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Because they moved heavy machinery in there and didn't use small man and machinery crews so work on the exterior of the building. They did it as fast and a cheaply as they could which probably includes ripping out trees that are in the way. I know the Cincinnati Zoo gets quoted higher prices by construction companies when they mandate that certain large shade trees must be saved during the construction process

I feel BGW is one of those parks that doesn't need a giga coaster. It's almost too scenic to have something that big kind of dwarf the park.

How in the world is Kings Island/ Six Flags NOT capitalized on the Orion Spacecraft that is currently reaching the furthest point away from a manned spacecraft has ever been??? I don't think it would sell tickets, but it could be a small piece of KI lore for years to come.

Possibly so...I know they sent parts from World's of Fun to valley Fair a few years ago I think when world's of fun lost the "octopus" monster ride. I'm still curious whatever happened to the one Dorney removed a few years ago? Honestly the fact the one at Kings Island is an opening day attraction and came from Coney Island is probably the only reason it's still getting invested in to be kept around. Glad Kings Island is trying to keep it going. Arguably there is no flat ride more beautiful on a midway than an Eyerly Monster (other than maybe a classic carousel)

The Orion spacecraft hit true giga heights 😝

So I'm digging the color scheme. I am still on the band wagon of they should have gotten rid of the castle and made a custom facade for the building but hey I get it sometimes you just repurpose what you already have. For reusing the castle it looks pretty darn good. Love the new colors and the treble clefs on the towers are spot on. I do think the wooden slats with the eyes cheapens the look (has really bad boo blasters vibes for me). Overall looks decent and I hope at a minimum they got rid of that stupid mouth with the teeth you walk into...like replace it with theater doors at least please. What kinds of theater haunted or not has a giant mouth with teeth as the entrance?

I mean if they really wanted to, they could could do a double up/turn into the brake run over the exit of the 2nd vertical loop kinda like how the end of AlpenFury threads through Vortex's supports.

Love the concept! I would absolutely love to see this! Only issue is the terrain bunny hills going through Banshee's lockout as that would interfere with Banshee. Thread the end of the hills back in between Banshee and The Bat and have a turn around across the road there that goes into the brake run.

I have never been someone who believes SOB will be resurrected, but lately I have been dreaming about what that could look like so I came up with this overhead sketch of an RMC. Just to clarify how this would work, the drop out of the station and the entrance into the brake run would thread right through Banshee. The drop out of the station would dive under Banshee's upward turn into the inline twist and the finale into the brake run would go right over the exit out of the second vertical loop and right through the supports underneath the inline twist. I included some elements from the original SOB like the predrop, the double helix, and vertical loop, but added some new elements and a new twist on things. For example, the first turn is an outerbank turn like Steel Vengeance has and at the top of the double helix features a giant cutback element. The coaster then extends more towards the boneyard area and the finale would hug that downward slope going towards Banshee and the station.

ACE Eastern Great Lakes had planned on an event called KingsCon at KI in late May. This is now canceled due to high cost. I know enthusiasts are a small part of the population of park goers, but for this region of ACE to be this blunt does not bode well: With registration opening on Day of the Dragon and Bonus Round, we unfortunately have to announce the cancellation of KingsCon, our 2026 event at Kings Island. As we've stated before, costs and pricing are rising everywhere, but the cost for ERT quoted by Kings Island was significantly higher than ACE can afford as a 501(c)(3) non-profit. While we hope that we can continue working with the park and maintain a relationship that dates back 47 years, an annual event is not possible with the prices and minimums the park has in place. We're sorry for those of you who were excited for another Kings Island event like we were, but we hope to still see you at one of our many regional events this summer. Kings Island: don't bite the hand that feeds you. You may save nickles on the front end, but you will loose dollars on the flippity flip. BTW: It is now the end of March and nothing has been said of Coasterstock '26 that i know of.

That was an amazing event with fun activities including The Racer-a-thon. Got to tide many rides on Beast and Racer with this GOAT. Only downside was the cold rain later in day.....

I attended ERScream. I thought ACE put together a nice event and made the best of the way things turned out with the weather.

For what it's worth, ACE held an event (ERScream!) at KI last October. It seemed well-attended, but the weather was poor. At dinner in the picnic grove, park manager Tony Carovillano announced the park would be closing early. This was a bummer and meant no haunt attractions, but was understandable due to the weather. Overall it was a good event with a slightly disappointing ending. I was looking forward to KingsCon as a follow-up event, especially with the uncertainty about Coasterstock this year. If they do have Coasterstock, I wonder what the price will be.

