Leaderboard

You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. Alternately, some times you have to plunge a toilet to flush a turd. For too long, alot of management at the company has been turds. Flush them out. With less passes sold, maybe they will take notice and new blood can reinvorgarate. The problem with a park like KI that is highly penetrated is that people will still come. Nostalgia can be a stronger motivator than price. KI is hurting from too much penetration.

A Camden Park season pass is $160 plus another $40 for parking for those that want to say it’s too expensive.

Passes and meal plans, etc. were too cheap. Maybe this could (in hindsight) be looked at as an over correction a year or two from now, but the reality of of the situation is that they spent years giving away the gate, handing out meal plans for a “dime,” and watched as the masses poured in. It’s not so much that the majority of passholders “abused” the situation, but it’s obvious, post merger, that that model is not sustainable in this new Six Flags reality. Seen plenty of plenty of negative reactions online about this today. These are a lot of the same folks who bragged about much “advantage” they got out of their pass, dining/drink plan, etc. Interpret that however you want. Theres a balance. At the end of the day, the situation is what it is. Between the merger and the ultimate failed strategy of passholder add-ons, cheap passes, and whatever… things have changed. The price of gold/prestige passes have, for a long time, been priced way under what they should have, market value be darned. Look no further than the returns, reaction, and overall value when it comes to attendance vs. in-park spending. Whether it’s Disney or Six Flags, less can be more if/when it comes to attendance if guest are still spending money. And in many cases, guests are still willing to renew and pay regardless. That being a good or bad thing is certainly up for debate. Trimming the fat, increasing prices, etc., I hope would/will result in a higher quality output in terms of new additions, cleanliness, added events, and more. Look no further than Haunt. Sure, it’s an upcharge now when it historically wasn’t, but the quality of the event been better, right? I mean… Conjuring? Order of the Dragon? The reported $60k investment in the new Jason maze? Not to mention the concerns about crowds, clientele, and beyond. I personally don’t want to see anyone out-priced from visiting KI the same way I want to be able to take my family to Disneyland without selling a kidney. But it’s hypocritical to celebrate the perceived value of season passes, drink and meal plans, perks, etc., and then turn around and complain about crowds, added retail/alcohol sales, increased prices, lack of non, thrilling “thoosie additions.” I don’t care for the majority of any of these changes. But I’m personally willing to let my dollar go farther when it comes to the overall park experience, given the current status of the chain as a whole. And ironically, it’s not all bad. Look at the aforementioned Haunt experience, PT:OE, certain food experiences, operations… I mean, it’s stellar. But that’s not to say there hasn’t been a handful of miserable fails over the last season or two. Because there are plenty. At the end of the day, I hate to come across like a fanny pack wearing, apologist, thoosie chud. but looking at this as an opportunity to “right the ship” and increase quality as a whole could be for the best. If corporate is committed to that. That’s a big “If.” Who knows. Shareholders are weird. Business is weird. Eh. I don’t know, gang. It’s ultimately irrelevant in the grand scheme of it all, in life, and everything. This is what’s supposed to make me happy…. More importantly, what’s your favorite seat on Adventure Express? I need some levity and optimism.

I feel weird about all of this. I totally understand the reasoning and justification for raising prices to basically give a better experience for guests. But as a teacher with a young family... it's hard out there right now financially...

Right, this an opinion. Which you are absolutely entitled to, like everyone else. But to phrase it as fact (based on your own feelings and opinions) is misleading, and is maybe 50/50 at best. You have an equal chance at being right or wrong. No insight there. Do you want to circle back with me about the 2026 family thrill coaster? Or about the screen/projection heavy new Phantom Theater that opened this year? The fact that we can all speculate and share our wishes, opinions, and predictions is what makes this site and the fandom fun. But making baseless claims centered on your own personal rhetoric is just wrong, whether it ultimately comes true or not.

Im one who is willing to pay more for a better experince but if I am paying more I better see ice at the drink stands and all the drink stations open and working. I have also noticed the parks gardens are very lacking this season and I thought they used to compete with the Cincinnati Zoo pretty well. Also I would love to see the empty spaces filled. The old days of thunder area, Vortex plot and hthe concert area.

