FUN&ONLY!

If the announcement was for year-round operations, it would have likely been announced today along with Carowinds and Kings Dominion’s announcements. I am not ruling out the announcement of year round operations as Kings Island could be waiting to announce year-round operations alongside a 2023 capital investment tomorrow. I just don’t think year-round operations will be the main announcement tomorrow if announced at all.

I doubt the announcement is only for year-round operations if at all. If the announcement was just year-round operations, it would have been made today like with Carowinds and Kings Dominion. I suspect we will see a new Zamperela flat ride or two in Oktoberfest with a potential overhaul of the whole area. I think we could see an overhaul of the whole area because companies like Daniels Wood Land and Jack Rouse Associates were listed on the most recent Notice of Commencement. However, those companies could be contracted out for a 2024 project.

The new Bud Light stand is way worse the Mystic Field Supplies merchandise cart that used to be around there. I haven’t seen that cart there since 2019, though. I liked it.

Does anyone know what company Kings Island hired to take down SlingShot? Also, this Notice of Commencement is only for 2022 and 2023 additions and improvements to Kings Island. In such documents, Kings Island Lists all companies that have on contract, though. Obviously Kings Island has more companies on contract than for whatever they are doing for 2023 (even if Kings Island decides to add a flat ride and do re-tracking). However, many of these companies could be on the list as Kings Island has them currently contracted out for proposals and whatnot for a 2024 project.

This could be nothing, but does anyone remember all the markings around the Son of Beast station in 2020? Some of the markings outside of the park were tied to a water line, but we never figured out what those markings were for. In addition, this was briefly mentioned on this site earlier this season, but there was some work going on behind/underneath Banshee this year. I don’t think it out of the realm of possibility for the Son of Beast station to be demolished for a new coaster between The Bat and Banshee. Maybe GCI is even bringing back Son of Beast as a GCI Titan Track hybrid. That last part is a little far fetched, but there’s a chance.

Gravity Kraft may also be the division responsible for constructing coasters, re-tracking, and fabricating track for Gravity Group. Ride Entertainment Systems is also mentioned which is the company that distributes Gerstlauer’s products in North America. But they could also just be working on another ride at the park (the installed Vortex’s chain on Adventure Express’s lift hill). Jack Rouse Architects is responsible for themed areas like Steelers Country at Kennywood. With Daniels Wood Land as well, I assume we will be seeing some good theming with whatever attraction(s) are coming. I think we may see an area re-theme around Action Zone/Oktoberfest with new flat rides. If we do see a new coaster, I think we will see an area re-theme near The Vortex plot of land in Coney Mall/Rivertown with a new coaster going in the plot.

It’s still very disappointing to see such a small amount of fog around the park. I thought the fog last year was light outside of the official scare zones, but this year the fog is extremely light within the scare zones and practically non-existent outside of them. I remember when the fire would shoot out on Backlot Stunt Coaster, and the whole sky would light up with the fog in the air. The atmosphere is not nearly as good without the fog.

However, Kings Island has been relying on Gravity Group recently for re-tracking work over Great Coasters International. Also, the fact that a TON of contractors are listed such as SkyHigh Erectors and Daniels Wood Land indicates a big themed project. Now that I think about it, Kings Island could be getting a new B&M or even Zamperala Coaster because SkyHigh Erectors would not construct anything from Great Coasters International as those installations are done in-house by the company.

This is really exciting! A ton of manufactures are listed, though, so it is very intriguing. I assume Bolliger and Mabillard is for for Diamondback’s new lift chain, but I have no clue why Zamperela or Great Coasters International are included. Maybe a Titan Track Hybrid is in Kings Island’s future or some new flat rides! A flat ride could probably go in SlingShot’s plot of land even for next season if Kings Island decides to make a late-season or off-season announcement.

I think Halloween Haunt is overall an improvement from last year from what k have seen. I like how Kings Island still put the green lights up where Pumpkin Eater used to be instead of leaving it bare. I like how an additional haunted house was added. I like how there is actually a show in the International Showplace. However, it does not seem to be on the same level as 2019 Halloween Haunt. Many would argue that the event even peaked before that. The one thing that really seems to be hurting the atmosphere of this year’s event is the lack of fog. It doesn’t even look like there are fog machines with nose pictures I have seen so far of the event. I thought fog was light last year with it really only being concentrated on the scare zones. Now, there really isn’t much fog at all even in the scare zones. If Kings Island is seeing all the complaints about the lack of fog, I hope they’ll try to add more for next weekend.

I feel like the much better way to control attendance would be to raise prices and attract a higher-paying customer base. Increasing per cap spending with controlled attendance is only viable if Cedar Fair hits the sweet spot of attendance where revenue is maximized. Also, I cannot help but think of the investors who will not be happy to see attendance losses even if revenue is way up like it has been.

It may seem like the chaperone policy had little effect on attendance, but I doubt that’s the case. On a super busy Haunt day, 25% of the people can be removed, and the park will still seem packed. I don’t know how reliable this is, but I have also seen that Knott's Scary Farm attendance is about half of it was last year. Now apparently Knott’s Berry Farm also sold less Scary Farm Passes this year which probably contributed to some of the lower attendance, but I doubt it accounted for all the attendance losses. I don’t know what the answer is, but a chaperone policy is not it.

Is Halloween Haunt really that bad this year?

