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^ Plus, this is purely anecdotal but Firehawk seems to have taken a sharp and fast dive in popularity over the last few years. I know, I know. Wait times do not equal popularity. However, I remember maybe 5 years ago, Firehawk would consistently fill its line and have hour-plus waits. Nowadays, it seems like half the days I'm at the park, it's sending half-empty trains. Vortex ridership has probably gone down in the last five years (we did get a new giant loopy coaster in that time, so that's to be expected) however, it doesn't seem to have been affected nearly as much as Firehawk. Also keep in mind, Firehawk may be a fairly recent addition to KI, but the ride had been around for many years before it ever made it to our park. Having just ridden Blue Hawk at Six Flags over Georgia last week, I was very impressed by that makeover. Any chance Vortex is being "removed" but actually getting a refurbishment a la Blue Hawk or Rougarou? I think the chances of that are somewhere above zero. Very inexpensive compared to a new ride, but it would undoubtedly boost ridership quite a lot for at least a short time. All that being said, Vortex is my favorite ride and Firehawk and WindSeeker are my wife's favorite rides. One of us is going to be having a bad time pretty much no matter what, it seems.

Realistically, my guess would be Firehawk. It's the most temperamental ride in the park and it's the ride that maintenance hates the most. Yes, Firehawk is one of my favorite rides, and I love riding (and working) it! At the same time though, I would not be surprised if it was the ride in question. WindSeeker ran without a hitch when I was working last weekend. Even after its recent hiccups, I would still say it's still the most reliable of its kind in the chain. Bottom line: As long as it's not Vortex, I'm fine with whatever is going, albeit a little sad if Firehawk is the ride leaving.

It's worth noting that there are 11 chairs in the photo, plus one coffin. There are 12 adult coasters in the park, so if one is dying, there's a seat for each of the survivors. The kids (coasters) aren't big enough to attend.

Agreed. The view from FoF should be spectacular.

Since people are just throwing attractions out there for removal, let's add another option to the mix LOL...what about Timberwolf? It's demise was ill-fated and it's life wasn't as long as intended with the introduction of Riverbend and other facilities. It is one of it's own attractions. The air in that part is eerily quite since not many concerts happen these days. Air Supply was the first concert there. It's Big. It will get into pieces easier than another attraction. One can make an argument that KI has had 12 "show places" over the years...

Here's my thoughts-- It's one of our own... -- I don't think it's a ride you can find at other Cedar Fair parks like WindSeeker or Stunt Coaster. And I don't know about you, but Firehawk has never felt like a "Kings Island" coaster, if you know what I mean. It's always felt foreign to the park. It's big-- I think it's something that's gonna upset some people. I've heard theories of Invertigo, the old Tomb Raider building, and Firehawk. While these interesting speculations, I think a large chunk of Kings Island attendance would not miss any of these rumors. And then the air being still...well, everyone else has explained that. My theory is Vortex. I'm sticking with it.

These pictures I got from coaster crew on Facebook. The area is lit up tonight in red lights.. another tie to Firehawk in my opinion

If you melted a steel coaster down, you could cast an urn... [emoji848] EDIT: another thought... why are there fresh flowers on one side and dead ones on the other? Because the ride has already “died” once and is dying again?

The way I've always imagined Vortex leaving KI is that if it needed another expensive, hard to find part fixed (as per what happened in 2011 or 2012 IIRC), then chances are that Vortex would probably close down for good. With Arrow Loopers becoming more and more of a rarity, I'm thankful that I was able to finally ride Vortex this past year (as it's what has made me enjoy riding more than the woodies and The Bat). I forced myself to hop on and ride it, and I rode Banshee as well and definitely enjoyed Banshee! Also, if Firehawk is losing popularity and is a maintenance nightmare, then chances are we know where the B&M might be going if Firehawk is going to be taken down.

Send Firehawk to Michigan's Adventure

The definition for a Vortex is: a mass of whirling fluid or air, especially a whirlpool or whirlwind. So wouldn’t “The air is eerily calm” teaser fit that better?

Construction updates!

