BoddaH1994
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Posts posted by BoddaH1994
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I kind of dig it! Hopefully it helps improve sales. That store was quietly my favorite one in the park.
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For those who are mad about the bumpers... and I'll never get used to people being mad about that.. there's a t-shirt for you:
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How would you rate the culinary experience at Kings Island? Chef James Major, the pivotal person behind the park's Food & Beverage Department as we know it, is set to leave Six Flags soon. On the latest #TowerTopics, we discuss his impact on the park and what his departure may mean to the future of your dining experience at Kings Island.
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Let me remind everyone that the extent of AI that’s been used is for an intro voiceover, which is almost under 30 seconds. This only really used so it’s someone else’s voice besides mine and Don’s. All of the video, music and script are done by us or our partners.
Sometimes I’ll use AI to make Don and I make funny expression in the thumbnail. I’d hardly say that crosses the line into AI slop, especially when it’s typically not even used for generation (although I wouldn’t rule out using it that way if warranted).
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The only AI thing in the intros is the voiceover. All of that video is real and edited by me, and we even wrote the script. It is not even AI generated. Everything else is business as usual on the show.
Even if it was all AI, that’s what? The first 10 seconds of the 30-60 minute video?
If you don’t like the bumpers and can’t just skip the first few seconds of the video… I don’t know what to tell you…
But I truly do appreciate the feedback. I mean that honestly.
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19 minutes ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:
Forgive my ignorance, but what does PE stand for in this instance? All I can think about with that acronym is either Professional Engineer or Palace Entertainment.
It might make zero sense for you or me, but for a company full of people who've shown they have no clear direction in mind, it would be an easy way to get some money. I really hope enough of that C-Suite understands that selling the land would be a horrible idea.
PE = Private Equity. Think Blackstone, Apollo Global Management, etc
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Hopping into the party late -
As many have alluded, the REIT spinoff is not something you'd want to root for as a park fan. I know many have mentioned Frisch's, and that's valid, but a leaseback deal is more common than you'd think. Many big box retailers buy land for a location, build the property, then sell it to a REIT to free up cash flows. This could affect parks in particular because as time goes on and there is more of a separation of ownership between the Company and the REIT, there will be more pressure to sell parks for their land value.
Also, we talked about some rumored CEOs on Tower Topics; however, I want you to pay close attention to who they actually chose. If it's an industry person then that means the Board and the future CEO think they can weather the storm. If they pick someone from PE or a name with a pedigree that doesn't appear to make sense they may mean something else.
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19 hours ago, BB1 said:
I have now 28 recorded rides on each side of Stardust Racers, it still slaps. Rode front row green as usual and it was still a religious experience.
I second your seat choice.
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On 10/3/2025 at 2:49 AM, kingsislandfan1972 said:
I don't know how "legal" it is but there is word that the Dippin' Dots guy has some inside info...
Not gonna lie… I’d pay it.
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6 hours ago, SPONGEBOB_FAN_97 said:
This post aged well…
Ouch!
Point taken.
However, it still remains to be seen if people will actually buy the passes. As it stands now, it seems questionable. Also, the backlash seems to very much be there.
It also should be noted that I was talking about charging for Haunt (as in, admission), not just the mazes.
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I’m shocked, but I can’t say I’m sad to hear this!
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On 9/20/2024 at 11:05 AM, disco2000 said:
I interpret this as KI can turn the intensity back up LOL
I don't think KI's "Family friendly" approach to Haunt was by design. I think they put a lot less resources into it and it got less intense and they retroactively said that they were trying to make it family-friendly. This is much like how they'll cheap out on new attractions and send the shills out to cover for them saying that they're a "family park."
If they the Phantom Theater Opening Nightmare ends up being a disappointment they'll send them out to make this excuse for them (although millions rode the OG PT and no one saw it as not family-friendly).
Of course, being able to park in VIP parking doesn't just magically appear for the shills. They gotta earn it.
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On 9/5/2025 at 9:37 PM, Orion-XL200 said:
I think the Single Use that is part of the Prestige Pass is supposed to be any ride with Fast Lane. However, you can only buy single Fast Lane uses for certain rides.
I'm pretty sure you're right. I've use Single Use Fast Lane for the Prestige for several rides, including ones that do not have the option to purchase them for those rides.
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I’ll be down there this weekend for the debut of this year’s HHN. I’ll report back about it.
No Epic this time. I’m only gone for the weekend and I’ve already done it twice. I think I’m going to wait until it’s available as an AP add on for my next visit.
