FUN&ONLY!

I think that picture was taken today. Yesterday, there was no scaffolding or anything by the sign. I am not sure the sign will be done in time for opening day, but we shall see.

It is way better than some previous banners. Besides the banners for Banshee and Orion, most years, the banners have just included advertisements for meal plans and FunPix. Even in 2017 when Mystic Timbers opened, only one-third of the banner space was dedicated to the new ride. The rest was just advertisements. This 50th anniversary banner looks way better in comparison to past entrance banners at Kings Island.

While the sign did not look that bad, it was starting to show some wear recently. It is nice to see the sign getting some attention or maybe even a makeover for Kings Island’s 50th anniversary.

I honestly don’t think Cedar Fair would ever do a continuous moving station in a rollercoaster. I think it goes against the IROC policies they follow. Six Flags does not follow the same protocols as Cedar Fair.

The only area of the park that currently has openings for flat rides is that one area behind the Eiffel Tower. I don’t know if flat rides is the answer, but that walkway behind the Eiffel Tower is perhaps the worst looking area in the park.

Park Fans just released leaked blueprints for a new aviation themed area being added to Carowinds in 2023. This follows a survey Carowinds sent out in early 2020 asking guests if they would prefer a new aviation area or an arts themed area. Also, earlier this year, Carowinds filed a permit for modifications to the existing Crossroads area of the park that this area is replacing. This area seems like it will be very nice once it opens at it will likely be as well themed as Blue Ridge Junction at Carowinds and Jungle X-Pedition at Kings Dominion. I love when parks completely transform areas of a park with all-new theming, and I hope Kings Island takes notes with Planet Snoopy, Soak City, and especially, Action Zone. Hopefully recent repainted in Planet Snoopy and Action Zone do not limit this possibility. Area 72 is nice, but it is not on the level of Blue Ridge Junction or Jungle X-Pedition, and a big reason why is because it is much smaller. What are your thoughts on Carowinds’ 2023 plans for their new aviation area? (I think an aviation area would really work at Kings Island with Dayton and its history in flight nearby). Link to Area Plans: Link to Permit:

I want to know more about the Golden Celebration. Unfortunately, I don’t think we will see a parade, but I am excited to find out what’s in store when it comes to entertainment and shows.

Orion? It looks fine to me! In all seriousness, I haven’t seen any updates of Adventure Express’ repaint. I want to assume it will be a quicker repaint with just the track needing repainted, but I know it is a tricky ride to repaint from the KI Central podcast with Baynum Painting. I wonder if the repaint has already happened, is ongoing, or will start after The Racer is complete.

The Festhaus as it is does really well for the park based on how many people eat there. I really do like the concept of a Harmony Hall at Kings Island, but I think it is more realistic that Kings Island builds a separate dining hall similar to Harmony Hall than converting the Festhaus into one. Appearance wise, the Festhaus has recently undergone many improvements with a patio added to the back, a new facade, and now some interior refurbishments. New shows and better food options would be nice, but based on how the building is set up, it may be hard to have as many food locations as Harmony Hall without major renovations and maybe a sacrifice of seating.

I doubt this is happening, but it would be really nice if new landscaping was added to this area behind the Eiffel Tower and the asphalt was taken out. Like others have mentioned, pavers would make this area look a million times better.

This makes a lot of sense. The fact that Cedar Fair has had concept art created for Tricks and Treats shows that they are putting some effort into the new event. As for why California’s Great America and Valleyfair were selected to run this new event, it is probably because Cedar Fair believes the response at these parks will be representative of the other parks in the chain. Cedar Fair is not just running this event at their smallest parks. If that were the case, Dorney Park and Worlds of Fun would get Tricks and Treats before California’s Great America. The selection of California’s Great America and Valleyfair seems very deliberate. Cedar Fair has tested multiple events/parades at other parks before a larger rollout including Winterfest, Grand Carnivale, and the Winterfest Wonderland Parade.

That is true, but Cedar Fair still needs to get some specialty parts from Intamin. I saw online that the crates from Intamin were for a replacement of Millennium Force’s cable lift, but I have no way to verify that statement.

I don’t know, but I think there is a real possibility these crates are fake. Cedar Point loves to troll enthusiasts during Winter Chill Out, so it would not surprise me if this was a joke. Also, if Millennium Force gets new trains or another new part, it does not necessarily mean Intamin and Cedar Fair are working together again. Cedar Fair probably has to purchase parts from Intamin all the time for their rides. That being said, I do want Cedar Fair and Intamin to work together again on new rides. New Intamin LSM launch coasters like Velocicoaster seem to not only be very good rides but also reliable.

