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Corporate isn't making the decision to run one side of The Racer for a third of the day, run only one train on the K.I & Miami Valley Railroad most of the week, have drink stands closed, have the theaters dark for much of the summer. Those decisions get made at the park level. The park is told by corporate what the operating budget is, and they make cuts based on what they're allowed to spend. The reason why Matt Ouimet left Cedar Fair when he did was because the merger between Six Flags and Cedar Fair was not going to play into his strengths. He said a major component of value creation from any merger is the achievement of cost efficiencies. For him, this objective ran counter to his bias towards improving the guest experience. In the near term, with pressure from investors, the cost synergies usually take precedent. and he wasn't in favor of that. Over the past two years, the guest experience at Kings Island has not been as good as it used to be -- what guests had been accustomed to. The product now being offered has been watered down. As long as guests find it acceptable, the cost-cutting trend we've witnessed the past couple of years will continue. They can offer a watered-down experience because people will still come.

They need to bring back the classical orchestral pieces to I street! I don't understand why we're still stuck with the jazz. The 50th anniversary has been over for 2 years now. This isn't New Orleans Square, it's International Street. Orchestral Classical music makes I street feel more grand and adds to the feeling of walking into the park and seeing the Eiffel Tower and fountains in front of you!

I used the forums and discussion boards on here as well as some posts from the Facebook groups to make my Paramount International Street playlist on Spotify. Recently I've been using the Shazam app to pick up and identify songs from YouTube videos filmed during the Paramount era. I also began trying to use Shazam on videos from Taft/KECO/Lindner era. Surprisingly, even if the music was clear in the recording, Shazam sometimes couldn't pick it up. I think it's possible that they used a custom recording of the classical music. Songs that I recently found: "Parade of the Charioteers" by Miklos Roza from Ben Hur (1959) "Seances And Swordfights" by Marc Shaiman from The Addams Family (1991) "Waltz from 'Cousins'" (1989) by Angelo Badalamenti, recorded by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; found on another playlist, verified by my cousin. "The River" from The River (1984) by John Williams; This is the original recording from the movie, the park played a recording of this theme by The City of Prauge Orchestra in 2018 and 2019. "Water Fountain" from The Secret of My Success (1987) by David Foster Songs from Taft and KECO that are confirmed/semi confirmed: "Sabre Dance" by Aram Khachaturian from Gayaneh "Hoedown" by Aaron Copland from Rodeo "Valdres March" by Johannes Hanssen Songs from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein (There are a couple West Side Story medleys you can find recordings of on YouTube and Spotify) "Jupiter" by Gustav Holst from The Planets "Olympic Fanfare & Theme" by John Williams (Played at Kings Dominion in 1989) "Flight of The Bumblebee" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov "Can-Can" by Jacques Offenbach from Orpheus in the Underworld "Stars And Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa Are there any that I'm missing?

What about turning the Antique Photos building in Rivertown into the VIP Lounge? It's not open every day anymore so why not make full use of the building?

I've seen posts on social media for KD and CP. I guess I just don't get the impetus to buy SP merch. It's not exclusive and it's a product. I see it as the same thing as if Amazon sold merch for being a Prime member. I wouldn't buy that either. However, this could be a part of the integration process of the two companies. If we see the same design and information at the legacy SF parks, it would be a good unifying brand statement as well as an opportunity to buy low in bulk and sell high in retail. My lack of motivation to purchase and giving my viewpoint is not an attempt to downplay the significance of the merch to those who like it. Purchase and enjoy!

I have a single thing that applies to all areas- more trees and shade along the midways please.

