Losantiville Mining Co.

Even with this corporate move I still think the Cedar Fair playbook is still being used a lot more than the legacy Six Flags playbook. As was said above, Texas is generally becoming a more corporation-friendly state since they're trying to entice businesses to move there. This feels like a cost-saving measure than a "Six Flags is continuing to ruin everything" move. If they already had all of the space they needed in one city then there's no reason why they should stay in both. Of course there will still be a lot of folks who lament this move and claim that it's another reason why the companies never should have merged. Call me crazy, but I still trust John Reilly and his team. They can include Fiesta Texas or Knott's as a fifth park to offset the loss of CGA ;)

This past weekend we took a brief trip up to Michigan's Adventure to visit it before our passes no longer work there. Our drive up to the park wasn't too bad since we stopped for the night at a hotel in/near Lansing and set back off the next morning for the rest of the drive. My license expired and I haven't gotten my new/renewed one in the mail yet so I couldn't drive at all, but we had enough people who could drive to make it better. We arrived around 10:30/10:45AM and were able to use my Enchanted Parks app to receive a Preferred Parking placard. There were a ton of employees directing cars between the General and Preferred parking lots, but they directed us toward General Parking so we didn't get to use our placard. It was fine since the difference was only about 100ft of walking. Most of their parking spots (at least where we parked) are angled which helped to get us into the spot more efficiently with the help of the parking attendant. That's something I've only really experienced at Disney World! The park opened at 11AM as expected. I was able to scan in with my Enchanted Parks app, but my other two group members were not able to add their passes to their apps. Since EP can't scan a Six Flags QR code, the manager(?) who scanned me in directed them to the ticket window to pick up a paper receipt and scan back in using that. Once they got into the park we headed to the Guest Services counters to ask what we'd need to do to redeem our drink plans. This is where it gets interesting: at no point did the employees ask to see our passes. It was odd since they didn't even see our drink plans listed in the Six Flags app. That might just be a consequence of EP not having access to anything guests bought from SF. They said we had the option to each get a drink wristband or to each get an all-day souvenir bottle. We each went for the bottle. After that we headed to one of their stores to scout out the merchandise. There was a wide array of items, including things brought in by both Cedar Fair/Six Flags and Enchanted Parks. I enjoyed the items that had their classic logo on it with a neat "70th Anniversary" sign above it. One strange piece of merch caught my eye more than the others. It was a simple hat with the word "ENCHANTED" printed/embroidered backwards as if it were the word "AMBULANCE" on the hood of an ambulance. I wonder if that is some kind of trend or a way to make the hat stand out more. Two of us rode Drummer Boy, a teacups ride with drum shapes, and got it spinning kind of fast for a carnival ride. Cargo Loco and Tip Top (Stricker's Grove) still have it beat out, but it was fun. We stopped by their petting zoo and got to experience a nice shady part of the park with the animals. I've heard that it was just brought back this year, which I think was a positive move by Enchanted. Their train is a neat little CP Huntington (I think that's the model) like Dorney has at the top of the hill. I liked how deep it went into the woods, though it could use some maintenance to knock back the overgrowth. The stops at Grand Rapids Station and Timbertown Station were each cute little structures. I'd love to see a fountain in the pond next to GR Station if they could manage it: that might at least calm the algae growth/. Since we were short on time I didn't ride any of their roller coasters, but based on the POVs I think I might've enjoyed Wolverine Wildcat more than Shivering Timbers.

I will say that it doesn't do it every time I click into a forum, I've mainly noticed it in the Trip Reports and some of the Off-Topic forums. It could entirely be something weird on my computer if you can't find anything wrong on the website's end. Thanks for looking into it!

Mine has been doing that, but it takes be back about 10-15 posts from the start of my "unread" posts each time I click the star/circle. It's been like that for about a month so it might be an issue with how the server tracks what posts have been read by a user. I'm also still not seeing the most recent post for a few topics, but it appears to be better than it was before I went on my trip this past weekend.

I agree that they need a new wood coaster (especially one like Don said), but even a new wood coaster would cost a lot of money that Six Flags doesn't really have. Plus, the park is already stacked with its current lineup as long as they don't remove anything yet. Maybe once they get their Fast Lane queues and general staffing issues more under control then I'd be more open to the idea. I personally think their next addition should be a large Phantom Theater-style dark ride though.

The new design looks really good! It may just be my setup, but I am having a little trouble with the forum previews showing the wrong post as being most recent and having the correct number of pages. For example, the 2026 KI Discussion only showed 18 pages until I made a post to it. Only then did it show me the 2-3 posts on page 19 alongside mine. Again, this might only be on my end but it's something to watch out for. Keep up the good work!

