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I for one am glad they bought it. It could have just been demolished and that be that. Parks do stuff like that all the time. The fact that it has been bought and has a chance at living on somewhere else is great. While a ground up RMC has always been a dream for a lot of us, if this ends up at our park, I know I for one wouldn't be upset in the slightest. In fact, quite the opposite. I never got a chance to go down and ride AF1 and with all the hype about how great it is, having something of this caliber have the potential to take up residence at our park would be a great thing. Something that people have raved about having a second chance at life at a well traversed park wouldn't be a bad thing. It would strir up a lot of hype and give KI something that truly packs a punch and fills a void in our already great line-up. Imagine being able to ride 3 RMCs in just a few hours of each other. Steel Vengeance at CP, Wind Chaser down at KK and if AF1 ends up at KI, we'd have that as well. I see no negatives here if we get it.

Don, I have a ton of respect for you and generally agree with your statements. That being said, why is it bad to get enthusiasts talking about an overall positive purchase? Didn’t you know “what was in the shed” for a year and had park fans talk about it? What is the difference here? It’s fair to be harsh on SF when it is warranted but this does not seem like one of those situations. Would you rather these forums just be silent? Isn’t that the whole point of this website? When people are unjustly harsh it makes statements that are warranted hold less weight.

This is definitely feasible for KI to accept its relocation. The ending of it can be changed, much in the same manner that Wildcat's Revenge was changed. I also think it was stated that it can be altered. Now, to what extent, I'm not sure. Since it won't be installed until 2028 at the earliest, I'm not even sure where it will be re-located to. I would not mind this being moved to KI for sure. IDC if it's not a ground up RMC. It seems to be considered a great coaster widely by the public, so I'm all for it being moved to KI.

I’d much rather have Kings Island build its own RMC from the ground up.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Bmfm33Z54/ Looks like the Python has found a new home in a traveling circuit and is operating at the KY State Fair

I think Six Flags very well bought it with a handful of parks in mind as to where it could go, but I also think the decision hasn't yet been made. That will depend on permitting, land surveying, and cost to construct new supports/level the land needed for it. In my opinion, if AFO is going to be shipped nearly wholesale and as-is to a park then it should not go to Kings Island. I also don't really like that they've said they're keeping the name Arieforce when it's named after the Arie family who owns FunSpot. I'd probably like it more if they were able to turn it into something new at Kings Island (while retaining the elements in between new track) and change the name/colors. It very well could fit in Area 72 with some demolition and help beyond just modifications for a third train. All of this said, I'm being very selfish because I'd much rather Kings Island get a hybrid with a custom layout and a good theme that fits with other areas of the park. I'd also really like to see The Vortex plot filled with a non-hybrid coaster first as well. Marcus Leshock is a Chicago-area newscaster who covers a lot of amusement/theme park industry news for his station. He does a lot of stuff up at Chicago's Great America and is kind of like John Matereese is with Kings Island. I think he gets some of these news stories before a lot of other people because he and his team are very diligent and have an eye out everywhere for this kind of thing.

I guess you forgot about the events leading up to 2009? How many pages and pages did we go through of speculation? I mean its always been our M.O. And then I see you made a post on Facebook promoting discussion on where AFO will end up...

I just had a little chat with park president Tony Carovillano. It was a very nice chat. He told me a Vortex replacement is a priority to him and that they're working on it, but cautioned that money is tight and that he hopes they can get the money soon. He also mentioned the drone show can be moved to develop the site. Also discussed a few other things with him and based on my conversations with him he really cares about the park and I actively saw him picking up trash when walking.

We know KIC keeps going down. We're in the process of building a new server to replace the older one. We are getting close!

I think I got the scaling right on this. I put it together pretty quickly so it might be a little off. Would require changes to the service road, and require removing timberwolf, and possibly removing Congo Falls. But it goes behind Invertigo, next to the storage building and the haunt. Would require a new entrance for The Bat as well, but a lot of people have been asking for a shorter queue for years.

The current stage scene is smaller than the original, and is also smaller than the library scene that existed in SDatHC and BBoBH. I wish they could've scaled down the animatronics and made the room feel bigger.

