WoodVengeance

I think the "extreme" in the name mainly refers to the fact that it has a lot of thrilling elements you wouldn't see on a regular spinning coaster (inversions, launches, etc.)

I agree. I personally think a Mack Extreme Spinner would be the best realistic replacement for Vortex (By realistic, I mean not RMC or Intamin). Two main concerns that I have would be with capacity and price. Assuming it would likely have 16-person trains like Time Traveler and Ride to Happiness, I don't really know how well the capacity would be for a park like Kings Island even with 3 trains. Then again, it is possible Kings Island and Mack Rides could opt to do some things to increase the capacity, like having dual load and unload stations, so I don't think it would be much of a hindrance. My main concern would primarily be with cost. Mack Rides is known to be an expensive company to work with in the states, and I imagine a coaster like an Extreme Spinner would cost the park at least $25 million. Now, spending $25 million or more for a new coaster wouldn't be new to Kings Island, with the installations of Banshee and Orion being prime examples of this. Given the current state of our economy after the pandemic, however, I wouldn't be surprised if Kings Island goes with a less-expensive alternative like Vekoma or Zamperla instead. Again, I do think a Mack Extreme Spinner could easily be the best coaster in the park if the receptions for Time Traveler and especially Ride to Happiness are anything to go by. It could easily give us that true elite coaster that we've been wanting for so long, while also not interfering with anything in Cedar Point's coaster lineup. Personally, I do believe the concerns I've raised above do lessen the odds of an Extreme Spinner being our replacement for Vortex. However, I don't think those concerns are enough for it to be an impossibility. Kings Island had close to four years to think about what could be going in that land, and with the earliest opening year in my mind being 2026, they could want this coaster to be something special to make up for the long wait.

True, but that didn't stop SWO from adding 5.

I hope so. I could also see a Vekoma flyer like F.L.Y. at Phantasialand fitting that criteria too.

Also, they were one of the first to open a B&M Hyper with Apollo's Chariot.

They're marketable for different audiences. On one hand you have TT2 for the thrill seekers, while on the other you have SSBR that's for families.

That's what I was thinking too, though we also have to factor in Carowinds as well since that park is also due for a new coaster. It seems evident that 2025 will likely include two new coasters for both Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland, and I do think it's possible that 2026 could also introduce two new coasters for both Carowinds and Kings Island if Cedar Fair really wanted to. However, if Cedar Fair wanted to limit their budget for 2026 and/or focus their attention on another park, I could see 2026 being strictly for Carowinds and maybe another park besides that and then 2027 for Kings Island. I'd like to be proven wrong on this, though.

I find it interesting that the Seaworld chain is acting as a guinea pig of sorts for new B&M models. First, it was the Surf Coaster and the Family Launch Coaster for SWO. Now they're adding a Family Invert at BGT with new swinging trains.

No. Looks like they edited the colors in photoshop or some other photo-editing software.

I'd like to give my personal two cents on several options. Mack Extreme Spinner: This is what I'd personally like to see as Kings Island's next coaster, as it would give us an unique coaster not found anywhere else in the area and could also give us a potential elite coaster that doesn't overlap with anything currently at Cedar Point. The negatives I could personally see would be with capacity (I think the capacity would be okay, just not as good as something like a B&M) and the spinning being too much for the general public if it wasn't controlled. Mack Multi Launch: I could see thing being a safer alternative to the Extreme Spinner, though given the high price tag, I could see Kings Island opting to go with another manufacturer like Vekoma or Zamperla if they wanted a standard multi-launch. Vekoma Multi Launch or Tilt: If Kings Island strengthens their relationship with Vekoma after the installation of SSBR, I could see this being a feasible option. Personally I would like to see a tilt as it would give us a coaster that holds over the first drop while also being unique enough to stand out from Valravn. Given that the new-gen Tilt has yet to be fully constructed and is still in the experimental phase, I could see Kings Island playing it safe and getting a standard multi launch instead. Zamperla Multi Launch: If Cedar Fair really wants to strengthen their relationship with Zamperla, I could see this being an option, though not as likely as Vekoma. It is worth noting that Top Thrill 2 is going to be in the same state, so that may lessen the chances of one going here. B&M Dive: I personally think this is the safest option and would probably be the best-looking coaster visually to go in The Vortex plot. Although Valravn is in the same state, I don't think that's enough of a detractor for Kings Island not to get one. These types of coasters are extremely popular with the general public. B&M Wing: I don't think this would be as likely as a Dive, mainly because of how many B&M Wing Coasters already exist within the general vicinity of Kings Island (GateKeeper, X Flight, Wild Eagle and Thunderbird). A launched B&M Wing would probably be more likely, but given that two other Cedar Fair parks are rumored to add one, it might be too much if the chain got a third one for Kings Island. B&M Surf: Would be a good option if Kings Island wanted to get a new B&M coaster that Cedar Point doesn't have an answer for. Also going with what @SonofBaconator said, I would much prefer it if a surf coaster ended up in Action Zone over The Vortex plot to pay nod to the former King Cobra. However, I have heard mixed opinions regarding Pipeline at SWO. Although a lot of people seem to really enjoy the coaster, others have complained about how uncomfortable the restraints are. I don't think the restraitnts are much of a detractor since it seems to be a vocal minority, though it is worth bringing up. B&M Flyer: Again, another option Kings Island could go with if they wanted a B&M model Cedar Point doesn't have. However, I have heard this model has more maintenance issues than other B&M models and that could be the reason why Cedar Fair never built one. Probably the least likely B&M option I have listed. Gerstlauer Infinity: I don't think this is very likely due to capacity and also because of supposed issues that have been plaguing Hangime at Knott's. If Kings Island wanted a coaster with a vertical or beyond vertical drop, I imagine the park would just play it safe and get a B&M Dive over a Gerstlauer. RMC or Intamin: Unlikely options considering Cedar Fair's Relationship with both of these companies. Although it is a very small chance, I "could" see an RMC if Kings Island REALLY wanted to build one based on Son of Beast, though this is still unlikely for several reasons. It has been rumored that Cedar Fair has been interested in working with Intamin again after seeing the success of Velocicoaster, though this is still a rumor and I'll have to see it to believe it.

