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https://www.wlwt.com/article/cincinnati-kings-island-viral-video-pet-cicada-brood-tiktok/65099941?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&fbclid=IwQ0xDSwK_oltleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhj3kxqrU_VXTkOhmUTMiRwOriD5r4k44ViFcGASN4L2LIPUeqx5y3sTVVtV_aem_hVSBFL6H3HD5Pkv_G5gnzQ To be fair, Tower Topics field reporter Noah adopted a “pet” cicada and took it on The Beast before this girl thought of it!

Took my 4th trip to Kings Island this evening. With all the talk about the merger, the only difference I have noticed is the wait times at food restaurants have been worse. No issues with rides stacking, cleanliness, etc. I’ve been overall pleased with my experiences so far this year for the price I pay. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This has happened to me in seasons prior and I just say nicely “you need to give me the other cup” and I’ve never had an issue. I’m not going to a different place when there are cups right in front of me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think if they were mad at wage decreases, they wouldn't be stubborn about not giving larger cups....it would be the exact opposite - they wouldn't care about saving KI money and would give away larger cups, give you the ICEE cups for the ICEE drink plan, give you another side when hush puppies are out, etc. In this instance, that was a directive told to the employee and the employee being newer was following the instructions provided to them. It is only after getting yelled at by guests enough times that they say screw it and give away the larger cups. It isn't costing the employee anything and saving a lot of f bombs being dropped on them.

Heard today: No wonder they gave away the drink plan, they have no ice or cola. I'd be ticked if I paid for that.

If that ever happens to me, I will ask for a supervisor or higher up immediately. It's not my fault you don't have the cup available for the all season drink plan. In the past they would just give you the bigger cup. Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

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!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLDZn22BC5r/?igsh=emM1aWloYnJ6bHpk people keep saying “flight simulator” but the park keeps saying “not been done before” so it will be interesting to see what actually gets announced.

I feel so bad for this community, their loyal fans and all those that have made memories at Kings Dominion over the past 50 years. While I thought they’d probably get a lot of our recycled shows and entertainment, I’ve been blown away how minimal their offerings are for this milestone year. Makes you REALLY appreciate Mike Koontz and the entire local AND corporate team for the unbelievable effort that went into our 50th. 4 original shows, two with live bands, a MAJOR nightly closing show that literally redefined what nightime shows looked like at the park, a parade??! I told Koontz in all honesty that what they assembled was more respectful and celebratory of the park and its fans than ANYTHING Disney did for their 50th. Laser and bubble shows are “fine” for a normal park on a normal year, but for the “return of shows in the KD theatre” it’s… bubbles? Im struggling rescheduling the trip there that I had to cancel next week. I’m just not feeling as compelled as I was when I was so looking forward to going. (And I’ve been “written up” for being negative on their little FACEBOOK fan page. Guess it runs in the family.)

As we all know, Micheal (King) Koontz was one of the most influential Park Presidents in KI’s over 50 year history. He felt like the dad of the park, taking care of the rides, the guests, and the team. In a way to honor his legacy I propose that they build a bar in his honor, with a neon sign, simply called: Mike’s. This would be a no frills kind of place, ice cold coors served with cheese curds and wings, wooden paneling, the waft of cigarette smoke. TVs playing all of Mike’s favorite sports teams. Photos of Mike and other park legends on the wall. This would be a place for the tru KI Fans to relax, rewind, recharge, and most importantly, reflect. Reflect on the legacy of Micheal, and look forward to the future that we can shape. I think it should go in Action Zone, where the Banshee Ice Cream place is now. Imagine a giant neon margarita but it says Mike’s over it in hot pink, (yeah you can see it, I know you can I see you reading this), it would fit into Action Zone. What do you think or Mike’s Bar and Grille? Or Mike’s Dive? (Name is still tbd) Let’s use this thread as a place to discuss, create, and curate new ideas.

They did that in 2022 for the 50th year show.

Throw in some spicy peanuts and I’m in.

With the new Six Flags mobile app scheduled to be released in July, do you think it will coincide with any other changes? I'm curious to see when the (Legacy Six Flags) websites will be redesigned. The new 2025 map style might come to those parks with the new app. They currently use a service called Concept3D for all parks on the old app. It uses icons like the Legacy Cedar Fair apps do, but the map itself is a non-exaggerated isometric 3D model of the park(s). Those maps also are not functional for some parks, such as Hurricane Harbor Arlington, while parks like Over Texas have not been updated for 2025. Six Flags (under the Cedar Fair developer name) also recently released two new mobile apps. One is a FUNhub social networking app and the other is an Associate mobile app. I haven't downloaded either one, but it is interesting that they are there.

Menus (both what’s being offered and prices).