My bestie, Sabrina, and I ventured to Santa Claus for my first trip to Holiday World! Our whole goal of this trip was to ride "Good Gravy" because the advertisements for the coaster made us laugh so much. She knew I was a coaster junkie before, so we had an agreement she could ride anything in the park except Thunderbird. We arrived at around 11 that Saturday (I know, Saturday's in July are gonna be hideous) but parking was kind of insane. There wasn't much direction from the park, and the line of cars backed up onto the highway. We made it in though, and I was starting to get the "it's too crowded" jitters. We decided to book it to "Good Gravy" first, and the crowds did get better the farther back in the park we got. The line was surprisingly long for Good Gravy, and we waited there for probably 20 minutes until we finally reached the door of Grandma's house where we were met with an employee handing us cards with return times on them. Honestly, I thought this was a little confusing as there was no indication this was going to happen nor was there much line control out in the back of the line. I think I've been spoiled to Disney where there is the "the line starts here" guys. Whatever, we had some time to kill-- so I booked it back to Thunderbird while Sabrina went to get a bite to eat. I was/am always super duper worried I will be too fluffy to fit in a coaster car. My last theme park visit before this was Kentucky Kingdom, and I had a close call with almost having to take the walk of shame. I had read that Holiday World was not the most plus sized friendly park, so I was nervous. I am about 230 lbs, and most of my weight is held in my belly and in my chest. I tried the test seat out front, and I could get everything closed but I couldn't quite get it to buckle, but I thought I'd give the actual car a shot because I would have help from attendant. The line was long that day, but it went quickly-- and the park said if you were bigger to aim for rows 2 or 3. I got in row 3 and had zero issues getting buckled up! I was so relieved! Thunderbird was outstanding! It was a smooth coaster, fun, thrilling, and I gotta say-- there's one little corkscrew right before the brake run that took my breath away! HIGHLY recommend it. Finally it was time for our ride on Good Gravy. The crowd cards they gave out... uhhh... I'm not sure how well it worked. The line was still pretty long for the ride, but luckily the queue line is very cool to look at and is very well themed. Obviously this ride only has one train on the track, and is a fairly small capacity so it is a slow wait. But it's very cute and the decorations and theming is very impressive! It's a fun, little ride which after riding everything else in the park-- they desperately needed it. We rode Gobbler Getaway, which is a fun little break. It made me miss Boo Blasters, oddly enough. Then we headed to the looooong line for The Voyage. Let me just say-- I thought this would be a nice little classic woodie. I was like "oh this is fun! This can't be more intense than The Beast." Holy freaking cannoli. It is. I don't know if I'm just getting old, but once this baby starts going-- it doesn't stop and it feels like it's never going to end. I'm pretty sure I got a back adjustment that day. When we finally reached the station again, Sabrina had blacked out once and I was shakey. It takes a lot to get me that torn up, and we had to sit down for a bit after that ride. I would 10000% ride it again, but I had zero idea it was going to throw me around that way. Would love to get a night ride on it. Honestly, once we rode the Legend and the Raven-- they looked tame (and ROUGH in my opinion) after the Voyage. I actually felt they needed to be retracked in some spots that really jostled me. They didn't stick with me that much, as I had just had my world changed by the Voyage. We rode a few smaller little things. I did highly enjoy their little log flume. I'd love to see another water ride get brought into the park because it really refreshed me. We didn't do anything in the water parks. Either way, it was a fun day at Holiday World and I realized how old I am now (a whole 30) because I think it genuinely affected my inner ear after for a few days. The food was good, and I loved the merchandise they sold in the main gift shop. The stuff they had for Good Gravy was GENIUS. It's worth a trip. I felt their photo pass was well priced too. I was able to get it for $25-$30 bucks and it was easy to use, and I was able to attach Sabrina's phone number to it too so we didn't have to have two passes.

I just got back from a two day visit to Holiday World with my youngest son a couple weeks ago. The Voyage absolutely rocks! Not as smooth as it once was, but very re-ridable for me anyway. Just truly, one of the best coaster experiences out there! Got 22 rides that day! I cannot get enough of that ride! Legend was running pretty good too...definitely rougher but still a wild fun ride. Raven on the other hand...not so much. First, as I have gotten bigger with age, those trains feel so small to fit into. And it was way rougher than I remembered from a few years ago when I last visited. The bonfire, a couple brews and comfy bed at the house we stayed at close to the park was much needed! Spent the first day enjoying the waterpark. Trying to keep up with my 18 year old walking up all those stairs was fun! Ha! Those water coasters are so much fun though! Wildebeast is my favorite there and such a blast! Cheetah Chase was awesome too! Hopefully the new addition to KI's waterpark will be close to those.

I was there in Oct 2023 on a slightly rainy day and nobody was there. Could lap anything in the park but unfortunately I already had a cold and the weather didn't help me feel any better. I was constantly having to blow my nose and was getting chills so I only stayed maybe 3 hours. Got all the major credits (of course good gravy wasn't open yet). Voyage instantly became my #1 woodie knocking The Beast off its long time pedestal. I loved the legend as well and didn't think it was too rough. Not as smooth as voyage but I didn't find it uncomfortable in any way. The Raven on the other hand was a piece of garbage it was so rough. Only did it once and said that's enough. I don't understand why people love it so much...its super short and rough. Maybe it was better years ago when they first built it but in its current state, it's pretty bad!

