So interesting how much history just one, small flat ride has. Great blog and love the discussion that’s occurred here. 

5 minutes ago, Klabergian Empire said:

Monster definitely 110% needs to be kept running. It is an original ride from Coney AND it is a (in my minds eye) valuable flat ride. Not a whole bunch like those any more to my knowledge.

Cedar Point, Valley Fair & Dorney Park have monsters, however i’m not sure if they’re of a different model. Based off of the Wikipedia page theres only 7 left operating.

To be fair the 2003 part donation was under different management, Cedar Fair maybe more committed to keeping historical rides operating. They did buy a bunch of older, more historic European flats a few years back.

11 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

I wonder what Cedar Fair thinks of this park. Its got a lot of competition with BGW not to mention the Six Flags parks only hours away. 

Do you try to compete with BGW or do you try to change your target customer base?

I think the answer is change your target customer base. They used to be very much a thrill oriented park, former launch capital of the world. However under Cedar Fair they've really focused more on the family's.  They've invested heavily into their kids area and its now the largest Peanuts themed Kids area in the world.  They still certainly cater to thrill seekers but I no longer think that is who they want their primary market to be, it seems they're more geared toward the family. Another major aspect, especially for southern parks is their water park. That is also a major draw for them id assume. BGW was historically the more family focused park until recent years, however it seems they're now targeting thrill seekers more. Overall I think the parks that perform very well are those that cater to families, just look at Kings Island

8 minutes ago, flightoffear1996 said:

The 2020 park map could be one of the most valuable park maps if the parks never open. 

To be honest if they’ve already printed a bunch they’ll probably just end up using them next year.

7 minutes ago, flightoffear1996 said:

Those unemployment numbers are scary but they will hopefully go down quickly once people can get back to work. we are in this for the long haul. 

Yes, but the effects of losing a paycheck for 3 months will not go away overnight.

6 million Americans filled for unemployment last week. Considering this is going to go one for 1-2 more months at a bare minimum, and the Fed projecting unemployment to possibly reach a maximum of 30%... when the parks open they will not be heavily attended, this will certainly have a long term effect on the industry.

If you want a real thrill, imagine riding WindSeeker before the dampers were added on a windy day. On a serious note I don’t find WindSeeker to be that scary, feels way more secure then a SkyScreamer.

^ Holds back tears looking at The Vortex area. Meteor Canteen is the new restaurant. New seating area by Shake rattle and roll?

1 minute ago, Rivertown Rider said:

Mack- Did Carowinds get the bang for their buck that they were hoping for.  If they didn't, then I think that probably knocks out Mack.

This is an interesting point. Attendance wise I’m not so sure it did that much for their attendance. In Cedar Fairs quarterly earnings calls there wasn’t any mention of Carowinds or Copperhead strike, on the contrary there Canada’s wonderland was mentioned numerous times. Now of course they may have wanted copperhead strike to boost Fast Lane sales versus attendance. Ridership wise it was ridden 880k times, which speaks more to the capacity. Based off of Kings Islands 2014 ridership numbers that would place the ride in 9th place. Just barely ahead of The Bat but below Boo Blasters. 

^ I wish they would bring back the souvenir maps, they look stunning. 

I actually don’t think S&S is totally out of the question given the fact the KD 2021 coaster is rumored to be a custom 4-D freespin. However as you mentioned Steel curtain is a very large ride and Cedar Fair maybe hesitant to work with them. Mack’s while they’re expensive, they’re similarly priced to B&Ms, I believe Copperhead strike was 26 million (excluding theming), while Banshee was 24 million.  

^ I believe the coaster will still be inversion focused though, Vortex’s removal results in Ki only having 3 inverting coasters.

I’d rather have a launched wing or a Mack multilaunch, I personally don’t care for floorless coasters.

I don’t believe I’ve ever been on Vikings Fury, either up charge  & the two family rides they added to the kids area recently.   