REALLY appreciate this post and info! It’s sad to see Coney go, but to me, the silver lining is that the site will still be used for entertainment. It could have ended up a factory like the Gardens did.

There was also a similarly-named event planned for 2020 that never materialized due to the pandemic. It would be nice to see the event return to the dry side of the park and become a true festival event. I asked about it previously on one of these forums, although I have no clue when or where the answer came. I'm also working on a list of all events/festivals Kings Island has held through the years using the WaybackMachine. So far I have stuff from 2000-2004 (?), and would appreciate help if anyone is able. I considered creating a topic for it, but I am already a posting/topic creating fiend. Current verdict for those curious: KI/PKI held a lot more events (with and without concerts) and festivals in the 2000s than in the 2020s.

You mean for the “street part” that doesn’t move?? The marketing pictures- while from KI along with the description of this clearly indicated it was at least INTENDED to be more similar to the KI moveable party. This must’ve been a late in the game cut where they just rolled the float units out and combined the parade expense with the stage show and cut the parade “street party” idea.

KI actually did have an event called Island Nights pre covid. It was in Soak City though and included select water slides and I believe the wave pool being open later with other activities like live music, special food, and a DJ.

Maybe we'll have one next year to celebrate 250. I kind of enjoy that Wonderland is the only park that has something like Celebration Canada, but it would be something to see Kings Island put on an event like that. The fact that theirs is somewhat unique across the chain is what makes me like it more. With 27 parks across North America (soon to be 25 or less), I'd like to see more unique/uniquely named festivals at most of the parks. Something like Boardwalk Nights (Cedar Point), Celebration Canada (Canada's Wonderland), and Mardi Gras (Fiesta Texas) are all fun and unique to those parks. Kings Island could have an "Island Nights" festival each night.

And what is the next step when that is done and still denied....and what does guest services really do in that situation for a season pass holder - promise to do better next time?....

We also gave it a try this past Sunday. Didn't participate in any of it last season, but having observed and compared, this year definitely seems to have some improvements. As per usual though, there are some improvements going forward I would suggest if they decide to do it again next year. I concur with @Tr0y about the poutine fries. That was actually the item my fiancé and I were looking forward to the most. The meat itself was tasty, but no gravy, the curds were mid and the fries were sadly not fresh and hot. The wagyu beef slider was my personal favorite item that we tried. The charcuterie for two was...sad. The cost and the presentation did not match. Handing someone a to-go style container with the items inside it felt like I was at a hospital cafeteria. Not to mention they forgot our bread. I went back to retrieve that and they were nice enough to give us more than the usual amount, however, it was a bit tough to chew. The bread should have been kept in a warmer so it stayed fresh. We gave the dark chocolate raspberry dessert a shot. It had a nice flavor, like that of a sorbet. The texture was strange though. The raclette was nice. Bread was warm and soft and the red pepper jam spread was tasty. The free dessert from Sweet Spot was our favorite. Really refreshing treat on a hot day. The mousse itself tasted fresh and the little cake bit was a nice touch. The highlight of the whole event was the mime. I am almost certain the same gentlemen was the one I remember seeing years ago at the park for a different event doing mime things. If I am wrong, then this guy has a doppelganger. But he was a delight to say the least. The live music was decent and they played some recognizable classic rock tunes. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves despite some of the food items not scratching up to what they should have been. It was a nice relaxing evening despite the heat. Neither of us are wine drinkers so I can't comment on the wine itself.

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!!!

Nope. Crickets.

Cedar Point's anniversary would have looked a little worse, but I think Kings Island's would have been similar to what we see now at Kings Dominion. With nobody (with some power) to advocate at the park level, we would have definitely seen super generic offerings. I'd be curious to see what Kings Dominion's celebration would have looked like if it was on the same scale as KI's. What would their "Phantom Theater Encore" replacement show have looked like? Maybe it wouldn't be based on a ride at all. I didn't get to see what Carowinds 50th anniversary looked like from the ground. How did it compare to what came before and after it? I'm glad that Kings Island got to have an awesome 50th celebration and that KD is a true sister park to KI, because if those set pieces and ideas didn't already exist I doubt we'd be seeing much of the same. This makes me curious as to what next year will look like for both of the Great America 50th celebrations. Will CGA go out and close with a bang? Or will it see another year of barely having special events — barring it does not get Geauga Lake'd at the end of this season. Six Flags Great America may not look much better next year either, but they are supposed to get a new kids area which is at least something new in the park. This would also be a great time to remove the "Six Flags" from their name, but unfortunately I don't know if that would happen. IMO the old Six Flags branding needs to be completely removed and replaced. That would cost a lot of money though. In the highly unfortunate event that they do give CGA the Geauga Lake treatment at the end of this season, I vote to send the South Bay Shores theming to Knott's Soak City, and then send all of the Great America signage to SFGA (with the "California" part removed). The rides, coasters, and any other theming can then be redistributed among the rest of the parks in the chain with Cedar Point getting almost none of it.

