ReedObsessor

I am going to have to tell you something about my previous trips to KI: I've had 4 trips to KI in the last 4-5 years, but 3 of them were WinterFest trips, and the other one was a Halloween Haunt trip last year that was only open starting in the evening, and the focus on that was the haunts instead of the rides. I haven't had a traditional KI trip since 2020, when masks were required due to COVID (and I got my first ride on Orion). I've had more trips to Cedar Point (due to a family tradition), and I've also been to places like Hersheypark, Kennywood, Six Flags Great America, and (just last year) the three parks near the DC area, including the now defunct Six Flags America. This year I am taking another CP trip before going to Canada's Wonderland and Darien Lake, and next year I am looking at going to the major Texas parks. I live closer to Kings Island than any of these, but my attendance there has been fairly low as of late. I see an off year after a major coaster year as a common occurrence, but the new Phantom Theater is not a major coaster. Also, I'm not sure how much time Invertigo and Congo Falls have left, and it would hurt to have a potential empty zone next year right by the main entrance (unless there's visible construction for a major 2028 coaster).

Well, I first heard about the AI slop merchandise being sold at Cedar Point a month or two ago. Not surprisingly, Kings Island is doing the same. Mystic Timbers' track is going wacky. Banshee looks like Diamondback. Orion has three seats per row and a vertical spike. Those are just a few examples. And the longer you look at them, the worse they get. I wonder... have you seen anyone actually wearing this slop, whether it be from CP, KI, or other Six Flags parks?

First, let me get this wishful thinking out of my head: The clearing of the SoB station means that it will be the station for a multi-launch thrill coaster. This coaster will be more focused on the area where Timberwolf Amphitheater, Congo Falls, and Invertigo are now, so those will be retired before the Haunt stuff arrives. The reason this area is being prioritized over The Vortex plot is the fact that much of it is right by the entrance, and the entrance needs to be improved over what’s there now to make a better front gate impression. (/Wishfulthinking) I am traditionally a pessimist when it comes to a lot of things, and I firmly believe in the off year possibility. I’m talking about a Cedar Point 2026-level off year, where nothing is added and only some restrooms get renovated and a wall is removed between connecting buildings. I can’t see KI getting new flat rides in 2027, since Cedar Point could use them more (there are four spots now that could use one, and I’m not even considering the island). And I’m not sure there’s places that could use more restaurants (or Coke Stations or Dippin Dots) within the park (I haven’t been there outside of Halloween Haunt or WinterFest since 2020). And if a flat ride package or a Grand Pavilion-esque restaurant is in the park's future, that could push the new coaster back into 2029 or 2030.

The private equity ownership is the problem. Hill Path Capital owns 49.7% of the company, creating significant influence and putting greater focus on share buybacks and driving value. The ownership structure of private equity means that any losses from this lawsuit will go against United Parks, not against Hill Path Capital. At least I think that's how it works, but unlike the other cases I've heard about, this isn't a leveraged buyout. Still, the priority is financial gain for Hill Path, not for United Parks. Customers don't matter. Employees don't matter. Only the shareholders matter. If the parks go downhill (and they will), possibly even bankrupt, Hill Path Capital may just sell off the remains while keeping the profits they made from stripping apart the parks. Private Equity has a large (and incomplete) list of bankruptcies on Wikipedia, and I wonder if United Parks could eventually join it.

Try this link. I didn't see a paywall when I first opened it.

This thread hasn't been updated since March, but I don't see any others. The one topc that had a more recent post focused specifically on Falcon's Flight. Anyway, Six Flags Qiddiya has an official opening date that just barely opens this year. I'm talking about New Year's Eve. Here is the link to the video. Huh. I feel like at 25 seconds, this turns into a ripoff of another commercial. I'm talking about that Visit California commercial. That said, I would love to experience that, but I don't see it as feasible in the short term. Also, for next summer, my eyes are on taking a trip to Canada, which includes Canada's Wonderland, Niagara Falls (both sides), stuff in Toronto, and a stop (back in the US) at Darien Lake before I return home.

If it goes private, things will be even worse than legacy Six Flags could do. Wikipedia has a list of companies that went bankrupt under private equity ownership, and I know there's at least one example (Chuck E Cheese) missing from the list. If Six Flags is acquired by private equity, expect a lot more downgrades to the parks, and an even worse debt load.

I was thinking about the rumors regarding ride relocations and stuff, and when you think about it, the amount of saved rides will barely exceed the amount saved from Six Flags New Orleans if these rumors are true. And that's considering the fact that SFNO was drenched in salt water! With the exception of Ragin Cajun, Great Chase, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, and Steamwhirler, I see it possible that everything else could just get torn down. It's all older stuff, and there's nothing really unique about it except for Wild One, and even that likely gets scrapped.

