FUN&ONLY!

I would like to see The Racer get some more track work in its second half over the off-season. It would also be cool to see a reimagined front gate which would make sense considering that Kings Island will have to add a new Prestige gate wherever that may be. If they utilize the old passholder gate, Kings Island will probably do some work at least to it as it looks pretty bad now. It would also be a good opportunity to update the main gate as well. Also, as for The Vortex plot of land, maybe the pumpkins would interfere with the survey markings that would need to happen. LOL!

I have to give credit where credit is due. I think Kings Island has been taking note of their theming and technology breaking. I was never in Area 72 today, so I cannot comment on Orion’s theming, but I noticed several Fun TV’s that have been out for a while are now working as of recently in multiple locations. Also, Mystic Timbers’ TV with the security footage before the stairs was working today for the first time all season. Obviously, Kings Island has been trying to fix what has been broken. However, there is still work to be done. While some things have been fixed with Mystic Timbers’ theming, for example, some of the lights are out in the shed or aren’t working properly (the hanging lights should be flickering), the audio loop that plays on the steps is not working (the one about jumping starting the truck and getting out of there), and I don’t know if that speaker that plays the soundtrack in the Fast Lane line is fixed yet. I am more optimistic now that these and other problems will be addressed soon as I can tell the park has been trying to step it up.

It would be awesome if Rivertown also got a makeover like Jungle X-Pedition or Aeronautica Landing, but I would want the area to keep its theme and name which could potentially make it harder to advertise as an all-new area.

It would be cool if a new two-story restaurant was built where Rivertown Pizza is or next to it that overlooked a coaster on The Vortex plot of land. The midway between Coney Mall and Rivertown could benefit from widening as it can be a bottleneck. However, I don’t want to see a wider midway come at a loss of trees.

I just feel that The Vortex plot of land can be used for something so much more than a restaurant. That plot of land is asking for a rollercoaster with its position along the midway. I am all for new restaurants, but I don’t want to see Vortex close and never really get replaced. A big building on that plot of land would make Kings Island feel smaller.

We cannot just assume the late closings were cut due to the incident. Around the same time many Cedar Fair parks were cutting back hours and even days. Remember when Cedar Point was only open 5 days a week last season due to poor staffing? Staffing was really bad at Kings Island, too. It just wasn’t nearly bad enough to cut days. Kings Island may have had appropriate staffing for weekend-only operations early in the season, but when weekday operations started, the workforce had to be spread thin. I believe weekday operations was about to start when Kings Island cut hours, so staffing may have been a legitimate reason for cutting hours.

Rivertown has a decent amount of room to work with for a “reimagined Rivertown.” For Kings Island to revamp Rivertown, they will likely need to pair the renovations with some rides to make the investment more marketable like with what Cedar Point and Carowinds are doing with The Boardwalk and Aeronautica Landing. Kings Island could really put in a lot if they decided to remove The Crypt building and expand that way. I know The Vortex plot of land is near Rivertown, but I think that should remain a part of Coney Mall and be home to a new roller coaster in the future as that location is probably the most picturesque area in the entire park for a roller coaster. A restaurant would not be a good fit there in my opinion. However, I am open to cool and unique dining venues being built elsewhere in the park.

What’s your suspicion?

I agree Action Zone needs an overhaul, and removing Timberwolf would really give Kings Island a lot of options. However, I don’t think it needs to be removed until the park is ready to do something in that area which will probably be a while since I assume Vortex will be replaced first.

I don’t want to start anything, but this is an extremely rude response. With this response, it seems like YOU are trying to start something. If anything, @KIghostguy’s critique are just an example of how much he cares about Kings Island. He, like many of us, know that the park has the potential to be better than it is currently, and he was just giving constructive criticism. Kings Island has some theming among other things that they have let go in recent years. He was just calling the park out because he knows the park can do better and wants to see the park do better. I agree with him 100%. Also, people have different reasons to visit the park. Many go to ride rides, but a lot of people just go to walk around, take everything in, and watch a show. A lot of people only go to eat a meal. We don’t need to poke fun at people at reasons for visiting the park. Heck, @KIghostguy never said that he only went to Kings Island to look at theming. You just assumed that. Even if he did, so what?

I know Chad Showalter is the spokesperson for Kings Island, but maybe since Camp Cedar is not owned by Kings Island, the campsite got a different spokesperson for this story.

