FUN&ONLY!

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.

The passes being rolled over probably doesn’t have a ton to do with the revenue for this period. If I recall correctly, season passes usually weren’t for sale in July and and early August in 2019. Also, passes have now gone on sale for 2022 with those sales being strong, so the purchase of new passes is being counted for this year. There was likely a reduction in the number of operating days because some of the smaller parks were only open five days a week, so that was probably a big factor. I don’t know if any other parks did this, but Kings Island also cut Friday nights when they went weekend only operations. This wasn’t due to the pandemic, through, because these days were cut when Kings Island first released their 2020 calendar.

Xtreme Skyflyer wouldn’t look any better in Coney Mall in my opinion.

I feel like Vortex’s spot deserves better. I agree that Action Zone needs some live though, but I don’t think Xtreme Skyflyer belongs in Coney Mall or Rivertown. If Kings Island chooses to expand where Xtreme Skyflyer is, I would prefer it to just be removed entirely. Both Slingshot and Xtreme Skyflyer are kind of ugly rides in my opinion, and I would love for them to be replaced with better rides.

If anyone has seen it recently, how is the Eiffel Tower looking? If so, can we determine what color it is going to be. I have seen some pictures where the Eiffel Tower is partially bronze color, but I don’t know if that is actually how it is going to be.

I think anything in that immediate area would create a bottleneck unless KillMart were to be removed. That “clearing” gets very close to the midway games and practically blocks the midway.

I doubt something is going to go right there because that would be a huge bottleneck. If I had to guess, KillMart will probably be demolished and something is going to go there. I know KillMart is currently listed on Kings Island's website as a Halloween Haunt, but I guess the building could be demolished after Halloween Haunt. If they aren’t planning to demolish KillMart, maybe it is simply for utility work. If they just put something right where the pavers are being removed like a queue for KillMart, I think that would be terrible.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually like the more family oriented approach. I like how Tricks and Treats Fall Fest throughout the entire park instead of just The Great Pumpkin Fest in Planet Snoopy. I know some people miss the mazes, and I understand that. I wish Kings Island would focus on building mazes that are outside of the midways and hidden from the rest of the park. Since Wolf Pack is not returning, I kind of hope the old Son of Beast is demolished because it is an eyesore in my opinion.

Carowinds brought back 10:00 AM openings in the fall. 11:00 AM openings aren’t too bad, but I do miss that one extra hour. At least Kings Island is closing at 8:00 PM on Sundays this year. It has been as early as 7:00 PM some years.

We have to consider that Cedar Fair said they are investing 175-200 million into 2022 projects. On the other hand, in 2019, they announced that they were investing $140 million for 2020 projects (I am not sure if this included hotels and adjacent development). Cedar Fair’s 2020 projects included Orion, South Bay Shores at California’s Great America, Camp Snoopy at Michigan’s Adventure, Cedar Point’s anniversary celebration, Knott’s Berry Farm’s anniversary celebration, and tons of water park investments. Cedar Fair supposedly is investing even more this time around. However, it seems like a big chunk of it is going towards renovating hotels. I don’t know if Cedar Fair plans to announce anything else major, but I could see a lot of parks focusing on park improvements which can sometimes be better than getting new rides in my opinion.

I really don’t mind Tower Drinks being closed, but I am honestly surprised with how many Coca-Cola Refresh Stations have been open this year. I have seen locations open that I rarely see open quite regularly this year. I think there have probably been a decent number of days where every single Refresh Station has been open.

Even if you have a breakthrough infection, chances are it will be a very mild case of COVID-19. About 97% of the people in hospitals for COVID-19 are people that are unvaccinated. Obviously, children under the age of 12 are not eligible to be vaccinated at this time, but there are still many eligible people out there that aren’t vaccinated. There is a reason why states with lower vaccination rates are seeing spikes larger than states with higher vaccination rates. In June, it seemed like we were finally coming out of the pandemic, but since vaccination rates weren’t high enough to reach herd immunity, mutated strains like the Delta Variant have been allowed to move through the population. Now it feels like the United States is moving backwards from our earlier progress. At this time, vaccination is the best way to get back on track. https://www.npr.org/2021/07/16/1017012853/97-of-people-entering-hospitals-for-covid-19-are-unvaccinated

My problem with the Queue Times website and the Cedar Fair park apps, for that matter, is that the wait times are not updated frequently enough. A ride like Millennium Force could go down, clearing the line, and when it reopens the wait might be only 10 minutes when it is recorded and posted on the app. Also, the wait times for other ride could be exaggerated. It is unlikely that the wait for Corkscrew is 105 minutes when the wait for Millennium Force is only 44 minutes.

My best advice would be calling Kings Island because they will probably be able to assist you remotely. I don’t think you should have to go to the park to address this problem.

Kings Dominion announced yesterday that they are introducing the Winterfest Wonderland Parade for this season. I actually really like this addition, and I hope it will also eventually be rolled out to Kings Island because it would really add to the event in my opinion.

If I were to guess, I think we would see a new indoor dining facility in Planet Snoopy when they decide to add a new attraction there or renovate the entire area. I could see Kings Island adding another new restaurant somewhere else, though, for next year. Weren’t there supposedly markers by the KillMart building last year? Maybe a new restaurant could go there. I think Kings Island could also try to bring back food items from the past for its 50th anniversary.

The recent repainting of the buildings in Coney Mall, the buildings on International Street, and Rivertown Pizza look really nice. I am glad the Eiffel Tower is also going to be repainted soon. I hope that Kings Island continues repainting buildings and attractions like some of the buildings in Rivertown and Diamondback.

Kings Island has to get it repainted now, so the paint crews can focus on The Racer in March and April (I hope that is the case).

I am really glad the Eiffel Tower is being repainted, and I really hope we still see it decorated for Halloween Haunt and especially Winterfest. If I had to guess, the usual lighting will go away once the repainting begins, so it will be interesting to see it dark at night. I don’t know how long the repainting will take, but since they are starting on it so soon, maybe it will be done in time for Winterfest? I don’t know if Kings Island will be able to decorate it for Halloween Haunt, but I am still really glad it is being repainted. I don’t mind missing out on decorations when Kings Island is using that time to improve the park.