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Let’s not just assume that Halloween Haunt is already cancelled and get mad at Cedar Fair. We don’t know that yet. Even if Kings Island runs a more family oriented event instead of their typical event, I could see them trying to open a few scare mazes if they have the staffing to do so. Also, people have to realize that it is impossible for Cedar Fair to please everyone. Kings Island is obviously trying to please their customers, and they for sure wish they didn’t have staffing issues and limited park hours. If Kings Island could control everything, we would have a season like 2019. Kings Island literally cannot do anything more than raise their wages to attract new workers to bring back normal park hours. And, since Halloween Haunt is apparently a big money maker for Cedar Fair, they for sure wish they could just have it like any other year. The problem is, this year is not normal, so they may not be able to have Halloween Haunt like they usually would. They for sure will try their best to host the event or something similar, but they don’t necessarily have complete control over that. Kings Island is stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one side, they have passholders who claim they don’t get enough value with their season passes while others think the season passes are too cheap. Is Kings Island screwing over customers by not giving them good value for their season pass or are they giving away the gate? No matter what Kings Island does, there will always be people who are unhappy. This is true for any business. Let’s also look at the good on things and not always the negative. Too often, I feel like people only come on this site to bash things or complain. If you look at Kings Island for what it is, it is a well-kept, well-landscaped amusement park that is home to a world-class ride collection. In terms of operations, Kings Island is operating seven days a week, Kings Island is not closing lines early, and Kings Island is running live entertainment. A lot of regional amusement parks cannot say the same.

It's after miiiiiiiiiiidnight... KIExtreme is now 29. Stay tuned around here for updates from KIC regarding the photo archival.

Make no mistake, in our society it's not about the workers or the customer, it's ONLY about the stockholder and the almighty dollar.

Why is it his responsibility to staff the park? He was offered a package of events when purchasing his pass. He shelled out the money and it’s the park’s responsibility to deliver these products. If it weren’t for the fact that this season was “free” there would be some very good grounds for a class action lawsuit if they cancelled Haunt. No judge in the world would take pity on them for taking everyone’s money and then not delivering on what’s advertised because of “staffing.”

It's definitely becoming a weekend evening problem. We don't go to the park on weekends because of the larger crowds alone. If this keeps up, I hope they just go ahead and post a curfew after 4:00PM. No more lone teens in the park. I'm sure Mason and other jurisdictions aren't pleased about what continues to happen.

Compared to the park's own social pages and other fan social pages, KIC is very light on complaining. Here the posts are more in your face compared to social media as well. You make good points on what we do have. What if CW was our home park? They would probably love to have what we have been able to enjoy and they are still waiting to open.

A chaperone policy, reservations required Friday-Sunday and the closure of the drop off area to all non employees are all options they can look at to immediately address these concerns. I know that most people on this site are against those measures for a variety of legitimate reasons, however the public perception of the park can be ruined by these news events/viral videos. It's a very serious issue for the park's future, at least in my opinion. They have an interesting passholder renewal period coming up for several reasons, as well as decisions to be made on fall and winter operations. Maintaining the status quo and hoping for the best, other than increasing in park security staff, is a big risk. If something happens that leads to serious injuries or worse after several incidents that have already received media attention, it's going to be very bad.

I agree, I think at this point a chaperone policy is inevitable, but unfortunately this isn't only a "teens fighting at night" problem, this is an overall crime issue. The park really needs to do more than just implementing a chaperone policy, they've got to increase infrastructure as well so that they're not only reactionarily combating these issues, but passively preventing them from happening in the first place.

All they have to do is add the "Twi" to X2!

We are working with KIE to migrate their whole gallery over to KIC's main site. Don't fret, it won't disappear.

I will admit that I am strongly against a chaperone policy, so I am probably a little biased. But, isn’t what happened this past Saturday a sign that Kings Island’s new safety policies are working? The teens who were harassing the man and his son were quickly taken care of and the problem ended. The park had control. Earlier this year, they did not have control when the fighting broke out, so in my opinion, this is proof the new safety measures are working.