I think the problem is that there's no indication that there will be any actual improvements to the guest experience next year to go along with the increased prices. Even just publishing an operating calendar, committing to continuing Winterfest, and publishing a menu for their $400 dining plan would go a long way, but I don't think it's surprising that people aren't happy about a place that's gone downhill so much over the last few years demanding more money from them. The slight increase in pass prices isn't going to help with the crowding or clientele issues, and the ruining of the dining plan just makes me think there will be even more reduced staffing and reduced availability for food next year.

(You’re right, though. Totally nailed it.)

The market isn’t buying what Six Flags is trying to sell. Wall Street gave Six Flags Entertainment a chilly reception after the company released its second-quarter 2026 earnings. Shares fell more than 5% in pre-market trading as investors reacted to revenue that came in well below analyst expectations. Six Flags reported approximately $865 million in second-quarter revenue, missing the consensus forecast of $935.2 million by about $70 million. The company also posted a net loss of $203 million, compared with a $100 million loss during the same quarter last year. The year-over-year comparison is complicated by the company’s sale of seven parks to EPR Properties before the start of the 2026 operating season, reducing its operating footprint and affecting direct comparisons with last year’s results. Even so, the earnings miss appeared to fuel investor concerns about how quickly Six Flags can deliver on its post-merger turnaround strategy. UPDATE: Now down 16% as of 9:42 a.m.

Pretty bold claim. You could be right or wrong. How do you know this? Not saying I agree or disagree with you, but if you’re going to say that maybe you should provide some proof given it’s just a definite statement. Aside from your own options.

Hahaha goodness me I can't believe I forgot the ending to that part of the story! So it's raining pretty hard, quite windy, but we don't mind too much since we're still in our swimsuits. We get to the locker and I select the option to open... and then I stare at the screen for a long moment. My wife, puzzled, asks what's wrong and I just point to the screen: It's asking for a PIN. Standard procedure right? Completely normal. Only problem was, I didn't recall the darned thing asking for me to create a PIN... Uh oh... I start putting in stuff like phone numbers and birthdates... nothing worked. A staff member happened to walk by and must've immediately noticed the looks of dread on our soaked faces hahaha... Within minutes she's got guest relations talking with us and after we explained our situation they got one of the service support staff to come unlock the locker for us. And this guy was fantastic. Very humorous, light hearted and smart. He asked us a few questions about what was in the locker: we tell him the exact brand of backpack and color, even the make and model of the vehicle we were driving. He told us this stuff happened all the time and most likely someone before us initiated the locker rental process but stopped just short of paying. He said a lot of people see the price, not realizing lockers aren't free so they just walk away when it asks for payment. It went from a very stressful experience to one we've been laughing about for weeks now. And when we came back the second time for our worry free weather day, I made sure to check the screen asked for a PIN before paying! Live and learn!

That's rough.

This was a great read and it sounds like your family had a wonderful day, however... I need the ending story of the lockers!

The passes are priced higher than last year but still a very good deal. I think they are still too low. But with higher pricing comes greater expectations.

Shares of Six Flags Entertainment tumbled nearly 19% so far today, making the company one of the biggest percentage losers on the New York Stock Exchange. The sharp sell-off came after Six Flags reported second-quarter earnings that fell short of Wall Street expectations, raising fresh concerns among investors about the pace of the company’s post-merger turnaround.

Just north of Chicago, a new family adventure is taking shape. Six Flags Great America has unveiled Camp Timber Trail, an immersive new land opening in 2027 featuring the Midwest’s longest, tallest and fastest suspended family coaster, reimagined classic attractions, interactive play areas and a fresh woodland atmosphere designed for all ages. FULL STORY: https://themeparksbydon.com/six-flags-great-america-camp-timber-trail-family-expansion-2027/

No doubt there is a concern about being able to pay off the debt, which is still high at $4.9B Maybe the market and investors aren't buying, but average Joe and family of 4 still seem to be! The question is do we see people that say they are not buying next year actually follow thru....

From 1994-2013 who remembers Action Theater (originally named Paramount Action FX Theater)? I have fond memories riding SpongeBob 3D, a very brief Stan Lee Superhero ride, and even a 3D Dinosaur ride. There are other shows that were shown in a theater such as Days Of Thunder, James Bond, and even a Hanna-Barbera ride. Who else has fun memories of this Kings Island attractions?

In case anyone wants a ride down memory lane. This made me smile. Like many of you, I saw this one dozens of times and I can still remember how the seats felt when they moved.