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That was a tough read. Not surprising, but its really deplorable. Funny how it's always the boots on the ground that get hosed but of course the CEO and upper management never see a pay cut or feel the burn. These people never seem to realize that they wouldn't even have a job if every employee that actually works directly at these parks chose not to show up. If it were possible for them to unionize, I'd say fight for that. Lowering pay is just going to create more staff shortages and less incentive to do the job the way they are expected to. Who wants to run circles all day long being yelled at, assaulted and demeaned for less money than before? No benefits. No protections. Nah. Granted I realize most of these jobs are filled by high school/college and retirees, but that doesn't mean they deserve any less respect for what they do all day. Long hours in the heat, rain, cold just to make sure you are safe on a ride. To make sure you are safe in the park. To make sure you have food and drink. And less quality experience for the consumer. Sounds like a solid plan. But lets continue to line the pockets of those way above the ones that actually bust their tails to keep these places open.

I seem to stop by his office when he is not there.

You might be able to share Don's office by the Royal Fountain on International Street: That's a million dollar office, better than any corner office or Starbux lounge. (Photo from a thread here on KIC)

One way to fill up the place during the season

Conversation with non enthusiasts. Me - I went down to Kings Dominion. Them - What is a Kings Dominion is that like Kings Island?

And while you are at it, maybe you can find all the blueprints for the original Antique cars rides. track, stations and bridge. Hehehe.

Wonder if/how this will affect the KI Starbucks. Many people go in there and never purchase anything. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/01/14/starbucks-open-door-policy-changes/77689669007/

Knott’s has two train rides. The big narrow gauge one, the Ghost Town and Calico, is still steam powered. The other one, Grand Sierra Railway, is of the miniature variety and THAT was the one that replaced real steam with a steam outline. Also, it was not a C.P. Huntington model that replaced it. The new engine is a 2-4-0 and resembles the original engine more than a Huntington would have. Plus, I would not mind too much of the change in motive power, as long as the train ride stayed.

Oh gross! lol Give us steam/coal powered or not at all! The moment Dollywood gets rid of the Coal Powered engines, I'm out.

Kings Mills Landing would honestly be a good name.

I’d love to see it!

I'm there in my office more than some other people.

^Better than the VIP Lounge also, and cheaper

It's a difficult conversation to have and one that will be tricky at best to play through (not just for SF) for companies. When the pandemic hit, people were content to sit at home and collect $$ from the government - some continued after the COVID threat had subsided. This forced companies like SF, CF, Disney, Universal, etc... to bait potential employees with higher pay- almost a bidding war with the government- to entice people to come back to work. ie- scarcity drives up the price. This also caused that nasty term, "inflation." I was in a conversation with someone back in 2021 when our family bill at Chipotle was $28.56 - and told them that you can't just increase the rate of pay from $9/hr to $15+/hr and it not affect prices. They were CERTAIN it would not. That same order at Chipotle today is $44.74. Bringing this back to the Kings Island's of the world, and their peers- this brings the rate of pay back down to where the market will bear it. Tracked out over a 50 week year, if it were full time, most of the jobs at the seasonal level are not $40,000/year jobs. If they were to keep pay at those rates... be prepared for higher prices of everything at the parks, moreso. If other companies do this, a new term is entered: "Deflation." Which could also bring along it's cousin "Stagflation." THEN: welcome to the post-Carter 1980s.

Heck yeah! You are most welcome! I look forward to see what you come up with. I mean, seriously though. A normal Top Spin could be a great fit for in there. A thrilling dark ride with theming that would blend well into the area and keep the story going. There could be tie-ins with it's neighbor Mystic Timbers. It would be a perfect revival of that building and bring back some much needed thrills in a way that TRTR did, just ya know, not all Lara Croft-y.

^I guess the register isn't gonna be invited to media day (but they already knew that)

The Columbus Chill were coached by Terry Ruskowski. He was one of my favorite players in my teen years when he played in the World Hockey Association for the Houston Aeros and Winnipeg Jets, then in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks and a few other teams. Intense guy. When I did media relations for the Cyclones, I enjoyed the games at the Fairgrounds Arena and talking to Ruskowski before the games about the WHA days.

