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Kings Island announced that it will debut Ohio's first-ever and only dual-racing water coaster, the "RiverRacers." Officials also announced the riverside-themed kids' play area "Splash River Junction" will be expanded, with the addition of seven new kids' water slides, as well as hundreds of new loungers and chairs that will offer guests seating options in both the sun and shade. Looks like Local 12 got the news out before the park did. A dual-racing water coaster named RiverRacers! Also Bluegill Lagoon is now Splash River Junction with seven new kids slides and more seating! https://local12.com/news/local/kings-island-riverracers-splash-river-junction-soak-city-unveils-all-new-racing-water-coaster-2025-season-greater-cincinnati-six-flags-cedar-fair-newest-rides-consumer-mason-amusement-parks-slide-loungers-chairs-seating-expanded-area-summer-summertime?-fbpost&fbclid=IwY2xjawEheJNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYMGfh1HAEMl3fOK0Sc8y1X_5Wuk66ntnSRXAAwDW3UQw1tScN0ak3ojOA_aem_2k6Fe50lFtYdQeGt1Flhog

Canada's Wonderland is getting a giant Premier multi-launch coaster that will cram one more ride that utilizes the iconic center mountain of the park. Alpen Fury stats- (I converted everything from metric off the park's website) Height- 164 ft (154 ft drop) Speed- 71 mph with 2 launches, one just out of the station and the main one being below the mountain 9 inversions- most for a launch coaster in North America Length- 3280 ft

For someone who came to the park often as a kid, without a chaperone because I respected the park rules, I’m sad to see that kids who are responsible are being punished for what other unruly kids do. With that being said, now being an adult I’m glad the park is cracking down on this. I’ve seen several unattended groups of youth just this year. I’ve had a few run ins in the past with kids bumping into my group or just kids running in the midway with no respect to the people around them. This is a minor change but it has some pretty big implications now.

You, sir, clearly have never been to the circus.

It's a cool concept, with features unlike anything else on the continent, in an iconic location in the park. Love it. Totally agree with the Volcano comparisons, and I kind of love that another park is getting their own take on the concept. I'm a little concerned about capacity--Wonderland gets BUSY and two 18-passenger trains are a bit concerning. I also wonder if it'll have comfort collars, as those only make loading slower. But yeah, all in all, I think this'll be a win. Good for them!

It's amazing they got everyone excited this morning. People go to check their social social channels, and they see yesterday's post. Amazing job.

The chaperone must accompany the minor(s) at all times now.

The renders show that the trains do not have comfort collars, only lap bars.

It definitely looks like it's going to be the best coaster Premier has ever built.

I rarely go to the water park but I'll definitely be checking this out at least. It's about time they got a water coaster.

Kinda sad that our thematic expectations are so low that we’re wishing for light bulbs. Haha. I, too, am still hoping to see this project through all the way. I really love what they’ve done for the ride. So very close. Get those tunnels lit and those masks back up! Wouldn’t hate the creaky wood sound effects back on the first lift hill either. Man, I love Adventure Express.

How about this as a concept for the coaster that would go in and around the crypt building, which has had the exterior fashioned into an Appalachian mountain: The Cove (name of the coaster) --- **Backstory:** In the shadowy depths of Rivertown, an ancient legend speaks of a hidden mountain where the powers of the forest and sky converge. This mountain, long thought to be a myth, is where the fearsome Beast resides, guarding its territory with unmatched ferocity. However, there's more to the legend—a cosmic connection that ties The Beast to the constellation Orion. Eons ago, the constellation Orion was not just a set of stars but a mighty celestial hunter who roamed the universe. He became obsessed with capturing The Beast, a powerful creature whose strength was said to challenge even the gods. The chase led Orion to the earthly realm, where he lured The Beast into a trap—a mountain that he conjured with his cosmic powers. But The Beast, cunning and resilient, broke free, infusing the mountain with its essence, creating a curse that connected Orion’s cosmic power to the mountain itself. Now, in the heart of Rivertown, the once dormant mountain has awoken, crackling with the energy of Orion’s curse and The Beast’s wrath. The Mystic Woods, the forest that surrounds Rivertown, have begun to stir, and strange phenomena have been reported—the forest is alive, with vines and trees moving of their own accord, while the skies above the mountain swirl with celestial energy. Adventurers brave enough to enter the mountain will embark on a journey through the cursed forest and into the heart of the mountain itself. The Beast is furious, and Orion’s curse still lingers, drawing riders into a terrifying experience where the line between reality and myth blurs. --- ### Ride Experience: **Queue Line:** The adventure begins as guests enter a dense, fog-covered forest filled with twisted trees and eerie, glowing flora, reminiscent of Mystic Timbers. The queue winds through the forest, with sounds of The Beast’s growls echoing in the distance. As guests approach the mountain, they pass through a decrepit logging cabin filled with cryptic maps and journals detailing past expeditions that never returned. **Station:** The station is set deep within the mountain, illuminated by flickering torches and celestial runes that glow with a strange energy. The ride vehicles are designed to resemble rustic, wooden mine carts, but with a modern twist—glowing blue markings hint at the cosmic influence of Orion. **Ride Layout:** - **Dark Ride Segment (Indoor):** - **The Descent:** The ride begins with a slow climb deeper into the mountain. The air grows colder as guests hear the roars of The Beast. Suddenly, the ride plummets into darkness, twisting and turning through narrow tunnels, avoiding falling rocks and collapsing structures as the mountain itself seems to be alive. - **Orion’s Lair:** The mine carts enter a vast chamber where the ceiling reveals a swirling Vortex of stars—the heart of Orion’s curse. Here, guests encounter spectral images of Orion as he battles The Beast, with cosmic energy crackling around them. The tension builds until The Beast breaks free from the cosmic chains, triggering an intense launch sequence. - **Outdoor Coaster Segment:** - **The Escape:** Blasting out of the mountain, the ride transitions to a high-speed outdoor section. Riders speed through dense forest trails, dodging massive, moving tree limbs and branches feeling the wrath of Mystic Timbers. The track features airtime hills and sharp turns, evoking the wild, untamed nature of The Beast. - **The Cosmic Duel:** As riders ascend a tall lift hill, they are momentarily suspended under a the sky just like Orion. The ride then dives down a steep drop, weaving through terrain that mimics Orion’s constellation, with near-miss elements against rocky outcrops. **Finale:** The ride ends with one final encounter with The Beast as the carts plunge back into the mountain. In a thrilling finale, the ride navigates a spiraling drop into the mountain’s core, where The Beast’s eyes glow in the darkness, and Orion’s curse attempts one last time to capture the creature. The mine carts narrowly escape, launching up and out of the mountain one last time before returning to the station. **Post-Ride Experience:** Guests exit through a themed gift shop that resembles an old Rivertown trading post, filled with artifacts from the mountain and memorabilia of The Beast, Orion, and Mystic Timbers. The story of their journey is immortalized in rustic carvings and celestial-themed merchandise. --- "The Cove" offers a thrilling blend of dark ride storytelling and intense coaster action, encapsulating the mystique and legends of Kings Island’s Rivertown.

