^ Was that X or X2?

We did back-to-back rides on X2 in 2024. It was "rough" but we did not consider it SoB rough.

I suppose it depends on what year for each ride.

2 hours ago, Tr0y said:

Or there is an underlying issue / issues in the industry as a whole? Remember when the car industry had lots full of vehicles, they were unable to sell due to a chip shortage?

Rides today are more innovative and immersive than ever and combine that with the repetitive safety measures it shouldn't be a surprise that a ride like NFE has had opening issues.

It's when rides like Racer, Beast, DB etc. go down it bugs me- probably more than it should. I have often defended a park when a ride goes down but as of recently its been grinding.

We have experienced Disneyland in 2024 & Disney World in 2025 & 2026. Each day no matter the park there were rides down for extended amount of time. Some rides like HM that have existed for multiple decades and others like RoR or SDD that are newer designs but have been around long enough to have the bugs worked out- in theory. Muppets went down early in our day @ HS and we almost didn't get on it. But....even though it was rethemed, it's the same ride system and still goes down. So yes- I believe it is the industry as a whole.

^^ I can see the decision to shut SoB a bit easier due to not being an enjoyable ride.

X2 was a pretty good ride.

I do not have a subscription to CNN but from I can piece together, there have been multiple serious brain injuries stemming from X2. Another site below has some detailed information.

X2 has been SBNO since mid-July for evaluation.

I have been on X2 twice & found it to be a great ride but did have to take a break after 2 trip. I want to believe that pre-existing conditions contributed to the injuries but there are some facts that are concerning,

"As detailed by CNN, two women suffered life-threatening brain hemorrhages within days of riding the coaster, both requiring emergency neurosurgery to alleviate pressure within the skull. Medical teams treating the riders likened the mechanical impact to the violent rotational dynamics typically observed in high-speed vehicular collisions."

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/why-six-flags-magic-mountains-x2-rollercoaster-faces-a-safety-audit-over-brain-hemorrhage-concern/articleshow/133569687.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/27/us/six-flags-rollercoaster-brain-injury-invs

Disney ride uptime is above average but definitely has issues.

Disney customer service is over the top.

Disney theming is over the top.

Disney cleanliness is over the top.

Disney vendors all open (for the most part) when the parks open.

SF management can see the differences too. Question is: will they change the current expectations?

13 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Demo costs money, letting it sit there does not. 

I've been wondering about that.

I am no expert & hopefully someone in the KICU would know........Wouldn't the structure be considered a real property asset thus increasing tax basis?

I can confirm from an inside source that a pile of dirt on the former SoB station platform has indeed moved.

Many Bothans died to bring us this information.

It will be interesting to see what the new ride will be like.

Will it be highly immersive like other coaster additions in the area?  Perhaps an indoor/ outdoor feature a la Tron?

GIVE IN? In our moment of denial? I think you over estimate their chances!

I always suggest the Fantasmic dinner option at 50's Prime Time Cafe.

If you plan the meal(s) well, the VIP seating (center of seating/ stage) for Fantasmic is virtually free.  We did change it up this year and are going to Brown Derby for first time.

 

On 4/30/2026 at 12:47 PM, DJSkyFoxx said:

Never said it was just the youth, but more often than not the issues I have witnessed and dealt with personally have been with those under the age of 18. I realize this behavior is brought on by lack of parenting or poor parenting. But the song remains the same however you wanna slice it. Bad behavior could become a valid reason to cut fireworks/drones and later nights-thus giving more parks justification to close earlier.

You may not have used the exact words "just the youth" but it is certainly your focus when speaking of your background.  Nothing wrong with that at all & I definitely don't envy your position but if it is only "bad parenting" it really wouldn't matter if the parents of the "unsupervised" youths were present?

Everyone sees bad behavior on social media and lots of it is fake & scripted.  It's amazing the amount of people, both kids & adults, that think it's real.

Believing it's real is absolutely poor judgement.

But you are correct, bad behavior in general is a reason things could be cut- which was my point from the beginning.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist as they drive me crazy- but WOW that was some quick planning!  Even logo on the shirts!

Makes me wonder if CM was already being planned & the MR concept was like sending out a test balloon.

Nonetheless, good decision on the park's part to change it.

Some entitled enthusiasts are partially to blame for this.

The criticism surrounding previous Coastermania events being: the same thing every year, a money grab, park officials didn't tell us anything we didn't already know, why not "X-coaster", food is terrible etc.

Then it was cancelled/ modified & the masses lost their mind oven that decision.

Could it be better?  Sure.  Anything can be better.  No reason you have to go every year.  IMO- although the logistics would be VERY difficult, the park should attempt to not have the same guest consecutive years (same goes for WCO).  Spread it out to the masses.

I'm interested to see the next revision but did get a chuckle how quick that news came out (almost too quick) that Morning Rush was also "cancelled".

On 4/27/2026 at 7:12 PM, MaestroJr said:

I know this has been discussed before but why is Phantom Theater considered part of International Street when the ride entrance and most of the entire ride is in Planet Snoopy? 

The map "location" for that ride has changed from HB/ Nick/ PS to IS a few times over the years.

48 minutes ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

The sad thing is with the state of these parks I could see 9PM or earlier closings happening to help kick back the late night unruly behavior from unsupervised youth. Seems to get worse and worse as years go by. 

