FUN&ONLY!

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.

We have to remember that paint also serves to protect the rollercoasters agains the environment. Adventure Express may need a just new coat of paint for protection. However, it would be nice if Adventure Express’s queue and station were repainted because they need it. Also, The Beast’s station could use some paint and stain.

I doubt Kings Island would repaint Drop Tower themselves, though. Maybe a different painting firm is also working at Kings Island? It would be weird to hire two companies though.

In Amusement Today’s latest publication, Baynum Painting provided a list of the rides they are repainting this year. For Kings Island, they are repainting the Eiffel Tower, Adventure Express, and The Racer. This does not include Flying Ace Aerial Chase or Drop Tower which we now know are also getting repainted. It is surprising that those two rides are not also on this list.

The Cedar Fair park apps aren’t too accurate though.

Cedar Fair has some new policies this year such as employees not being able to work more than 7 days in a row and employees being capped at a certain number of hours worked a day unless they volunteer to work more. These policies have definitely not helped staffing situations, but I think they were implemented to improve the work experience. A lot of employees do not enjoy working all day during Halloween Haunt, for example, which is technically no longer possible unless you volunteer to do it. I don’t know if Six Flags has similar work rules in place.

Diamondback needs a repaint very badly. It would honestly spruce up Rivertown so much as it dominates that section of Kings Island.

If the buildings get repainted, I wonder if other parts of Planet Snoopy will be renovated. Some of the color schemes and colored concrete could stand to be removed. Planet Snoopy really does need some love.

I think the top of the tower is all they have completely finished so far. Kings Island probably wanted to get the top done in time for Halloween Haunt. The ready of the tower seems like it is being prepped for a final coat of green paint.

Jokes aside, I hope he continues to fulfill his corporate position out of Kings Island. I really hope he doesn’t get relocated to Cedar Fair’s corporate offices in Sandusky or Charlotte.

Small things like this go a long way!

Halloween Haunt and Winterfest are not included for regular pass holders which is not new. If you have a Gold or Platinum Pass, though, you get admission into Halloween Haunt and Winterfest.

In terms of the buffets, COVID-19 does not seem to spread surface to surface as much as it spreads through air particles. However, there is a risk with indoor dining in general and indoor theaters. With that being said, there are many restaurants and theaters open where COVID-19 is a similar threat. Kings Island is not the only business with these risks. In addition, waiting in the indoor queue for Flight of Fear or eating in the Festhaus are similar risks, and Kings Island has allowed them all season whether it is the right decision or not.

This is surprising, but it could always be announced at a later date given that the floats are already at Kings Island. Or the website might not be fully updated yet.

That is actually a really solid lineup! Is there anything that Kings Island actually did cut since 2019? I did not notice anything personally. It is nice that Flight of Fear is also back! Also, the hours are slightly increased this year with the park opening at 4:00 PM on Saturdays!

As much as I would love for Area 72 to see some additions for next year, I don’t know how much sense it makes with Kings Island’s 50 anniversary in 2022. If Kings Island adds any new ride, I think they would bring back an old ride. An Area 72 expansion would be really cool in the future, though.

I know @Oldschool75 said something about soil samples being taken in the back of Area 72 behind Orion. Maybe it could be a new flat ride or dark ride in Area 72 for next year?

I agree that the International Showplace is looking a bit rough. It is kind of an eyesore, and I hope Kings Island gives it some love for next year.

I think this new policy at Kings Island was too allow for quicker dispatches on rides where the seatbelt really didn’t do much. Very few rides actually need a seatbelt in addition to the actual restraint, so Kings Island probably felt like it was safe enough to eliminate seat belt checks on these rides. Really, rides like Orion and Mystic Timbers probably don’t need seatbelts either. However, when the seatbelt is the only restraint on a Drop Tower, it really needs to be checked.

From earlier posts, it seems like the crowds picked up a little as the night went on, but those waits aren’t too bad for Halloween Haunt honestly.

Good point! An RMC raptor at Kings Island would be pretty low capacity. If we’re lucky it would be around Backlot Stunt Coaster’s capacity with its 12 person trains. I also doubt Kings Island would be able to operate a raptor like Six Flags does because of IROC. Anyways, when you consider a B&M 32 passenger train, each train that is dispatched holds 4x the amount of riders that the 8 seat raptor trains hold and almost 3x the riders that the 12 seat raptors hold. Even a 24 passenger train like on Mystic Timbers holds way more. A raptor just doesn’t seem plausible in my opinion. Kings Island really needs something with a higher capacity.

I hope Vortex gets a gravestone this year!

I completely agree!

I think Chef’s Plate has been a great addition, but ever since it debuted, I don’t know if I have ever seen Wishbone Grill open when it is not a Chef’s Plate day. If anyone has seen it open this year when Chef’s Plate is not going on, please let me know, but I wish Kings Island would open it up again.

I feel like this is a bad take. Planet Snoopy is out of date for sure, but the rest of the park doesn’t look too bad. What budget cuts are obvious this year at Kings Island? The only ones I can think of are closed games and less shows. I think the park still is pretty good, though, even with the pandemic. I would love if Kings Island invested more into park improvements over the next few years, but there is not much return on investment if they focus on that.