I would probably go left-side. If it's still early in the day, you could also try hitting up Mystery Mine and Firechaser Express if the lines for those aren't too long yet.

Personally, I would ride Lightning Rod first just so you can get the ride(s) in before it potentially closes because of maintenance issues. After that, I would go to Big Bear Mountain. I personally haven't ridden BBM yet as the last time I've been to Dollywood was 2021. From what I've seen online, it seems to be quite reliable and has pretty good capacity, so it should be much easier to get on as opposed to Lightning Rod.

Right. If a park goes out of its way to hype up a coaster removal, it probably means they have a replacement ready for it.

There was a funeral set up for Haunt 2019 shortly before they announced Vortex was getting removed.

That's what I was thinking. My speculation was that Kings Island knew they wanted to do a Camp Snoopy overhaul for the back portion of Planet Snoopy and also wanted to put in a new family coaster to round out the expansion, but they didn't know which specific coaster type or manufacturer they were going to go with yet. Multiple choices were probably laid out on the table, including a clone of Snoopy's Racing Railway at CW, but ultimately decided on the Vekoma family boomerang. Personally I like the idea of Vekoma Family Boomerang more than SRR so It's completely fine with me, and it might also open the door for Cedar Fair to do more projects with Vekoma later down the pipeline.

Possibly, though I doubt it would tell us anything new if it's just for 2023-2024 as we already know what's coming next year. The notice of commencement that was filed last year was posted before Adventure Port was officially announced, and we had a bit of speculation on it as Zamperla was listed as a company on it. Now, if we get a new notice of commencement that's labeled for 2023-2025, that would be a different scenario, especially if a new ride manufacturer is listed on it.

I admit I'm not an expert on this type of stuff, but this is just what I've observed from reading the last serveral Notice of Commencements. The Notice that was filed back in 2018 that pertained to the construction of Orion was labeled 2018-2020, which would make sense since the duration of construction would've taken place during that period of time. If SSBR was on that Notice from last year, I feel it would make more sense to have it labeled as 2022-2024, not 2022-2023. It's possible Kings Island didn't have SSBR fully planned out yet during this time last year, hence why it may have been excluded.

Vekoma likely isn't on there because SSBR is a 2024 addition and this pertains to 2022-2023. I'd also like to add that it seems apparent that some companies on there like B&M and GCI appear to be leftover from previous notice of commencements, so O'Rourke being on there might be a result of that as well or they might've been contracted to demolish Slingshot last year. Also, Kings Island has not been teasing any sort of removal for a coaster as far as I'm aware.

That's more-so an issue with Kings Island in general, not just Haunt. I can't even begin to describe the amount of sexism, racism and other derogatory behavior that I've seen teenagers take part in at Kings Island, and apparently it's still an issue even after the chaperone policy has been in-effect.

If you plan on getting to the park around opening for Haunt this year, be prepared to wait. They moved the chaperone checkpoint towards the front entrance and caused a huge bottleneck going in. I don't want to make it sound like I'm complaining that the park has a chaperone policy, as it is ultimately done for the safety of everyone and I do appreciate that the park is taking these steps to improve its security, but the delay getting into the park is definitely worth noting.

Not that I'm aware of.

Yes. It was added in the last year or two.

They said in the video that the high speed chain is being designed so the train goes over the first hill at the same speed that it did when it was launched. Everything after the launch, including the quad down, should remain the same after the transition.

I think if they wanted to do a retheme of BLSC the same year as Vortex's replacement, it will highly depend on how expensive the new coaster will be. I don't think the park would want to do a multi-million dollar renovation to BLSC if they're already spending $25+ million for a new B&M or Mack the same year. The idea I was thinking of would be to have a two-year renovation plan for Coney Mall. The first year focusing on a BLSC retheme and some new flat rides placed in the section of the park between BLSC and Diamondback. Then build a new coaster in Vortex's plot for the second year, ideally a coaster model focused on inversions.

Was that pun intentional or not?