Ok this is the moment I've been waiting for - My review of Phantom Theater Opening Nightmare! So most of you probably know I relocated to Seattle last year and I was traveling through the area this past weekend and stopped by the park last Saturday and got two rides on Phantom Theater Opening Nightmare. The first ride I just rode through taking in the details and the second ride I used the flashlight to play the game with the ghost notes. First of all the entrance - I don't love the repurposed castle. I feel like they could have done better with that and made it more unique and different however I appreciate that most of the budget clearly went into the ride interior vs a fancy exterior. The que was fantastic. The darkness and the lightning effects were great and really set the tone of an abandoned theater. I was worried the purple wallpaper would be almost Dr Seuss like but the dark lighting makes it look really really good. The audio in the que was loud enough to hear it over all the talking so I was able to hear all the preshow dialogue. The hallway portraits were a nice touch considering that they were a stable of the older version of the ride and are absent from the current version. They actually look much more like paintings in person vs in photos you can obviously tell they are screens. Enjoyed the dialogue loop here as well and it was also loud enough that I could understand what each character was saying The shooting element of the ride I personally found to be distracting. I played the game the second ride through but in a way every target looks the same and I actually found it distracting and hard to take in the actual rooms and characters while chasing ghost notes. I think it's a nice feature for kids who don't appreciate the artistry of a classic dark ride but I personally would probably not play the shooting game on future rides. The sets and scenes were all great and some of the little details are fun - for example I got stopped in front of Hilda's dressing room and noticed all the little fan cards on her mirror (details you miss when just riding past the scene). The did think the stage scene seemed a bit small but loved they payed homage to Phantom Theater Encore. Also, the boiler room was working full force and I love the roses scent at the end of the ride. Hopefully the park will continue to keep all these effects working. Also the original bust on the left after Sir Pretzel was really cool. Glad they were able to incorporate that into the new version of the ride. All in all I really enjoyed the ride and I'd definitely ride it every visit if I still lived in the area. Sounds like I'll have another opportunity to ride it May 2 as my sister is getting married on May 1 this year so I'll be traveling back to Cincinnati then.

The entire point of… well, all of this fandom, is escapism. At least in my opinion. Sorry things are tough for you right now. Mean that. You don’t deserve to feel like that way. And I’m also sorry some on this site (and beyond) feel the need to use their faux-insider knowledge as a way to gate keep actual discussion about the park. Being realistic and knowledgeable is one thing, even if it comes across as harsh. But when you’re shooting fish in a barrel (like all of us here) and still missing, it’s a bad reflection on the fandom when that type of attitude is put out on display. Appreciate you continuing to share your opinions on the matter. That’s what makes this fun.

To add on what KI Guy said above, Mystic Timbers provides a different experience than The Racer and The Beast. The Racer is the classic out and back racing coaster with floater airtime (PTC was good at this), The Beast is a terrain hugging wooden coaster built like a monster prowling through the forest and designed in house, and Mystic Timbers provides a more snappy ride experience. All three built by different manufacturers. I don't think the same can be said for two RMC I-Box coasters with similar enough experiences to be compared. People already do that with Diamondback and Orion despite their differences in the ride experience.

Sorry for being unoriginal? Sometimes I like to come here just to escape my awful life, and often that means just a little taste of some mindless talk and speculation. Rare are the days where I feel hope again, so when something... anything positive about this park... even a mere whisper... I'll cling to it. The speculation part is fun to me. The varying opinions is fun to me...

Also the fact they're also saying 2029 is there's likely a lot of unknowns about permitting and the timeline of dismantling the ride and shipping it to its new home. In fact didn't ArieForce originally get delayed a year bc of permitting issues down there? However, I feel if it ends up at KI or Carowinds they shouldn't have much in terms of problems of permitting. I also think since they said they plan to announce the new home later this year that we'll start seeing parts showing up at its new home later this year and they may want to announce it before it becomes obvious. May want to keep our eyes out and look for survey markings/land prep later this fall to see if we find any potential clues.

Who is this guy and why is he the only one who seems to have this information?

I think it goes into Area 72 behind Orion using the leftover Firehawk and Dinos area and goes towards the storage area towards the river if it comes to KI. The new Six Flags is big into making their new major rides fit a themed area. AF1 would fit the theme of Area 72 perfectly. That's part of why I think KI and Carowinds are the front runners right now for this.

Take this with a heavy grain of salt, but ElToroRyan on YouTube stated that he's heard recent rumors of Kings Island being the park that bought ArieForce One. I do consider him a credible source, as he previously was the first to report about Top Thrill Dragster being redone by Zamperla and Kingda Ka being retired after 2024. This is unconfirmed, so it's entirely possible that this could be false or there could be a change of plans, so please don't take this as fact until we hear otherwise.

I used the FAQ feature in the app to ask if PT:ON will be open during Halloween Haunt and it encouraged me to reach out to Enchanted Parks. 🤙🏻 Great job, chain! Appreciate the Mid-Answer.

I didn't like the merger when it happened, and I still don't like it today. I think it's possibly the worst thing to happen for our specific park.