Instead of adding 2640ft of track to The Beast, maybe they can instead add 2000ft of track to Orion. The shortest “giga” in the world.

As i said earlier, I believe it is an old article that got an updated published date from an old version of the policy before it was implemented. Check out my 2nd post above that is a screenshot from earlier today and compare it to a not even 3 hours later screenshot and now they added "Last updated 5/4/24" that was not there just a few hours ago. I believe this is in response to this article and shows that the requirement to stay with is not accurate.

Some signage from the waterpark, ironically slapped smack dab in the middle of the main causeway to the other side of the waterpark.

And yet on the KI web page it doesn't show that....is it an old article that didn't get updated but the "publish" date did?

I'm kind of torn on 2 of those options. On the one hand, being a coaster enthusiast, I voted for the Gerstlauer infinity coaster. If plans for a new coaster were put on the back burner in place of Peanuts Interactive Dark Ride, I would not be disappointed, especially if it means a makeover for the Boo Blasters on Boo Hill ride.

Did I see that right in the CGI rendering that it'll have flames coming out of the mountain a la Volcano?!

The bathrooms there are staying

If it was anything like Alpen Fury, that would be great. Just as long as they put more than 2 trains on it.

To say that this theme was out of left field is an understatement. I was expecting either a full SC retheme with this or a continuation of the theme we had in the past. While yes there are plenty of coastal villages with rivers, to go with what I would see as a RiverTown style was out of left field. My only concern is the bathrooms on the far side of the waterpark, which is arguably the best place to change as no one uses them so it's easy in easy out. If they get rid of those facilities then the only bathrooms available are on the far side near the entrances. Which at the end of the day, for both guests and associates alike that's going to put a major strain on the other facilities that I would be concerned about. The addition itself was needed, I'm excited to ride in 25, hopefully we get more trees and foliage too as we desperately need more shade!

Hear me out. Recently there was a survey about Beast 2.0 where they pitched the idea making the total length of track 10,000ft. Why don’t they look into Adventure Express 2.0? Adventure Express is unique amongst mine train coasters in that it came much later in the game. Now you have this wave of “next generation mine trains” like Expedition Everest, Grizzly Mountain Mine Cars, and Seven Dwarfs. Why not give it a modern twist? Cedar Fair started working with Vekoma, who has produced the previously mentioned coasters, and has gotten better at their craft over the years; and has arguably perfected the mine train. Vekoma could retrack the whole thing and add new trains. There’s also over an acre of clear land between the current ride and FoF that they could play with. Imagine you board the train and you go through the original course of the ride on smooth Vekoma track. Then, like on Expedition Everest or Grizzly Mountain, as you’re going up AE’s final lift hill, right as you hear “Now you will pay”, your train goes backwards onto a new section of track. This wouldn’t be cheap but it would extend the ride’s life and would be a much better “2.0” than their idea for The Beast.

Looks like a really solid addition. Nice to see Premier getting some attention in the chain. Makes me excited to see what could occupy The Vortex spot.

