Timchat2

The loud CLANG of the poles falling over in the KillMart queue is almost as much a sound of Haunt as the Undertaker's laugh on International Street.

The crowd is indeed small but it has been a beautiful night to be at the park. The Conjuring had no line whatsoever around 9PM but that might have been due to the new access pass procedure.

Hopefully they can save the aquarium and Seaport Village buildings in some way. It would be nice to have recreational activity in them again like a small eatery or concession stand for the new park.

Wasn't the Haunted Attractions Pass $30 on Saturdays when it was first offered? The pass is listed as $15 for all of the remaining Haunt Saturdays. The pass is $10 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Security was checking IDs at the end of International Street in addition to the check outside the gate. The Conjuring looks to be just as popular at Kings Island as the other parks so far. They seem to have tapped into a clear demand for this kind of experience.

https://www.dollywood.com/themepark/rides/nightflight-expedition This looks VERY ambitious. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

While we didn't purchase the Haunted Attractions Pass we did notice that none of the haunted houses seemed to have any lines throughout the evening on Saturday, even at peak times like the 9-10PM hour. CornStalkers looked to have the longest line, possibly due to long dispatch intervals between groups.

The park does feel more grown in but it is still a long way from having anything meaningful shade during the heat of the day. There is some noticeable wear-and-tear throughout the park. Some sections of the Celestial Park fountains were out entirely and the nighttime color-changing lights seemed to be having some issues in places (which is understandable considering the raw number of lights across the entire middle of the park). We finally ate at the Atlantic Restaurant and it was wonderful. The food, view, music, and service was some of the best we've experienced in a theme park restaurant. The dining options really are one of the Epic Universe's major strengths.

Each visit to Epic Universe has made me appreciate the park more and more, particularly in how it offers experiences and environments unique from the other UO parks. Hopefully the annual passes will include Epic soon since it will be nice to have places to hang out like Celestial Park and its various restaurants on a pleasant evening.

We took a shuttle bus during our visits. It stood out to us that they were using a full-sized touring bus one time.

With its trademark Herschend hospitality, food, entertainment, and special events, Silver Dollar City is easily one of the best regional parks in the United States.

Will any music from Phantom Theater Encore show up, even just as Easter eggs? I'd imagine "Happy Feet" would be in the mix.

Interesting to see that Universal is offering new "Deathly Afraid" necklaces equivalent to the Cedar Fair/Six Flags "No Boo" lanyards for HHN this year.

Knott's Scary Farm has reportedly cut Wednesdays from the schedule for this year, along with Six Flags Magic Mountain removing Thursday nights from the Fright Fest schedule. Those dates were originally on the calendars when the events were announced.

We had the exact same thought when we rode this. The staging almost feels like a tribute to Phantom Theater, which I suppose is possible because a number of those working on Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek were probably dark ride fans.

It appears that Six Flags Great America might be adopting the Tricks & Treats Parade from Carowinds, unless it will just be the name for their own cavalcade but not the actual floats. The park will also be getting their own version of Wake the Dead.

If the Kings Island Theater is up for grabs this would be a great opportunity to put Swingin' Into Christmas or Yuletide Follies into a venue that better suits those productions and audiences that are actually interested in watching the shows.

If logistics allowed it would have been fun to see the Spectral Sisters on an International Street balcony like how the original Spectral Sisters used an Orleans Place balcony at California's Great America. That said, the Grand Carousel Stage allows for much better audience seating than anything along the street might provide.

It's nice to see that the Spectral Sisters will be at the Grand Carousel Stage this year. That should be a much better venue for the scale and vibe of the show.

During the second quarter earnings call Brian Witherow made passing mention of four winter events that they are "unplugging". Assuming that four consists of California's Great America, Kings Dominion, Great Adventure, and Six Flags Over Georgia it appears that the remaining winter events are safe for now.

Anecdotally this season it does feel like we've had to look around a little bit more for a trash can when we needed one.

The possibility of a 2026 renewal making my 2025 dining/drink plan not to work for the rest of the year is enough to make me hesitant until issues like that get sorted out.

Considering it was built as a show venue for large-scale productions (including ice skating shows) I've wondered how Festhaus eventually became a noisy food court where some still very good shows are met with indifference by what feels likes 80% of the guests who are there mostly for chicken tenders, Panda Express, and air-conditioning.

I might have missed it in all the discussion, but does a Gold Pass renewal need to be "activated" or does that just apply to a new Gold Pass purchase?

Gilroy Gardens is a pleasant place to visit and rides like the Garlic Twirl are fun and unique. It feels very different from the usual Cedar Fair/Six Flags park.