beastfan11

Per their Facebook, Baynum did some restorative work in addition to the painting. I still hate what’s happened to the park, but I’m happy to see that work is being done to save whatever is left of Coney. When it’s all said and done, my hope is that this “campus” can act as move of a public park space for people to enjoy without it being locked behind an over-priced, concert ticket paywall. Appreciate you sharing these updates,@BlondyRidesOn!

Bob Chapek has entered the chat @IndyGuy4KI and others - think you guys are 100% right, but common sense seems to be a lost art nowadays, especially in these situations. CEO’s can often be treated as the scapegoat for shareholder dissatisfaction. Maybe it’s justified in some cases, but generally it seems pretty dumb to pull the plug on a CEO this quickly. Then again, this whole merger is pretty dumb. Having a CEO that actually values guest experience, overall quality of the parks, etc. seems to go directly against the anti-consumer direction of the chain as a whole. I don’t think it’s fair to let individual parks bear that responsibility entirely, but I’m not sure what could happen.

Not an expert, but I’d also imagine the indoor factor could potentially extend its service life a bit too. It’s a cool coaster that I admittedly don’t ride all that often. That’s one of my 2027 park goals. Hoping it’s around for a long time. Seems to be a real people pleaser. Did Space Mountain yesterday in Disneyland and got off the ride thinking about what a total FoF overhaul could look like with new lighting, projection effects, and music. You could overhaul the story as well. Maybe not the greatest ROI, but if it ever requires some kind of refurb/retrack to keep it around, it could be a cool opportunity to make the ride “new” again. Or… just demo the coaster and put AF1 inside. It’ll fit, right?

Hoping the reception matches the ROI with this one. I’d love for this to result in a focus on more thematically dense, immersive type of attractions. Feel like KI deserve that kinda thing. As weird as things are now, I like to think this era is going to result in the park being a “crown jewel” of whatever the chain does or doesn’t look like. The early era of Cedar Fair was weird, but it worked out pretty well.

Apologies for the double post, but this seems to be making the rounds as yet another causality of this lovely merger. Grain of salt and all that…

Fair enough. I say “hand-me-down” because it was designed for another park. I just think the standards are slipping when the masses are excited about a used coaster, when KI (and other potential parks) really justify something suited to the park specifically. Shoe horning this in for the sake of “just wanting a new coaster” is silly for a lot of reasons. The ongoing rhetoric behind not having any recent/major coaster additions is a wild take, given Orion, the parks largest coaster, opened six-ish years. I guess you could argue that it didn’t meet expectations or make the splash it was expected to, but it’s still a large investment (and a really solid coaster) that came on the eve of a global pandemic and shortly before this ridiculous merger. Expectations should be realistic, with no need to just “settle and be happy with what we have.” In short, it’s a major coaster addition that shouldn’t be overlooked or discounted., regardless of opinions. There are other options for the park that would be a better choice than forcing AF1 into an a space where it doesn’t fit. Between the ongoing potential of AZ’s future, the infamous Vortex plot, and the Tomb Raider building, it’s probably best to exercise a bit of patience in favor of seeing those potential projects come to fruition since they’ll (god willing) be tailored to KI in particular. I have no doubt it’s a great coaster, and I’m glad the plan is to save it as opposed to the wrecking ball solution. But like @WoodVengeance said, it would almost have to be modified in some way for it to fit at KI, whether it be layout or capacity related. It would be a shame to see it altered in any way that could alter the ride experience. I just can’t help but think the hype and excitement around the “new coaster, any coaster now” rhetoric is ultimately going to do more harm than good when it comes to future additions. It’s a weird time and the future is uncertain. It’s odd to me that a company that’s neck deep in a shark infested wave pool, financially speaking, decided to hedge their bets on this project turning things around. Unless they bought it for a song and the relocation costs justify it. Guess I don’t know for sure, so who knows. None of this is directed specifically at you @KI Guy. I get what you’re saying. This just seems like a very bizarre direction to take. But like I said before, I’m happy it’s being saved. Too many great parks, coasters, and rides have been lost. So that’s something to celebrate, at least.

Well deserved.

The fact that these corporate morons thought this merger was a good idea, coupled with the fact they thought the Six Flags name had any brand equity/positive reputation, is proof (in my opinion) that this was never going to work. And I’ll say it…. The hype around AF1 is stupid. It’s a hand-me-down coaster from a failed park that may not even come to fruition. And if it does, it’ll most likely be altered in some capacity to be forced into a park it’s ill fit for. I remember a time when Six Flags was mocked for ride relocations, parking lot coasters, and terrible customer service. Well… here we are. And unfortunately there are quite a few stellar parks, KI specifically, who are going to suffer because of idiotic, greed fueled decision making processes of a bunch of out of touch boomers. Not to mention the talented folks who got fired a few years back because of this merger.