I do like the idea of the expanded Tricks and Treats event California’s Great America and Valleyfair are hosting. It seems like a Winterfest-type Halloween event. At least Halloween Haunt is getting replaced by something decent looking. It would be nice if Kings Island could host the expanded Tricks and Treats event and Halloween Haunt, but I think The park will instead host Halloween Haunt and the toned down version of Tricks and Treats.

I am already hoping that SeaWorld does not buy Cedar Fair. If Six Flags were to get involved, I think that would be even worse.

I love the idea of putting in different attractions, but there is something special about seeing a massive coaster dominate the pathway between Coney Mall and Rivertown. Vortex’s placement was visually stunning. That being said, I would like some attention given to the area if a new coaster (or anything) is put there. It would be nice if the Sprite Three-Point Challenge was removed and Backlot Stunt Coaster was freshened up (a re-theming would be ideal). I also assume when Vortex is replaced that Diamondback will receive a re-paint and maybe some love given to the arcade in Rivertown as well. I think something like a log flume would be ideal where Tomb Raider building is, but that is just my opinion.

I think Planet Snoopy just needs a complete refresh. A new restaurant would be nice for sure. Things like pavers would go a long way too.

In Kings Island: A Ride Through Time, Mike Koontz mentioned how he wanted to add something to Planet Snoopy and Soak City before replacing Vortex. We know 2022 is going to solely be focused on Kings Island’s 50th Anniversary. If what Mike Koontz said is still the plan, 2023 could very well be a Planet Snoopy addition/overhaul or a Soak City addition/overhaul. 2024 could be whatever doesn’t come in 2023. So I think 2025 might be the next big coaster. Kings Island could also just add something small to both Planet Snoopy and Soak City in one year like with what Canada’s Wonderland did for 2020. However, a lot of people (myself included) would like to see Planet Snoopy and Soak City get a lot of love (some TLC would be nice). That being said, plans change. Maybe Kings Island wants to focus on even more areas before investing in a new coaster. Maybe Kings Island feels the need to build a new coaster sooner. Those are all definitely possibilities, but here is what I am thinking: 2022 - 50th Anniversary Celebration 2023 - Planet Snoopy OR Soak City Investment 2024 - Whatever Does Not Come in 2023 2025 - New Coaster Alternate Timeline: 2022 - 50th Anniversary Celebration 2023 - Small Planet Snoopy AND Soak City Investment 2024 - New Coaster

I was thinking something along those lines too relating to park improvements. However, the person did say his friend said it was a project for a new ride, but who knows. It could be a project full of internal upgrades and other park improvements which includes a new ride or attraction.

This could definitely mean something, but as for what Project Soul is or when it is coming, I have no clue. Also, I assume there are projects going on (or in the planning phases) all the time that nobody outside of Cedar Fair knows about. This is pretty interesting though. As for why the name “soul” was used, I am very curious. Project X kind of made sense with X-Base, but I have no clue what Project Soul is supposed to mean or hint at.

The Beast has a pretty short queue line, but the station queue is still used if needed. It was open numerous times last year on busy days, but even with the station queue, the line can overflow pretty far towards the arcade.

Select positions started at $18 an hour, but the base pay was $15 an hour. However, in the fall, the wages were increased and bonuses introduced to attract and keep enough employees for Halloween Haunt. I expect wages and bonuses to happen again in the fall because Kings Island is always struggling with staffing that time of year, and I know they have done bonuses for years now.

Last year, I believe Kings Island had just over 4,000 seasonal positions available for for the 2021 season. It’s great to see Kings Island hiring 5,000 employees again especially at $15 an hour.

Some days throughout the year, The Racer’s queue overflows and stretches far into the Coney Mall midway. I think Kings Island should reconfigure the queue so that the two separate queues are combined into one big queue.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Orion, but how is a ride like Orion that much different than Fury 325 when it comes to the ages the rides appeal to and intensity. Both rides have 300+ foot drops which will scare off a large portion of guests. The difference in height between the rides likely does not make much of a difference when it comes to the audiences they attract. Orion’s height is also not why people complain criticize it. People criticize Orion because of its length. Besides height, the main difference between Orion and Fury 325 is that Fury is longer. Fury 325 is similar to Orion when it comes to intensity. Fury is just longer and has more elements. Kings Island could have made a ride that was very re-rideable and appealed to the same audience as Orion but just longer. I really do believe that the team at Kings Island wanted to make a giga that could be ridden over and over again and attracted a wide audience, but I don’t feel like that is the whole story. I feel like Kings Island had to work within a budget which didn’t allow them to make it as long as Fury 325.