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I have absolutely no clue what the quote is referring to, but glad to have an update finally. I can’t wait!

Small Spoiler alert this takes a sneak peak at the look of the indoor Queue portion. I came across this posted on Facebook tonight from the flooring company working on the indoor Queue not too much revealed in the video/picture. just gives a little more excitement knowing work is going on and things are coming along!

I'm personally in the camp of put boocifer in Coney mall for Halloween and let him for a few years like they did to the original PT characters. I personally don't love boo blasters and hope they don't give the new PT a cheapened look by trying to reuse a bunch of that outdated garbage

This is how you do it right. When I read this, my first thought was that traveling to SDC this year is a must. I love this ride and am so glad it's getting a more than proper send off.

Watching someone argue with roller coaster enthusiasts on a behind-the-scenes tour of The Racer was something else — insisting they were taking photos of a water tower, not a water tank. The enthusiasts tried to explain the difference: towers use gravity to create pressure, while tanks typically rely on pumps. But the response they got was the classic “because I said so” authority stance.

Also posted on Kings Islands story is a picture of boocifer, with a very vague caption I wonder if he will stick around for the new ride I kind of hope he does cause I like him

I like the general organization a lot better than the previous generation site, it's easier to find things without digging, but I don't care for the use of the Legacy Six Flags fonts. In my opinion, the Cedar Fair style fonts that are being used on the corporate site are clearer and easier to read.

I wonder if the candles will return in the hallway que, I know when PT turned into Scooby-Doo/Boo Blasters; they kept the original Candles exiting the ride. Fingers crossed they are still there. 🤞

Looks like the Hallway has possibly 6 portraits

I can see Maestro be a walk around character along with his performers and friends. I could also see live actors roaming around International Street, acting like residences living here.

Today marks the anniversary of Kings Island’s 2019 announcement that Vortex would be retired, and I’ve published a piece on TPBD reflecting on the ride’s legacy. https://themeparksbydon.com/remember-the-grip-Vortex-kings-island/

I wonder if they’re teasing Boocifer making a cameo within the new ride (maybe he’s ‘watching us’ and the new curtain call’s about the obscure Easter eggs they put in). I would say it’s just nostalgia posting or just saying that both Boocifer and maestro play the organ, but it’s odd that there was also a Boocifer mention in the Valentine’s Day post. They’d be mostly level, just accounting for the slight incline in the hill up to the entrance and the slight decline from the exit (which is level with the exit). I think there’d be more of an issue with the emergency exits, as there’s two on the ground floor (and also blocking the employee’s break/maintenance area door, but stairs could be placed back there if needed)

I have a question- are the stairs from the entrance leading down to the main que area level with the stairs that lead to the hallway before the turntable? I’m trying to figure out if- in theory- you could raise the floor in the show que and have it level with the 2003 entrance and the hallway. I can’t remember if there are energy exits at ground level or not- so much was changed between PT and SD.

Yeah I was wondering the exact same thing.

This is the proper way to retire a ride for sure. I've never been to SDC but I'm going to do my best to get out there as thunderation is one of my bucket list rides and while I'm sad to see the end of another arrow mine train, I've heard it doesn't get the lines and isn't as popular as what it once was. I'm assuming it also probably has heavier maintenance costs being an arrow. So while it's unfortunate to lose any ride I commend the park for giving everyone a great opportunity to send it off in style

I've tried taking screenshots and it doesn't show up clearly, but there's currently a crew working on the facade (or landscaping maybe?) on the live cams.

I think the inverted busts are being replaced by screens (probably better for the guest experience if people are stopped there for more than 30 seconds), but I think the candles returning would be a good theming upgrade over the singular blue light and however many smaller white lights. One major shift we could see is less thematic signs of wear and tear and more "fresh" signs of the theater reopening. I'd love to see some of the grandeur of the original ride brought back. The lobby (loading station) looked so nice in photos. Maybe we'll see some really good easter eggs in the queue and station instead of just during the ride itself. Do you think we'll see any references to the theater's "actual" name, or will they just refer to it as the Phantom Theater every time? I think early concept art had it named as the Palace Theater. It'd be a small but fun detail.

Too much time has passed for whatever might eventually go in that spot to be a Vortex replacement. There wasn’t a plan for that spot when Vortex was retired in 2019 like there was with other rides. If Kings Island could go back in time, they wouldn’t have retired Vortex. They would have done what Busch Gardens VA did with Loch Ness Monster and put the money into it to preserve the ride for future generations to enjoy.

I think the main question is if we will see a return to the standard of a ride opening with the park or not. We'd been so used to new attractions opening with the park that the recent trend of delayed openings have not been sitting well. It might open "on time" but it'd be good to know when that is going to be. It would be much nicer if the parks would start giving a set opening date again. I feel like they're so scared of setting an opening date only to have to push it back, even though that wasn't an issue for years.

At Six Flags Over Georgia they have character meet & greets for the Monster Mansion dark ride, so fingers crossed we get one for Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare as well! 🤞

I'll say it again...the perfect place for a larger climate controlled eatery is the Killmart plot. The Area Formerly Known As Coney Mall needs sheltered dining, even though PukeBox Diner and Coney BBQ are close. It would close the loop, so to say, with sheltered dining and have fantastic views of KMAA and The Racer, and even Onion. They could remove the backstage junk and clean that area up.

Honestly both Vortex and Firehawk hit me hard and with both rides being removed back to back seasons. Vortex, like for many countless others, was my first big looping coaster and holds a special place in my heart for that reason and many others. It also was removed the same year so many other facets of my life changed in a big and not so happy way. The removal of this ride was symbolic of that and was deeply felt. I was thankful that I was able to get one final ride on it for its official last day of operation as well as a ton of pictures and videos. The fact that the plot is still empty and only serves as a drone pad feels so wrong. Vortex was an iconic staple and was easily one of the rides you associated with the park in the same way one would with The Beast and Racer. Until we get a replacement worthy of that plot, I don't think any long time KI fans are going to fully get over the loss of the once great Vortex.

Out of all the removed rides at Kings Island... the removal of Vortex hit me the hardest and I still miss it to this day

If you gotta go you gotta go I guess

Less said and more done. Some kid just peed on the bushes while we are in line at Mystic Timbers.

...and sing "Danger Zone" as you are riding.

Can I just say: You're my favorite part of this website. I feel like you show up every 2-6 months, tell us how hot you think Jim Cummings's voice is on Flight of Fear, and then disappear without a trace for another 2-6 months. I first heard his voice in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, so he will always and forever sound like Tigger to me. It is always a jumpscare to hear someone actively thirsting over Tigger, in the most entertaining way possible. What a legend. Please never change or leave. I love you. EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to actually respond to the thread topic, lmao. Flight of Fear, at least to my millennial sensibilities, is kind of a cornerstone of Kings Island. Like, if I think of 4 rides that define what KI is to the majority of people at this point, I'd say (in descending order) Beast, Racer, Diamondback (or Orion), and FoF. COULD FoF go away someday? Sure, but the ride itself seems popular enough that I feel like there could be value in it getting retracked, a new LSM launch system, and new trains at some point in the next 10-15 years so it can keep doing its thing. Like, don't get me wrong, I love Adventure Express more than I love some people--but if Adventure Express can earn an ROI with a simple theming update, I feel like FoF absolutely could. Reimagined theming (probably without Jim Cummings, I'm incredibly sorry to say) and a retrack, at minimum, seems like it'd pay for itself with some kind of subtitle on the name to differentiate it from what we've known since 1996 (e.g. "Flight of Fear: Race to the Void") and some advertising.