ideas on what the park will do for its 50th anniversary in 2022

[metalchic]

in five years Kings Island hits a major milestone, 50 years!  what are some of your ideas that you would like to see happen for this special occasion?  

i would personally like to see new versions of the 2 coasters we have lost.

i know im probably alone in this but i miss SOB terribly.  it was an amazing design but was chosen to be built by the wrong manufacturer.  the ideas were solid and all of the elements that were brand new to wooden coasters actually worked very well.  with RMC doing so well in making a name for themselves these past 6 years i feel that they could take the original design and build upon it safely.  the part of the coaster that failed was a normal part of most wooden coasters.  it was taller than any other woodie therefore should have had more structrual supports than it did.  after the intial accident in 2006 the trains were replaced with lighter ones to reduce stress on the structure.  this is the only reason the vertical loop was removed.  the lighter trains couldnt successfully make it through the loop.  there was never a problem with the loop itself although most people dont know this since a vertical loop has never been used on a wooden coaster since then.

second coaster we lost was king cobra.  again i know that most people dont like stand ups but i personally think its a different thrill than you can get from any other style of coaster.  i never had tge chance to ride cobra because by the time i was tall enough it was gone.  I've seen POV videos and i understand peoples issues with the restraints used on the old TOGO stand ups.  but i did ride mantis at Cedar Point and i absolutely fell in love.  it just had your standard OTSR and i thought it was quite comfortable.

[IndyGuy4KI]

If RMC Mean Streak is a success I could see a big RMC coming to KI. I am not sure if if it will be for its 50th. I doubt it would ever be called SOB though. I am with you that I do miss SOB's first drop.

[metalchic]

oh i totally agree naming it SOB would be a curse.  in two years ill have my degree in structrual engineering to become a coaster designer.  maybe i will get the chance to redesign SOB

[Thabto]

Maybe a giga. But a ground-up RMC would fit nicely in the lineup as well. Hopefully both of those come at some point.

[silver2005]

I have a feeling the entrance will either be changed up either before or right at the 50th anniversary, even if its just minor aesthetics.  Now that they re-tooled the parking entrance, I think the entrance building will follow suit.  

Also, insert obligatory restrooms in X-base wish here. 

As for rides, I'm sure we'll see some flats, maybe something for Planet Snoopy by then.  It's honestly hard to pin down what coaster KI gets next because I think the last 3 coaster additions rounded out the line up nicely.  It's kind of hold on and wait to see where the park chooses to go from here.  Now that they have a lot of the modern basics for a modern chain park, we'll probably see some variety, hopefully things that will give the park a bit of its own character.  I'm honestly okay with the park going a little outside the box at this point. 

[metalchic]

i wish there were flat rides that did something other than spin in circles because i get really motion sick which is why i ride only mainly coasters.  i honestly see them adding two coasters for this event.  idk what those woukd be other than a giga and yes possibly a RMC.

[Pagoda Gift Shop]

How about the same thing they did for the 40th anniversary?  New trash cans!

Honestly, I don't anniversaries really mean anything to the park in terms of capital improvements or planning.

[Magenta Lizard]

^that's what I've heard from people who should know, too. They'll probably do some promotions and celebrations, but their investments and planning are unlikely to be affected by an anniversary.

[TheRickster]

You'll probably get some fancy marketing, a special sign by the front of the fountains and that's about it as far as doing somethign special will go.

[BeeastFarmer]

I think what they are doing this year, while subtle, is a great tribute to the past.  I'd really like to see KI do something like KD did for their 40th--general sprucing up, bring back some old favorites and some interviews with people like Mr. Spiegel.  I'm not holding my breath for the return of Les Taxis/Ohio Overland Livery to the spot which the Junkyard coaster occupies.

[Beasttamer]

Maybe a ferris wheel...

[King Ding Dong]

Men aren't always the best with anniversaries.

[silver2005]

I know parks don't line up big investments with anniversaries, but I think they're missing opportunities in not doing so, at least for as big a milestone as 50 years is.  

[Kenban]

Parks typically actively try to avoid using anniversary years to add new attractions.  This way they bring in people by advertising the anniversary.  Then the park builds a new coaster the following year to get people to come back.

Likely this is what Cedar Point and Kings Island will do over the next few years.  Kings Island will likely get coasters in 2020 and 2023.  Cedar Point in 2021 and 2024.  This is a three year gap from the previous coaster and puts the coasters the year after the anniversary.  Everything lines up too nicely.

[Joshua]

I would be happy with something that celebrates the park's history. As far as what kinda ride is added, I'd be as happy as having a smaller ride (like the return of a certain log flume or Antique Cars ride or a new dark ride) as I would a ginormous rollercoaster. 