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18 hours ago, super7 said:
we don’t know how many of these all season access passes that they actually sold. It seems like they are now saying that they were “sold out” to make a sense of urgency for people to buy the passes that they are now offering for $75….. we know the kind of behavior that this company engages in when selling passes
That’s exactly what they did. They pulled the passes off sale just long enough for KIC, Facebook, TT, etc., to start blasting out “sold out!” posts. Then, magically, the very next morning, they’re back on sale—only at a higher price. It’s not that they sold a certain number of passes. They sold however many they happened to until a set date, then jacked up the price. Same old “Price goes up September 1!” Gold Pass gimmick—just slimier.
And look, for those who don’t listen to Tower Topics and for whatever reason care what I think: I’m totally fine with this IF it actually means a better product. I’ll pay for an improved experience. But if 2026 rolls around (assuming we even get Haunt—never underestimate Six’s ability to screw things up) and we’re stuck with a bunch of half-staffed, low-effort mazes besides the new ones then this whole thing’s going to blow up in their faces.
That said, I get why people are mad. Folks bought passes expecting the mazes to be included—like they had been for almost 25 years. Yeah yeah, I know someone will run in waving the T&Cs saying, “Technically they can do this!” (have fun at media day, by the way). But come on—this rollout was about as shady and non-transparent as we’ve all come to expect.
My take:
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30% chance: They actually deliver something elevated, it catches on, and people come to see the upcharge as worth it.
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70% chance: The new stuff is solid, but the rest is the same tired filler. People may feel like maybe Conjuring is worth it, but everything else is a ripoff. By 2026, sales dip, by 2027 the mazes are a Prestige perk, by 2028 they’re back in Gold, and by 2030, everything’s reverted to how it’s always been.
At the end of the day, Kings Island’s Haunt worked because the mazes were included, and that’s why the lines were huge. If you wanted haunted houses specifically, there’s already plenty of competition around here. So is this going to stand alongside Dent Schoolhouse, Land of Illusion, and the rest? Or is it going to be, in my brother’s words, “a crap sandwich, hold the bread”?
Your move, Kings Island.
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I just hope that when they cancel Winterfest at the 11th hour in 2026 to "focus on the core Spring and Summer seasons," people flood the park with questions about how cancelling Winterfest will add value to their Spring and Summer seasons to offset the loss of Winterfest. Not just words. Examples.
Of course, I'm sure there will be certain shills that will defend the park to the bitter end for pulling the event after selling you your 2027 pass. Spoiler alert: it's the same ones who keep quoting the "gotcha" language in the fine print when people express (what I think is valid) frustration for charging extra for the Haunt stuff when they never did in the past... in exchange for VIP parking and access to media days.
Someone correctly alluded above— if you can pack tens of thousands of people into a single place during the Christmas season and can't find a way to make money off them, then you shouldn't be working in a serious role in the theme park industry. You should be bagging groceries.
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Don and I explored the Conjuring maze rumor in June on Tower Topics.
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58 minutes ago, brenthodge said:
Many people are idiots and will ask questions just to ask them, so you can never have a clean roll-out that makes it question-free. The issue isn’t the questions, it’s the fact that they aren’t giving answers. They seem to be fine with letting certain admins of certain FBgroups answer all the questions for them. Are they the right answers??? Who knows. They’re not talking.
I think a lot of the questions are pretty legit, for example:
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30 minutes ago, disco2000 said:
So this opens 8/11?
On sale that date...?
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If I recall, right after the acquisition there were some weird things with the Maxx Pass (as they called it). I think there were some questions as to who got the parking, or it was only your home park, or you had to pay for some sort of upgrade? Anyone remember what the situation was?
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On 6/2/2025 at 7:17 PM, BlondyRidesOn said:
Growing up, I and my siblings were always Gold Pass holders to Kings Island, but a trip to Coney was always special because it was different. My mother loved it because it reminded her of her childhood before Taft moved the park to Kings Island in 1972. I loved it because of its connection to Kings Island.
But the thing was for us, we only went to Coney for the rides during the "modern era." Having a local YMCA and Soak City/Boomerang Bay/Water Works a short distance from our house, my parents never saw the need to take us as we grew up. I did not get to step into Sunlite Pool until 2020; I had just barely finished college. My mom had not been in years by that time and my father rarely went when he was a kid because my grandparents had their own pool at their house. So most of our Coney memories were made on the Mall. To us, Coney was Moonlite Gardens, the Python, the Flying Bobs and early rides from my parents generation like the Tumble Bug the Whip and the Shooting Star; Sunlite Pool, at least to us, was just Sunlite Pool.