I don’t see why Kings Island couldn’t bring back 2019 front gate security protocols for Halloween Haunt. Yeah, emptying your pockets and getting your bag thoroughly searched was a hassle, but it seemed far more effective than the security now. I get the bag rule. However, if the front gate security thoroughly searches all bags, I don’t see why larger bags cannot be brought in. I don’t know what needs to be done, but something needs to be done to allow Kings Island to get rid of the bag policy while still ensuring the same level of security. Whether it means more security staff at the front gate, new procedures, or new high/tech scanners like at the Six Flags parks (Kings Island even tested this), something needs to be done.

Carowinds has had their “no bags” policy since last year. The chaperone policy was only implemented for Scarowinds after the park closed early last weekend due to unruly teenage guests.

Out of curiosity, is Kings Island Security working the front gate security or does Kings Island have a third-party working the front gate security?

I agree with you. People use any incident as a reason for a park to add a chaperone policy. Earlier this year, there was a stabbing at Camp Cedar. If I recall correctly, people used it as a reason to justify a chaperone policy. The only problem is that adults were the ones involved. A chaperone policy does more harm than good. It hurts most teenagers who actually follow the rules. There are always going to be a few bad apples (adults included), but there is no one solution that can completely eliminate the problem. A chaperone policy unfairly singles out the teenage demographic while only preventing some possible incidents. It may be true that most of these incidents do occur among teenagers, but that doesn’t mean all teenagers are to blame.

While there certainly are exceptions, most people at Halloween Haunt aren’t with families. There is no chance of this happening, but imagine the outcry if Halloween Haunt was taken away as a benefit from the Prestige Passes after what has already been taken away. LOL! If anything, Halloween Haunt would be taken away from Gold Passholders, but I also find that very unlikely.

The issue with Halloween Haunt is that is caters to teenagers. A chaperone policy would essentially eliminate the event’s target audience by making it harder for teenagers to attend. And families are going to stay away as well because the website makes it clear that the event is not meant for young children. If Cedar Fair wants to deal with the root of the problem, the company should probably cancel Halloween Haunt and replace it with the new Tricks and Treats event. Maybe the parks can retain some haunts and scare zones in the “tricks” areas. By changing the event and target audience of the event, the teenage audience will mostly be replaced with a family audience. With a chaperone policy for Halloween Haunt, however, the parks will cater to a teenage audience that cannot easily attend and still deter families.

As it stands, 2023 seems like it will be a worse season at Kings Island than 2022. Unless anything else gets announced, 2023 will only see the return of Grand Carnivale but the loss of the 50th Anniversary Celebration. I think Grand Carnivale is great, but I don’t think it matches the 50th Anniversary Celebration (I think most people would agree) and is also not new. I hope Kings Island announces SOMETHING new for next year, though, at some point.

I have seen a few billboards here and there, but I haven’t seen print ads or TV commercials recently. The last TV commercial I saw for Kings Island was in 2019. Cedar Fair has mentioned in earnings calls that they want to decrease advertising expenses and focus on cheaper forms of advertisements.

I would argue otherwise. Cedar Point’s budget for 2022 was probably really high with the renovations at their resorts costing tens or millions of dollars. Add in the new Farmhouse restaurant, and their budget was definitely pretty high. Cedar Point’s budget looks to be very high again for 2023 with The Boardwalk area which contains a $12,000,000 restaurant, a new family coaster, an entire area refresh, and ride relocations. If Top Thrill Dragster re-opens next year, it’s refresh will likely cost millions. Cedar Fair is investing a lot of money into Cedar Point, and the park is getting better in many ways. I wish Kings Island would take some notes and invest into newly reimagined areas and new restaurants. The issue is that the park just cannot staff well. Poor staffing leads to poor operations, closed food locations, and rides breaking down more. Ultimately, these issues hurt the guest experience significantly.

To be fair, Kings Island did not make the top 5 parks list either. Park of the Year is a great accomplishment for the park, but Kings Island still did not make it into the top 5 parks. Both Cedar Point and Kings Island are great parks, though.

I agree in that I want Rivertown to see a complete revamp. However, I don’t know if The Vortex plot of land will be a part of a revitalized Rivertown. I think that will remain part of Coney Mall. I agree with what you say about the 50th Anniversary Celebration, but stuff like that doesn’t last. I do want to see more park improvements going forward but more meaningful park improvements like area renovations. As good as the 50th Anniversary Celebration was, the only park improvements for 2022 were new paint jobs, landscaping, and the new Tower Gardens. These improvements are great, but I hope that future investments go way beyond superficial improvements like these, and areas are completely overhauled and reimagined. As for the current state of Kings Island speculation and rumors, I feel like we are currently in a bit of a lull. This is the longest we have gone since Banshee without a new coaster being announced which admittedly isn’t that bad compared to other parks. Right now, we really don’t know what to expect from the park. There are signs that a new flat ride may replace SlingShot or that Phantom Theater will return but nothing major like the overhaul of an existing area which Kings Island desperately needs.

If we were to get a B&M, it would be cool to see a new sit down launch coaster with the new over-the-shoulder lapbar restraints B&M recently patented. However, it would also be nice to see Kings Island branch out. A MACK Rides X-Treme Spinning Coaster would be absolutely mesmerizing to watch along The Vortex midway on top of the awesome ride experience. It would be a modern launch coaster with inversions, but it would still be different enough from Flight of Fear. It would also be a crowd pleaser for enthusiasts and the general public alike.