I've griped about this every year for the past several years now. Let me enjoy the Haunt season, make the last day feel like what we used to get in the late 2000's and early 2010's. IMO Haunt was in it's hay day back then, I hope now with some SIX focus we can get a better event moving forward.

Tossing in my $0.02: International Street: Re-open the International Restaurant. Make it a nice sit-down restaurant with a great view. Also, give some TLC to Tower Gardens. Plant some flowers. Put in some more seating. Maybe put in a rolling coffee/iced tea vendor. Make it a great place for parents to get away and relax for a bit. Start an ongoing partnership with the entertainment department at a local college to create musical productions that play for two years before rotating out (that Phantom Theater show was a fantastic hint of what could be done). Planet Snoopy: I know that Boo Blasters is technically International Street, but we'll just treat it as Planet Snoopy because it's a kids' ride. I'd completely overhaul it into a Peanuts dark ride. Make it an indoor boat ride or something a bit cheerier, and overhaul the ride system. Boo Blasters is pretty janky. Rivertown: Tear down the Crypt Building. Put back in another water ride -- maybe a top-of-the-line log flume (yes, there's still the one in Camp Snoopy, but I'd love to see something along the lines of Kenton's Cove brought back). Coney Mall: Get rid of Action Theater; it's just taking up space. I know that most people lean toward a coaster in The Vortex plot. I'd be down for that, but would almost rather see that as a mini-land similar to Adventure Port. Put in a dark ride (maybe this is where you could do the reimagined Phantom Theater), some shops and maybe a good restaurant -- maybe something also set off the ground to give a similar view to International Restaurant, just from the other side of the park. Or maybe it's a raised outdoor food court with a lot of outdoor eating. Area 72: I would overhaul Flight of Fear. Keep the same ride layout, but do whatever needs to be done to keep it working smoothly for the next 20 years or so. But overhauls the theming in the queue and the ride itself. Make it a high-quality, immersive ride experience. Call it Flight of Fear: The Next Generation. Oktoberfest: Overhaul Festhaus. Update the stage and equipment so they can put on some really solid productions. Clear out Panda Express and the crappy pizza stand. Make it an international-themed eatery, food from all around the country, but made in the park from a chef-prepared menu (bump out the franchises). Treat it like an attraction in itself, the park's premiere family dining experience. Adventure Port: It's new enough that I don't think a ton of updates are needed. One more flat might be good. Action Zone: Get rid of Congo Falls and Vertigo. Put in a world-class coaster that serves as the welcome to the park. Re-theme the entire section (I like the idea of a haunted section to pull together Banshee and The Bat; if so, that could be an alternate space for a revived Phantom Theater concept). Put a good restaurant in this section -- something fun, maybe a bar. Lose EXtreme Skyflyer, which just looks like a junky carnival ride. Also, repaint the Drop Tower to fit the theme of the land; it's a really garish, cheap-looking eyesore, especially when it's not working. I could go either way on Timberwolf. If it's only going to be good for 1-2 shows, scrap it and use the land either to extend the park or for something else. But if they plan to get more shoes, add in some nice seats overlooking the venue where people can pay a bit extra for comfortable seating, dinner service, beer, etc. Really, I think Kings Island is pretty good as it is. But theme parks tend to devolve into redneck-iness if there isn't some love and care given to them. I'd love to see it really nurtured and turned into something that puts just as much thought into the guest experience as possible.

Perhaps Raven and Legend could benefit from some Gravity Group prefab track. They've already installed some on Voyage, and I'm hoping they can eventually get it to where running trim-free is back to being standard operation, instead of an event perk.

Yes, I will find out where our designer is with the shirt design.

Kings Dominion’s website is advertising add ons good for the rest of 2024 as well as 2025 . That’s the first time I have seen that.

There wasn't anything that changed for Haunt during my time there that I didn't agree with outside of replacing Hot Blooded. The show fit Haunt. It was popular, had a cult-like following. While it doesn't fall under change, I was never a fan of allowing No-Boo necklaces in the mazes. I thought that ruined the experience for those attending the event for the scares and they'd get grouped with others with the No-Boo.

Fright Fest and Howl-O-Scream have been the better events in recent years. More scare-actors in the mazes and scare zones. Not as many kids at these events from my experience.