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The fountain flamethrowers makes King's Island Haunt unique and it wouldn't be the same without them. Same goes for the glowing Tower with eyes at the top. Taking out the flamethrowers would be like removing the frozen water in the fountain during Winterfest. Its a tradition I never want to see changed. Also toning down the Haunt and making it more family friendly will absolutely not attract everybody. It will make the people wanting the more adult Haunt, the Fearfest style Haunt go look elsewhere.

That and you would have one more Dippin' Dots guy who can let us know future ride installments at KI.

Zadra cost Energylandia $16,404,915.90 which is pretty darn affordable for the ride it puts out. I daresay if KI payed RMC that same amount for something similar to Zadra, they'd be able to get more out of it since Zadra's cost probably had shipping and all that extra contracting factored in. I hope the CF not having a good relationship with RMC thing is just a rumor because I'd kill for something like Zadra. I'm wondering if KI would never opt for something like that though because GP would immediately think its like Son if Beast

Ok. It’s been a tradition for a few years. You act like the flame throwers have been there for decades. That being said, I like the idea of them. I just think the are poorly executed. Random trusses with pipes and propane tanks look bad in the day. Maybe if the flame fountains were in big urns or something it would look less tacky. I still think it was a miss when they “redid” I street that they didn’t do a major upgrade to show systems that allowed for buried propane and chiller lines so it looked tidier during the day for events like haunt and WF. Also I don’t see them toning down HAUNT during haunt, just being smarter and more resourceful using the decor and making it look better and be more family friendly during the day to drive broader attendance. I think a family of 4 during the day May be a more lucrative demographic to them than a couple of teenagers till 1 am going through mazes. It’s about driving dollars. Sounds like they achieved their purpose then. HAUNT is all about jumps and scares, not about relaxing spots to sit and meditate.

Well, if Coney is done, I hope Cedar Fair makes a bid to buy the front gate and transplant it to Kings Island. It would be a great replacement for the old Coney Mall sign.

^RMC can do a-plenty with that space. You could put a 170 ft RMC Topper Track there easily with some good length.

You know, for as much as I would hate to say it, I think a RMC ground up hybrid would make for the perfect compliment in that area of the park. You have the terrain, you have the space, you have the capacity to maybe even make a true Son of Beast (If the park would even dare touch that IP anymore) right next to the original. Maybe even have some interactivity with The Beast and make it work around the area. I'll admit, the ride would probably be cramped and there is probably better areas in the park that elude me now that would be a better fit. However, I think it would be a good way to maybe integrate the two areas of the park with classic Coney getting a new icon coaster.

They should add a new Dippin' dots stand, honestly, I think this will draw in the crowd a lot for their 50th anniversary.

Dominator/Knight Flight has one of the best layouts for a looping coaster. It is well paced. There are no back-to-back inversions except the 2 in the cobra roll (which is required for a cobra roll). There is a element between every inversion other than that. The ride however has gotten super vibrate-y over the last couple of years. KD needs to do a refurbishment on it.

Finally, someone has come up with an original new topic for a thread! (I just hope it doesn’t go the way of the drone flying, mask enforcement, or is Orion a giga or not threads! ) P.S. Sorry Shanny, I don’t know the answer.

Maybe put one out in the parking lot which reads: ”Former location of our parking lot with no pot holes...circa 1974”

Cedar Point is getting a parade, festivities, and probably a coaster in their 2 year 150th celebration. So I’m guessing KI will get a 50th anniversary logo and maybe some paint and it will be “exactly the celebration they asked for” just like Orion was.

New trash cans that say "50" on them.

Backwards Blue Racer

If a museum is not in the works . . I would like to see them post signs around the park marking historic spots with pictures and history. Maybe mark spots of former attractions/rides at their originally locations. Not permanent just for the 50th Anniversary season.

Definitely love the idea for The Racer! But, if they were to add a Kings Island museum, they could probably use one of these two places. #1: They could use the Kings Island Theater located near the front entrance. Or #2: They could use the old Action Theater, A.K.A the place currently used the Urgent Scare maze during Halloween Haunt.

The legacy lives on at Carowinds. https://www.coaster101.com/2020/09/03/carolina-cyclone-receives-new-trains-with-help-from-kings-islands-Vortex/?fbclid=IwAR17JMo_HSlRqIexLekMj68nlc6Z0VPWYto_OQ07qzTsaK0REBqanxOJQhc

It’s starting to get exciting!

Totally agree, and they do make money off of them, but not the same way as the “immediate positive cash flow” as the gate purchasers. We AP guests are like a slow drip IV of cash (why the push the payment plan so much) and the family of 4 that buys tickets for a day, eats 2 meals in the park, snacks, games and souvenirs is like the jolt of caffeine. You couldn’t survive well with just one or the other, but for APs to feel like they should “call the shots” is silly. The park is (I feel) developing a well-balanced approach to driving repeat visits, increasing in-park spending, and maximizing Capitol investments that are impressive to the general public.

COPPA https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions-0

If pass holders often cost more than they spend then they wouldn’t continue the season pass program.