The entire point of… well, all of this fandom, is escapism. At least in my opinion. Sorry things are tough for you right now. Mean that. You don’t deserve to feel like that way. And I’m also sorry some on this site (and beyond) feel the need to use their faux-insider knowledge as a way to gate keep actual discussion about the park. Being realistic and knowledgeable is one thing, even if it comes across as harsh. But when you’re shooting fish in a barrel (like all of us here) and still missing, it’s a bad reflection on the fandom when that type of attitude is put out on display. Appreciate you continuing to share your opinions on the matter. That’s what makes this fun.

Uh huh……………… ………………………..

Surprised I haven’t seen this come up yet, but it looks like AF1 has been sold and will be relocated. Just came across this TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTULQ6E5U/

I used the FAQ feature in the app to ask if PT:ON will be open during Halloween Haunt and it encouraged me to reach out to Enchanted Parks. 🤙🏻 Great job, chain! Appreciate the Mid-Answer.

Sounds like Magic Mountain is ready for a ground up, RMC Son of Beast.

Naming your park “Mid” is certainly a choice.

One of those people who always, to me anyway, felt too good for this world. Beyond music and theme parks, she was an example of how people should be, especially in a time where things aren’t always the best. Much love to her family.

Managed 15 visits this year so far. Hoping to add more over the next few weekends, a couple of Haunt/Fall visits, and at least one Winterfest visit (hopefully more). Between the parking, Fastlane, VIP lounge, and discounts… been pretty happy as a first time Prestige Pass buyer. I’m sure there’s plenty who are going to disagree for a number of different personal reasons, but all in all it’s been a pretty great season for the park, me, and the family. We’ve had a lot of fun, probably more fun than I’ve had in the park since I was younger. Things might not be perfect, but I wouldn’t say the sky is falling, especially compared to other parks. Not so much of an excuse for things that could be improved, but yeah. I definitely feel like it was worth it to go Prestige. Looking forward to the rest of the season and beyond.

Looks slick!

How is your narrative for someone who claims they haven’t been in the park for almost two months? How would you have an accurate idea of what’s open and what’s not if you're not even around? It’s easy to cherry pick what you need to fit your arguments, whether they be true or not. Notice, no one mentioned you by name, blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or whatever. But you felt the need to make it about your own opinion, regardless. Is this about the reality of the situation or about your ill will toward the park for personal reasons? Personally, my life doesn’t rely on the food and beverage situation at the park for better or worse, especially if I haven’t visited in “59 days.” I’ve never been one to mince words or hide any criticisms when it comes to the park experience and how things are. I’d even argue that I can be overtly vocal about said criticisms, to a fault. But this vendetta you’ve got going on is just silly. Even within this thread, I’ve joked about the consistent closures of other drink stands in the park. I‘m a realist. And this isn’t that serious. But I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and claim the sky is falling when I’m not even visiting the park regularly. Mostly because I have enough going on in my life, otherwise, to let this affect me. But more importantly, I like to enjoy the things I enjoy, and have a greater understanding of what’s actually important in the grand scheme of life as a whole. Makes me a happier person, and more enjoyable to be around. Just a bad look, all around. This is coming from a fan and regular listener of Tower Topics and an email subscriber of your blog. Dude, there are more important things in life. Plenty to be upset about. Really. The drink stands can open and close day to day. The ice situation is what it is. But by and large, these issues are being exaggerated for personal reasons alone. Be critical when it’s constructive to be. But to harp on this over and over again is just miserable. It’s not that serious. Chill.

Tower Drinks was open yesterday, with ice, regardless of what narrative anyone would like to subscribe to.

A sign that it will probably be closed next time I’m there.

It was open yesterday too. Almost all day from what I saw. With ice!!! We were there from 11-9. Might not be a conspiracy after all.

Right, this an opinion. Which you are absolutely entitled to, like everyone else. But to phrase it as fact (based on your own feelings and opinions) is misleading, and is maybe 50/50 at best. You have an equal chance at being right or wrong. No insight there. Do you want to circle back with me about the 2026 family thrill coaster? Or about the screen/projection heavy new Phantom Theater that opened this year? The fact that we can all speculate and share our wishes, opinions, and predictions is what makes this site and the fandom fun. But making baseless claims centered on your own personal rhetoric is just wrong, whether it ultimately comes true or not.

Pretty bold claim. You could be right or wrong. How do you know this? Not saying I agree or disagree with you, but if you’re going to say that maybe you should provide some proof given it’s just a definite statement. Aside from your own options.

(You’re right, though. Totally nailed it.)