[KatieF]

I wondered if they'd do something like bring back the backwards car on The Racer or spruce something up on The Beast. I wouldn't mind seeing the themes get spruced up on the queue line of The Beast. If you're just getting off of Mystic Timbers which looks fantastic, The Beast looks a little rough.

[Creed Bratton]

We can pretty much count out any side of Racer being turned backward.

[IndyGuy4KI]

On 6/9/2017 at 1:02 AM, KatieF said:

I wondered if they'd do something like bring back the backwards car on The Racer or spruce something up on The Beast. I wouldn't mind seeing the themes get spruced up on the queue line of The Beast. If you're just getting off of Mystic Timbers which looks fantastic, The Beast looks a little rough.

@KatieF What would you spruce up?

[King Ding Dong]

11 hours ago, chugh43 said:

We can pretty much count out any side of Racer being turned backward.

Why? Never been on a woodie backwards, is the experience bad or just technical issue like cost?

[IndyGuy4KI]

25 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

Why? Never been on a woodie backwards, is the experience bad or just technical issue like cost?

It was stated at Coasterstock that this was a Cedar Fair decision. They wanted all of their racing coasters the same. They stated this had nothing to do with cost, insurance, PTC requirements, or maintenance. To answer your question of why, it did not seem CF was planning on having a change of heart anytime soon. 

[FoolCrzy]

LOVED The Racer backwards.   It ran that way for a long time...   Good memories.

[KatieF]

On 6/13/2017 at 7:32 AM, IndyGuy4KI said:

@KatieF What would you spruce up?

Some of the wood in the old mining fountain thing is just falling apart, the warning signs fell when I was in line the last time (which was at the beginning of the season). This is a legendary roller coaster and the queue line needs to show it. You should know that you're about to experience something special.

If I was the queen of everything, here's what I would change:

-Either remove the little storage room in the corner of the canopied area of the queue or utilize it better. Like it's fine if it's there but take out the random Halloween prop that looks like it got tossed in there by itself. Maybe hang some of the warning signs of The Beast in this area. Make claw marks on the wall. A random body from Haunt was visible when I was there in May and I just have a huge pet peeve that I can see crap for their Haunt event all throughout the park. Like there's literally a maze or whatever directly next to The Beast queue line, just throw that sucker in there.

-Replace the wood in the old water fixture. I don't ever expect it to run again, and don't want to see that piece go because I think that's just a part of the ride experience, but letting it fall into shambles just looks bad and isn't preserving the fixture at all. 

-What's the theme of the coaster? Is it an abandoned mine? Like I liked that MT had the backpacks and walkie talkies in the queue line to help tell the story. What could be done in the queue line to show more that it's a mine? Really I see a lot of random barrels leftover from Phantom Theater and maybe some wood crates or a pallet, but a TNT barrel doesn't really make me think of a mine. There's also like a weird mine cart thing off to the side of the exit if I remember correctly. That could be more prominent! 

-Remove the random vending machines at the beginning of the line. I really hate vending machines in queue lines. The queue line is already hard enough to see the actual length without a few random guests trying to buy a pack of M&M's right there. It just really sticks out like a sore thumb.

-A soundtrack playing in the queue line is a simple thing that really could add to the mood. It could be a soundtrack of woods sound effects with an occasional roar or rustle in the bushes. It could be kind of folky music similar to Big Thunder Mountain in WDW. One of the things about  MT that I loved was the soundtrack that eerie and the heart thumping sound was so crazy intimidating. 

-Speaking of the haunt behind The Beast's queue line, why not grow some trees or bushes to kind of hide that? I think it'd be way spookier and easier to theme when it's finally time for that event, and I just hate seeing it. That's my biggest pet peeve with Kings Island. I know it's a big deal with the park, but the majority of the season--that building isn't being used. Take the sign down, hide the building some from the queue line. Seeing these autumn attractions really catches my eye when I'm in a park at the end of April, and not in a good way. It makes me go "oh, they haven't cleaned up from Halloween yet". I know I'm in the minority but boy do I hate it. I'm also looking at you, The Bat. 

[kirbias1]

Bringing back The Beast's watermill for the 50th would be amazing. That was such a beautiful gem the park had. You couldn't really appreciate it unless you saw it. Absolutely perfect for Rivertown.

[KatieF]

7 minutes ago, kirbias1 said:

Bringing back The Beast's watermill for the 50th would be amazing. That was such a beautiful gem the park had. You couldn't really appreciate it unless you saw it. Absolutely perfect for Rivertown.

Actually @Shaggy posted a great picture of the watermill today on Sit On It's facebook page! It was gorgeous and SERIOUSLY would be amazing. I don't ever expect to see it return though.