I hope Kings Island can bring back those fruit drinks they used to have. I know Cedar Point was going bring them back for this year. Not sure if they did do to Covid.

I certainly hope so. Kings Island may have to try to differentiate it from SteVe. I honestly had more fun on Twisted Timbers than SteVe so I would not be upset if Kings Island builds a "budget" RMC for cheap and installs a TT size ride. One thing I want from an RMC hybrid at KI is for them to install their first vertical loop (with good hang time preferably).

Something like Goliath at Six Flags Great America would be great in that spot.

Now that I've had a good look at the area, I'm ruling out a launch coaster that'll go above 70+ mph (one of my hopes) unless they go the S&S route with some sort of ultra fast acceleration (also knowing how long a launch track coasters like Storm Runner take to get to 70 mph). Also, unless its a dive coaster (I don't want a B&M period, but its still a possibility) or a Gerstlauer with a vertical lift, I'd rule out something there going for the 200 ft mark. Vortex was only 148 ft (granted, it had a pretty shallow lift hill compared to modern lifts).

My latest YouTube video compares the stats of the 4 American giga’s, Orion included. It’s stats are comparable to the other gigas in every way. Orion is definitely a giga in my opinion.

^ Are you suggesting it be made by gravity group?

The large amount of barrels is interesting. Could we be seeing a hint of the return of Spinning Barrels?

A proper Son of Beast replacement:

First of all where is the trucks? I don't see any? Do you mean food trucks? I love food trucks? Second I think International Street and its Day of the Dead theme last year and from the looks of it this year, was a step back from prior years. I see why they want to tone it down and cater more towards all ages but I prefer a more adult event. There is plenty of parks that do a more family style event if one wants that. Like Dollywood, Holiday World and Hershey Park.

The Woodstock Gliders will never be the same as the Flying Eagles unfortunately. They were designed to be more tame, and long time Kings Island fans will know the difference between these gliders and the original Flying Eagles. Also, the water maze is Planet Snoopy was rather ugly and disgusting in my opinion, and I do not want to see it return. I do think Planet Snoopy needs a complete overhaul, though, but I don’t see this coming in 2022.

After some further sleuthing, it looks like Nagashima Spa Land added one, called Sky Trainer, in 1990. I cannot find any information on its closure, but it sounds like it was for sure gone by 2007 (though I'd assume it was removed in the late 1990s when most of them were). Here's an old commercial of the ride: I edited my previous post to include this one in the list. Edit - After some further sleuthing, it looks like the ride was removed for the addition of the park's Giant Frisbee in 2004 (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ナガシマスパーランド#かつて存在したアトラクション)

Dude, this might sound crazy but, one time I was actually thinking about Kings Island actually doing that.

I hope that they bring back the old logo for a season like they did at Kings Dominion

Well that's Canada and the USA so there is that. I mean I want to go there if mom and dad take me but the virus has closed it just like the stupid virus has closed other parks here and it's dumb. Dad said we was safer at King's island than we go to lowes but it's just me and him.

Yeah, that doesn't seem to make sense to me either, especially with seeing the Clifton Hill article showing the rides and the crowded midways. Also, @Shaggy, just want to say that those pictures of Astroworld were awesome! I've always thought the S&S Skyswatter rides were super cool, but unfortunately, there are none left! I would have loved to see one go to KI!

So as we saw, Wonderland did not have a single day open this summer. Yet in Niagara Falls, Clifton Hill, a glorified permanent midway of sorts was full of people this Labour Day Weekend: https://www.narcity.com/news/ca/on/toronto/clifton-hill-crowds-this-weekend-are-leading-to-a-protest-to-reopen-wonderland The article of course suggests that there is a protest happening for Wonderland to reopen. This is how I personally see things, if the government allows museums, zoos, even Ripley's Aquarium in downtown Toronto to reopen, than why can't Canada's Wonderland open, as Wonderland clearly had a plan in place. It's somewhat hypocritical to be honest, but then again, most museums, zoos, are indeed public. A zoo at the end of the day, in the case of a major zoo like the Toronto Zoo, has similarities to a theme park. While it doesn't have rides, it does have almost everything a theme park has, concession stands and what not. As for rides, god only knows the hundreds of thousands who will ride transit in the Greater Toronto Area daily still, and there's not an explosion of cases from such crowds on public transit. Yet, Wonderland and rides are seen as dangerous.

Not going to lie, once Carolina Cyclone or Dragon Fyre reaches the end of its service life, I would love for the old trains to be repainted to their original colors and shipped back to Kings Island to put on display somewhere in the park. On the other hand, this would probably be unnecessary to invest money in, so it probably will never happen.

Carowinds is an awesome park. I really like it.

I have never been to Carowinds and this is finally pushing me to make my first trip! I can't wait to pay those two Vortex trains a visit. It will be so cool for the same trains that gave my very last Vortex rides to give my very first Carolina Cyclone rides!

I'm glad to see a part of the first arrow mega looper is living on in some form.

