BB1

Honestly I thought it was a fever dream. The concept of a shed slide being at The Beach puzzled me but I guess it was an actual attraction. I never actually knew the real history behind the slide as I only went once during it's original run and twice after they reopened. (Media day was interesting to say the least, they handed out tickets to come back during the season and I honestly enjoyed it. I should have that folder somewhere in my office) As for the trespassing comment, if you're not allowed to be there don't touch it. "Urban exploring" sounds cool, but in reality can lead to some serious charges and the last thing I would want to see is another "Local enthusiast arrested for trespassing on The Beach property". Don't be stupid, don't do something you will regret in the future.

For over a decade I thought my ride on Snake River Rapids was just a dream I had, now I finally have confirmation that this actually existed and I did not dream it. Honestly a shame to see the waterpark go, but it's not surprising considering the proximity to Kings Island. Hopefully some of the slides will be sold off (I would be a serious contender for some slide parts and some Beach signage), and we can finally see the area get renovated to something new soon.

Did I just casually make the best area for the park that just so happens to work with the Carowinds expansion concept. Heck you could even add in an Air Race at the basketball game and effectively annex a new part of the park to make a cohesive end to Coney Mall's Lunken annex.

I just want a green intamin that just so happens to be an aqua trax named YoungStud to be installed somewhere back there. (I kid I kid) Honestly LOVE the idea of bringing a "Losantiville" experience to RiverTown; however I would much rather see that area stay with Coney Mall. There is a lot the park could do, but something I think that would really take off would be something themed after aviation or Lunken Airport. Being a HUGE part of Cincinnati's growth in the 1900's, I think that any coaster concept could work as the original Coney was extremely close to the airport. It could finally anchor down WindSeeker to a part of Coney that never really fit and give us possibly our first launched Wing coaster.

If you asked me 10 years ago what my 10 year plan was I would have said scrap yard. Today? Probably looking at a waterslide complex in the not so distant future, maybe a smaller launch coaster back where the arena is currently. Otherwise I don't see the big plans other people do, as it stands the park has a small height variance; and it has yet to see any new land leases from the fair grounds. With that being said, under Herschend I would not be surprised if they started to poke and prod at maybe buying up property around the park to expand or negotiate the terms of the land agreement. With a big name behind a small park expansion, I don't think it's too far off to explore those options in the next 10 years.

It just looks cool for a great portion of the populous. I have been to several waterparks in the past year alone with some saucers being mixed in and it truly changes the aesthetic of the whole park. Also have you even ridden one yet? It s a lot of FUN and feels like you're bobsledding, definitely not a waste in my book.

Seriously hoping for this, I was upset to see that we didn't get a coin for the anniversary like Cedar Point did; and for a package that I really only want 2 of the 4 items to spend such a price is a big ask.

So that's a part of the PROSlide FlyingSAUCER water coasters, the design is to create a fast paced turn that gives a similar thrill to a bowl slide. It is 100% an element choice by the park, and honestly I've enjoyed every one that I have been on YTD. It is more akin to having inversions or having airtime on certain coasters, water coasters have differing elements to deliver to. Note though that WhiteWater West currently does not have a product like the FlyingSAUCER. https://www.proslide.com/rides/categories/flying-saucers/

Which at that point I would seriously argue the validity of the whole voting scheme. Is this based off of ride quality? ride quantity? overall guest experience? food options? or is this based off of coaster events, the catering (or lack thereof) to enthusiasts wills and whims? While yes, there are always going to be individuals you may disagree with or may not like due to their statements, to use that as a point of conjecture of whether or not if a park is great honestly doesn't sit well with me. Just because I had one guy at X park be a jerk about his position (I've seen more power tripping this year than I have in 5 years for reference), doesn't mean I am going to discount the whole park. As, typically, on the same day I can have a great interaction with another associate who cares about the guests. Does that justify someone being a jerk? No, in fact I know nothing about the supposed CP spokes incident and I have no frame of reference to say the individual was in the wrong or right. What I can say is that I know plenty of individuals who work at various parks, including Cedar Point, who bust their butts to give the guests the best day experience; so to say that a park isn't good based off of one person who happens to be in a position that is more prominent rather than the collective makes me somewhat disappointed.