@beastfan11 Without knowing the specific parks you are mentioning, I can only mention what I have experienced and read about on social media: Kentucky Kingdom is operating on a normal calendar, but they have had typically short operating days. Several dry park rides are undergoing renovation (likely delayed by the transition), but food stands and waterpark rides are closed or rotated because of short staffing. Indiana Beach is short staffed and is recruiting teachers as seasonal workers (KI could do this, and may have started to recruit senior workers as I saw more seniors working on my visit last week). Six Flags parks have seemed to keep the calendar intact, but people complain more than ever because of lines, closed food locations and rides. A friend in Orlando says he will not renew either his Disney or Universal pass because of the miserable conditions related to short staffing. BGW has and may still have very limited capacity, with many people posting about never coming back (they will).

Also note that hours are subject to change. Closing early due to rain would fall under that. Probably this 8:00 stuff would fall under that. Cutting out a 6 week event that was explicitly advertised would very likely take it too far. But other than that, I do get your point.

As a season pass holder, I have the luxury of visiting whenever I can during the season. I work weekends, so that is out. For me that works out well because the Fight Club seems to happen on the weekends. I don't know your situation, but if you are a current pass holder, I might suggest visiting during the week when Fight Club is not in session. That would address your point #2...less crows=less waits. #3--if the labor situation could be solved, that would solve this. #4--agreed. Finally, we agree on many things in your last paragraph. I look at the current situation and set my expectations very low. For example, last Wednesday the forecast called for 80-90% chance of rain/storms until 7pm. I had planned to meet a friend there from northern Ohio. I was very tempted to cancel my 2.5 hour drive there when my alarm went off, but to see a friend was worth the drive. If the park closed early or stayed open with rain, we made alternate plans. Of course, the rain stayed away for the most part and it was one of the best days I have ever had at the park. For pass preview weekend (I did get that weekend off work), I knew it would be crowded. So I set my expectations appropriately and still had a good day, albiet with long lines.

Are you suggesting they close the park entirely? Have a calendar like KD or Dorney? Require limited reservations for the dry park? Businesses large and small are desperate for workers. $18 for a teenager to scan a pass and hand a cup or git litter? 3 months ago that would have been preposterous. Those workers who have gone to KI have shrunk the labor pool for the region surrounding KI. And poor Sandusky. Cedar Fair has a huge hole to climb out of. They took out high interest loans to cover fixed costs and those will come due. I'd think the budget to cover some of those costs will be reduced to find the labor budget which has to be funded immediately. If you were park president or CEO of the LLC, how would you solve the labor problem?

^ I am both. If things were "normal" and my favorite KI things were cancelled, I would be upset. But things continue to be un-normal and will be for quite some time. I have down graded to gold for a few years now. Between '20 and '21, I have 12 visits in, and I normally do around 14 in a year. So in 2 visits, everything will be what I normally pay for. After that, everything is a bonus. KI has provided a huge value for my investment since 2014, they need all the support they can get because of '20 and '21. So I am pro company which is doing the best they can do to be pro customer. The 0100 closures were addressed pre-Covid. Yeah, it sucks, but corporations have to be good neighbors. You and others have complained about the family friendly Haunt event for a while now. If they don't have enough employees/monsters etc, and it is packed as it normally is with decreased staff, you would complain even more.. You complain about just everything the park does or does not do. While my post was satirical about you being put in charge of staffing, your post reminds me of complainers never having solutions to their complaints. As a previous poster said, there are plenty of other parks to shop around at. If you are that unhappy with KI, you have plenty of time to research. Karen, heal thyself.

It just sounds like you are pro corporation and not pro customer. Those Neighbors are likely not King's Island customers either. The guest should always be put first. Not The neighbors, or the Karens or the suits or the stockholders.

