coastergoblin

What does this even mean? Is this beef between you two a publicity stunt? WWE style theatrics to build up hype for the show? (Ryan blink four times in the next episode during the first listener question if Don is holding you hostage at gun point, we’re here for you buddy.)

Is Ryan continuing with the podcast? According to the deleted tweets, or screenshots, it seems like there definitely is some internal disagreements between you two over the targeting and criticizing of public figures at the park on your shared Tower Topics twitter. Definitely feel like this should be addressed before releasing a new episode, as to simply skim by is a disservice to fans.

I have a question for you, Don. https://www.reddit.com/r/KingsIsland/s/rOI8HBusjc Are you going to address this? Need confirmation this is real or fake, would hate to see your relationship with Ryan strained over something so trivial.

Anyone know what happened to domestic B&M quality control? https://x.com/atlsloan/status/1871578281230922034?s=42

Well folks, permits have been filed for Anaconda to be closed at Kings Dominion without warning, an aging Arrow with low ridership. Source: https://kdfans.com/2024/anaconda-slated-for-demolition/ Be warned the park will take the narrative that “Rapterra is replacing Anaconda”, and Kings Island will replicate that same narrative with “The Bat is being replaced by the 2026 attraction” despite neither of their “replacements” actually replacing the closing rides. Addition by subtraction, simple as that.

I have to disagree here because it WILL close at the end of the 2025 season. If I told you in August that Kingda Ka (the worlds tallest and the time fastest operating coaster), Green Lantern, Sky Ride, Zumanjaro, Parachute Drop, AND Twister were all closing in the same season you wouldn’t believe me? Why would they get rid of so many rides? Well, KI understands this and is slowly going to take the band aid off, you gotta ease people in. First you take out The Bat, remove it from the park map, fence it off, eliminate it from social channels. It’s easy to hide, United Parks does an excellent job of closing attractions off of the beaten path with little to no closure and SFECO is going to follow suit. After this you take out Drop Tower and Congo Falls, very easy to place the blame on service life when in reality one had terrible maintenance/low capacity and the other had low ridership and seasonality holding it back. Now you have this huge plot to play with and begin phase one of the Action Zone overhaul. It’s not rocket science people, the writing is on the walls, these rides are closing. This is a corporation, and they will do whatever is in the best interest of shareholders.

For those who missed the original post, here’s a breakdown of what’s going to happen, or according to some (the park) is a “rumor”: During the Q3 SFECO earnings call Zimmerman briefly discussed an internal effort called Project Accelerate, which is an initiative to reduce debt as a result of the merger by increasing margins. How will this be done? Reducing $200m across the company in labor and costs deemed unnecessary across the company. Parks are having their maintenance budget reduced, and are being forced to remove aging attractions, especially those with low ridership, to be within budget. Kings Island has chosen The Bat to be the next major attraction removed from the park, due to low ridership and increasing maintenance cost. The serviceable parts from The Bat will be sent to Canada’s Wonderland to continue to support the operation of Vortex, as they have determined for it to be a more valuable asset to the portfolio. Similar to the Ka, Volcano, and Nighthawk announcements, the ride will close silently at the end of the season and then later quietly be announced to be removed. The park will focus on the 2026 attraction to save face during the announcement. All of this is in an effort to reduce backlash, negative word of mouth, and prevent season pass sales from declining. A fence line will be erected in the 2025-2026 off season between Banshee and The Bat, as if the attraction never existed. Several other attractions in Action Zone will close in the coming years. The Good: A complete revitalization of the area on the scale or Jungle X-Pedition at Kings Dominion will take place over a five year span. Currently a new coaster, a flat ride, and an overhaul of the existing Chicken Shack is planned to take place. The mods took this information down previously, and are likely receiving pressure from the park to stop this narrative before it gets out of hand like Ka. Please spread the word, it is a shame another Arrow suspended is going to bite the dust, but we deserve to know what is happening.

Carowinds just announced that Nighthawk and two other attractions will be closing after the window to ride them had passed. This is only the beginning, if you think this is an isolated example you’re in for a rude awakening.

The news is getting out, look what’s at the top of Screamscape this morning: Kings Island - An Interesting Future Ride Removal Rumor The noise is only going to get louder, make sure to get your rides in next season.

Appreciate your willingness to keep the thread up. Let’s all not forget in early November of 2023 when GADV was claiming that there were no plans to remove Kingda Ka. As adorable is it is predictable.

