FUN&ONLY!

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.

In 1972, Kings Island had many rides sponsored by companies and a lot of asphalt walkways. Now these sights are much more rare to see at the park. Not everything was better in 1972 when it comes to Kings Island. For me, the saddest thing to see is parts of Kings Island that are not being maintained over the years. International Street was a shell of its former self pre renovation. However, after the 2019 renovation, it looks much better. Same story with the Festhaus and the theming on Adventure Express. I don’t think Cedar Fair neglects parts of the park for the most part. However, it would be nice to see the stations and queue areas of The Beast and Adventure Express fixed up. Furthermore, like International Street, some original aspects of the park have become outdated. The entrance comes to mind. Even thought it is mostly original, it could stand to be reimagined just like International Street was.

My theory is that COVID played a role in some of the shows being cut. I noticed that only a week ago most performers in the parade did not wear masks. Now almost all performers are wearing masks. I am all for COVID precautions, but I found it interesting that many performers were wearing masks after not wearing them previously. I heard that “What the Dickens” had its run end early as the cast was affected by COVID. For the Four Drummers Drumming, two of them are still in the parade, but the other two and the show is gone. Kings Island makes all performers fill out availability before they can be hired, so it is highly unlikely Kings Island expected to have to cut these shows. I assume that in some cases, one person or multiple performers tested positive or were forced to quarantine resulting in shows being cut. I don’t think there would have been as many shows for Winterfest as were announced if Kings Island knew so many of the shows would end their runs early. I think what we are seeing is just a sign of the times unfortunately. Hopefully, things will be better in 2022 not just for Kings Island but for the world.

It seems a few changes have been made to Kings Island‘s 2022 calendar since its release. Notably, Opening Day and the following Saturdays in April have hours until 10:00 PM. These days previously had hours until only 8:00 PM. Also, it seems like for Fridays in May, the park now opens at 10:00 AM instead of the previously posted 5:00 PM. The park still closes at 10:00 PM on these Fridays.

That is great news! Did he share any other updates at the event like retracking?

It is interesting that you mention that Winterfest feels better with a decent crowd because I completely agree. I feel like everyone wants Kings Island to be completely dead when they visit, but even in the summer, I feel like when Kings Island is dead, the atmosphere and excitement are lowered tremendously. Call me crazy, but when I go to Kings Island, I prefer there to be some crowds, especially for an event like Winterfest.

I wonder when pass holder preview will be. It could be on April 15th or could it be the weekend before opening day like it was this year.

I think in general there are a lot of props/ effects that have not been kept up over the years. I think Winterfest is improving every year, but a lot of the decorations need replaced from year to year. For example, look at Brewhouse. Half the lights that are supposed to outline the building are out. The lights outlining the buildings seem to have been kept up for the most part on International Street, but they could really use some love on International Street. In addition, one of the polar bears is missing from around the Winterfest sign, probably because it wasn’t working. When a tree or prop that is clearly supposed to be lit up isn’t, it is pretty noticeable.

I don’t think any new elements are being added to The Beast, but this work is more than just retracking. If Kings Island just wanted to retract The Beast, there wouldn’t be parts of the structure torn up as well. Gravity Group reprofiled The Racer last offseason by reshaping some of the airtime hills, and I suspect they will be reshaping the some of The Beast’s turns and drops. I also wouldn’t worry too much about The Beast becoming less intense because Gravity Group only made the airtime on The Racer more intense.

I saw the pink ribbons on The Racer as well. I hope Gravity Group is working on The Racer’s second half this offseason. This would kind of explain why The Racer has not begun its repaint yet.

It was at the Planet Snoopy Grill, but now that is Ghost of Restaurant Past.

According to the Winterfest map, it doesn’t look like Tom and Chee will be returning to Kings Island for the event. The usual stand by Diamondback seems to be the new home of Reindeer Roundup this year instead of the hot chocolate stand, and the hot chocolate stand seems to be combined with the Planet Snoopy Grill this year (now it is called the Ghost of Restuarant Past). However, if you look under Other Dining Locations for Winterfest on the website, it shows an option for Tom and Chee, but the restaurant has no designated location on the map. https://cdn-cloudfront.cfauthx.com/binaries/content/assets/ki-en-us/general-information/explore/directions/ki22-026-winterfest-digital-park-map-and-guide.pdf

I was referring to the actual operation of the event which does mostly rely on seasonal labor. When it comes to preparing for Winterfest, if Kings Island contracts out a bunch of the work, I feel like they would be able to get the park flipped on whatever time table they decide. Anyways, I don’t understand why Kings Island cannot stay open after December 31st like other parks because they will already have everything set up and ready.

I doubt it was staffing. Kings Island was better off for staffing this year compared to many other parks as they never had to cut operating days. Also, how many times have you seen Kings Island advertise for Winterfest positions? I have really only see advertisements for live entertainment, so I would imagine the staffing situation is pretty good.

I thought this was cool! Flight of Fear is now actually renamed Flight of Cheer on Kings Island’s website. It would be cool if this name change is present on the Winterfest map and on the ride’s signage as well. I also am eager to see how Area 72 is decorated for Winterfest this year.

It looks like the Eiffel Tower repaint is complete!

I honestly thought the top looked yellow when I drove by Kings Island this morning, but in the evening it looked white. I assume that it looked yellow with the way the sun was shining. If the top was yellow, I assume it is new paint based on previous updates with white primer, and I think the green is definitely old paint. I think Kings Island is going to put primer on the whole tower before giving it whatever color scheme they are planning.