I would agree with most of you that the signs are pointing towards Firehawk. The wreath colors: red, black, gray, and yellow all point towards Firehawk. It has red and yellow cars, black on part of the restraints, reddish track (more a burgundy), and gray supports. Firehawk has seemingly been down more this year compared to previous years. When it is up it has longer wait times but it also has horrible capacity. Invertigo probably has better capacity and it is running only one train. The location of the ride would be a good area for a giga. If you look at the other two gigas that Cedar Fair has installed semi-recently, Fury 325 and Intimidator 305, they are both off the main midways a bit. Fury was located right next to Hurler, and Intimidator which is probably a good example for KI since we have a similar (not exact) layout to KD. I305 is located right next to their Flight of Fear. It makes sense to put a Giga entrance back in that area of the park because it helps more evenly disperse the crowds in the park. You would have Banshee over in AZ, the big three in Rivertown, and this new coaster which would help bring crowds not only to FOF but also Racer, the flats in Coney, and probably would help Vortex a bit as well. Locating the giga there would also allow the park to use some of the vacant land that SOB used to occupy. The park in the last five years has made several major/minor updates to the Coney Mall area. These have included the re-paint of Shake, Rattle, and Roll; LED lights added to Dodgems, Shake Rattle, and Roll, and Zephyr; re-painting the Subway location; Coney Bar-B-Que; and next year's Kings Mills Antique Autos. If you stand in front of Coney Bar-B-Que and look towards Firehawk you can easily visualize what a giga would add to that area. The other benefits are we would probably get the bathrooms back in that area we have wanted for years and possibly even a new restaurant. The only thing that doesn't point toward Firehawk is the "ItsBigItsGone", as Firehawk would never be classified as "big" by most people in the size-sense but maybe it is referring to the something "big" that is going to replace it. I figure that the park will continue to tease a little while longer before the final announcement is made. It is kind of funny that whatever attention Kentucky Kingdom hoped to get with their recent teasers has been overshadowed by a faux cemetery at a park two hours away.

Maybe the Big Brown Box (TR:TR-The Cyrpt)? Its extremely unique to KI. It's [a] big [eyesore]. Other than Haunt and during MT's temporary queue on opening day 2017, it's not really used.

Surprised no one has really mentioned Invertigo... If a coaster leaves I think that one would be the next on the block, especially because of other parks removing theirs. I could possibly see Firehawk, but it seems rather reliable and ok (not great but not what I'd call bad) capacity wise the times I've been there.

The colors of that wreath are awfully Firehawk-like. Or Diamondback. How, if I had to guess between those two, Firehawk is out. *wild speculation, please don't take this seriously* Maybe they'll replace Firehawk with a B&M FLYING GIGA. Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk

There is another way of looking at that. The fact that it did need a couple of new footers is somewhat ominous. Maybe they HAD to replace those this year just to keep it open but many of the others are starting to have issues as well (sinking jokes aside). Possibly the original concrete was not the best quality. How many footers does that thing have? Just a couple had issues and all the others are just fine? Maybe, maybe not.

I agree with this entirely. But still. I don't think it is happening. Yet.

A dive coaster would go pretty well in place of Vortex. It could follow the same lift hill path dive under the midway, loop over the path back into the ravine.

No idea what is leaving, but I cannot possibly imagine them removing Vortex without letting everyone know well, well in advance to get many rides in. The younger folks here might not feel that way, but some of us remember the hype before and as it was being built. It was a big freakin' deal, and still stands in one of the most photogenic spots in the park.

I am leaning Firehawk as well, due to maintenance reasons, but will admit Vortex is getting really old and its popularity is dropping bit by bit every year (though I'd still be surprised to see it going before some of the other, less popular Arrow loopers that are still hanging around). WindSeeker could be another option but it doesn't take up much space, though at over 300 feet tall it easily fits the "big" bill. Though depending on which one does leave, affects what I think will replace it, though TBH for WindSeeker I can't think of anything ATM. We have good evidence the 2020 project is gonna be a B&M thanks to leaked documents. If Firehawk goes, its location is prime for the long-rumored Giga coaster, and they can expand the X-Base area with a gift shop, restaurant, or even the much requested bathrooms. Though Firehawk's spot is VERY open, so pretty much anything B&M makes could technically fit there. For The Vortex location, it's a little more cramped. A Giga may not fit, you have Racer and WindSeeker (if that sticks around) on 1 side and Diamondback and eventually Mystic Timbers on the other. The spot is large enough for a Dive Coaster, Floorless, or Wing Coaster though. TBH I could see a Dive Coaster working very well in that spot, have it face the Eiffel Tower and Diamondback before the drop and you have a epic view. Though I imagine with almost everyone thinking "GIGA!" everytime, if we got one of those 3 options people would still be miffed. Heck, they'd be miffed if it was a Giga just because it's likely a B&M ("BUT I WANTED A RMC T-REX GIGA!!!"). I feel really bad for VortexBFForever though. From what I have gathered, she loves all 3 of the rides this "hint" probably suggests are getting removed. Also, I am curious why they would tease a ride removal like this, you would think they'd just be straight-up like: "Yo, we are removing (Insert Ride Here) at the end of this season, ride it as much as possible during Haunt 2018 before it goes." And then have a Mean Streak-esque funeral on closing day of Haunt.

