ReedObsessor

https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/kings-islands-next-big-roller-coaster-may-be-hiding-in-atlanta A key statement: The coaster is definitely moveable," wrote Darren Torr, president of Rocky Mountain Construction. "Based on ranking by coaster enthusiasts, it's a top 10 coaster in the world. It has angle iron structure, which means it will require new hardware. It has some topography changes, so a new site will need to be modified or the structure will be need to be reworked to match the site elevation. Ballpark, the cost to move is probably ~$10M less than building new. I have no idea what the future holds for AF1, hopefully, it continues to deliver smiles for guests." This tells me that relocation is in fact feasible for AFO. But while many want it to come to KI (and this could be in The Vortex plot), I wouldn't consider it a certainty that it will happen. There's other parks for consideration, including within Six Flags and from other chains including Herschend, United Parks, and Enchanted Parks. I'm not going to look into detail at all of these, but any park that has the capacity for it (and doesn't already have an RMC like it) could be in the running.

Here is a top down screenshot from Google Earth. Of course, when I discuss this with Gemini, it claims that the natural topography actually drops and that the ride features a total elevation change of 180 feet over its course, while the lift hill is 154 feet tall. It also says that some supports integrate with the structure and foundation of the arcade building, and that the complex structure makes any relocation a logistical nightmare. The footers also had to be custom designed for soil density and load bearing requirements. Since I used an AI as the source, the value of this data is limited. But page 16 of this source demonstrates that AF1 had months of delays and additional costs to meet county zoning requirements. I wonder if relocating this would prove more expensive than it cost to build the coaster in the first place. A tax write off demolition may be the only feasible option.

Google Gemini is telling me AFO pretty much cannot be relocated due to the coaster's interaction with the park's terrain, making it too complex and costly to relocate. So tax write off or not, the RMC is almost certain to be scrapped. So forget about ever seeing this in The Vortex plot, or anywhere else.

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.

If Indiana Beach really wanted a Flying Dutchman at their park, they would have bought Firehawk at the end of 2018.

From what I have been hearing from various people on social media, the ride has been fixed and is able to operate for the 7 or 8 weekends it has left. But corporate has refused to even consider reopening it. I don't understand why; it's not like the front plate is going to fall off again. If Batwing did reopen, would it have increased attendance enough for the final weeks of the park to make it worthwhile? If so, then it creates the feeling (in my mind) that Six Flags isn't that serious about fixing its financial problems. ------------------------------------- I've had a bad time lately with roller coasters being closed down, dating back to last August. In fact, I've had eight times this has happened (twice with TT2, being a week early with Siren's Curse, the Christmas Day Anaconda removal news, and between the 3 near DC parks this year , being denied Darkoaster, Pantherian, Superman, and Batwing). This count could still go up; I went the Gold Pass route given the deals offered, and I may try again at CP soon. Hearing this with Batwing is just more salt in the wound, even with the fact that I rode its clone at both Kings Island and Geauga Lake (and it's one of my most missed coasters).

Theme Park Brandon just covered this, and he brought up the idea of both a Boo Blasters replacement and a new ride in the Crypt building. Though the possible ride coming to the Crypt building might not be "new"...

I haven't been to Over Texas yet. I've been to Great America, and I did like the Battle for Metropolis ride, but I do recognize the screen dependency, and using screens on a Boo Blasters replacement may be as popular as having Tylenol as a sponsor for an SLC. Two other thoughts: - My "Darkoaster at KI" remark wasn't even original... Someone bumped a thread that began in February. - If a Boo Blasters replacement is for 2026, how is this a "family thrill attraction"? What you are saying lacks thr thrill component.

This could be a KI version of Darkoaster, but with Zamperla.

I feel like this site gives a better picture of Siren's Curse's operating status. The media can make things sound worse than they are.

What was once the biggest part of my vacation plan this year is now the most expendable. Having not been to KD since 1994 or 95, when I was just a kid, Anaconda was a bucket list coaster for me. The removal news came on Christmas Day. It sometimes felt like it was designed specifically to make me miserable at the worst time possible. Then there's the elimination of Winterfest and the Pantherian situation, which makes KD feel a bit like Six Flags Adventure in New Jersey, which had the great taken out of it. As of now, nothing is even being done to Pantherian, and rumors are suggesting things like August or even 2026. Busch Gardens Williamsburg (last visit 2006), the other 50th anniversary park, is more important to me. So is Six Flags America (never been there), given that it will be my only chance to ever go there. So I am willing to cut out KD from my vacation plan if there are too many bad weather days during my vacation. Crappy Anniversary!!!