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I imagine Cedar Point will still be the favorite child of the Ohio parks. It's also worth noting Six Flags Great America is only about 5 hours away from Kings Island (6 if you want to factor in Chicago traffic) and that's now a park in our chain too. It's too early to say which of the two will get the most investments between Kings Island and Great America. Apparently it was brought up in a recent Tower Topics that Mike Koontz wanted Orion to appeal to families, hence the reason for the smaller stats. I can't confirm it personally but if it is true, I really have no idea what he was thinking with that. Giga coasters are supposed to be some of the most thrilling coasters out there and to try and turn one into a family coaster just seems like the wrong way to go about it. They can minimize the height or length as much as they want, at the end of the day it still has a 54 inch height requirement. Again, this is not confirmed to be the reasoning and I still think Orion is a great ride, but it is a baffling thought.

Also I wanted to point out, it wouldn’t be as hard as you think to make a 10 inversion Mack Stryker coaster. Let’s take a look at Voltron, it already has 7 inversions. It has a non inverted Immelmann. If you change that to a regular Immelmann that’s inversion number 8. It also has a top hat. If you change that into an inverted top hat that’s inversion number 9. There is also an over bank turn. If that is rotated a bit more it can turn into a cutback making 10 inversions. I believe Mack’s temperature requirement for their launch coasters just like Intamin’s is rather low. In the single digits. The biggest concern is not about temperatures it’s about if the trains will valley throughout the course. Keeping it low to the ground just like Voltron would make low temperature operations possible. That’s also the reason Mystic Timbers runs during WinterFest. Another concern would be off-season maintenance. If they can take about half the amount of trains off for WinterFest I think it would still be able to run successfully.

See the full daytime SOB Interactive in this KIC video.

I do kinda miss hearing the lift hill from the parking lot (especially as close to the highway as possible lol).

Coney Mall is one of my personal favorite sections of the park and I of course want a very special coaster to take plot formerly occupied by Vortex. While I know the park would never do it, I'd totally go for a rebranding of the area back to "Old Coney". Put a skyride down the middle of the mall and add another classic flat (Trabaunt please!) and maybe a Ferris Wheel (I still say someone needs to revive those double and triple wheels) Then have a Mack or Vekoma in The Vortex plot with retro vibes and elements. That boomerang element near the walkway is an absolute must to pay tribute to The Vortex.

And Great Adventure is on the horizon as well. (Side note...in the best of all possible worlds, the Six Flags parks could be brought up to (former) Cedar Fair standards, hopefully before all the budget cuts) Orion-family friendly...I believe this was in @KIghostguy's book..Kings Island: A Ride Through Time.

The park is currently going three years in a row of adding new family attractions to Adventure Port, Camp Snoopy and next year with Soak City. When the park stated they are going to make the park family friendly, I don't think that means they're going to completely alienate the thrill market entirely. After all, the reason I'm even talking about a 10-inversion coaster for Kings Island is because the park itself did include it as an option on one of their surveys.

The way I look at it is that the Mack Stryker was developed to be Mack's take on a Gerstlauer Infinity. If they can do 14 inversions on a Gerstlauer Infinity, then it shouldn't be difficult to do 10 on a Mack Stryker.

The structural issues with both the original Bat and SOB doomed both coasters. If I remember correctly, part the lift hill structure for SOB fell over in high winds during construction. The design flaw in The Bat was what made it so much fun unfortunately. That wild swinging back and forth was what made the ride memorable for me. I'm sure it was slower and rougher than I remember...seems forever ago. But it was a new concept at the time that I was in awe of. I am really happy they brought back The Bat name at least. I agree. I think it would amazing if they could rebrand a new ride around the story of a doomed Son of Beast. I'd still be wary though since it does have such a negative light. I would love to see a ground up RMC there with some Beast theme.

Sure. But TT2 and the decision to try and revamp the ride and that’s so far proven unsuccessful. I wonder if they’d go for something like that now. Ideally, maybe they could do another Beast “sequel” devoid of any direct connection to SoB. That could be a good happy medium. It would also be a fun marketing/theming/story opportunity.