"The air is eerily calm"... I don't know about you, but to me that phrase basically confirms this is about Firehawk...Obviously we won't definitely know until then...but to me that pretty much spells the end for one of the 3 Flying Dutchmans ever made. I fully understand the reasons for it leaving, and understand why it should go, but I can't help but to be truly saddened by this. I was 9 when it came to KI. I basically grew up with this coaster, and even though its bad capacity made it hard to get on, when I did, I really loved it. Assuming this is true... 'Twill be missed...

Pros and Cons to Firehawk Pros- Its a unique ride that gives a fun riding experience. It's in a cool section of the park that compliments Flight of Fear. Cons- The lift hill is extremely loud, you stare up at the sun for what seems like an eternity, capacity is horrible, its down more times than it should be, and the line for it is horrible. Like what @Gordon Bombay said, I'd be surprised and bot surprised if they did away with it. The Flying Dutchman model has become pretty obsolete ever since B&M made their own flying model. If something better were to replace it, like a giga, I'd be fine with it leaving. Sorry to all the users that are named after Firehawk

^ Yet guests keep coming in seemingly bigger numbers every year. I tend to think of regional park fall events as the fast food of haunted houses. Not everyone who comes to Kings Island during Haunt wants to be scared out of their minds, and mazes need to pack through several hundred people each hour, so they're not going to be truly "good" from the perspective of genre fans. Events like Universal's HHN are hard-ticket events, and guests who come definitely want to get scared. I need to plan a trip there one of these days.

I didn't think this would be appropriate for Trip Reports as this thread is for reviews, not necessarily recalling your story. I warned myself and others to manage their Haunt expectations, as it seemed that budget cuts would affect the over all product. It many ways it clearly did. In many ways I looked like an idiot for saying that. So hear me out. Chaos Chaos is a new maze that I feel like really went under the radar. The story is creative: a government agency is developing a drug. A vapor version of the drug leaks out and it causes the people in there to go crazy. I knew this because I read the description while waiting in line. As you walk in, there are PVC pipes running along the walls and one is clearly cracked and spilling out the vapor. So cool! Unfortunately, if I hadn't read the description, I would have never known this. I would have just been another "thing" in the room. I'll never understand why telling the story is so hard with haunted mazes. It was the same issue with Urgent Scare when it first opened: an awesome backstory that you would never know by going through the maze alone. With that being said, the visuals inside the maze are nothing short of amazing. The lighting is incredible and there are some awesome fog effects. Blood Drums Blood Drums has a new show this year. By "new show" it's mainly reworking the old songs. It seemed like there were a lot of slower parts for the new fire dancer. The problem is if you aren't in the first row you can't see the fire dancer. I saw several people walk up during the course of the show, see three guys tapping on things along with a lite beat, and just walk away confused. They had a riser on the end of the stage almost all season. Why didn't they have it for this? With that being said the lights are nothing short of incredible. These are pre-placed Winterfest lights, so it's the good stuff. They have a dozen or so spot lights that go nuts several times. You can see the spots shoot up the Eiffel Tower from anywhere in the park. This is my favorite improvement. Pumpkin Eater This is actually an amazing addition. Pumpkin eater is themed to - you guessed it - pumpkins. There are hundreds of lit up pumpkins along The Vortex/BLSC path. It looks amazing once the sun goes down. This one is very cool!! Coney Maul I'm on the fence about Coney Maul. I love the chase lighting, but I still feel like the area is missing something. There are about a dozen booths, which I presume are just part of the theme, but the group I was with as well as random people I would overhear asked, "when is this going to open?" It has all of the old Planet Snoopy scare zone props but they are far more spread out. I like the idea, I like the theme, it just gives out an unfinished feeling. Wolf Pack Wolf Pack has a new ending. Allegedly. We went through it to see it and it didn't work. There is supposed to be some sort of animatronic which i've heard is cool. The maze is fun and it's cool being back in the SOB station. I like the wooded sections. That's a little different. Now time to be honest... There was so much of the park with absolutely zero decor. The path between BLSC and Diamondback used to be Backwood Bayou. Now it's nothing. That's a huge stretch that's not immersed in the experience. Same with Planet Snoopy. That was the scare zone that has since evolved into Coney Maul, but now it's nothing. In fact, with the retirement of carnEVIL that whole section of the park is essentially closed. A lot of this kind of contributed to a feeling like this was the first time doing this stuff. As if these sections of the park were going to be added for future expansion. I don't want to play down what the decor team did - what they had was absolutely amazing. I know they've worked day and night and day and night over the past couple of weeks to get ready. Maybe it's the budget cuts. Maybe it's that the leadership in the entertainment department is new and a little wet behind the ears, but it just seemed like the park wasn't ready for us last night. Still had fun, still would recommend the event. What did you think of Haunt this year? What did you like and dislike? How does it compare to previous years?