Interesting quick read, amusement park chains are ripe for acquisition right now. IIRC Cedar Fair has preventive measures to prevent a hostile takeover after the Apollo deal. 
 

https://www.fool.com/amp/investing/2020/03/31/six-flags-shields-itself-from-takeover-with-a-one.aspx?__twitter_impression=true

3 minutes ago, gforce1994 said:

Because the thread was encouraging someone to do something that the government as ordered us not to do.

We’re still encourage to go out and take walks, get fresh air. The governors order did not prohibit going outside for exercise. 

Even ignoring the fact people would be hesitant to go to amusement parks I still think attendance & revenue would not be that good. So many people are going to be out of a job potentially, at the very least for 3 months. They’re not going to have the money to go an visit these parks (then again the parks will probably give away the gate). Fast Lane sales, a major source of revenue will also decrease significantly. Remember Fastlane is one of the main reasons KI got Orion. I don’t foresee a flock to amusement parks once they open.

8 hours ago, CorkscrewMcPuke said:

What sort of flats could the park really make use of at this point?

I think Kings Islands flat ride collection is rather small for a park of its size, not to mention almost every flat ride is located in Action Zone or Coney Mall. Some flat rides I’d like to be see added are...

• S&S Screamin Swing, best flat ride in the world imo, it’d fit nicely in TRTR plot of land 
• Flying Canoes, this is a small family ride that Canada’s Wonderland has recently added, I think it’d fit nicely in river town 
• Mondial Top Scan, a high trill flat ride, it’d fit nicely into the parks flat ride lineup 
• Zamperla Hawk, another nice high trill flat ride, if it got a similar ride skin to Lumber Jack @ CW then it’d fit nicely into River Town 
• If it was possible (but I doubt it is) if Der Spinnin Kergs & Fly Dutchman we’re added back to Oktoberfest that area of the park would feel significantly better 

I’m sure there’s lots of other great options out there but these were some options that I think are realistic to some degree, I hope the park does add more flat rides because atm KI only has 3 high thrill, non-upcharge rides.

46 minutes ago, 139Signal27 said:

I haven’t been following this thread, so I apologize if this has already been discussed.

Do you think the park will overhaul Urgent Scare to avoid the unfavorable connection it would have with the pandemic? Regardless of the facts, some will assume the park is making light of the situation.

I wouldn’t be opposed (not because I am offended, but because I think it’s time for that maze to go). Thoughts?

I was thinking about this the other night. If I recall KD had a theme to miners who died in a cave and that theme was quickly scrapped after outcry. I would expect Urgent scare not to make a come back due to the virus.

25 minutes ago, SOBwasaSOB said:

You guys have me very hopeful that this kills the cruise industry, I'll be very sad if they somehow find a way to survive.

The cruise industry is also very bad for the environment. It’s not an industry I personally have a positive view of.

8 minutes ago, collin.klopfstein said:

Also I hope we get some great theme omg in the giant area besides the break run, something like giant meteors and fire

I believe that land will likely be used for future expansion.

5 minutes ago, KIfan73 said:

It was just so nice to see this kind of news.  I hope they post more park updates, no matter how small!  I would literally sit and watch them spread mulch around if I were able to. 

Agreed, I’d love to see more various park updates or blog posts during this time. I wonder if they’re going to ever release the ridership numbers.

55 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

And yes, I'm okay with biting the $200 bullet of purchasing a Platinum Pass for this year and not using it.  

Personally can’t say the same, really regret adding Fast Lane Plus to my pass. 

20 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Or worse - what about those who paid in full and aren’t getting what was offered to them? They say they’re adding operating days but what if this goes until June or later? They gonna add 30 days in the fall? This is on top of a kind of crappy schedule with few midnight closes and Haunt closing at midnight.  KI is lucky all this is going down on a coaster year in a way otherwise there would be very little perceived value for anyone to buy a pass right now.

If the park is closed until August, at that point I don’t think they could do anything to make up for it besides offering 2021 passes.