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Drills has been spotted inside the Crypt building. (For digging or footers for a dark, flat ride.)

Started the trip by setting up camp at Kings Dominion Camp Wilderness. The campground and facilities were clean and the staff were friendly. They upgraded me to a deluxe site which included electricity as well as a camp site light which was nice. First day I spent at KD and immediately greeted at the front gate with banners commemorating the parks 50th birthday. However, that was the extent of the birthday decor going on at the park. The Eiffel Tower had no banners or decor to commemorate the parks birthday or itself for that matter. They didn’t even bother to place the “AI generated” birthday signs next to rides that were celebrating their birthday within the park. One of which was Racer 75, which turned 50. No subsequent merch for Racer 75’s 50th either. I got to experience the VIP lounge at KD and WOW, what a lounge. It’s everything one would expect for a VIP lounge. Comfy furniture, plenty of TV’s, Air conditioning and it’s nestled away from the hustle and bustle of the park with a nice view of the pond which is very relaxing. This alone would totally be worth the upgrade to Prestige if King’s Island had something similar. Other than that, Pantherian was not operating and the subsequent area was blocked off. I got to ride Rapterra a bunch. It was well themed, and had a good pace. A good addition for KD. When it comes to food at KD you really can’t go wrong but if I had to pick a favorite, Grain & Grill would be my choice. photo credit: @DonHelbig

A new river ride to pay homepage to snoopy n Coney Island Snoopys'keel boat lion lost river indoor very lil soaking year round.

I definitely think we need to see more investment into the adult thrill side of things at Kings Island. Yes, the park received major coasters from 2009-2020 in an effort to catch-up from the Paramount years, but I think it's time for the new clock to strike. A new major coaster every 6-7 years is much more sustainable than a new one every 3 years. I'm really hoping that 2027 is the year for Vortex II because that plot is very noticeably empty and I don't think it can be justifiably left empty for much longer. One issue that I can see with filling it is because of its use for the drone show, however I don't think those are worth more than the value of a new coaster (even though they are definitely cheaper to run). The big open plot of land is probably why they fly over there in case one falls out of the sky, otherwise the park could have found another pad to land them on. I love having the fireworks and the drones, but I'd rather have fireworks and a thrilling roller coaster. I think we might see all 4 Boo Blasters attractions replaced at the same time, but it is possible that Kings Island could get a special treatment due to the size of that specific building. Right now it definitely looks like Madame Fatale's is being moved out of The Crypt's building so something can go in there. There is also a rumor that the old Club Blood/Blackout building is receiving some work to re-open as a new Haunt maze: which would make up for the loss of MFCoT if a new ride was being installed in there. My preferred timeline is as follows (subject to rapidly change): 2026 — Family thrill attraction to replace The Crypt / big USA Quarter-Millennial celebration (seen across the Six Flags parks) 2027 — Vortex II: plot filled, riders thrilled 2028 — fun stuff! 2029 — Camp Snoopy Expansion (River Raft Blast replaces Surf Dog / area eats into Camp Snoopy) 2030 — Action Zone retheme

Please no....tired of the investment into the kids area. We need more expansion/investment into the "adult" park. Best Kids Area Award could be earned as the area is now...you just need to have a team to share the reason why it's the best.

This is awful news, especially for those who were part of the team. I can understand that it's probably due to the corporate restructuring, but having those teams at each park is an invaluable resource. Hopefully those teams can be brought back after the dust settles and the company is more stable as a whole. It's hard enough as it is to find good design work right now, especially something on this scale. Seeing more AI in the parks would also decrease my experience as a regular guest. I can mostly understand badly produced ride anniversary signs, but anything more gives off the impression that the park/chain doesn't care as much as they should. I already have enough negative emotions about AI.

Tbh I hope if the new super flume for Carowinds in 2026 is a success, I wouldn't mind seeing one come to KI. Put it in the wooded area behind the Crypt building near The Beast and have it pay homage to Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal.

Don't push it too hard. I'll try to tell Mike Koontz to send you something Tomb Raider related stuff. And if I can't, well 2027 could be the year Vortex returns.

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I assume some of their design work was also used towards SF Qiddiya (another team was the architect and designer, but from what I understand SF basically was a consultant and provided some additional design aid), so now their huge project is winding down, probably less work. Still very sad if this is the case, I've really enjoyed what the CF design team has done in the past decade or so.

They will probably just chuck everything into an AI program and have it do all the design work... And I might be wrong but it sure seems like this is a running theme in a lot of industries. People are losing their jobs to AI. I am not confirming this to be the case here, but it would not surprise me at all.

I think the family thrill attraction for 2026 will go in the Crypt building. Maybe further down the line (2027, 2028) they’ll update Boo Blasters. I know Mike has expressed interest in updating Boo Blasters for a while so I’m sure they’ve had some conversations about it.

