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What comes after the 2020 Giga?


KevM86
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11 hours ago, Shawn Meyer said:

People on the last page are really hating on Backlot Stunt Coaster. I'm still a fan of Backlot Stunt Coaster. 

I really enjoy BLSC as well. I think its placement is more of an issue than anything for everyone. Could they re-theme to more of a rivertown feel? Sure, but until then I really enjoy what we have.

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On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2020 at 8:47 AM, IndyGuy4KI said:

Could they re-theme to more of a rivertown feel?

Isn't it apart of The Beast's theming that there is a mine in the woods of Rivertown? Maybe they could retheme blsc to that. But, personally, I like it's car chase theming better.   

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  • 2 weeks later...
45 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Here's a nice video I found where this person comes up with 5 possible locations for a new coaster at KI.

 

I'd have to disagree with him on a few things:

I was happy Orion was placed where it was. CF already had two front gate gigas so I'm happy we broke away from that trend.

I don't think there needs to be a coaster over the Oktoberfest lake and Tower Gardens. Those areas are too pretty to be ruined by a coaster.

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If you don’t keep updated on resources posted to the Cedar Fair Investor Relations website, you’re missing out on a lot of valuable information! CF is looking to spread out the time between major capital investments and focus more on limited time, immersive events. They have done market research that shows guests are looking for more than just big coasters. There also seems to be a focus on developing assets outside of the parks themselves.

Based on information from that site, I don’t think we will see our next coaster until 2024 at the earliest. I wouldn’t be surprised if we go without a new coaster until 2026. In the meantime, I think we’ll see upgrades to Planet Snoopy, Soak City, and the addition of another family attraction. We will probably continue to see older attractions removed — I would get your Monster rides in while you still can.

Other than new rides, I think we will see increased focus on events like Grand Carnivale. This year we could get the WF parade, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a Halloween parade is in the near future. As time goes on, I think they will get even more creative with new entertainment offerings!

We will probably continue to see improvements from the guest experience side of things — new technology and whatnot. I think the app will continue to gain more functions as time goes on. Mobile food ordering is one thing that comes to mind. I don’t know if virtual queuing is something most guests would want, but I’m sure CF has at least looked into it.

There also seems to be a good chance that KI will build an on-site hotel in the next 3-5 years.

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On 3/28/2020 at 1:50 AM, 139Signal27 said:

There also seems to be a good chance that KI will build an on-site hotel in the next 3-5 years.

I'm not saying its impossible but it seems highly unlikely. I've talked to some CF execs who said they see KI as more of a regional park as opposed to a destination park.

Still, maybe the market research they've conducted tells a different tale. Perhaps the presence of an on-site hotel would increase guest spending and draw in more people from Kentucky and Indiana who would turn their one day trip into two or maybe three days.

A hotel wouldn't necessarily decrease the number of visitors you get a year. You could even have it open year round when the park isn't open to keep making money during the offseason

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There’s been a lot of talk recently about “adjacent development” throughout the chain. Carowinds had a successful opening of their hotel last season, and Cedar Point just purchased another resort. If you look at all the parks, KI is one of the only without some sort of onsite accommodation.

Like you pointed out, the park could leverage a hotel to expand its market reach and extend guest visits. Keeping it open year round would also diversify cash flow and help during the slow quarters.

I also look at the number of offsite hotels that have popped up over the last few years as a signal of strong demand. If I were KI, I’d want a slice of that pie!

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I agree with you 100% @139Signal27, I just don't know if we'll see that in 3-5 years. Maybe 5 years at least.

Like what you said, CF is focusing on other things vs just big coasters so they're gonna diversify their attractions. When we do get coasters I think they'll focus less on stats and more on theming: IE Mystic Timbers and Orion. It turns out the GP loves theming as much as enthusiasts do nowadays (makes me more convinced that they'll do some updates to BBoBH)

You might see them take more of a theme park approach vs the amusement park approach they're been comfertable with for so many years.

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**DOUBLE POST** 

I would love to see KI try and do an event in the parking lot again someday. Remember in 2008 when Robbie Knevil came and did his big jump? I watched a video on it and they had like a huge festival in the front of the parking lot. They had a band playing and had some festivities in the parking lot. I would love to see KI try something like that again someday. Imagine if they somehow got America Ninja Warrior to come to KI (unlikely, but something I came up with). 

