- 1973: "The Brady Bunch" and "Partridge Family" each shot episodes at the park.
- 1974: Lion Country Safari (renamed to Wild Animal Habitat) was added as the sixth themed area.
- 1975: Daredevil stuntman Evel Knievel set a new world's record by jumping over 14 Greyhound buses.
- 1976: The American Heritage Music Hall (later renamed to Paramount Theater) was constructed.
- 1977: The Screamin' Demon opened becoming the first steel looping coaster in the United States that ran both forward and backward.
- 1979: The Beast opened capturing the title of the world's longest and fastest wooden coaster (and still retaining the former).
- 1981: The Bat, a prototype suspended steel roller coaster, launched. Due to technical difficulties, it was removed in 1984.
- 1982: Kings Island celebrated its 10th anniversary by featuring the debut of TimberWolf Amphitheater, FestHaus and first Winterfest, a holiday-season festival that lasted until 1992, and running the Racer backwards.
- 1984: The park opened the first stand-up looping roller coaster in the U.S., King Cobra, removed in 2002.
- 1987: Another coaster record was set with the opening of Vortex, a multielement coaster setting a world record for most inversions on a roller coaster: six.
- 1993: The first coaster added under Paramount's ownership was opened: Top Gun, a suspended coaster.
- 1996: The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear opened turning many heads being both an indoor "dark" coaster and a LIM launched ride.
- 1999: Face/Off (steel reverse shuttle coaster) and Drop Zone were introduced to anchor the park's new theme area: Action Zone.
- 2000: Son of Beast, the world's first looping wooden coaster, opened once again swiping a world record for the historic park.
Roller Coaster History of Paramount's Kings Island (PKI)
- Roller Coaster - Category - Opening (and closing)
- Adventure Express - Steel Mine Ride - April 13th, 1992
- Beast - Wooden - April 14th, 1979
- Beastie - Family Wooden - 1972
- Face/Off - Steel Shuttle - 1996
- Flight of Fear - Steel LIM launched indoor - 1996
- Racer - Twin Wooden - 1972
- Rugrats Runaway Reptar - Family Inverted Steel - 2001
- Scooby's Ghoster Coaster - Family Suspended Steel - 1998
- Son of Beast - Wooden Looping - May 26th, 2000
- Top Cat's Taxi Jam - Family Steel - 1992
- Top Gun - Suspended Steel - April 9th, 1993
- Vortex - Multielement Steel - April 11th, 1987
- Bat - Prototype Suspended Steel - Operated from 1981 until 1983
- Bavarian Beetle - Steel - Operated from 1972 until 1979
- Demon - Launched Loop Steel - Operated from 1977 until 1987
- King Cobra - Stand-up Steel - Operated from 1984 until 2001
Personally I really enjoy this park for one main fact: variety. If I am in the mood for world-class coasters, they have them. Feel like spending a day with family, they have coasters and attractions to cater. Feel like food and shopping in the afternoon (never!), they have plenty. Fancy a show (never!), they have many. A great park with wonderful variety in attractions and even roller coaster types.
Resources include: roller coaster database, PKI's 30th anniversary report, rec.roller-coasters, and many days spent running all the way from the gates to the scream inducing Beast.