Agreed. I know KI has devolved into a family park as that fits their demographic they are marketing into these days, but the "family ride" fatigue is real. It's time for something with some teeth for the thrill seekers.

Removing Surf Dog would free up a lot of room, they could add a Snoopy's River Raft Blast like you said and add a Peanuts Pirates ride like Carowinds also has, families really love it there. This would add 2 new rides to Camp Snoopy, and 2 extra rides like Peanuts Off-Road Rally and Snoopy's Junction. A kids area expansion like this would help KI bring back the Best Kids area in the world award.

A log flume in The Vortex plot would be a nice addition.

That would certainly be one good way to bring the water back to Rivertown. I'd be curious to find out how usable that parcel of land is though. I'd much rather see a small expansion go in the open area between The Crypt and the Slaughterhouse building with a super small amphitheater/stage, a small food stand (like Wishbone Grill), and maybe a small classic flat ride put in. If I were to choose something water-related to install in the dry park, I'd like to see Snoopy's River Raft Blast (currently under construction at Carowinds) come to Camp Snoopy. It would fit somewhat well in that "island" plot where Surf Dog's station is, with Surf Dog being sent to a park that needs something. Camp Snoopy is also in its own little corner, so this would probably help to expand the area into something more cohesive.

I'm actually surprised that KI still doesn't have any new water rides in the actual park not including Soak City. But then again WWC & CF seems like enough to do the job.

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I've so far found it fascinating just how little of the Legacy Six Flags has popped up in the new Six Flags! All of the Legacy Cedar Fair's touches have been very noticeable from drink stands to refreshed restaurants to new ride operations procedures to ride repainting/refreshing. I think the most Six Flags I've seen in parks like KI and Carowinds are the new sponsors on each TV, the new copyrighted company name on most new things, and the new festivals at some of the parks. It seems that Great Adventure has been the guinea pig for rolling out the overall company transition this year. They have received a new logo, seen only at the front of the park; a new Sweet Spot, complete with the standard logo and everything; the new LCF/SF map style, the only LSF park to do so; and all of the touches mentioned above.

Probably would go to the skyflyer area to see what if any activity is going on to warrant a Decoding 2026 thread lol.

Walk through the front gate I would prefer a ride on Orion or Beast first.

This wording reminds me of Carowinds: "where the Carolinas come together" I wouldn't be surprised if they just cropped out the words "the Carolinas" and replaced it with "Ohio"

Very few people outside enthusiast community know that Superman exists, let alone travel all the way to California to ride it. There's no "outshining" when it can't shine that far. They just happened to overhaul TTD at the right time and that's why it's still standing, in my opinion, Ka may have received the same treatment if TT2 hadn't fallen flat on its face in a puddle of mud. And probably most importantly, Falcon's Flight is opening soon so TT2 (if it ever reopens) will have been king for just about a couple months. It's called a business, they'll do what they can to make money, Cedar Point is the profit child and so they'll pump investment in it. Having more, possibly better coasters doesn't make a better all around park. Cedar Point's landscaping, atmosphere and theming for attractions is far inferior to KI. I get it's frustrating that The Vortex plot has been sitting untouched, but we just received the Camp Snoopy overhaul and a new coaster with it. Just because our small niche isn't the demographic Camp Snoopy is targeted at doesn't make that investment a failure and a waste of time. Excuse the rant, conspiracy theories just tend to annoy me.

Well who didn't see that one coming? Although, they did say that Lex Luthor is going to remain operational after Superman closes. I assume Lex Luthor will likely close later once they decide to demolish the structure.

Bye-Bye Superman https://www.ocregister.com/2025/03/28/six-flags-magic-mountain-permanently-closes-superman-coaster

Yeah, very interesting. Wondering if that was part of a pre-merger concession or something. Maybe not..lol. Either way the structure of the company has drastically changed that's for sure. Always love your insights sir and congratulations for going through RAAM.

Oh, interesting. I am not sure when that changed. The GMs of the resorts have reported to a corporate resort VP for at least a year at this point.

That must have recently changed, because Carrie at one point oversaw them as part of her GM role per conversations with her.

I feel like having a GM on the ground that knows the associates and interacts with the guests is super important and feel like if this is true could be a major loss to everyone all over the board.

Resorts reports to Corporate, not to the park GM.

Did not hear that at WCO....have heard people say that...but it wouldn't make sense.....the Cedar Point role is more than just Cedar Point...it's also over the resorts.

Rumor was Tony announced at Winter chill out that they were not going to replace the role and instead do the regional park approach like they are for PR. Wasn't there, so can't confirm it.