Kings Dominion at least got its own original song ("Right Here, Right Now!) for the 50 Years of Fun Street Party, although I'm surprised they were willing to put together a fair-sized cast of performers given the small scope of the overall "Golden Summerbration" event and lack of live shows throughout the park. Kings Island and Cedar Point were incredibly fortunate to have their major anniversaries occur at a time when Cedar Fair was feeling somewhat optimistic about the future post-COVID. It would be interesting to see what the KI and CP anniversaries would have been like in our current era.

Swung through today for a quick ride and lunch (love working close). Did Grain and Grill did the shrimp, garlic potatoes, and roll. Shrimp was fine, garlic potatoes were a hit. I think I’m done with the shrimp at G&G just not the best lately.

Growing up, I and my siblings were always Gold Pass holders to Kings Island, but a trip to Coney was always special because it was different. My mother loved it because it reminded her of her childhood before Taft moved the park to Kings Island in 1972. I loved it because of its connection to Kings Island. But the thing was for us, we only went to Coney for the rides during the "modern era." Having a local YMCA and Soak City/Boomerang Bay/Water Works a short distance from our house, my parents never saw the need to take us as we grew up. I did not get to step into Sunlite Pool until 2020; I had just barely finished college. My mom had not been in years by that time and my father rarely went when he was a kid because my grandparents had their own pool at their house. So most of our Coney memories were made on the Mall. To us, Coney was Moonlite Gardens, the Python, the Flying Bobs and early rides from my parents generation like the Tumble Bug the Whip and the Shooting Star; Sunlite Pool, at least to us, was just Sunlite Pool. The pool didn't deserve the ending it got, with all that said. It was from an era where nobody had air conditioning, so large pools like that were an attractive investment for parks. I believe it was the last classic amusement park "mega pool" I guess you could say. In the early development of Kings Island, there were apparently discussions about reproducing Sunlite Pool in Mason. It was ultimately shot down because of the expense that would need to be paid. After all, it cost the Royal Fountain, which is a fraction of the size of Sunlite, $500,000 to complete on a $250,000 budget. The pool stayed open down on Kellogg Avenue and helped keep the park afloat when Taft couldn't sell the property. I often wonder how things would have been different if they had been successful in finding a buyer for the property back then? On one hand, Coney would have been lost a lot earlier than it had been. On the other hand, Taft probably could would have found the budget after Kings Island's 1972 inaugural season to move forward with moving the pool north as a "Phase 2" of the Kings Island Resort complex (WaterWorks would have come 16 years earlier than it did in real life). As for the site today, it would be cool to see it transition into a community/city park in conjunction with the new Farmer's Music Center, something similar to Flushing Meadows Park in Queens after the 1964 World's Fair; the old buildings and park pavilions are reutilized and preserved for the next chapter. With the old park buildings getting a new lease on life, it would almost be as if Coney Island never actually closed.

I found this amusing error in the app. Or is it not an error and the park won't communicate with us about WindSeeker getting relocated for some reason?

I believe that's for this:

Another permit was filed on Thursday last week for a Kiddie Pool Pergola. Job value at $68,445.00

I'm pretty sure you can purchase it at any food place in the park. I would suggest not though. Either do it at Guest Services/Ticket Booths out front or online. I suggest this, as a time saving measure for yourself (most at the registers are the food stands may not be trained well enough to do this (as it's not a standard thing they do there) but also if there are any issues your food will either get cold or you'll have to go to guest services anyway.

Dumb question: I've always purchased a meal plan online, but I was curious if you could buy it in the park. Obviously, you can get it from Guest Services, but Is there anywhere else inside the park? Can you buy it in places like Coney BBQ?

They turned on the Orion LED light last night, 5 more days till pass holder preview day, and 6 more for opening day, we’re almost there!

Seeing how Carowinds is doing a Fury 325 10th anniversary block party, I think it would be cool for KI to do an Orion 5th anniversary block party this summer in Area 72! They could do it on July 2nd (Orion's official opening date) or maybe do it over 4th of July weekend as part of Star Spangled Nights! It's not too late to plan something like this and it would be a great way to honor Orion this summer!