I know it's not probable but I would love to see trams in the parking lot come back. Granted, it takes away value for preferred parking, but it would help with less pedestrians in the parking lot and also provide supervision of the parking lot as well as the drop off area. I would think that a company would be interested in providing a discount/paying for electric trams that could be used. It may mean more employees, but right now it seems you need security guards out at the "parent drop-off (terrible name:))" area either way. It would also be a nice nod back to the opening of KI. As a bonus they could use ones without as many cars to transport people to and from Great Wolf Lodge and Camp Cedar. Just my 2 cents.

They have had pop up lighting in place at the drop off for a couple weeks...

Sounds like it’s time for you to shop around. That’s the great thing about a free market. You can take your purchasing any where you choose.

^When the notes come due, you have to have cash to pay. If I didn't have cash to pay my financed mortgage, after a few months I would not have a house. In a like manner, the same happen with businesses. Cedar Fair had long term debt obligations (financed) that were managed well via sweeps and pay down pre pandemic. During the pandemic, the company took out high interest loans to cover basic expenses. The minimized cash burn as much as they could. Now, they are looking to optimize revenue. However, one of the largest expenses (labor) has doubled, with operating days and hours cut severely across the company. They have pushed out lots of food and merchandise offering, most are affordably priced--pins, shirts--and some premium--posters--in an effort to bring in cash to in turn pay wages and debt. Now is the time to spend money in the park. Open up those wallets, people! You get some cool stuff and the company gets some relief. Not to mention that the Blue Ice Cream Beer is good, as is the dip in the Brewhouse among other things.

Canada’s Wonderland is expecting to open for Passholder preview July 5th and 6th with GP on 7th. Splash works on the 12th. Reservations required for both.

Article doesn't say much about a situation last night (6/12)...but at the same time not every incident is newsworthy... https://www.wlwt.com/article/police-investigating-unruly-juvenile-behavior-at-kings-island-saturday-park-officials-say/36708876

In a post update from our friends at KIE: https://www.kiextreme.com/forums/index.php?/topic/7073-kiextreme-is-closing-monday-june-14/ "It’s been a heck of a ride, but all rides eventually reach the final brake run. 18 years after the first idea and earliest plans for the site, originally intended to be a photo gallery using the name PKI Pictures and evolving throughout 2003 into the full-fledged fansite Extreme PKI, launching during the busy final months of 2003 and rebranding to KIExtreme in 2007, the time has come. Sometime this upcoming Monday, June 14, 2021, KIExtreme will be closing its doors for good. This final decision comes after a lengthy period of considering the site’s future. In the age of social media, fans of Kings Island and other amusement parks around the globe have taken advantage of the convenience of these platforms for the rapid sharing of information, news, photos and videos. Kings Island itself maintains active social media profiles, embracing the direct reach to consumers in the same way as virtually every park, ride designer, and event in the amusement industry has done. While my opinion is that the traditional fan site approach still very much has a place for itself on the internet, as activity has slowed on KIExtreme over the years and news updates are now mostly just parroting what has already been delivered by the park directly, via social media and live-streaming new attraction announcements, the simple truth is that the time, effort, and costs involved with maintaining this site are, after thorough review, simply not viable anymore. As most people have probably noticed on the front page, the site has been undergoing preparations for renovation for some time now, but after two years of slow progress and technical hurdles, the next generation of KIExtreme is ultimately not to be. My personal passion for Kings Island has not wavered, and is not a factor in this decision to close. I will continue to support the park and contribute to fan communities, but the time has come to wrap up KIExtreme. Kings Island will be celebrating its 50 anniversary next year, and I am excited to see what is to come. I hope you are too! Until the site officially closes on Monday, the Photo Gallery, History Gallery, and Forums will be staying online. Check out photos from the start of my journey with digital photography in the gallery, the original catalyst that led to the site’s creation. Explore the rare historical photos dating back to 1972. Read back through forum posts, taking a ride through the history of the site itself, from the early days through the exciting peak period of time when construction began in Rivertown for what would become Diamondback, and all the speculation, rumors, and excitement every time a new concrete foundation was spotted. I’m posting this now to provide a full weekend to enjoy the site for the final time, and that’s not all. I still have one batch of photos, from Halloween Haunt 2011, that got lost in time for a while and will be uploaded as soon as tomorrow as the site’s final update. These will appear in the Halloween Haunt category of the Photo Gallery, so on this grand finale weekend, keep an eye on the Last Uploads section of the gallery for Haunt 2011 and anything else that could accompany Haunt in that batch of photos. It’s been a heck of a run with KIExtreme, but the future for Kings Island and park fans is a bright one. Ride on!"