Sounds like from a name/theming perspective they could be shifting focus away from the generic Soak City. I’d dig it. Looks like a great addition!

Until they don’t. Original IPs -when well done, are better long-term source material for rides and attractions. With the right branding, marketing and merchandising, original characters could become so “loved” that people would come to the park just to experience them.

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.

Small detail with large implications. What are your thoughts? Full article: https://bit.ly/3SLesgv

Some minor prep for NyteWalkers:

I always had this wish that they did add some bunny hills at the end of Orion which would’ve extended the break run further back and would cost them more $$ than it’s worth to appease us enthusiasts.

I would want a custom building for it so it fits the ride size better and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb link a certain box in Rivertown.

I don't think it was. A "blast coaster coming out of the mountain" was one of the options that Wonderland sent to passholders a few years ago.

Considering the rocky relationship Cedar Fair has with Intamin, I’m not sure they’d go with them on a big project like this- they’d probably reintroduce them in a small way down the road if they wanted- think something like DarKoaster. As for Vekoma and Mack, it’s possible that other parks in the chain might receive something from them. If I were to guess, Cedar Fair is courting other manufacturers to see what they have to offer.

What am I missing? What are the possible large implications? How many people come to the park with 10 minors? How would they all even get there in one vehicle...legally? (Not counting a city bus.)

Could we possibly see a Premier launched multi-looping coaster in The Vortex plot? I wouldn't mind.

Seems like a good choice aside from everyone's issues with Premier trains. It compliments their lineup well and fills 2 major holes at CW: inversions and launching. Its good to see more rides from manufacturers not named B&M or GCI.

I love how they decided to not only install a much needed water coaster, but they chose a dual-racing one. I really need to spend some time in Soak City. This might be the thing that brings me back to that side of the park.

Kinda giving me Velocicoaster vibes with all those rolls. Looks really graceful and fun!

I thought I was the only one who missed the creaking noise! I think it would fit right in the story about being on the wrong track.

Not a water park person, but this looks like a great addition to the area. It doesn't solve the overall problem that plagues Soak City, which is concrete. But until they invest the money to completely reinvent and retheme the water park, this will do. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come. Could they have been more nonchalant about the announcement? It just reads to me like "yeah, we are giving the water park some stuff, we know you'll like it, but we gotta get Haunt stuff set up." And they either need to use chatgpt to write their copy, or have another layer of proof reading. Look at the last sentence:

They needed a launch coaster that isn't a Backlot clone as well, it was a glaring hole in their coaster line up.

I was just about to post something about that as well. They made this big deal, then nothing. Also why have lights NEVER been added back into tunnel 1 which is now the “mine”. Even some flickering lanterns… something. They made this big deal about gem mines, but then we just get a dark tunnel with pick axe noises.

So… another new “theme” added to a beach-themed water park for no real reson. Sounds about right. I’m not impressed with the leadership direction these days and this underscores it. The water park “theme” wasn’t great, and the kids area needed a refresh, but to just randomly go off in a new “RiverCountry” direction makes no sense.

You're not alone. All that work but no reward. I mean, we can repurpose the fountain pedestals into some pretty cool Area 72 props as well as something from the Flight Commander ride into a "security post" in Area 72, but we can't display enhanced props on Adventure Express that someone worked so hard on?

The bones of the building are fine. They can repurpose the insides. I like the omnimover portion of the ride. It has a lot higher capacity than the other Sally Dark rides with single cars that have block zones. That would save on capital costs as well. Buildings are not cheap to build.

^Actually, that is quite awesome. Family launched coasters are something needed throughout the chain, imho.

I see this appears to be another Vekoma family boomerang, which should be a big hit with the little ones. I also like the concept art for the water attraction.

All I'm thinking is "yay more fall rides!!!". I am grateful for every season at the park. Spring is exciting because of the long hiatus off during winter, summer is action packed and full of opportunity to visit both the dry and wet side of the park. Fall is just magical. Crisp, cool air, the feel and the smell of crunchy leaves, the earlier darkness leaving room for lots of night rides, spooky vibes. All of that. I am all for it!!! Not to mention I feel fall rides just hit different. They feel wilder, faster and more out of control which I dig. Winterfest was awesome last year IMHO. I felt for what was lacking during Haunt they made up for during Winterfest. I am hoping for a good Winterfest this year too as it has helped me personally with coping with the holiday season.

A while back, I made this fan concept for a Gerstlauer Infinity coaster that was themed to the Shooting Star at the old Coney Island. The general idea was to include 10 inversions and have the ride split into two parts, with the second lift hill taking place after the fifth inversion as a middle section. (Similar to what Smiler does with its two lift hills) I also included a Coney Mall retheme to Coney Fair, which also included a Gerstlauer Sky Roller and a Jukebox Diner retheme. I hadn't shared this concept before as I wasn't really sure how feasible a Gerstlauer was going to be in terms of capacity, but I'd figure it would be a good time to share it since this type of ride was included in the recent survey.

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 really don’t want this to happen. It would basically give The Beast 10,000 ft of track by basically building a new coaster and attaching it to the current ride. I’d prefer a whole new ride entirely.