That article was so nice to read! You can tell they really kept The Vortex fans in mind! I still need to get to Carowinds to ride Carolina Cyclone and Fury!!

This is so cool. I am looking forward to riding them at Carowinds on my next trip there.

I think if they wanted to sell the land to condo developers for a cash influx, they would have done that with the land the hospital is being built on, nor would they be looking at building a hotel by Rutherford road.

Somewhat, but what makes Vaughan different is that Vaughan is immediately north of the City of Toronto (which by itself is huge in area), Vaughan was known for many years with this slogan "The City ABOVE Toronto". Distance wise, Kings Island is roughly 24 miles from the downtown core of Cincy, while in Toronto's case, Wonderland is 18 miles away from the downtown core. By distance wise, I'm looking moreso at the shortest distance between the two spots. This is important to discuss because I-71 passes by both Kings Island and downtown Cincy, while Hwy 400 which passes by Wonderland DOES NOT go into downtown Toronto. (there was a plan for this and exit numbers appear to acknowledge downtown as a starting point despite the southern extension never built but that's another story). If one uses an all freeway route to get to downtown Toronto from Wonderland, it ends up being 30 miles, but you get my point I'm sure. It's also worth noting the high density developments that have sprung up at Hwy 400 and Hwy 7 in Vaughan, leading to a skyline of sorts. Much of this development is due to the brand new subway station which just opened in Dec 2017. This is the kind of endgame they have for their new downtown area, which would sit around 3 miles from Wonderland: The point I'm sort of getting at, Mason isn't nearly as big as Vaughan is right now or will be.

Yeah, I guess you’re right, it’s just I always get into arguments with someone who claims that wonderland will become condos in the future. So when have you visited Wonderland, and how many times have you visited? It has been said that the overall planning focus in the Greater Toronto Area changed when Wonderland was built, they originally wanted to develop more east of the city, but Wonderland made them develop more north of the city. As for hitting a condo building nearby....it’s not that bad yet lol, when walking inside the park, you do feel like you are isolated from the real world for the most part. Wonderland does have a big advantage competition wise compared to other cities. First thing, there is virtually NO other major theme park nearby. You could say Darien Lake is close by, but remember that Darien Lake is behind an international border and most people aren’t adventurous to cross the border to go to a theme park. The only real other theme park in Canada is in Montreal, and not only is it a 5 hour drive away, but the predominant language spoken at the park is French. Los Angeles is really the only larger metro area with a CF park, which has a population around twice the population of the Greater Toronto Area. But remember, in the LA area exists four major theme parks, well five if you split Disneyland from California Adventure. While I’ve never been to SoCal, I’ve assumed, can someone correct me, that Knott’s and Magic Mountain are moreso “locals” theme parks, like how some off strip casinos in Vegas are known as “locals casinos”. Is this the case for the Knott’s and MM?

And I didnt say you did - I was agreeing with you. :-) SFAW wasn't supported in any way... that was my point... so SF took the easy way out by thinking selling it would be lucrative... it wasn't.

Canada's Wonderland is a faaaar cry from Astroworld. SF had basically stopped significant investments in Astroworld prior to its closure. I believe in the final 5 years it was open - Diablo Falls (raft flume) and SWAT (S&S Skyswatter) were the only things added - and they were both installed in 2003 in necessity after the park removed The Tornado. The park had fallen into general disrepair and neglect. The area of Houston in which it resided had declined in overall prosperity, avg income and frankly - safety. The park wasn't closed necessarily because the land became more valuable - it closed because it just wasn't seeing growth in attendance and profit margins. Couple that with the fact that they were in litigation with the Texas Giants over parking issues. (At AW, you parked near the Astrodome - then walked over a long causeway that stretched over the interstate before getting to the main gate.) It had a bad reputation by the time it was demolished. I believe the land did sit vacant and undeveloped for years. I attended AW a couple of times in those final years. It wasn't even on par with SFKK at the time. The rides were antiquated, and the park unkempt. I personally didn't feel completely safe there... there were gangs of teens ruling the park, graffiti on some walls and I could smell pot the entire time I was there. One time, I saw a young teen girl and older teen boy copulating right out in the open on a picnic table - they made no bones about it. The first time I went to Wonderland - there was literally nothing around it. It was all vacant land. Now, you cant throw a rock without hitting a condo. However, Wonderland likely has the largest metropolitan draw of any of the CF parks. Its also a HUGE economic boost to both nearby Toronto as well as Vaughan itself. The fact that CF has invested so heavily in CW is proof that the park is there to stay. Oh - someone mentioned XLR-8... well here is a pic I took of it the last time I was at SF Astroworld (August 2003.) I first went around 2001... and I had been looking forward to riding XLR-8 for years - then when I finally did... waaah waaah... it was slower and duller than Iron Dragon if you can imagine that!

Probably a very small amount. What I was saying earlier was more into the regards of corporate cutting their losses with the pain of running a theme park in a different country.

^ Based off of what was said today Knotts Merry Farm & Canada’s wonderlands Winterfest events are profitable enough to justify opening. The company very much sounded open to hosting those events at those two parks.