Speaking of Canada`s Wonderland, they just announced they are being given permission to open. July 5th for pass holders and July 7th to the general public. https://www.canadaswonderland.com/

I hardly think that a tram driver is going to do anything to stop fighting teens. Not to mention that they are already struggling to get staffing (as you said), plus the cost of trams doesn’t seem like it would pay out. Furthermore camp cedar is not adjacent… so the trams would have to be fully licensed/street legal vehicles to go there and back (ie seat belts for all). The way you see this “fighting at the pick up lot after the park closes”. I’m not really sure how much of it is KIs problem. They close and tell people to leave… then people leave and fight. If this was your house and this occurred, you’d do exactly what KI is doing. You’d call the police to deal with it. I think a solution could be to have the bus schedule adjusted earlier and/or close the “drop off area” after dark (and forced parents and buses to pick up their kids sooner, before it is dark)… although inevitably some parents will still roll up late. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That having said, it should be noted that Mike Koontz has said on several occasion that he's not a fan of the underutilized buildings either. He's commented on the Crypt building in particular (at 2018 Coasterstock and in A Ride Through Time). He's said that he definitely wants something other than a Haunt maze to go into the Crypt building eventually, he just doesn't know what that would be at the moment. Whether it be a ride or something else only time will tell, but let it be known that management (at least, current management) does have interest in investing in underused infrastructure.

I doubt that labor was budgeted for what the current outlay is. All I know is that labor issues are not local to amusement parks--it is everywhere, larger metro areas and small towns. How do you solve that without spending all your income...while still having to pay other obligations?

They should rent a bunch of those pop up lights with their own generator built in the base for the meantime to increase lighting in the parking lot until they can invest in more permanent lighting. they've used them in the past

it seems that article was updated, the link you have still works as it redirects to the updated story, but according to the article 4 juveniles were arrested on Saturday for disorderly conduct (fighting in the drop off pickup area) its sad that this is continuing to occur, obviously the park has some work to do in mitigating these issues, perhaps having substantial increases in lighting in the parking lot, security cameras in the parking lot, and clearly security at the drop off pickup area needs either an increase, or rework to make sure this doesn't happen again.

If there would be Haunt this year was a question brought up at CoasterMania. Jason McClure who is now the regional Vice President over KI, CP, Carowinds, etc, stated the decision has not been made yet. He flat out stated the chain is worried about being able to staff the parks and the event. With the troubles the parks are having getting employees I do not think we will see a full standard Haunt at either Cedar Point or Kings Island. I am expecting a food festival, decorations, trick or treating for children, and maybe some fog machines, lighting and walk through areas but no houses. I would love to be proven wrong and would like the event to be back to normal but I doubt it.

Should've checked the forums before the weekend, it seems best wishes for your future now that keeping the site going wont be on your plate.

I can certainly see Urgent Scare and other medical-theme attractions being nuked and replaced all across the park industry.

A Gerstlauer Sky Roller might be another option. https://www.canadaswonderland.com/rides-experiences/skyhawk

Definitely split my time between here and ExtremePKI back in the day! Very good times and fantastic memories!

