Leaderboard

This is paywalled, but Alex wrote a really flattering article about us. https://www.daytondailynews.com/lifestyles/kings-island-fan-podcast-has-dayton-daily-news-reporter-as-guest-on-latest-episode/IJQLPTQCKNA7NBTF7C5BSA6TIM/

Alex Cutler covers events for the Dayton Daily News. We welcomed him on Tower Topics to talk about his history with the park as well as his inspiration for articles involving our happy place.

Looks like on the webcam for Planet Snoopy/Camp Snoopy, we have work being done on the concrete in front of the Snoopy Boutique building, maybe for new concrete or pavers even? They are definitely busy this off season!

Imagine this, you walk into the park expecting to see the normal royal fountains, and instead you notice the Kings Island sign is missing, and is that - that a red carpet? You gaze further down where the sign was and see the red carpet transition into steps, INTO, the fountain. Welcome: to the Royal Hot Tub *insert Jurassic Park music* The fountain is a waste of space, it’s old, valuable real estate, has to be converted every winter and then brought back to life, what if we could collectively enjoy the magic of the fountain all year long by converting it into a hot tub? SF/CF loves building on the legacy of their parks, and this would be the perfect way to honor and continue the legacy of the Coney Island pool, by creating this centralized hot tub for guests to enjoy. Also imagine after a long day of winterfest going for a soak, floating down I street, closing your eyes, smelling all the tasty treats, taking in the magic of the season. As an upcharge maybe they do like adult only night senor frogs style with foam parties and rave lasers, have a DJ on the Eiffel Tower? Thoughts?

We'll have a number of surprise guests in the weeks and months ahead.

This was a fun episode!

Completely agree with this sentiment. I went to Marineland once years back when I was visiting my family in Canada. I was truly not impressed by the overall vibe of the park. It was sad, felt overgrown and left a lot to be desired. This was still when most of the rides were operational and I can gladly say that I did get to ride Dragon Mountain more than once and the awesome Sky Screamer launch tower. But none of the rides made up for the sadness in those animal's lives and their pathetic enclosures. Kiska dying alone in that sad tank broke my heart. She deserved better. All of the animals that have died and currently live there deserve(d) better. Human greed never ceases to disappoint me.

I’ve been in the Lava Pit in the TRTR building. Does that count as a jacuzzi? Lara was there it was great! If Carowinds rumored water attraction next year does well I can imagine other parks doing the same. But a jacuzzi, in the winter it might be nice but I’d rather have an ice rink 10 fold. As for a jacuzzi during the summer I don’t think the medical center has enough beds for the number of guests that would experience heat exhaustion/dehydration.

This idea is the perfect thing for Mason, now that Club Splash is defunct (RIP The Beach Waterpark).

This is the one park where I can safely say that its closure is completely justified. It does hurt that we're going to lose another classic Arrow coaster, but one coaster isn't worth the amount of neglect and abuse the animals there have to endure. Hopefully the animals there get the help they desperately need.

I wonder if there will be any Gravity Group Engineered Precut Track as part of these renovations.

@befat that's why I gave the disclaimer that the pic was from Google Maps and not sure what it looked like in 2024. Looks like the gift shop reno is going to be the Kings Island Trading Company, which will include an outdoor merch patio of sorts. Looking further into the permits, looks like all three major restrooms/bathhouses are being renovated in Soak City. The one closest to the entrance (near the train station), the one next to Coconut Cove and the one near the wave pool/RiverRacers). Sinking some serious cash into renos this offseason.

As seen here they are planning to reroute the whole thing and add more concrete of course this is a blueprint and things can change.

They leave that up to the geese due to the budget.

The fountain is starting to escape from under the ice rink! Won't be too long now before we see it filled with water (well a couple of months).

I would add more scenery and hidden animals along the route of the K.I. & M.V. railroad. Particularly along the stretch from Rivertown to just past Mystic Timbers. To be more specific, I would put in a pioneer village scene in that empty space across from MT. And in the wooded area just before then, is where I would place the animals. And just for fun, I would put in Bigfoot for people to spot.