A lot of new wood track on Blue Streak would be really nice to see instead of a whole new coaster!

Am I missing something? What was Tony Clark's position called if it wasn't Regional PR director/manager? It would be nice to have the park-specific positions back either way.

If you're meaning benefits like the VIP Lounge access and early entry, then yes. I don't know if you can use your two annual free BAF tickets away from your home park though.

One of you may know better than I do on this: What are the odds that the legacy Cedar Fair parks stop using the current style of plastic shopping bag next year? Every bag I've gotten with a purchase from Kings Island this season has had all of the old Cedar Fair parks on it, including Michigan's Adventure, Valleyfair, and Worlds of Fun. Would it be standard practice to just use them into next season until they run out — even though those parks are no longer in the chain — or is there a chance that Six Flags has to now redesign/buy new bags? I still have a bag from years ago with Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom on it, but I don't remember when I would've gotten it. Some of the legacy Six Flags parks could also use new bags. The one I got from Chicago's Great America is from 2017 and very much looks the part. I did get a nice brown paper bag from Six Flags America last year, but it had the old SF logo on it which I would hate to see more of in the Cedar Fair parks.

I'd take an incredibly well-themed "family" coaster (in quotes because Orion was also allegedly a family coaster) over a high-thrill coaster, but I think Werewolf Gorge is going to set a theming baseline that Kings Island has yet to reach. There should be more than just posters and props in the queue cattlepens. It plays into my "Kings Island should be a good theme park" ideology, although despite my repeating of this idea I still have a lot more to say on the matter. Nightflight Expedition in particular would be a great base that seems similar to the suspended powered coaster concept found on the most recent round of ride surveys. Hence why I keep pushing for a new park company to be spun off of Six Flags XD A brand new KECO would be nice, but I'd take someone who continues to treat Kings Island well and expand the passholder/ticket base. (I know Six Flags has said KI is their most penetrated park. I'm almost certain that there is still a way to expand passes and ticket sales even more that doesn't require giving away the gate!)

It will be where Hotel St. Michelle was in Action Theater.

I think they will hold the line on the current pass prices being the lowest for 2027 prices. Where the company could backtrack is with the inclusion of drink plans and/or meal deals. We'll still see a lot of complaints no matter what, but then again there are many people online who don't seem to understand what the word "sale" means.

The new Unlimited option works at all parks with a Prestige Pass/Membership, it's only with a Gold Pass/Membership that it only works within your region.

Double post to separate my thoughts from the announcement. I think a new scare zone may come in 2027 or 2028 after some of the other mazes are replaced. There were a few parks that announced 4+ new experiences (mazes, scare zones, and shows) today and I'm hoping that Kings Island will see some of that same love in the coming years. We desperately need some more shows and a few new scare zones (that aren't just a short/narrow pathway); although I have a feeling that some of the legacy Six Flags parks also needed that as well. Kings Dominion is now going to host their own Wake the Dead show in the Kings Dominion Theater, so maybe it will be a test run for KI to have it as well? I think it would mostly fit in front of the Tinker's Jingle Bell Ball set depending on how the character blocking is done. That "Die-In Movie" concept would be really cool as long as they still manage to have a good place for the ride graveyard. Set up almost all of the same items as for Winterfest, but change out a few props and make the movie clips be classic horror films. I'm also a little sad that there was no Phantom Theater overlay announced — not that it ever had a chance of happening in the first place — but the opportunity for it will remain open if the park ever chooses to do so. An easy seasonal ride reprogramming is the kind of thing that I think Six Flags would be up for since it wouldn't require much after the initial setup.

The website has been published, featuring the two new Halloween Haunt experiences for 2026! New this year are Jason: Blood Reign and Metal Massacre. These mazes are included with the purchase of a Haunted Attractions Pass or a Haunted Attractions Express Pass. All-Season HAP/HAEP are available for purchase online and are only valid for admission to mazes within a guest's home park. Note: The Conjuring: Beyond Fear is a separate charge attraction and is not included with either Haunted Attractions Pass option. Official website: https://www.sixflags.com/kingsisland/events/halloween-haunt While I'm still a little upset at the lack of a new show and the retention of the game show on the bandstand, I think the two new mazes will be great and worth the money that the park is spending on them.

I'll share a little something in the spoiler...

