FUN&ONLY!

I assume now that those shipping containers are for setting up the drone show based off other comments. I think @Shaggy was just trolling with saying he caught wind of something and to set our expectations high. He was probably alluding to the Vortex site being the launch area for the drone show as others have indicated.

How can we set our expectations for anything, though? We know nothing and nothing has been teased, but I guess @Shaggy heard something. @disco2000, is Kings Island just using Vortex’s plot of land to launch the drones?

Are you trolling or being serious?

While Mystic Timbers does use Southern Yellow Pine for the structure, at least some of the track uses IPE wood that is supposed to be much stronger than Southern Yellow Pine.

I didn’t notice any markings around the area, but I doubt a future attraction for that area is that far along. The marking are usually seen right before digging is done, but I think Kings Island might just be taking soil samples in the area which is conducted way before digging occurs. It will be interesting to watch what happens over the next few weeks and years, though.

I agree that Kings Island looks way better than it has in years. However, I noticed that the Orion soundtrack is not blasting around Area 72 like it once did. It seems like some of the speakers are out because it is hard to hear anything. Also, the Orion soundtrack no longer plays in the station for Orion which is disappointing. Hopefully the park notices, so these things can get fixed soon. Also, I noticed that The Racer’s turnarounds were not completely repainted. Sure the track has been repainted, but the actual structure looks pretty bad. Only parts of the structure visible in the park were repainted. I hope that Kings Island is holding back because they are planning track work for next year, but it is noticeable that the whole ride was not repainted when riding. Lastly, the Fun TV’s around the park and even some of the TV’s with theming in Mystic Timbers’ queue are not working. I personally think it looks bad that so many TV’s are out in addition to the interactive display boards around the park. It gives the effect that Kings Island is negligent with upkeep. These criticisms are not merely digs at the park. Kings Island has been doing a great job with making the park look great recently, and I want the park to look the best it possibly can.

The mower might mean more than you think. I don’t believe the grass on The Vortex plot of land has ever been cut, but I noticed a section of it was mowed earlier today. I think it is plausible that the equipment could be used for taking soil samples in preparation for the planning of a new attraction. I think soil samples are taken 2-3 years before a new attraction opens, so it would make sense if Kings Island was planning to open a Vortex replacement in 2022 or 2023.

My fear is that this area will sit vacant for a while because it seems like SlingShot was not planned to be removed. I don’t know if the plot of land is big enough for a large restaurant, but a flat ride would be nice.

I walked past SlingShot on Saturday and was happy to see that it got a repaint. I don’t mind too much that it is being removed, but it would have been nice to see the paint used on other things.

Der Spinnen Keggers 2023!

Wasn’t the whole ride or at least the ball repainted this past off-season?

Still, I feel like most kids being dropped off are going with friends, and they do this every once in a while. While SOME people may use Kings Island as a daycare, I feel like that is a rather small minority and, like others have said, those kids that do go there everyday are likely not the ones causing problems. Kings Island can raise prices of season passes, add blockout dates on season passes for busy days like Halloween Haunt, and get rid of dining plans, and it likely would attract a more premium, ticket buying crowd. However, changes like this would likely not go over well with passholders, the park’s most loyal supporters. While raising prices and taking away some perks could result in a better in-park experience (lighter crowds and shorter food lines), it is hard for people to see the value in something like that when they have to pay more for what may seem like less. Therefore, many passholders would be angry if the park chose to go that route because the benefits of such changes would not be immediately realized. However, while I don’t think big thrill rides draw a reckless crowd, I think events like Halloween Haunt can. The Winterfest crowd could not be any more different than the Halloween Haunt crowd. I think an immersive Halloween event in the style of Winterfest would do wonders for Kings Island. Maybe something like the new Tricks and Treats events at California’s Great America and Valleyfair would be nice. I think Halloween Haunt in its current form is getting outdated, and I think a more immersive experience like with Winterfest would be better.

Who is actually just dropping their kids off at Kings Island everyday? I personally don’t know anyone. The people (kids included) that likely do frequent Kings Island weekly are generally fans of the park and actually care for the park. The vast majority of incidents appear to happen on Saturdays when the crowd consists of people that do not go to Kings Island very often. I just don’t see why someone who goes to Kings Island daily would pick fights, line jump, and take their phones out on rides. They would know better than most the consequences of such actions. I don’t think we can blame the problem on Kings Island being used as a daycare because I don’t think it is being used in such a way.

I like the history walk, but I wish Kings Island replaced the pavers in Tower Gardens as well. Hopefully, the park cleans them at least.

While it is still bad stuff like this is happening, the park has come a long way since last year. When large fights broke out last year, Kings Island could not keep it under control and had to shut the park down early. Now it seems like these fights are being put down quickly. Security has definitely improved dramatically over the past year, and it is noticeable. I commend Kings Island for that.

I think the entirely of The Racer has now been repainted or will soon be completed. I think The Racer could seriously be a top Kings Island coaster if the second half received the same re-profiling that the first half did. I REALLY hope Kings Island still re-profiles the second half for next year. It would make it WAY better than it is now.

The Racer’s outward run is very smooth and has good airtime. However, the return trip that Gravity Group did not touch is still pretty rough. I wish Gravity Group would address the return trip because as of now, a lot of the general public considers The Racer to be a rough and uncomfortable ride.

I believe The Beast also got a new controls system.

Does Kings Island still have paper park maps this year besides the 50th Anniversary Park Map that was only offered on April 29th? I personally haven’t seen any, but I hope they still exist.

In the first picture, have those two storage containers always been there in The Vortex plot of land behind the fence?

What a lot of people don’t realize is that while Orion malfunctioned, there are so many redundant safety measures with the ride and operator training that ultimately saved the ride from an accident. In this case, the emergency stop was likely used which employees are trained to use whenever something is wrong. Kudos to whoever stopped the ride when they noticed the issue.

Many rides like Diamondback go down for minor things all the time. Diamondback wasn’t down long, so I assume whatever issues it was having were fixed quickly by maintenance.

I do believe Valravn’s controls were done by Consign. I think you are correct in that Irvine Ondrey did the controls for Mystic Timbers, but I think Consign did the controls for other GCI’s.

True. I think Kings Island is watching the situation closely, and they will probably make a statement gif the speculation gets beyond a threshold. They did make a statement last year when water dummies flew out of Orion because people were speculating that the ride was malfunctioning when it was just undergoing some sort of testing.

They have not released a statement, and I don’t know if they have any plans to. While something obviously went wrong, I don’t know if the trains physically touched. Kings Island could just say that there was a technical issue and that the trains never came into contact with each other.