Decided to have some fun with AI and modernize Timberwolf into a more modern venue while keeping the rustic lodge feel to the venue. Safe to say I like the way these turn out. Sadly I don't think the park or corporate would it would be worth the investment. Also please excuse the kiddy ride in Drop Tower's spot in the 3rd one. I liked the way the venue concept turned out, but I didn't want to potentially ruin it by trying to get rid of the kiddy ride and putting Drop Tower back there.

IMO I feel like I got my value out of my pass this year. The first part of the season I had a very light attendance schedule as I was testing for certifications for work (the 9/10 aka a management cert for the financial industry) BUT I feel like I did get to use my pass at Cedar Point quite a bit in July, my free snacks and exclusive VIP parking enough to warrant the pass. Now I’m planning on heading out west to LA this October and I believe Knotts will be doable on that trip. I believe at this point I have the cash so im just going to buy my pass outright and all of the works for 2027.

Jennifer Hoban is one of the best people I worked with in my years at Kings Island.

If enthusiasts who are just about coasters stopped going, it would have minimal impact on annual attendance. The majority of guests visiting have been, are now and will always be families.

Color me (not at all) shocked- nothing new and no additions. That game show thing is a fine pre-show for a real show at the bandstand. As it is, why even bother with building a set? This is pathetic.

Don't worry, guys, they updated the app! That ought to take care of it, right?

Possibly, but closing loopholes helps maintain pricing integrity. That, along with the chain seeming to understand that their products are priced way too low, is refreshing to see after too many years of what seemed like a "race to the bottom" strategy of giving away the gate.

When it comes to season-pass value, the lowest price doesn’t always mean the best deal. Dollywood, Holiday World and Kennywood continue to stand out to me because of what guests get beyond rides: friendly guest service, clean and well-maintained parks, strong seasonal events and an overall sense that the guest experience matters. There’s also something to be said for integrity—delivering an experience that matches what was promised and making visitors feel valued after they’ve spent their money.

Although this is mostly a criticism of Six Flags, it comes off as a criticism of us at KICentral. I think it's nice to have something exciting to talk about. The lifeblood of this place is talking about changes and potential changes to Kings Island. I do definitely agree with you that they know exactly where this coaster is going regarding park and location within that park. I've noticed that wood coasters are the exception to the rule for coaster redundancy. I've been to several parks with three full-sized wood coasters and no one bats an eye. Perhaps this is because wood used to be all there were and people got used to seeing more than one wood coaster long ago—or it's just that each wood coaster has more character. I've never been to a park with two RMC I-boxes, two dive coasters, Arrow loopers, mine trains, stand ups, or inverts (from same manufacturer), etc.

I haven't seen the release as it's been a busy work day. Whichever park gets this, I hope they don't ask the manufacturer to completely redo the ride, only as much as is necessary. SV has been such a maintenance load, and I'd conjecture that many of the issues were with Cedar Fair wanting so much stuff AND a completely new train design. From a non engineer perspective: change what needs to be changed with the elevation and hopefully allow it to run three trains if feasible.

Well said!

Just released from Marcus Leshock on his X account, Six Flags has purchased ArieForce One, now on to speculation to where it will go!

I watched the video and he put 2 different potential locations. One in Area 72 replacing some of the maintineance buildings and the parade float tent which I don't see happening for obvious reasons. The other is back behind Banshee and he mentioned he heard a pre merger rumor of the park potentially expanding the park's footprint to connect A72 and Action Zone which I don't see happening as KI can't even staff the park consistently as is. What makes you think they'd be able to staff a major expansion like that?

Dollywood is preparing for a future without Dolly Parton—but her presence will remain woven throughout the park and the Smoky Mountains. Here’s how Dollywood plans to carry its Dreamer-in-Chief’s legacy forward. FULL STORY: https://themeparksbydon.com/dollywood-future-without-dolly-parton-legacy/

I think it is interesting that back, at the 50th year at KI we were so happy we were a CF park and so proud of our park. When word that SIX and CF were thinking about merging we panicked (rightfully so). Now here we are discussing if/when we can get sold off from SIX. Right this minute I am glad we are a SIX park over Enchanted though.

You are not the only one, mate. I can't keep all the generative AI out of my life, but there's not a chance I'm going to support any new to me thing that uses it.

A few months late lol, but I can confirm the seatbelts were not shortened. I think the confusion stems from some rows being more accommodating. Even numbered rows have more leg room than odd numbers. I’ve seen many times how the even rows are drastically more accommodating for taller and larger guests than odd rows.

Does it matter LOL. My Big Mac never looks like the ad 🤣

Who remembers when the Kings Island sleuths were convinced they had cracked the code on the park’s website and uncovered what the big announcement on this day in 2013 would be? It was so much fun watching it all unfold from my end.