Again not sure what happened 15+ years ago at the park that obviously some people still have negative feelings about but I can say that the park was noticably more likely to work with enthusiast clubs while @DonHelbig was with the park especially compared to their current leadership. I think ACE and GOCC and other groups have had issues with their connection with the parks disappearing as people like Don move on or get replaced. The relationships are no longer there and Enthusiasts are treated the same as a company like P&G or GE or Kroger trying to rent out space in the park. Traditionally enthusiasts were often given special privileges and pricing and the new leadership doesn't have good relationships with the club representatives therefore organizations like ACE get treated the same as any large cooperation - if you can't put up the money or the numbers to meet the minimums the park is not going to do anything for you anymore

When it comes to relationships with groups like American Coaster Enthusiasts, they don’t see the picture at all. You can’t build long-term value while treating the very community and people who helped build your legacy like disposable assets.

I have tried a few times to have a KIC event at the park. When the price comes back, I just couldn't justify charging KIC members the amount it would take just to break even for the event. Plus, getting the minimum people to pay for the event I did not think was achievable with the cost. That was just just for 1 ride with ERT and 1 meal for the day and no guarantee the guest speak would be there. It's just not practical any more. I understand ACEs frustration.

Sometimes you have to have a loss leader. But then again, Six Flags is happy, evidently, with KI's numbers. It's weighted heavily towards pass holders, so they don't have to worry too much about making big and bold, just keep the pass holders happy. They'll continue this way until pass sales fall significantly. So in the eyes of KI leadership and or Six Flags leadership, there is no need to Kings Con. ACE was very transparent with their words, at least ACE leadership in that region seems to be not pleased.

To be fair I know California Great America and SFDK raised their rates on ACE Northern California resulting in that region failing to meet the new minimums and being priced out of events at those parks. Yes some of the regions seem to have negotiated better deals and considering that ACE East Great Lakes has an event at Stricker's Grove (which is probably not cheap) I'd imagine Kings Island was at fault and didn't try to work with them at all. Here in ACE Northwest Region we unfortunately have the same issue with Silverwood not being very flexible or wanting to work with us.

#timetocleanhouse #firewhoeverisinchargeofevents Meanwhile Great Adventure just added another summer event with their new Boardwalk area and continues to have a great relationship between the park and fansites. Yet KI can't accomodate an ACE event bc of "cost" and likely pushed JDRF and Spirit Song away along with other charity/outside organization events the park used to do before covid and during Don's tenture.

I don’t believe there has been an announcement for Coastermania ‘26 at CP either.

Before someone hops in to blame ACE: notice how they’re not having this problem at other parks; this includes other Six Flags parks.

Me and AI at it again! lol

If they choose to withhold construction in favor of the drone show then I could see a potential June or July opening, even if it's a small and lackluster coaster. Something I would like to see stay/brought back is the foliage currently present in Vortex Valley. That or some kind of nice landscaping and hardscaping package would make the area around/under the coaster look much better compared to what was there before. The park could also potentially move the drones to a different flying area depending on the criteria for where they can fly over. I can't imagine they use the entire Vortex plot for the drones when they mostly fly within a relatively narrow rectangle.

A little thought of mine: When it comes to construction timeline of a potential replacement project, I could honestly see them choosing to not do much during the season when it comes to construction and run the drone show as usual with maybe minor construction happening in the part towards The Beast if anything. Then after the drone show raps up (usually around Labor Day) they go full steam ahead and start construction on the plot. While that would likely be pushing it when it comes to opening the new ride on opening day, I would honestly be willing to sacrifice an opening day opening if it means keeping the drone show going the season before a potential replacement. The land is already cleared if they don't want to go beyond the old Vortex footprint so all they would need to do is rip out the grass and the current drone pad as well as the leftover concrete from the transfer track and then basically can start digging for footers/foundations. They can still spend the season before teasing the crap out of it if they wanted which is what I hope they'd do and not just drop a teaser or 2 a week before the announcement.

Funnily enough, there is a KIC discussion topic on whether it's time to retire the phrase "Vortex replacement" lol. The immediate slope of the hillsides would make it much harder to install any flat rides there without, again, installing a large retaining wall. Putting flat rides there also reduces the amount of space to put in a coaster (I'd really prefer they not cut down more trees near The Beast), so a coaster is still the best option. For those wanting a new indoor restaurant I think it'd be better to tear down Jukebox Diner and build a Grand Pavilion-style restaurant where KillMart currently is. That would also help to straighten out the midway and remove the awkward bottleneck that exists right there. Let Invertigo live out the rest of its life, replace Congo Falls with a MACK Rides water battle when its time comes, and then build another coaster stretching from Invertigo over to the Timberwolf Amphitheater (but NOT going over the front entrance of the park).

