FUN&ONLY!

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.

I drove by Kings Island today. The park looked about as crowded as it does on a rainy weekday in the summer. This is with Soak City closed too. I am kind of shocked. Kings Island should not be this dead on a beautiful Saturday. I assume a lot of people didn’t know it was open today.

I do see your side of the argument. I know Fast Lane is expensive, but if you do fork over the money, you really can ride everything unlike at Cedar Point. However, when you go with a larger family (like in your situation), it isn’t very practical to buy that many Fast Lane passes and spend a small fortune. I do think the Gold Passes are a little too cheap. Fast Lane should never cost more than the price of all season entry into the park and a Fast Lane pass that you get when buying or renewing a Gold Pass. In your situation, the best bet it to go on a rainy Halloween Haunt day, but that is almost impossible to plan for in advance. Nevertheless, if you decide to go, I hope you enjoy your time even if it is crowded.

It may have been biased, but the Golden Ticket Awards are also pretty biased. Neither award truly means anything important.

I know people don’t like going on crowded days, but crowds are what bring in the revenue. There are more people paying admission, go food, and for Fast Lane. If Kings Island did not see huge crowds, we wouldn’t have received rides like Diamondback, Banshee, Mystic Timbers, and Orion. I actually like seeing the park really busy because I know that it what we need to get more investment in the future. Also, when the park is busy, it is still possible to have fun. I always know too that I can come back on a rainy day or a weekday when crowds will be lighter if not very, very minimal. But I know many people only can visit Kings Island once per year. These people could either be greeted with light crowds or heavy crowds, but either way, I still think it is possible to have fun without getting every attraction in. For people worried about getting all of the rides and attractions in, Kings Island offers Fast Lane which is actually a really good value on crowded days. I know a lot of people want to go particularly during Halloween Haunt, and with the limited operating days, it is nearly impossible to go when crowds are light. That’s just the unfortunate reality of the event, however, and adding days to their Halloween Haunt schedule wouldn’t be practical for Kings Island. Unlike other states, workers under the age of 18 can’t drive past 11:00 PM on school nights in Ohio. This is probably why Cedar Point is only staying open until 10:00 PM on Sundays instead of 12:00 AM like Canada’s Wonderland, Carowinds, and Kings Dominion. I still don’t understand how Cedar Point is managing to stay open until 12:00 AM on Thursday nights, but I assume that they can still get the needed staff because they don’t open until the evening.

Didn’t Orion win best new attraction of 2020 last year from USA Today? I believe the results included everything else in the top five but Velocicoaster, so that just shows how different these results are. The funny thing is, most people would tell you they enjoyed Orion more this year than last year, but Orion is ranked lower this year.

Congratulations to Kings Island! I know what many people are going to say in regards to cutting mazes, but in Kings Island’s view, they think they must be doing something right. I do actually think Kings Island’s fall lineup is better this year than ever before because now there is both the Tricks and Treats Fall Fest and Halloween Haunt. I know Kings Island cut two mazes from Halloween Haunt, but I think Tricks and Treats Fall Fest more than makes up for it. As to why Kings Island won the award for Halloween Haunt, this award is like a golden ticket. It really doesn’t mean anything.

There are also apparently many people who think Phoenix is the best wooden rollercoaster and that Candymonium is a top five steel rollercoaster. Opinions like this are very subjective. I think the general consensus is, though, that Orion is still a very good ride and at least better than Candymonium. Also, Texas Stingray I feel like is barely talked about. More people talk about Mystic Timbers which is now four years old.

I have actually never heard of their food before. I have never been there, but I never would assume Knoebel’s had the best food. Now I want to try it! LOL! I do think some of the other awards are kind of off-point, though. Some of their rankings are really bizarre.

Even Steel Vengenace isn’t the best steel coaster according the Golden Ticket Awards! LOL! I think Orion is a great addition, and I think after some initial pushback, the general consensus is that it is an amazing ride. However, I do hope Kings Island steps out of their comfort zone for their next rollercoaster. They haven’t really tried to test the limits since Son of Beast, but it would be cool if they tried something really innovative. Diamondback, Banshee, Mystic Timbers, and Orion are all great rides, but they were not anything truly groundbreaking.

I don’t think it is poor showing, and I don’t think it accurately represents the parks. Like how good is Six Flags Great Adventure’s Christmas event that it ranks above Kings Island. How good is Knoebel’s food? I think Orion should have been higher, but this list is not the end all be all. I know Mystic Timbers won the best new attraction of 2017, but it still is subjective. If we looked at these results objectively, it is really sad that Kings Island couldn’t build a better wooden rollercoaster in 2017 than a 1940’s PTC relocated wooden rollercoaster.