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Winterfest is back for 2021 according to the Kings Island website as of today. I can taste the buffet and hot chocolate already! https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/winterfest

Just love looking at Orion at night from the webcam!

Morning everyone! Orion is looking great this morning From: Kings Island livestream video.

People tend to lose their heads over these types of rumors

Haunt is back for 2021, at least according to their website as of today. We can start Haunt 2021 discussions in this thread. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/haunt

On a hunch I dug though some old papers and found it. USA Today, 1988 The pictures are out of order but the entire article is there. The section in question is highlighted.

In other park news, Dollywood has moved to masks only while indoors and no more temp checks, effective today.

For many people, Orion will be a new ride this year, and I agree with others who believe next year will be a 50th anniversary celebration. My guess is they won't announce a coaster for that; I'd imagine they follow something similar to what Cedar Point previously announced (and is doing this year). I'd love to see them do some sort of commemorative photo book like CP did (although I've also pre-ordered A RIDE THROUGH TIME, so if they don't, I'm pretty set on history). KI seems to do a better job with nostalgia than CP does, so I'd imagine they'll really lean into it for next year. For th

I just received the first dose of my vaccine. Second one is scheduled for April 14th.

Some good news to those hoping a new ride will eventually replace Vortex: I just started reading my most recent ACE magazine that we get like every month or so and they have a section talking about Orion and they took a little bit to talk about Vortex and they seemed to have asked Mike Koontz about the future of the land and instead of him giving the standard "we have no plans for the area" he shed some light and sorta promised that it'll eventually be home to a new ride someday. However, I'd take this with a grain of salt and not expect anything new there until at least 2024:

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2021/april/resin-models-of-the-k.i.--miami-valley-railroad-now-available-at-the-online-store?fbclid=IwAR2K_bOjksa2v64wOouyYB2LWOMy0gpzwDnuPszcGuNmTTVaAw67016qvJg These are really cool, will you be getting a set?

Agreed. Beast needs its seclusion, it's an important part of the theme.

^Make sure to invite @Hawaiian Coasters 325.

Here's an idea on how a queue could work if they were to put a new coaster station where Vortex's station was. Yes, it's an RMC and the theme is connected between both Coney and Rivertown. It would be themed to a shipping and containment facility that ships things between Fort Coney (Coney Mall) and Rivertown. The facility would actually be named Outpost 5 as a nod to SOB. Action Theater would remain to be used as a storage/storm shelter building.

I scheduled my first shot for April 2.

As we inch closer and closer to May 15th, Kings Island fans anticipation for opening day is getting higher by the minute. With the the recent webcams coming back online, they are giving us a small peak of the action as Kings Island starts to come back alive for a new season of FUN. Most KICentral members and other park fans are so ready to drive through the toll booth, scan their pass at the turn styles, and walk onto International Street for the 2021 season. There is just a sense of happiness that comes over you when entering Kings Island. Your senses are transformed away from everyday l

Also, Adventure Express is amazing at night!

I can't wait to ride Orion again. I also can't to see my book for sale on the park's shelves!

I just finished the book. Very well done and highly recommended to any fan of Kings Island and this forum. Also to anyone whose a fan of the industry in general, as the park has had more of an impact on the industry than I thought going into it. Literally I was reading 50 to 60 pages a night since I got the book on Monday, I was hooked on the story of the park and I don’t really read for pleasure. That says something. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry but I don't want anything crossing over or coming near to The Beast's land. Orion has been the only coaster to come close and that's as far as I would like it to go. Personally whatever replaces Vortex, I hope they use the cleared land and nothing more. Vortex had a low angle lift hill which took up a lot of space where as most manufacturers nowadays incorporate steeper lift hills to save space.

Orion's Belt just got a lot more dreamier.

So, I got part 1 of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday. I have a auto-immune programmed immune system, just without the organ my body was auto-immuning, so it hits viruses and the like pretty hard from the get go. As expected for me, I did get a little sick, but only mild achiness and head grogginess. If I had to work today, I probably would have. Just throwing this out there in case anyone here has someone affected by auto immune disorders and wants to know how they may affect them, albeit anecdotally.

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/live-video They finally have made their return !

All this talk of Paramount theming and everybody is forgetting The Outer Limits Flight of Fear.

https://kicentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Episode-14-A-Ride-Through-Time.mp3 Join Robbie (Coastersrz) and Brad Perdue (Indyguy4KI) as they interview Evan Ponstingle, author of the new history book about Kings Island, "Kings Island: A Ride Through Time". Be sure to also check out Episode 8, where we previously interviewed Evan. To preorder this book, which is slated to be released on April 15th, and learn more about this book, please visit his publisher`s website River Shore Creative here.

So exciting!! Getting closer! Preorders shipping this weekend!

Rule changes are probably a little tougher at KI than Cedar Point because of the season pass base. I hope they realize that. Then, with the exception of The Beast, the lines at close are typically non existent.

Woohoo! I grew a new fondness for Winterfest after setting it up and striking it in 2019, it's such a neat event and has so much passion and care put into it.