The bathroom in question is basically on the far side of the original wave pool, just opposite of Mondo. Basically that restroom is traditionally dead which makes it an easy spot to change in and out of which looks as if it may become way more busier this upcoming season. I'll gladly welcome the upgrades though, if we could get some larger stalls and automatic faucets that would seriously elevate the guest experience especially, for those like myself, who don't want to hike in wet clothes all the way to the front changing rooms/middle changing rooms.

I believe Carowinds runs Copperhead Strike during Winterfest from what I've seen online. However, it is in a different climate so not sure if that would apply here if we were to get a Mack.

I agree. Personally I’d rather see a Mack Xtreme spinner but that’s unlikely considering the guests might not enjoy the spinning aspect. And Mike Koontz may not be a fan of it as well. A Mack Stryker is my #2 choice and I think makes more sense for KI overall than an Xtreme spinner. I think they could easily make it very different experience from Maverick 3 hours north. Time will tell. I’m very intrigued to see what this off-season has in store for us. Also I know being able to run a new coaster during WinterFest would be huge for the park. Mack coasters and the Stryker coaster can run in lower temperatures and especially if they keep it low to the ground.

Thanks for doing this! While I enjoy the close perspective photos with description, I really like seeing it overhead where you've found these. As @disco2000 said, maybe new bars? Could the markers be where site lines are surveyed? Are there any near/around I-Street at all? Coney is one of my favorite areas of the 2 big Ohio parks. The only thing I really don't like is where Killmart is, leading to the back of Windeseeker/Action Theater. It just feels dull once you pass Zephyr. Yeah KMAA opened the area a bit more, I don't feel like there's a spectacle in terms of what we see. The Killmart building IMO needs refreshed/brightened or razed, a new record breaking coaster (that provides midway excitement) plopped in Vortex's former home, the WindSeeker Plaza (in front of and behind) needs refreshed to be more welcoming and open.

Well apparently it literally is being named the Big Bad Wolf: The wolf's revenge. https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/roller-coasters/big-bad-wolf/ For me personally, will it be fun? Yes I think so. Will it ever replace the ride of which it's trying to carry on the legacy? No. I think the ride should have had an original theme or at the least not had the same name as the previous attraction unless they actually were going to get S&S or Vekoma to build a real suspended coaster with the old fashioned arrow style gondola trains. You can't replace one of the most famous coasters of the 1980s and 1990s with a B&M family invert...well to be fair you can but did they ever stop and ask themselves if they should?

If Coney mall did a get a big revamp, it would likely include a bunch of the Carnival type games and maybe the arcade. Anyone have any insight into how much revenue is generated at the arcade and carnival games? Seems like both are usually pretty quit, though I suspect the upkeep and maintenance, especially on the carnival games is pretty low. Since both of these are often staples at other parks, how could KI incorporate those better? Would a sit down dining area be worthwhile in this area? Already have the BBQ place not to mention the diner, skyline, etc... Could flats be added in place of some of the games? Coney seems to have stayed largely the same since the parks opening, with slight changes every few years that bleed over thru the memory of time and keeps the area "same as it ever was" even if the changes and updates are indeed happening. Vortex was the last big thing to really hit that walkway (though one could argue the stunt coaster invades on the ambiance) in 30+ years. A Vortex replacement would be the perfect opportunity for a huge facelift across the entire coney main street.

I can't help but laugh when people say "why would they want to bring back a failed attraction?" or "it was awful and rough". Look. The facts are, yes, it was a failed attraction. Very much so. That's no family secret. But it is also an attraction that still garners a lot of buzz amongst the GP and enthusiasts. Never is a big word that gets thrown around a lot until there is a dollar to be made. I wouldn't put it past the park to use the IP again if they knew it would really make them some money. Just food for thought there. Also a side note, the original Bat could also be said to be a failed attraction. It might not have gotten near the bad press that SoB did, but they still brought back the IP. And also, I am one who rode SoB many times. I was younger then and could handle the abuse from the ride. Would I ride it now if it were in the form that it was in from my last memory? Probably not. I can say for a fact that my last ride on it before it shut down forever was a week or two prior to the permanent closure and was honestly the best ride experience I ever had on it. But it did not always run that well and I know that as it stood back then, it was not a good ride. BUT, guys and gals, if they did for whatever reason decide to bring it back to life, do you really think they would build a coaster that wouldn't be fun and enjoyable? The industry as a whole has grown up a lot since the late 90's/early 2000's. If they were to build a reboot it wouldn't be the ride we remembered. It would be an entirely new ride all together and one they would ensure would have far more success and reliability than the former. That's not to say that there still aren't hiccups with reboots (IE: TT2 ) but I would wager to say that if they took a gamble on reusing an infamous IP such as SoB they would want to go with something tried and true to regain footing. I will, repeat, again, I am in no way saying they will ever resurrect this guy. But these are different times we are living in and technology has advanced, lessons have been learned. IF an infamous IP were to make its way back into the ether, I would imagine it would be a Son The Beast himself would be proud of.