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IMG_4465.JPG

Screen Shot 2020-03-28 at 11.20.17 AM.png

I have always had the idea of having a station above the parks entrance.  I made this Strata coaster design to not have to remove Congo Falls and Invertigo.  I made the layout fit a B&M and kept it simple.  I assumed if B&M designed a 400 foot coaster there would only be a few elements.  It could be named Guardian or something like that. 

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8 minutes ago, Steeltimber98 said:

IMG_4465.JPG

Screen Shot 2020-03-28 at 11.20.17 AM.png

I have always had the idea of having a station above the parks entrance.  I made this Strata coaster design to not have to remove Congo Falls and Invertigo.  I made the layout fit a B&M and kept it simple.  I assumed if B&M designed a 400 foot coaster there would only be a few elements.  It could be named Guardian or something like that. 

I doubt that will happen. It would look probably too similar to Orion and it would mess up the entrance feel that KI has. 

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1 hour ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

I doubt that will happen. It would look probably too similar to Orion and it would mess up the entrance feel that KI has. 

I know its unlikely its just an idea I've always thought would be cool.  I did not intentionally base it off of Orion but you're right it is pretty similar.

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I'm going to say this- I think we need to switch our narrative from coaster speculation to just general year to year additions and changes. The investor relations that @139Signal27 was referring to has made me think more about other things besides just coasters.

From now on I'm personally not going to look at just what coasters we could get as opposed to other things. I think we'll soon start to see a hiatus of coasters and will see more smaller additions like flats, updated areas, new experiences, etc

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I’ve been thinking about ride removals as well. With the manufacturer being long defunct and parts difficult to source, capacity relatively low and cycle time high, and being manually operated with three operators instead of a more cost-effective two, I think the writing is on the wall for Monster. It seems pretty logical to replace it with a more reliable, higher capacity, two-operator thrill ride. Maybe something like Flying Bobs, Tilt-A-Whirl, or Electro-Spin?

When it comes to a Planet Snoopy renovation, I think the park will want to offset additional labor and maintenance costs by removing an existing attraction. The Character Carousel seems like the easy choice — anyone that can ride CC can ride the Grand Carousel, so why have two? Removing that ride would allow the park to freshen up the front section of the area with a new ride and some improved landscaping. I think something like a Balloon Race would be a good fit.

I hope to see a water coaster come to Soak City soon to compete with Holiday World’s fantastic lineup. Whether it’s that or another multi-slide complex, I think one of the slides near the train station could be removed in the name of maintenance and staffing.

I’m of the opinion that the rest of our coasters are safe for the foreseeable future (aside from any dramatic changes in maintenance costs or reliability). I do think there is a strong chance we could see serious investment in a few of the existing coasters — Racer and AE come to mind.

I am not opposed to Racer getting a ground up overhaul from GCI with new track, trains, and ride controls. I think Millennium Flyers (possibly one side backward) with a variable speed lift would breathe much needed life into the old girl. As far as Express, there is such a golden opportunity to completely overhaul the thematic experience for a new generation. As we know, Arrow mine trains can run for over 60 years, so ours still has almost half its life ahead. These would both be more modest capital expenditures that I believe could drive strong ROI.

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Not to make this a two person thread but I agree. I'd rather have us invest in what we have ad opposed to getting new things. Kings Island is one of those parks that doesn't need to be built up like Carowinds or Canada's Wonderland. I think that once Vortex gets properly replaced, we won't really need a new coaster.

Honestly I'd like them to look back at theming. You mentioned investing in Racer and Adventure Express but I'd also add Diamondback to that list as well. I think adding more theming to the ride will help. And for God's sake someone please bring some theming back to the train

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So since Vortex is gone and we have a giant plot of land to deal with, I think a RMC would be great. I was watching this steel vengeance designers tour and it’s dated may 18th 2019. And I spotted chad and don in the video. Did they know Vortex was leaving. Did they come to see what there next coaster could be/ could look like after Orion?

A8568E36-6F57-4AF5-9EDA-192813D2241A.jpeg

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