It wasn't until April 6th that Ms. Boldman was announced as the GM...it'll be coming soon I'm sure. Colleen Murphy-Brady the CP Assistant GM has been featured in press events and news stories for this upcoming season. I'm hopeful that she is named the next GM.

They have yet to name a replacement which I find very interesting.

Psst- there's more to parks than coaster count.

I have a feeling that a good number of these ride removals are — as has been said here before — mostly a product of the chain choosing between closure and deferred maintenance. The former is always upsetting and consistently leads to bad vibes, but the latter is dangerous when it goes on for too long. I'm by no means an apologist for the chain (see my other posts on this website), but I know that the removals mean more resources are freed up overall with potential for bigger gains in the future. Now, on the topic of Cedar Point: I think it had the least amount of deferred maintenance (whether by being the golden park or not) and therefore did not see as many disruptions to its lineup. It had a flat, sizeable plot of land where a new coaster could be built. It also had a "New for 2024!" coaster that was SBNO for almost the entire season and needed something to make up for that. The stars may have aligned for the park to get Siren's Curse, but I don't think it was explicit favoritism. If I was in charge of the new Six Flags I'd look into making Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland into my Top 2 golden eastern parks since they are very highly attended and can be open a lot longer than Cedar Point can be. So far, Kings Island has lost Firehawk (replaced in a timely manner by a giga coaster), Vortex (park management decision which they regretted making), Slingshot (replaced by two new non-upcharge flat rides), and Xtreme Skyflyer (an upcharge attraction that is being removed from many other parks). KI has been extremely lucky throughout this merger process. Sidenote: has anyone else noticed that the (Legacy Cedar Fair) parks that lost a major coaster kept their Skyflyer (Carowinds, KD) while the parks that did not lose a major coaster lost their Skyflyer (CP, KI)?

Couple of things about this post: 1. Kingda Ka was demoed because of maintenance costs 2. Something at Cedar Point did get touched: Snake River Falls 3. They did not steal Siren's Curse from Six Flags Mexico. They didn't get the permit submitted by the park approved, so it had to be relocated. Why they chose Cedar Point, I have no clue (please don't say because "Cedar Point needs to be king") Many other parks could have used this coaster, but they chose Cedar Point. Probably to make up for the disaster of TT2. 4. Cedar Fair is now called Six Flags. Also, had it not been for Cedar Fair, all of the parks you know and love like I do wouldn't be the same without them. Cedar Fair made the parks what they are today, and we can thank them for it. Sure, we can be upset about the decisions they make or the rides they close, but it's out of our control. We just have to accept it and look on into the future. Look forward to what is to come and not what things used to be. Don't be disappointed that Siren's Curse went to Cedar Point "to let them be king" but instead be happy that you can enjoy it and it's not too far away from KI. Me personally, I would rather have Siren's Curse at Cedar Point than Mexico because I wasn't planning on making a trip down there anytime soon. I'm just excited to get on TT2 and Siren's Curse this summer because I've never ridden it before! Cheers to Cedar Fair for evolving the parks we have today, and lets see what Six Flags has in store for the future!

Those hotels ain’t gonna fill themselves.

True, but there are at least three other coasters highly likely to get removed from that park. Superman Escape From Krypton being an old and rare Intamin model that's been SBNO since September Ninja being an Arrow Suspended Coaster that's already rumored to be removed after 2025 Viper being one of the last Arrow mega loopers out there Throw X2 in there and that would be four major coasters cut from Magic Mountain. Although I'm sure the new Six Flags wouldn't mind it if it meant they could market Cedar Point as having the most coasters in the world...

With these types of lawsuits, many are usually advised to wait and many will file within days of the statute of limitations. It allows for more medical bills if they survived and what not to pile up to make their case stronger or in the event of death, show the emotional toll it has caused, etc. And in some instances they hope that the defendant has lost/destroyed evidence over time, which then plays in favor of the complainant. It is all strategic in the timing. While sad and unfortunate, how many people have ridden that ride safely? It is likely an underlying condition that wasn't diagnosed. Sadly many rides have had incidents like this. Most do not end up in a lawsuit. This is different than TTD though in that a part didn't fly off the coaster.

Have heard that Six Flags has let go the Planning and Design team. This is the crew that would do the theming work for Orion, Mystic Timbers, Rapterra, Georgia Gold Rusher, etc. Hope that's not the case, but Six Flags wouldn't shock me by this move sadly.

To be honest I didn't think they would keep all the parks. This has happened before. Gauga Lake closed after CF acquires KI. We've seen it before. Underperforming park is retired and the property is sold. Rides are relocated or scrapped. I personally think six flags America had some good coasters but overall that park was easily the worst park I've ever been to considering operations, cleanliness, and food.