I guess that depends on what you mean by "major investment". If Six Flags is on a new timeline where each region gets one major investment per year then I think we'll be waiting until 2030, but if they can improve the financial situation then we may see something around 2028 or 2029. Some of this will be dependent on 2027 pass sales. The company knows that guests are not satisfied with the current state of things and I bet John Reilly is going to do his best to keep the ship upright and sailing forward. I can see more parks being sold off sooner rather than later — I just hope we don't see another sale to EPR and/or Enchanted Parks. The amusement/theme park field needs some new competition. This is a really nice thing to read after a period of a lot of folks being upset (and maybe antagonistic) with the park! There's still a good enough product at the base, it just needs some more thoughtful TLC (and money) to get it up to a more enjoyable state.

I feel like the United parks aren't doing too hot either, especially with the Sesame Workshop issues and the degraded quality of experience. Herschend and a lot of the independent parks do seem to be doing very well though. I'm glad Holiday World is continuing to spice up their offerings! They seem like a real gem of a park!!

I believe that is Sir Pretzel, the newest addition to the cast of phantoms.

Tip Top is possibly my favorite ride in the park, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! The world needs more of that ride type and I wish a manufacturer would start producing them again.

After doing some sleuthing on the park's website, I believe we will be seeing a second new maze with this one replacing Cornered. I won't spoil the name or theme here. While there is still reference to The Conjuring, it appears that this might no longer be a separately-ticketed attraction. I'd understand if that's the case but it was really cool having that experience. That said, this is not yet a finished webpage. International Street Fear has also been removed from the lineup of Scare Zones. For anyone counting, that's seven mazes (one might be a separate upcharge), four scare zones, and three shows. Last year's Haunt was very nice to see since they added the two new experiences. It's clear to me that the park is still trying to improve the event. Two new mazes and only one lost scare zone? That doesn't sound too bad for a company that's bleeding money like Six Flags is. Six Flags has some fun IP maze themes coming to their parks, including: Jason, The Conjuring, Blair Witch, The Strangers, Final Destination, and Diablo. I will express my dissatisfaction with the current lineup of shows, however this lineup plays into the current cycle of each show having a 2-year contract. Nytewalkers (also coming to Magic Mountain this Fall) is beginning their third cycle, Ghouls Gone Wild is on year 2 or 3, and I believe the game show is on year 3. You can't ask for the world from a company that is still nearly $5 billion in debt. I'd love to have seen Wake the Dead come to Kings Island this year since it doesn't require as big of a cast or crew as something like Nytewalkers. Again, what I saw was not the finished webpage.

The current stage scene is smaller than the original, and is also smaller than the library scene that existed in SDatHC and BBoBH. I wish they could've scaled down the animatronics and made the room feel bigger.

So I know we were discussing Tony Clark and his Regional PR duties in another thread, but this might fit better here. Someone posted a fun little I-Spy a Gold Pass game to the Cedar Point page on Facebook that included the following image that I will let you all guess about before you read on. This photo, again posted a little over an hour ago, is from 2008. In it you can see Son of Beast still standing and operating with a sizeable queue line (no loop though), Firehawk and Vortex are still standing, Nickelodeon orange and green are splattered across what is now Planet Snoopy and Camp Snoopy, and Diamondback has just barely begun to take over the former Swan Lake. I personally find this photo to be really cool, but it is very much a bad photo to have used due to its age. Nobody could find an aerial photo of the park from after 2020? A lot has been added to and removed from the park in those eighteen years. I brought up Tony Clark because I have to wonder how someone (presumably) under his department could have let a photo this old get through to being posted as if it was representative of the current park. (Here's one of the jokes I've been thinking after I saw this photo: "Haha look! I can see a whole lot more trees and no overflowing trash cans". I never claimed it'd be a good joke.)

I'm looking into purchasing an All-Season Haunted Attractions Pass for myself this year. The timing of my purchase will depend on whether we buy it with my pass/membership or not. Guest Services told me that I can add it to my 2026 pass without worrying how it will transfer/not transfer to my 2027 pass/membership. If I end up having an issue then I'll just go to GS and politely ask how I can fix it there. I have a feeling that some section of the park-going population will still boycott the mazes since they're an upcharge. There's a chance that the lines will all be longer this year due to the early-bird price as well, but with the amount I go I think it'll pay for itself. Side note: I am going to try to make a comprehensive post sharing the pass changes between parks now that most parks have released them (I believe Six Flags Mexico is the only park left who hasn't put 2027 passes on sale). It will include the changes to the Dining Plan(s), Fast Lane, park lineups, and which parks look like they will use FunPix vs other systems.