I should have clarified members of these teams are external hires. There are still plenty of good people from both SIX and CF who are doing their best to resist some of these changes, but at the end of the day they are a business and have their hands tied to be within a budget. There are teams that are being led now by people with next to no industry knowledge, who come from retail, logistics, or just general sales, who are now making decisions that impact the guest experience at these parks. They view this business as no different than say an Applebees, they are just here to make sure the sheet doesn’t have a lot of red to it, and are quick to make cuts that directly impact the guest experience because they aren’t familiar with the product. Like these people learned in school and in former roles at other companies, it’s all about the bottom line, and are more interested in protecting the experience of shareholders over guests.

Yup, and I think this seriously warrants a community driven overhaul to the terms of service of this site. Users should not be forced to add a source for “rumors” (which it is not) as if traced back it directly affects someone’s livelihood. When the paper trail for a rumor is so small, you have to be careful about it, and in the coming months when you see markers, and construction equipment arrive, it will be a lot harder to keep these “rumors” at bay. Forcing users to add a source only strengthens the parks control on what information is released to the public, and allows them to trace back the source to that person. Many other sites successfully leak attractions without sources in an effort to protect those sources, VS KIC is concerned about protecting the pockets of the park. The closing of The Bat should be SHOUTED from the rooftops, because after next season an iconic piece of KI history will be erased from the timeline. Back to the topic, anyone who is suprised by this just needs to see the writing on the wall. You have out of industry people running this company, who don’t have an understanding of the value of an extra hour of two at the end of the night to ride some rides or get a snack with less waits. All they see is the spreadsheet with the overhead cost of keeping labor another hour or two, delaying third shift maintenance, etc. These people do not care about you or the experience you have at the park, is this true at a park level? Absolutely not, but down in Charlotte those C-Suites don’t care what this means to you or your family, and each year it’s going to get increasingly noticeable that they are cutting anywhere they can. You can only chop at a tree so much before it falls.

Anyone else gonna miss Lookout Lagoon? Something about that yellow pirate ship…it’s hard to put into words, but to me personally it had the same jaw dropping effect that could only be compared to seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. As a kid I one day dreamed of setting sail and climbing on those masts, and dreamed of taking over the seven seas, plundering and pillaging for treasure and gold. I will truly miss the racing exposed water slides attached to the ship, they were slick, fast, and WET, everything you could want in a slide and more. The interaction between you and the person next to you made it feel like The Racer, and I’m glad to see this specific slide of Lookout Lagoon set the blueprint for RiverRacers. The design team KNEW they had to honor the legacy of these yellow racing slides, and will it live up to the legacy? We will find out… Now, you’re probably asking yourself, “well I think you’re forgetting something?” And for those weary eyed readers, you are correct. I’m talking about: the enclosed slide attached to the pirate ship in Loookout Lagoon. Oh, where to begin. See this attraction was like if you put FOF in the water park and cranked it up to 10. I remember opening day 97 rope dropping this attraction in my swim shirt and making a mad dash (walking, of course) to that specific slide in Lookout Lagoon. I remember standing on that deck looking into that black hole of mystery and intrigue, wondering what would happen when I send my body down that serpentine slide. There I was, grasping the yellow fiberglass tube with both of my hands, feeling that cool chlorinated water against my feet, sending tingles down my spine, the rush of the water was deafening. A guard said “you can go.” And then I went. I remember that intial drop giving a slight hint of floater airtime and just being transported to another world, another time. The bright yellows of the slide disappeared into a black hole, I didn’t know which way was up or which was down, it was like a warm blanket of mystery and intrigued enveloped me, and let me know I would be okay. This drop then turned into a 90 degree turn to the left, the laterals pushing me to the right, yet my body turned left, a sensation I have yet to experience on another slide. This lateral sensation quickly turned into a drop heading into the Lagoon. A subtle change in angle lead to the lagoon, or the pool as some may say, and SPLASH! A Great Wall of water overcame my body, and there I was, drenched. From there on, I knew I was in the right place, I was in Lookout Lagoon, while this may be a telling of my story from the first time I rode it on opening day 1997, that story remained the same each time I rode that enclosed slide up until 2024, it’s a shame the park didn’t do a send off, maybe sell pieces of the slide? It just shows I come from a different time, when the park just put a little more care into the guest, now it’s all about shareholders. I wish RiverRacers well in its journey in continuing the story of Soak City, but for now, a large, Lookout Lagoon, sized hole in my heart will remain forever. Never forget the yellow enclosed slide.

I’m a big fan of the ice skating, love swirling up and down on International Street, smelling the delicious treats, taking in those magnificent lights, and spending time with family and friends, truly nothing better. Thank you Kings Island for yet again filling my cup! Merry Christmas!