I've thought about this for a while and to come to a conclusion- Firehawk being removed might actually benefit the park in a lot of ways. Firehawk was a hand-me-down coaster from Geagua Lake so it never felt like a KI coaster to me as the others do. Its placed behind Racer and Flight of Fear so it always felt "hidden" to me, and not a good "hidden" like The Bat. The ride, while visually pleasing, is in fact very outdated in numerous ways. For one, the chain is obnoxiously loud, especially when its inches away from your ears. Second, riders have to keep their eyes closed during the slow ascent up the hill since they're staring into the sun. Third, the capacity is horrific to the point where a dual loading station seems to slow the loading process down. Fourth, the ride is incredibly short for how long you have to wait in line. Even though B&M Flyers might have the same capacity issues, they are worth the wait because you actually get a lengthy ride on most of them and experience awesome elements. Firehawk always seemed like a circumstantial ride to me- if it was cloudy or overcast or the line was insanely short, I'd ride it- and I'm sure I'm not the only person who's done this. The park hasn't even made any attempt to repaint the coaster as its showing its old green livery from when it was X-Flight; painting a coaster doesn't always suggest that its going to stay, but not painting it at all says something. I feel like the ride is really starting to show its age. I can only imagine how much of a maintenance nightmare it is to keep running. Getting rid of it would ease some of the stress put on maintenance, funding, and resources which can be put into other rides that may need it. If the park replaced Firehawk with a B&M giga, they wouldn't be as many maintenance issues as they currently see with Firehawk and would be a good ROI in my opinion. I always thought that a giga would coexist in X-Base with Firehawk and Flight of Fear, but now I'm starting to think that it might not be the case. In addition, the last time KI removed an unreliable coaster, they replaced it with something that made up for it. If we have to sacrifice Firehawk to the coaster gods in order to get a giga, I'd be for it. In addition, I honestly don't think Vortex or WindSeeker will bite the dust just because the park wouldn't really gain anything from doing so, especially when Firehawk frees up a lot of land for expansion. However, if WindSeeker does bite the dust, I wouldn't be surprised that they wouldn't announce it earlier so people could get their last rides since you could go to WoF, KD, CW, CWS, or CP to get your fix. Addition. Also, Kentucky Kingdom announced their next attraction will be called "Kentucky Flyer." What's interesting about this is that if Firehawk is getting removed and going to another park, KI fans can always go to KK to ride it if they're feeling nostalgic. I think its a weird coincidence that there's rumors of us loosing something that flies and Kentucky Kingdom gaining something that flies. Just my two cents. I could be 100% wrong.

So claws, red yellow grey and black flowers, and eerily calm air. Also Kentucky Kingdom's new ride is called the Kentucky Flyer with the slogan "what's in the wind". Just makes you think... (side note): Just wanna add that there's 11 chairs and Firehawk has been there eleven years. Probably nothing tho.

If Firehawk is indeed the attraction being removed, we might be able to get some interesting views of the construction area during Winterfest since FoF will be open.

Agreed. All of the woodens have their own place here and I doubt that KI would want to give the most wooden track record back to Holiday World given they just got it back with Mystic Timbers.

Or that thing with the mini-coopers right behind it.

But MS was very well liked and didn't disappear complete just reworked into something better. The only wooden coasters at KI are Beast (a legendary coaster that is the park's signature attraction), Racer (a historical coaster that could use some TLC but still well lover), Mystic Timbers (a new coaster), Woodstock express (kids/family coaster that wouldn't make much sense to really announce and doesn't open up land for a big addition). So if one of the wooden coasters was being teased here it would likely be either Racer or Beast, neither of which seem likely, and both of which would be major changes that would deserve to have plenty of announcement to get another ride in. If it was The Beast I could see them promote an entire season for it's final one (unless it was because of unforeseen reason they'd have to shut it down in which case I'd imagine they would inform people as soon as they could.)

They’re not going to remove The Beast. Without it, there is no Kings Island. EDIT: GCI could always refurbish it, without really killing it off and add another lift hill and more track...