I love how opening day used to have its own logo. Kinda like MLB/Reds Opening Day. I wish they would do that again. Make opening day more special.

Now that you mention it, the image does remind me of the 2016 website (the second image won't load for me so see below)! The new ads all look like the legacy Six Flags ones to me with how they use different fonts/stretched fonts for emphasis. The differently sized dots (at the bottom) is also a legacy SF thing I've noticed. I think it would be nice to see more photos from inside each be used for promotions (see below for this as well), but I understand that's probably because of how Six Flags does their standardized promotional image templates at the corporate offices. I wish they could've gotten a new promotional image, though. That one from August is feeling a little too overused. I'd love to see how the Silver Pass sells from year to year, especially now that Silver = home park pass, Gold = regional pass, and Prestige = all-park pass. I think it'd be better to let Silver Passes work all year with blackout dates, but maybe it wouldn't sell as well?

I disagree with the notion of putting a water ride in The Vortex plot. KI already has 3 different water rides in the dry park with WWC nearby in Rivertown. I know for around 15 years or so WWC and Kenton's Cove coexisted, but KI doesn't need another water ride in the dry park. I truly believe The Vortex plot deserves a grand and photogenic coaster. I believe the ideal ride for The Vortex plot is a Ghostrider model from Vekoma. Its minimum height requirement is 48 inches which makes it very accommodating. It would also give KI a modern launch coaster. The layout can be customized to fit the uneven terrain of the plot that can easily include moments of airtime and inversions. If done well, it could be the stand out steel coaster of KI. Considering the recent track record of Vekoma projects here in the US, a Vekoma Ghostrider seems like a slam dunk in the making.

Is it just me or am I getting serious 2016 vibes with this ad on the website? Reminds me a lot of the banner on the entrance back in 2016 Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122124750639113270&set=pcb.2797682560564843

Only $105 or five payments of $15, plus initial payment of $30. Oh, and applicable fees.

Looks like the silver pass has returned.

I believe in the recent quarterly earnings call, guest throughput was mentioned as a huge priority to the new CEO John Reilly. Whether or not those with more power (those on the board) agree with him remain to be seen. Hopefully that leads to better staffing on the rides as well as restaurants and shops. As a former op, I will say having rides at bare minimum was legit torture especially rides that are technically supposed to be 2 op rides, but are able to operate as a single op (ie Dodgem and Linus Launcher) or the triple op rides that can be operated in dual (Viking Fury and Monster) or Antique Cars that can get by with just one person at dispatch (the person who gets on the cars and brings them back into the station and loads the oncoming riders).

Given the recent sale of the SF parks (and the closure of another last fall), I am hopeful that there is some world where that translates to a better experience at Kings Island. There's nothing I've seen to indicate that that is a reality; but I just miss when all the rides were staffed well, shops were open, and landscaping was full.

It looks like we'll have to wait a little longer to find out what festivals and events Kings Island will host in 2026. For the past two years the list dropped on March 4th, but if you check there today all you'll find are the same four Group Events that have been there since December. I'm a little surprised if they get much outdoor work done this week with all of the rain. Last time I looked at my weather app it showed pretty consistent rain all day and all night.

I've been checking the webcams back and forth and it seems like they have been moving WindSeeker up and down today Also I have noticed some trucks parked outside of the entrance to Phantom Theater right by the swings and kid dodgem

Fiesta Texas is doing passholder extra ride time this Saturday after park close. I would love to see KI bring back passholder post close ride times! Both in KI and Soak City like in pre covid years

Sadly, they have played this game before. Put in I-305 at KD and didn't get the return. Thought they could make Carowinds the CP of the south and Fury barely moved their needle and slowed down the spend. Maybe it will be different in Texas, but I think Spiegel pointed out once that parks started getting better handles on returns around the time Kingda Ka went in that it barely moved the needle. For most parks, the capital spends are to maintain the attendance and some nominal growth, but if they expect Texas to have a 20% increase in attendance this year or something more than say a percent or two, they will be disappointed.

I think if the numbers don't go up anymore then the buildings will slowly deteriorate back to how they were in/before 2024-2025 and the park will be a mix between low-tier Cedar Fair and middle-tier Six Flags. It'll take a couple of years to actually find out if all of the upgrades do what they're supposed to, though. 2026 will give a notion, but SFOT needs a lot more than just a few restaurant renovations and a massive coaster. If it doesn't work out then Jeffrey Siebert will probably just try to keep his parks where they are. Otherwise I'd love to see him come back to the Midwest Region to work some more magic for Kings Island and Cedar Point.