We really like the daytime music on Coney Mall during Tricks & Treats. Having that music during the regular season would be amazing!

I think whatever goes in The Vortex plot should have an early 20th century theme to fit in with the rest of the Coney Mall area, hence why I suggested naming it "Shooting Star" or something else relating to Coney Island. I also thought a 50's hot rod theme could also work, but I think the park could go with something more unique than a car theme, especially with BLSC and KMAA right next door.

Possibly. This is just a thought I've had and I don't really think it's entirely feasible budget-wise for a coaster year, but could it be possible to retheme Coney Mall into Coney Island? Mainly with remodeling some buildings to look like this picture below or retheming some of the shops and restaurants to fit in with a Coney Island theme. Have the cherry on top be a new coaster in The Vortex plot themed to Shooting Star. I think it would be a really nice way to pay homage to Kings Island's predecessor. With the actual Coney Island being shut down, I don't think the park would need to contact them in order to use their name but I could be wrong.

When I worked at Kings Island, managing PR and social media, if a major ride was going to be closed for more than one day I wanted to be transparent and did post on social media to advise guests the ride would be closed, and apologized. This includes multiple day closures for Son of Beast, The Beast, Vortex, Diamondback. Once the ride reopened, the posts were removed. But I felt as the person responsible for communicating to the public, it was important to let guests know. And guests appreciated the advisory. I didn't go into detail as to why, but a simple "X ride will be closed through X" was always appreciated.

I never received this...but even if I did, I'd let it go. They were more than generous to add 2021....while 2020 wasn't the best year in the park, it still was there and fun was still had.

All I'm going to say is that Cedar Fair owes me nothing. They were more than generous with giving the free year in 2021. I can see the argument for people who never used the pass should get a refund but anyone who used their pass in 2020 and 2021 and got their money's worth out of it should feel dirty/guilty to try to squeeze the park for any money through class action.