That is exactly where it was going. Now we have to start over. LOL

The website has been published, featuring the two new Halloween Haunt experiences for 2026! New this year are Jason: Blood Reign and Metal Massacre. These mazes are included with the purchase of a Haunted Attractions Pass or a Haunted Attractions Express Pass. All-Season HAP/HAEP are available for purchase online and are only valid for admission to mazes within a guest's home park. Note: The Conjuring: Beyond Fear is a separate charge attraction and is not included with either Haunted Attractions Pass option. Official website: https://www.sixflags.com/kingsisland/events/halloween-haunt While I'm still a little upset at the lack of a new show and the retention of the game show on the bandstand, I think the two new mazes will be great and worth the money that the park is spending on them.

Just don't put your data center on my farmland!

The thing is, the park likes to drag their feet on information that’s not really new news. They act like they have some huge announcement to make but in all reality it’s always a let down. Here’s to hoping that Pumpkin Eater or Coney Maul finally goes away and is replaced with a new theme. Would love to see them do a “Die-In Movie” themed zone over where the shooting star drive-in is. That would save them so much time in turn around for Winterfest.

I'll share a little something in the spoiler...

I love the boiler room scene the best as it reminds me the most of the old scene

I don’t have to be there to know exactly what’s going on. People send me photos, what’s open, what’s closed every day. I have no ill will towards the park, either. False narrative on your end. I want the park to do well. I want the guest experience to be top tier.

How is your narrative for someone who claims they haven’t been in the park for almost two months? How would you have an accurate idea of what’s open and what’s not if you're not even around? It’s easy to cherry pick what you need to fit your arguments, whether they be true or not. Notice, no one mentioned you by name, blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or whatever. But you felt the need to make it about your own opinion, regardless. Is this about the reality of the situation or about your ill will toward the park for personal reasons? Personally, my life doesn’t rely on the food and beverage situation at the park for better or worse, especially if I haven’t visited in “59 days.” I’ve never been one to mince words or hide any criticisms when it comes to the park experience and how things are. I’d even argue that I can be overtly vocal about said criticisms, to a fault. But this vendetta you’ve got going on is just silly. Even within this thread, I’ve joked about the consistent closures of other drink stands in the park. I‘m a realist. And this isn’t that serious. But I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and claim the sky is falling when I’m not even visiting the park regularly. Mostly because I have enough going on in my life, otherwise, to let this affect me. But more importantly, I like to enjoy the things I enjoy, and have a greater understanding of what’s actually important in the grand scheme of life as a whole. Makes me a happier person, and more enjoyable to be around. Just a bad look, all around. This is coming from a fan and regular listener of Tower Topics and an email subscriber of your blog. Dude, there are more important things in life. Plenty to be upset about. Really. The drink stands can open and close day to day. The ice situation is what it is. But by and large, these issues are being exaggerated for personal reasons alone. Be critical when it’s constructive to be. But to harp on this over and over again is just miserable. It’s not that serious. Chill.

I think it's generally an unwise business practice, though I also have a feeling that the company does not lose out on that much money all things considered. The type of people who are likely to visit parks in more than two regions are also probably the type who are willing to spend more in the parks. As with the rest of the season pass/membership sales I think seeing the numbers would help us understand a lot. The current leadership team probably does see the looming hand of bankruptcy coming down at some point and could be working to lead the company away from it. John Reilly especially is trying to at least improve the guest experience with what he has. If that leads to Six Flags declaring bankruptcy even after the quality upgrades then that's what will happen. We'll see corporate reorganization, parks sold off, and maybe even some parks closed. In that case I just hope Kings Island can be part of a new company instead of being handed over to Herschend. They're too big for what they need to be IMO. Their hands are in too many pots for them to hold any more big ones. If Six Flags ends up selling more parks, I don't think it would be until 2028. Unless they want a repeat of 2026 with the sale of 7 parks it just doesn't seem like a good idea if they can help it. All of this said, my field is creative arts and planning so I'm also not the most in-the-know about good business practices. I just call it as I see it.

Unless more property’s are sold. I can’t envision Six Flags avoiding bankruptcy at this point. Too little too late to be jacking the prices up to what it is so far for the 2027 season. Not suggesting what they are asking for is wrong per se but doubling the price on add ons is going to be a hard pill to swallow for most folks. This price point should have been achieved by steadily increasing the prices on these add-ons and passes since post-covid when the parks saw a boom. But the past is the past and I hope this works out for them. Considering Legacy SF attempted to jack up their prices only to reverse course doesn't give me much hope that it will.