One can hope that after daily operations end, Kings Island will spend time and money updating what has been neglected for a while now.

Mystic Timbers’ theming has been in a sorry state for the majority of the season. In addition to what you mentioned, one of the security footage TV’s in the queue is completely out with the other one being super dim and quiet. Also, many of the lights in the shed that used to flicker no longer flicker. A speaker that plays the soundtrack is out in the Fast Lane line as well as the “there’s an old truck in the lumber mill, you got to jump start it, get out of here right now” audio on the station stairs. Honestly, these upkeep problems have existed for so long now that I honestly question if the management team even cares. If that is true, that is very sad.

To be fair, Cedar Fair never stated that the Prestige+ Pass gave the additional “prestige” benefits for all Cedar Fair parks. However, the wording on the websites was confusing, and I don’t think employees even knew what “prestige” benefits applied at all parks. While executed poorly, I think the plan was always to only have the “prestige” benefits apply at one’s home park based on the cheaper Prestige+ Pass pricing at Carowinds compared to Kings Island and Cedar Point as well as the specific mention on the website that admission and the 15% off applied to all parks (the other perks in the compare menu did not apply to all parks).

How would a chaperone policy have prevented the incident at Six Flags Great America? Authorities believe the suspects entered the parking lot with a motive to shoot someone or multiple people. The shooters never entered the park, so in-park security technically did not fail. Should parks make guests walk through metal detectors and check cars before entering the parking lot? That is impractical. This incident would have been hard to prevent from a park security or policy standpoint. Also, you have to be an adult to legally buy or own a firearm, so a chaperone policy probably would not have done much at all to prevent this incident unless the shooters were minors and illegally possessed the gun(s).

That is farther away from SlingShot than I thought. It is closer to Hank’s Mexican Grill and the VIP Area if I am correct. Interesting. Maybe we will see a couple flat rides in Oktoberfest. One could go where SlingShot was, and another one could go where the VIP Area is.

Where is this in relation to SlingShot?

The Fast Lane Plus passes will work on Friday.

I agree with the bad layout of the original, but I highly doubt a new Son of Beast would have a similar layout to the original Son of Beast. Zambezi Zinger’s layout is not too similar honestly to the original, but it features the iconic lift “hill.” A new Son of Beast would probably be shorter in both height and length, but Kings Island could throw in more airtime and inversions. Kings Island could probably work in a cool helix or loop to pay homage to the original.

Imagine the hype of Kings Island brought back Son of Beast as a Titan Track hybrid like with Worlds of Fun did with Zambezi Zinger. I know people will say that Son of Beast has a terrible reputation, but The Bat did too and ultimately came back. I bet almost everyone in the Cincinnati area has heard of Son of Beast, so there would definitely be a lot of buzz. Kings Island could also create a cool storyline about its reemergence and tie it to The Beast.

I wouldn’t put it past Kings Island to make a late announcement for something going where SlingShot was. A small classic flat ride or a small eatery could be announced in the coming months for the location and be ready for next season. I say this because removing SlingShot was definitely a last minute decision. Since it was last minute, I doubt replacement plans were already in the works as the removal was not in the park’s long-term plan. Kings Island probably just didn’t have anything major slated for 2023 as no signs of surveying or permits being filed were seen earlier in the season. For Carowinds’ Aeronautica Landing, for example, plans were filed for the project in January. Since SlingShot was removed, though, I could see something small taking its place next year. There were markers behind it which indicates that at least something is going to happen with the plot eventually. Also, Kings Island said that SlingShot was removed for future plans. Parks plan years in advance for future projects, so the future plans Kings Island described may be relatively last minute plans. April, Richard Zimmerman said that plans were already in motion for Kings Island’s next few seasons. I highly doubt that SlingShot was ever a part of these long-term plans due to its sudden removal. A late announcement of something small to replace it would not be surprising in my opinion. A small flat or restaurant cannot be marketed like a new area or rollercoaster; so there is no rush to announce. Think Liberty Twirler at California’s Great America or Coney BBQ at Kings Island. Both of those additions were announced late.

I don’t know if we can trust them. I just posted the tweet, but I have absolutely no idea if it is accurate.

I sure hope so.

You can use the Free Fast Lane Plus every Sunday except September 4th which is Labor Day Weekend.