Yep all is good. The Bob Ross plush dolls stayed on Orion and the rides are tested with legless water dummies, so your kid will be fine. Look at all the kids over the years who had parents that had them wear platform shoes or stuff their shoes with stuff to make them reach the magical height and none of them flew out. There is a factor of safety inherent in the rider specs as well. Believe me, no park or manufacturer wants to be responsible for some little kid flying out because they just barely met the rider requirements. Keep in mind when rides like Racer and Beast opened, they were just buzz bars that didn't go down very far with no seatbelts and no middle divider. No little kid flew out of them. We had a lot of freedom in those seats back then. Now those rides have seatbelts, adjustable restraints to better fit to the person in the seat, and a middle divider so a single rider doesn't go sliding back and forth around turns. You know all the fun stuff when we were kids lol. And of course you will be sitting next to him probably holding on to his leg as well LOL. Enjoy the day. You will create memories for you and your son that will last a lifetime. These are the fun moments of going to the park. Enjoy them. Tell her to stay home if she will be a debbie downer

For the ones who like to collect pins. Beast, Orion, Diamondback, Banshee, and Mysic, are selling 2021 I rode it collecters pins at the ride photo booth. 7.99 each and you can use your pass discount. Each pin is located at each rides photo booth. Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

^ Gaunt

Seeing the sheer amount of families and the consistent waits for the 48 inch rides yesterday I agree that the next coaster should have the 48 inch height requirement.

That is amazing; did not know those existed! I've used cargo shorts for years. I prefer the kind that use zippers, but I've also used the kind that has deep pockets and has snaps. I even got a new (zipper) pair before the season started just so I could ride Orion (as even before COVID, I was wondering how I'd secure my stuff on-ride as I still used the cargo pants that snap).

This is scuttlebutt from Facebook. So take it with a grin of salt. A fight broke out at the pickup lot. Lots of police showed up. Teens scattered. They had to shut down KI drive because of the scattering.

Hearing more rumors of parking lot/pick up lot fights after closing tonight. High police presence. Anyone see /hear anything specific? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would love something to bring the intensity that Vortex, FOF, and Mystic Timbers brings in the form of a modern steel coaster. I think KI could use its first 90*+ drop. But, mostly a coaster with snappier inversions and/ or ejector. Just one ride that proved to be more of a "whoa, what was that" experience for most of the duration. Banshee has 2 moments like that. (always dreamed of what if the zero G roll stay low and fast along the hill downwards instead of the soaring version we have) But, that's likely not going to be the case for most future additions. Which is perfectly fine! But you asked what I would want :p

Unfortunately the demographic for forceful rides is more narrow than that for forceless ones.

Kinda yes, but I think what is needed is something on the more forceful side.

Do you feel like Copperhead Strike fits that description?

Something that out does everything in another park. On my recent rides in Fury it seems KI got the shaft on Orion. It doesn't have to be super tall or super fast but just something down right fun. I think a good multi launch coaster with strong airtime a d quick inversion with a innovative inversions.

Honestly something like this would be perfect since its inversion focused, has good hang time, the gimmicky hold over the 90° drop, and so on. This model isn't even 200ft.

Yes, I think it would be a great idea to have options of what type of coasters Kings Island will have when it comes to replacing Vortex, Invertigo....I think a B&M dive coaster like Kings Mills Striker seems right to me. Mack double launch coaster similar to Copperhead Strike at Carowinds would be a second option.... Gerstlauer like Hangtime at KBF in Southern California sounds about right... These options are on the table. It would be nice to get one of those coasters that Kings Island may need.

I'm a 5'4 250 lb female and my bra size is 40D so I'm around your stats. I can fit on pretty much everything in the park. Most require an extra push but I can still ride comfortably. The only rides I'd say I have some issues with would be The Beast, racer, WindSeeker and Diamondback. I've only had one walk of shame and that was the 2nd time I rode Diamondback. The main thing with Diamondback is if you carry a lot of weight in your hips/theighs it's harder. I've rode everything in the park except Drop Tower and I hardly ever have problems. And I've never had problems with over head restraints. Hoped this helps!