I don't want to bust anyone's excitement, but I have a hard time believing the placement of the water dummies 7 weeks before opening has anything to do with how many people they will be sitting on the trains this year.

It is my great hope that Cedar Fair loads full trains this year, at least in states where they aren't prohibited by law. Six Flags and Herschend are back to full trains.

A floorless is a possibility, but I see KI getting some kind of Multi-Launch coaster before that.

I'm somewhat of a newbie to Kings Island myself. I have a bucket list item this summer to ride in the front seat and back seat of every rollercoaster!

Backlot Stunt Coaster was placed in the perfect spot in the park. So glad it replaced the original Antique Cars.

"No, you probably wont be riding today" said to the guest that jumped the fence after the ride was closed. This is only after they walked up to us and loudly announced how they just had to close the day with Diamondback even though the line was closed. Ride ops saw it and had them hauled off. He then tried coming after me, pulling his shirt off saying how he was going to take me out for being a rat...LOL What he didnt know is that for the last 2 years my son and I closed the line at DB every night we are there and if someone is behind us... well you entered the line after it was closed.

Diamondback's splashdown has been filled.

Diamondback is fairly forgettable as a roller coaster, and its addition did more to lessen atmosphere in the park than anything Paramount did.

GP article or not, the "most intense," "best in the world" phrasing and associated discussions get tiresome. Unless it is something that can be measured, counted, or quantified, it is all subjective.

For posterity, I was a Beast Crew member (many, many moons ago) and can tell you we were all made aware of the potential hazards with the ride when in driver training. We were given examples of accidents that HAVE occurred in its history, so we knew what to look for and how to handle. Not once, in my time working there - or in training - was there ever any mention of someone being mortally injured by The Beast. However we were warned that people HAVE hit their heads on the trains, broken fingers and hands in the helix, busted lips, had heart attacks etc. Unfortunately, those types of th

Coasterstock will be back in 2021 on July 9th and 10th! This two day event is a Kings Island fan come true. In the past it has included Exclusive Ride Time (ERT), behind-the-scenes photo and video opportunities, unlimited digital photos, catered meals, guest speakers, and fun contests. We are not sure what all they can do this year with the current restrictions. More details, including the date tickets go on sale, will be announced soon. I am sure @DonHelbig has a plan to make it another unforgettable event! Please not this event is exclusive to coaster club members from the follo

I get what you are saying which is why I don't find it the most realistic. However, I would be okay if they used some of it, but made sure they did whatever they could to keep The Beast's secluded feel. This coaster only goes under the hill right before the long straight section and does a cutback over the drop before that hill and that's the only way it comes close to The Beast's track. If I would change one thing about this is I would have a much lower drawn out wave turn and would go straight to the cutback so that it doesn't take up that much space and they can keep most of the trees there

Got my first phizer shot today and so far experiencing only a slightly sore arm.

That is very clever using that space for queueing. I like it

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/live-video Guess what’s back? Back again? Cams are back! Tell a friend!

The ad campaign, which featured a sinister shot of a baby carriage, took a visual cue from Paramount's "Rosemary's Baby" promotion: Other films have used similar imagery to promote their films. Here's a teaser trailer for "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child": And another for "It's Alive": However, the ride itself seems loosely based on classic B-movie horror sequels, which often featured titles that implied the titular terror is either a spouse or direct descendant of the previous monster ("Dracula's Daughter", "The Bride of Frankenstein", etc.), but most of were

The return of ERT has been confirmed. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/season-passes/early-ride-times?smtrctid=a9e27cdf56c627451842e98427d51266d2d8e3a8ae126b30e1de03247a2f2121&rID=41529074

I can attest to this, based on the numerous number of Night Rides I've gotten on coasters right before close (specifically, I'm thinking of Adventure Express and The Bat). One time, I marathoned The Bat 5 times in a row (one of the other riders with me got about 10 rides or so, IIRC); good times!

I agree, hopefully KI doesn't close lines early. I have season tix for the first time to KI this year, but was planning on going at night a few times between 8-10p when my 1 year old is in bed since my wife isn't a huge roller coaster fan.

I just don’t see how Kings Island can expect to have a somewhat high attendance season this year if they choose to skip rows on their rides again. Last year, every day the park had decent crowds, lines were terribly long especially when they only ran two trains on most rides that are capable of running three trains. I think masks, health screenings, and social distancing everywhere else should stay at this moment, but the social distancing on rides needs to go. I believe that the CDC says that you are only at high risk of catching COVID-19 when you are within close proximity of someone wi

@IndyGuy4KI...Poor Coaster Sally. You confused him again.

My book arrived this week. Probably going to save it to read on vacation next month, but two big surprises: 1.) This is a good-sized book. I anticipated maybe a short, 100-page quick read. This is fairly hefty, and browsing through it, it's comprehensive and very well written. Which led to my second surprise... 2.) @KIghostguyis super young! I always assumed he was someone who was around my age, who'd been involved with the park for decades. But he's a kid! And he wrote a good-sized book! I have a master's in communication and toiled over a 100-page thesis last year; he has a nearly