It has more to do with Six Flags has said Texas is an undersaturated market, so they are spending big there. Now what happens if/when that doesn't turn into the numbers they expect to see...

I think a lot of the improvements and investments at SFOT for 2026 (there are a ton of improvements) are thanks to Jeffrey Siebert being at the helm of both SFOT and Fiesta Texas. He's super dedicated to what he does and knows what it takes to make these parks amazing. I wish we could have 7 shows this season, let alone all of the other little improvements it seems KI currently needs. Some of those look really good! I hope they're available at more than just Grain and Grill, though. I'm not a healthy eater by any means, but having healthier meals served in at least two areas of the park would be great for those who are health conscious.

**DOUBLE POST** Six Flags Over Texas did an opening day ceremony for the park yesterday to kick off the 2026 season. I think KI should do something like this on opening day or even pass preview night since most guests are passholders anyway. I love what they're doing for their 65th anniversary. Since 2027 is KI's 55th, we could see another anniversary celebration season? Obviously I doubt they do something on the scale of 2022 (the 50th), but maybe a season with a dedicated logo and park improvements throughout the park if there isn't a new attraction next year. Also the fact they're adding 7 new shows this year is insane. Yet KI tends to have only like 4 stage shows plus the fireworks during part of the summer season and leaves the venues dark for a decent chunk of the season when they could be doing more (ie having bubbles for like 3-4 weeks in the KI theater and leaving it dark the rest of the season when they could add another show for the rest of the summer season). I also would like to see the park opening ceremonies return where a family is brought up each day to open the park at 10 am each day. That honestly makes the experience even more special! Video of Over Texas opening day ceremony:

Here's to the last full month of the park being closed!

Looks like some healthier dining options this season! Much needed.

This is the type of 4th of July event I think Kings Island should be doing outside of just a bigger firework show! This is Cedar Point's new America 250 event

Carowinds is planning to host a passholder q&a with park leadership as well as other festivities as part of pass preview night. I think KI should do something like this on pass preview day

There's also the question of if Coasterstock will be happening/how it will happen. If it does happen there's a lot of people wondering if it'll be 1 day vs. 2 days, if it will be open to non-coaster club members, and if the overall event quality will have gone down compared to the last two years. I think a more detailed list of what I'd like to see is Opening Day, Food & Wine, Grand Carnivale (honestly could be replaced by an Island Nights event atp), a 1 week America 250 event, Halloween Haunt, Tricks & Treats, and Winterfest. They should also do some short events like a Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare charity event, Run & Ride, Food Truck Festival, a second charity event, and some passholder nights/after hours events. For anyone else following the webcams: the white paneling (or whatever it is) has been taken back toward the turnstiles and there are no more enchanted opera box doom buggies sitting near the bandstand. The tree lights on the Eiffel Tower have been down for a little bit, but all of the artisan sheds are still out on the path. The park sign hasn't returned yet. The permanent lights have been on or off depending on the night. There was a night recently where one singular light tower was on, another where only the left side of the street's uplighting was on, and tonight is the first night I've seen both sides uplighting be on. The light that shines on the park sign spot was also recently turned on, though it looks a lot more square-ish than I remember.

I believe Tony Clark confirmed Carnivale would be back this year at No Coaster Con, but I also heard he either hinted or downright confirmed this would be the last year for it. If so why have it anyway if you know it is going to be the last year for it because we all know they'll use it as an excuse to water it down even more!

It seems Carowinds has now removed whatever 2026 festivals they previously listed. If the calendar holds true from the last two years we will see Kings Island's festivals and events calendar released on March 4th (1 week away)! I'm hoping to see all of the festivals/events from 2025 return, though Grand Carnivale is so far up in the air right now in terms of will it/won't it. It'd be cheaper than changing but more expensive than doing nothing. The new leadership clearly understands why seasonal festivals are important after cancelling holiday events caused "self-imposed headwinds". I just hope they also understand that it's possible to do seasonal festivals and fun 1-2 day events.

Maybe with the new CEO, we will see the return of the tasting cards? Thinking positive here.

Carowinds has moved their Viva La Fiesta event to be a spring time event from April 17-May 17 other than peak summer. Looks like they're counting the Splash Water Parade as the peak Summer event or they have a new unannounced event coming. If Food and Wine is coming back I would like to see KI follow suit and move Food and Wine to a few weeks earlier and have it run from like the last weekend of April through Memorial Day as that makes the most sense to hold it imo https://www.sixflags.com/carowinds/events