It’s a definitely possibility and fits the theme. Two names, bats make noise. Fits the rest of the list as well. Looking at aerial views, you pull that out and SoBs station is instantly usable again. Remember the posters from earlier this year, the ones KI said they didn’t make? Track 5...

Just a dumb thought,but what are the chances that on the other side of the tombstone in the middle would already have the engraving of whatever is going away any chances it could be Drop Tower,it too,has been through tons of downtime this season

Invertigo is interesting from the standpoint that they could get it out of the way to use the space for a "front gate" coaster like other properties have been getting. It would be a tight fit, but having a coaster at the front (and in CP's case most) gates seems to be the trend.

Three things I noticed in the picture- Tombstone in the background says Son of Beast - I definitely think it’s a coaster Urn is missing it’s front, but it has claws on it Is that the same kind of bucket that grease comes in? That kinda makes me think Firehawk, but who knows...

I just saw on Instagram. Kentucky Kingdom just posted "Something is in the wind..." as an announcement for something new coming to their park. I just thought that was an interesting coincidence.

Eh, I think planning a fake funeral would be kind of morbid if it was a person. I mean, possibly? And what about the air is still and it being big?

My guess is the removal of eXtreme Skyflyer. They could be using this space for the B&M, if they use the old S.O.B. station. Kind of how millennium force does at the end. Or even a splashdown like Diamondback.

If anything there's only signs of Vipers staying around even longer with MM taking the time to update the braking system. Also heard Vortex still gets near a million riders if it doesn't actually reach it. Now you don't ever really know for sure but honestly the more I think about it the more I don't think it's Vortex. Didn't Vortex JUST get new wheels, brake parts, and refurbed footers THIS YEAR? It doesn't make much sense for me to remove it after all that. not to mention the oh so wonderful "new" sign

They set up this scene with this sign to do just what is happening on here now. Creating buzz and talk about the park. That is what good marketing plans do. Get people talking about the park, and sparking interest. They may not want to tell people what ride is leaving just yet, so that people have to guess, and spend more time riding all the rides, and thus spend more time in the park, and in turn spend more money at the park. (Which judging by the crowds tonight, there were quite a few people spending money at the park). Also, keep in mind that on the last Cedar Fair conference call, it was mentioned that they will continue to evaluate what rides are becoming costly to maintain and remove them when necessary to save on maintenance costs, especially if a ride is no longer marketable.

Inverting, not Inverted. Coasters that go upside down. A B&M wing, floorless, dive, etc fit this.

KI does have 12 flat rides though.

If this means anything... KI without Firehawk would still have 4 "hanging coasters", so I don't we'd be getting another one... And from my experiences on Superman: Ultimate Flight at SFGAd, they're not even that reliable! *for a B&M*... IMO Firehawk is in a location that wouldn't really get in the way of a giga, or at least, I don't think it would. It's a good amount of track condensed into a relatively small footprint.

Ok after thinking through this some more, I am starting to think that this could be WS instead. Firehawk is not really something that anyone could consider "big" by coaster standards. And the use of the word "air".... Wind - air - wind - air - wind - air - wind - air... Who knows?...we'll just have to wait and find out.

It’s Big It’s Gone though doesn’t seem like Firehawk to me. Makes me think of dumping Vortex or FoF? I doubt it’s FoF, but every time I go to KI, Vortex is essentially a walk-on. Who has the what’s open ride list for Winterfest? EDIT: FoF is open for Winterfest, so not that.

Hmmmmmmm.........bet you Cedar Point's next coaster is a B&M flyer.

My first guess is a Zamperla Air Race. Since the new ride for 2018 was a Endeavor from Zamperla this feels likely. The other ride that comes to mind is a Gerstlauer Sky Roller. The only one in North America is at Canada’s Wonderland so it would be more unique, but I think the Zamperla is a lot more likely.

Hopefully, this isn't true. Firehawk is a unique ride. Taking it out would take away from KI's diverse coaster lineup. KI is blessed with so much land to expand. I disagree with tearing any coaster down at KI to build another coaster unless absolutely necessary, especially when CP is landlocked and still finds ways to keep their existing coasters when building new ones.

Yeah, with the placement of the antique cars and them taking up half the midway, the DA location for the Giga was compromised and left some complications about where to put the station. This would clear that up quite a bit. Of course, this does at least make you have to consider that maybe it's not going to be a giga afterall. Removal of an inverting coaster could lead to the addition of another inverting coaster. I'm still firmly in camp giga, but this would at drop the odds to at least 90-10.