Hello again guys! Welcome to my 3rd 2024 Kings Island trip report. This time, for Halloween Haunt on October 5th, 2024 (I am sorry for this taking a whole week to make, I have been busy!). This time, I am gonna break the trip report into 2 sections: what I did during the daytime (Tricks and Treats, or basically normal Kings Island) and what I did at night. Let us begin. DAYTIME STOOF ***** Ride #1: The Beast We arrived early enough for ERT, but due to some delays with height checks and me thinking the early entry lines would be long because it was Haunt, and random urges, I decided to go and wait for The Beast to open instead. I pre-purchased a Fast Lane using money I had saved up (another reason I decided to skip ERT, I didn't think I would need it as bad) and got in the Fast Lane line for Beast...by waiting near the photo booth because I didn't realize they did have a Fast Lane barrier set up further ahead. Oof. Once the park and Beast opened, I entered the que, and had to wait for a ride op to open the Fast Lane entrance because the chain was still up. Afterwards, however, I got in Row 17, my favorite on the coaster. I wasn't expecting too much because this was the 2nd train of the day (just missed first of the day) but Beast was running very good already, not sluggish at all like it can sometimes be first thing in the morning. A pleasant surprise...and a sign of what was to come later. Ride #2: Mystic Timbers Turns out, ERT wasn't as slammed as I thought, because Mystic Timbers had no wait even though it was on ERT. I was hoping my Fast Lane wasn't gonna be useless all day- spoiler, it was very useful in the end. Just like Beast right before, Mystic Timbers was running way better than usual in the morning. I have had airtimeless rides on this before in the AM hours, but here there was a good amount of air- another prologue to what was coming later, too. I got Bats/Cars combo in the shed BTW. Ride #3: Diamondback Up next was Diamondback, to complete the "Rivertown Trio of Terror". It also had a very short wait, given this was still before noon. Diamondback felt a bit broken in too, but not as much as the woodies, for a early morning ride. Still had some good floater. The 3rd fun ride in a row, but I was hungry after this. Food #1: Brewhouse I decided to go ahead and eat early- eating at weird times can be a huge time saver at amusement parks, after all. Brewhouse has always been a solid choice for me, and it was right there, so I activated my all day dining here. I was initially leaning Burger, but I saw the dip list and wanted to try the Siracha Ranch, so I audibled to Chicken Strips. My food basically arrived as soon as I sat down. My tater tots were fine, a bit cold but good tasting, and while the chicken strips tasted great they were a bit small. But the meal had a savior- the Siracha Ranch dip was AWESOME. A 6/10 meal became a 8/10 thanks to it. I did see someone else nearby get burgers and they looked great, so the dip also saved me from buyers remorse. Food #2: Snoopy Ice Cream I was still a tiny bit hungry (thanks to Tiny chicken strips) but now I had a bit of a Sweet Tooth, so I went for some Blue Ice Cream when I saw it had a very short wait. But then, I saw an ad for the "Bride of Frankenstein" flavor they were running during Haunt. I decided to try that, since I had blue earlier this year. As much as I liked Blue, BOF was an even better Ice Cream flavor (I also prefer chocolate to blueberry though)! Only downside was, it was a bit hotter out than I expected so it was melting as I ate it and quite messy. And the cone was absolutely huge. I had to pay out of pocket because it wasn't on the meal plan, but it was still worth it. I highly recomend this Ice Cream! After I had my Ice Cream, I met with my group and chatted/relaxed for a bit before breaking off again towards Action Zone, curious about Banshee mainly. It was running 1 train and had a huge line because of it, plus crowds were finally picking up. So I focused on the other rides in Action Zone. Ride #4: Drop Tower This ride still makes me nervous, but I also love it- an odd mix. This was also the first time my Fast Lane began to pay off- the main line was about a half hour or so, and Fast Lane was...2 people including me. I boarded Drop Tower, and even answered some questions the riders next to me had about the park, including that Invertigo was currently down (I had walked over to it first to check it out). We began the climb to the top...I dunno why it is, but I am perfectly fine going 300 or even 400+ feet on a roller coaster yet on a Drop Tower I get nervous above 50, much less 265. The drop itself felt awesome- I don't fear the drop here, just going up. And as the final brakes lowered us I saw... Ride #5: Invertigo Invertigo opened up! I walked over and snagged a ride, it would have had zero wait with or without Fast Lane due to it just re-opening. I sat in a empty row all to myself- the guy I would have watched ended up bailing and leaving for some reason. I don't always ride Invertigo, as it isn't my favorite coaster in the park, and this ride was a bit middle of the road: it had the great forces and inversions I like about Invertigo, but also a bit of head banging but I leaned forward to avoid most of it. Not a fan of the restraint system used here. A decent ride, worth the wait because