Let's not kid (pun intended) ourselves, it's far from just youth that cause incidents.

It's hard not to love BGW.

Walking it & soaking up the atmosphere is a must but using the train's (3) stops to the premier rides in the evening is fantastic.

15 hours ago, disco2000 said:

I guess Pantherian and KD being 80 miles away and in the same state as BGW isn't in the Mid-Atlantic...

You are taking the survey too literal.

It does say "over 300-foot" in the description.

Did anyone just Google what rhetoric is?  Raise your hand!

🙋‍♂️

🤣

1 hour ago, rexpostal said:

Do you think every storyteller cares about the opinions of every audience member?  I've told many stories in many different forms of media,  and never once did I care what anyone who read it thought about it.  I wrote it for myself,  for whatever reason.  This particular story,  I wrote to tell a humorous tale of an event that happened to me.  Some people will like it.  Some people will not like it. 

Do you make every single post concerned with what anyone else will think of it?  You keep the audience in your mind the entire time you type every word?  

Not every storyteller cares but your continued rebuttals show you have some rather thin skin.

It is what it is........

21 hours ago, rexpostal said:

I don't think it was actually a jail.  I think it was just the police room or whatever.  They just didn't think we could safely be in the park any longer and had to stay in that room until our friends showed up.  

We had apparently caused a scene in line for I believe the Terror Trail or something?  And we saw the lights flashing blue and red when we got out of the house.  We knew it was for us.  

They stopped me and my friend,  and asked us if we had been drinking and how much.  I stated, "Only whatever we have been served here tonight!  That's all!"  Trying to insinuate we had been overserved by the park and we weren't to blame for our actions.

Right as I said that,  my friend had a fifth of E&J brandy fall out of his jacket pocket onto the ground.  The funniest possible timing anything has ever happened.

We had seen a specific cop earlier in the evening,  and he told us we were going to end up in some sort of trouble then.  He was the one that took us up to the front,  and laughed about it all the way.  

When we got up there,  they told us we need to call up our friends to get us at the entrance as we couldn't safely be in the park anymore.  Both our phones were dead,  so they gave us chargers,  and we called them up as soon as our phones were turned on.  The same officer took us back up to the front,  and I asked him if I could run into a gift shop to buy a Haunt shirt. He said that was fine,  our friends showed up,  and he bid us farewell.

One of the best Haunt nights ever, but also surprisingly,  not the drunkest Haunt night I have had. 

6 months since HH and this is the best you can come up with? 

Next time start with: "This one time at band camp...I got a fifth of E&J brandy stuck........."

^ Given that, why use it in marketing the park/ rides etc.?

I would love to have prices go down.

We took a family vacation for a week last summer, stayed at AKL with savannah view and had LL everyday.  Yup, it was expensive.  Yup, its was an EPIC vacation for all of us- one that we will not experience for a handful of years (or at least till PP/ Villains Land opens).

Despite the cost, we would not have changed anything minus a couple transportation mistakes i.e. waiting for monorail from Contemporary to MK after 4th of July fireworks to catch bus back to AKL.

Point being, it's basic supply & demand- until Disney can see a drop in park attendance trend or drop in resort occupancy, they have little motivation to change costs much.

My daughters have planned a trip to Universal end of March.  The cost of staying at Helios/ park tix etc. is on par with Disney cost.

It should be noted there were 141 operating days in 1994 (1514 operating hours and no HalloWeekends) vs. 153 in 2025 (1546 operating hours).

Cost of 1994 one day ticket was $25.95 vs. $50 in 2025.

1994 Season pass was $74.95 (excluding parking & park amenities) vs. 2025 silver pass which does include parking and some basic amenities.

17 hours ago, KI Guy said:

@Browntggrrin an ideal scenario... anyone who would operate Kings Island like a Busch Park. I see those parks as the spiritual successor of the original intent of Kings Island. Meaning that it was an elevated experience not quite at a Disney level but more special in its presentation, theming, and overall feel than a typical amusement park. Kings Island has done quite well on the coasters over the last 15 years, but the premium feel and aesthetics of the park from its early days has not come back.

If Reilly can operate the parks like Busch at their peak, assuming they let him do it, then this could be a very good and effective hire.

I would also like to see KI operations go back to the pre-Paramount era.  It's unfortunate many today did not experience KI in the 80's.

It should be noted Reilly was president of Busch Gardens December 2007 (prior to Blackstone purchase) to November 2010.  He had a direct influence in bringing the Busch Gardens Williamsburg name back from Busch Gardens Europe.

 

2 hours ago, KI Guy said:

My goodness — someone from Parques Reunidos? That company's stint in US park ownership/operations was an unmitigated disaster.

The new Six Flags needed either an amusement park outsider of someone who could heighten the experience and service like someone from Disney or Universal.

They've instead brought in someone from old Six Flags' smaller and less successful cousin.

Hopefully it works out though...

Unmitigated disaster is an interesting take. 

While no CEO/ COO record is perfect, his leadership with Parques/ Palace did provide a positive trend for customer service- one opinion many have been clamoring for when it comes to SF prior to the CF merger.  He also made shareholders happy at the same time.

I'm encouraged the decision was not just a "money" person.

Who do you believe would be better suited for the job?