The pool didn't deserve the ending it got, with all that said. It was from an era where nobody had air conditioning, so large pools like that were an attractive investment for parks. I believe it was the last classic amusement park "mega pool" I guess you could say. In the early development of Kings Island, there were apparently discussions about reproducing Sunlite Pool in Mason. It was ultimately shot down because of the expense that would need to be paid. After all, it cost the Royal Fountain, which is a fraction of the size of Sunlite, $500,000 to complete on a $250,000 budget. The pool stayed open down on Kellogg Avenue and helped keep the park afloat when Taft couldn't sell the property. I often wonder how things would have been different if they had been successful in finding a buyer for the property back then? On one hand, Coney would have been lost a lot earlier than it had been. On the other hand, Taft probably could would have found the budget after Kings Island's 1972 inaugural season to move forward with moving the pool north as a "Phase 2" of the Kings Island Resort complex (WaterWorks would have come 16 years earlier than it did in real life).
As for the site today, it would be cool to see it transition into a community/city park in conjunction with the new Farmer's Music Center, something similar to Flushing Meadows Park in Queens after the 1964 World's Fair; the old buildings and park pavilions are reutilized and preserved for the next chapter. With the old park buildings getting a new lease on life, it would almost be as if Coney Island never actually closed.
REALLY appreciate this post and info! It’s sad to see Coney go, but to me, the silver lining is that the site will still be used for entertainment. It could have ended up a factory like the Gardens did.
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To be fair, Tower Topics field reporter Noah adopted a “pet” cicada and took it on The Beast before this girl thought of it!
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We make it clear that we aren't throwing stones saying that it's trashing, or even that it's already second-rate; however, the stuff that we've observed, and this is on a regular basis, is scary. Once the park starts getting noticeably dirty, "rougher," and/or gives the impression of being less safe, it'll take a long time for them to recover from this.
We have a lot of people who have said that they disagree and they haven't had any problems. Trust me, I'm happy for them. I can't tell you how many times we've done episodes and discuss things we "fear" or things that would be disappointing for us, and we cheer when we are wrong. This isn't about being right, it's about observations.
QuoteThe thing that gets me is the people who are cheering on being given less for their money. Or the ones that think "well, I never have an issue" invalidates everyone else's bad experiences. Like, that's great that "you didn't see any refill stands closed" when you went, but on the 2-3 times each week I go after work for dinner and a couple rides, I usually have to do a lap around 2/3 of the park before I can find anywhere that (1) is open and (2) has working Icee machines. I guess maybe weekday evenings aren't considered "all season" for the "All Season" drink plan. I feel like food has been a lot less hit-or-miss this year, but it also seems like some of the portion sizes returned to normal. Given how many Six Flags parks are reporting tiny portions this year, it makes me wonder how many "profitable" people chose not to renew their dining plan this year. The people who get lots of use and are going multiple times a week are always going to renew, but it seems like the families who only go 4-5 times a season and buy ice cream and souvenirs when they go are a lot less likely to... and that's who the park makes money on.
What's worse is an employee on the SP group replied to my post promoting this video saying that the problems we listed were problems all along, so they weren't the current management's fault. They also added that we should have issued a complaint with the park instead of "dragging the park through the mud." They also added that they liked the merger because now they can get discounts for their family on Gold passes.
1. If it's been a problem all along, then what would complaining do? Clearly the leadership can't or won't fix the problem, so the only way we can affect change is to put a light on it.
2. It's great that the employees got a new perk but how is that helping the people that actually pay to be there?
3. They also mentioned that it's "still the best value for family entertainment" (paraphrased). Sure sounds like they're taking the guests for granted with that comment. Of course, Kings Island is the most "penetrated" park so I guess even this employee's attitude is "good enough is good enough."
4. Things like these pave the path to self-destruction. If you care about the park, you shouldn't defend it, you should be appalled by this. It's kid of like when your kid comes come with a report card full of F's. Do you high five them because you love them, or do you correct them because they were going down the wrong path?
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Great Wolf Mason to add a six story tower
in Other Amusement Parks & Industry News
Posted
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/real-estate/2026/02/13/great-wolf-lodge-mason-new-hotel/88607127007/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=698ef62aa9dfda0001d59006&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwZnRzaAP8KV1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeHLaKMZHHb7VjgWaozVdz12P0ygmcHGUnPRb1vKXjeI5s7vrLDpinIQp4Bi0_aem_2sxGtvF45YnGNUEw4imqjw
This story seems to be on-and-off paywalled but the TL;DR is that Mason City Council recently approved the construction of a six story tower addition to Great Wolf Lodge.