On the topic of Monster, we all remember in Shake Rattle & Roll's case, that ride was completely removed in 2014 and returned in 2015 completely refurbished. Monster has not loaded all six tentacles in years due to weight distribution issues. It's also worth noting too that it still is unchanged from when it debuted at Coney Island in 1968 and is the last of the Coney flats that has not received a facelift with new paint and LED lighting. Shake Rattle & Roll (2015), Scrambler (2016), Dodgem (2017), and even The Racer for Winterfest in 2018 got multicolored LED uplights; Zephyr received some red and white LED bulbs and a new canvas tarp on top. Now a new player has entered into the Cedar Fair/ New Six Flags ring; Premier Rides. They're about to open AlpenFury at Canada's Wonderland in 2025 and will be legacy Cedar Fair's first collaboration with them. Why is this important? Premier Rides not only manufactures solid rides of their own, but they have proven to be top notch in ride restorations. For the 2024 season, Premier was contracted to fabricate new Arrow track for Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. For Kennywood's 2022 season, Premier refurbished and restored the Kangaroo, a last of its kind Norman Bartlett Flying Coaster flat ride. Is it possible that Premier Rides may be contracted to breathe new life into Monster, extending the life of this Old Coney classic? Time will tell. With that said though, with recent trends at new Six Flags, complete removal is not off the table and would not be surprising either.

Isn't Winterfest sorta sponsored by Coke? I think KI could do a Spring family event sponsored by Peeps just minus the Easter stuff. Imagine a putt putt tournament in Tower Gardens and lawn games set up in the grass areas near the Carousel, Backlot Stunt Coaster, and/or Diamondback's brake run. Imagine silent disco under the Eiffel Tower and a dance party at the bandstand. Imagine a block party in Action Zone. All with awesome spring decorations by the park's outstanding landscaping and decor team! It would be a good in between event to draw people into the park during the weekends between opening weekend and Memorial Day weekend.

Carowinds is holding a special Spring Break celebration that features a block party on the Fury plaza celebrating its 10th anniversary as well as an activity area near Thunder Striker. It also features a putt putt tournament, silent disco, an Easter Egg hunt, and more. Imo, an event like this would be perfect for KI early in the season. Obviously, the Easter stuff probably wouldn't happen as KI is rarely open on Easter, but a family friendly spring time event like this would be perfect for the weekends in April and May between opening weekend and Memorial Day weekend. Here's a pic of the event itinerary by Carowinds Fans Only on Facebook.

https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Fury_(Paramount_Canada's_Wonderland) In doing a bit of research, KI got those parts way back in 2003. I can’t believe that myself. Crazy how time flies. It’s been so long that the ride that replaced Canada’s Wonderland’s monster ride is gone now too (Time Warp).

Said poster is known to be a story teller and attention seeking, so many have learned to basically not believe anything he posts until it can be confirmed from a different source.

My apologies for reposting that false information earlier. I admit I was fooled by it as well, as I was just trying to let you guys know if Monster truly was going to be retired. The source contained an email image that was convincingly provided by the park itself The topic at-hand being rather niche, as only a few people online really know about anything odd surrounding Monster right before park opening. So I didn't think someone would go that far to make up something like that for clout. So I guess the main takeaway is, don't trust any information (especially on Facebook), unless it is confirmed by the park itself. That, admittedly, also opens up another can of worms, as it was because of word-of-mouth that we knew about rides like Kingda Ka potentially closing before it actually did.

It's pretty hard to predict anything with flat rides based on pictures. They sometimes completely disassemble them during the off-season. Shake Rattle and Roll was completely gone in 2014 and returned again in 2015.

Exactly why I put the word "apparently" on my initial post. People will fake the weirdest things.

you know it's the offseason when... people get so excited about something, ANYTHING happening at KI that they forget to check the reliability of the source before sharing it with everyone

What the schell, did he realize April Fools was last week or is he that slow

Grain of salt.

Didn't we recieve a bunch of parts from a similar clone of this ride that was removed from Canada's Wonderland a few years back, actually might have been more than a few years ago at this point. One could also propose the idea that while those extra parts extended the life of the Monster, maybe parts were just becoming too far and inbetween?

What this tells me is that we may still see a ton of surprises throughout the next few months. Experience as much as you can while you can, I guess. Also, has anyone yet made the argument as to whether or not a small flat ride can be considered a "family thrill attraction"?

Guess I take back my words then, granted what I had heard was a few weeks old. Many of these Eyerly Aircraft Company Polyp models have been on the choping block for awhile. As much as I love the monster, it's loading process isn't the most efficent, and while I know Moser rides fabricates some replacement parts for these older rare models, I'm sure the custom fabrication isn't cheap, and the ride just doesn't recieve huge ridership numbers. While I hope it's not true, I made sure to get my rides in last year as I kept hearing through the grapevine its been talked within park management. Great ride, just with all the other things at the park I feel it gets looked past too often... 55 years was a good run for a flat ride though

No. Just no. Please no.

In today's episode of Six Flags budget cutting, Skyline is out of season long paper cups and refuses to provide guests with the larger cups available and forcing guests to then carry their Skyline to another place to get their drink. And they are out of onions... Buy your season pass with free drink plan...and go to Coney BBQ where the drinks are flat... Caveat Emptor