Leaderboard

Please no dive coaster. There are plenty of better coaster options than a dive coaster imo. If there were to be a dive coaster added, I hope it'd be a gerstlauer infinity and not a B&M.

I'm definitely surprised there wasn't any new Phantom Theater merch other than the poster this summer--maybe it's just yet to come in? The characters are unique, distinctive to Kings Island, and highly marketable. The Usher plushie in particular is a no-brainer. I would buy that for sure!

there's multiple different factors to this not just in year by year but night by night. it boils down 1-to the individuals like and preferences 2-the actors and there abilities that night 3-the scenes and how frequently you have been through same attraction to see said scenes there's more I can list but those are top 3. overall someone's terrible could be someone else's fantastic.

Someone on Reddit made some cool PT merch concepts

I don’t think a coaster is needed there, just because it has been a home of 2 coasters doesn’t mean it can’t change to something else. I think a lake with a new restaurant, with outside views of the lake, new trees and a new flat ride, or a 16 seat Ferris Wheel in Coney Mall would be perfect. The light package would look great, and having WindSeeker nearby with its is another win, it would also give another family ride for Winterfest! I know it’s a big area, but the park already has a lot of land that’s not used, and this would bring some of the old Rivertown feel back. Fingers crossed.

Rivertown is NOT the “Wild West” though. And does Rivertown really need another coaster assigned to it? It already has three of the top coasters in the park.

Truthfully, I think Coney Mall or Action Zone need some more love before Rivertown.

Wow, this is awful. I hope everyone is ok and recovers well! But on a side note, this could be the final nail in the coffin for not only El Toro but for Six Flags as a whole. With all the trouble they are dealing with currently, this might just multiply it by 10. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Heres the story I wrote to start tying the area back together - we acknowledge that we are in "current time" but ground the elements that are in the area in a historical story. Rivertown thematic realignment and unifying story: In the early part of 1872, in the quiet riverside town of King’s Landing, the Mason family sold most of their farm to the industrialist G.W. Koeney, who was looking to expand his manufacturing operations beyond his existing factory on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. They retained ownership of the slaughterhouse, and the butchering business that had brought them their fame and wealth. Everyone knew “The BEST beast is at Mason’s”. Things all went according to plan as the new factory was built by the lake, and the town began to grow with all the workers and their families… Everyone existed peacefully for years. A new rail line connected passengers and supplies with the farther reaches of the area, and new factories began to pop up along the roaring rapids of the White Water river. An ancient legend of a giant snake that slithered through the woods devouring children was shared around campfires by mischievous youth, but few gave it much heed. All was peaceful and productive in KingsLanding, the thriving RiverTown. That was until the summer of 1922 - 50 years after the sale of the property. One summer day, a mysterious pig farmer dropped off a herd to be butchered at the slaughterhouse. Amongst the herd he delivered was a crate. A strange snarling noise emanated form the crate as it violently shook. The mysterious farmer plead with the Masons to just take the creature off his hands and do with it what they would, as it was violent and “not of this world” Mr Mason carefully opened the crate, and - legend has it - the creature spring from the crate - killing all of those at the slaughterhouse, and fled into the woods. Late that night - howls could be heard from deep in the woods, and in the early morning light, an eerie quiet blanketed the formerly bustling town of Kings Landing. No one showed up to work at the factory that day - in fact no one showed up in town at all. It was as if The Beast that escaped from the slaughterhouse wreaked its revenge on the entire town. No one was seen again, and soon the factories were boarded up by the banks and left to ruin.

This is giving me flashbacks of SOB incident. I hope everyone is ok!

@TombRaiderFTW, that was a great point made... the Scareactors really do make a maze come to life! That being said, in my experience (my last visit to Haunt was 2018; 2019 I became one of those scarecrows you mentioned...), Slaughterhouse is the most intense. Even though I felt pretty comfortable in there as I know Sam and other members of the family, I've gone through some nights where if I didn't have that connection to familiar faces, I would be freaking out every step of the way. Those guys (and gals) are good at what they do. And as for CHAOS, I find the scariest part to be the mirror maze part. IIRC, it was the combination of the loud noises and the constant screaming that was the worst. Scares aside, I think Chaos's theming is super cool! In fact, that is probably my most anticipated maze this year - I love all the sci-fi and technology theming! Finally, the Killmart staff does have good hiding spots at times. Watch out for that camping equipment...

Hope all are ok!

If they did something to Rivertown I would hope we get like a Mack multi-launch or Intamin launch themed to the Wild West in Vortex plot with a restaurant with a out door deck to sit on and overlooking The Vortex plot of land.

Scary stuff. Hope the guests are ok long-term. It will be interesting to find out if this was a park issue or if it was another Intamin design issue.

Consider me another who’d purchase all of that!

sorry for the double post. but maybe something like this instead:

i would love to have the funko pop

rivertown imo needs more river themed rides. yes there's wwc, and the log flume don't count as that's claimed and technically in Planet Snoopy. while it would take away the haunt attraction. i would love to see the big brown box go away and something like kckc to come back to the area.