walk-on. Ride #6: The Bat Next up, I headed way back to The Bat. Fast Lane is not used on this ride, so it was about a 15 minute wait in the regular and only line. Bat was its usual swoopy fun self, swinging through the woods. On the way back to Action Zone, I watched a guy try to activate the Son of Beast lantern spot but it wasn't doing anything. D'oh! Ride #7: Delirium Delirium had broken down before I rode Bat, but it was back up by the time I returned. This is probably my favorite flat ride at Kings Island, though I find it more relaxing than Intense. Swinging back and forth at 76mph with the wind feels good. After Delirium, I grew hungry again. I have been listening to the Tower Topics podcast recently- it is good stuff btw- and took one of Don Helbig's suggestions in a semi recent video... Food #2: French Corner Like Don Helbig, I too am a chicken lubber who can highly recommend the Shrimp Po Boy! It might actually be my favorite food item I have ever had at Kings Island! It also has the option of a cold pasta salad, something else I love that I had no idea Kings Island even had until now. The entire meal was delicious, 10/10, this place is gonna be one of my Go-Tos now. Thanks Don! After I had eaten, I met back up with my group to watch a show in Festhaus... Show #1: Ghouls Gone Wild ...or try to. About halfway through, my 2 year old baby Nephew began crying because he hated how loud and noisy it was, so we had to dip out. What I saw was okay- the costumes were great but the music was just covers of popular songs, I prefer original stuff. Won't judge much though because we left early due to nephew. Once my nephew had calmed down (which was pretty quick after we left the Show), I eventually went off and hit up rides in Coney Mall and Adventure Port, the 2 big sections I had yet to do. Ride #8: Orion Flight of Fear's line was crazy long even with Fast Lane, so I skipped that and went straight to Orion. Orion was running pretty good, very smooth and with nice forces- the speed hill was pretty darn strong today and the Orion's Belt helix had good positives. Another great ride on the Giga. Ride #9: Blue Racer I was originally going to ride Red Racer, but when I went to the back car (I love 5-2 on this ride) they closed it off for some reason I found out later, so I switched sides since that seat was still open on Blue. The train right before us ended up being stopped due to a phone idiot, which I think cursed us as well because we lost. The ride had really good airtime and was fun though. Oh, and the reason the back car on Red Racer got closed? Someone ended up getting married on Racer! Knowing that, I was fine with swapping sides. Ride #10: Adventure Express I then headed over to Adventure Port, and...Adventure Express was running 1 train? I knew why Banshee was, but this was odd. It might have been a brake issue or something here too because Adventure Express has a spare 3rd train if I recall, or they might just not have been able to get the spare running for the day. The line wasn't crazy long for Fast Lane though, so I rode. I ended up being seated in the back of a car, and it was a bit jerky but nothing crazy, and all the effects were working: the lights in the final tunnel even activated when they were supposed to, revealing the evil drum statues. Ride #11: Eiffel Tower After AE, I went and hit up a ride I have been wanting to ride ALL YEAR, but it's randomly been having issues and wasn't open either of my previous two visits- the good ol' Eiffel Tower! I actually stayed up here for a little while and took some pictures, enjoying the view, and being terrified to see a nearly full parking lot (that did completley fill up later)! It was around 6pm when I went up, so I caught the opening ceremony for Haunt, and then went to grab a quick ride on... Ride #12: Diamondback (2) Diamondback had broken in a bit more since the morning, thus it had better airtime here on the 2nd ride. I had good fun once again. I was hungry again, and did some searching for food, but many places were SLAMMED due to the high crowds. I eventually settled on... Food #3: French Corner (2) ...another Shrimp Po Boy + Pasta combo because French Quarter had no wait, and it was so good before. And the 2nd one might have been even tastier! Yep, this place I had overlooked before is now a Go-To. Thanks again Don! It was now starting to get dark, so the daytime portion of this trip report ends... NIGHT STOOF ***** Ride #13: Banshee My belly full of Shrimp Sammich, I decided to wait it out for Banshee, especially since it has good night rides. This one was no different- great speed, great forcefulness, and smooth. The one train that was working apparently had good wheels on it. It was also nice and dark out when I finally rode, and it was very chilly in the area at the bottom of the pretzel loop. Another awesome Banshee night ride. Rides #14+15: Red Racer (x2) On my way down Coney Mall, I remembered another Tower Topics Podcast where Don said The Racer is a shockingly good night ride during Haunt, and since I had a Fast Lane (which had no wait for Racer- main line was about 45 minutes) I took a ride. Don Helbig was 100% correct, Racer is a great night ride at Haunt! Travelling past the fog and eerie lights of the Coney Maul scare zone, getting great airtime, and going fast and smooth (the