Cedar Fair has a really good working relationship with WhiteWater West currently. WhiteWater West is known for their body slide/tube slide complexes and CF has had great success with the combo deal and from what I understand the new go to is kiddie complexes for the waterparks that desperately need new kids areas. As a trend based off of the past few years, CF buys in bulk and spreads it out to the rest of the chain. KI is definitely due and unfortunately I believe our beloved pirate ship or the old Koala Splash (I forget the name it is now unfortunately as I haven't ridden the slide since back then) will be replaced with a set. I could definitely see us getting a water coaster eventually, but I expect an airtime machine similar to Wildebeest rather than something like a SAUCER for the sake of placement in the back of the park.

Golden Tickets are always an oddball deal for me. Some make sense, while others just flat out puzzle me to no end. There are favorites and there is favoritism within the voting base of the dubbed "experts" of the polling data of whom just make me laugh and gawk all at the same time. (Beast at #5, Hagrids being infront of Millennium Force, Flying "Didn't open in time" Turns getting the #1 coaster award when probably less than half of the people voting actually rode it. [I even heard some jest that it 'deserved' the award]). Personally I don't put a lot of weight into the awards as honestly it will not sway my opinions. Is it a boon for parks to get new awards to help attendance? Of course it is however the voting base makes me question a lot about their experience. With that being said, I can resolutely say that Kings Island really pulled out the stops this year and kicked some serious competition into the industry with our food options for the event. Which to be quite honest, really made me reconsider where did I get the best meal at in 2022 in terms of the park. I can also say with or without some golden award I will still see Kings Island as a truly world class themepark and waterpark (that deserves a new water coaster eventually).

You know what, if I could give you a gold star award I would gladly give you one. Unfortunately I don't have that kind of money currently but please accept this quickly acquired jpg of a gold star as a token of my appreciation and honest respect to a fellow foodie. I 100% agree, there are plenty of options that we could get. I would LOVE to see it come one day but until then we just have to wait and salivate.

This is more or less a "reasonable wish list with some extra spice" Finally finishing off the repaving of the parking lot, we got midway, now we just need to finish it off. Would absolutely love to see some new food options come in 23. I know Chef Major has done alot of work on our food options at the park, (He's honestly my favorite "big name" in the park, I'm sorry Don we still love you) but I would love to see some touch ups at some of the locations to see if there are new options that could come to the park. I E steak option like at Farmhouse in CP at Coney BBQ, maybe some form of rotating wings menu at the Chicken Shack, etc. I would love to see some new paint on a few attractions, most notably Diamondback. Rounding everything off I wanted to highlight one key thing I think Kings Island really needs: Restroom TLC. If not even every restroom in the park, at least some modifications and upgrades to make them more modern. With that being said, I don't need all of this, or really any of this to be happy. I'm honestly impressed with all of the work KI has done over the past year and wouldn't blame them for taking a year off of park modifications at this point.

If you have yet to do Land of Illusion, do Land of Illusion. Definitely hit up the haunted trail, however I would say coming back is always hit or miss for return visits. Dent School House really kicks it into gear. Amazing theming, an amazing team, it's well worth your ticket and some. (Friendly reminder they are open on Thursday nights too) Brimstone has been hit or miss from what I have heard however I am planning on coming this season as it has been on my hit list for a few years now. I will also add if you want something that is unique, check out Sandyland Acres. Their hayride, while not really scare heavy, is really just fun and somewhat comical. The haunted barn actually wasn't that bad and was pretty nice a few years ago.

I have several friends who have worked at KI's Haunt, everyone comments how it's a whole team effort. To actually set up and put down takes a lot of time and effort to get it rolling; the park isn't on the WDW budget, it's a regional park budget. I can be very critical on the park at times only because I love it and I seriously just want the best for the park to grow. I had the opportunity to work it several times when I was employed at KI, never took it and I still regret it. (Can't do it now because I finally landed a career but would have loved to in the past)

Actually somewhat surprised that we don’t have a lot of theming up yet. A few stages but no major sets from what I’ve seen.

