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I have been on this same complaint for years and it has gotten STUPID at the park. Now my last visit I see Grain and Grill NO longer will have cups but says go to Starbucks! WTH! I dont drink anything but water and will NOT pay for a drink plan to just get a .00001 cent plastic cup. So nice when you wait 30 min to get food then go next door to wait 30 more to get a tiny cup of water. You could just monitor or have someone do the water for you but with budget cuts that wont happen. Love when ride ops tell you in the heat of summer to stay hydrated and get water but hey it will cost you to do so. I have taken pictures of the VIP lounge and how they have stacks and stacks of water cups there. So for $50 more a visit, I get water? WHAT A JOKE. Meanwhile a little west and south of here....

We make it clear that we aren't throwing stones saying that it's trashing, or even that it's already second-rate; however, the stuff that we've observed, and this is on a regular basis, is scary. Once the park starts getting noticeably dirty, "rougher," and/or gives the impression of being less safe, it'll take a long time for them to recover from this. We have a lot of people who have said that they disagree and they haven't had any problems. Trust me, I'm happy for them. I can't tell you how many times we've done episodes and discuss things we "fear" or things that would be disappointing for us, and we cheer when we are wrong. This isn't about being right, it's about observations. What's worse is an employee on the SP group replied to my post promoting this video saying that the problems we listed were problems all along, so they weren't the current management's fault. They also added that we should have issued a complaint with the park instead of "dragging the park through the mud." They also added that they liked the merger because now they can get discounts for their family on Gold passes. 1. If it's been a problem all along, then what would complaining do? Clearly the leadership can't or won't fix the problem, so the only way we can affect change is to put a light on it. 2. It's great that the employees got a new perk but how is that helping the people that actually pay to be there? 3. They also mentioned that it's "still the best value for family entertainment" (paraphrased). Sure sounds like they're taking the guests for granted with that comment. Of course, Kings Island is the most "penetrated" park so I guess even this employee's attitude is "good enough is good enough." 4. Things like these pave the path to self-destruction. If you care about the park, you shouldn't defend it, you should be appalled by this. It's kid of like when your kid comes come with a report card full of F's. Do you high five them because you love them, or do you correct them because they were going down the wrong path?

While we're on that topic, a Kentucky Kingdom gold pass is currently $115 and includes a free souvenir cup that gets you free drinks for the entire season. In my opinion, that's the best deal of the three.

Water is available at some of the fountain drink locations...well actually all of them right now with so many drinks out of syrup

Isn't there a fire sale going on for six flags passes that give you free drinks with a 2025 pass or daily ticket purchase?

The thing that gets me is the people who are cheering on being given less for their money. Or the ones that think "well, I never have an issue" invalidates everyone else's bad experiences. Like, that's great that "you didn't see any refill stands closed" when you went, but on the 2-3 times each week I go after work for dinner and a couple rides, I usually have to do a lap around 2/3 of the park before I can find anywhere that (1) is open and (2) has working Icee machines. I guess maybe weekday evenings aren't considered "all season" for the "All Season" drink plan. I feel like food has been a lot less hit-or-miss this year, but it also seems like some of the portion sizes returned to normal. Given how many Six Flags parks are reporting tiny portions this year, it makes me wonder how many "profitable" people chose not to renew their dining plan this year. The people who get lots of use and are going multiple times a week are always going to renew, but it seems like the families who only go 4-5 times a season and buy ice cream and souvenirs when they go are a lot less likely to... and that's who the park makes money on.

What was once the biggest part of my vacation plan this year is now the most expendable. Having not been to KD since 1994 or 95, when I was just a kid, Anaconda was a bucket list coaster for me. The removal news came on Christmas Day. It sometimes felt like it was designed specifically to make me miserable at the worst time possible. Then there's the elimination of Winterfest and the Pantherian situation, which makes KD feel a bit like Six Flags Adventure in New Jersey, which had the great taken out of it. As of now, nothing is even being done to Pantherian, and rumors are suggesting things like August or even 2026. Busch Gardens Williamsburg (last visit 2006), the other 50th anniversary park, is more important to me. So is Six Flags America (never been there), given that it will be my only chance to ever go there. So I am willing to cut out KD from my vacation plan if there are too many bad weather days during my vacation. Crappy Anniversary!!!

This is why I get so tired of certain people who moderate other groups calling me out on being “weird” or negative because I often bring up things I observe, but almost always offer what could be a possible solution or lower cost way to achieve what I’m seeing as a shortcoming. I don’t ask for the moon without suggesting a way to build the ladder to get there.

Yeah, you probably should get the all season drink plan. So you can get larger cups of water, and water at any location. For comparison sakes: A Kings Island Silver Pass ($120) with the all season drink plan ($36.99) is cheaper than a Holiday World Summer Card ($165).

I wish "The Bat" had a themed ice cream flavor at Kings Island! As well as other KI rides, I think I do remember Banshee had an ice cream flavor at some point. Below is what I think "The Bat" ice cream should look like!

You’re the expert! You tell us!

I emailed the park with my opinion on the subject and got this response: I basically said that I felt it was unethical and inconvenient for the park to tell guests to either bring their own water bottle into the park or to play hide and seek with where water is available especially on hot days.

Breaking news...

I haven't been to Kings Island this year, and have no plans to go, so I freely admit my ignorance of this from an anecdotal first person experience. However... Ride staffing has been cut in The Beast and The Racer since 2023 and I've posted about that in these forums. It's not new. Garbage cans have overflowed and tables have been dirty for years, especially on busy days. It's not new. Ice has been out. It's not new. Flavors have been out. It's not new. Food has been out. It's not new. Handicapped parking has been out. It's not new. Again, the regular attenders would be able to speak to this season more than me. But to say that these things are all new is simply not true. It probably is worse and probably will get worse before it gets better. Other parks like Holiday World and KK have figured ice and drink flavors out. KI has rich historical attendance records they can use to project, it's just a matter of it not being a priority for an expense. Because, let's face it ...it's a highly penetrated park. So, corporate can kind of treat KI like a "person of the evening" because they count on renewals. Until this changes, I doubt we will see much change. Also, at least for me, the 2022 season set the bar so high as a passholders that just about anything else will fall short. It's difficult to be realistic about something you have an emotional attachment to, something that has been woven into the fabric of life as a small child, a pre teen, a teen, a young adult and a middle aged adult. But I think a balanced perspective helps. Thank you for listening to my TED Talk.

thats in The Vortex spot - the moose out front shoulda told ya