Glad you had a good time! I really enjoy this park. I first went as a part of an 8-day/10-park trip back around 2001 when Superman was still new. I FLIPPED over it and it easily took my top steel spot where it has remained ever since. I re-rode it as recently as July 2018, and it still remains at the top. The park is very Six Flags at this point. But it still have several charming pieces/holdovers from its heyday as Riverside... the carousel and Thunderbolt are maintained very well and are the two most charming rides in the park. Here's a pic from my first visit in 2001... It sure is a beauty...

I agree with @standbyme. As far as the actors go, there aren't "scarier houses" and "less scary houses." It really depends on who is working when. What DOES change from house to house is things like gore, lighting, or the particular fear(s) that the house is attempting to play on. Slaughterhouse is very gory but decently well-lit and is themed to cannibalistic butchers. There are parts of it where, with the right actors, you can have people approaching you on multiple sides--but again, that depends on how it's staffed. Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror is darker, which can make it harder to see what's a person and what's a prop, but it's not particularly gory. It's themed to a wax museum whose owner has a dark secret (the displays are made from real people!) Cornered, at least in previous years, has been a dark, outdoor path lined with corn on both sides, and the actors are typically dressed to blend in very well with their surroundings. I believe the story behind it is that scarecrows are coming to life and want revenge. I would argue that the set pieces for this one don't really prime it to be super intense (there is zero blood--it's just corn), but again, it depends on who is working. It's moving to a new location within the park this year, and it's unclear what changes (if any) will be made to it with its move to Action Zone. I'm not as familiar with C.H.A.O.S., but I don't recall it being particularly gory or dark. KillMart is on the darker, gorier side (though not as dark as Madame Fatale's and not as gory as Slaughterhouse.) In that one, you are wandering a supermarket that has been overrun by zombies. In my experience, when KillMart is staffed by the right people, they can find very inconspicuous places to hide to get great scares... but that hasn't happened for me very often over the years. Hotel St. Michelle is new this year, so your guess is a good as mine for what to expect! I hope you and your friends have a fun time!

Yes it is sad. I spent many hours working in rides there. I worked a few shifts at the paddle boats last year. Sadly this is the first year since 2001 when I have not worked down there. They certainly have let the place slide downhill. And they have essentially added nothing (other than an obstacle course in the deep end of the pool), since the rides were removed. I still hold out hope that a new owner will come in, or they will start to add some family/kiddy rides back. I don`t see anything like that happening with the current ownership however. I had some great times working there, and am still friends with many of the coworkers that I worked with over my 20 seasons there.

Recently moved out of state, super sad to see, I don't understand the reasoning for removing all the rides still, it really sucks to see the park fall into such disrepair, thank you for the photos.

And I appreciate yours as well. In the end there are die-hards (like me) that will continue to find the season pass a great value and will renew every year regardless of new additions. I've been going to KI all my life and have always had a season pass ever since they offered them (way back when they took your picture, cut it out and laminated it to the pass ). Any new additions like rides are simply icing on the cake at this point for me and my family. With as close as we live to the park it's a great value and with the park the size it is now there is so much that could be done. Water park improvements, Planet Snoopy improvements, repaints, etc. The problem with a park getting bigger is there is more to upkeep. It was much easier back in the 80's when the park was small to add a large attraction. Plus when you "spruce up" an area you don't require more employees the next year. Getting a new roller coaster would require 5-10 more employees I would imagine (same could be said for a restaurant). But replacing the fencing from Planet Snoopy to the waterpark doesn't. There are so many things that go into the decision on what to add/improve every year I could only imagine. (Hey, maybe that would be a good idea for the Attractions Group Podcast to discuss!).

Dead Awakenings, Hot Blooded, and Haunted Homecoming all had nighttime lighting packages in the International Showplace so they can add whatever lighting packages/effects that are required for the show. My personal favorite Haunt show of all time was Dead Awakenings but that was very adult themed, especially the first night it premiered (but the water curtain for Hot Blooded was a cool effect to see in the International Showplace as well).

Some random thoughts looking to 2023: 1. Let's add Meteor Canteen to the Dining Plan. 2. Please, please, please bring back the Pomme Frites to The French Corner!!!

I never understood this. The park advertises things very well and it should be of no surprise to anyone. Haunt is supposed to edgey, and if you dont like simply don't go.

As usual for CF, there is always confusion when introducing new benefits (the management that was supposed to tell the supervisor didn’t and so the average employee doesn’t know how the new benefit actually works). If the Prestige+ pass also gets the lounge exclusive benefit at all CF parks, then CF/KI needs to update their FAQ’s. The Prestige+ pass contains the Platinum benefit of unlimited visits to all CF parks plus another 5% off (total 15%), but clearly states other exclusive benefits (e.g. lounge) applies to the home park from which Prestige + was purchased. What is the difference between Prestige and Prestige+? Prestige receives exclusive benefits at the home park for which the pass is eligible. Prestige+, receives exclusive benefits at the home park the pass was purchased through, plus Unlimited Visits to ALL Cedar Fair Parks with a 15 % Food and Merchandise Discount at Other Cedar Fair Parks. All other Prestige benefits are non-transferable to other Cedar Fair parks.

if im not mistaken, those costumes came from the likes of adam and eve & leg avenue

And with the original set, water curtain and costumes. The "warehouse" set and really cheesy costumes of its last year just didn't work.

Bring back hot blooded.