My honest response to this is look at several of the most recent "dark/flat rides" that have come out over the past few years. Snake River Expedition is a prime example of a practically non-interactive Cedar Fair attraction that guests absolutely love. Look at the plethora of dark rides in the Florida parks and many do not have any interactivity nor do they need it. It creates alot more complexity for the ride and honestly in my opinion ruins the whole guest experience. I've had that belief since I first rode the Scooby Doo conversion when I was a kid. Suffice to say that taking out the shooter aspect probably would reduce a lot of wear and tear on the attraction and would be a way to consolidate on an enjoyable guest experience for everyone. That being said guests back when PT opened didn't know of PT before hand, however now guests and more specifically families have been reintroduced to the characters within the attraction. I believe if anything it will become a massive hit based off of the responses this year and the

If you told me 10 years ago that I would expect CF to theme their properties very well, I would have laughed. Now we live in a very theme heavy park chain that focuses on creating stories within their parks. No doubt in my mind that we couldn't get a major Oktoberfest made by some made up character (Herr Konig (King in German) comes to mind). Easily plop down 2-3 new flats in the area, redux the Festhaus and the "Hanks" offerings (Come on just make it a quick service sausage hut a la Schmidt's or something), take out the biergarten next to Festhaus and maybe re-arrange the food arrangements in the area. For as much as I love Auntie Ann's, I think for us to have a fully stocked pretzel stand with custom pretzels/spreads would be an amazing addition. We have a lot of potential with that side of the park we just need a full year of expansions for the park to actually get it.

The interesting part about that is the map shows it behind Orion like a few years ago. Yet the attraction is listed in Action Zone.

....This was a memory I 100% did not remember till just now. I would have LOVED to been a fly on the wall when the park mgt was discussing the haunt that year!

So what I don't think people understand is that KI doesn't necessarily need a new attraction for 2023. Kings Island still is building up their merchandising game, they are still making improvements on food packages (Even though if Chef Major is reading this you are absolutely clobbering the competition right now) and there is still a lot of TLC they can offer for the park. Am I upset that we didn't get anything? Somewhat yeah, I would have loved to see a new addition for the park to move forward. However I can also rest on the fact that we did just get a major Giga (which many of my peers have been slobbering over for years mind you), that should satisfy your hunger for a new addition for quite sometime. Am I upset with how KI didn't get a "new addition for 2022"? Yeah, but at the same time we just got a REALLY nice entertainment package that for once I can say really stood out; coupled with the Timberwolf Theater finally getting some TLC and some amazing concerts. Oh and let's not forget a major retrack of The Beast and a major refresh of Racer. Those were our new attraction funds being put to work, hence why the sting isn't as bad. I am cautiously optimistic that this year was a test to see if the fans want Phantom Theater back, and they do. To have a ride already set up before gauging guest approval is daft, to have a ride set up maybe a season or two after having such a successful show on the ride would be a very wise decision on behalf of the park. I am also cautiously optimistic that we could see a new foodie option finally coming up.....Like ripping out Outer Hanks and putting in a sit down or patio covered German restaurant with authentic sausages, pork and steak. (Call it Herr Konig's or something, make it unique) We already know that part of the park has some future expansion plans, so to have a food option that is different, and that can handle such a surge of guests besides Festhaus would be a boon to the park. We have the main guy behind corporate food offerings at our park, Chef Major has done some amazing things for the park and I honestly hope that they capitalize on his experience with a new option like this. Or maybe the park goes a different direction and puts a new smokehouse style restaurant back where the Big Box o'FUN (R) is currently in Rivertown. We have options, the park needs new options, even if we don't get any of these I'm sure the park is going to do some TLC jobs on rides like Diamondback to finally give a consistent coat of paint to one of the icons of the park.

I believe TTD will probably be a soft open next year. It’s something I think the park will evaluate throughout the off season and will see when they want to reopen the ride. As for the Corkscrew demo, I am 100% on the same page however the movement of the flats from that area really makes an argument for the park to put in something new.

https://www.carowinds.com/new-in-2023?fbclid=IwAR1auz5NESXgAwTpW70_uIQIFSu1AX0KvPgFzlH_YG1KGZ6tQjJtavJEFyY&fs=e&s=cl Huge flat ride package, I’m impressed!

It used to be an arcade

Pink's.... A travesty to lose my favorite hot dog joint from CP's line up, would love to see it come to parks like KI but considering current mgt at the restaurant that doesn't look very bright.