I feel like discussing something that hasn't been discussed in this forum as far as I know: the music. I actually went to Cedar Point last month (it's a long story, and I wanted my TT2 and SC rides). When I was there, I got curious about the music and used Google to identify tracks. With the exception of the intro, which used a remix of Crazy Train, I found that most of the music came from Midnight Syndicate. I researched them, and found that their music was often used across major amusement park chains, and that there were times that the duo performed live at Cedar Point. (BTW, I opted not to go to the Conjuring thing there). My parents decided to go with me last weekend to the KI Haunt. It seemed like the music there was quite different, with more traditional songs. The fountain played instrumental music, but my app indicated a different source: Rok Nardin. Some tracks included Rumbling, Apocalypse, and Destroyer of Worlds (the first two seem to be inspired by Attack on Titan). I've been building a Halloween playlist on Spotify, and both Midnight Syndicate and Rok Nardin are part of it. Have you heard any other notable Halloween music at Kings Island? (BTW, we did do the Conjuring there, and I ended up carrying Annabelle)

https://www.wesh.com/article/woman-sues-seaworld-bird-duck-strike-mako/69184159 The incident occurred March 24 of this year. She is alleging that the park was negligent, and that the roller coaster was placed in an area known to attract waterfowl. She is seeking $50,000 in damages. She said the strike knocked her unconscious. "I know how you feel," said Fabio.

Funny thing is that when I saw the name of this, I thought first of The Bat species known as the Flying Fox, rather than crop-duster Jeb Fox (I'm not familiar with the pilot this is named after). It made me think of my trip to Columbus Zoo a couple of years ago. I saw some of those flying foxes yawning, and it kind of looked like a puppy yawn. Anyway, I looked at this coaster and see it (and Dragonflier at Dollywood) more as a kiddy coaster than a family coaster. This is because of the SFC at KI (the original SFC) being part of the Snoopy area (Woodstock's Air Rail, which began as a Rugrats ride). I don't see B&M Family Inverts the same way though; to me, they are closer in nature to Arrow Suspended Coasters (the Big Bad Wolf is a factor here).

I decided to add in the other parks that received surveys. SFDK is a repeat, but only because I decided to add in the other options. (Content has been removed since the original poster added in the data at the first post) Parks that don’t have surveys: Frontier City*, Knott’s Berry Farm, La Ronde, Michigan’s Adventure, SF Darien Lake*, SF Great Escape, SF Mexico, SF St. Louis, Valleyfair, Worlds of Fun *Owned by EPR Properties (I excluded the two doomed parks, along with the yet to open SF Qiddiya) I haven’t been to any of those parks, and I don’t feel like looking into them and picking my favorites of the choices at this time. That said, I wonder if all of the ones without surveys are going to be closed and/or sold off. Knott’s, SF Mexico, and SF St. Louis are the larger of the omitted parks, and you would think at least Knotts would be safe.

I've been to half of these parks (CP, Great America, KD, KI). I will provide input on all of them, though. Canada's Wonderland: Hybrid Coaster. It's a tough call between Mack and RMC, but I feel the RMC is better in the short term. Carowinds: Wing Coaster. Dives are more common these days. A Wing feels like a better choice to me. (BTW, I've been on 4 of 5 B&M Wing Coasters, excluding Thunderbird) Cedar Point: Multi-Launch Family Coaster. I'm thinking more like Big Bear Mountain style. If Mine Ride or Iron Dragon go away, this feels essential. Dorney: Star Flyer. Just bring in the one from SFA. Great Adventure: Drop Tower, maximum height possible. This is, in a way, part of replacing Ka. Great America: Family Thrill Launch Coaster. I feel like this park lacks more mild coasters. Kings Dominion: Dark Ride. Boo blasters in any form is outdated. Looks like the Anaconda replacement will have to wait. Kings Island: multi launch coaster. If the indoor outdoor is inverted, it doesn't work given Banshee. This could be KI's GateKeeper as far as I know. (...and The Vortex plot remains empty...)

I lived in Virginia during its days as Wild World and Adventure World. Yet I never went to the park back then. I only went last summer, mainly due to its impending demise. Still, I remember TV commercials for the park. The last one I remember before my move to Ohio was a commercial promoting Mind Eraser. I can't seem to find that commercial online. I did end up riding it as Professor Screamore's Skywinder. It had its roughness, but the newer trains meant this wasn't one of those SLC horror stories. I wonder if the trains will go to Canada.

X-Flight...erm, Firehawk debuted in late May 2001, with Batwing opening a few weeks later. Unless the relocation of the former shortened it's service life, then the latter was 7 years past its service life. Firehawk may have only seemed more reliable due to the fact it was scrapped much sooner than the others.