retracking is holding up). This may have been my best ride ever on The Racer! I reunited with my group, and ended up going on a 2nd ride in a row with one of our friends because it had no wait and she had gotten herself a Fast Lane. The second ride had even more fog on the tracks! Racer is probably the biggest sleeper hit ride at Kings Island right now. After we rode Racer, me and our friend went to ride Orion. She was afraid of it because it had a 300 foot drop, but I told her it would be okay. Sadly, we never got to face this fear, and 10 minutes into our wait (both Fast Lane and regular line were FULL QUES), Orion broke down. D'oh! We went ahead and headed into Rivertown. Ride #16: Mystic Timbers (2) Mystic Timbers wait wasn't as bad as Orion's, but it was still a 20 minute Fast Lane wait! Kings Island was truly SLAMMED. Alas, the wait was worth it- this was probably my best ever ride on Mystic Timbers. The ride felt faster and more aggressive than ever, and the airtime was stronger than I have ever felt on Mystic Timbers. And for some reason, it was stupid dark in the forest on this evening. I could not make out what way we were going. This was basically Mystic Timbers showing me why so many consider it the best in the park. I understand now where those people are coming from. Also, we got the "Turn Around" and Snakes combo in the shed. Ride #17: The Beast (2) We attempted to ride Diamondback next, but it broke down...the big B&Ms were apparently suddenly having issues. So we just went on to Beast...which had an HOUR Fast Lane wait, and 3 HOUR main line! Holy 1980s Batman! We sucked it up, waited, and made some friends in line...that is a thing I have noticed tends to happen with long Beast waits. An hour later, we boarded and got row 16- front seat of last car. I wondered, after that INSANE Mystic Timbers night ride, could Beast hold up? Yes. Beast somehow defended its title as Kings Island's #1 woodie, even after such a crazy ride on Mystic Timbers. This was easily my best ride on The Beast since 2010, maybe ever! Beast was even darker than Mystic Timbers- it was so dark, it would have been hard to tell where the tunnels were if not for the echoes. And Beast was HAULING on top of this. Those kinda fast morning rides earlier? Yeah, they were hinting at this. And the helix felt like pure chaos- I also could barely see it from atop the 2nd lift hill. Beast night rides are almost always great, but this...this was one of the best rides I have ever had on ANY coaster. Whatever happened to the woodies on this night, I hope it becomes the new normal for Kings Island's wooden coasters. Ride #18: Diamondback (3) My final ride ended up being Diamondback- it reopened as we left Beast, and had no wait for Fast Lane (and the main wait was pretty short too) so me and my friend snagged one quick final ride. We even got back row- best seats for Diamondback IMO. The airtime was awesome and strong, and it was cool to fly up and down into the fog, but The Beast ride prior was so insane, Diamondback sadly just couldn't top it. However, Diamondback was still an amazing final ride of the day and I was laughing and giggling as I made my exit. This was also my 40th ride on Diamondback...earlier this year, I hit 50 on Beast. Diamondback will be the next for that milestone, and considering I rode 10 times in 2024 alone (a lot for me), Diamondback should be getting to 50 sooner rather than later. We left the park after, missing the park closing show because we had 2 sleeping kids and wanted to beat traffic. What an amazing day at Kings Island. Sorry again this trip report took so long to get out- it's been a fairly busy week for me afterwards. I hope you still enjoyed it- I will add the pictures in a bit, I have to get on my phone for those. Anyways, see ya for now!

Somewhat off topic of the current conversation in the chat, but I love that there is still discussion about SOB and I love seeing all the theories and ideas about revivals/reboots. But I also grew up obsessed with youtube channels like game theory and stuff, so I'm always all about theorizing stuff and connecting pieces together, even if they don't always make sense or actually connect. just fun stuff creatively. this chat honestly makes me want to go to haunt this friday to try and check out the SOB inspired lantern spot and all the stuff people are talking about in here. gives some use to my pass I bought before my friend group split up earlier this year.

As bad as the TTD incident was, Son of Beast had way more of them (not just limited to the 2006 and 2009 incidents), so its SOB being worst by a mile. TTD had a far better safety record. RCCA were complete frauds in my book. I actually respect Intamin and Zamperla. They've done good work aside from TT2. All of RCCA's coasters are/were garbage. I should also correct something- the loop on SOB wasn't the problem. The 2006 incident happened in the first helix and part of it was lighter trains that made the track flex less, but the lighter Gerstlauer trains that replaced the heavier Premier trains weren't approved to do loops and probably couldn't due to the lack of weight.

One thing I hope happens with The Vortex replacement is using a similar path interaction that Vortex's batwing had with its proximity to the path. Put a giant dive loop, Immelman, or cobra roll there.