Now I might try it in Planet Coaster. Lol. Take the TRTR recreation, make a second copy, and convert it into what it could be tomorrow if they would utilize the building for a normal top spin. Thanks for the idea. Lol. I'd throw a party if that were to happen in real life. It would be like TRTR but... different? You know what I mean. Lol.

TR:TR was so good. A mix of fantastic theming (honestly, on par with what Universal was doing at that time, pre-screens) and a thrilling ride program. It was so sad to ride it in the years after they removed the theming and scaled the thrills back. The last time I rode it, I had no idea they'd done more than remove the Tomb Raider IP. I expected Lara Craft references to be gone but was shocked they'd turned off the lights on the top at the ice as well as the "lava" effect below. It was just a pitch black ride that flipped me upside down once or twice. What a letdown. But the original was one of the best experiences Kings Island ever had.

Our bucket list is Cedar Point, and Kings Island in August. I grew up with CP, spent quite a few summers working at KI and I just want my daughter to grow up familiar with them too, lol. (plus my parents are in Ohio)

There aren't as many true theme park people involved in this theme park company as there used to be.

I agree with you on this 100%. Everything is just Gibson Bold on a white or plain background, with a picture of a Gold/Prestige/whatever pass. This recent example from Kings Dominion has to be one of the worst ads that I have ever seen from a park. What about this ad tells the audience anything about the 50th Anniversary? What in this image compels the audience to purchase a pass? Make a visit in 2025? https://x.com/KingsDominionVA/status/1875270505097523311 Nothing about this ad connects to the audience on an emotional level. For a theme park company, it's such a shame that the branding/messaging is so consistently bland and boring.

+ 1 for individualized park logos. The chain as a whole could use a big brand refresh. The current fonts, colors, etc. are tired. A new look would be good post merger. Something less corporate-y and plastic-y.

Tbh I miss the customized logos for each park on the souvenir bottle showcasing the new attraction for that season. I think 2022 was the last time they did that with the 50th logo on the bottle that year. Also, ngl I miss the large souvenir cups they used to place to the right of the front gate plaza in the spring. I thought they were cool looking and idk why the park got rid of them.

See text below. For some reason, the URL would not paste into this post. Not to sound like a harbinger of bad news, but I don't think this will be isolated to Cedar Point. I think they will cut this bonus out at the legacy Cedar Fair parks that offered it. IIRC, KI also did this. The potential loss of seasoned employees will further erode the guest experience. I shudder to think how cutting wages at the legacy Six Flags parks will shake out. It's a fine line, and I don't want to violate KIC TOS, so @IndyGuy4KIplease moderate or edit the following as you see fit: I am typically for free market driven initiatives. This is that. But they are driving so much to get the synergies promised to shareholders/unitholders. How much further will they degrade the guest experience? Cedar Point cuts pay By Justin Dietz Special to the Register Jan 15, 2025 3:00 PM Editor’s note: Justin Dietz is a Register correspondent representing cpfoodblog.com and @funfoodblog on X. SANDUSKY — Some Cedar Point employees will be experiencing a 25% drop in pay for the upcoming season. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Cedar Point struggled to find employees when the park began to reopen. At that point, the park increased payroll by offering to hire new employees at $20 per hour, something it promoted substantially. Pay consisted of $15 per hour plus an added $5-per-hour bonus that later became known as legacy pay. Some other seasonal employees who have worked at the park for years also received the pay increase. While pay for new hires at Cedar Point continued to fall post-COVID, employees hired under the legacy pay structure have continued to receive the hourly bonus if they returned each year up through the 2024 season. This month, however, returning employees hired under legacy pay have been notified that the $5-per-hour pay bump is going away. The Register has received several messages from employees that Six Flags, the new parent company following the 2024 merger, has cut employees' pay effective immediately. Employees are now expected to return to work at their base hourly pay. Since most of the 5,000 summer jobs at Cedar Point are considered seasonal, those employees do not earn overtime pay. Seasonal employees who chose to stay at Cedar Point dorms also pay roughly $300 to $500 per month for accommodations. Due to already low local staffing levels, Cedar Point relies heavily on the J-1 Visa program to hire seasonal help to staff the park. Hiring international workers allows the park to avoid paying taxes on their wages. In addition, since foreign workers have to be sponsored, it is much harder for them to leave the job once they have arrived. J-1 workers also pay their sponsor a fee to work in the U.S.